Chapter 23 Shen Family
The large group of refugees set out, with those in the front pulling carts, and those behind walking, some pushing carts, others carrying luggage on their shoulders or in their hands.
Men, women, old and young were chatting when they first started walking, but as the sun rose higher, everyone just kept on walking.
Passing by the gate of Nancheng County, people entering and leaving the city stopped to watch and talk. The eldest son of the village head shouted, asking everyone to move forward quickly.
Walking away from the city gate, we saw four cars parked on the roadside. Someone on the roadside put his hand on his forehead and looked back the way he came. As the team approached, we saw a dark and thin boy, his eyes lit up, and he waved at Lin Youcai.
"Mr. Lin."
Lin Youcai blew the whistle, walked to the village head's house in front, and slowed down the car.
"Brother, stop for a moment."
Lin Youfu stopped the ox cart, and Old Man Lin and Lin Youcai followed the dark and thin boy towards the vehicles on the roadside.
"Father-in-law, mother-in-law, have you been waiting for a long time?" Old Man Lin walked towards the old couple of the Shen family who were sitting under a tree by the roadside, fanning themselves in the breeze. Old Man Shen and Old Lady Ye stood up and responded, "Father-in-law is here."
"Dad, Mom, let's hurry up and talk when we take a break."
"Okay, okay." Old man Shen helped his old wife into the car.
Lin Youcai went to discuss it with the village head.
Old Man Lin walked towards the mule cart at the back.
"Dad." Lin Hongmei came over holding her 2-year-old daughter. She is the youngest child in the Lin family and the youngest daughter of old man Lin.
Shi Yong came over and said, "Dad."
Old Man Shi: "Father-in-law."
"Hey, Old Man Shi." Old Man Lin patted Old Man Shi on the shoulder.
"Oh, everything will be fine."
"Everyone is waiting to get going. We can talk again when we have a break."
"it is good."
Lin Youcai came back and told the Shen family's driver the route, and then told his brother-in-law Shi Yong about the route. The Shi family had a mule cart, and the Shen family had an ox cart. The two mule carts were at the front of the team. Let's go first, and talk about it later when we rest.
The team stopped for a few minutes and continued moving forward.
The scorching sun hung in the sky, burning the earth. A long procession was moving on the road. The dirt road was dusty and the wind was hot. The cicadas were chirping desperately on the branches: "Chia~Chia~Chia~Chia..."
Beads of sweat rolled down and fell to the ground. Mules and cows were panting, dogs were sticking out their tongues, and people walking slowed down their pace.
Lin Benshu, the eldest son of the village head, slowed down the ox cart, blew the whistle, and shouted to the back: "Do you see the river ahead? Let's take a break there. The animals can't bear it anymore!" After this shout, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
In such hot weather, especially for those who push carts, they have long been unable to bear it, but they don’t want to fall behind. When going out, it is definitely safer to hang out with the villagers.
When they arrived at the river, the headman's family, who were leading the way, stopped, and the rest of the team followed suit.
Everyone found a cool place to rest.
Some were busy going to the toilet, some went to the river to wash their faces and necks to cool down, some were fetching water to cook porridge, and some were unloading the cart frames to let the animals rest, drink water and eat grass. No one had time to rest and was busy.
Lin Zisu looked at the time, 13:39. She had left at 7am, and it had been more than 6 hours since then! No wonder she was hungry and sleepy. Fortunately, she listened to old lady Wang and the aunts talking about family matters along the way, so it wasn't that hard to endure.
"Mom, are you going?"
Shen Xianglan knew what her daughter meant without her having to explain, "Go."
Old Lady Wang put down the straw sandals she was weaving and looked up at the mother and daughter. "Where are you going?"
"Rest."
"I can't hold it in either." Lu put down her straw sandals, stood up, and said anxiously.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go together." Shen Xianglan opened the car door, and the women in the car hurriedly got out. The oncoming heat wave and the scorching sun made people frown and squint their eyes.
"Wow~ What a big river." Lin Zisu looked at the river in front of her. The water was sparkling in the sun. No wonder she had to walk here in one breath to rest.
He opened the passenger door and took out two small tents from the drawer under the passenger seat. They were round and flat and did not take up much space, so he carried them out of the car.
"What are you carrying?" Old Lady Wang frowned as she watched Lin Zisu get out of the car carrying two round, flat objects, one blue and one green.
"You'll find out when you get there. Hurry up and leave. I can't hold it in any longer."
Lin Zisu came back from the toilet, soaking wet. It was hot and sunny. She squatted in the small tent. Although there were no mosquitoes, she could relieve herself without worrying about being seen, but it was stuffy and hot. There was a screen above her head, but it was useless in such a hot day!
Looking at the clear river water, I can’t wait to dive in to cool off!
When Lin Zisu was about to get in the car, Shen Xianglan pulled her back and said, "Go say hello to grandma's family."
"Lin Xianwen! Lin Xianwen?! Where did this bastard go?" Shen Xianglan pulled Lin Zisu and looked around.
"He is a bastard, are you and your father a rabbit spirit?"
"Stop talking so much!"
When Shen Xianglan took Lin Zisu to the Shen family's resting place, Old Man Lin, Old Lady Wang, Lin Youcai, and Lin Xianwen were standing under the shade of a tree, chatting animatedly with the Shen family.
Old man Shen had a mustache on his white and plump face. His hair and beard were stained with traces of time, with most of them silver. He was tall, with a fat belly, and his eyes were full of kindness.
Old Mrs. Ye is not tall, with a slightly plump figure, a round face, a small nose, and beautiful eyebrows and eyes. She must have been a beauty when she was young.
Lin Zisu looked at the Shen family. Judging from their appearance, they were obviously much better off than the Lin family and were not from the same class. But now they were all dressed very simply. Didn't I say that the Shen family was in business and had some wealth?
Seeing the mother and daughter coming, Old Lady Ye looked at Lin Zisu with pity and took her hand. "Poor child, you are so skinny, you must have suffered a lot outside! Buddha bless you! Buddha bless you! Fortunately, the brother and sister have met a noble person!"
As Old Mrs. Ye spoke, she reached out to hug Lin Zisu and helped her tidy up the loose hair on her forehead.
Old man Shen patted Lin Xianwen on the shoulder and said, "Brother and sister are blessed with great fortune! It's good that you're back! It's good that you're back!"
Shen Xianglan gave her daughter a look, and Lin Zisu smiled: "Hello, grandma, grandpa. Hello, uncles and aunts!"
Shen Jingfu smiled and nodded, "Okay, okay, it's good that the two brothers and sisters are back. It's a blessing!"
"Yes, fortunately I met a noble person who helped me, and these two children came back! During the more than one year since they were abducted, I was worried every day, afraid that there would be no news and afraid that there would be news! Now they are finally back, but we haven't had a peaceful day, and now..." Old Mrs. Wang started to cry.
Lin Youcai patted Old Lady Wang on the shoulder and said, "Mom, no matter what the future holds, at least we are all together now! After traveling for most of the day, everyone is tired and hungry. My father-in-law and his family also need to eat and rest." Then he looked up at his parents-in-law and said, "Dad, Mom, you guys take a good rest. Call me if you need anything."
Shen Xianglan looked at Old Man Lin and Old Lady Wang and said, "Dad, Mom, my daughter and I will stay here for a while and come over soon."
Lin Youcai and Old Man Lin went to the village head to discuss the next steps.
Old Mrs. Wang returned to her own resting place and directed her daughter-in-law and granddaughter to light a fire and cook porridge.
The RV was not locked, so Lin Xianwen opened the passenger door and the drawer under the seat. He took out the steel tripod and tightened the three legs.
"Grandma, my dad asked me to give you a tripod."
"What is this for?" Old Mrs. Wang looked at the heavy iron rack in her hand?
Lin Xianwen took it, placed it on the ground, and tried his best to lift the big iron pot. He overestimated his current strength and turned to the smaller iron pot, lifted it up and placed it on the tripod. "Grandma, put the pot on top and burn firewood below. You don't have to bury the pot or pile up stones to cook. My father bought it specially. It's very convenient and the pot is stable when placed on it."
"This iron one must cost a lot of money! What a waste of money!" As Old Lady Wang spoke of waste, her smile only grew larger.
"I'll go and listen to what they are saying." As soon as he finished speaking, he ran away.
"Sister Zisu!" A sweet voice sounded beside me. Two little girls, who looked about 6 or 7 years old, had pigtails tied with red hairbands and were wearing plain linen skirts.
One of them was holding a 2 or 3-year-old boy in his left hand. He was white, tender, and adorable. He said in a soft and tender voice, "Zhizhu nodule."
Lin Zisu: “…”
This should be the child of the two uncles of the Shen family. Uncle Shen has a son and two daughters, but we don’t know which one is Shen Qiaoqiao and which one is Shen Xiuxiu. This little boy should be the child of Uncle Shen’s second uncle: Shen Anda.
"Sister Zisu." A boy who was half a head taller than me came over. He was Uncle Shen's eldest son: Shen Anrong, who was two years older than me and one year younger than my brother.
"Brother Anrong, sister Qiaoqiao, sister Xiuxiu, and little brother Anda." Lin Zisu touched her body, but unfortunately she didn't bring any candy. She smiled and touched the little brother's head.
After chatting for a while, Lin Xianwen came over sweating profusely, "Grandpa and uncles, the village head said to call the heads of each family to discuss something. I'm coming to call you." After saying that, he went to call Shi Yong and Old Man Shi.
"Dad, Mom, we'll go first. Let's camp together when we rest at night." Shen Xianglan wiped the sweat from her forehead. It would be convenient to do anything in one place. There was no need to walk around. The weather was too hot!
"Okay. Take this bag of pastries." Old Mrs. Ye stuffed it into Lin Zisu's hand.
Lin Zisu looked down and saw an oil-paper bag in her hand.
"Eat it yourselves. We have food in the car." Shen Xianglan picked it up and stuffed it over again.
"I'm feeding this to the child. It's too hot today and I can't keep it here. I have to eat it quickly." Old Mrs. Ye held a palm-leaf fan and blocked her daughter's hands.
"You brought a lot of cooked food? It's going bad in such a short time." However, the refrigerator is full.
Lin Zisu understood what Shen Xianglan meant before she could speak. "There are two insulated boxes. Put ice cubes in them and the food can be stored for 4 or 5 days."
Oh, and there are two foam boxes. Li Ai bought them online before. They have more layers of insulation than ordinary foam boxes. "Yes, if you feel comfortable, you can put them in our RV."
"Some food, if there is anything I am worried about you, I am afraid it will be inconvenient for you." Old Lady Ye said with a smile on her face.
Lin Zisu smiled. It was useless to have any opinions. Let Dad do it. One person is better than two. "The car is ours. We have the final say."
Old Man Ye looked curious, "RV? What RV?"
Shen Xianglan, who was originally planning to leave, pulled Old Man Shen and Old Lady Ye aside. Lin Zisu stood guard and muttered to herself for a long time.