Madam Liu's gaze was resolute. "Originally, I planned to follow the group and divorce him once we reached Jiangnan. Who knew Jiang Lao Er would badger those people into turning back. I don't know if going back is the right choice, but I know that if I followed them, I would eventually be harmed by them."
"So, before dawn this morning, I took the children and hid. Sister-in-law, I know I've made many mistakes before, but I beg you, for the sake of the two children, let us stay. I promise I won't be a burden."
Chen Yuezhi felt a headache coming on. "But you also know what the situation is like heading forward, aren't you afraid..."
Madam Liu nodded heavily. "I know, but I'm not afraid!"
Because the hearts of the Jiang family were more venomous than wolves!
Chen Yuezhi was still hesitant. "What if they come looking for you again? Honestly, I don't really want to get into a dispute with their family because of you."
Madam Liu gave a mocking smile. "They won't look for us; they'll only be glad to have fewer mouths to feed."
However, they would still be upset about losing money. When she left, she took all the money with her.
That was her money, left to her by her parents, and she would never let the Jiang family have it!
Chen Yuezhi couldn't bring herself to drive them away, especially with so many wolves in the mountains. So, she reluctantly agreed. "If you want to follow, then follow. But let's be clear, we're struggling to look after ourselves, so we won't have the energy to care for you."
Madam Liu nodded quickly. "I understand, I won't cause you any trouble."
With things said, Chen Yuezhi couldn't say anything more.
Once Madam Liu was sure she could stay, her entire demeanor changed. She quickly took her silver to find a carpenter in the village to make a cart. Although she had nothing now, she had money. Once they left this place, there would be towns, and she would definitely buy things.
When the villagers saw her, their faces were filled with shock.
Madam Liu didn't explain, pretending not to see their gazes.
When Jiang Pan learned about Madam Liu's situation, he was also a bit surprised. "She's quite resourceful. Since she's joined us, let's look after her when we can. If not for her, then for the children."
Chen Yuezhi knew her husband was a man of loyalty and didn't object.
The news that the group would stay to prepare for the wolf pack quickly spread to every household.
Jiang Pan took the lead, finding several trees and cutting many branches thicker than an arm, along with plenty of vines. He then taught the villagers how to build platforms in the trees.
The villagers were diligent people. Once they learned, they quickly got to work.
By the afternoon of the first day, everyone had built their own platforms.
The small mountain village still had over three hundred people. If each platform was for ten people, they would need to build thirty platforms.
However, among these three hundred people, there were dozens of children, so in the end, they only needed to build twenty-five platforms to accommodate everyone.
The twenty-five platforms were arranged in three circles. The outermost circle was naturally for the men.
The middle circle was for the elderly and some women, and the innermost platforms were for the children.
To prevent the elderly and children from falling, they specially built railings around the platforms.
The children looked at the platforms built between the trees and were overjoyed, eagerly asking their parents to lift them up.
The forest was filled with laughter and joy for a time.
By nightfall, everyone had moved their bedding and food to the trees. Other less important items were left on the carts.
Living in the trees, everyone felt much more at ease.
Last night, very few people could sleep.
However, living in the trees also had its disadvantages, such as the inability to build fires for warmth. Although fires were built at the base of the trees, their effect was minimal.
The winter nights were so cold that people couldn't bear it, and they woke up several times in the middle of the night from the cold.
So, the next day, everyone began to frantically chop trees, preparing to build roofs for the platforms and enclose the sides to block some of the wind.
By the time night fell on the second day, dozens of treehouses of various sizes had appeared in the forest, which made Jiang Wan both amused and speechless.
On the second night, as Jiang Wan was half-asleep, she heard their horse suddenly snort restlessly.
She woke up abruptly, climbed to the window, and looked out. She saw several pairs of glowing green eyes in the forest.
It was wolves!
The night watchmen also spotted the wolves and quickly grabbed gongs to beat them. "Wolves are coming! Wolves are coming!"
The sleeping villagers were awakened and looked at the forest in panic.
But they saw nothing.
However, no one could sleep anymore. Everyone stared at the forest, fearing that wolves would rush out.
When dawn broke, Jiang Pan immediately led the villagers to start preparing defenses.
Digging traps, cutting trees to make wooden spikes, and sharpening straight branches into arrows, everyone, from adults to children, was busy.
Jiang Wan led a group of children to pick up stones within the circle formed by the adults, while Little Pony flew above the forest, keeping watch.
After a whole day of work, the defensive preparations began to show results.
Jiang Wan's horse and the village chief's old ox also had a specially built shelter.
The villagers cut enough thick and sturdy tree trunks and enclosed a sturdy shelter between several trees. To prevent wolves from crawling in, they didn't even leave a door, only a hole at the top for feeding fodder.
Around the treehouses, hundreds of traps of various sizes were dug, and behind the traps were wooden spikes driven into the ground.
Inside the wooden spikes, a trench was dug and filled with branches and firewood. This was for building fires to block the wolves.
Looking at these preparations, everyone felt a bit more at ease.
At night, a full moon hung high in the sky. The moonlight spilled into the forest, devoid of any romance, instead appearing eerie and terrifying.
Dark figures darted swiftly through the forest, leaving behind a pungent smell wherever they passed.
Little Pony flew back from the forest and landed beside Jiang Wan, pecking her twice gently.
Jiang Wan opened her eyes, received the information from Little Pony, and quickly got up to look out the window.
She saw many pairs of glowing green eyes in the forest, surrounding them.
Relying on her good eyesight, Jiang Wan found the legendary white figure within the wolf pack.
It was indeed the white wolf that Hunter Yang had spoken of!
"Dang dang dang—"
The urgent sound of gongs and drums rang out again. The villagers quickly got up, grabbed their weapons, and rushed to the windows.
This time, everyone saw the green eyes.
But the wolf pack did not attack. Instead, they watched them from a distance for a while before turning and running back into the forest.
The people who were ready for battle were a bit confused. "What's going on? These wolves aren't here to hurt anyone?"
Hunter Yang chuckled. "These beasts are very cunning. They know we've spotted them, so they won't attack easily. Judging by their numbers, this should only be a small portion. Everyone, don't let your guard down. They could pounce at any moment, so stay vigilant!"