bookrandom Chapter 57 Refugees, Plague
Chapter 57 Refugees, Plague
When Si Dalang said this, everyone present fell silent.
Some looked at him in disbelief, while others looked at him with incomprehension.
There were also people like Da Hua and Da Hu who looked at Si Da Lang with speechless expressions, as if to say, "See? I knew it."
Cheng Ruoan opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't utter the curse words that were on her mind.
They wasted their time arguing with Si Dalang about who was wronging whom and whether or not the theft actually happened!
Originally, she had hoped that for the sake of the children, Si Dalang would accept the divorce and stay in the Si family to take good care of the four children.
Who knew his love-struck mind was actually in its late stages!
Cheng Ruoan simply gave Si Shaoheng a look: Your brother's "illness" would be considered outrageous even in modern times.
He abandoned his child because his wife was so devoted to her family.
This is a real living father.
Moreover, this was in ancient times when people had to live together as a family unit just to make ends meet.
Si Shaoheng gave her a look, telling her not to worry about it anymore.
He looked at Si Dalang and said, "Since you've made up your mind, then let's do it this way."
If you are leaving with your sister-in-law and mother-in-law, then we hope that you will not appear in our group again after 7 a.m. tomorrow.
I'll give you your travel permit in a bit, but don't worry about money.
"I will take good care of the children from the first wife's family when I go to the North."
This matter should have ended there, but I don't know what got into Si Dalang's head.
He actually said to Si Shaoheng and Cheng Ruoan, "From now on, let Da Hua be your maid. I hope Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law won't mistreat the other children too much."
Everyone:?
Human nature is biased, and it's normal to favor one child over another.
But in front of everyone, righteously and solemnly "abandoning" a child, are they really not afraid of being ridiculed?
They all turned to look at Big Flower.
Da Hua glanced at her father one last time, gave a soft sigh, and went back to the mule cart to take care of Zhao Shi.
Li Shi savored the meaning and was about to offer her opinion when Si Erlang covered her mouth and dragged her away.
Ershuan and Erzhu also got up and ran after their parents.
Da Niu and Da Hu looked at each other, then Da Niu jumped out and said, "I'm not going with everyone else, I'm going with my parents."
Da Hu was furious and dragged him into the courtyard of the dilapidated temple. "Dad's gone mad, and you've gone mad too!? If you all leave, who will take care of Daya?"
"Should we rely on my careless self, or on my eldest sister who's already been sold to my third uncle and aunt by our parents?"
Da Hu wasn't very smart, but he knew that his father was biased towards his son.
It wasn't that he liked any particular child; rather, like his mother, he disliked his older sister the most.
Big Tiger didn't understand.
His father himself still resented his grandmother for favoring his third uncle and causing him suffering. How could he possibly say something like having his eldest sister become a maid in his third uncle's household?
He lost his mind because of his mother, does he really want him, Da Niu, and Da Ya to owe their eldest sister for the rest of their lives?
Da Hu never exploited Da Hua. In his eyes, there was only a distinction between elder and younger, not between older and younger brothers or sisters.
He didn't want to owe anyone anything.
At this moment, Da Hu's dissatisfaction with the Xia family reached its peak.
He seemed to understand what his third uncle had said: "Only when the mother is kind can the son be filial."
Si Silang snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "No wonder you and your sister-in-law have been so loving for over ten years. You look exactly like her now."
Selfish and heartless.
Look at what you're saying, 'tough love,' is Third Brother that kind of person?
Are we that kind of people?
It was the sister-in-law who was in the wrong. She told you to divorce her, but you refused and insisted on going with her to find the Xia family. You're just making things difficult for yourself.
They even turned around and acted as if we were trying to drive you away.
"Since that's the case, then you can take all four children with you. Nobody wants to help you take care of them, so you'll only end up doing a thankless task."
Zhao listened to the whole thing in the car without missing a single word, and by the end she was too exhausted to cry anymore.
She never imagined that her eldest son would resent her so much, nor did she ever expect that he would be so unknowingly bewitched by Xia Shi.
Zhao sighed and slowly spoke in the car: "Don't wait until dawn to leave, eldest brother, you should leave now."
"Get out of here! Our 'heartless and unjust' Si family is unworthy of a romantic like you."
In the end, Si Dalang really stood up for himself and left the dilapidated temple that very night with Xia Shi and her old wife, who were unable to speak.
As for where they were going, Cheng Ruoan was neither worried nor interested in it.
After all, Si Shaoheng, his blood brother, didn't intend to get involved at all.
Set aside the desire to help others and respect individual destiny.
The Xia family did indeed commit the immoral act, and Si Dalang chose this outcome himself.
Why should Cheng Ruoan feel guilty?
Ultimately, the one who suffered the most in this whole affair was Da Hua.
She lost both her parents in a single day.
Boss Qian found ten able-bodied young men and arranged them for Cheng Ruoan and his group from the village entrance to the intersection of the road to the dilapidated temple, and all around the dilapidated temple.
Many of the young men's mothers and wives also came over to thank the host, and enthusiastically helped Cheng Ruoan and his family tidy up the dilapidated temple inside and out.
Although it was still dilapidated, it was so clean and tidy that it seemed as if Cheng Ruoan and his group were going to stay there permanently.
At night, the second and fourth sons' families slept in two side rooms in the backyard.
Zhao's fever had subsided, but she was still weak, so she slept on a mule cart covered with a mattress, while Da Hua attended to her.
Da Niu was dragged by Da Hu to sleep on a makeshift wooden bed in the courtyard of the dilapidated temple.
They said they would help look after the things in the yard.
The other two mule carts were unlined, so the Cheng family and Cheng Ruoan's family of four each took one and made do with sleeping in it.
Shao Yang didn't sleep in the carriage; he sat in the driver's seat, saying he'd just take a nap. But as the night deepened, he quietly asked his superior, Shao Heng, to throw the culprits from the Xia family into the deep mountains.
When Si Shaoheng returned to their mule cart, the two younger children were already asleep.
Cheng Ruoan was still awake, so she pulled Si Shaoheng aside for a chat.
She wasn't asking if the Xia family had handled things properly, but rather: "If something happens to your eldest brother, will the four children from the eldest branch of the family blame us in the future?"
"will not."
"So confident? Da Niu doesn't seem like he can't do it today."
"I mean, nothing will happen to my brother."
Cheng Ruoan sat up. "He doesn't look like someone who knows how to 'farm' in the wild. He's also with Xia Shi and his wife. His survival skills are questionable."
“The Xia family and old woman will not have been wronged for nothing. The Xia family will definitely make sure that my eldest brother follows behind our group.”
"Why aren't they going to find Xia Shoucai and the others?" Cheng Ruoan asked, somewhat surprised. "She's a treasure to her family. She might abandon her husband and children, but she would never abandon her father, brother, and nephew."
Si Shaoheng lay down and pulled the two children in the middle closer to him, giving Cheng Ruoan as much space as possible.
"You're underestimating her intelligence. Xia is the smartest person in this group; she can weigh the pros and cons."
If we kill the Xia family members, the Xia family will feel that it's pointless to look for them.
"If you're not dead, then the only way you can find a chance to heal your throat and ask you about the whereabouts of the Xia family is by following us."
Cheng Ruoan: ...
Surprisingly, he wasn't stupid after all.
"Damn it, I regret not just throwing them all away."
Si Shaoheng glanced at her. "So, are you still going to gamble on human nature in the future?"
Cheng Ruoan paused, then awkwardly touched his nose. "I also want your older brother to face the facts, lose hope in the Xia family, and raise his four children well after divorcing his wife."
It's better than him constantly thinking about his deceased wife and suspecting some kind of conspiracy to frame him.
"Isn't he suspicious now too?" Si Shaoheng was amused by her words and couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair. "From now on, don't gamble on human nature; just look at the logic, understand?"
"Mmm," Cheng Ruoan responded sullenly, then hugged Niannian and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, the group packed their things and prepared to continue their journey. Before they even left the dilapidated temple, they were blocked by Boss Qian, who was in a hurry.
"Madam Cheng! Don't rush! The road is full of refugees. I heard that a plague has broken out in one of the counties of Bachuan Prefecture!"