The first thing Mrs. Li said was, "It's quiet now. It's time for us to talk about the accounts during the day! There are some people that our Li family doesn't want to take with us!"
Everyone's expressions changed after hearing this. Hold your breath.
Some were surprised, some felt guilty, and some were confused.
Someone was slow-minded and asked, "What's the matter, Aunt Li? Didn't we agree to leave together? We've only been out for two days, why are we breaking up?"
Others nodded, obviously not understanding what was going on.
Mrs. Li waved her hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then said.
"Earlier, when our family got the news, we told everyone at that time. We didn't say we would take back the food we lent to you. We just thought that we have known each other for such a long time and we could help everyone a handful, right?
Then , our family can leave immediately, and because everyone begged us, we waited an extra half day and took everyone with us to set off together. The second brother and the other brothers were busy and never declined when something happened."
At this point, she took a deep breath He took a breath, obviously very angry.
"Our family asked ourselves that we have never done anything wrong to everyone, and we also hope that we will take care of each other. But how come our family takes care of everyone, and when it is everyone's turn to help our family, it is so chilling!
During the day, the fourth child At the end of the team, I called everyone to gather together to avoid being dispersed by others. When I encountered the two beasts from the Liu family who were bringing people to grab food, they took knives and wanted to kill us, old and young, who were sitting on the mule cart.
As a result , Well, several people who were walking beside the mule cart actually turned around and ran away, refusing to help at all!"
She pointed at some of the people who bowed their heads in guilt and directly named them.
"Hu Lao San, Hu Lao Si, and Zhang Shitou, what do you think? At that time, you all had sickles and firewood in your hands. As long as you stretched out your hands, you could give us some time to dodge. Why did you just watch us being attacked?" Knife? Do you still have a conscience! You eat the food grown by our family, follow our family on the road, and you hide when we need help. Do you still have shame?"
The three men who were named wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it. .
They knew in their hearts that what they were doing was wrong, but when they were scared at the time, they really didn't think much of it.
The rest of the villagers finally figured out what was going on, and some people shouted angrily.
"Is what Aunt Li said true? Hu Lao San, Hu Lao Si, aren't you usually very powerful in the village? Why are you so timid now?"
"That's right, ungrateful! We are all from the same village, so we should help each other if anything happens. Handle, let alone Aunt Li's family?"
Everyone yelled and cursed, with shame and contempt in their eyes.
Hu Laosi was probably annoyed by the scolding, so he defended himself.
"We didn't mean it. Those people rushed up with knives. Who wouldn't be afraid? No one's head is made of stone!"
Zhang Shitou thought for a while and whispered in agreement, "It's not that I don't want to help, it's I'm so scared. Besides, Liu Tiezhu is heading towards Li's mule cart, and we can't stop him!"
Everyone wanted to grit their teeth when they heard this, and the village chief even waved his pipe and pot to attack him.
Li Laoer quickly stopped him and said.
"It is human nature to be afraid of death, but when we are all running for our lives together, people like you cannot be trusted by everyone. Even if we protect you behind us, you may expose our backs to the enemy out of fear. Li
Laosi also nodded, "Our family has discussed it. You don't have to pay back the food you borrowed before, but you absolutely can't follow us. There are people fleeing famine on both sides of the road. You don't have to worry about not being able to find them wherever you go." From now on, everyone will go their own way. Whether they can survive depends on their luck."
Hu Laosan, Hu Laosi, and Zhang Shitou all said nothing.
They didn't want to leave the team. After all, they were in the middle, with someone leading the way and taking care of everything.
But everyone in the village relies on the Li family. They have offended the Li family and they can't help but leave.
Old Mrs. Li said again, "Today our team is like a loose sand. We will be scattered as soon as someone rushes into it. We will not be able to continue like this in the future. Therefore, we have discussed with the village chief. From now on, we must divide work and cooperate on the road. Everyone has something to do." Errands, meals and sleep are all arranged together. Everyone is tied together and no second thoughts in life are allowed.
At this moment, everyone thinks about it. If you feel uncomfortable and don't want to be controlled, just follow Hu Laosan and the others. , we still take care of each other."
After that, she stopped caring and led her sons back to her home.
Just now, Li Laosi and Li Laosan pulled up linoleum and built a simple shack with a short tree, with a gauze curtain blocking the door.
Jia Xi, Jia An, Jiayin, and Divine Doctor Zhang were all resting inside.
Jiayin was bitten by a mosquito at some point in her forehead, and Doctor Zhang was hugging her and applying ointment.
Jiayin was thinking about how many people were left in the village and reached out for her grandma to hold her.
Mrs. Li quickly hugged her and coaxed Jiayin to call her grandma, fearing that her granddaughter would be frightened because of what happened during the day.
She also called to Li Laosi, "Get some water and wash well. Don't get too close to Fu Niu. The child has a sharp nose and will be afraid of the smell of blood."
Li Laosi responded and went to find a place to take a bath.
By the time he came back, the villagers had already made their decision.
Apart from those three families, only Zhang Shitou's sister's family followed.
They also had a bit of a temper, so they didn't need anyone to chase them away. They just carried their burdens and packages, lit a bonfire in a distant place, and camped separately.
When Li Lao Er saw this, he called Li Lao Si, and together with the village chief, they began to count the number of old and young people in the village.
In the end, there were a total of ninety-seven people in the village, including the Li family and Doctor Zhang.
Among them, there are twelve half-grown men who can work, eight children who need to be taken care of, and twenty-two elderly people including Uncle Zhao and others.
There are twenty women and thirty-four young men left.
In other words, Qingshui Village's famine-escape team has the most elderly and children who need food and care, as well as young and middle-aged people who can work and hold a knife.
This current situation really makes people want to sigh.
After discussing for a full hour, Li Laoer began to announce everyone's division of labor.
Twelve and a half-year-old children, led by three elderly people with disabled arms, are responsible for collecting firewood and fetching water every time they camp.
The eight little children were put on the mule and donkey carts on weekdays, and were looked after by Uncle Zhao and three other lame old men. Even when they were camping, they had to watch them all the time.
In this way, the women do not need to be distracted. They have to be responsible for everyone's morning and evening meals. When opportunities arise, they have to dig wild vegetables and replenish food.
The rest of the old men and women are responsible for taking care of things, baskets and packages, and feeding the mules and donkeys. They also take turns keeping watch at night.
Of course, they are only assistants, mainly young and strong men.
During the day, they should stay on the outside of the team, guarding the old, weak, women and children, and take turns to guard at night.
As for eating, each family delivers food to Dazao every day based on head count.
After all the food is gone, we can discuss what to do.
In this way, everyone has something to do, no one can be lazy and fish out, and no one has to exhaust the Li family to death.
The villagers asked questions in droves. After confirming their errand, not only did they not feel troublesome, but they felt very safe.
Having something to do proves that you are useful, and only useful people can live.
This is a truth that will never change no matter what happens.