Chapter 134: Everyone has his own destiny

Li Rui and his party were very happy.

Delaying here for a stick of incense (about thirty minutes) allowed the horses and people to rest for a while.

Su Yin said, “Let’s go.”

The mighty team continued on the road, with Li Rui and others following behind Su Yin’s group.

After they left, the bearded group followed closely behind.

This long queue could deter many people with bad intentions.

The happiest person to join Li Rui and his team was Su Baozhu.

Aside from her sister Su Yin and her sister-in-law, whom she was familiar with, she wasn’t acquainted with the rest of the group.

Now, seeing someone she knew made her joyful.

Su Baozhu invited Li Rui’s sister, Li Xiu, to ride in the carriage together.

As soon as they got on the carriage, the two girls, of similar age, began to chatter about what had happened along the way.

Su Baozhu picked up on topics she could discuss, even if she had to gloss over some details, the things she encountered along the way shocked Li Xiu.

“So dangerous?” Li Xiu exclaimed, surprised. “I thought we were already miserable enough, but I didn’t expect you to be worse than us… It’s okay, fortunately, we didn’t go your way. Brother is right.”

Su Yin, who was driving the carriage, overheard this and couldn’t help but ask, “Where did you come from? I haven’t met you all the way.”

Su Yin was curious about their journey.

Initially, the entire Xinghua Village fled together, and their pace was naturally slower than that of a smaller group.

However, after they acquired a carriage, their speed increased significantly.

“On the day my brother came back, he originally planned to leave early the next morning, but later your uncle mentioned meeting a businessman.

After considering it, he decided to leave early that night and took everyone away.”

“We were walking south. Along the way, my brother encountered other peddlers and traveled with them.

Because everyone was afraid of being overtaken by the refugees, we took a small road and passed through Fushun County without stopping.”

When Su Yin and her party arrived in Fushun County, they happened to catch the city gate closing and had no choice but to take a detour.

It’s truly a slight difference that makes a huge difference.

“When we were passing through Fushun County, my brother and several other salesmen noticed that something was off in the entire county.

Many restaurants and wealthy households were closed.”

“They felt that something wasn’t quite right, so they discussed with others how to save time and go south as quickly as possible.”

“My brother’s friend, who often travels around Fushun County, knew of a mountain road that could save us a lot of time.

But that mountain road is steep and difficult to navigate, and we could only cross it once. Fortunately, our team didn’t have a horse-drawn carriage, so we all agreed to take it.”

“Speaking of which, it was really tough to take that route. My second uncle’s cart fell directly into the valley.

Because of this, my second aunt has been blaming my brother.”

“In the end, my brother and the other families gave them something to calm them down.”

Li Xiu was filled with bitterness as she recounted this.

“We walked in the mountains for several days. The road was narrow, and there were many mosquitoes.

Just look at me; I still have a lot of scars on my arms.”

“We got lost along the way. Fortunately, we were lucky and found a path that led us in the right direction.

We didn’t expect to get out of the forest and arrive at Tai’an County. My brother said we were lucky to get out without going the wrong way.”

“After we entered Nanshan County, it wasn’t easy. We knew the way and went south with other refugees. We heard that there are boats there that can get us south faster.

Alas, I don’t know how much the boat fare is. If we had more money, we could take a boat, but if not, we’ll have to walk or find a stable place to settle down.”

Although it was just a simple description, Su Yin could roughly imagine the hardships involved.

Judging from their routes, they had primarily taken small roads, starting from Fushun County and heading through alternative paths, mostly avoiding official roads.

Upon reaching Nanshan County, they began walking along the official road and eventually met up with them.

“What about your water?” Su Baozhu asked.

If Su Yin had not found the water source, they would have run out of water and could have died of thirst like many others.

When it came to water, Li Xiu smiled and said, “I have to praise my elder brother for this.

Not long after we entered the mountains, the water we brought with us was quickly used up. At that time, my parents and uncles were worried.”

“But my brother is smart; he asked around to find the source of water.”

At the mention of this, the little girl’s eyes sparkled, showing her admiration for her brother.

Su Baozhu was very curious, “How did you find your brother?”

“This is a secret. I’m telling you, you can’t tell others.” Li Xiu looked mysterious.

Su Baozhu couldn’t help but nod, “I know, I promise not to tell.”

Not to mention Su Baozhu’s curiosity, even Su’s mother, who had been doing needlework, stopped what she was doing and listened quietly.

“There aren’t many wild beasts in the mountains. My brother said that the mountains are the territory of these beasts, and they are the ones most familiar with their own territory.

If they can survive, they know where there is water. My brother just followed the footprints of the beasts to look for it.”

“However, we can’t find it every time. Fortunately, we have found two water sources. We are better off than others, so we’re not as short on water for the time being.”

Su Yin listened to the little girl’s words and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Everyone has their own opportunities, and everyone has their own fate.

Each has derived a different way of survival and created different stories.

In fact, many times, modern people often fall into a misunderstanding or a weird sense of superiority, always feeling that the ancients were foolish. In reality, this is not the case.

Just because people lived in ancient times does not mean they lacked intelligence or were not good at observation and discovery.

“I wonder how the others in the village are doing?”

Su Baozhu shook her head, “I don’t know.”

Li Xiu suddenly thought of something, “Why are there only three of you in the Su family? Where are the others? Could it be…”

Su Baozhu looked confused upon seeing her expression. Knowing that she was thinking incorrectly, she smiled and patted her shoulder,

“My parents didn’t leave; they stayed in the village. I believed what your brother said, so I sneaked out quietly.”

After Li Xiu was shocked, she raised her thumb and said, “You are still awesome; you dared to do this! If it were me, I would never have the courage.”

Li Xiu and Su Baozhu continued chatting, and time passed quietly.

While sitting in the carriage, she didn’t feel the fatigue in her legs, but the same could not be said for others.

Yun Niang, the daughter-in-law of Uncle Li’s family, rubbed her legs and looked at her husband with a hint of bitterness, “Husband, my legs are sore again.”

Li Si looked at his wife unhappily, “Yun Niang, what’s wrong with you these days? You always complain that you are tired. I have never seen you like this before.”