Qin Sang glanced at the two boys not far away. A Shui hadn't cried out in pain once; seeing his younger brother A Jing's worry, he would occasionally say a few words to comfort him.
Qin Sang withdrew her gaze and said:
"A Shui is a good child, and A Jing is also obedient. They can take care of themselves, but won't they need help from other villagers?
Everyone has entered the mountains to huddle together for warmth anyway. When the time comes, we can have the Village Chief let them settle in our village. What do you think?"
Tian Yougen nodded:
"I was thinking the same thing. This child almost lost his life. Since he survived, we can't force them to their deaths."
Qin Sang looked at him:
"Are you asking me because you're worried that bringing the two of them back will make the other villagers unhappy?"
Tian Yougen nodded:
"If it were before, I certainly wouldn't have this concern. But now that we've seized so much money and grain, when it comes time to distribute it, two more people means everyone else gets a bit less. I'm afraid others won't agree; after all, they aren't from our Tianjia Village."
Qin Sang smiled:
"You're overthinking it. Not only was A Shui's contribution to this plan indispensable—and our village cannot burn bridges after crossing them—even if we don't take them in, we would still have to give them their share of the money and grain before letting them go."
Tian Yougen was stunned for a moment and slapped his forehead:
"You're right. Look at my brain."
Qin Sang's gaze turned profound as she said:
"Furthermore, regarding the spoils from this time, I don't suggest an equal split."
"Ah?"
...
Hurrying along the way with only two short breaks to eat and rest, they finally encountered the people from Tianjia Village at nightfall on the second day.
Da Huas Father led the team, a line of young men.
Upon asking, Qin Sang learned that the Village Chief had sent them to help after seeing that they hadn't returned for several days.
What absolute nonsense.
Fortunately, the plan succeeded. Otherwise, it would have turned into a 'Calabash Brothers saving Grandpa' situation—one after another falling into the trap.
Seeing their own children, the men in the team were overjoyed.
They kept boasting about how they were invincible and how brave and fearless they had been.
Qin Sang silently calculated that if she added up the number of people they claimed to have killed, this fifty-man squad should have wiped out a full five hundred people.
A classic case of one against a hundred.
Qin Sang smiled and didn't expose them; it was a good thing to plant a seed of bravery and fearlessness in the children.
At midnight, as the moon climbed the branches, Qin Sang and her group returned to the camp.
As soon as their footsteps entered the mountain pass, Da Huang began to bark 'wang wang wang,' as if calling out to Eldest Girl and Si Jin to tell them he was back.
Soon, a faint candlelight flickered in the wooden house at the mountain pass. Eldest Brothers Wife stepped out, and seeing Da Huang pacing at the door, she said in surprise:
"Da Huang is back! Mother is back! Eldest Girl, Si Jin, Er Fu, Mother is back!"
Tian Dazhuang, carrying a large stack of thatch, strode forward just in time to see Eldest Girl run out barefoot. Tian Dazhuang chuckled:
"Eldest Girl, it's Father. Father is back."
Eldest Girl ran out and hurriedly said:
"Mhm, hello Father."
After speaking, she ran right past Tian Dazhuang. When she saw Qin Sang, she threw her arms wide and hugged Qin Sang's leg, her voice bordering on tears:
"Grandma, Grandma, are you alright?"
Qin Sang picked the little girl up:
"Grandma is fine. Eldest Girl, don't cry. Look, what did Grandma bring for you?"
As she spoke, she pulled a handful of pear syrup candies from her pocket and fed one to Eldest Girl.
Eldest Girl held onto Qin Sang tightly with both hands.
Tian Dazhuang, watching this scene: "..."
Tian Si Jin ran over hurriedly, her eyes already brimming with tears:
"Mother, you scared us to death."
Qin Sang patted her head and comforted her:
"Wasn't my Si Jin always the bravest? Could a small thing like this really scare you?"
Er Fu walked over and said:
"Mother, you don't know. During these days you were gone in secret, Si Jin didn't sleep well for a single day. Her eyes are all bruised and dark."
Si Jin curled her lip:
"Second Sister, don't you mock me. I don't know who it was that said if Mother didn't come back soon, you'd head out of the mountains yourself."
Eldest Brothers Wife supported Third Brothers Wife, whose belly was growing larger, as they walked over:
"Mother, please don't leave the whole family and disappear without a word like that again. Huan'er was so anxious that day she almost disturbed her pregnancy. She had to lie in bed for two days before her stomach stopped hurting."
Third Brothers Wife squeezed her sister-in-law's arm:
"Eldest Sister-in-law, say no more. It's a great thing that Mother returned safely. My own body is weak and I tend to overthink; I can't blame Mother."
Qin Sang hadn't realized she'd given the family such a fright. However, thinking about how they had brought the villagers to help on the second night, she knew she had indeed been a bit reckless this time:
"Alright, Mother promises you it won't happen again..."
Knowing that the heads of the households had all returned safely, the camp was momentarily filled with laughter and joy, occasionally mixed with a few playful scoldings; overall, everyone was happy.
Qin Sang handed the two brothers, A Shui and A Jing, over to Da Zhuang to arrange for them to stay in the empty tent at home. She intended to find the Village Chief. Seeing two more rows of wooden houses built in the village, the old Village Chief who came out to greet them said:
"The folks couldn't sit idle. Seeing your family living in a wooden house, everyone wanted to live in a house like yours as soon as possible."
Qin Sang smiled slightly:
"That's a good thing. Compared to the villagers, our time out these past few days was actually quite easy.
However, you must remind them to fell trees in different areas. They can't just clear-cut one spot. Otherwise, when the heavy rains come, landslides will easily occur."
The Village Chief nodded:
"Don't worry, it's all been arranged. They are only cutting down dead or old trees."
Qin Sang nodded and asked:
"While we were away these few days, has the camp been peaceful?"
The Village Chief stroked his beard and said:
"Everything in the camp is fine; everyone is building houses with peace of mind, only worrying about your safety. However, the Patrol Team..."
"What happened to the Patrol Team?"
"The Patrol Team encountered three groups of people. One of them had relatives in our village. Knowing we had found such a good hiding spot, they wanted to ask their relatives for help and join our village to hide here too."
Qin Sang wasn't surprised. In ancient times, many families had people married into neighboring villages, like her own Third Brothers Wife.
Once the Rebel Soldiers arrived, everyone fled into the mountains, so the chances of meeting were very high.
"Did the villagers want to agree?"
Qin Sang asked in return.
The Village Chief pinched his beard. Unable to read Qin Sang's emotions, he shook his head:
"How could they? Everyone can barely save themselves right now. Although they are related, bringing in outsiders means one less mouthful of food for everyone else.
Moreover, once you agree, it's never just one or two relatives; it's usually a whole family.
Thinking further, what if that whole family has more relatives? If things really get tangled up, we might end up having to take in half of another village.
Da Zhuangs Mother, this precedent cannot be set."
Qin Sang nodded in agreement:
"The Village Chief is wise. So, are you worried that if the camp is discovered, word will get out?"
The old Village Chief nodded:
"Yes. If we don't agree, there's no guarantee they won't hold a grudge. If they gather their strength to come and raid us, that's not something we want to see."
Qin Sang knew the Village Chief was planning for a rainy day. This was very necessary to avoid disasters; it was better than being unprepared and panicking when something happened. It just so happened she also had something to propose, and with this situation as a premise, there would likely be fewer obstacles:
"Village Chief, this time we brought back the Rebel Soldiers' treasury. I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
Seeing Qin Sang's solemn expression, the old Village Chief began to listen seriously...
The Village Chief notified the heads of each household to come to the clearing for a meeting early tomorrow morning.