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

Chapter 189: Departure from the Clan

In the three months of Qiyang County’s descent into chaos, some people were fortunate enough to escape the slaughter and fire set by the bandits. Whether by luck, skill, or successfully hiding like Dong Ge’er’s family, some managed to survive and emerge from the inferno.

These survivors flocked into the mountains around Qiyang. For Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, who could reach the inner areas in six days, the journey was fraught with danger and anxiety for most people.

Lacking sufficient ability, even finding a reliable group to travel with was challenging. There was no guarantee that someone you joined forces with wouldn’t turn on you at a critical moment. Strangers encountered on the road had to be approached with caution. For example, two days ago, Dong Ge’er and another family of about forty to fifty people, who had joined up with Dong Ge’er, encountered trouble.

The reason for their joining was that they were intimidated by the large number of people in the other group. They did not dare to approach but wanted to gain some courage by keeping a close yet cautious distance. When they noticed dangerous people ahead, they would stay closer to the front group and maintain a safe distance when things seemed secure.

The other group, seeing they didn’t pose a threat and hoping to bolster their own numbers, allowed Dong Ge’er’s group to follow. They felt that having more people would be beneficial in dealing with bandits.

Suddenly, chaos erupted. A wolf appeared from the front, and in an instant, two children were knocked down by wolves in another direction.

Screams, confusion, cries of pain—amidst the turmoil, the group of forty to fifty people, who appeared to be a family, tried to protect their kin. However, the wolves charged into the crowd, and in the face of danger, familial bonds were disregarded as people desperately tried to fend off the lethal wolves.

Dong Ge’er and his sons, initially stunned, quickly regained their senses. They had to fight off the wolves while also protecting the women in their family, all while being wary of their companions who might act treacherously.

In such a situation, trust among people was almost non-existent. No one dared to test human nature under such dire circumstances.

The number of wolves was unknown, but their menacing presence was felt. The struggle to protect themselves and their families was arduous. Amid the chaos, another group of people arrived. With dozens of people holding off the wolves, the best course of action would have been to flee immediately. However, it was strange that the group, despite their initial hesitation, soon sent ten or so young men to assist in fighting off the wolves.

Dong Ge’er noticed out of the corner of his eye that the three of them were encircling a wolf. They were too focused to be distracted, as the surprise attack by the wolves was terrifying, and time seemed to stretch infinitely, though the actual battle lasted only about fifteen minutes.

The sudden addition of ten or so young men led the lead wolf to howl, causing the pack to retreat into the forest with their tails between their legs.

Dong Ge’er’s father, trembling, looked at his wife and daughter. Seeing that they were only frightened and not injured, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

While one family breathed a sigh of relief, the family that had just helped fight off the wolves was now in a standoff. The young woman who had been pushed out to fend off the wolf was saved by her husband but was not unscathed. She had fallen when pushed, and the wolf had scratched her face. The woman’s face was covered in blood with three distinct claw marks, one shallow and the other two deeply gouged, with flesh and blood showing through.

The young woman cried tears of pain, fear of near death, and sorrow over her disfigured face. Her cries were joined by her child, and the woman supporting her trembled. Suddenly, in a fit of rage, she grabbed a hatchet, left behind in the chaos, and attacked a middle-aged man.

The man fled, and the clan members were in a state of panic and anger.

“Third Brother’s wife! Put down the axe!” The voice of the clan leader, who had a long beard, was particularly loud and authoritative.

The woman, however, did not hear a word of it. She continued to chase and hack at the middle-aged man, shouting, “Gan Laowu, you animal! You pushed my daughter-in-law to block the wolves! You think our family is without anyone? How can you be so ruthless? Why don’t you die yourself? I’ll kill you!”

Gan Laowu was still fleeing. The young woman’s husband saw her bloody face and quickly drew his bow, aiming at the running man. He shouted, “Mother, stop chasing!”

The woman hesitated, turning to look at him, just as he released the arrow. He nocked another arrow and fired it.

The two arrows struck in quick succession, amidst the clan’s shocked cries. The first arrow hit Gan Laowu’s right leg, and the second struck his right hand.

The young man drew a third arrow, trembling slightly, and aimed it at the howling Gan Laowu.

The people from the Gan family’s fifth household were already wailing, and the clan members were stunned, followed by the fury of the elders.

The young woman, still covering her face, did not immediately react, but her tears flowed even more fiercely: “Erlang.”

She grabbed her husband’s arm and shook her head at Gan Erlang.

The woman who had been chasing Gan Laowu now came to her senses and immediately defended her son: “Why is it that Gan Laowu can use my daughter-in-law’s life to block the wolves, but my Erlang can’t get his revenge? If he doesn’t, he’s not a man!”

The clan leader, angered, shouted, “He is your Fifth Uncle!”

“Fifth Uncle or not! Is it right for an uncle to act this way? Should we use seniority to oppress others? If Gan Laowu had pushed your granddaughter-in-law, would you have ignored it?”

She then glared hatefully at Gan Laowu: “At that time, your wife and daughter-in-law were also present. How come you were so quick to grab my daughter-in-law?”

“My Erlang was protecting everyone in front, and this is how you treat his wife from behind?”

Half of the clan members remained silent, while others, either peers or elders, felt that although there were issues with the Fifth Uncle, it was a matter for the clan to handle.

Gan Erlang’s trembling hands steadied, and with a cold smile, he said, “In such a family, I really cannot stay. One day, if I’m at the front and my mother and wife are harmed from behind, I won’t even know.”

Among the dozen or so young men who had helped, two stepped forward to Gan Erlang’s side: “Second Brother Gan.”

Gan Erlang finally turned his attention to them and cupped his hands in thanks: “Brother Feng, thank you for your help just now.”

The Feng brothers, Feng Dalanglang and Feng Erlanglang, were from the Lu family’s second branch and had come to the inner areas to avoid the bandits in the mountains. By chance, they ended up in this area. Seeing the battle with the wolves, they would not usually intervene, but Feng Dalanglang and Feng Erlanglang recognized a familiar face.

That face belonged to Gan Erlang, who, like them, had trained in hunting with Shen Lie some years ago. Though they had come from different villages and had not previously known each other, their time learning hunting together had made them acquainted.

Now, seeing that Gan Erlang’s family was clearly being mistreated, the brothers decided to step forward and lend their support, helping to bolster Gan Erlang’s position.

Feng Dalanglang shook his head and said, “It’s nothing.”

Feng Dalanglang glanced at the elders of the Gan family and cautiously asked Gan Erlang, “Second Brother Gan, do you need help?”

Gan Erlang looked at the clan members, then at his wife’s swollen face, and finally at his mother and young daughter. Turning his gaze to the Feng family, he swallowed and said, “Brother Feng, are you all heading to the inner areas?”

Feng Dalanglang nodded. “It’s too chaotic outside. We’re planning to head to the inner areas to avoid the turmoil.”

Seeing that the Feng family was also heading to the inner areas, Gan Erlang said, “If possible, could you take my family—my mother, wife, and daughter—along with you?”

Feng Dalanglang was not particularly surprised and did not immediately agree. “I’ll go back and speak with my grandfather and a few uncles.”

The Gan family leader and Gan Erlang’s uncles were already angry, shouting at Gan Erlang.

Gan Erlang, however, pretended not to hear. He bowed to Feng Dalanglang and said, “Please help us out. You saw the situation earlier; in this kind of chaos, we cannot stay with the clan. I’m afraid I can’t protect my mother and family alone. Brother Feng, you know I’ve learned some archery and hunting skills over the past year and have made some progress. I won’t be a burden to your clan.”

Since they had learned the same skills, Feng Dalanglang was aware of Gan Erlang’s capabilities. He nodded and said, “Second Brother Gan, please wait a moment.”

Regardless of the objections or pleas from the Gan clan leader and Gan Erlang’s uncles—whether harsh or kind—Gan Erlang had already made up his mind. Even Gan Erlang’s mother did not object to her son’s decision to leave the clan.

Leaving the clan at this time was a significant matter, but a family that protects its members is a true family. If a family uses someone for their own gain and then allows others to sacrifice their lives, and no one speaks up for fairness, it’s better to leave.

The Feng family did not care about the Gan clan’s opinions. They had witnessed and heard about the events, and most importantly, Feng Dalanglang had mentioned that Gan Erlang had trained with the Feng brothers in Shili Village.

The younger generation of the Feng family now each had a bow and arrow and had learned hunting skills. Good skills are always welcome.

Of course!

Furthermore, it was an act of helping others. Feng Dalanglang’s grandfather and uncles agreed immediately.

Before Feng Dalanglang even reached Gan Erlang, Gan Erlang was already gathering his mother, wife, and daughter, packing their belongings, and heading off. He ignored the old clan leader’s shouts and reprimands, leaving without looking back, regardless of accusations of betraying the family.

The eldest son of the fifth household angrily cursed, “Can’t we manage without him?”

Gan Laowu howled in pain and, still enraged, spat, “I don’t want anything from my ancestors!”

He continued to groan in agony, defending himself, “I only pulled in a panic, and now even my uncle wants to shoot me! Damn it! Damn it! What do I do with these arrows? It hurts so much!”

The old clan leader, furious, shouted for him to be quiet, which he did reluctantly, continuing to wail in pain. The clan members were reluctant to watch, most of them looking grim, especially when they remembered how Gan Erlang had taken down several wolves with bamboo arrows when they first entered the mountains. Though they didn’t know why those arrows had been particularly effective, seeing Gan Erlang leave now, some of those who had criticized him felt a pang of regret, though it was too late to mend anything.

Dong Ge’er’s family, witnessing the scene, remained silent. They gathered clothes, bedding, hoes, and axes from nearby abandoned villages and hurried to catch up with the Feng family’s group. As they left, the other family that had escaped from the county with them also followed.

The Gan family’s expression darkened further.

The Feng family glanced at Dong Ge’er’s group. Feng Dalanglang quietly inquired about the people following Gan Erlang, learning that they were strangers but had been traveling with them for two or three days, and had been behaving themselves. Since they had contributed when needed, the Feng family said nothing more, allowing them to follow as long as they kept their distance.

Feng Erlanglang had already gathered some herbs from the roadside and handed them to Gan Erlang, saying, “Second Brother Gan, this is a hemostatic herb taught to us by Shen Lie. Crush it and apply it to your wife’s wound.”

Gan Erlang, who had been searching for this medicine, gratefully accepted it from Feng Erlanglang. His mother had already found a small stone mortar and was grinding the herbs with a wooden pestle to apply to his daughter-in-law’s wounds.

In the Feng family’s group, young and strong men led the way and followed at the rear. Gan Erlang was now among those at the back, and the elderly, women, and children were in the middle of the group. Gan Erlang’s mother, wife, and daughter were included in the group of elderly and children.

The trailing group consisted of more than ten people.

The remaining members of the Gan family, feeling embarrassed to follow, hesitated for a moment. After some discussion, they removed the two bamboo arrows from Gan Laowu and chose a slightly different direction from the Feng family.

At this point, more than ten days had passed since Shen Lie last picked up Sang Luo from the valley. She had consistently found food, making everyone rely heavily on her. Sang Luo herself stayed put, only returning occasionally to deliver supplies. To this day, she had not gone back to the valley.

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan took turns leading the group out, while Sang Luo stayed behind to manage the household outside the mountains.

Not only was Sang Luo managing things, but the several families outside the mountains were also busy. Although they didn’t have wooden walls, they built bamboo fences, planted vegetables, created compost pits, and even set up chicken and rabbit pens near the caves. Whenever they caught live animals, they kept them. These six households looked much like the residents hidden in the mountains and living in the inner areas.

Today it was Shen Lie’s turn to lead the team, and Sang Luo naturally came out to help. They now dared not venture too far from the village, trying to return as quickly as possible if they found food in the inner areas. They decided to meet at a point between the Zhou family and the outer village, moving in any unexplored direction.

It was an ordinary day, and no one—whether Shen Lie, Sang Luo, or Shi Dalang—expected to be met with such a surprising event. They were preparing to return when they encountered something incredible at the stream.

Imagine the excitement of Feng Dalang and Feng Erlang when they saw Shen Lie, who was actually younger than them, as if meeting a long-lost brother. Gan Erlang, upon seeing Shi Dalang, was thrilled to see his brother-in-law.

As Feng Dalang and Feng Erlang excitedly called out to Shen Lie and Gan Erlang joyfully greeted his brother-in-law, Dong Ge’er, who was trailing behind the Feng family, was overwhelmed with excitement. Although not tall or strong, he ran with incredible speed and loud, enthusiastic shouts: “Madam Sang! Madam Sang!”

This enthusiastic voice and the sight of Dong Ge’er rushing forward caused the Feng family, including Feng Dalang, Feng Erlang, and Gan Erlang, to be stunned.

Who was this?

Shen Lie was even more astonished. Who was calling Sang Luo?

Sang Luo turned towards the voice and saw a man with disheveled hair and an outfit that seemed even more ragged than that of a beggar, running towards her. From afar, he was pulling his strange, messy hair to the sides, revealing a face that was barely recognizable. “I, I, Dong Ge’er! Dong Ge’er from Dongfulou!”