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墨書 Inktalez
Xiao Yun, Zhang Dashan, and Li Chunhua rowed the boat, and after a night of fleeing, they finally reached Baiyue Village, about twenty kilometers from Lianba Village, completely exhausted. This small village occasionally had some commercial dealings with Lianba Village, and Zhang Dashan's ironware had been sold here before, so he at least had some connections.
The dawn light gradually climbed up the horizon, and the faint glow made the outline of the small village clearer. Xiao Yun leaned against the side of the boat, her eyelids heavy and on the verge of closing. She looked so fatigued that it seemed she could collapse at any moment. Zhang Dashan silently packed their belongings, moving quickly and methodically. He knew that they had to appear normal; otherwise, their sudden appearance in the village would surely raise suspicion among the villagers.
"Chunhua, take good care of Xiao Yun," Zhang Dashan said softly, his eyes filled with concern and fatigue. Li Chunhua nodded and supported Xiao Yun, allowing her to lean on her shoulder.
"Child, just hold on a little longer; we will find a place to rest soon," Li Chunhua said gently, patting Xiao Yun's back.
Xiao Yun struggled to open her eyes and nodded slightly, but the exhaustion in her eyes was evident. She felt the love from her foster parents, a warmth rising in her heart that provided some comfort during this escape.
Zhang Dashan slung their belongings over his shoulder and quietly led his family along the small path to the shore. They carefully avoided crowds and tried to move discreetly deeper into the village. The villagers began to get busy; some were preparing breakfast while others were tending to household chores. Zhang Dashan worked hard to make himself and his family appear like early risers from the village.
"We're going to find Lao Liu; he's an acquaintance of mine here and should be able to help us," Zhang Dashan whispered to Li Chunhua.
Li Chunhua nodded and slowly walked while supporting Xiao Yun. Although Xiao Yun was so tired she could barely stand, she persisted, knowing this was an important part of their escape.
Finally, they arrived at a dilapidated small house. Zhang Dashan gently knocked on the door. After a moment, a scruffy middle-aged man opened it, surprise and confusion evident in his eyes.
"Zhang Dashan? What brings you here so early?" Lao Liu asked in astonishment.
"Lao Liu, we have some trouble and need to stay here for a while," Zhang Dashan said quietly, his gaze pleading.
Lao Liu paused for a moment, somewhat bewildered. "What happened? Why is your whole family here?"
Zhang Dashan's expression was blank as he pressed his lips together and said softly, "Lao Liu, we have some difficulties that are hard to explain right now. I'm really sorry."
Lao Liu looked at Xiao Yun's disheveled appearance, then at Li Chunhua's worried face and Zhang Dashan's tired expression, filled with confusion. He scratched his head but ultimately said nothing more, deciding not to press further. He understood his friends' predicament and knew it wasn't the right time to ask too many questions.
"Alright, come in," Lao Liu sighed, opened the door, and let the three of them quickly enter the house.
Zhang Dashan nodded gratefully, supporting Li Chunhua and Xiao Yun as they walked inside. Lao Liu closed the door and turned to look at the family, filled with questions but decided to first provide them with a safe place.
"Please sit down; I'll get you some water," Lao Liu said as he walked into the kitchen, took out a few old ceramic bowls, filled them with water, and brought them to the table in the living room.
Li Chunhua helped Xiao Yun sit down while Xiao Yun leaned back against the chair, her eyes showing immense fatigue. Zhang Dashan picked up a bowl, handed it to his wife and daughter, and took a big gulp himself, feeling slightly rejuvenated.
"Thank you, Lao Liu," Zhang Dashan said gratefully.
"It's nothing; we're friends," Lao Liu waved his hand and sat down to look at them. "But what exactly happened? Why did you need to leave Lianba Village in such a hurry?"
Zhang Dashan hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to share part of the truth with Lao Liu: "We offended some people we shouldn't have, and now we're being hunted down. We had no choice but to escape."
Upon hearing this, Lao Liu looked at Zhang Dashan in surprise, filled with confusion and concern. He couldn't understand how this family got involved in such strange matters and immediately thought about how he might be implicated as well. Although he was a loner, he didn't want to lose his life for no reason. Lao Liu's expression became somewhat complicated, his eyes revealing a hint of hesitation and unease.
Zhang Dashan noticed Lao Liu's change in demeanor and realized he had brought considerable trouble to his friend. Feeling guilty, he quickly said, "Lao Liu, let us rest for a bit; we... I’ll go find a place on the nearby hill later... I won't disturb you for long!"
After hearing this, Lao Liu's expression became complex. He looked at the exhausted faces of Zhang Dashan's family, feeling both worried and reluctant. Taking a deep breath, he ultimately decided to help these friends.
“Zhang Dashan, don’t say that.” Lao Liu sighed, his tone softening a bit. “You all rest here for now, and I will think of a way to help you. As for finding a place to hide, I will go check around to see if there’s a suitable location.”
Zhang Dashan nodded gratefully, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “Thank you, Lao Liu, we really don’t want to trouble you.”
“We're friends, so don’t be so polite.” Lao Liu waved his hand, then turned to Li Chunhua and Xiao Yun, speaking softly, “You both can rest easy. With me around, I will do my best to help you.”
Tears welled up in Li Chunhua’s eyes as she gratefully held Lao Liu’s hand. “Thank you, Lao Liu, really, thank you.”
Xiao Yun leaned against her mother’s shoulder, utterly exhausted but still feeling a sense of warmth. She managed to force a smile and nodded at Lao Liu.
“Alright, you all rest first. I’ll go prepare some food,” Lao Liu said before walking into the kitchen to get busy. He knew that this family needed not only rest but also food and support.
Zhang Dashan watched Lao Liu bustling about, filled with gratitude and guilt. He understood that Lao Liu was taking a significant risk to help them, and they needed to find a safe hiding place as soon as possible; they couldn’t keep relying on their friend’s help.
“Chunhua, Xiao Yun, you two rest for a bit. I’ll go help,” Zhang Dashan said softly before standing up and walking into the kitchen to assist Lao Liu in preparing food.
Li Chunhua and Xiao Yun lay on the makeshift bed, exhaustion quickly pulling them into sleep. Zhang Dashan and Lao Liu busied themselves in the kitchen, each harboring different thoughts but sharing a common goal: to ensure this family could safely weather this crisis.
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