Chapter 28 Meeting
"Sister-in-law," said the third daughter-in-law Feng, pointing at the back of Old Lady Ye as she left. "Aunt Shen got out of the car and left with a bag of something."
"How should I know?"
"Do you want to tell mother?" Feng looked at Old Lady Wang who was busy at the side.
"Isn't mom there?" Lu rolled her eyes in her heart, thinking she was a fool.
The daughter-in-law Yang opened her mouth, thought for a moment, and said, "I'll go check the fire and add some wood."
The sun was blazing, and the uncovered ground was scorching hot. The wind that finally blew was hot.
The villagers who were resting woke up all wet.
Not far away, there is a small river with clear water. When a child stepped into it, the water was only up to his knees.
You can't swim, but you can still wash yourself.
Lin Xianwen followed his cousins, took off their straw mats and went down to the river to wash.
After traveling all night, everyone was covered in dust.
"Brother Xianhe, do you know how to wash?" Lin Xianwen looked at his uncle's youngest son, Lin Xianhe, who was three years younger than him, standing in the river, washing his hair and face seriously, and couldn't help wanting to tease him.
"Brother Xianwen, why can't I wash? I have been washing by myself since I was a child." Lin Xianhe was dissatisfied with Lin Xianwen questioning his ability.
"Look at your nostrils, they are still black inside." Lin Xianwen said as he picked his nostrils and washed them with river water. The dirt road was too dusty. I used to live in a motorhome, but now I ride in a bullock cart, and I am covered in dust.
"I... I... I haven't washed that yet." Lin Xianhe said as he went to wash his nose and also cleaned his ears.
Lin Xianwen grabbed Xiao Hei who was drinking water by the river and took him to the river to soak. He rubbed the dog's fur with both hands, and the turbid water flowed down along the current. "Oh my god, this muddy water... Heizi, you are too dirty! You can't tell unless you go into the water, black really doesn't look dirty!"
“Woof woof~Woof woof~Woof woof~”
"Stupid dog!" He stroked the dog's head.
"Wang Wang Wang!!"
The women went to the other side of the stream to wash, washing their faces and hair, wetting towels and wiping inside their clothes. Some also formed a circle with bed sheets, changed their dirty clothes inside, and washed them in the river.
In this hot day, if you don't move you will be sweating, and if you are walking you will be covered in dust. While there is water, everyone takes the opportunity to wash. Clothes can be dried by hanging them in the sun.
The wasteland beside the road was crowded with people, all of them were Nanlin Village villagers busy. Everyone was preparing dinner, waiting for the sun to set, and then continuing on their journey. Dry food and drinking water for the road had to be prepared. It was too troublesome to cook in a pot, so they had to prepare more at one time. Lin Benshu walked and beat the gong while reminding, "Don't drink raw water, drinking raw water will make you sick, there are no doctors on the road. Boil the water and let it cool before drinking. Fill the water bag, you won't have time to find water to drink when you are on the road."
"What? Uncle Benshu, you got sick from drinking raw water? I've been drinking it since I was a kid, and I'm fine!"
"Yes! We have to boil water to drink on such a hot day! It's boiling hot!"
"Let it cool down. I don't know how long it will take."
The villagers spoke one after another.
Lin Benshu said without blinking, "Whether you have a fever or not, getting sick is your own business." After saying that, he walked on while beating the gong, and checked to see if anyone in the team was okay.
The sun was setting, and Lin Zisu got up sleepily and went to the bathroom. Shen Xianglan lifted the lid of the wooden pot and put the water that had been boiled in the morning, the now cold mint water, into the water bag.
Lin Cuihe and Lin Xiatao were helping to fill the water bags for the whole family. The Lin family had three old water bags, and Lin Youcai bought eight new ones in the county town. Although it was a bit expensive, there were many people in the family and they were in a hurry to travel, so it was more convenient to have water bags to drink water. This thing can be used for a long time, so it’s okay to buy more.
Lin Zisu had two 500ML thermos cups, a 3L thermos pot, two 2ML and one 650L plastic water cups, all covered with straw covers, and they were all taken out to fill with water.
There are more than 20 people in my family. In hot weather, drinking water consumption is particularly high. It is always a good idea to prepare more.
Old Mrs. Wang kept complaining about wasting firewood, which was too pretentious, but she was just muttering a few words.
After using the air conditioner for a long time, her body felt cold. Lin Zisu got out of the car. The high temperature outside made her body feel the warm temperature was very comfortable.
The wet little Hei came back with a group of teenagers.
As he came closer, Xiao Hei shook his body and splashed water all over Lin Zisu.
Lin Zisu: “…”
“Hahahahaha…” Lin Xianwen touched the dog’s head, “Heizi, good job!”
"Okay, Xiao Hei, let's have dinner later. Don't squat at my feet." Lin Zisu wiped the water off her face with her hand.
Xiao Hei rubbed her legs, and his big tail shook like a propeller. "Ouch, my skirt..."
Lin Qiuyue came over and said, "Go, go, Xiao Hei, go away! You guys are back just in time, it's time for dinner!"
The air is filled with the aroma of food, and every household is having dinner, preparing to travel at night.
After Lin Benshu finished his meal, he struck the gong and called for everyone to gather.
After a lot of effort, everyone packed up their stuff and sat together, waiting for the headman to speak.
Lin Lizheng stood in front of the group, and his eldest son Lin Benshu stood beside him holding a gong. Lin Lizheng cleared his throat and looked at the last afterglow of the day: "Everyone has gone to bed, eaten dinner, the sun has set, and it will be dark soon. We will have to travel all night soon. Before we travel tonight, I would like to gather everyone to say a few words. If you have anything to say, please stand up and speak."
Lin Zisu stretched her head to look forward, and sure enough, her father and several uncles were sitting in the front row.
Everyone stared at each other, then whispered to each other.
Lin Benshu looked at the buzzing voices in front of him, which became more and more excited. "Ding ding ding! Quiet! Quiet! Stand up and speak if you have something to say!" As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Youxiang stood up and said, "Let me say a few words first. We just left the village one day ago, and we still have a long way to go. There are countless dangers along the way. We are from the same village, and we need to help each other to reach our new home safely."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Daqiang stood up and gestured with a bunch of small branches, "You're right! A stick will break if you twist it lightly. But a bunch of branches tied together can't be broken by twisting them!"
Lin Benshu nodded, "People are worthless when they leave their hometown! A family walking on the road will be slaughtered. Rich families need young and strong servants to protect them when they go out. Officials need many guards to protect them before they can go out. For ordinary people like us, walking on the road where we are not familiar with, it is even more dangerous. It is easy for people like us to be bullied."
Lin Zisu and my mother looked at each other. Why did these words sound so familiar?
"So we have to be of one mind and work together!" Lin Youfu stood up and turned to face the crowd with a hemp rope in his hand. "We have hundreds of people. No matter if they are bandits who want to shoot and rob us, locals who want to bully us outsiders, or refugees like us who want to rob us, seeing that there are so many of us, they have to think about whether they can take action! Others who want to do bad things will not dare to do it easily! Don't you agree?"
“Yes!!!” There were sparse responses from below.
Lin Benshu struck the gong, and Lin Lizheng raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. "There are 9 families in our team, and % of them are old and young. Along the way, there will always be times when we need help. Help each other if you can, and don't feel at a disadvantage or feel uncomfortable. No one knows what the road ahead will be like. Only when we are united and have one mind can there be hope. No matter how long the road is, there will always be a day when it will be completed. Only by living can we see that day."
"Walking at night is not safe. People walking are safer in the middle of the line. It's better if there are vehicles at the end of the line. My family will be at the end of the line tonight. People with vehicles will be at the front and back of the line, and they will take turns."
"Those who have vehicles, please move aside as much as possible so that the children of those who don't have vehicles can squeeze in. The faster the team moves, the better it will be for everyone. No one can do everything without help along the way! Of course, if you don't want to listen to me and have your own ideas, just say so and leave the team. The road is wide and we can each go our own way! I won't force you! If you want to stay in the team but don't want to pay a little and don't want to suffer a little, that's impossible. If you want to stay in the team and go together, you have to listen to the arrangements. Today is the second day of the journey. If you want to go back to the village or find another way out, there is still time! That's all I have to say. If you want to go together, pack your luggage and set off immediately."
As the sky gradually darkened, Lin Lizheng stopped talking and signaled his eldest son to beat the gong, ignoring the buzzing of the crowd. Everyone took their belongings, lined up, and began a new round of night travel!