The returning refugees walked away one step at a time. The village chief stood on the roadside and stared for a long time, still not knowing how to feel when he went back to face the villagers.
Yan Yan in the distance saw that he hadn't moved, so she took the initiative to look for him while holding up the hem of her skirt.
The little girl wore a brand-new pink coat skirt and embroidered shoes of the same color, and also specially wore a fur ball headband given to her by Yue Ya.
The coat and skirt had just been made by Mrs. Shu before she left. The hem of the skirt was a bit too long. Perhaps she was afraid that the clothes would be stained by the mud. The little girl walked very cautiously. She had to look at each step for a while to make sure there was no muddy water before jumping over.
.
The fur ball on her head swayed back and forth as she moved, resembling a pair of cute rabbit ears.
For some reason, the village chief's mood suddenly became much lighter when he saw the figure of Xiaotuanzi stumbling toward him, and the questions that were weighing on his mind also got answers.
Since it’s difficult to go south or north, it’s better to take a gamble and leave everything to God.
Wherever God tells them to go, that's where they will go.
And the little girl running towards him is their god.
After making up his mind, the village chief felt relaxed instantly.
"Yanyan, just stand still. Grandpa is coming to find you."
The village chief raised his head and walked towards Xiaotuanzi with a kind smile.
Yan Yan stopped obediently, blinked her eyes, and asked softly: "Grandpa, village chief, did they tell you why they went north?"
"Grandpa will answer this question for you later. Can Yan Yan answer Grandpa's question first?" The village chief bent down and picked up Yan Yan and asked in a gentle voice.
Xiaotuanzi nodded, "Ask."
"Suppose, I mean what if, there are too many people in Qizhou City and they won't let us in or help us. In this case, Yan Yan thinks we should continue walking south?"
"Let's go." Yan Yan gave the answer without hesitation, "Grandma said, no matter what you do, you must persist to the end. Only those who are unpromising will give up halfway.
We have walked so far, and my uncles have so many blisters on their feet that the flesh on Yan Yan’s butt is almost flat. It would be too irritating to go back at this time.”
"Yan Yan is right, people with no future will give up halfway, and we don't want to be losers!"
The village chief laughed, his heart suddenly enlightened, and he immediately returned to the camp and took out his precious gong, "dua
"g" sounded and everyone in the village stood up.
Old man Shu was dreaming about building a big house with blue bricks and tiles. He was so happy that he was about to put up a big banquet to show off the house. When the gong sounded, nothing happened. The old man was so angry that he jumped up and wanted to show off the house.
Hit someone.
The village chief knocked him in the ear a few times and shouted: "You are about to die, and you are still dreaming here. Shu Guangzong, can you wake up!"
"You're about to lose your life, please tell me clearly!" Old Man Shu's eyes were as wide as bells.
The village chief put down the broken gong and told everyone the current situation in Qizhou City.
Sure enough, after hearing the bad news, the group of people who had been in high spirits suddenly became exhausted.
The village chief was thinking about how to comfort everyone, when Old Man Shu spoke first.
"Look at you two, your faces are as wrinkled as those of Muggles. Is that the case?
We couldn't find water at the beginning, and we were about to be wiped out, but in the end we gritted our teeth and got through it?
Now that you don’t have to worry about eating and drinking, what else do you have to worry about?”
Old man Shu threw out a series of rhetorical questions impassionedly, which made his blood boil with excitement.
Then Old Man Tang poured out a basin of cold water to extinguish his enthusiasm: "Oh, you are thinking quite a lot now. I don't know who could not think so at the beginning, squatting on the roadside to mourn for the donkey."
Old Man Shu: "..."
This damn old man, why don't you open which pot and pick up which pot?
"You have worked hard to save money for half your life, but you bought something and threw it away before using it. Don't you cry?
No, how can a person like you, who can't even afford four dishes and one soup, afford something as valuable as a donkey, so it's normal that you don't understand my mood, and I'm not angry."
Old Man Shu patted his rival on the shoulder "generously" and gave him a sympathetic look.
Then - the two of them started fighting again without any surprise.
It was originally a very serious and sad thing, but because of the jokes made by the two old men, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
The village chief also took the opportunity to express his thoughts: to continue traveling southward and not stop until the destination.
The people in the village always obeyed the village chief's words. They didn't raise any opinions after hearing the words and silently packed their luggage.
In order to save time, a group of people walked southward again on the muddy path after lunch.
After chasing him slowly all the way, he finally arrived at the outskirts of Qizhou City on the evening of the second day.
If the number of refugees we met before could be described as "large", now it can only be described as "people follow the herd".
Not only was the open space outside the city gate crowded with people, but there were also people hanging on the crooked neck trees on the roadside.
Looking around, it can be said to be a sea of people.
Some people left disappointed when they saw that they could not enter the city, but more people stayed outside the city and refused to leave. Even if they died, they would die in front of the Qizhou City Tower.
Seeing that more and more people were gathering and the situation was about to get out of control, Qizhou officials mobilized a group of troops to go out of the city to drive away the refugees.
The people of Yaoshui Village were not very lucky. As soon as they arrived, they were driven away by the vicious officers and soldiers before they could even stand firm.
Old man Shu looked back at the tall tower and sighed one after another: "What's all this?
I have been studying Qizhou for more than a month, Qizhou is wonderful, Qizhou’s seafood is everywhere, but as soon as I arrived, I was kicked out without even seeing what the city gate looked like. How about playing?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a wheezing sound from behind him. When he looked back, he saw Yan Yan lying in the arms of her third uncle and breathing hard, her face turned red from exhaustion.
Asked what she was doing, Xiaotuanzi grinned, with a hint of wisdom in his simple smile, "I want to remember the taste of Qizhou City, so that my visit will not be in vain!"
The little guy has some ideas.
Old Shu asked her with a smile: "Then can you smell what Qizhou City smells like?"
Yan Yan shook her head, frowned, and said in great distress: "No, it stinks, it smells terrible!"
A group of people around me burst into laughter. I haven’t taken a shower for two days, but it smells like sweat. It’s really hard for Xiaotuanzi.
After the laughter, it was time to discuss business. Everyone looked at the village chief in unison, "Village Chief, where do you think we should go next? We all listen to you."
The village chief didn't know what to do, so he turned to look at Yan Yan, "Yan Yan, where do you think we should go?"
"Go to the beach. There are big crabs, big fish, and big shells there, which are delicious!" Yan Yan gestured with joy, her face bright, and she obviously didn't take the dilemma in front of her to heart.
As a qualified foodie, her attention is on eating from beginning to end. As for Qizhou City, it doesn't matter.
When Old Man Shu saw his granddaughter being so excited when she mentioned the sea, he also cheered: "Let's go south to the sea. I haven't seen the sea in my whole life. I finally came here. It would be a loss if I didn't go and see it."
"Okay, then let's go for a walk on the beach! Even if we have to go back to our hometown in the end, we have to have a seafood meal before we leave!" the village chief made the final decision.