Chapter 73: Chaos
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
This cart was made by her grandfather. Back then, he wanted to buy a horse, but he didn’t have any connections. Later on, as the Mu family’s money slowly dwindled, this cart was left idle.
Later on, Mu Shi made a wheelbarrow out of it and stored it in the storeroom.
Mu Yangling did not know what had happened, but seeing how panicked Mu Shi was, she reckoned she should take this out.
By the time Mu Yangling finished packing up, Mu Shi had already brought more than ten people to West Mountain Village with torches to investigate the situation.
Liu He got someone to fetch them to the Liu family’s courtyard. The entire village was there, and no one spoke in the chilly night.
Mu Yangling wrapped Shu Wanniang and the two babies in the blanket and stuffed Little Bowen and Xiulan in. Then, she whispered to Madam Ma-Liu, “Great-aunt, help me take care of my mother. I’ll go ask Great-uncle what’s going on.”
Looking at the flames in West Mountain Village, Madam Ma-Liu said in a low voice, “There’s no need to go. With such a big fire, there’s an 80% chance that the Hus are attacking.”
Mu Yangling was shocked. “There are stationed troops in our Xingzhou Prefecture.”
Madam Ma-Liu smiled bitterly. “Four years ago, when the Hu people attacked south, Liuxia Village was burned down just like that. No one in the village, old and young, walked out alive. At that time, our West Mountain Village was lucky. Before the Hu people reached us, the soldiers of Xingzhou Prefecture arrived. However, Liuxia Village was long gone. If the Hu people came down again, wouldn’t it be our West Mountain Village’s turn this time? I wonder how many villagers can survive.”
As West Mountain Village and Nearhill Village were only separated by a mountain, Mu Yangling was inevitably anxious. She did not know why Mu Shi had to run to West Mountain Village at a time like this.
Having lived for decades, Madam Ma-Liu explained in a low voice, “Only the villagers of our two villages know about the path from West Mountain Village to Nearhill Village. Your father wants to seal that path. If the Hus take the main road, they won’t be able to reach Nearhill Village and will go straight to another village. We just have to stay in the Liu family’s courtyard and wait for the Xingzhou Prefecture’s troops.”
Mu Yangling looked up at Chef Mountain and did not ask things such as, “What if the villagers of Xishan Village betray them?” She only said, “Aren’t we going to send someone to inform the Xingzhou Prefecture’s garrison?”
“How do we inform them?” Madam Ma-Liu looked troubled. “It takes a day and a half to walk from here to the prefecture city.”
“Can’t we just inform the government office? It’s their job to inform the troops.” Mu Yangling didn’t want to sit around and wait for death.
Madam Ma-Liu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Then I’ll go speak to your great-uncle and see if he agrees.”
Although it only took half a day to get to the county office from here, they needed to take the main road. Once they reached the main road, they might encounter the Hus. Once they encountered the Hus, the only fate that awaited them was death.
No one was willing to let their son do such a dangerous thing.
Hence, Liu Daqian did not ask Liu He and directly rejected the idea. “Our Nearhill Village is in a special location. As long as we seal the path, the chances of our village being discovered will be very low.”
Mu Yangling looked angry. “No matter how low the probability is, it’s still possible. At that time, when the Hus rush over from the main road, can we only wait to be wrapped into dumplings? Besides, there are many villages along the main road. Even if we can’t inform the county office, it’s good if we can warn them. They’re completely in the dark now and might not even know it when the barbarians rush into their village. We should save as many lives as we can. Even if we encounter the Hus, we have hands and feet. As long as we run into the forest, with our familiarity with this place, we can easily hide. Didn’t we hide in the forest four years ago when the Hus attacked south?”
Mu Yangling watched as they lowered their heads in silence. Knowing they were unwilling to take the risk for others, she flicked her sleeves angrily and left.
Saving others was akin to saving oneself. There were only a few hundred people in Nearhill Village, but most of them were either the elderly or children. There were only more than a hundred young and strong men. If they really encountered brave and experienced Hus, the entire village could only become lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
Nearhill Village was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the other side was facing the main road. Although it was possible for the Hus to overlook it, once they were discovered, their only options were to rush past the Hus and onto the main road, or enter the mountains to hide.
There was no need to think about rushing past the Hus. Even if Mu Yangling wanted to use this method, no one else would have the guts to do so. However, it was too cold and snowy to enter the mountain in such weather. The young and strong might be fine, but how many elders and children could withstand it?
Even if it was for Shu Wanniang and her younger siblings, Mu Yangling would not choose this path.
Before Mu Yangling could persuade Liu He, someone pointed at the foot of the mountain and said, “There’s a fire there. Shi Tou and the others are back.”
Mu Yangling quickly turned around and saw that someone had already gone to welcome them.
Mu Shi and the rest were all covered in blood. Liu Ting even had a knife wound. When Liu He saw this, he turned pale with fright. “You encountered the Hus?”
Mu Shi’s expression was as dark as water. “The Hus discovered that path. We encountered five people first and killed them for fear of being followed back. However, there should still be more behind us. We can’t stay here anymore. We have to leave immediately.”
“How is that possible? Only the people in the two villages know about that trail. How can the Hus know?”
“The villagers of West Mountain Village have already built their houses all the way to the foot of the mountain. It’s not far from the path.”
As soon as Mu Shi said this, everyone’s suspicious gazes on Madam Ma-Liu immediately disappeared. That’s right. It was very likely that the Hus would discover that small path when they burnt down the houses. It might not be due to a betrayal by the people from West Mountain Village.
The villagers of Nearhill Village did not go to West Mountain Village often, so they did not know about this. Even Liu Ting, who often went to West Mountain Village recently, had not noticed this.
However, Madam Ma-Liu, her granddaughters, and the girls who had married over from West Mountain Village all knew about this.
Those who had family in West Mountain Village cried bitterly. “Is there no one left alive in West Mountain Village?”
Mu Shi and the others did not answer. The Hus typically spared no one in their plunders. Perhaps the women would be kept alive, but they would most likely be living a life worse than death.
“Alright, stop crying. Hurry up and pack your things. We’ll leave now.” Liu He instructed, “Don’t take too many things. Staying alive is more important.”
Although Liu He said that, no one could bear to leave their family property behind. Some elders sat on the ground and cried, refusing to leave no matter what. There were also some who wished they could bring everything at home with them.
Looking at the chaos, Mu Yangling was so angry that she fell backward. From the looks of it, Nearhill Village would probably be in turmoil before the Hus could attack.
“Father, we can only stay for another half an hour. We must leave in half an hour.”
Mu Shi’s expression was also very ugly. Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “Go take care of your mother. I’ll go talk to the village chief.”
Mu Yangling turned around to find a rope. She spread the blanket on the cart and placed Shu Wanniang, Bosi, and Kejia beside her. Then, she stuffed Bowen and Xiulan in and covered them with a blanket before tying them together with a rope. She also fixed their things to the cart. Meanwhile, the villagers were still flustered..
