The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 167: Disheveled

The Xu family, running and keeping an eye on the situation behind them, didn’t react in time. From behind the trees, Chen Dashan and Shen Lie swiftly emerged, each delivering a quick death blow to the two bandits who weren’t completely dead yet, ensuring they were thoroughly dispatched. They then retrieved their military-issued iron arrows and took the swords the bandits had taken from fallen soldiers.

Their movements were precise and their expressions calm, as if they were simply harvesting game, and retrieving the weapons was as routine as skinning and dismembering prey.

The Xu family couldn’t help but stop in their tracks, overwhelmed by a mix of shock and the exhaustion of narrowly escaping death. Wei Lingzhen, in particular, was so weak that if she weren’t holding Shen Yin in her arms, she would have collapsed.

Their entire family had almost been lost today.

Shen Lie strode quickly towards the Xu family, his steps wide and fast. He quickly scanned everyone and finally asked Shen Jin, “Where’s Tianya?”

Shen Jin’s eyes reddened, and he shook his head with pursed lips.

Shen Lie had already guessed something was wrong when he saw only the three brothers emerge from the tunnel. His nose tingled, and he swallowed hard to suppress his emotions. Without asking further, he handed the confiscated sword to Xu Wenqing, who was standing next to Shen Jin, saying, “Take this for self-defense.”

Then he turned to Shopkeeper Xu and said, “We can’t delay. The city is in chaos right now, and we need to leave immediately. Dashan and I will scout and keep watch. Please help carry Xiao Yin and Xiao Tie.”

Shopkeeper Xu nodded repeatedly, hurriedly handed his hoe to his eldest son, cautioning him about the poisoned tip, and then took Shen Yin from his wife’s arms. He explained to Shen Lie, “Xiao Yin and Xiao Tie are extremely hungry.”

Just as Shen Lie had suspected, he nodded. “I know you have some food stored, but we can’t go there now. We have too many people, and with the city just having fallen, the bandits are preoccupied. This is the best time to escape. Once they regroup, it will be much harder to get away. Also, if the tunnel is discovered, exposing the food stash will only make things worse.”

Shopkeeper Xu didn’t ask any more questions, simply saying, “We’ll do as you say.”

Uncle Xu also took Shen Tie from Xu Wenhong, while Chen Dashan handed a sword to Xu Wenhong and went ahead to scout. Shen Lie checked on Shen Yin and Shen Tie’s condition. Seeing that only Shen Yin could still open his eyes and try to speak, he squeezed Shen Yin’s hand and reassured him, “Don’t be afraid,” then waved for the Xu family to follow him as they slipped into the forest.

Xu Wenqing and Xu Wenhong carried the hoes on their shoulders and gripped the swords, their hands shaking with excitement. Besides keeping watch, they frequently glanced at Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, who had gone ahead.

So, these were the Shen Lie and Chen Dashan that their father and Wenbo had spoken of.

It was like the arrival of divine soldiers.

No one noticed the young men’s excitement. The rest of the Xu family was still on edge, afraid of being exposed. Apart from the initial communication, they didn’t dare say another word.

…

When Shen Lie and Chen Dashan first arrived, it had been difficult. Now, with the bandits all in the city, the return journey was easier. They only needed to stay hidden in the forest and be wary of bandits or refugees heading towards the city. This way, they avoided the two-day detour they had taken before.

There were indeed outposts, but they were likely further away. The closer ones had left, heading towards the city in response to the commotion. Shen Lie’s group, hiding in the forest, remained undiscovered.

As for the villagers who had fled into the mountains, there was no sign of them on the outskirts.

Thus, in less than an hour and a half, Shen Lie and Chen Dashan led the old and young through the mountain forests to the inner area of Shili Village.

Since they had been walking through the mountains, Shen Jin didn’t initially realize they were on the path back to the village. It wasn’t until the mountains became more familiar that he froze.

It wasn’t happiness he felt, but fear.

An overwhelming fear rose from within, slowing his steps and reddening his eyes, though he dared not let anyone notice and kept his head slightly lowered.

“Your big brother and your parents had their reasons. Some things are better left unknown to you. I hope you don’t blame your big brother. Practice the skills he taught you. If you can hunt, you can survive in the forest. As long as there isn’t a great drought or plague, you’ll be able to get by with this mountain. Understand?”

From the time he left the few families until now, it had been less than four months. To Shen Jin, it felt like a lifetime. Despite the long period of suffering, he still remembered every word his big brother had told him before leaving with Xiao An and the others.

That day, he had received the slingshot he had longed for and a small tunnel dug by his big brother and Xiao An. He had returned home happily, eager to join his big brother, Xiao An, and the other children for training the next morning, just like any other day.

But the next morning, there was no training. When he went looking for them, he found only an empty house.

Everyone he trained with had left. Only he was left behind.

He knew the reason, so he was only sad, not resentful.

Given what his parents had done, no one dared to take them along. Big Brother, Sister-in-law, Xiao An, and An Ning had treated them well enough.

At that time, Shen Jin believed that with the skills he had learned, the small tunnel, and the mountain at his back, he and his parents could survive. But after the nightmare of Qiyang County, he no longer had that confidence.

With no one to protect them, he couldn’t protect anyone—not even himself.

His steps grew heavier and heavier, and he didn’t know how to start the conversation.

Should he ask his big brother to take them along?

How much food would it take to feed the three of them?

With bandits everywhere and no way to farm, how would they survive without food?

Would it end up like it did with their family?

Shen Jin couldn’t bring himself to ask. His big brother and sister-in-law owed them nothing. Their families had split long ago, and the ties between the two households were severed. His big brother, who had gone into the mountains, still came out occasionally to check on him, bringing jerky and even asking others to look after him. On top of that, they had saved them from that hellish place. It was already an enormous favor.

Shen Jin dared not think about what he would do if they encountered another person who saw them as food.

He held back his tears, kept his head down, and followed the others. He watched as his older brother and Dashan led everyone to the shelter his brother had dug for him. He saw his brother squat down and lift the shelter’s cover.

Shen Jin bowed his head even lower, trying to hold back his tears, but they flowed uncontrollably.

…

When the shelter’s cover was lifted, Wei Qinghe, who had been resting inside, was startled. Upon realizing who it was, he leapt out excitedly.

“Shen Lie!”

He scrambled up the steps and out of the hole. Seeing his brother-in-law, Uncle Xu, his sister, and his nephews, he joyfully embraced the two boys.

Shen Jin, who had thought his older brother was only sending them back to the shelter and then leaving, was stunned to see a stranger emerge from their hiding place.

Chen Dashan glanced at Shen Jin and then looked away.

Shen Lie focused on Shen Yin and Shen Tie, especially the weaker Shen Tie.

He put down his weapons and belongings, took Shen Tie from Uncle Xu, and asked Shopkeeper Xu, “Shopkeeper Xu, I couldn’t ask on the way. What happened to the children?”

Shopkeeper Xu, now relieved that they were safe, handed Shen Lie the water bags filled with salted sugar water and rice soup for Shen Yin and Shen Tie. He then explained the situation in the county.

“The day we entered the city, Uncle Xu and I made sure to keep an eye on the children and noted their faces. Uncle Xu followed to see where they were settled. Xiao Jin had hunted some food, which we saw Shen San exchange for grain. Uncle Xu had also exchanged quite a bit for them. We didn’t expect them to run out of food. My family had moved to Shezhou due to some issues, leaving most of our food in the shelter outside the city. We didn’t have much food left in the city. When the gates were suddenly closed, we exchanged what little we had left for a small courtyard near the city wall. When the city started conscripting soldiers, Uncle Xu was taken because he was listed as the homeowner. We hid in the house and dug a tunnel. Yesterday, we reached the city wall’s foundation, and this morning I went to check on the children you entrusted to me.”

Shopkeeper Xu shook his head, sighing as Shen Lie looked at him. He continued, “It was terrible. When Uncle Xu and I arrived, we couldn’t find the youngest, Tianya. Shen San and his wife…”

He glanced at Shen Yin, who was weakly sipping rice soup, and Shen Tie, who was gulping down the salted sugar water. He gestured for his wife and Uncle Xu to take over caring for the children and led Shen Lie aside.

“From what I understand, it seems Shen San ate… that, and secretly sent Tianya away. Mrs. Li might have noticed and attacked him in his sleep with an axe. But perhaps due to hunger, she lacked the strength to finish the job and ended up being stabbed to death herself. Both of them died.”

Those unspeakable words were clear to Shen Lie. Furious, he clenched his jaw to avoid cursing.

He couldn’t imagine what the children had endured or what Tianya had gone through.

Shopkeeper Xu continued, “The scene was horrific when we arrived. Only Xiao Jin could stand; the two younger ones were nearly dead from hunger, lying on the ground, surrounded by hostile people. Uncle Xu and I took the children to a clinic, but we were followed.”

That meant someone had been targeting the children as food.

Shen Lie’s fists tightened as he asked, “What did the doctor say?”

“They can be saved. They ate dirt cakes for days. Fortunately, Mrs. Li rationed them just enough to survive. We’ve been giving them salted sugar water and rice soup. If they are properly cared for, they should recover.”

Shen Lie bowed deeply to Shopkeeper Xu. “Thank you for risking your lives to save Xiao Jin and his brothers under such dire circumstances.”

Shen Lie expressed his sincere gratitude, but Shopkeeper Xu, frightened, quickly tried to refuse: “Don’t mention it. Not only were my mother and children under your protection, which was already a responsibility you took on, but our family of five owes our safe escape entirely to you and Dashan. How could I accept your thanks? We should be the ones thanking you and Dashan.”

“And besides, doing good deeds brings good results. I genuinely believe that now. To be honest, if we hadn’t saved those children and been followed by those malicious people, Uncle Xu might have met his end on the city wall today.”

Shopkeeper Xu had momentarily softened and promised Shen Jin that if possible, he would arrange for Mrs. Li’s burial. Later, discovering that someone was watching them, he had Uncle Xu look for an opportunity to take care of things: arranging Mrs. Li’s burial and taking a two-day leave to avoid the city wall, hiding at home.

“If it weren’t for this incident, Uncle Xu might have faced unknown dangers near the city wall during the breach. Whether he could safely return to the small courtyard was uncertain, let alone escaping. If we had waited for Uncle Xu’s return, it would have delayed us significantly, and we don’t know what the outcome would have been.”

Hearing this, Shen Lie asked, “Did you also arrange for Shen San’s burial?”

Shopkeeper Xu shook his head. “No, he didn’t deserve that. Such a person doesn’t warrant it.” He then recounted Shen Jin’s reaction at the time to Shen Lie.

Shen Lie nodded and thanked Shopkeeper Xu once more before turning back to check on Shen Yin and Shen Tie’s condition.

Shopkeeper Xu had a chance to ask, “How did you and Dashan happen to be right at our exit?”

Chen Dashan smiled and said, “It must be your good fortune.”

He explained that on the sixth day, after receiving a letter, he was concerned because the date on the letter was a while ago. He went out to check and found that the entire Shili Village had become deserted, and Xiao Jin and the others were no longer at the shelter or the cave. After discussing it, they decided to go to the county town to see if they could help Shopkeeper Xu.

“The journey to the county town was filled with bandits, and we had to detour a long way. We spent two days on the road and arrived on the eighth. We waited until today, and when we heard the noise of the city being breached, we decided to come out and investigate. When Shen Lie arrived at the spot where you had dug the exit, he felt a slight tremor underfoot. He stopped to check and then heard faint sounds coming from below.”

“Since we had helped you build the shelter before, we suspected you might have dug a tunnel to escape. To be sure, we retreated and hid in the nearby bushes.”

Chen Dashan recounted how the first ones to come out were Xu Wenqing and Xu Wenhong, who were unrecognizable at first, and only later did they see Shen Yin, Shen Tie, and Shen Jin being brought out.

Shopkeeper Xu immediately took out the medicine bottle to apply poison, realizing there were no pursuers, so he and Chen Dashan prepared their bows.

Wei Lingzhen, who had been listening, couldn’t help but clasp her hands and pray to the heavens. Shopkeeper Xu exclaimed, “What great fortune!”

The shelter was quite far from the city wall for safety reasons; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to dig such a large shelter so smoothly.

Shen Lie’s timing matched perfectly with when they dug through to the final upward exit, a sign of divine favor.

Shopkeeper Xu and his two sons performed a bow of respect to Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, “Such divine favor is also due to your assistance. Our entire family is deeply grateful.”

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan quickly avoided their thanks. Chen Dashan smiled and said, “That’s enough, no need for so many thanks.”

He looked at Shen Lie and said, “We should hurry. If we delay until tomorrow, it might not be safe.”

Shen Lie agreed, noting that the two younger children were nearly finished eating. Shen Yin even had the strength to call him “Brother” with red eyes, and Shen Tie could finally open his eyes. He then asked Shen Jin, “Xiao Jin, can you hold on? If you can, I’ll hunt some more food for you tonight. For now, we need to move. We should reach the cave where we hid the letter before nightfall.”

This last part was addressed to everyone else.

Shen Jin was stunned, overwhelmed with joy, fear, and disbelief. His lips trembled as he asked, “Brother, are you going to take us with you?”

Chen Dashan chuckled, noting that Shen Jin was not like Shen San or Mrs. Li but more like Shen Lie and his siblings.

Indeed, before going to the battlefield, Shen Lie had taken care of and taught the older children in the family.

Shen Lie raised his eyebrows and looked at the shelter. “If you don’t come with me, are you planning to leave Shen Yin and Shen Tie here? Can they handle encountering refugees?”

In the past, he was willing to leave people behind because Shen San and Mrs. Li were still around. Now, with them gone, there was no point in having game or a shelter. A shelter couldn’t be lived in forever.

With bandits and refugees everywhere, the three children would be easy prey. Any adult could easily overpower them.

Shen Jin finally realized this and shook his head repeatedly, kneeling down and begging, “I can’t handle it. Please, Brother and Sister-in-law, take care of us for a few years. Save Shen Yin and Shen Tie. After they recover, you don’t need to give us food. I can hunt and gather wild vegetables and seeds. I can support them myself. Just give us a safe place to stay.”

He pressed his hands to the ground and bowed his head repeatedly, knocking it on the ground.

Seeing Shen Jin’s reaction, Shen Lie felt deeply unsettled.

Shen Jin’s response actually indicated that the child had never dared to hope that he would be willing to take them in.

Indeed, Shen Lie had once given up on them.

When Xiao Tianya died, Shen Lie had already guessed what had happened when he saw only Shen Jin and his brothers emerging from the county town. The silence on their journey was not without its reasons, and it was not just that he couldn’t face it.

Even now, he couldn’t dare to ask himself if he regretted it.

However, Shen Lie knew that even if time could rewind to months ago and he could make countless choices, without the memories and the foresight of how the soldiers would confine the villagers in the county town and the tragic events that would follow, he would make the same choices.

Or rather, deep down, he might never have fully let go of his anger toward the children from the third branch of the family.

True forgiveness, truly treating them as his own brothers, would be like how he treated Xiao An and An Ning. If he could, he should never have let them face any danger.

His refusal to hold a grudge against Shen Jin and the others was only because of the past affection, because they were children he had raised himself, taught skills to, and made plans for. He did his best to help them but could not bring himself to help Shen San and Mrs. Li bear the responsibility of raising these children out of virtue.

He said that Shen Jin wouldn’t want to leave his parents, but did he really want Shen San and Mrs. Li to use their emotions to bind him and then exploit him?

It was also a matter of unwillingness.

Yes, it was only at this moment that he realized it was indeed reluctance.

So he made plans for Shen Jin and his siblings, entrusted Shopkeeper Xu with their care, and kept coming out to check on them, making all these arrangements. This was because, deep inside, even he wasn’t fully aware that Shen Jin and his siblings were not truly safe.

The truth, the genuine feelings, was only now becoming clear to Shen Lie.

He had originally bent down to help Shen Jin up, but at that moment, in extreme distress, his outstretched hand fell back, covering his face and eyes, hiding the furrowed brow and the dampness from the sudden, jarring realization.

Shen Jin was still banging his head on the ground when Shen Lie, without even taking the time to compose himself, hurriedly wiped his face and pulled him up.

He couldn’t bring himself to look into Shen Jin’s eyes, so he turned away and picked up the basket and weapons from the ground, saying quickly, “It’s getting late. Let’s all pack up and move out.”

He headed forward, and as he brushed past Chen Dashan, Chen Dashan noticed something. He patted Shen Lie’s shoulder, then turned to Shen Jin, who was still staring blankly at Shen Lie’s retreating figure. Chen Dashan picked up his own weapon and patted Shen Jin on the head, saying, “Are you dazed? Let’s go. Your big brother never intended to leave you behind.”

If it were just to save Shopkeeper Xu, Shen Lie wouldn’t have stayed in that shelter for so many days unwilling to leave.

If Shen San and Mrs. Li were still around, Shen Lie might not have cared too much, perhaps sending them back to the village or to a cave in the mountains. But with Shen San and Mrs. Li gone, Shen Lie’s nature wouldn’t allow him to abandon these cousins.

Shen Jin’s reaction, or perhaps the combination of Tianya’s death and Shen Jin’s reaction, must have been very painful for Shen Lie.

Chen Dashan patted Shen Jin and then called the Xu family to follow.

Shen Jin wiped his tears, finally allowing himself to cry out loud.

Thank you, big brother.

Shen Lie moved too quickly for Shen Jin to even have the chance to say this thank you. Instead, he cried silently, repeating the words in his heart over and over again.