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The courtyard fell silent in an instant, and everyone stopped their movements.
The injuries didn’t only affect the official who had crashed into the millstone; during the scuffle, Huazi’s Father and the village head’s son were also hurt, and Old Uncle Xue had been pushed down by someone and was now sitting on the ground.
However, these injuries were nothing compared to the glaring red blood on the millstone.
Beside Wei Yunlan, Seventh Lady Yu, who was supporting her in the bushes, suddenly grew serious and whispered, “Something has happened.”
“What?” Wei Yunlan’s expression changed.
Before Seventh Lady Yu could answer, two officials helped their fallen colleague off the millstone and reached out to check for signs of life, their faces turning pale. “Boss, it’s bad—Gouzi has no breath!”
The leader’s face darkened like a pot bottom, gripping his large knife tightly. His gloomy gaze slowly swept over the villagers of Xiaya, finally pointing his blade toward the opened cellar entrance. “Murder and hidden grain! You villagers of Xiaya have some nerve!”
He pointed at the village head, Huazi’s Father, and several others who had just acted. “Tie them all up and take them back to the county office!”
The village head knew that a life had been lost, and things would not end well. He stepped forward, trying to put on a smile as he pleaded with the leader, “Official, this was an accident. How about I go back with you to explain it to the county magistrate? Can we leave the other villagers here?”
“No way.” The leader’s face was ashen, showing no room for negotiation.
Seeing the village head and the others standing in the courtyard about to be tied up by the officials, several younger villagers rushed to persuade, “Uncle, you can’t go!”
“If this happens, how will anyone survive if you go to the county office?”
Even those who wouldn’t be taken to the county office would certainly not have a good outcome.
Even if the county magistrate didn’t punish Xiaya Village, they would still be forced to pay the fixed grain taxes, and the villagers wouldn’t be able to survive the winter.
Not to mention, how could there possibly be no punishment?
The village head, who had originally reached out to surrender, suddenly pulled back his hands, retreating a few steps with Huazi’s Father and others.
The leader raised his knife and shouted angrily, “Do the people of Xiaya Village want to rebel?”
“Official, please calm down. How could we have such rebellious thoughts?”
“It’s just that the harvest has been poor this year, and we’ve suffered disasters one after another. We just want to survive!” the village head explained, his voice filled with desperation.
As he spoke, more villagers rushed in from outside the courtyard, some carrying hoes and shovels.
There were six officials, and with one dead, only five remained. However, the villagers of Xiaya numbered in the hundreds, with many strong men among them.
Seeing the situation, the leader realized that it would be impossible to take the village head and the others away, so he ordered, “Fine, just take Gouzi’s body back.”
The villagers blocking the entrance to the courtyard parted to let them through.
With a dark expression, the leader walked outside, passing by the village head and gritting his teeth as he said, “Village Head, you better think about how to explain today’s actions of Xiaya Village to the county magistrate.”
“Ha, we’re leaving!”
The officials mounted their horses, and the body was tied to an empty saddle.
In no time, the group disappeared at the village entrance.
Watching them leave, the villagers’ expressions turned grim, and a heavy atmosphere enveloped Xiaya Village.
“Ah, what are we going to do now?” An elder, slightly older than the village head, sighed and asked.
“My son just had a scuffle with the officials too. Will he be taken away as well?”
“With such a big incident occurring in our village, what will we do when the officials come back with reinforcements?”
Every villager was filled with worry at this moment.
Of course, the village head was the most worried.
Hiding taxes and killing an official were both capital offenses!
Once the leader returned to report to the county magistrate and brought county officials back, Xiaya Village would be finished!
Just as the village head was at a loss, two young men who had just returned to the village a few days ago stepped forward and said, “Uncle, why don’t we run?”
“What?” The village head’s eyes widened.
“Let’s take all the grain and climb over Qingya Slope before the officials come back!”
“How can that be? What about the fields at home?”
“Uncle, the fields have been destroyed by the disaster anyway. It’s about the same whether we try to restore them or start over. If we run now, at least we won’t have to pay for the official’s death, and we’ll still have this year’s grain!”
The suggestion was incredibly bold, but many people’s hearts were swayed by it.
Everything else was secondary. Having grain to eat, being able to survive—that was the most important thing.
“But where will we run to?” The village head asked the most crucial question.
“It doesn’t matter where we run to. Pingzhou, Linzhou, even Lianzhou—all of them have suffered less than us. If all else fails, can we go to Mount Yueheng?”
“Yes, Uncle, let’s go to Mount Yueheng. We need a travel permit to go elsewhere, but we don’t need one to go to Mount Yueheng!”
Heading south from Qingya Slope, they would soon reach the Mount Yueheng range, which stretched for hundreds of miles. Xiaya Village was nestled against the mountain, and the villagers were accustomed to mountain life. Mount Yueheng was so vast that they could find a suitable place for the villagers of Xiaya to settle.
“Do you know what it means to settle on Mount Yueheng?” the village head asked seriously.
“Of course we do! But in this world, what other way is there to survive if we don’t go to the mountains?” the villager who had first suggested the idea retorted.
There was a moment of silence, but their hearts began to waver.
The officials would return at any moment, and Xiaya Village didn’t have much time left. After discussing with the heads of several prominent families in the village, the village head finally made a decision. “Alright, we’ll leave the village and go to Mount Yueheng!”
“Everyone, hurry back and pack your things. Gather at the end of the village in half an hour.”
“Anything you can’t carry, pack it up and hide it in the mountains first. We can find a chance to transport it later.”
Everyone began to act, but Old Uncle Xue stood there, hesitating before speaking. “Village Head, I know you have no other choice, and you have to leave. But my situation is special. How about… I stay behind, and you take my Huzi with you?”
The village head furrowed his brows. “How can that be? If you stay behind, the officials will definitely take you out to vent their anger!”
“But Huzi’s father and second uncle are still in the Northwest Army.” Old Uncle Xue was worried that if he ran away, it would affect his two sons who were still in the army.
The village head’s expression changed slightly.
Just as he was struggling with how to respond, Huzi ran towards them. He had heard the last few words of their conversation.
“Grandpa, let’s go with everyone. Don’t worry about Father and Second Uncle.”
Old Uncle Xue’s eyes widened in panic. “Huzi, that’s your father!”
Huzi’s eyes also turned red, and he blurted out, “But Father and Second Uncle are already dead!”
“What?”
Old Uncle Xue’s eyes widened in disbelief. His normally sturdy body began to tremble and sway, on the verge of collapsing.