Chapter 33: We are fleeing the famine!

Yan Yu watched her mother, who wanted to take this and grab that.

She couldn't help but press her hand to her forehead. "Mother, our cart can't hold everything. Stop taking things."

"How can it not hold everything? You two have turned it into a bunk bed; what wouldn't fit? We'll take these; if we don't use them, we can sell them next time," Li Xuemei said without looking up.

Their house had been sold empty, but it didn't matter—they still had the kitchen.

Once the kitchen was tidied up, there were quite a few things; all those jars and pots would come in handy.

Under Li Xuemei's insistent demands, the Yan family's "double-decker bus" utilized the hollow space beneath the cart, where several bundles were tied tightly with hemp rope.

...

Yan the Second eyed his brother's room, pondering what good things were worth taking so he wouldn't forget them when it was time to leave.

Yan Huaiven felt a headache coming on watching his brother's eyes, which were never still.

"Who did you learn this from? Posturing, making things up out of thin air, and..."

That fall of yours—was it actually intentional?!

"We could have left tomorrow morning, but because of you, we have to travel through the night."

Yan the Second was not convinced. "Leaving early is a good thing. Wasn't it you, Big Brother, who said we should leave as soon as possible? What's wrong with leaving at night? It's cooler."

"It's all your nonsense. Traveling at night is difficult. The villagers are already anxious about leaving their homes; this will only add to their worries."

"Big Brother, given today's situation, do you think if we hadn't dealt harshly with Village Head Guo, he really would have dragged Da Ya away?" Yan the Second asked.

Thinking of the arrogance of Village Head Guo's family in his previous life, Yan Huaiven said softly, "Most likely, he would have."

"Then that's that! We certainly can't let Da Ya be snatched away. If we let them go too easily, there's no guarantee Village Head Guo won't go back to gather more people to come back and grab her. When they have enough manpower then, who can guarantee our villagers won't get hurt? It's better that they get beaten than us," Yan the Second argued persuasively.

The villagers were kind-hearted and didn't aim for the vital spots, except for that boy San Tie, whose performance was brilliant. That flying kick was just too cool!

If not for the lack of coordination, Village Head Guo wouldn't have escaped so easily.

Yan Huaiven understood the gravity of the situation, but he simply didn't want his brother to become addicted to fanning the flames.

"We must remember the kindness the villagers showed in protecting the Yan family. We cannot take it for granted just because our family is using our funds to buy livestock for the village."

Yan the Second nodded hurriedly. "Brother, I remember. Look, it's getting late; let me help you load the things onto the cart."

As soon as his brother nodded, Yan the Second sprang into action.

Yan Huaiven watched his brother's busy silhouette.

The ox cart... the ox cart!

His mouth twitched, his heart filled with shock.

A perfectly good ox cart had been tinkered into this ghostly mess by his brother!

He couldn't help but worry: could the ox even pull this?

Yan Huaiven hurried forward to inspect it closely.

All four wheels were wrapped in hemp rope. The small cart attached to the back was half the size of the front one and wobbled slightly. The wooden pillars supporting the frame were tightly fitted, and both the upper and lower boards were covered with thick layers of straw. The family's quilts were pressed down onto the lower straw, and his little niece was rolling around on top of them...

The upper frame held many things: grain, luggage, iron pots, cutting boards... and jars of various sizes.

Da Ya handed up his and Heng'er's books and inkstones one by one. Heng'er crouched on the upper frame, not daring to stand up, tremblingly placing things into a large wooden chest.

A very familiar straw mat was tied to the top of the second-tier frame. After his brother finished moving the luggage, seeing that the thin mat looked insufficient, he tied Heng'er's mat from his room up there as well.

His sister-in-law hung the meat that hadn't fully dried yet.

His second brother picked up sickles, hoes, and rakes, fixing them to both sides of the cart body.

His little niece started chasing the chickens again...

In the end, it was Da Ya who carried the egg-laying chickens over one by one, tying their legs along with her aunt to toss them onto the small cart at the back.

His brother began sighing over the water vats, disappointed that they couldn't be taken.

His sister-in-law called him into Heng'er and Da Ya's room, and the two of them emerged carrying another large stack.

His son and daughter were incredibly embarrassed, rushing over to explain that those were old, broken things that were truly unusable.

But since their uncle and aunt insisted, the two children couldn't argue and had to help tie them to the rear of the cart.

When Tianyou entered his room again, Yan Huaiven had a bad premonition.

Sure enough, he saw Tianyou beaming with joy as he carried out his writing desk, laying it horizontally across the ox cart...

Yan Huaiven:...

What were they supposed to be doing? Right, they were fleeing a famine.

Even though he had told them in advance to prepare, this preparation was far too thorough!

"Big Brother, I'm going to the Qi family's place first," Yan the Second said, preparing to drive the cart.

Yan Huaiven looked at the sky and said, "Let's go together."

They would go directly from the Qi family's to the threshing floor to assemble.

He worried that if they stayed any longer, his brother and sister-in-law would dismantle the beds and cabinets in the house to take them along.

"Alright, children, get on!" Yan the Second called out.

Er Ya found her angle, took a running start, and lunged directly onto the cart.

Then, crawling and climbing, she made space and happily called out, "Uncle, Mother, Big Brother, Sister Da Ya, come quickly!"

Yan Huaiven said with reserve, "You all sit. I'll walk."

Li Xuemei sat down and let out a sigh; the long-lost sense of comfort felt wonderful.

Da Ya sat beside her aunt, and Yan Xiangheng sat opposite them.

Yan the Second gave a shout, "San Bao, let's go!"

The ox cart moved, and contrary to expectations, it wasn't difficult or cumbersome; it moved quite normally and easily.

Yan Huaiven watched the ox's brisk and vigorous steps as it moved further and further away.

He couldn't help but quicken his pace.

...

By the time Yan Huaiven reached the Qi family, the Qi brothers had already begun modifying his desk.

The legs were sawed short, and the tabletop was cut in half. In just a few moments, it had become a small low table that fit perfectly on the cart.

His brother was still unwilling to give up the leftover tabletop and made four long, small stools from it.

Yan Huaiven's understanding of his second brother was refreshed once again.

But when the two families arrived at the threshing floor, Yan Huaiven realized his brother's antics were nothing.

If not for his forceful intervention, the village elders would have wanted to move the stone mill from the threshing floor as well...

Just after the hour of the Rooster, every family arrived.

All eyes were fixed on Yan Huaiven.

He felt a heavy sense of trust.

He wanted to say something encouraging, but for a long time, he could not find the words.

The journey was long and fraught with difficulties; he could not make any promises.

He didn't even dare to think about whether anyone would fail to reach Guanzhou.

Yan Yu nudged her father and looked toward her uncle.

Yan the Second understood and shouted

"Village Chief, let our family lead the way! Villagers, follow closely! If anything happens, just come to the front and give us a shout!"

Village Chief Luo nodded. He and a few other old-timers were assigned to a mule cart and had packed some things, but looking at the Yan family's ox cart now, they truly couldn't compare.

Contrary to Yan Huaiven's expectations, the villagers' sorrow over leaving their homes was wiped clean by the sight of the Yan family's ox cart.

The Yan family led the way with their ox.

The procession behind them was filled with chatter.

"That ox was expensive for a reason. Look at everyone, look how much it can pull!"

"Yan the Second's wife really knows how to run a household. Look at all those things; she brought such a complete set. Oh, why didn't I bring my sauce jars..."

"When we stop, son, you should spread out that straw to make a bed for our parents. And those quilts—they're heavy to carry on our backs; it'll be much better and softer to sit on them."

"I told you bringing the chickens was right. They don't eat much. Just tie them up, put them on the ground, and let them forage. Even if they only lay one egg every few days, it's fine. When they stop laying, we can slaughter them for meat."

"Why didn't we think to build a canopy for the cart? The sun is so strong; it'll be scorching. Luckily I brought the mats from home. We'll look for some poles along the way to prop it up."