Koi Fubao: Being loved by everyone on the road to escape from famine

When Xiao Zhixue saw this, she seemed to see people's fear of the unknown, and it felt like they were avoiding a disaster.

The village chief keenly caught the villager's nervous reaction, and hurriedly comforted everyone, signaling them to stay calm and let him go to investigate first.

He strode towards the panicked villager's house. Just as he was about to raise his hand to knock on the door, a hurried and panicked young man's voice came from the yard: "Mom, it's bad, there are outsiders entering the village again, maybe the government is here to arrest people!"

Then, there was a chaotic sound of footsteps in the yard, revealing the villagers' inner panic.

After a while, the gate of the courtyard was gently opened, and a pair of wary eyes looked out through the gap.

When the eyes caught sight of the village chief, the door was hastily closed again. With a flurry of activity, another voice came from the courtyard: "Xiaozi, Qingzi, hide quickly, don't let the officials see you!"

This series of unexpected conversations left even the experienced village chief stunned for a moment.

Just as the village chief was about to explain their purpose, a woman's voice was heard from the yard. The voice was trembling slightly and revealed anxiety.

"You, who are you? What brings you to Taoyuan Village?"

The village chief came to his senses immediately and introduced himself: "We are from Shangqiao Village, which is a hundred miles away. We were forced to lead the villagers to flee their homes and seek refuge because of the war."

His words were full of sincerity, hoping to dispel the other party's doubts and find a temporary place of peace for this group of people.

Along the way, the scorching sun burned the earth, and I was sweating profusely. The water bag I carried with me had already deflated, and my throat was as dry as if it had been rubbed by sandpaper, and I urgently needed moisture.

I happened to pass by this quiet little village, and I was secretly glad in my heart, so I stopped and said softly to the wooden door that looked a bit old: "I drank all the water on the way, and I just happened to pass by here, I want to ask for a bowl of water to quench my thirst."

There was a barely perceptible hint of fatigue and anticipation in his words.

As soon as the words fell, as if in response to this plea, the tightly closed gate quietly and silently opened a crack, letting in a ray of light.

Behind the door, a pair of vigilant eyes looked through the gap and carefully observed the middle-aged man in front of him who claimed to be the village chief.

Those eyes seemed to be searching for some flaws, their gaze falling on the village chief's empty hands and the weariness that could not be concealed on his face.

She cautiously turned her head and quickly glanced at the villagers from Shangqiao Village who were gathered not far away. She found that their eyes were all directed here, so she quickly retracted her gaze for fear of causing unnecessary trouble.

"I don't believe what you said unless you have something to prove your identity."

Her voice was small, but it was full of unquestionable determination.

Faced with this sudden questioning, the village chief looked a little embarrassed, but then he took out an old but carefully preserved cloth bag from his arms, which contained a genealogy of Shangqiao Village.

"This is the family tree of our Shangqiao Village, take a look." As he said this, he was about to hand over this precious book.

However, just as Qian reached out to take it, the village chief suddenly stopped.

"This is the symbol of our Shangqiao Village and cannot be given to outsiders easily." Someone said nearby.

As the wife of the village chief of the neighboring Taoyuan Village, Qian naturally understood the reason and nodded silently in her heart.

After all, in this age that values ​​family inheritance, family tree is to villagers as roots are to trees and should not be shown to others easily.

Qian carefully looked at the village chief in front of him again and estimated that he was about forty years old. His words and deeds revealed an extraordinary temperament. He had the calmness of an elder and the easy-going nature of a leader. He was indeed very different from the officials who usually wielded sharp blades.

Whenever Qian recalled how those ferocious-looking officials ran rampant in the countryside and forcibly conscripted young men, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger in his heart.

The scene from a week ago is still vivid in my mind. The officials broke into the village like wolves and forcibly took away a group of young people, including some young and middle-aged men, to do hard labor.

Fortunately, her two sons were out for some business and managed to escape the disaster.

But her husband was not so lucky. He was forcibly taken away and never returned.

Thinking of this, Qian's eyes couldn't help but become moist.

Looking at the family tree in the village chief's hand, Qian's heart calmed down a little and he decided to trust him.

"Wait here. I'll get you some water. But we don't have enough water at home. There's only enough for you to drink. Please feel free after you finish drinking."

After saying that, the door closed again with a slight collision, leaving behind silence.

After a while, the door opened again, and Qian carefully brought a bowl of clear water and handed it to the village chief.

The village chief peeked into the courtyard through the slightly open door.

The courtyard is spacious and tidy, and the well in the corner reveals that this family has no shortage of water.

He looked down at the bowl of water in his hand, a complex emotion welling up in his heart.

If I only drink this bowl of sweet rain for myself, what will happen to my fellow villagers who have gone through so much hardship with me?

They were also thirsty and in urgent need of water. He couldn't be so selfish and abandon them all.

So the village chief remained silent and did not reach out to take the water.

Seeing this, Qian felt uneasy, fearing that this seemingly kind stranger in front of her would suddenly change his attitude, make unacceptable demands, or even threaten her two children.

Just as the atmosphere became delicate and tense, Qian paced back and forth in the room anxiously, and finally couldn't help urging: "You said you were thirsty, why don't you drink it and leave!"

Almost at the same time, just as the village chief was about to open his mouth to explain, a chaotic sound of footsteps came closer and closer. A group of villagers had surrounded them, and everyone's face was filled with anxiety and dissatisfaction.

The village chief was at a loss for a moment and fell into awkward silence.

At this moment, Xiao Zhixue walked to the village chief, her eyes swept across the bowl of water in Qian's hand, and she understood everything.

She gave Qian a gentle and understanding smile and whispered softly, "Auntie, we are fleeing here. Can you give us some water so we can continue on our journey?"

Her words were full of pleading and sincerity, hoping to break the current deadlock.

There was a hint of caution in Qian's eyes as she carefully examined Xiao Zhixue from head to toe. Her eyes, which had seen through all the vicissitudes of life, then lightly swept over the men, women, young and old who were following closely behind her.

Their faces showed a mixture of fatigue and helplessness, with simple bags and daily necessities on their shoulders. Their clothes were old but clean and tidy, which was definitely not the embarrassment that officials could deliberately pretend to be.

Although the observation results made her feel somewhat relieved, Qian did not relax her vigilance that she had developed over the years.

"Are you really fleeing?"

When she said this, there was a barely perceptible hint of concern and suspicion in her voice.

Xiao Zhixue responded with a sincere look in her eyes. She nodded gently, her voice gentle but firm: "Auntie, we are exhausted and tired. If we were not trying to avoid disaster, why would we have come all the way here? We have no reason to deceive a kind person like you."