Xiayang City is a small county in the south of Chu State, with hundreds of households. Because they are far away from the war, they are relatively poor and happy.
To the west of Xiayang City is Mao'er Qiu. At the foot of Mao'er Qiu, a road connects Xiayang City, and the other side of the road also leads to a place farther west.
On a certain section of the road today, a group of escort cars was slowly heading towards Xiayang City.
There were twenty or thirty people in the escort team, all looking relaxed and talking and laughing. Only the middle-aged man in the lead looked solemn.
"Dad, we are almost home, why are you still keeping a straight face?" A young man rode a horse to the front of the motorcade and asked his father who was leading the team.
"There are still two days to go. As long as we don't enter the city, we can't relax. It's what your father usually teaches you." The man said in a teaching tone.
"The current situation of our Guo family cannot allow for any mistakes. Last time your uncle's escort trip was in an accident, the loss was extremely heavy. If our trip can be completed smoothly, the Guo family will be alive. But once,
If something goes wrong, our Guo family will be doomed, and we will be driven out of Xiayang City, and the family business your grandfather made will be left in the hands of your father and your uncle."
"Of course these kids know what dad is talking about. We are almost back home now. The mission is completed. It's okay dad. We have passed through the most difficult places. This place is much safer than the other side of the border." The boy
Some people don't take it seriously, thinking that their father is too nervous, but he can't show it, otherwise he will be beaten severely when he returns home."
"I hope so. It's getting dark today. Let's quickly find a place to spend the night." The man looked at the sky and said.
"A little ahead is Baishi Beach, which is a good place to spend the night." The young man smiled, pointed to the front of the road, and said.
"Then choose that place. You can notify us and we'll spend the night there tonight. Don't laugh and laugh all day long and focus on your tricks."
"I know, I know, everyone is here, don't worry." The young man patted his chest and reassured.
"Sigh." The man sighed. The situation of the Guo family made him have to be careful. Although another established family in the city appeared to be harmonious and prosperous, secretly they disliked the existence of the Guo family.
"Maybe I'm just too nervous, Cha."
The man comforted himself and drove his horse forward.
The convoy turned a mountain corner along the yellow mud road and saw a winding river. Next to the river was a shallow grass beach.
Under the sunset, two little people were playing on the bank of the river.
"There, there." Xiao Yanyu pointed at the clear river water excitedly and yelled.
As soon as she finished speaking, a thin wooden stick was inserted into the place pointed by the little girl with a "sizzle" sound. When the splash in the water was washed away by the current, a big and fat fish was impaled on the bottom of the river by the wooden stick.
, the fish flapping twice and stopped making noise.
"It hit, it hit!"
Xiao Yanyu danced happily, lifting up his trousers, revealing his white and tender calves, and stepping on the rocky river bottom with his smooth feet. He trotted over, pulled out the wooden stick, and held up the trophies brought by Chen Mo with both hands, revealing his eight
With her white teeth, she smiled brightly at Chen Mo.
After a while, Xiao Yanyu put down the dinner he held up, pointed a little finger at the motorcade that appeared on the road far behind Chen Mo, and said to Chen Mo: "Someone is coming."
Chen Mo, who was standing on the big rock by the river, looked in the direction Xiao Yanyu pointed. It was indeed a convoy. After a rough look, it seemed that there were about twenty or thirty people.
A group of them took the carriage off the road and drove towards the river beach.
"Ignore it." After Chen Mo said that, he jumped off the boulder, picked up the shoes and socks that Xiao Yanyu had taken off, and walked towards the bonfire that had risen.
Xiao Yanyu hugged the big fish he caught and carefully walked to the shore, closely following Chen Mo's footsteps.
When the motorcade just arrived at the river, the young man in the motorcade said to his father at the front of the motorcade: "There are people here, and they haven't gone home after what time."
Then he saw the bonfire by the river beach and said in surprise: "Why do these two people want to spend the night here? They really don't know how high the sky is."
"How far is it from the nearest village?" the boy's father asked.
The young man thought for a while and replied: "If I remember correctly, it's about a day's journey. Why do you ask this?"
"How come they are here when we have lost all our strength for a day?" The man expressed his doubts.
"Dad, do you think they were robbers on the road?" The boy was speechless, speechless for his suspicious father. "A boy who looks younger than me, and an even smaller child, do you think it's possible?"
"
The man didn't think that these two people were what his son was talking about, but their appearance was a little out of time.
"Even if this place is some distance from the village, it doesn't mean that they are not from those villages. Maybe they came out to seek refuge." The young man expressed his thoughts.
"The war in the north failed. I guess the government officials will come out to capture some strong men again. They may come out just to avoid those people. This is not the first time this has happened."
Looking at his father who was still frowning, the young man patted his forehead. Ever since that incident happened at home, his father had become suspicious.
"Dad, let's spend the night here. It's getting dark now. If you want to find another place, you may not be able to find it."
A group of people walked towards the river beach.
The river beach was not very big, and the place Chen Mo wanted occupied only a small area and was close to the river. The group of people settled in the remaining area, packed up their things, and started to light a fire to cook.
Chen Mo was killing fish, while Xiao Yanyu was watching the actions of the group of people, not on guard, but curious. For her, she was curious about everything, every person, and every place.
The sun completely sank into the mountains in the west, and night fell. Only the bonfires and the stars and moon in the sky gave the earth obscure light.
The boy from the motorcade squatted on a dead tree outside the camp, looking at the isolated campfire. Behind him, in the camp, except for a few people on guard, everyone was talking and laughing, waiting for the dishes to be cooked.
.
The lingering fragrance makes people forget their tiredness, or maybe it's because of the shyness of being close to home.
"Xiao Guo, what are you looking at? Why don't you come and have a drink?" A slightly hoarse voice sounded from behind the young man,
"Old Dantou, don't call me Xiao Guo. I'm an adult now. Call me Third Leader. If you call me Xiao Guo again, you and I will be incompatible." The young man looked back at the old man holding the wine bottle, his face
A little angry.
"Okay, okay, the mistress is in charge." The old man seemed to be submissive, but in fact he agreed jokingly.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone around him burst into laughter.
"You are only a mistress, and your whole family is a mistress." The young man cursed loudly.
At this time, the boy's father sat next to the boy and looked at the lonely bonfire, ignoring the quarrel between them. Obviously this was not the first time that this kind of banter occurred.
"It seems that I am too nervous as a father." The man sighed and said.
When the young man saw his father speaking, he immediately calmed down his impulsive mood, sat down and said, "Our Guo family will be fine."
The young man clenched his fists. Of course he knew what happened at home, but as an adult of sixteen or seventeen years old, he was not as calm as someone in his forties or fifties. This is not his fault. This is what a young man like him can do.
Some people have a temperament that they are not afraid of if the sky falls.
"Someone is coming."
After the man said something, the boy looked over and saw a timid child sneaking towards this side.
The child held a fish bone and licked the last shreds of meat on it. He stopped in front of the two father and son without any fear and asked, "Have you eaten?"
The Guo family father and son looked at the little baby dumbfounded, why would they ask such a question?
As if in response to the child's words, the people in the escort camp shouted: "Let's eat."
"Dinner has just started, would you like some?"
The young man looked at the child and said with a smile.
"No, I just ate, can I just take a look?"
Just take a look? The corner of the young man's mouth twitched, and there was such a request? In the end, he just left a word helplessly, and walked towards the crowd with his father.
Xiao Yanyu lay on the dead tree in front of the two people, watching the group of them chatting and laughing while eating dinner. She was very envious, but what she was even more envious of was the hot stuff in the big pot.
Various foods were tumbling in the rich soup, and the aroma made her salivate.
She hadn't had such a dinner for a long time. Ever since she left the village, she had been hungry every day. She had swallowed all the unpalatable grass roots and tree barks. Only later did she have meat to eat. She ate almost one meal a day, and what's more, she ate tasteless food every day.
Meat is also very uncomfortable. Sometimes she would rather eat wild fruits than meat.
Thinking of this, she turned back to look at Chen Mo, who had closed his eyes to rest, and sighed inwardly. When she turned back again, she saw a person, the young man who had talked to her before, bringing a bowl of hot soup and rice.
"Would you like something to eat?" The boy looked at the little girl in simple clothes and said with a smile.
"I've eaten. No, thank you." The little girl politely refused.
"You can eat it after you've eaten it, right?"
Xiao Yanyu looked at the young man's seductive smile and hesitated a little. He looked back in the direction of Chen Mo, then back at the bowl of tempting things in the young man's hand.
"If you eat here secretly, your brother won't find out, don't worry."
Under the boy's repeated instigation, Xiao Yanyu took the bowl and trotted towards his own bonfire.
The young man looked at her back and shook his head helplessly. He sat on the dead tree that had been used as a stool out of boredom, turned his back to the people behind him and shouted: "Old Dantou, I'll keep watch until midnight."
"Old Dantou is drunk and can't stay up all night." came a hoarse voice.