Chapter 109: Hiding in the Mountains

Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Hiding in the Mountains

Widow Xie was clearly severely shaken, and Ji Huan worried she might end up like Sixth Ancestor Grandma.

Hu Liang’s heart ached even more. He stepped forward to stop Widow Xie from continuing her futile efforts.

"Mom... It’s no use. We can’t leave. Without a letter from the village chief to get a pass from the government office, we can’t go anywhere..."

Especially during times of war like this, all the checkpoints and city defenses were under even tighter control. This was partly to prevent spies from infiltrating, and partly to stop able-bodied men from deserting.

Widow Xie stood there blankly for a moment, then suddenly flung the things in her hands to the ground. She collapsed, burying her face in her hands and sobbing bitterly.

"Oh, heavens! Why must there be war? We just want to live our lives in peace, why is that so hard! It was the same last time. Your father left and never came back... Liangzi, what are we going to do? What am I supposed to do?"

Hu Liang roughly wiped his face, then squatted down and put an arm around Widow Xie, comforting her. "Mom, don’t worry. Nothing’s certain yet. Even if... even if I do get taken, I’m younger than Dad, and quicker on my feet. I... I’ll definitely make it back alive!"

"But I’m so scared... You’re not even married yet, and Dacheng is still so young..."

Ji Huan’s eyes began to sting. She turned her head away, unable to watch any longer.

’When she first arrived in this place, she had been a detached, cold observer. Later, she had slowly begun to fit in. And though there had been constant trouble, she had always been able to handle it with ease.’

’It wasn’t until now, until the moment war broke out, that she truly understood how powerless she was.’

’She considered herself knowledgeable and possessed a fair bit of cunning, but nothing in her two lifetimes of experience had taught her how to face a war.’

’In the era she came from, wars had become rare. She had grown up in a time of peace. In theory, she knew the cruelty of war, but she had never experienced it firsthand.’

’If this scene were just a drama on television and she was merely a spectator, she would surely say these people were spineless. In the face of a national crisis, instead of thinking about resisting foreign invaders, they were only thinking of saving their own skins.’

’It was easy to pass judgment from behind a screen, after all.’

’But now, all of this was happening right here, right before her very eyes. Her life had become intertwined with so many of the people here.’

’She had to watch them grovel for a chance to live, panicked and lost like stray dogs. Soon she might have to watch these boys, who didn’t even know how to throw a punch, march off to a battlefield from which they would never return...’

’No wonder the Buddhist scriptures say that if the heart is still, one does not act rashly, and thus is not harmed. But if the heart is moved, one acts rashly, bringing injury to the body and pain to the soul, and thus comes to know all the sufferings of the world.’

’Once the flames of war were lit, human lives became as insignificant as ants. Caught in the midst of it all, who could possibly escape?’

Just as she was lost in thought, a frantic pounding suddenly erupted at the door.

Everyone in the room shot to their feet in unison, exchanging panicked glances. No one dared to open the door, terrified that soldiers with blades and spears were standing outside.

"Mom! Brother! It’s me! Open up, it’s Dacheng!"

"Dacheng!"

Before Ji Huan could even react, Widow Xie was already shouting Hu Dacheng’s name as she ran outside.

By the time they followed her out, the courtyard gate was open, and Widow Xie was whacking Hu Dacheng with a broom, making him spin in circles.

"You little brat, where did you run off to! Your brother was already home, what were you trying to prove? I’ll beat you half to death! That’ll teach you to run off! That’ll teach you!"

"OW! Mom, that hurts! It hurts! Brother! Brother, Sister Wan, you have to stop her..."

Hu Dacheng howled in pain but couldn’t break free from his mother, so he could only appeal to Hu Liang and Ji Huan for help.

The two of them rushed forward. One grabbed ahold of Widow Xie, while the other reached for the broom.

Ji Huan pretended to scold Hu Dacheng. "What are you doing running around so early in the morning? Aunt Xie was worried sick."

Then she turned to comfort Widow Xie. "It’s all right, Aunt Xie. Dacheng is back safe and sound now. Everything’s fine."

Widow Xie’s emotions were like a string stretched to its breaking point; any more pressure and she would surely snap.

Hu Dacheng rubbed his stinging bottom, sounding aggrieved. "I just went to get some news..."

He had gone with his brother to visit the ancestral graves early that morning when they heard the news about the war. The rumor had come from the village chief’s family.

He had recently gotten friendly with the village chief’s grandson and wanted to see what he could find out. Hu Liang had forbidden it and tried to drag him home, but he’d managed to slip away.

"I told Brother to tell you I’d be right back... I wasn’t just running off to mess around, I was doing something important!"

Hu Liang cut through his excuses. "Did you find out anything or not?"

Remembering his purpose, Hu Dacheng forgot about trying to defend himself.

"Meng Yan said he heard it with his own ears. The fighting started last night! The county seat and other places have already been put under martial law. The County Magistrate summoned a bunch of village chiefs to discuss how many able-bodied men to conscript from each village!"

Meng Yan was the village chief’s youngest grandson.

Hu Liang had already guessed as much. His frantic questions had been him clinging to one last shred of hope, and now even that was gone.

In an instant, his eyes were like two extinguished lamps, completely devoid of light.

Seeing everyone looking at him, he forced himself to act as if nothing was wrong. "The village chief isn’t back yet, so we don’t know the final... Even if..."

His voice trembled, and he couldn’t go on.

Widow Xie’s body went limp, and she would have collapsed if Ji Huan hadn’t been there to hold her up.

"What do we do... What can we do..."

"Mom! Brother! Stop this! What’s the use of being miserable? I saw everyone in the village heading for the mountains!" Hu Dacheng stomped his foot in frustration. He was terrified his brother would be taken away, too.

"The mountains?" Ji Huan didn’t understand why they would go to the mountains at a time like this.

However, those two words were like a shot in the arm for Widow Xie.

"Yes, yes, the mountains! I’ll pack your things right now. You have to go to the mountains immediately!"

Widow Xie muttered to herself as she turned and ran back into the house. This time, Hu Liang didn’t stop her.

He explained to Ji Huan, "It’s always like this when they come for conscripts. You can’t escape the towns, so the only place to run is the mountains... You didn’t know? Right, the Ji Family was always wealthy enough to pay silver to avoid service."

Ji Huan was confused. "The recruiters can’t be stupid. If everyone has run off, won’t they guess they’re hiding in the mountains? Won’t they search?"

"Oh, they search, alright. They bring hunting dogs up the mountain with them."

A dog’s sense of smell is sharp, especially a trained hunting dog known for its ferocity.

Anyone hiding in an obvious spot is found easily. If they try to run, the soldiers just let the dogs loose. Some people have been mauled to death.

As for those who hide deeper in the mountains, things aren’t much better.

The recruiters post soldiers at every entrance and exit, guarding them for ten days or more. When the fugitives’ rations run out, some can’t bear the hunger and run down on their own. Others grow too weak to walk and simply starve to death in the mountains.

"It’s one thing for those who wait obediently at home. But anyone they catch and drag down from the mountain gets a beating on the spot before being sent directly to the battlefield..."

’Sent directly there? Without any time to adjust or train? Weren’t they just being sent to their deaths for nothing?’

"Then why...?" If you get caught either way, and the consequences for hiding are even more severe, why would anyone still dare to hide in the mountains?

Hu Liang’s voice was bitter. "Hiding in the mountains at least gives you half a chance..."

Few might make it through, but those who did could go on living. As for those who were taken away... it was almost impossible for them to ever return.