Chapter 67: Descending The Mountains
There were actually people hiding in the woods!
Could it be mountain bandits coming to scout the area again?
The crowd was both shocked and angry, all raising their bows to shoot arrows.
“Everyone, don’t move.” Pei Qinghe ‘s eyes flashed with light: “Follow me over to take a look first.”
The crowd responded in unison, each drawing their weapons and following behind Pei Qinghe. Following the direction of the cries of agony, they soon found the source.
Three people had fallen under a tree, their faces bruised and swollen in a pitiful state, one clutching his dislocated arm and wailing incessantly.
Over a hundred Pei Clan women who trained daily advanced with long sabers in hand, glaring menacingly like a dark cloud pressing in. The cloth-clothed delicate and pretty girl at the lead was clear and heroic, her gaze sharp as a blade: “Who are you people?”
The skinny man paused in his breathing, endured the pain, knelt down, and kowtowed repeatedly begging for mercy: “Miss, spare our lives! We’re not bad people, we’re all hidden households from the mountains. We came down today to seek refuge in Pei Family Village. Please take us in, Miss! As long as you give us a place to stay and food to eat, we’ll work our lives for you from now on!”
Clear-headed, no nonsense, sharp-tongued.
This was a rare smart person among the refugees and hidden households.
Pei Qinghe asked indifferently: “What’s your name? How many people? What’s your background?”
The skinny man lowered his head and answered: “I’m Feng Chang, I studied for a few years and was pushed to be the leader by everyone. Normally we barely survive by gathering fruit and hunting. We’re all from Changli County. Last year the eastern Xianbei sent troops to invade, and we luckily escaped. With nowhere to go, we hid in the Yan Mountains.”
“When we fled into the mountains last year, there were over fifty of us. Some starved to death, fell ill and died, froze to death, or were bitten to death by wild beasts and venomous snakes while hunting. After a year, half died. Now only twenty-five remain, all men. The youngest is seventeen, the oldest thirty-two.”
“The mountain bandits kill, arson, and loot without restraint, we didn’t want to join the bandit stronghold. We truly had no way to survive. Yesterday in the woods, we hid in a mountain cave and personally saw the miss fight and kill the black bear. We picked up the bear meat you discarded and had a full meal. Today we all came down the mountain together to seek refuge with you.”
“We didn’t dare approach rashly, so we hid in the trees. Unexpectedly, you noticed us. You are kind-hearted and didn’t shoot us dead, only warned us with arrows. Please take us in!”
After speaking, he kowtowed repeatedly.
Another bearded man also kowtowed along.
The man with the dislocated arm grimaced, clutching his arm, and awkwardly kowtowed.
Pei Qinghe gave Pei Yan a look. Pei Yan nodded, stepped forward, bent down, reached out, and with a click, reset the dislocated arm.
“Where are the others?” Pei Qinghe asked.
Feng Chang perked up and finally raised his head: “They’re all hiding in the woods behind, I’ll go call them over right now.”
Fearing Pei Qinghe would shake her head, Feng Chang darted far away like a startled rabbit and shouted once. Soon, over twenty men of varying heights slid down from the trees and walked over with faces full of anxiety and fear.
Mao Hongling couldn’t help whispering: “Sure enough, all men.”
Pei Qinghe said indifferently: “Women are physically weak and are spoils of war in times of chaos. Those who escape and struggle to survive are mostly men.”
In those few short sentences, the heaviness revealed made the Pei Clan women tremble in their hearts.
Without Pei Qinghe, what would they be like now?
In the refugees’ eyes, the group of women before them all had rosy complexions, bright gazes, heads held high with full spirit and vigor, and weapons in hand. The delicate and pretty girl at the lead had an indifferent gaze and imposing momentum, her pressure overwhelming.
The twenty-plus people all knelt down, none daring to raise their heads to meet Pei Qinghe’s eyes.
“Pei Family Village is reclaiming wasteland and needs people to farm.” Pei Qinghe didn’t deliberately raise her voice, but her clear words reached all the refugees’ ears: “If you want to seek refuge, you must follow the rules and obey orders.”
“As long as the miss gives us a way to survive, our lives are yours.” Feng Chang was not tall but had courage, responding loudly: “Whatever the miss tells us to do, we’ll do it.”
The other men responded together: “Us too.”
Pei Qinghe turned her head and instructed: “Pei Yan, go call Doctor Bao over.”
Pei Yan never asked too many questions, responded and ran off quickly. After a stick of incense, Doctor Bao came running over, panting.
“Come check them carefully to see if they have any serious diseases.” Pei Qinghe said: “Treatable illnesses are fine, but if it’s contagious, drive them away immediately.”
Doctor Bao responded and stepped forward to first examine Feng Chang.
Feng Chang readily stripped off his tattered clothes, revealing his emaciated chest.
In the face of hunger and life and death, the shame of being human had long been cast aside. Feng Chang didn’t care at all. On the Pei Clan women’s side, quite a few turned their heads to avoid looking.
“All of you, keep your eyes open and watch.” Pei Qinghe’s voice was slightly cold: “If you encounter bandits or thieves bare-bodied in the future, are you going to avoid looking too?”
Mao Hongling took a deep breath and turned her head back.
One by one the refugees stripped off their clothes for inspection. There was no charming scenery; what met the eyes were withered and thin as firewood bodies covered in scars.
These refugees, for the first time in their lives being watched by a crowd of women, actually flushed red with shame. One even secretly wiped the corner of his eye.
Mao Hongling suddenly wanted to laugh. It was as if some hard fortress in her heart collapsed with a boom. In its place was a sense of pleasure and freedom transcending worldly shackles.
Pei Qinghe turned to look: “Second Sister-in-law, Doctor Bao can’t handle it alone, go help.”
Mao Hongling responded.
Two other thirty-year-old women who had borne children also volunteered and went to help together. After careful examination, Doctor Bao said: “Sixth Sister, they’ve been starving long-term without salt, their bodies are weak. A month or two of full meals will slowly restore them. No major issues.”
The refugees all breathed sighs of relief and quickly put their clothes back on.
Pei Qinghe swept her gaze: “Feng Chang, come here.”
Feng Chang came over nimbly and was about to kneel again.
“No need to kneel. Take them to the open ground north of the village and wait there. Without my permission, don’t enter the village. During the day I’ll have someone send you food, at night use firewood to light a fire for warmth, don’t freeze to death.”
“After three days, if confirmed no contagious plague or illness, you can enter the village.”
“You’re the leader of this group, keep them in line. If I find any of them entering the village without permission or having evil thoughts, I’ll kill you first. Then kill them.”
Pei Qinghe was neither harsh nor ferocious, her tone and expression equally indifferent.
Feng Chang’s heart trembled, and he responded solemnly: “Sixth Sister, rest assured, I’ll definitely keep them in line.”
Pei Qinghe ‘s gaze swept over all the refugees’ faces: “Remember. If any one of you does evil, I’ll kill all of you.”
