Capítulo 28: Tell the Truth
The little cousin beside him kept swallowing his sticky saliva while looking at the water in the bowl, but he didn't come forward. He knew that his brother was too young to chew the steamed bread, which made his parents feel distressed, but what could they do? They could only endure it.
"Husband, when do you think this day will end?" Looking at the little water they had left, Li Su's eyes were full of confusion.
"Don't worry, we have reached the border of Yunzhou, and we will always find a place to stay." The old man comforted his wife, hiding the haze in his eyes, and at the same time hoped to find a water source as soon as possible. The further west you go, the better the situation will be, and you can also dig some wild vegetables. As long as there is water, wild vegetables and the little food they have left, they can always hold on.
"Yeah" Li Su nodded. She knew that it was her husband who was comforting her. She just wanted her husband to strengthen her belief, otherwise it would be really hard to endure this journey.
Li Su sighed deeply in her heart and continued to grind the steamed bread in her hand. Fortunately, her front teeth were still there, otherwise eating would become a problem.
Gulan, who was eating vegetable cakes, could hear the conversation of the family opposite clearly. Although they deliberately lowered their voices, they were not too far away after all.
Gulan thought that when the little boy started crying, the child's mother would shamelessly come over to ask for vegetable cakes. Gulan had already prepared herself mentally. If the child's mother was more friendly, it would not be a problem to give them one. After all, the steamed bread was really hard. She did not expect that the family did not come over. It surprised her. At present, it seems that the education of this family is not bad.
Thinking of the boundary of Yunzhou mentioned by the old couple just now, she did not know where Yunzhou was in the memory she received. She could not just follow them blindly all the way. This was not her character.
After glancing at the family opposite, Gulan quickly finished the vegetable cake, took out another vegetable cake from the package, asked her son to sit under the tree and signaled Dahei to watch, and then walked to the opposite side. When Gulan moved, the people on the opposite side also looked over. Several strong men quickly stood up and looked at Gulan who had stopped warily.
The young man in front of him was very thin. Although his face was dark, he was still a handsome man. The most important thing was that his eyes were bright. He didn't look lifeless, numb, or confused like the ones they saw along the way.
"Brother, please stay. Is there anything wrong?" As the eldest brother in the family, Li Da's eyes flashed with vigilance. He spoke first. Even though the person in front of him looked vulnerable, Li Da still looked at the person with caution.
On the road of escaping from famine, he learned not to underestimate anyone and to be vigilant at all times. Gulan looked back calmly, with a straightforward smile on her lips, "Hello, big brother. My surname is Gu. It's nothing. I just accidentally overheard your conversation just now. I also have children. I feel a little sorry to see your children crying. Give this cake to the child."
Gulan took out the vegetable cake in her hand from her sleeve and handed it over.
The vegetable cake in her hand exuded an attractive smell. The four Li brothers looked at the cake in front of them and resisted the instinct to swallow their saliva. This dish looked delicious, but it also made them more vigilant. The brothers never dreamed that someone would come and offer food.
After nearly two months of fleeing famine, they were extremely short of food and water. If they had something in their hands, they would want to hold it tightly in their arms. No one would take the initiative to take it out.
aAlthough they wanted this wild vegetable cake very much, reason told them not to accept it. This kid was too strange and unreasonable. Who would take the initiative to offer food to a stranger? Just based on the child's crying, this excuse was really hard to believe. Crying is the most common and most accustomed to on the road of fleeing famine. No one will be soft-hearted, and it is impossible to be soft-hearted.
Soft-heartedness often does not have good results. If it is not done well, it will be like a sheep walking into the tiger's mouth. They don't believe this kid. It can't be a real problem. Thinking of this, the brothers looked at each other, without the slightest intention of accepting the cake.
"It's Brother Gu. My surname is Li, but I really don't need it. Thank you for your kindness." Li Da refused.
Gulan was stunned. she didn't expect to be rejected, but seeing the defensiveness in the eyes of the opposite people, she quickly figured out the reason. That's right. If it were her, she probably wouldn't dare to accept the gift. Thinking about it, Gulan decided to tell the truth to avoid suspicion from others. The men opposite looked much stronger than she did. Although she was not afraid, she didn't want to cause trouble for herself.
"Brothers, I'm sorry to say that. I heard what you said and wanted to ask you something. I really don't mean any harm."
"Ask for advice?" Li Da looked at the boy in front of him suspiciously. Although he was dressed in rags, he spoke and behaved very politely. He looked like a literate person. It was unreasonable for such a person to ask others for advice.
Li Da: "Brother Gu, you are joking. We are all rough country folk with little knowledge. What can we ask you for advice?"
Gulan: "..."
This family is really wary. They want her to leave, but although this family is wary, they speak tactfully. Gulan really doesn't want to give up.
Gulan didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Actually, I want to know where I will end up if I continue walking in the direction I am going now? What places will I pass through? I am a little ignorant and have hardly left home. I know nothing about the land here and I am very confused about the future. I just overheard what uncle and aunt said, so I came here with a thick face to ask a few questions. And this cake is a thank you gift. Don't worry, brothers, there will be absolutely no problem."
In order to show the credibility of her words, Gulan simply tore off a piece and put it into her mouth.
It must be said that Gulan's last move did reduce the vigilance of Li Da and others a lot. It should be no problem for him to dare to eat it by himself. The brothers stared at the man opposite them. He looked very thin. Even if he had some tricks, he would not be able to do anything with him.
Thinking of this, Li Da stopped struggling and took the vegetable cake from Gulan's hand. Since he had something to ask for, it was no big deal to take this wild vegetable cake. He thought this cake was very good before, but when he got it in his hand, he realized that it was better than he thought, very soft. There were not many such cakes now, so he looked at Gulan deeply and handed the vegetable cake to his parents who were sitting under the tree. Li Laohan (old man Li)took the vegetable cake, glanced at Gulan, and asked his wife to keep it well. It was enough for Goudan to eat for two meals. Li Da took the vegetable cake and simply invited Gulan to sit on the ground, ready to answer his questions. Gulan smiled kindly, and then sat on the ground like Li Da.
"In fact, we are all rough people, and we don't know much. Brother, just listen." Li Da didn't let Gulan wait and spoke immediately.
"Just now I heard Brother Gu say that he heard what my parents said. I think he must have heard that we are going to Yunzhou. I heard that it is much richer than Liangzhou, with more land. The most important thing is that there is a place to accept disaster victims."
"Let's get back to the point. Brother, you should still remember the river we passed not long ago. That is the Qin River. After crossing this river, you officially entered the scope of Yunzhou.
This river is quite famous, but unfortunately it has dried up. The nearest prefecture city to our west is called Chicheng. It will be there in about 200 to 300 miles, but I don't know what villages and towns we will pass through during the journey. After Chicheng, there are Jiaocheng and Yucheng. After Yucheng, we have to cross Qingyunling and continue west for more than 300 miles to reach the royal city of Yunzhou. These are all I know. I hope it will be helpful to you." After speaking, Li Da smiled.
Although it was not detailed, she knew everything she should know. Gulan was grateful in her heart. She immediately stood up and bowed to Li Da, saying "thank you" solemnly.
"You're welcome, Brother Gu, you're so polite." The sudden courtesy made Li Da quickly stand up and wave his hands. He really thought it was nothing, just a few words, and besides, they also gave food in exchange.
Having said that, it was different here with Gulan. Knowing the next itinerary, she would not go away blindly. Gulan smiled kindly at the family, and then returned to her resting place. During this time, AnAn and Dahei sat under the tree honestly.
"Dad..." AnAn snuggled into Gulan's arms and smiled softly.
"After eating, do you want to drink some water?" Gulan said softly, softened by her son's smile.
AnAn looked at the water bag and shook his head, "No, AnAn is not thirsty."
After all, he was a child. Although he said he didn't want to drink, the desire in his eyes could not be completely concealed, and Gulan saw it clearly. How could he not be thirsty after just eating a piece of cake?
Gulan gently touched her son's head, "Dad knows what you mean, but don't worry about the water. You are just little babies and don't need to consider so many things. Dad will take care of everything." She picked up the water bag and fed her son a few mouthfuls. The child is too sensible, which makes people worry!
She has been in this world for more than ten days. The child has finally grown a little meat, and there is no need to worry about the thin neck not being able to support the huge head.
To be honest, when I saw this child for the first time, I couldn't believe that the little guy was already five years old. He looked like he was only two or three years old at most. He was too thin, which showed how miserable his life was in the past. Being a parent is also incompetent. Fortunately, it's her turn now. She will take care of this baby in the future.
"Go to sleep" She put away the water bag, held the child in her arms and covered him with a torn piece of clothing. Gulan patted him gently and closed her eyes, while Dahei lay beside his master dutifully.
...
"Dad, do you think that kid really doesn't know the question or is he just pretending to not know? Why does he look so strange to me? He doesn't look simple either!"
After chewing the last bite of dry and hard steamed bread in his mouth and drinking a sip of water given by his father, Li Da looked at the kid who was resting opposite him and couldn't help asking his father.
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