Chapter 32: Chapter 32: You Really Are Leaving?

Qi Manman felt like she was being tied up by something, she twisted her body, but couldn’t move.

Just as she was about to call for her mother to help, she suddenly heard a commotion.

There were screams from women, cries from children, and men shouting “Run quickly.”

It was a chaotic, noisy mess that made her head ache.

“Mother…”

She opened her mouth, wanting to call for her mother, but her mouth couldn’t make any sound.

Qi Manman unhappily kicked her legs, wanting to open her eyes, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t open them.

This feeling of being bound made her very uncomfortable, she wanted to ask for help but no one could hear her thoughts.

After struggling for a long time, Qi Manman finally saw a light and saw her mother’s face.

But it wasn’t the gentle face she usually saw, it was full of terror, and her previously neat hair was now a mess.

Mother picked her up, tears in her eyes: “Manbao, be good, from now on listen to grandmother, okay? Mother loves you the most.”

Saying this, mother gave her a kiss.

Unlike usual, this kiss was so hard that Qi Manman felt her face nearly deformed.

Before she could say anything, mother placed her in another person’s arms.

Looking up, it was her grandmother.

Everyday neatly dressed, grandmother was now also disheveled, her hair a mess, and the wooden hairpin on her head was nowhere to be seen.

Grandmother didn’t look at her, but cried while looking at her mother.

“Fourth son’s wife, you, you…”

Grandmother cried and wanted to say something, but mother didn’t let her continue: “Mother, take care of yourself, and take care of Manbao! Run quickly! Don’t look back!”

After saying this, mother ran away crying.

It was only then that Qi Manman realized they were at the foot of the mountain near their home. She had been here before with her brothers, it wasn’t far from the village.

There were people all around them.

Some she had seen before, some she hadn’t, but those she recognized were either family or villagers.

Everyone was in a state of panic, stumbling as they ran towards the mountain.

Things were left behind wherever they passed, like clothes, quilts, even food.

Qi Manman didn’t understand why everyone was running like this, she didn’t want to ask, she just wanted to know where her mother went.

Following the direction her mother ran, Qi Manman saw her mother running towards more than twenty men on horses, each holding a bright blade or spear.

Before she could see their faces clearly, her head was pressed down and buried in her grandmother’s arms.

Then came a tumultuous ride.

She wanted to struggle, after a few tries, she finally managed to lift her head, hugging her grandmother’s neck and resting her chin on grandmother’s shoulder, seeing the distant scene.

A man on a horse raised a spear and thrust it towards her mother.

Although her mother dodged it and ran in another direction, this scene still frightened Qi Manman and she immediately burst into tears.

“Mother! Wuwuwu, mother run quickly!”

Qi Manman wanted to shout for her mother to run quickly, but although she opened her mouth, no sound came out.

At that moment, Qi Manman saw dozens more horsemen in another direction, also wielding bright blades and weapons.

Qi Manman didn’t know where she got the strength, but she suddenly shouted out loud: “Mother, run, hic, quickly, quickly run, hic, up, up the mountain, hic, bad people both in front and behind, wuwuwu, Manbao doesn’t want mother to die, wuwuwu…”

Just as Qi Manman felt she finally got her shout out, the scene in front of her changed, and she saw her mother again.

Still the neatly dressed mother.

“Mother!”

Qi Manman reached out her little hand to hug her mother’s neck, but moved slightly, and couldn’t move anymore.

Yi Meng quickly freed her daughter’s small hand, gently patting her back to comfort her, while looking at her father-in-law.

The words her daughter just shouted in her sleep could very possibly be some kind of omen.

Could it be that they will encounter danger on their escape journey?

But, what does running up the mountain mean?

Yi Meng couldn’t think too much, as the mother-in-law instructed everyone to set off.

Looking at the courtyard she had lived in for over eight years, Yi Meng’s heart was filled with an indescribable bitterness.

The Qi Family hadn’t gone far before they met up with another family.

The two families exchanged a glance, then walked in silence.

At a time like this, no one felt like making small talk or even greeting.

At the village entrance, they found that few families had gathered.

Thanks to the three days of preparation, almost every household had one or two wooden carts.

Although not as big as the Qi Family’s, they were also loaded with many things.

Adults without carts either carried baskets on their backs or balanced them on bamboo poles.

Older children carried bundles or smaller baskets, leading even smaller children.

Smaller children were placed in baskets or on bamboo poles, carried by adults.

No one spoke, and the air was filled with the low sobs of women.

More people arrived.

But they brought nothing and were walking while eating sunflower seeds.

When they reached the village entrance, the young man finally spoke: “Wow, you guys are really planning to leave, huh! Tsk tsk, abandoning your homes and everything; you really are willing.”

He said this while spitting out sunflower seed shells.

Everyone glanced at him before looking away, not wanting to see him a second time.

This young man was called Er Laizi, a rascal in the village, though he hadn’t committed any heinous crimes, his petty thievery was enough to make the villagers dislike him.

Er Laizi cracked another sunflower seed, spitting out the shell, and continued: “I’m telling you, you really don’t have to run. If a small place like ours faces disaster, where in this world can be safe? I think, if you truly want safety, the only place is the Capital City. That’s the Emperor’s territory, no one dares to mess around there.”

Despite Er Laizi’s rambling, some people still listened to him.

Indeed, the Capital City is the Emperor’s residence, it must be the safest place in the world!

If they truly had to escape, why not seek the safest place, instead of heading to the northern borders rumored to be unsafe?

Just then, the village chief’s family finally appeared.

Qi Zheng and Qi Dalang were with the village chief’s family, along with several elder families from the village.

They seemed to form a group of fifty to sixty people.

The village chief was at the front, accompanied by other elders including Qi Zheng.

As they walked, they discussed something, each with a serious expression, their brows furrowed tight enough to squash a fly.

“The village chief is here.”

Someone shouted, prompting others to look towards the village direction.

Those who still had a glimmer of hope for a change in situation lost all hope upon seeing the chief’s family also packed up with baggage.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep