Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 66 Descending the Mountain (Part 1)

The man who spoke was short and almost as thin as a stick. He was only in his early twenties, but his hair was already gray.

Having lived in the mountains for so long, enduring hunger and thirst, without even salt, these refugees were all thin and gray-haired. If things continued this way, they would starve to death or be mauled by wild beasts at any moment. It was better to risk everything and find a way to survive.

They didn't have the guts to seek refuge with bandits. Pei Family Village, a place entirely populated by women, was a much better option.

“Women are all soft-hearted. If we go and seek refuge with them, we can get things done by kowtowing a few times and shedding a few tears.” The thin man, who had been pondering this for a long time, spoke fluently: “Even if they refuse to take us in, they won’t kill us. We can go down the mountain and come back if necessary. Let’s give it a try! There’s nothing to lose.”

The refugees looked at each other. The bearded man gritted his teeth and agreed, "Fine, I'll listen to you this once."

One person responded, and the rest of the refugees quickly nodded in agreement.

They were starving to death, and they would do anything to be slaves to Peijia Village as long as they were given a meal.

Having made this decision, they felt much more at ease taking bear meat. Several refugees carried the bloody bear meat back to their dwellings, some in their arms and others on their backs.

This group of refugees numbered more than twenty. There were no women, children, or infants; they were all men, and they lived in a mountain cave.

After two days of torrential rain, everyone had been starving, so today they split into three groups to go out in search of food. One group returned with some sour wild fruits, while another group was unlucky and encountered poisonous snakes, resulting in two people being bitten to death.

No one mourned their fallen comrades. They died today, and tomorrow it might be their turn. They lived one day at a time.

The numb expressions of the refugees changed only when they saw the bear meat. They rinsed it casually with river water, chopped it into small pieces with broken machetes, and roasted it over the fire. They stuffed it into their mouths half-cooked, their hungry stomachs like bottomless pits.

Several hundred pounds of bear meat are enough to feed more than twenty people. With food in their stomachs, they are less anxious, their hands are steady, and they have the energy to get down to business.

The thin man stood up and loudly announced that he was going to seek refuge in Peijia Village.

Having suffered from hunger for years, the refugees were all emaciated and their minds were dulled. The thin man, who had attended school for a few years and knew quite a few characters, was the most quick-witted and could be considered the leader of this group of refugees.

"Everyone's eaten their fill, go get some sleep first, we'll head down the mountain tomorrow."

……

In Peijia Village, there was a scene of jubilation.

Pei Qinghe led his men into the mountains to hunt and brought back a large amount of game. This meant that everyone would have a good meal tonight, with plenty of meat to eat.

Wu Xiuniang was efficient and led more than ten women to prepare wild game. They removed the skin and internal organs, washed it clean, and then stewed, braised, or marinated it before roasting it over a fire. The rich and pungent aroma of the meat wafted through the village.

The children cheered and jumped for joy, lingering around the stove and occasionally sneaking a bite. Fang, who was in charge of cooking, laughed and scolded them while secretly slipping meat to her granddaughter, Xiao Wan'er: "Eat quickly."

Xiao Wan'er couldn't bear to finish it in one bite, so she took a bite out of half and put the other half in her mouth, offering it to Bian Shulan: "Mother, you eat too."

Bian Shulan's belly wasn't even showing yet, but the smell of meat made her stomach churn. Not wanting to refuse her daughter's kindness, she smiled and accepted the meat, eating it. However, she vomited it all up within moments.

Zhao Hai hurriedly ran over to help his wife.

Fang felt a tightness in her chest as she watched this scene. However, the die was cast, and Pei Qinghe had strongly defended Bian Shulan, so she had to endure it no matter how much she disapproved.

With only a few teeth left, Li could no longer eat meat, but she dipped soft steamed buns in the meat broth and ate them with relish.

The most stubborn person in the whole family, Madam Lu, ate a large bowl of meat with her mouth dripping with oil. She stuffed the newly sewn shoe soles into her granddaughter's hands and said with a hint of disdain, "A pair of shoes won't last half a month. Look at you, you're not acting like a young lady at all."

As long as Madam Lu doesn't cause trouble, Pei Qinghe won't argue with her and will accept the shoe sole with a smile: "Grandmother still cares about me the most."

Madam Lu pouted, "The whole family depends on you for food. What else can I do but bow my head?" Pei Qinghe grinned and winked at Pei Feng and Pei Yue. Her two cousins ​​immediately came over and grabbed Madam Lu's hands on either side.

As if changing her expression, Madam Lu immediately became all loving and took her two beloved grandsons to eat meat.

Pei Yan rolled her eyes: "I just can't stand my grandmother's biased nature."

In Madam Lu's eyes, Pei Feng and Pei Yue were her most precious treasures, but when it came to her granddaughter, she became harsh and critical, finding fault with everything she did. Pei Qinghe was too formidable, and Madam Lu dared not provoke her easily. The tomboyish Pei Yan became a thorn in Madam Lu's side, and she would scold her every few days.

Pei Qinghe laughed and said, "Grandmother favors Pei Feng and Pei Yue, and I favor you. Isn't that enough?"

With just a few words, Pei Yan was overjoyed.

Pei Qinghe glanced at Pei Yan's left arm: "You were lucky this time, your injury wasn't serious. You can't be so reckless next time. No matter what, you must save your own life first."

When Pei Qinghe put on a stern face, Pei Yan didn't dare to utter a sound and obediently nodded.

Pei Yun came over with a smile: "Qinghe, the bear paws and bear skin have been cleaned up."

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly: "Send two of these four bear paws to General Meng in Beiping Army, and send the other two to Magistrate Wang."

"As for the bearskin, give it to Young Master Shi."

Pei Yun was a little reluctant: "The bear paw is fine. This bear skin is rare and intact. It's cold in winter, you can keep it to keep warm. The Shi family is a powerful and wealthy family, they don't lack this."

"What does the Shi family lack?" Pei Qinghe countered. "Have you ever considered why the Shi family would proactively send us grain and try to befriend us?"

Pei Yun is meticulous, thoughtful, and composed; her only flaw is a lack of experience and shrewdness. With a little guidance from Pei Qinghe, Pei Yun immediately understood: "You want to show Young Master Shi your abilities and skills so that he will continue to invest in the Pei family."

Pei Qinghe raised an eyebrow and smiled, patting Pei Yun's shoulder: "I don't trust anyone else with this matter, so you'll have to make the trip, Cousin Yun."

Pei Yun bowed and accepted the order.

The next morning, Pei Yun led a group of people out of Pei Family Village on horseback.

Pei Qinghe led his men in martial arts practice as usual.

Ten archery targets were erected on the wide and flat training ground.

The crowd lined up in rows, stood still, and drew their bows to shoot arrows.

Pei Qinghe specially ordered a batch of iron arrowheads from the blacksmith's shop, with wooden shafts. Although not as fine as iron arrows, they were still quite lethal. Women are naturally weaker than men, so archery is the best way to protect themselves. Pei Qinghe supervised everyone's archery practice every day.

At the sound of the bamboo whistle, the arrows flew out in unison.

Eight out of ten arrows hit the target, while the other two fell to the ground.

Pei Qinghe's expression darkened slightly.

The two women who missed the target were somewhat ashamed: "Qinghe, we're useless..."

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
No one could see Pei Qinghe's movements clearly; they only heard three twangs of the bowstring. Three arrows flew into the forest like shooting stars.

The thud and screams startled a flock of birds.

(End of this chapter)