Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

Lin Gensheng stood at the door of his house, craning his neck to look this way, muttering something to He Dalang, his expression not very good.

A short while later, footsteps sounded outside again. Tian Dasheng shouted at the top of his lungs, "Uncle Shen, Uncle Jiang, come out for a moment. I'll take you to see the houses in the village."

Jiang Xing, Shen Dehou, and Doctor Gu followed Tian Dasheng out the door to visit the vacant houses in the village.

Tian Dasheng led them around the village, showing them several empty houses. Finally, they walked to the end of the village near the foot of the mountain. Jiang Xing's eyes lit up when he saw these houses.

Although these houses are in a somewhat remote location, they are quiet and close to the mountain. Three of them are mud courtyards connected by walls, arranged in a neat row, all made of mud bricks. Most of the roofs have collapsed, but they can be covered with some dry straw later.

The main advantage is that there is a well and a stone mill in the courtyard, so there is no need to go out to fetch water, which is more convenient.

According to Tian Dasheng, the courtyard used to be lived in by three brothers from a family in the village. Later, the three brothers divided their property and moved away, leaving the house empty.

About ten steps away from these three houses, there are three more houses. Although they are not connected, they are not far apart, only about ten steps away.

Since they are newcomers, the best thing for them is for several families to live close together so that they can know about anything immediately and help each other quickly.

Jiang Xing walked around the house, then pushed open the door of one of the rooms and looked inside. The room was empty, with cobwebs in the corners and a layer of dust on the floor, but the walls had no cracks and the beams were sturdy. It could be lived in after a little tidying up.

The place is right next to the foot of the mountain, making it convenient to go up the mountain to collect firewood. There are also few neighbors around, so there are fewer disputes if several families live together.

"This will do," Jiang Xing nodded to Shen Dehou.

When Tian Dasheng saw that they had chosen this place, he didn't show any particular expression. Anyway, they were given three months of free accommodation. It was their own business if they chose this dilapidated house in a remote location. The village was happy to keep the good empty houses and rent them out for a good price later.

"Okay, then it's settled here." Tian Dasheng nodded. "Go back and pack your things, you can move in today."

The three returned to the old house and told everyone that they had chosen a house. Upon hearing this, the women from several families immediately began to pack their belongings.

In reality, they didn't have much property. All they had were a few tattered bedding rolls, a few chipped iron pots, and a little bit of food that was more precious than life itself.

The women efficiently packed the items into several bundles, and the children helped carry the lighter items. In no time, everything was ready.

With such a commotion, the He and Lin families naturally noticed it.

When Lin Gensheng came out of the house, he saw several families carrying bundles and belongings, and his expression immediately changed.

He strode forward and blocked Shen Dehou's path, urgently asking, "Brother Shen, what's going on... have your families already paid the village's taxes?"

Shen Dehou glanced at him and nodded: "I've paid."

Upon hearing this, Lin Gengsheng's face turned from white to red, then from red to green. Finally, he stamped his foot and exclaimed, "You're all confused! We're all refugees who fled from the north. As long as we stubbornly refuse to pay, the village can't do anything to us! But you, on the contrary, secretly went and paid the money first. What kind of nonsense is this? We should be on the same side, advancing and retreating together. Now that you families have paid first, aren't you just leaving our two families here? If we don't pay, we'll be kicked out. Aren't you selling us out?!"

As he spoke, his tone became increasingly agitated, his old face flushed red, and his voice became loud and urgent, startling everyone around him.

The courtyard fell silent for a moment. The He family did not participate, but He Dalang and his brothers stood at the door of their house and heard Lin Gengsheng's words clearly. The brothers exchanged glances, their expressions changing slightly, but they remained silent.

Jiang Xing slung the bundle over his shoulder, turned around, looked at Lin Gengsheng expressionlessly, and spoke in a cold voice.

"Uncle Lin, what you're saying isn't right. It's our own business whether we pay or not, and it has nothing to do with anyone else. Whether you pay or not, and what your plans are, is none of our concern. We're not on the same path to begin with; we each have our own considerations and our own way of life. If you want to drag things out with the village, that's your business; if we don't want to, that's our business too."

Lin Gensheng was speechless for a moment after hearing her words. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Jiang Xing didn't give him a chance to speak.

"Let's go," she said to the families behind her.

Several families followed her out of the courtyard.

Lin Gengsheng stood there, his old face flushed red, his lips trembling for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"Fine, let them go!" Lin Gengsheng's wife poked her head out of the house and cursed in a shrill voice, "A bunch of heartless bastards! We treated them like family, and they just dumped us like that! What kind of people are they!"

The He family did not participate in the argument, but He Dalang and his two brothers stood at the door and heard every word of the conversation between Lin Gengsheng and Jiang Xing.

After watching the departing figures of the other families, they whispered a few words to each other, then quietly turned around, went back into the house, and closed the door.

Only the Lin family father and son remained standing in the courtyard. Lin Gen was so angry that he stomped his feet, his beard twitching, and he was cursing under his breath.

They cursed for a long time, but no one around them responded. The door of the He family's house was tightly closed, and faint rustling voices could be heard from inside, but they couldn't be heard clearly.

As for Jiang Xing and the others, they had already gone far away, and their backs were no longer visible.