"Why is Yong'er gone?" Zhou Peng's eyes were bloodshot. He stood on the carriage, looked at the Ma brothers kneeling on the ground, and asked condescendingly.
"Brother Zhou, Sister Yue, this is what happened." Ma Liang told the story of being robbed by the Wuxi barbarians again.
"Oh, this is fate. Mr. Ma, please get up."
After listening to what Ma Liang said, Zhou Peng looked back at his son lying in the coffin, jumped off the carriage, supported Ma Liang and Ma Su and said.
"My dear mother, you come down first. It's all up to me. It was me who harmed our baby." Zhou Peng cried while helping Yue, who was lying on the coffin, get out of the carriage.
Zhou Peng knew that the Ma brothers were not to blame for this, so how could he kill them for revenge?
I can only blame myself for wanting to find a good future for my son. I can only say that sometimes fate is too tricky.
"Okay, mom and dad are here, don't cry, don't cry." Yue got out of the car and wiped her tears, hugging the two crying babies and coaxing them.
"Mom, is the eldest brother lying in there?" Six-year-old Zhou Yuan already understands something. He doesn't understand separation between life and death, but he knows that the eldest brother is lying in the box on the carriage.
"You are so stupid. My eldest brother is sleeping there. Look at that wooden box, how beautiful it is." The younger Zhou Xiaohe didn't understand that much and even made fun of her second brother.
The mother-in-law heard the words of the two children and said nothing while holding their heads to prevent them from seeing her uncontrollable tears.
"Hey, let's go into the house and talk." Zhou Peng sighed and invited Ma Liang and others into the house.
"Cover it, find a few people to carry it in, and ask them to wait outside." Liu Cong whispered to Xu Feng.
Xu Feng did not agree. With red eyes, he raised his hands to Liu Cong and made arrangements.
Several people entered the room and sat down, and Mrs. Yue took the child to another room.
Zhou Peng took out the kettle, poured water for everyone, and said to the Ma brothers: "Mr. Ma, don't be sad. You are right, there is no resurrection after death."
"I wanted Yong'er to learn and read, so that I could get rid of the fate of facing the loess and back to the sky. Unexpectedly..."
"It was me who harmed Yong'er,...wu...wu"
At this point, Zhou Peng cried again, and Ma Liang had nothing to say. He just kept saying: "Brother Zhou, I'm sorry for you..."
"Mr. Ma, don't feel guilty anymore. Thank you for sending him back." Zhou Peng and Ma Liang comforted each other.
When Ma Liang heard this, he said: "I also fell into a coma that day. I owe it to Master Liu to send Yong'er back."
He pointed at Liu Cong and wanted to introduce him.
Liu Cong waved his hand and stopped Ma Liang: "I just happened to meet him at the right time. Brother Zhou, please don't say thank you. Please forgive me and accept the change."
"Anyway, thank you all." Zhou Peng said to everyone, cupping his hands.
"Brother Zhou, what are your plans for the other two children in the future?" Liu Cong asked aloud.
Zhou Peng thought of his dead son and said, "Let them stay with us. We don't ask for anything, as long as the babies can grow up well."
Liu Cong originally wanted to take his family to Xiangyang and arrange for the two children of the Zhou family to study and become literate. When he heard this, he knew there was nothing he could do to comfort him.
On the same day, Liu Cong commanded his soldiers to build a memorial tent for little Zhou Yong, cut down trees and break ground, and renovated the walls of the Zhou family's house.
The two little children of the Zhou family looked at the new house and pointed. It didn't take long for them to get tired of playing and fell asleep in the company of Mrs. Yue.
Liu Cong sent people to buy grain, cloth, etc. to give to the Zhou family. Zhou Peng could not refuse, so he had to accept it.
Zhou Peng thanked everyone repeatedly, but Liu Cong and others felt that this was all they could do to make up for little Zhou Yong.
At night, Liu Cong and others led their soldiers and horses to station outside Zhoujiazhuang, and set up a camp five miles outside the village.
The day after tomorrow, after Xiao Zhouyong is buried, everyone will leave.
Late at night, outside Zhoujiazhuang.
On the top of the mountain, more than thirty people were lying on the ground, looking at the village with a few lights in the distance.
"Boss, there are thousands of troops stationed in the south of this village. Do we really want to rob it?"
"What are you afraid of? Can the Han army still fight? Let's sneak into the village and rob the house with the best yard. After we finish this, we will go back. This time we robbed enough to feed our family for two years!
"
"But the head..."
"There's nothing wrong with it. Let's take advantage of the darkness and run away after looting. The Han army won't chase us!"
"Wait another half hour until everyone is asleep and let's start!"
In the small courtyard of the Zhou family, after Mrs. Yue coaxed the two babies to sleep, she was so sad that she also fell asleep.
Zhou Peng stood guard in front of Zhou Yong's funeral shed, with tears in his eyes: "Son, I can't help you. I want you to learn how to read and have a good future."
"father……"
"Dad really didn't expect to hurt you."
…
While Zhou Peng was crying in Zhou Yongling shed, Kun Yan led more than 30 people into the village.
"Head, the village is full of dilapidated tile-roofed houses and thatched huts. Only one family has built a new house. It looks like the new house is no more than three days old!" The barbarian who went to inquire in advance came to report.
A sneer flashed at the corner of Kun Yan's mouth: "Light the torch and come with me to grab this ticket!"
"Oh, oh, oh!" The barbarians under his command lit torches, howled, and galloped after Kun Yan!
"Bang!" The newly built door of Zhou's family was knocked open today!
Zhou Peng just heard the sound of horse hoofs and thought it was Liu Cong's group, so he didn't pay much attention. At this time, he turned around and took a look.
It was Kun Yan who led a dozen or so barbarians in. Zhou Peng looked around again and saw that there were torches outside the courtyard!
Before Zhou Peng could speak, Kun Yan pointed a knife at Zhou Peng and said: "Hand over all the valuable things!"
Mrs. Yue was also woken up. When she came out of the room, she was trembling all over. She looked at Zhou Peng and said tremblingly: "The master?"
Zhou Peng gave her a comforting look, then cupped his hands to the Kunyan group and said, "Fellow warriors, I can hand over all my belongings, but please spare the lives of our whole family!"
Kun Yan nodded: "I always only seek wealth, not life! As long as you tell the truth, you can live!"
Yue suddenly had a fit and said, "No, the head of the family paid for it with Yong'er's life!"
"court death!"
"Boss, kill them! Let's search ourselves!"
Kunyan's men immediately became angry.
Zhou Peng was so angry that he walked up to Mrs. Yue and gave her a slap in the face. Then he spoke in a low voice to the Kunyan group: "Everyone, women are not sensible. Don't be as knowledgeable as her. I will let you go."
She went to get something."
Kun Yan stopped his men's restlessness, waved his knife, and signaled Zhou Peng to take action.
"Zhou, you... you hit me?" Yue covered her face and looked at Zhou Peng in disbelief with eyes full of tears.
Zhou Peng didn't say anything, but dragged her into the house, pointed at the two sleeping children, and scolded in a low voice: "This is the only door in our house, and the window is in front, and there are walls on three sides. Let's run.
No more! If you don’t give it to them, will you kill us all?”
Mrs. Yue sobbed: "But... that's Yong'er..."
Zhou Peng wiped the tears on Yue's face and consoled him: "I know, but we still have Yuan'er and Xiaohe!"
Mrs. Yue walked to the bed, sat down, and stopped talking.
Zhou Peng sighed, took out the cloth on the table, and under the watchful eyes of Kunyan's group, went into the house and carried out all the food.
"Everyone, everything is here!" Zhou Peng clapped his hands and said to Kun Yan.
Kun Yan nodded: "Move things, let's go!"
"Head, that coffin?" A barbarian beside Kun Yan pointed at the coffin.
Kun Yan looked over and said: "The Han people have a saying that the dead are the most important. Just take things and leave. Don't touch other people's coffins!"
After hearing this, Zhou Peng finally let go of his nervousness.
After a period of chaos, Kunyan and his group left the Zhou family. As soon as they left Zhoujiazhuang, the barbarian who was about to snatch the coffin suddenly stopped and said: "Head, I have a stomachache."
Kun Yan stared at him for a long time before he said: "I'll be waiting for you ten miles to the north. Come back in two-quarters of an hour. If you dare to go back and snatch someone else's coffin, I'll kill you!"
"Don't worry, boss!" the barbarian responded and prepared to ride away.
"Wait a minute." Kun Yan called out. With the barbarian's puzzled eyes, he turned to the two barbarians beside him and said, "You two, follow him and keep an eye on me!"
The two barbarians around him quickly followed the barbarian just now.
Late at night, Liu Cong had fallen asleep, and Xu Feng suddenly came in and woke him up.
"Shan Rong, what happened?" Liu Cong sat up and asked with a yawn.
Xu Feng half-knelt in the tunnel and said: "My lord, the scouts just came to report that a group of about thirty barbarians entered Zhoujiazhuang from the north and went straight to the Zhou family."
Liu Cong happily opened the quilt and got out of bed with bare feet: "Why didn't the scout team stop us?"
According to Liu Cong's military orders, the unit of the scout team should be 10 to 15 people. It should be able to fight against more than 30 people. At the very least, it should be able to delay.