Jiang Silang fell quite badly, his head struck by a mountain stone, creating a hole and causing significant bleeding.
Jiang Yu, fearing he might die in the mountains, went through great effort to bring him down. However, upon seeing Silang's condition, her mother immediately grabbed a broom and began to beat him.
Jiang Wan listened with schadenfreude to Jiang Yu's pained screams for a while before having Erlang carry her into the courtyard.
As soon as Jiang Yu saw her, she shouted, "Jiang Wan is back, she caused Silang to fall down the mountain!"
Madam Zhou immediately rushed over with the broom, "You little slut, you caused my Silang to fall down the mountain, didn't you? You jinx, you bringer of misfortune, get down here! See if I don't beat you to death today!"
Erlang grabbed the broom she swung and glared, "Try moving even a single hair on my sister's head! It was your ill-bred son who tried to bully Wanwan, but he couldn't stand steady himself and fell down the mountain. Now you're trying to frame her, have you no shame! Why wasn't that troublemaker Jiang Silang smashed to death!"
Erlang came out of the house and blocked Madam Zhou. Madam Su stepped forward, pretending to persuade Madam Zhou, but in reality, she was pulling her aside.
Madam Zhou was no match for the three people on Erlang's side. She watched helplessly as Sanlang carried Jiang Wan into the east wing, her rage making her howl.
After Erlang and the others retreated, Madam Zhou sat on the ground and began to beat her legs and the ground, cursing.
Erlang and the others closed the doors and windows tightly, pretending not to hear.
Erlang took out the roasted chestnuts he brought back and poured them onto the table. Erlang and Madam Su's eyes lit up, and they asked in hushed voices, "Where did these come from?"
Sanlang proudly pushed Jiang Wan forward, "Wanwan found them."
Erlang and his wife were very surprised. From yesterday to today, Wanwan had found food three times, which was truly incredible.
However, they didn't make a fuss. They closed the doors and windows and ate their share of chestnuts, drinking some water. The feeling of a full stomach was simply wonderful. Even Madam Zhou's scolding didn't sound as harsh.
Jiang Pan and Chen Yuezhi returned in the afternoon. As soon as Madam Zhou saw them, she ran over to confront them.
Unexpectedly, the couple sternly rebuked them, "Get away! We're about to lose our lives, and you still have the energy to argue over these trivial matters? It seems you're truly not hungry!"
Madam Zhou was stunned by the scolding, then she began to wail again.
Old Madam Jiang rushed out of the house and glared at Jiang Pan and his wife, "What exactly do you want to do? After bullying the young ones, you want to bully the old ones too!"
Jiang Pan had spent most of the day gathering information, and his heart was heavy. He had no desire to argue with Old Madam Jiang. He walked past her without a word and entered the main house to find Old Man Jiang.
Old Man Jiang asked with a dark expression, "Can your eldest branch ever be quiet! If not, pack your things and move out quickly. Constantly causing trouble like this is enough to drive a person mad!"
Jiang Pan had originally wanted to discuss the matter of fleeing with him. Seeing his attitude, he suddenly lost the desire to discuss it and turned to leave.
What was the point of discussing anything with such a muddled person!
So Jiang Pan went to the village chief's house and told him the news he had gathered.
"Village Chief, a group of refugees has come from the north, said to be tens of thousands, even more. They are not far from us now. The villages that received the news are already preparing to evacuate. Should we also prepare?"
The village chief's expression also became much more solemn, "I will first gather everyone in the village to see what everyone thinks. After all, leaving one's homeland is no small matter. We must listen to everyone's thoughts. You go to the ancestral hall and wait. You can personally tell everyone about the situation you've investigated."
Jiang Pan nodded and got up to leave.
Not long after, the villagers heard the bell from the ancestral hall, knowing that the village chief was summoning them for a meeting, so they hurried towards the ancestral hall.
Jiang Wan heard the sound and quickly asked Sanlang to take her along to join the excitement.
When they arrived, Jiang Pan was telling the villagers the news he had learned.
The village chief took over, "The situation is severe now, and many villages have already begun to flee. We've gathered everyone here to ask for your opinions. Whether to flee or stay, let's make a decision together!"
Someone said, "It's dry everywhere now, and we don't have much grain left. What if something happens on the road?"
"If we're going to die either way, I'd rather die in the village."
"Yes, we're so old. If we stay, perhaps it will rain in a few days. If we flee, I'm afraid we'll die on the way."
"At least the village still has water to drink. If we go out, I'm afraid we won't even have water."
"I'm not leaving, I'm not going anywhere. If the refugees come, can't we unite and drive them away?"
"Although it's difficult to stay, at least we still have houses and land. As long as God sends rain, we will have a way to live. But if we go to a foreign land, we won't even have a roof over our heads, and living will be worse than being a beggar. I'm not leaving, I'm not going anywhere!"
Everyone spoke incessantly, and in the end, they unanimously decided not to leave.
It was difficult to leave their homeland, and with the external situation also not optimistic, the villagers did not want to flee.
Seeing the villagers like this, Jiang Pan could only sigh helplessly. He had truly done his best. Since no one was willing to go, he couldn't do anything.
On the way home, Jiang Pan deliberately waited by the roadside for Old Man Jiang and told him his plan, wanting to persuade Old Man Jiang to leave with them.
"Father, the situation is a bit grim. Let's go with Da Niu's wife's family. There are more people, and it's easier to look after each other."
Unexpectedly, Old Man Jiang didn't even look up, "If you want to go, then go. But I'll say this upfront, since you've decided to leave, consider this family divided. You can't take the houses and land with you, so I won't give them to you. There's not much grain left in the house, so don't count on it. If you can't make it out there and want to come back, I won't help you."
Jiang Pan's heart turned cold. He was worried about Old Man Jiang staying and being in danger, but Old Man Jiang was calculating the meager possessions of the eldest branch.
In any case, he had done everything he could. He was at peace with himself.
Jiang Lao Er, who had returned from somewhere, began to mock sarcastically, "You caused a great disaster yourself and now you want to drag the whole village to flee? You want everyone to protect you on the road, don't you? Your calculations are quite clever. Unfortunately, others are not fools, and some people's wishful thinking is in vain."
Jiang Pan had been running around all day, and the more he knew, the heavier his burden became. He was too lazy to argue with Jiang Lao Er, so he ignored him and quickened his pace to catch up with his wife and children.
Jiang Lao Er snorted and turned to Old Man Jiang, "Father, don't listen to Eldest Brother's nonsense. The outside is so chaotic, if we go out, it's a dead end."
Old Man Jiang snorted, "I know what I'm doing. Don't worry, if they from the eldest branch want to go, I won't stop them."
Jiang Lao Er rolled his eyes, "Father, the eldest branch probably has some backup. Those things are all communal property of our Jiang family."
Old Man Jiang snorted twice but said nothing.
Jiang Lao Er knew his temper well and a smile appeared on his face.