Chapter 21: Chapter 21: How Has Heaven Wronged You?

Qi Zheng was utterly confused by everyone’s reaction. Puffing out a mouthful of smoke, he retorted, “Why? Have you all given up on your daughters and granddaughters who got married off?”

“They’ve already married into other families as daughters-in-law. If their in-laws don’t want to leave, there’s nothing they can do to follow.”

An old man sighed, “Moreover, we don’t know if their in-laws have any capable relatives, but they must be stronger than us in Yongping Village.”

Someone nodded in agreement with this statement.

Qi Zheng frowned, “What are you saying? Just because they’re married off, they have nothing to do with your families anymore? Even if they are to leave with their in-laws and not go the same way as us, shouldn’t they meet one last time before leaving? Once they’re gone this time, who knows if there’s a chance to meet again in this lifetime. Don’t you miss them?”

Qi Zheng really couldn’t understand.

Their family had many sons, and only Manbao had just arrived not long ago. Even so, he could think of this. How could these families with both sons and daughters not think of it?

In the end, they just don’t like daughters, thinking they’re a losing investment, and don’t pay them any mind.

His words left everyone feeling a bit embarrassed.

The village chief hadn’t thought of this point either, and now his face felt a bit hot.

Afraid of further awkwardness, the village chief directly said, “Alright, let’s set off in three days. In these three days, everyone should pack what needs to be packed and visit relatives if needed.”

“Village chief, should we tell people from other villages which route we’ll take?”

Someone else asked.

The village chief instinctively looked at the two doctors.

Yin Cheng and Qin Minglang just lowered their eyes and didn’t speak much.

It’s the same story; they aren’t in a position to make decisions on such matters.

In the end, Qi Zheng couldn’t take it anymore. Standing up, puffing his pipe, he grumbled, “Why not tell them? Think about it. Is it safer for just our thirty-plus households on the road or if there are more people?”

Chen Erqiao and Zhang Sanniu, who had also stayed behind, stood up at this moment.

Chen Erqiao sighed, his voice hoarse, “Brother Qi is right. More people on the road make it harder for others to bully us.”

Zhang Sanniu nodded, “That’s right! When we came out, there were four to five hundred of us, and most were men. For a long stretch, no one dared to mess with us. Later, if it weren’t for the plague, we wouldn’t be left with just a few of us.”

As he finished, Zhang Sanniu couldn’t help but choke up.

Such experiences, even after these years, haven’t healed.

It’s a wound that cannot be smoothed over, and even mentioning it slightly can pain one’s heart deeply.

The others present all fell silent.

Everyone’s emotions were complex.

Some felt sorry for Chen Erqiao and Zhang Sanniu, but mostly they were uncertain about their family’s future.

Out of four to five hundred people, only these two families were left. Yongping Village now had just over two hundred living beings, all young and old. If they really fled, how many would remain?

In an instant, some began to waver about whether to flee or not.

But no matter how much they wavered, it wouldn’t change the fact of fleeing.

Three days is neither too long nor too short for everyone.

Except for the daughters from neighboring families who moved too far to contact after getting married, the relatives of other families were mostly in nearby villages.

If traveling on foot, one could walk to the farthest village and back within two days.

Families sending news generally dispatched two people, while the rest were busy packing at home.

They’re all used to hard times, especially the older folks, who really want to bring everything with them.

But in the village, only the village chief’s family and another had animals to pull carts.

Without animals to pull carts, many large items simply couldn’t be taken.

The Qi Family.

Mrs. Qi looked at the cabinets at home, sighed, looked at the water vat in the kitchen, and sighed again.

They wanted to take everything, but it was clear they couldn’t.

Even though their family had many boys and each strong, they couldn’t carry the entire bed cabinet on the road!

And then there were the pots, pans, jars, and containers, all heavy and space-consuming, and particularly easy to break.

Yet these couldn’t be left behind.

Not to mention where they would finally settle, these items would be needed along the way.

Mrs. Qi was so worried that she kept sighing, and in the fourth room, Yi Meng was also troubled by the things inside.

“Mom, don’t frown.”

Qi Manman was initially sitting on the bed picking her toes, and when she saw her mother sitting by the bed, she crawled over, hands and feet, skillfully nestled into her mother’s arms, then raised her hand, using the fingers that had just been picking toes, to smooth her mother’s brow.

Yi Meng’s brow relaxed a bit, but still carried worry, “Daughter, we’re moving and will have to travel very far. We can’t take everything with us from home, and I worry!”

“Why do we have to take everything?”

Qi Manman tilted her head, her big eyes full of puzzlement.

Yi Meng gently tapped the little one’s nose, speaking softly, “If we don’t take them, what will we use on the road? Even if we don’t need them on the road, we’ll need household items once we settle.”

“Our family isn’t wealthy, and getting the essentials for the house takes quite a bit of silver, so it’s better to save where we can.”

Yi Meng didn’t know why she was explaining this to a four-year-old.

But since she said it, Yi Meng treated it as finding a tree hollow to vent her inner anxiety.

Qi Manman tilted her head, blinking her big eyes, remaining silent for a long time.

Yi Meng’s gaze fell on the bed cabinet.

The bed cabinet held the family’s clothes, with quilts placed on top.

The contents on and in the cabinet would need two big bundles.

She could carry one, Brother Jin could carry one, but that meant they couldn’t help the family carry other things, let alone hold her daughter.

This wouldn’t work.

But which could be left behind?

Yi Meng pondered until her head hurt and whispered, “Seriously, why am I the only transmigrant without a golden finger? After all these years, none. The heavens are too cruel.”

“Mom, how did heaven cheat you?”

Qi Manman’s sudden question startled Yi Meng.

Yi Meng’s face changed abruptly, instinctively looking toward the window.

After confirming no one was outside, Yi Meng lowered her voice, very nervously telling Qi Manman, “Manbao, good girl, forget what Mom just said, and don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“But, Mom, how did heaven cheat you?”

Qi Manman clearly focused on this.

Even though she’s little, she knows well, who is heaven?

That’s Grandpa Heavenly Dao and Grandpa Jade Emperor, both are Manbao’s relatives!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep