Chapter 38 Summary Questions
The whole day, everyone was on the road in the drizzle, just wanting to find a place with few people to stay. Unfortunately, until dark, the number of refugees encountered on the road only increased, and there were people everywhere.
As it was getting dark, we had no choice but to find a wide open space on the side of the road to stop and spend the night.
The number of people on duty tonight has doubled. Originally, there were 5 other groups on duty tonight. Tonight, all 10 groups are on duty for patrol and sentry. 2 groups will be on duty for 1 hour, which means 20 people for 2 hours. The duty time remains the same, but the number of people has increased.
The 5 groups that were on duty last night will be on duty first, and the 5 groups that were supposed to be on duty tonight will be on duty in the second half of the night. One group will also have to be on duty in the second half of the night, which is okay, it's only one hour anyway.
Lin Youcai kept a clear record in his account book, including who did how much, how many shifts, and when they were on duty. No one complained, not only for themselves, but also because they remembered their efforts clearly. Although it was just a big deal now, there were only things like rosin and firewood in the team's public account, but it was always good to record it down, just in case there was income in the public account one day!
What's more, working night shifts is also for the sake of one's own family. Helping others is also helping oneself.
No one knew how long or far they would have to go, and each family only had so much food. Everyone hoped that they would be lucky enough to make some money on the way, so that they could go to a town to buy some food.
The night watch only lasts for one hour, there is no such thing as paying public grain, and there is no need to eat and drink while on night watch. Without such conditions, no one is willing to do it.
The firewood was soaked by the rain, and when it was used to cook porridge, thick smoke billowed, making the air very suffocating.
The aroma of the cooked food didn't drift far in the rain.
The team of more than 300 people settled on the roadside with fires, which was still very eye-catching.
The refugees who were scattered by the roadside making fires and resting could only look on, helpless.
After the meal, the head of the village did not strike the gong, but simply called people over one by one, and everyone held a meeting around the big fire.
The village head stood up, holding a pipe, and looked at everyone and said, "You all saw what happened on the road today. There are countless refugees on this official road, and most of them have nothing to eat or drink. This official road is not the official road we just left the village. There are not many people on the official road, it is quiet and peaceful, and we only meet a few villagers occasionally."
The head of the village took a puff of cigarette and exhaled white air. "What happened to the Zhu family today is a bloody lesson! Fortunately, the two groups of people only suffered some superficial injuries. That was good luck. We got away quickly! What if we were unlucky? Who do you want to get into trouble? ! ! We don't want anyone to get into trouble! I hope that what happened today will not happen again. We are not much better off. We have today but no tomorrow! It's just that we have more people than them and we fled with our luggage ready! Speaking of this, those who were dissatisfied, did not believe, and had complaints at the beginning, now know that it was Lin Youcai who told everyone to flee for their lives! Whoever has something to say, stand up and say it now! He could have known the news and just told our entire Lin family to leave! It was Lin Youcai who cared about his fellow villagers and saved everyone's lives!"
"Yes, thanks to Youcai!" Butcher Zhao was the first to agree.
"Thank you, Brother Youcai. This way my family can follow everyone!" Tian Dazhuang stood up and said to Lin Youcai with a smile.
Everyone expressed their gratitude and started talking.
The head of the village struck the gong, signaling everyone to be quiet.
"We don't know what Nanlin Village is like right now! We've come a long way, and it can't be any better! I just hope those who stay in the village can run fast enough to escape. If you have anything to say about what happened today, you can stand up and speak! Come one by one!"
The head of the village took the water handed to him by his eldest son, moistened his dry mouth, and sat aside to see what everyone would say.
Lin Youcai was the first to stand up. "Let me say a few words. We must learn a lesson from what happened today. Mrs. Tao Xiucai, we were kind-hearted today, and there is nothing wrong with that. The problem is that this world does not allow us to be kind. Do you agree?"
"right!!"
"Correct!"
"Yes, these people who cut off heads have caused us ordinary people to become homeless."
“We the common people will always be the ones who suffer!!”
Lin Youcai: "Our current situation does not allow us to be kind or soft-hearted! We are not in a position to save others! We are like a clay Buddha crossing a river, unable to save ourselves!!"
Butcher Zhao stood up excitedly, "Today we have driven away the refugees! We ran fast! If we had lost today, we would not be able to escape! All of us would be robbed and we would be the ones to die!!!" Butcher Zhao was filled with rage. Today, his eldest son Zhao Dazhuang's face was covered with bloody marks from scratches. What an unexpected disaster!
Everyone thought of the scene during the day, and their backs went cold. Several old ladies looked at Zhu Xiaoyu who was protected by Tao Mingyuan. They didn't know how to say anything, so they turned to Old Lady Yang and kept scolding her, asking how she taught her daughter to be so careless when she was in the same car with him! She wanted to kill everyone! Look at the injuries on those boys. They were fine, but your family had to make trouble! If we hadn't escaped today, we would have been even worse off than those people. Not only were their food, money and things robbed, but all these young girls and wives in the team had a bad ending.
Blah blah blah…
The village headman's beating of the gong was useless, and everyone kept complaining. Finally, Tao Mingyuan took out 10 kilograms of flour and promised that he would never be kind again.
Everyone stopped when they saw that things were going well, and Zhu Xiaoyu also had good intentions but ended up doing something bad. This incident served as a warning to everyone. After going out for more than 20 days and experiencing it personally, I finally realized the pain of war!
This dynasty was peaceful for decades, but it is no longer peaceful.
Tian Daniu stood up and said, "We don't know how long we will have to go! We must work together! Only if we work together can we all have a safe journey! Today, it was because of our unity that we were able to drive back the refugees."
"Yes, yes."
"that's right."
"Together!!! We must unite!"
Lin Benshu: "Also, think more about what you do in the future. If you don't understand, ask a few more people. Don't just do whatever you want! Before doing anything, think about your family and everyone first!"
"Yes! Let's discuss things together! We still have a long way to go! There are many dangers on the road, we must unite and stick together to overcome the difficulties! Just like the sand and stones on the ground, if they can't be scattered into a ball, anyone can step on them! Just like the animals that fall into the hands of the butcher, they can only be slaughtered! If we don't unite and work together, none of us will have a good life. That's really a situation where there is today but no tomorrow!"
Everyone was talking about this and that, and things became chaotic as time went on.
The village head put his pipe down and said, "Okay, that's all I have to say! You don't have an egg on your neck, so you need to use your brain! Everyone, go to bed early! We have to continue our journey tomorrow!"
After the meeting, Lin Zisu called her father to get in the car.
"What's wrong, my girl?" Lin Youcai wiped the drizzle off his face and rubbed his shoulders. It was a bit cold at night.
"Dad, how are we going to sleep tonight? Even though it's drizzling, we can't just sleep outdoors like we did some time ago. There are so many people in the Lin family, even if we have a car, there won't be enough to sleep."
"Build a simple shed and hang straw curtains on all sides to block the wind! This is the only condition on the road, there is no other way."
"There is one more thing. We will discuss it at the meeting tomorrow. All women must dress as men, and try to dress as men as much as possible. Everyone in the team must wrap themselves up tightly from head to toe, and not easily reveal their faces. Also, the weather is definitely getting colder day by day, and it won't get hot because of the tight wrapping. For women who are fleeing, dressing as men is much safer. If others don't look carefully, they will think that most of our team are men, and ordinary refugees will not dare to attack us easily!"
"That makes sense. Okay. You and your mother are sleeping in the car. No matter who says so, don't give up your seats!"
"I'm not stupid. I don't dare sleep outside. You and brother can sleep in the tent on the roof of the car!"
"Well, if you have anything to say, just shout at the top of your lungs. I'll go out and take a look."