Yang Xi waited for Wu Shan to leave, “He wants to leave with us.”

He spoke in an affirmative tone, and at the same time admired Wu Shan’s decisiveness.

Zhou Yu smiled, “In the past two days, I have talked about the hatred between the Xu family and our family, and emphasized that the Xu family has joined Jiang Qiansui.”

Yang Xi, “.”

It must have scared Wu Shan.

Zhou Yu lowered his voice and said, “I have been observing the Wu family for the past two days. The Wu family has good character. It will be safer to go with the Wu family.”

Yang Xi, “Well, I told Li Shi about the situation of the rioters in the north.”

Zhou Yu laughed, “Very good, I also analyzed the situation in the next few years.”

The couple smiled at each other. They had the same idea. In these troubled times, only by sticking together could they survive longer. It was too difficult for a family to fight alone. It was rare to have such great teammates as the Wu family.

The Wu family had many strong laborers. Although Wu Shan looked old, he was very strong. People from the north were tall, so no one dared to mess with the Wu family in this area.

Wu Shan went back and told them he was leaving. The whole family fell into silence. Having experienced the days of fleeing, they were now so comfortable that they were reluctant to leave.

Wu Shan said in a deep voice: “This is not a place to stay for long.”

How could the refugees be allowed to stay at the foot of the imperial city? He was afraid that the court wouldn’t tolerate them staying here and they would become a human wall as Master Zhou said.

Outside, Yang Xi moved her ears. Because they lived in the same shack, she and Zhou Yu had been speaking very quietly. The Wu family was used to loud voices, so she could still hear something even if they lowered their voices, especially when the Wu sons were emotional.

Yang Xi looked at the finished sled and said, “In fact, even if the Wu family hadn’t encountered us, they would have survived.”

As for how many people could survive, she didn’t know.

Zhou Yu: “Well, Brother Wu is very far-sighted.”

He only said a few words, but Brother Wu was able to think further. This kind of wisdom was most rare!

The Wu family shack soon became quiet. Soon Wu Shan took his sons up the mountain to chop wood. He was truly a man of action.

Yang Xi saw it and said, “He really trusts you. He didn’t even ask where we are going.”

Zhou Yu looked at the Wu family father and son walking away and smiled, “We will leave after the Wu family’s sled is ready.”

The Wu family would be grateful for their choice today.

Yang Xi said, “Let’s buy some food before we leave.”

The Zhou family’s ancestral home was in Huizhou, which was not too far from the capital. It was separated by two states and could be reached in ten days by horse carriage. Huizhou was located in the west, and their goal was to go to the coastal states first.

Yang Xi touched the sled. She had made many ship models, and she felt better when she thought of this.

In the next two days, the Wu family not only made three sleds themselves but also helped the Zhou family build a shed on the sleds.

After the sled was ready, Zhou Yu prepared to leave, “Brother Wu, we’ll leave at midnight.”

Wu Shan said happily: “Okay.”

Zhou Yu returned to his own shed. Yang Xi had already put his things in place and was waiting to leave in the second half of the night.

Zhou Xiaomei was a little uneasy, “Sister-in-law, are we really leaving?”

Yang Xi nodded, “It’s not safe here, we should leave.”

Zhou Xiaomei stopped talking. She had experienced so much in such a short time that she especially cherished the rare peace and stability.

After dinner, except for Yang Xi and the child who couldn’t resist the sleepiness, the other Zhou family members did not sleep. Hearing the noise in the second half of the night, Yang Xi opened his eyes in a daze.

Zhou Yu said, “I’m not in a hurry to go out after just waking up.”

Yang Xi didn’t have the heart to wake up her son. In just a few days, the baby fat on her son’s face was gone.

There were people everywhere nearby, and no matter how careful the Wu and Zhou families were, they still made some noise. Although no one came out to check, Yang Xi knew that someone must be watching through the cracks in the straw hut.

Thanks to the first heavy snowfall, the compacted snow made sledding easier.

The Wu family was familiar with the nearby villages, so they did not take the official road but walked along the country road.

When it was dawn, the Zhou family’s sled followed behind the Wu family. Yang Xi could see further and realized that someone was following them.

(End of this chapter)

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