sbdcsierra Chapter 277 Farewell
Chapter 277 Farewell
Zhou Guo looked at them. Perhaps because they had settled down and were no longer wandering, the sadness on their faces disappeared.
The men yawned and asked them, "Two guys, what's the matter that you woke us up so early?"
Zhou Guo said: "We are leaving today. You can stay here, but you can't do anything evil. Although we are leaving, we will come back to visit the old lady from time to time."
The men perked up when they heard this and said immediately, "Young man, don't worry. We were desperate before. Besides, we haven't done anything yet. We have the heart but not the courage. We were farm men before and came from poor families. How could we do anything to let down the old lady and her family? We absolutely would not do that."
Zhou Dacang asked again: "You can see that the old lady's family is just like that. Several families combined cannot support so many of you. If you want to live here, there are houses ready, but you have to figure out the food yourself."
Zhou Guo nodded, frowning, "Tell me about your plans."
Several people looked at each other and said after a while: "We don't plan to eat the old lady's food. Besides, the old lady's food is only enough for a few days. What we want is to open up wasteland and plant crops when we are settled down, and cut some firewood in the mountains and carry it to the town or county to sell."
"We can still go to the city to find work. If all else fails, we can go and get work when the landlords are looking for temporary workers. We brothers may not have anything else, but we still have some strength."
"Yes, yes, yes. You can also find some mountain products and medicinal herbs in the mountains to sell. I have been traveling around in the past few years, and it is inevitable that I always feel uncomfortable. I learned about several kinds of medicinal herbs from the older generation from all over the place, and I can also exchange them for money."
Everyone was talking about their plans, what they could do, and how to make money to support themselves.
Everyone spoke with high spirits, seeing hope in life.
Zhou Guo could tell that these people must have discussed this privately for a long time. They were so determined and had no intention of living off the land. This was good, otherwise she would not feel comfortable leaving them here.
Zhou Dacang looked at them and smiled, "It's good that you have a plan."
Zhou Guo thought about it, and finally said: "If you really can't make it, you can go to the north. Although Yunzhou County is a frontier area, it is indeed a rare stable place in such a chaotic world. The taxes there are relatively light."
After all, the group of people knew each other. The men were all hardworking and had good personalities. They helped the old lady with a lot of work in the past two days.
Yesterday we were discussing how to take some time to repair the roofs of two other families before winter comes, to prevent them from collapsing due to the snow.
When the men heard about going to the north, they hesitated, "Well, well, let's talk about it later, this place is pretty good."
The North is so close to the Hu people. If the Hu people broke through the pass and went south, the first place to suffer would be the North. How terrible the Hu people are. They are taller than cows and bigger than horses. They kill people like killing chickens. Children will cry when they hear their name.
They all shook their heads.
Seeing this, Zhou Guo no longer forced them. Everyone has their own way of living, and it was pretty good for them to live here.
After breakfast, Zhou Guo and Zhou Dacang said goodbye to everyone and left.
The old lady's eyes were red. She held a cloth bag and a sack in her hands and handed them to Zhou Guo. She held her hand and carefully instructed her, "You are a little kid. Don't starve yourself when you run around outside. Don't be brave enough to go anywhere. If you see bad guys, remember to take a detour."
As she spoke, she took out a purse wrapped in a handkerchief from her bosom and stuffed it into her hand. "Poor people, rich people, don't put yourselves in a difficult situation out there. I don't have much to give you, so take this money and buy some delicious food and a pair of shoes. It's getting cold, so you can't wear sandals anymore. You have to take care of yourself. I'm looking forward to you coming back to see me, and I'll be satisfied."
Zhou Guo held the purse in her hand, feeling mixed emotions. How could she take the old lady's money? "Grandma, I can't take this money. You keep it for yourself. You are old and there is no one around you all year round. If you have a headache or fever, you have to spend money. We absolutely cannot take it."
Zhou Dacang said, "Yes, you should keep the money for yourself. We should have given you the money. Why are you giving us the money? We don't feel comfortable spending the money."
The old lady glared at him and said, "Why don't you spend it peacefully? Do you think I give you too little? Do you think I can't make money? Do you think I'm not good enough? I didn't steal the money."
As she spoke, she was about to cry again. "I am old, and I don't know when I will pass away. I don't know if I can wait until you come back. I have lived in the village alone for so many years. My youngest son, who wanted to help but didn't have the strength, chopped so much firewood for me, renovated the roof, carried water every day, and smoked so much meat for me on the stove. I didn't have to do anything. You and I are not related. I am grateful to you. Take this money. Anyway, I have no one to give me more. I don't think my youngest son would look down on this little money of mine."
Zhou Guo felt aggrieved after hearing these words and sighed in his heart.
The old lady is old and has no one around her. Her only youngest son comes back once a year. Although she appears not to care on the surface, she is still a little sad in her heart.
After looking at Zhou Dacang beside him, he nodded.
Zhou Guo put his wallet into the bag in front of him, hugged the old lady's arm, and said with a smile: "Grandma, don't worry, I will definitely come to see you when I come back. You must make me something delicious. I must have one of your old hens that lay eggs. They say that soup made from old hens is the best."
The old lady laughed out loud and patted her hands, saying, "Don't worry, I'll keep them all for you. I won't give any of them away. As we agreed, you must come here when you come back. I'll be waiting for you."
Zhou Guo nodded with a smile.
The men and villagers also came to see them off. There were not many families in this mountain village, and everyone got along quite well during the past two days. The other two families knew they were leaving and sent them gifts.
A few eggs and a few steamed buns, although not much, but in such a chaotic time, these foods are very precious, especially eggs. An egg is sold for two cents each, and in some places it may be even more than that.
How much money can a farmer earn throughout the year? When they get old, they can’t do heavy work and they rely on the money from eggs.
Zhou Guo and Zhou Dacang didn't want it at first, but seeing their smiling faces, they felt that if they didn't accept it, it might hurt people's feelings, so they had to accept it.
After picking up the things, the two of them really left, leading the horse and moving slowly forward, looking back every step. The old lady and her group waved as they walked forward.
"Go back, go back, don't send me off."
In order to avoid being overwhelmed by the crowd, the two men turned over, jumped onto their horses, and rode away.