novelhk Chapter 121: The Placement of Everyone
Chapter 121: The Placement of Everyone
Song Renjing hid in the crowd and quietly tore off a piece of the edge of his shirt.
He found a small, burnt-black stick and hastily wrote a few lines of small characters. He tied it into a tight cloth ball. He then stuck the small cloth ball between his fingertips and ejected it.
The small ball of cloth first shot to the opposite side, bounced, and then reflected back from another direction, heading straight for the leading general's drooping palm.
The general touched the cloth and grasped it reflexively, and then broke out in a cold sweat.
Looking back, I didn't see anything unusual.
The general coughed twice unnaturally, moved his position, and winked at his men. Then he opened the cloth in the dark.
I was even more shocked when I saw the content on it. It said: "I have escaped from this predicament. There is no need to pursue me anymore. I will bury, send me away, and place me in a safe place. Do not make it public."
The leading general looked up and around, but found nothing.
He thought for a moment and ordered, "All the generals, listen up. The rebel army has already fled the fiefdom of King Li. There is no need to chase them. We will stay and help bury the warriors of Weng County."
"Yes, General." The soldiers responded.
The deputy general beside him whispered in confusion: "General, the little grandson has not been brought back yet. If we go back like this, how can we explain to our superiors?"
"Don't worry, I'm just following orders. Get to work."
"Yes, General." The deputy general had no choice but to obey the order and went to help with full of doubts.
Seeing that his plan was being carried out, Song Renjing calmly went back to work.
With the help of the soldiers, everyone simply cleaned the bodies of their deceased relatives, made simple coffins, and buried their deceased family members.
Gu Dahe took advantage of the chaos to hold his daughter, and asked his eldest and second brothers to go out for a while. When they came back, they pulled a newly made cypress coffin.
Several people came to the Duan family, clasped their fists and saluted, saying: "Old lady, Madam, please accept my condolences. Thank you for the care of County Magistrate Duan. I will send you a thin coffin and a new set of clothes as a token of my gratitude. I hope the deceased can rest in peace and not be too sad."
Old Madam Duan was extremely grateful. Now that Weng County had been destroyed, it was difficult to find even a complete piece of wood.
Although they were regretting that they could not give their son a decent burial, the Gu family prepared all these things without any scruples.
"The Gu family is so kind to donate a coffin, which really solves our difficulties. Our Duan family will remember this great kindness forever." Old Madam Duan said.
Mrs. Duan also shed tears of gratitude. Her family has benefited a lot from the relationship with the Gu family. The Gu family has also helped her family many times.
Madam Duan called her son and said, "Huan'er, kneel down quickly and kowtow to your grandfather and uncles. You must remember the great kindness your grandfather and uncles have shown to our family. You must repay them well in the future."
"I understand, son. I will never forget the great kindness of Grandpa Gu and the uncles and aunts of the Gu family. Please accept my greetings first." After saying this, he kowtowed respectfully.
Old Master Gu hurriedly asked Gu Dahai to pull Duan Shuhuan up and said, "There is no need for such a grand ceremony. Our two families are sincere friends, and it is just a small favor."
After saying this, he asked his sons to help with the tidying up and burial.
After everyone was buried, the generals prepared to lead their troops away.
The leading general gathered everyone and said loudly: "Fellow villagers, this time Weng County killed dozens of rebels. According to the habits of the rebels, when they recover, they will definitely come back for revenge."
"Now that Weng County has been destroyed, the court needs to plan its reconstruction, which is not a one-day job. If you are willing, you can come back to Zesheng County with us and we will make arrangements."
"Of course, if you have other places to go, you can make your own arrangements."
After listening to the general, everyone gathered together to discuss the matter.
Those who have relatives or businesses in Zesheng County can take this opportunity to travel with the generals, which will make the journey safer.
Although their homes were destroyed, everyone still had some money on them. As long as they went to the neighboring county and bought horses and carriages, their journey would not be delayed.
Some people wanted to join the army to avenge their family and friends, so they had to follow.
Another group consists of surviving orphans who have no relatives and have encountered sudden changes and don’t know what to do in the future.
Some were beggars in the city, without money, and Zesheng County was too far away for them. Some wanted to go to Lin County and continue begging, while others chose to stay and find another way out.
The homeless children brought by the Gu family were also discussing at this time, "Brother Feng, we actually came to King Li's fiefdom? What should we do now? Zesheng County is very far away from here, and we don’t have any money." asked the girl who was the leader of the homeless children.
Lu Feng looked at his thin brothers and sisters and realized that they could not withstand the long journey.
He sighed and said, "Let's go down and ask the benefactor's family for help. No matter what, we must make the benefactor agree to take us in. My brothers and sisters can't stand the long journey."
Everyone in the Duan family was also discussing at this time, "Grandma, Mom, can we go and live with Grandpa Gu and his family?" Duan Shuhuan asked.
"Your grandfather Gu and his family are very generous, but they didn't invite us. That must be inconvenient. They have helped us a lot, and we must not trouble them again." Old Madam Duan said.
"I understand, grandma." Duan Shuhuan said dejectedly.
Song Renjing was also thinking about how to go back with the Gu family.
He had no idea that his family was being watched by many parties and were also secretly discussing something.
"I originally wanted to bring these poor children to Weng County for resettlement, but I didn't expect Weng County to suffer such a disaster. Fortunately, we have the generals to protect us now. Why don't we give them some money and let them go to Zesheng County for resettlement." said Mr. Gu.
"I think it's feasible. With the general escorting them all the way, their safety will be absolutely no problem. They just need to follow them to the neighboring county and buy a carriage. As long as they don't fall behind, they can reach Zesheng County safely. The government will make arrangements for them then. We can also put our mind at ease." Gu Dahai also said.
"And Madam Duan and the others will definitely go to Zesheng County together. Let's give them some travel expenses." Gu Dahe said.
"It's my duty. Fu'er, please take out some silver and ask your father and uncle to deliver it." Grandpa Gu said to his granddaughter.
"Okay, grandpa, how much should we give respectively?" Gu Fu asked.
"Why not each family give one hundred taels, fifty taels of silver, and fifty taels of loose silver." said Mr. Gu.
"Okay, grandpa." Gu Fu said, and put his hands into the sleeves of his father and uncle respectively, and put the silver directly into the sleeve pockets of his uncle and father.
"Wait until they have chosen a place, then you can go," Grandpa Gu instructed.
"Okay." Gu Dahai said.
"Dad, I understand." Gu Dahe said.
As a result, before they could go looking for them, the homeless kids arrived first.
"My benefactor, may I have a word with you?" Lu Feng said after stepping forward and bowing.
The Gu family thought that these children wanted to borrow money, so they all followed them to the corner.
Song Renjing had been observing the Gu family. When he saw them being called away by a few skinny children, he quietly followed them.
As a representative, Gu Dahai was about to speak about giving money for the trip, but he saw the homeless children kneeling down in front of everyone.
"Hey! You kids, why do you kneel down at every turn? The money has already been prepared for you and is about to be sent to you. Hurry up and get up." After Gu Dahai said this, he went to pull the children.