On the fourth day, Xiao Qiyi and his party didn't cook anymore, but only hid in the car and secretly nibbled on a few mouthfuls of cakes and drank a few sips of water.

The bark of the trees on the roadside was stripped away, and many people stopped on the roadside to dig up the roots and eat them.

Along the way, they saw several groups of people fighting for food.

When he stopped to rest at night, Liu Dahe couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "I didn't expect this world to become such a ......"

Old Man Hua patted Dahe on the shoulder and said, "The next situation will become more and more tragic, we will encounter more cruel scenes, Dahe, you will slowly get used to it." ”

At noon on the fifth day, Xiao Qi's mule cart was stopped by a group of people.

The group was about fifteen or sixteen men, all young and strong, dressed in tatters, each with a stick in his hand.

Hua Xi'er jumped down from the mule cart, walked to Xiao Qi's side and said, "Could it be that this is the legendary number one gang in the world-the beggar gang?" Xiao Qi, we have to be careful of these people. ”

Xiao Qi was very vigilant in her heart, and she also felt that these people had bad motives.

The leader's beard stopped in front of the mule cart, bowed first, and then said gently to the old man Hua: "The old man is kind, give me something to eat!" ”

Old Man Hua waved his hand, "We are also refugees fleeing the famine, not a big man." ”

The beard immediately changed his face, "Who are you fooling?" The escapees actually took a carriage? ”

Ah Fu: "We're not a horse-drawn cart, we're a mule cart. ”

The bearded man disagreed, "It doesn't matter if you are a mule or a horse, anyway, food and money must be left for Lao Tzu." ”

After saying that, the beard walked to the side of the carriage and stretched out his hand to pull the curtain, Xiao Qi raised his leg and kicked the beard a few feet away.

The beard fell to the ground with a thud, and spat out a mouthful of blood, the color of which was very dazzling.

The bearded accomplice was dumbfounded.

Xiao Qi snorted, pulled the shiny flying dagger out of its sheath, and said to the bearded accomplice: "If you dare to approach again, you will leave the dog's life." ”

Seeing that the bearded man was not lightly injured, most of them were bullying the weak and afraid of the hard, and the bearded accomplices saw that they could not take advantage, so they stayed away from the mule cart.

When I rest at night, I still take turns on duty.

When the old man Hua changed shifts, he told Liu Dahedao: "We are already in Huai County now, and we are expected to arrive in Pengcheng in a few days. ”

The sixth day was uneventful.

On the morning of the 7th, Xiao Qiyi and his entourage met a group of officers and soldiers, who were dressed crookedly, a total of about 30 people, armed with spears or broadswords.

The leader rode on horseback, the others were on foot, and the procession was crooked and not at all neat.

When this group of officers and soldiers walked to Xiao Qi's and his party, they suddenly stopped.

A fat officer walked up to the mule cart and shouted, "Requisition your horses." ”

Ah Fu pointed to the mule and said, "This is a mule, not a horse." ”

The fat officer snorted, "It doesn't matter if you are a mule or a horse, you have been requisitioned by us now." ”

As soon as his words fell, several officers and soldiers waved their broadswords forward to cut the reins.

Ah Fu wanted to go up to theorize, but was pulled by the old man Hua.

Old Man Hua jumped out of the car, hugged his fists and said to several officers and soldiers: "It is our honor for small people like us to be able to contribute to the imperial court." The officials want to use mules to pull them away, and I will help the officials untie the ropes. ”

The fat officer snorted again, "Count you as acquaintances." ”

The few people in the mule cart took the few breads in their arms and stepped out of the carriage one by one.

Hua Xi'er was in the mood for love, but she was wearing men's clothes, her face was dirty, and her hair was messy, which did not attract the attention of the officers and soldiers.

After a few people got out of the car, the two officers and soldiers entered the car and searched carefully, but they did not find anything valuable, and after they came out, they shook their heads at the officers and soldiers.

The old man breathed a sigh of relief, they brought bows and arrows, and they hid under the car board, and if they were found, they didn't know what kind of trouble it would cause.

Nothing was found in the carriage, and several officers and men seemed to be a little disappointed.

When the fat officer and soldier saw that the gourd hanging on Xiao Qi's body was very large, he immediately grabbed it in his hand and shook it, complaining: "It turned out to be empty, I thought there was water in it." ”

The thin officer and soldier took the big gourd from the fat officer and soldier and said, "Such a big gourd looks like a treasure." ”

Another officer and soldier said: "Throw it away, it's too cumbersome to carry such a thing, and when the time comes, it will definitely be trained if it is seen by the upper peak." ”

The officers and men threw the gourd to the ground and went to lead the mules, and after a burst of dust, the officers and men finally left.

Xiao Qi felt very sorry for the gourd, so he hurriedly picked it up from the ground and wiped it carefully.

Niu Chrysanthemum's old lady Yu Shi's face looked very discouraged, she was originally sad enough to be left behind by her son who was spoiled from childhood to adulthood, but today she was frightened again and looked even more sick.

Yu can't walk at all now, so he has to remodel the carriage and put her in the car.

Liu Dahe and Xiao Qi dismantled the carriage together and made it into a flatbed car, and Yu Shi and Laifu put it on the car and pushed the road.

Yu Shi was already burned, lying in the car and muttering: "Don't leave me, don't leave me......"

Niu Juhua took a handkerchief to help Niu wipe the cold sweat on his forehead, "Mother, don't worry, I will never leave you." ”

At this time, Laifu finally screamed, and Ah Fu was a little happy, "Mother, Laifu will cry, he is not dumb." ”

Niu Shi glanced at Laifu and said: "Laifu may have been frightened just now before crying, Ah Fu, you get something to feed him, he hasn't eaten today." ”

After Ah Fu soaked the cake in water until soft, he fed it to Rifu with a wooden spoon.

On the afternoon of the eighth day, Xiao Qiyi and his party encountered a large group of people, seventy or eighty, and they robbed them when they saw them.

Xiao Qi picked up Fu and protected Niu and Ah Fu from the gang of people who grabbed things.

An hour later, Xiao Qi and the Hua family met, only to find that in the process of escaping, Liu Dahe and the Yu family were separated.

Niu wanted to turn around to find the two of them, but was stopped by Granny Hua, "Chrysanthemum, you can't even protect yourself, how can you go to Dahe and them?" ”

Old Man Hua also said: "We must continue to walk in the direction of Pengcheng, so that there is a glimmer of life, even if it is for Ah Fu, you should also move forward." ”

After being stopped, Niu squatted on the ground with his head in his arms and cried bitterly.

Xiao Qi squatted next to Niu, "Mother, I'll go find my father and grandma, don't worry, I will definitely find them." ”

Hua Xi'er: "I'll go with you." ”

Ah Fu also said that he would follow.

Xiao Qi said to Ah Fu: "Brother, you stay and take care of your mother and Laifu." ”

Then he turned to Hua Xi'er, "Aunt Xi, I can't leave you here, you and Grandpa Hua take care of my mother and them together, and I'll just go to my father alone." ”

Xiao Qi went back to find someone is undoubtedly the most suitable.

Old Man Hua saw a dilapidated house on the side of the road, so he said to everyone: "A few of us will rest in the dilapidated house in front of us first, and then set off together when Dahe and Xiaoqi come back." ”