Chapter Sixteen: Deliberations at the Village Entrance

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Su Jinyu’s words awakened Yang Lizheng and the two clan elders.

Old Zhao showed a look of admiration, surprised by the little girl’s cleverness. He stepped out from the crowd to the center.

“Little Jinyu is right. For now, the best plan is for us to save ourselves first! Who knows if the enemy will attack tomorrow or the day after? The sooner we flee, the sooner we can find peace of mind!”

The eldest of the Su family had also arrived. Su Er’s face was full of sarcastic mockery upon hearing this.

“Just obediently follow the county magistrate, and maybe we’ll keep our lives. But if we listen to this little brat, the whole village will die!”

Before Su Jinyu could react, Li Tianhe immediately shouted back, snapping a nearby branch and pointing it at Su Er.

“Su Er, watch your mouth! If you dare to shout nonsense again, I’ll take my hammer and knock every one of your teeth out!”

Li Zhean and Li Chuxiu wore similarly threatening expressions. Both Su Lao Da and Su Er still walked with canes. Seeing the fierce demeanor of the Li family trio, they dared not utter another word.

The rest of the villagers were noisy and unsettled, unable to come to a decision after much debate.

Elder Liu, aged seventy-eight, stroked his snow-white beard and furrowed his brows.

“Little girl, you have some reason, but where exactly can our fifty-eight villagers escape to, so as not to be surrounded and wiped out by the enemy?”

The villagers fell silent instantly. Elder Liu had witnessed the growth of three generations in the village and held great prestige.

Su Jinyu looked toward Elder Liu, who appeared kind and gentle, not one to arrogantly wield his seniority.

“Elder Liu, I think instead of running aimlessly, we should find a deep mountain forest and hide in caves for a few days. That way, we can avoid the enemy’s troops and later seek a way out from the mountains.”

At these words, Elder Liu immediately applauded.

“Ha ha ha! You truly are extraordinarily clever! How did I not think of such a good plan?”

Yang Lizheng nodded repeatedly, highly approving.

“Since Elder Liu praises Jinyu’s idea, we shall follow it!”

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Then he asked the other two elders, “Elder Liu, Elder Chen, you are both experienced and knowledgeable. Do you know if there are any caves near our county of Zhou suitable for hiding people?”

Elder Chen thought for a moment, then said earnestly, “There are three mountain ranges near Zhou County. Qishan to the north is the highest, Lingshan to the west the lowest, and then there is the nearby Rear Mountain, closest to our village and the neighboring Yangliu village, originally called Yushan.”

“The caves in Rear Mountain are far too small to hide all fifty-eight villagers. As for the other two mountains, we can only go to Qishan in the north. When I was young, I went hunting there with my father and rested for two days in a cave deep within the mountain. That cave is unfathomably deep; I estimate it could shelter everyone in our village.”

Yang Lizheng and the two elders discussed further before making the final decision.

“Everyone, return home today to pack your belongings and gather at the village entrance early tomorrow morning!”

Su Lao Da and Su Er were filled with disbelief, surprised that Lizheng and the elders had so readily accepted Su Jinyu’s plan.

“Yang Lizheng, the decision you and the elders make concerns the lives of everyone in our village. You’re really going to let a little girl with yellow hair decide this? Isn’t that too reckless?” Su Er sneered.

Yang Lizheng’s face darkened.

“Su Er, this is the result of careful consideration by me and the elders. Don’t keep arguing here. If you disagree, stay behind in the village.”

Seeing no one responded to him, Su Er’s anger flared uselessly.

He stood in place, roaring loudly, “You fools! Just wait for that girl to lead you all to the underworld!”

Naturally, some villagers shared Su Er’s concerns. After all, whether Su Jinyu’s plan would work remained uncertain. But since Lizheng and the elders had decided, they could only obey.

They followed the main group to have protection outside. If they traveled alone and encountered enemy troops or mountain bandits, no one would come to their aid.

Su Er was resentful and continued persuading others not to listen to Su Jinyu, threatening that anyone who followed her idea would die. Yet the villagers ignored him, eager to return home and pack.

Su Jinyu silently cursed him as a fool. It seemed Su Er did not want to join the village group. If he persuaded the Su family to break off and die under the enemy’s blades, it would be his own fault!

She and Li Tianhe hurried home to inform Wang Qiaohui and Li Yongzhi, the elders.

“Father, mother, we must quickly take Jinyu and Jinxiao back to our county. At least the county magistrate there hasn’t fled yet and will surely protect us!” Li Tianhe said anxiously.

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Li Yongzhi frowned and decisively said, “No! They can’t bring Jinyu and Jinxiao back. Li County and Zhou County aren’t far apart—just two days’ journey. Since the enemy has reached Zhou County, they must pass through Li County. Taking Jinyu and Jinxiao back would be walking right into their trap.”

“By the time we reach Li County, the enemy might have already arrived, maybe tomorrow or the day after!”

Wang Qiaohui remained calm despite the looming threat.

“Your father is right. We can’t return to Li County. Tomorrow morning, we’ll discuss with Yang Lizheng, and our whole family will go with Qingyuan Village.”

Su Jinyu only took half an hour to pack the household belongings. Since the family had split, there wasn’t much left—just some grain, pots, and pans stored in the kitchen. She borrowed a basket from Yang Lizheng’s family and packed everything.

“Grandma, I calculated the grain at home. It won’t last five days. I’ll go to the town this afternoon to buy more.”

Wang Qiaohui’s eyes brightened suddenly, smiling warmly.

“Good girl! I like it when you call me ‘Grandma.’ Call me that from now on! This afternoon, Grandma will go with you to buy grain!”

Li Tianhe said, “Mother, how far can your old back walk? Better stay at home and rest. This afternoon, I’ll take the two little boys with Jinyu.”

Su Jinyu smiled shyly and obediently nodded at her grandmother.

She found “grandmother” too cumbersome and recalled that some in the village called their maternal grandmother “Grandma,” so she adopted that instead.

Seeing her little brother’s anxious eyes, she guessed he must have been scared by today’s events.

“Jinxiao, don’t be afraid. No matter how fierce the enemy is, I’m tougher than them. Big sister will protect you. For every one the enemy sends, I’ll kill one; for every pair, I’ll kill both!”

Su Jinyu ruffled her little brother’s hair and raised her hand, mimicking a sword, playfully swinging it in the air.

Li Chuxiu laughed at his sister’s confident demeanor. He had thought their cousin was timid, but after these few days, he realized she was no less courageous than many boys!