Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 4 - 004: Fleeing from Famine on the Road

For three consecutive days, Granny Gu kept repeating those words, and every time Gu Jin'an heard them, rage made his eyes blaze red. Today, burning with resentment, he could no longer restrain himself and snapped, "Granny, we hand over all the food we find every day to the family, and you don't give us our rations. What are we supposed to repay with?"

Granny Gu gave a chilly snort: "That's your problem. In any case, the food you find every day must be handed over. That's the rule set by the village chief."

The people of Gu Family Village had escaped the famine as a group. To ensure survival, the village chief and several clan elders had agreed that, during the flight, every household needed to dispatch at least two able-bodied men each day to forage for food. None of it could be kept private; it all had to be surrendered to the clan, with a share then passed to the village. Only when supplies ran truly dry would the village dole out food to the families.

Whoever dared to hide food secretly and refuse to hand it over would be caught and banished from the fleeing caravan, forbidden from traveling with the village any longer.

Along the path of escape, refugees swarmed everywhere, driven mad by starvation to commit desperate acts. A lone family wouldn't survive ten li before bandits stripped them bare.

After dropping those harsh words, Granny Gu departed, leaning on her two daughters-in-law for support.

Gu Jinli's gaze sharpened as she stared at Granny Gu's rigid departing figure. By denying them rations and banning private food storage, she aimed to let their branch of the family waste away from hunger.

No, she had to locate the household registration immediately and get her family out of the Old Gu Family clutches.

Great Chu enforced household registrations with ironclad rules. Breaking away from the Old Gu Family required first seizing the registration document Granny Gu had stashed away. Lacking it, they'd be branded as vagrants.

Vagrants differed sharply from famine refugees; officials aided the latter but sold the former like goods!

In Great Chu, those lacking household papers could be bought and sold at anyone's whim.

Bang bang bang bang!

Urgent gong strikes rang out near a massive boulder, where Village Chief Gu's family rested.

"Everyone from Gu Family Village, all of you from Gu Family Village, rise and assemble—it's time to move out!" Gu Dafu, the village chief's oldest son, bellowed repeatedly.

At the call, folks from Gu Family Village nearby stirred, bundling their straw mats, hoisting packs, securing grain sacks, slinging cookware and water vessels, aiding the old, guiding the young, and hurrying to the village chief's rest spot for muster. After the count, they'd march onward, fleeing eastward from the famine.

Disaster victims from other villages started clanging gongs too, rousing their people to pack up and prepare for departure.

Gu Jinli scanned the surroundings, stunned by the sight. Every refugee at the mountain's base was mobilizing, laden with belongings and herding kin, streaming like rivers toward their villages' assembly points.

Far as the eye could see, crowds packed the land, their numbers rivaling a vast army on the march.

Gu Jinli clutched Gu Jincheng's hand firmly. Amid this perilous flight, her family needed unceasing caution. Surrounded by such masses of refugees, one slip could doom them all en route.

"Xiao Yu, your wound hasn't fully healed. Let father carry Brother Cheng, and you hold your mother's hand tightly, don't let go," Hearing the gong, Gu Dashan swiftly rolled the family's straw mat, slung it over his shoulder, fastened the water-laden bamboo tube at his waist, scooped up Brother Cheng, and directed Gu Jinli.

Mrs. Cui gripped her two daughters' hands fiercely, her face etched with dread as she warned, "Stick with mom, don't release on the road, ignore anyone calling out to you, and if danger strikes, scream for help—scream at the top of your lungs."

Guarding the rear, Gu Jin'an shielded the family's three women between him and the others while securing a cloth sack holding the previous night's leaf scraps—their lunch for today—and told Gu Jinli, "Xiao Yu, if you feel unwell, tell Big Brother, don't just soldier on."

Gu Jinli nodded, uttering a quick "okay" before the crowd behind shoved her onward.

When they reached the village chief's family rest area, most of Gu Family Village had already gathered there.

The Old Gu Family members were present as well. Spotting their group of six, Granny Gu let out a disdainful snort, her wrinkled face trembling with the sound.

Little Sister Gu chimed in with a mocking sneer.

Standing beside her, Gu Dagu cast a glance their way, parted her lips, and hurled a scornful word.

Gu Dagu's family had trailed after their maternal family to flee the famine. Refusing to touch their own grain stores, they constantly drained their maternal family's supplies. That day when Gu Xiaoyu got beaten, she eavesdropped on the household head seeking news and caught Little Sister Gu's inflated tales of how Gu Dashan despised their married daughters for devouring the family's grain, loathing Gu Dashan's entire household. She herself had whispered to Granny Gu that very morning about Gu Xiaoyu surviving and regaining consciousness, spurring Granny Gu to rush over and thrash Gu Jin'an.

Uncle Gu Er and Elder Gu positioned themselves ahead of the Gu Family women, twisted back to eye Gu Jinli, and scolded with frosty expressions, "Framing your own uncle, disrespecting your grandparents and elders, so vicious at such a young age, you bring shame upon our family."

Uncle Gu Er had long scorned Gu Dashan, but after Mrs. Gu relayed that Gu Xiaoyu expected him to scrounge for food, his disdain for her deepened even further.

Him, scrounging for food?

A scholar and esteemed scholar, stooping to labor fit for wretched refugees—utterly degrading!

Gu Jinli burned to smack his smug face. Precisely because of Granny Gu and this bunch, the Old Gu Family's reputation lay in ruins.

Gu Dashan and Mrs. Cui were long inured to such abuse, simply clutching their children close while turning a deaf ear to Uncle Gu Er's rant.

Elder Gu observed the unfolding drama closely, and with Gu Dashan's family offering no comeback, he held his tongue.

Village Chief Gu, fifty-something with a harsh visage marked by two deep creases to his chin and a gaunt build wrapped in ragged cotton attire, bided his time until every Gu Family Village resident assembled, then ordered his eldest son to conduct roll call.

After a quarter of an hour, roll call wrapped up.

The village chief cleared his throat and recited his routine daily exhortation before departure: "Escaping the famine is difficult, we must support each other, watch over our own children, take care of our own elderly. Grain, water, and salt are critical for survival, and must never be lost! There are many refugees fleeing the famine, villagers must not start trouble, and should not add to the village's burdens. Stick together on the road, the lead party won't wait, let's move out!"

At Village Chief Gu's order to advance, the more than two hundred souls of Gu Family Village surged forward, descending the mountain toward the official road before pressing eastward along it.

Before Gu Family Village marched throngs of refugees already hastening on; trailing them came even vaster waves of refugees pouring onto the official road, hauling families along, propping up elders and bearing young ones, crafting an immense, ceaseless torrent.

Gu Jinli peered ahead and behind, her heart weighing heavier. She clasped Mrs. Cui and Gu Jinxiu firmly, dashing to keep pace right after Gu Dashan.

Most refugees trudged afoot, while others rode in carts—mainly hand-pulled flatbeds from the more prosperous village households.

Now and then along the way rolled horse-drawn carriages from rich Prefecture clans. These always traveled in packs of several, escorted by hordes of stick- and sword-wielding servants sprinting beside. Though refugees sensed the opulence inside those carriages brimming with food and water, none dared attempt a robbery.

The march dragged through the full day, from dawn's murky glow until roughly four in the afternoon, when it grew clear continued steps would topple folk from exhaustion. At last, frontrunners halted to recuperate.

Noticing the leading refugees pause, Village Chief Gu directed his eldest son to clap the wooden signal, calling all to halt and rest.

Clack clack clack clack!

"Those from Gu Family Village, rest in place. Everyone, use this time to look for food and water, prepare what you'll eat for tomorrow, get a good rest. We gather and set off at the crack of dawn tomorrow!"

To Gu Family Village refugees, these words sounded like celestial music. Bone-weary, they all crumpled to the ground, sucking in huge gasps of air.

Gu Jinli in her prior life served as a military doctor tackling frequent wilderness missions, yet this ten-year-old frame, ravaged by extreme hunger, left her utterly spent after the day's foot march. She collapsed onto the dirt as well.

Without a moment to rest, Gu Dashan and Gu Jin'an shrugged off the straw mats, bamboo tubes, and half-bag of leaves from their backs, handing them over to Mrs. Cui as they said, "There's still a few sips of water in the bamboo tube—save it and drink sparingly. If you're hungry, chew on a few leaves to stave off the hunger. Brother An and I are heading out to find food; once we get something to eat, we'll finally enjoy a full meal."