Chapter 6: and

The moment when the sun has completely set and the starry sky is dim is the darkest; it was impossible to see clearly what was happening at that instant. However, many people, both near and far, were not yet asleep, and the moment the flames shot into the sky, they stood up, dragging their families along.

And so, the entire refugee camp was filled with every kind of sound.

"Quick, everyone, hurry!"

Directing them toward the main road, the village chief’s voice, strained and breathless, sounded particularly chilling in the night.

"We can't go to the main road," Qin Wangshu said, pulling on Li Jiang and pointing in the other direction. "Go that way."

"Don't be afraid, I will protect you." Pulling his young wife directly between himself and the handcart, Li Jiang pushed the cart forward.

"There are too many people over there. If we go that way, we'll be at the very back. In the crush, we might be trampled to death. There are fewer people this way; we’ll go out from here and circle behind the hill to get ahead of them." Unable to speak slowly, Qin Wangshu leaned close to Li Jiang’s ear, urgently expressing her meaning.

The refugee camp was indeed by the main road, but the main road ran roughly east-to-west, while the refugee camp was oriented north-to-south. Their position wasn't the furthest from the main road, but it wasn't close either.

Since government runners were stationed on the main road, it was indeed much easier to go the opposite way compared to the pushing and shoving crowd.

"Go back, Dad! Turn around! There are fewer people behind us; once we round the hill, there’s the road."

At a time like this, there was no room to worry about everyone else. Hearing this, Old Man Li pushed his wife and the little girl to turn around.

Li Jiang’s shout had already caused many in the village to stop in their tracks. Seeing the front, they stumbled as they turned back, and those near them followed suit.

"What’s going on?"

"Why are we turning back?"

Those nearby were from the same village, so those who had turned around quickly explained to those still pushing forward.

"There are too many people in front. We’re going to circle around the back; once we pass the hillside, we’ll be on the main road."

...

"Hoo... I can't do it, I can't walk anymore." With legs feeling like they were filled with lead, Qin Wangshu was too embarrassed to even admit she was an adult.

"Fourth Aunt, put Sanlang down." First setting down Silang, Jiang Shi took the child from Qin Wangshu’s back, then picked up Silang instead. "Don't stop, Fourth Aunt, you can't stop. There are too many people behind us; if you stop, you’ll be trampled."

"...I know, let's go." Dragging Sanlang, Qin Wangshu pushed back against Li Jiang, who was buried under bundles of luggage.

Turning back last night hadn't been easy. Some people from the other two villages felt they were right, while others felt it was safer to follow the crowd in the pitch-black night. As a result, of the three villages, the other two had scattered, and once they reached the edge of the hillside and the carts could no longer move forward, they had to distribute the items on the carts among themselves.

There wasn't much grain, but the luggage, bowls, and basins on the carts weren't light. So, Old Man Li had his brothers pick out their own bedding to carry.

Li Jiang and her didn't have much, but there was the eldest brother with four kids, the second brother with two, the sister with three, and the iron pot the whole family used to eat. Li Jiang couldn't be lightened, and to carry more of their own things, Jiang Shi wanted five-year-old Sanlang to walk on his own.

Unable to watch, Qin Wangshu, who didn't even have a basket, stretched out her thin, weak claws. She had been carrying him for a night and most of a day.

Having never done heavy labor and having been hungry for over three months, the only reason she had persisted until now was the fear of being trampled by the people behind.

Unable to care about her sister-in-law’s improved tone, Qin Wangshu walked forward like a walking corpse.

They successfully reached the main road, but they hadn't gotten away from the main force. There were many people in front and even more behind. Perhaps the situation last night had been too dire; everyone was panicked. The entire road was filled with people dragging and pulling, all moving forward. Many pushing carts didn't care about anything else—she had seen with her own eyes a woman get knocked down, and a heavy wooden cart roll directly over her legs.

In that instant, she understood that the humanity of the refugees had been lost. If you didn't avoid it yourself, others wouldn't make concessions for you.

"Quick, everyone, hurry, it’s not far now!"

The village chief’s already hoarse voice acted like a stimulant; the desire to survive was the people’s final conviction.

Tired, sleepy, and hungry, no one dared to stop. Old and young alike pushed the last bit of strength in their bodies to the limit.

"Here." Old Mother Li stuffed wheat into everyone’s hands, and when she reached Qin Wangshu, she gave her a large, generous handful.

Jiang Shi, who saw it out of the corner of her eye, didn't say anything this time, and Qin Wangshu, knowing they would reach Qingwa River in half a day, didn't stand on ceremony.

Half a day—it wasn't long, but it wasn't short either. But in half a day, there would be endless water to drink, which made everyone push forward with all their might.

Qin Wangshu also had a strong desire to survive, but her physical condition was lacking, and the steps she took with all her might still dragged everyone down. Fortunately, there were many old and young in the village, so the speed gradually slowed, and the Li family was not left behind.

As they got closer to the prefectural city, there were more and more people on the road. With the arrival of night, the road became so crowded that people were rubbing shoulders.

"Which county? Which sub-district?"

In the middle of the night, the torches on the main road were terrifyingly red. Government runners with broadswords stood in rows to block the way, though fortunately, they were there to settle the crowd rather than drive them away.

With the village chief leading, the families of Baitang Village didn't need to be timid when dealing with the runners.

"Official, we are from Baitang Village, Daping Town, An County. I am the village chief of Baitang Village."

"How many came?"

"Six hundred and twenty-three souls from the whole village."

"Are they all here?"

"Yes, official."

After the village chief reported the situation cautiously, the runner told him a location, and the village chief led everyone to the An County refugee camp.

Compared to the area outside the county seat, this place was larger, and compared to the people outside the county seat, there were more people here.

But compared to the area outside the county seat, the management here seemed stricter.

At the end of every *chen* hour (around 9 AM), the village chief had to take the household registers and the able-bodied men of each family to find the person in charge of the town, then gather with the other village chiefs of the county to collect grain, and after returning, distribute it to each family. As for water, the Qingwa River was two miles away; they could drink as much as they wanted.

"Village chief, can we go get water now?"

They had fully expected to have water to drink once they reached the prefectural city, never imagining that the management here would be even stricter. Those fierce-looking runners could scare the wits out of them.

"I... I'll go ask." Their family's gourds were almost empty; the feeling of not having a single drop of water left made him feel insecure.

After all, not every village was right next to the Qingwa River, and the journey had been not only hungry but thirsty. Thus, the village chief was not blocked.

"Eldest stays behind. Second, Fourth, go with Dalin."

If it were just filling the family's gourds, two people would have been more than enough, but no one dared to cause trouble in this camp, and who knew what it would be like outside? So they had to be careful.

Although they were almost exhausted, the thought of water that could be drunk just a short distance away lifted the spirits of the Li brothers. Li Jiang, who had already spread out Qin Wangshu’s quilt, hurriedly handed the gourd to her.

Gulping down the remaining water, Qin Wangshu finally felt like she was still alive.

"You guys be careful."

"Don't worry."