mesbooks Chapter 123 Leading Everyone Back to the Valley
Chapter 123 Leading Everyone Back to the Valley
Everyone in the Gu family hurried forward, led by Old Man Gu, clasped their fists, bowed, and saluted, saying, "Greetings, General."
The bearded general waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite. What's going on with you?"
"To answer your question, sir, we met these children in the mountains and forests. We wanted to bring them to Weng County for resettlement, but we didn't expect that Weng County would be burned down. They were worried that their bodies could not withstand the long journey, so they begged us to live with us. I'm sorry to disturb you, sir!" After saying this, Mr. Gu bowed to the general.
"Then where do your father-in-law and his family live?" The general waved his hand and continued asking.
"To answer your question, sir!" Old Man Gu sighed and continued, "To be honest, my family also fled here to escape famine and have just settled down in the nearby mountains and forests. The mountains and forests are relatively safe and we can live here temporarily. When Weng County is rebuilt, we will come out to serve." Old Man Gu said with a simple smile.
"Yes." The bearded general looked back at the people on the street. Then he said to Mr. Gu, "Excuse me, old man, let me talk to you."
As he spoke, he took Old Man Gu and walked a few steps to the side: "I wonder if you can accommodate more people with your father-in-law. Look at these children, most of them have lost their loved ones, and it is not easy for them to travel long distances. And some of them are unwilling to leave Weng County." The bearded general said to Old Man Gu with an embarrassed look on his face.
Old Master Gu also looked troubled and said, "Sir, the place we are looking for is relatively safe, but the space is limited. I am afraid it cannot accommodate too many people."
"Less than a hundred people, can you accommodate them? I just looked through the list, and there are dozens of orphans left, as well as some elderly, weak, women and children. I still have military orders, and I can't be delayed too long on the road. If you can make the arrangements, I'll owe you a favor."
As he spoke, he took out an iron plate from his arms and handed it to Mr. Gu.
The old man quickly extended his hand to decline, saying, "No, sir, we are only providing a place to stay. I really don't deserve your thanks."
"So, you agreed, old man. Thank you very much." After saying that, he stuffed the iron plate representing his identity into Old Man Gu's hand without further ado: "Take it, old man. If you encounter any problems in the future, you can go to Zesheng County, Zhenwu General's Mansion to find me. My surname is Xu."
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Mr. Gu had to accept it. He bowed and thanked him: "Then I will accept it. Thank you very much, General Xu. Please allow me to inform my family."
"Of course you should. Tell your family first, and then come to me. I'll go and inform them." After saying that, General Xu strode back as he did when he came.
Seeing General Xu leave, several people from the Gu family gathered around him.
"Dad, what did the general say to you?" Gu Dahai asked with concern.
"He wants us to help resettle the orphans in Weng County and some elderly, weak, women and children who don't want to leave," said Mr. Gu.
"Fuer, our family has to accommodate so many people at once, and our valley will be exposed to these people. What if someone leaks it in the future?" Gu Dahai said worriedly.
"Yes, Dad, Fuer, we can't agree to this easily." Gu Dajiang also said.
Jiang, Gu Ji and Gu Xiang also looked worried.
"Dad, uncle and second uncle, don't be afraid. Once they get to the valley, they will hardly be able to get out without our permission. Besides, Fuer can use his mental power to impose restrictions on them so that they can't speak out." Gu Fu explained to his family.
After hearing what Gu Fu said, the Gu family felt relieved.
Old Master Gu then turned to his eldest daughter-in-law and said, "My dear, County Magistrate Duan's family and our family are friends. Now there are only orphans and widows left. Go ask them about their plans. If they want to leave, give them the money. If they don't want to leave, you can ask them if they want to go back with us. That will be considered as fulfilling this friendship."
"Okay, Dad, I'll go ask right away." After Jiang said this, she went to find the Duan family.
After the Gu family discussed how to resettle them, how to bring them back, and what to do once they got home, Mr. Gu went to find the general.
Jiang also arrived at the Duan family. After paying her respects and exchanging a few pleasantries, she asked, "Madam, I wonder what your plans are for the future."
Madam Duan glanced at her grandson and daughter-in-law and said, "To be honest, we have long lost contact with our clan. We have no relatives or property in Zesheng County, and we would like to stay with you. But I don't know if it is convenient or not."
Jiang smiled and said, "It's convenient for the old lady. I came here to ask about your arrangements. In this case, after the generals leave, we will go back together."
Madam Duan thanked him repeatedly, "Okay, okay, thank you for your concern. We will have to trouble you to take care of us in the future."
"Please don't be polite, old lady." Jiang replied with a smile.
Old Man Gu found General Xu, and together with General Xu, asked for the opinions of the orphans of Weng County and the elderly, the weak, women and children who were reluctant to leave.
When everyone heard that there was a safe place to live, they were very happy and thanked General Xu and Mr. Gu again and again.
The matter was resolved satisfactorily. General Xu was very happy and expressed his gratitude to Mr. Gu again.
"We've finished our business here. If you want to follow us, pack up now. We're leaving." General Xu shouted to everyone.
Everyone responded, and the Gu family took out all the uneaten dry food and distributed it to everyone who was leaving.
Everyone thanked the Gu family and said goodbye.
When they could no longer see the group of people, the Gu family looked at the people who stayed and wanted to follow them back to the valley.
At this time, in addition to the Gu family, there were probably nearly a hundred people left in the ruins of Weng County, including men, women, young and old, and most of them were orphans.
"Fellow villagers, let's set off as well." Grandpa Gu called out.
Everyone responded. "Okay."
The Gu family led the way, followed by the Duan family, followed by Song Renjing and the homeless children, followed by the orphans of Weng County, the elderly, the weak, women and children. A group of hundreds of people marched towards the forest outside the city.
Everyone passed by the burial places of their relatives, paid their respects, and then continued on their way.
When they reached the edge of the woods, Mr. Gu asked everyone to stop.
He cupped his hands, raised his fists, smiled and said to everyone: "You all are reluctant to leave your homeland, you must all be people who value friendship and loyalty. We will all live together in the future, and we can get to know each other slowly. It's just that it's not easy to find a place to stay, and this is the first time I meet you all, so I have to make some arrangements. I hope you understand and forgive me."
As soon as Mr. Gu finished speaking, Gu Dahai came forward with a bamboo basket and placed it between Mr. Gu and the crowd.
When everyone stepped forward, they saw that the bamboo basket was filled with about a hundred pieces of black cloth, each four fingers wide.
Everyone was puzzled.
The homeless children had experience. Lu Chuan called a younger brother over, picked up a black cloth strip from the basket, and helped the younger brother tie his eyes.
Everyone looked at his actions and didn't understand, so someone asked: "Mr. Gu, what does this mean? How are we supposed to walk with our eyes covered?"
"Don't worry, since it's arranged this way, it won't delay your journey." Grandpa Gu explained.
"Of course, if everyone cannot accept it, it is still not too late to catch up with General Xu and others." Gu Dahai followed.