111-120

Chapter 111

Lin Zhen squatted down in the narrow gap between the rocks and moved to his side: "Your injuries are so severe, I thought it would take you several days to wake up."

There was nothing more joyful than Gu Lin waking up. Lin Zhen smiled, his slightly round eyes curved into a crescent shape, and his straight nose wrinkled a little, making him look younger.

Gu Lin looked at him, and everything in his mind came back to him. He wanted to say something, but after a long time he could only say two words. Lin Zhen hurriedly said: "Don't worry, wait until you feel better. Here, this is the medicine for fever. After drinking it, wait until noon to see if there is any residual heat. I will go to the nearby mountains to see if there are any herbs with the same effect." Although it was dried, I think it was not completely ineffective except that the effect was a little worse.

It was just like other weeds, all of them were dried yellow, and it was hard to find.

Gu Lin lost too much blood and was in pain all over his body, which slowed down his brain's reaction speed. However, when he saw Lin Zhen was in front of him, he did not see Lin Zhen's panic when he just woke up, so he withdrew from his body. He opened his mouth a little and let Lin Zhen hold the bamboo cup to feed him medicine.

Lin Zhen held the bamboo cup in one hand and lifted his head a little with the other hand, leaning on his legs, and said: "After you fainted yesterday, I covered the body of that evil man with grass, and then used the medicine he carried to stop your bleeding. Fortunately, he had two bottles of hemostatic medicine, which was just enough for you, otherwise it would be dangerous..."

The scene of Gu Lin falling in front of him yesterday really scared Lin Zhen, so he was particularly happy at this moment. While feeding him medicine, he told Gu Lin what happened yesterday, such as how he dragged him into the crevice of the stone and went to their daytime rest place. He found food, water, and a small medicine box in a place where he had been buried. He then came back to dig a pit to boil medicine, changed his towel, and finally talked about the little mouse that crawled over his feet, saying, "It has a sharp nose. I smelled it just as I brought the food. Fortunately, it didn't bring its offspring with it. Our food supply is not enough for it to carry."

Gu Lin leaned his head on his legs and listened to him talking about these things. From Gu Lin's angle, he could see his chin, lips, and nose. Occasionally, when he lowered his head to look at Gu Lin, Gu Lin could see his eyes.

Gu Lin liked this moment very much, even though the crevice was very narrow and he had just retracted a leg that had passed the gate of hell.

This was the moment when he could lean on Lin Zhen's legs openly without being pushed away by Lin Zhen or looked at strangely by others.

When he was eight or nine years old, Lin Zhen would pick him up from time to time and treat him as a child.

But since he was ten years old, his height became more and more like a big child, and Lin Zhen never hugged him again.

After feeding him the medicine, Lin Zhen said, "I'll take two rice cakes and put them on the charcoal. They will be cooked in a while. Eat one and then rest."

The food collected from the bottom of the mountain was placed in the corner of the cracks between the rocks. There were two bags that could hold ten kilograms of food.

He tied these things when he came out of the city. He knew that they were filled with rice cakes and white rice. The two bags weighed twenty kilograms in total. He was injured and would have to lie down for at least ten days before he could move. In addition, the journey back to Anyuan Town was not enough.

He looked at Lin Zhen and blinked, indicating that he understood.

Lin Zhen took the empty bamboo cup out. The two rice cakes in the fire pit were indeed roasted by the residual heat of the charcoal, emitting the fragrance of rice. At this time and place, it was not an exaggeration to say that he was a winner in life to have a bite of rice cake.

Lin Zhen turned the rice cake over, and when it was soft and not hard in the middle, he wiped off the dust and ate his own in two or three bites, and fed the remaining one to Gu Lin.

Seven or eight days later, Lin Zhen supported Gu Lin and walked slowly on the wasteland in front of the stone crack.

"Don't be so anxious, it will be more troublesome if the wound is accidentally torn." He originally wanted to pull Gu Lin, but Gu Lin was taller than him, so pulling him would not work at all. He could only put Gu Lin's uninjured arm on his shoulder to lend Gu Lin some strength.

They were lucky these days. Except for a few animals that ate corpses and ran here, they did not see the refugee army or other refugees, so Gu Lin rested for a few days.

However, the consumption of food and water was visible to the naked eye. The two of them had two rice cakes per meal at the beginning, but now they shared one. The water also returned to the water shortage a few days ago. They would not touch it unless they could not bear it anymore.

Even so, there was only one bag of rice cakes left, and even less water, only four bamboo cups.

Gu Lin leaned half of his body on him and said, "Only the wound on the shoulder is a little serious, the other parts are fine, Uncle Lin, we will leave after we have dealt with our worries, and continue to move forward according to the path that Wang Youcai said that day."

"Although there were many refugees who robbed the refugees that day, as long as the two of us are more alert and avoid them in time, we should be fine." In this place where there is nothing but rocks, they will really starve after eating the remaining rations. They have to find water and food while they still have some support.

Lin Zhen was really worried about his injury, but he also knew that what Gu Lin said was true, so he nodded: "Okay." He

left as soon as he said he would, and helped Gu Lin to move for a while, then let go of his hand to make sure that except for his strange walking posture, everything else was fine. Then Lin Zhen put the bag of food, the bamboo cup filled with water, several empty bamboo cups, and the small medicine box into the simple small backpack he had made with rattan when he had nothing to do these days, and put it on his back: "Let's go."

Gu Lin nodded. His hatchet was broken and completely unusable. He was holding the huge broadsword of the tall bandit leader.

This broadsword was very heavy, with a thick handle and a long and thick blade. If Gu Lin had not practiced archery for many years and had much more strength than his peers, it would have been difficult for him to even pick it up, let alone use it.

There was also his bow and the less than ten arrows he had retrieved, as well as the tripwire of the first bandit he had killed. He endured the stinging pain from the wound on his shoulder and the dull pain in his chest and stomach: "Let's go back to the road where we rested that day and walk along the abandoned official road. According to what Wang Youcai said, we will see a village soon. From the edge of the village is the main river channel of the river in Anyuan Town. If you encounter a fork in the road, turn left and you will arrive in seven days."

"That village must have been massacred by the refugee army, and they may still be stationed there, so we have to bypass this village." This is much safer, but the opposite is that they don't know how far the journey will be, and they have to consider the distribution of food.

If it weren't for his injuries, Gu Lin would be sure to take Lin Zhen on the official road, but now he has to take a detour.

Lin Zhen carried the things on his back and said, "It's okay to take a detour. If it doesn't work, we can just leave the remaining food and rice cakes alone. We can dig deeper into the tree roots to make do. It's only about ten days or half a month's journey. Climb. We have to climb back."

Gu Lin's heart was touched by the words "father and son". He took a deep look at Lin Zhen's thin face, which was peeling due to the sun, and turned his head away silently.

Lin Zhen didn't think much about his sudden silence. Gu Lin was like this often these days. Lin Zhen felt that he was worried about the next journey for the two of them.

After so many days, the bodies of the refugees who had fled the famine and suffered from the murderous hands of the refugee army had already been highly rotten. Not only were they crawling with maggots, but they also exuded nauseating corpse fluids. Many of the bodies were eaten into pieces by wild beasts and dragged everywhere.

Lin Zhen still couldn't get used to it and almost vomited out the half piece of rice cake he had just eaten in the morning.

"I don't know when the drought will end..." Having seen so many people and so many things along the way, Lin Zhenzhen truly felt at this moment how devastating the natural and man-made disasters were to the lower-class people. It was not an exaggeration to say that nine out of ten houses were empty.

Just like the corpses lying here without anyone to collect them, they are also someone's son, someone's daughter, someone's husband, someone's parents. When the disaster came, they had no strength to resist, and could only follow the footsteps of their fellow villagers to leave the familiar land and go to a foreign land.

But they still died here, died in the hands of those self-important executioners who took advantage of the chaos and put themselves above others with a little bit of force.

Maybe they also regretted it, it would be better for them to stay at home, at least there is a shelter, not exposed in the wilderness, not eaten by wild beasts.

Lin Zhen walked with his head down, and suddenly said, "If you are an official who governs such a place, you should just find a pillar and kill yourself. You are just occupying a position and harming people."

He was like a flood that had been opened, and he couldn't hold it back. He said that when the drought showed signs, people should be encouraged to plant drought-resistant crops instead of continuing to plant Luozhou rice, which tasted good but had low yields and was more delicate than other rice. Sorghum, buckwheat, and sweet potatoes were very good drought-resistant crops. Even if they couldn't have a good harvest, they wouldn't be a total loss, and they could calm the hearts of the people in the city and the surrounding areas.

Then, when the situation was about to get out of control, he went to the government soldiers, and they were fighting day after day, until a group of refugees gathered together and marched into the city gate, and hundreds of years of prosperity were burned down.

Gu Lin had been with him since he was a child. He would give every policy paper he wrote after studying to him for review. He knew that what his uncle Lin said was right. Although Uncle Lin was not a scholar like them who was going to take the imperial examination, he had his own unique insights in policy papers, especially in the area of ​​people's livelihood.

Just as Uncle Lin said, if the prefect of the city, or other people who could make decisions, could have associated the drought in Yongzhou with themselves earlier, and let the people who were ploughing in the spring change to drought-resistant sorghum, buckwheat, and sweet potatoes, the people's hearts in the city would not have collapsed so quickly. If it weren't for the power struggle between the prefect of the city and the prefecture city's Xuanfu Envoy, which was heard by the people in the city, resulting in the civil and military officials in the city not interacting with each other until they died, but working together, the huge city would never have been occupied by the refugee army so easily.

Chapter 112

However, one of them was a common man, and the other was a student of Huaishan Academy who was not even fifteen years old. Neither of them could make the decision. No matter how many words and methods they had, it would be in vain.

The two of them walked forward with their heads down, just as they said on the stone mountain, walking along the edge of the abandoned official road.

As autumn approached, the sun was a little weaker than in the past few days, but the wind was getting drier and drier, and the dead grass and trees were blown everywhere, flying all over the sky.

At noon on the fourth day, Lin Zhen and Gu Lin, who deliberately avoided the place where the refugee army might be stationed, stood on the towering stone mountain path that could see the village, but was actually half a day's journey away from the village, looking at the smoke rising from the village: "The group of refugee army really settled in the village."

It was inevitable that the refugees would avoid them or lack food, so it was impossible for them to light up the smoke and make a fire to cook in broad daylight near mealtime.

As soon as Lin Zhen saw them, he remembered how they slaughtered the refugees that day. He was so disgusted that he felt his eyes were dirty just by looking at them. At the same time, he was also a little worried: "This place is not far from Anyuan Town. If this group of people suddenly attack Anyuan Town, the thirty or so yamen runners in the town will not be able to resist at all."

Gu Lin also thought of this and said: "These refugee soldiers have no foresight. They are satisfied with being full and being their own small leaders. The probability of them attacking Anyuan Town depends on how long the food and water here can last. Without food and water, they will soon find a new place to stay."

The food and drink for hundreds of people is not a small amount. It can't last long just by looting the refugees who have fled from famine and don't have much food.

The majority of the food and drink for this group of refugee soldiers is probably from this village that seems to have dozens of households. They killed everyone in the village, so naturally they occupied the rations of the villagers.

Gu Lin and Lin Zhen were not wrong. This group of refugees was actually the same group as the one that entered the city. However, their leader, the tall bandit leader that Gu Lin killed at the cost of 1,000 lives, was unwilling to obey the leader of the refugees. He simply took advantage of the chaos to bring these people here to establish his own territory. As

soon as they arrived, they killed all the men, old people and children in the village, leaving only the young women and boys. They ate, drank and had fun all day long. When they were in the mood, they would rob and kill refugees fleeing famine on the road. They lived a very enjoyable life.

But now their boss has not appeared for half a month, and the people below are a little worried.

"Second brother, the boss and the fourth brother are not here, what should we do?" A short, but ruddy, and fleshy man asked the man with shifty eyes who was sitting in front of him, who looked like a rat spirit.

The rat spirit man was also irritable. After all, the tall man who brought them here was notoriously cruel and ruthless. He would take people as sacrifices if he said something wrong, regardless of whether they were close or distant.

All of them were afraid.

But he was secretly happy in his heart. If something happened to the boss and he couldn't come back, he would have picked up a ready-made leader.

The man who had become a rat was excited when he thought about leading this group of people to fight wherever they wanted, instead of following the tall man like a grandson.

But he was also afraid that the tall man was not dead, but was delayed for a while. If he moved too early, he would be caught by the tail and he would be beheaded on the spot.

So the man who had become a rat said, "I'm afraid the eldest and fourth brother were delayed by something. Let's wait a few more days. If they don't come back in a few days, we'll see."

The bandits below said, "It's too boring for us to be here. There are only a few girls and boys left. Let's wait for the first and fourth bosses to come back and find another place. It's better to find a place with more money. Look at the girls and boys in the wild mountains and ridges. They are boring."

"It's all because you don't know the importance of the matter. You've killed them all."

"I'm tired of this damn place. I should have gone to..." Where to go? Go to the capital. It's a rich and gentle place. The girls and boys there are not comparable to those in the countryside.

It's a pity that they followed the wrong person and came to this deep mountain forest to suffer!

There are many people who think the same as him, but because of the tall and cruel bandit leader, they usually keep their mouths shut like clams. They can only say a few words when the bandit leader is not here.

The third brother, who looked like a rat spirit, listened to the murmuring sounds below, but did not stop them. Instead, he asked, "Who among you is familiar with the surroundings? How far is the nearest place from us? Can we make a big profit?"

Someone immediately raised his hand, "I used to run around all the time. There is a town about six or seven days away from us. There are hundreds of families in the town, and they are all fat sheep."

"The town?" The third brother, who looked like a rat spirit, had followed the leaders to attack other places and knew that there were military forces in the town, about three or four hundred people.

Although their number is slightly larger than the troops in the town, about five or six hundred, he still wants to rely on these people to do things and run errands for him and live a comfortable life, but he doesn't want to put all his people in: "The town can't do it, they have soldiers, and we can't let our brothers go to die."

The person who spoke waved his hand and said cunningly: "Third boss, although there are soldiers in the town, they are not gathered together. They are stationed in three places. They can only be mobilized with the order of the county magistrate."

"As long as we are quick enough, we can grab the silver, food, women and brothers and run away. By the time those officers and soldiers come, we will have run away to the horizon."

"You know all the ins and outs of it." The third boss, who looked like a rat spirit, looked at the man under his command and admired him very much.

The man said, "In fact, I was also a soldier in the town before. I just slept with a girl, and they drove me out. I was lucky to meet this good year, and my skills can be put to good use."

The third brother, who looked like a rat, nodded and said, "Okay, it's settled. You will lead the way and scout the place. If the matter succeeds, I will say a few good words for you in front of the big boss and let you be the fifth boss!"

After so many days, the third brother has 80% of my eldest and fourth brothers dying outside, but he still has to say some polite words to avoid any disaster in the future.

The person who came up with the idea was ecstatic and bowed repeatedly, "Thank you, third boss, thank you, third boss!"

Gu Lin and Lin Zhen took a detour from the mountain, and it took them two days to get to the back of the village. In another half a day, they can reach the main river of Majin River. At this moment, they still have some food left, but only half a bamboo tube of water.

Moreover, Lin Zhen felt that the wound on his foot pierced by the thorns was getting worse and worse. Even if he gritted his teeth and kept on stepping down, it would be difficult to hold on.

"Shuanzi," Lin Zhen would only call him by his nickname when no one was around, "let's take a break."

Gu Lin knew that he had an injury on his foot, and he slowly moved the things to himself along the way, but looking at his face now, he knew that he had been holding on, and he didn't even notice it.

He bent down with a solemn expression, and put his hand on Lin Zhen's red cheek, which was a little hot. He

took off his shoes without paying attention to Lin Zhen's obstruction. The instep of his socks had long been stained with blood brown, and his soles were swollen as big as the original two.

Gu Lin carefully took off his socks, and saw that the place pierced by the thorns was swollen with pus, and the skin at the wound had rotted.

He looked around and suddenly reached out and picked up Lin Zhen with one hand using the arm on his uninjured shoulder, and put him in a place where the bushes were particularly dense: "Wait here for me, I'll find medicine for you."

"There's no village or shop in this desolate mountain area, where can you find medicine? It's okay, I'll tie it tightly with a cloth, and we'll be in town in a few days." In fact, every step Lin Zhen took felt like he was walking on the edge of a knife. If it weren't for the danger of death, he really wanted to find a place to lie down and have a good rest.

Gu Lin straightened up, wielding the huge broadsword, and cut a few thick branches around, inserting them into the bushes to pretend that they were dead trees, completely hiding Lin Zhen's body: "The group of refugees are down there, I'll be fine if I'm careful."

"Gu Lin..."

"If you don't take medicine for your feet, they will get worse and worse, and the high fever will be even more difficult to treat, and I should also change the medicine for my shoulder."

"Uncle Lin, I'll be back in two hours." Gu Lin put the remaining water and rations next to Lin Zhen, and walked down the hillside they had climbed up with his knife and bow and arrow.

The village where the refugees gathered happened to be in the valley, and they deliberately took a detour to avoid running into the hundreds of refugees. Now Gu Lin went down again to find medicine.

Lin Zhen sighed, not knowing whether he had seen too many things in this disaster, he felt powerless for the first time.

Along the way, Gu Lin was in danger again and again because of him, but he could not help him at all.

——The

layout of the village is generally the same, built along the river or the foot of the mountain, in a long strip, which caused the hundreds of refugees to be scattered, which was convenient for Gu Lin to act.

He spotted a refugee who got up to urinate next to the house, and suddenly grabbed his neck: "If you move, I will break your neck."

The refugee didn't expect that someone would be so brave to sneak in here, and he was scared to death: "Okay, spare my life, I won't move, I won't move."

Gu Lin's hand did not loosen at all, and said in his ear: "What are the wound medicines on you, take them all out."

His life was in his hands. How could this refugee who was afraid of death dare to resist, and said: "Yes, there are hemostatic powder and trauma powder."

"Does anyone else have it?"

"No, there is not much medicine, only our small leaders have it."

Gu Lin didn't expect that his luck was good, and he caught a small leader so accurately that he successfully got a batch of wound medicine.

He snapped the man's neck and dragged the body a little to the back of the house, following the houses to other places.

Chapter 113

The small leaders in the refugee army were quite conspicuous. Most of them were fat and bloated, just like poor people who suddenly became rich and ate the best food. Some of them even hugged the girls and boys who were originally from this village and had sex there in broad daylight.

Gu Lin found an opportunity to kill two more and got a total of seven or eight bottles of medicine. Suddenly, when he was about to leave along the way he came, he heard one of the group of people spit out the three words "Anyuan Town".

The treacherous-looking, bearded migrant soldier said, "Why do you keep pestering me to tell you about my experience as a soldier in Anyuan Town? The inspector who was in charge of me was so boring. He forced us to train every day and talked about benevolence, righteousness, and morality, but it was all useless."

"But, hehe," said the treacherous-looking former soldier from Anyuan Town, "before I left Anyuan Town, I heard that there was a guy in our town. Wow, he was so beautiful, and he looked like a vixen. Her face, waist, and butt were so beautiful."

"If we can successfully take over Anyuan Town this time, I will look for her carefully and taste what this vixen tastes like."

"Is she really that beautiful?"

"Of course not. Even the young masters of wealthy families in this town have fallen for him. They even gave up their mothers to be with him."

Suddenly, a panicked voice sounded, "Someone sneaked in and killed a few people!"

The few people who were talking about how to take over Anyuan Town suddenly became like frightened birds, looking around with their backs to each other.

Knowing that he was exposed, Gu Lin looked at the two horses tied by these people in front of the largest thatched house in the village, and suddenly ran over there with a leap. He shook the huge broadsword in his hand fiercely, shaking away the refugees who were blocking his way.

He wanted to ride away on the horse, treat Uncle Lin's injuries, and return to Anyuan Town as soon as possible to report the news. At least he couldn't let this group of refugees rob Anyuan Town without even a little reaction like the city.

The heavy broadsword followed his strength, and the sound of the wind made several refugees terrified.

"That's the knife of the big boss!"

"How could the knife of the big boss be in his hand!"

The man with a face full of flesh and the man who looked like a rat came out of the house after hearing the sound. They were very surprised to hear that someone had broken into the village. When they saw the huge broadsword in Gu Lin's hand, their faces changed drastically.

That was their boss's personal broadsword, and no one except their boss could use it. Now it was in the hands of the young man in front of him.

The third brother, who looked like a rat, had a dark face. "Stop him!"

He retreated. Although he didn't like the eldest brother's temper, he had a clear understanding of his martial arts. Even if the three of them were combined, they couldn't beat him. Since this boy could take the broadsword from the eldest brother, his martial arts must be good. He wouldn't rush to die.

Gu Lin knew that he couldn't delay for a moment. He used a heavy broadsword to keep more than 20 refugee soldiers from getting close to him, as if he didn't feel the knife wound on his shoulder. Then the trip rope flew out and entangled the beam where the horses were tied. He took a step forward and jumped onto the horse's back. At the same time, he swung the huge broadsword to kill another horse, eliminating the chance of these people catching up with him. He turned the horse and galloped out.

"Neigh!!!" The horse was suddenly jumped on by someone, and it raised its front hooves in anger. Gu Lin clamped the horse's belly hard and knocked the horse's belly with his heels. "Go!"

No matter how reluctant the horse was, it knew that it couldn't get rid of the person on its back, so it neighed and ran in the direction indicated by Gu Lin.

"Damn it!" Looking at the corpse of the last horse and several people seriously injured on the ground, the third brother who looked like a rat was gnashing with hatred.

And the refugees who rushed out looked at Gu Lin's back as he left on horseback, and asked him and the man with a face full of fat: "Second in command, third in command, do you want to chase him?"

"He's riding a horse, and you chase him on foot, can you catch up?! Idiot!!!"

And that person even killed the boss, and those few people were just delivering food to others.

"Bah!" The third brother who looked like a rat spat hard, and could only pinch his nose and swallow this loss.

When Gu Lin rode out on horseback, he was careful. He did not run straight towards Anyuan Town where Lin Zhen was. Instead, he randomly found another direction, ran for a distance, and then ran back. He looked at the faint red on his left shoulder and knew that the wound had been slightly opened by the huge broadsword just now, but fortunately, it was not completely torn. He

rode the horse quickly and soon arrived at the place where Lin Zhen was hiding. He got off the horse and pulled away the branches and dry bushes on top.

Lin Zhen, who was a little dazed by the fever and thought that there was something wrong with his ears, actually heard the sound of horse hooves, raised his head and looked at him: "Shuanzi..."

He sat in the bushes and looked up at Gu Lin from the bottom. It was a look that Gu Lin rarely saw, with watery eyes and soft voice.

Gu Lin paused, carried him out of the bushes, put him on the ground next to him, broke off a dead wood and handed it to his mouth: "Uncle Lin, I'm going to help you squeeze out the pus in your wound, just bear with it."

Lin Zhen, whose cheeks were flushed with fever, took the dead wood and bit it in his mouth. He didn't even dare to touch his foot himself, it was so painful. Now he had to squeeze out the pus inside, you can imagine how painful it would be, he was not sure of himself.

"Okay, you do it." He held the dead wood stick in his mouth and said vaguely.

Gu Lin held his no longer white and thin foot and used some force. In an instant, the pus inside gushed out, yellow and white, looking very disgusting.

Lin Zhen was in so much pain that tears came out. His brain, which was a little confused due to the fever, seemed to be pricked by a needle and instantly became much clearer.

He made two pitiful whimpers from his nose, one hand grasped the stone on the ground, and the other hand grasped the clothes on Gu Lin's right shoulder.

He was in pain, and so was Gu Lin. If possible, Gu Lin wished that all the injuries on his body could be transferred to himself, so that he could bear them instead of him.

Gu Lin glanced at him, squeezed out the pus from the soles of his feet with his hands, and then wiped it with the cloth of his relatively clean inner clothes, took out the medicine for treating injuries that he had robbed from the leader of the refugee army, and sprinkled a thick layer on the soles and insteps of his feet, and also applied it to the festering blisters on his two feet, and then wrapped them with cloth.

"These refugee soldiers have set their sights on Anyuan Town. Uncle Lin, we must hurry back to Anyuan Town to inform them so that they can prepare for the situation."

"They are going to Anyuan Town." Lin Zhen couldn't imagine what this group of vicious refugee soldiers would do if they arrived at Anyuan Town. He trembled in his heart and said, "Okay, let's go."

Suddenly, Lin Zhen's vision shook, and he subconsciously reached out to hug whatever he could. When he realized it, he realized that Gu Lin's right hand was around his waist and back, and his left hand, which was tied to his left shoulder, was placed under his legs, and he was hugging Gu Lin's neck.

This posture was so strange that Lin Zhen opened his eyes wide and was a little unresponsive.

He looked at Gu Lin's chin and after a long time, he said, "Gu, Gu Shuanzi, you..."

Gu Lin's face still had the same expression as before, "Your foot is injured, I'll help you get on the horse."

But only Gu Lin himself knew what he was thinking when he said this.

Lin Zhen blinked his eyes, said "oh", and with the help of Gu Lin, he stretched his legs and stepped onto the horse's back. The saddle under his buttocks was not particularly hard, but he had never ridden a horse before, and he felt that his body was out of his control. He was also a little afraid that the horse would rush forward, so he unconsciously clamped his legs against the horse's belly. The horse, which

was already a bit temperamental, snorted a few times when its belly was clamped, and it was about to kick.

Gu Lin held Lin Zhen on the horse with one hand and held the saddle with the other. He kicked the horse's butt hard, kicking the horse to be obedient. He grabbed the saddle and jumped behind Lin Zhen, holding the reins from his waist: "Uncle Lin, don't be afraid, I won't let you fall."

"Relax your waist and back, and don't clamp your legs against the horse's belly."

Two people rode on one saddle, which was crowded. Lin Zhen was a little uncomfortable at first, but this was the child he raised with his own hands, and the discomfort soon dissipated.

And it was really as Gu Lin said, no matter how fast he went, there was no danger of him falling, and he gradually put his mind at ease.

This was the easiest journey in half a month. The painful feet were applied with medicine, and they didn't have to endure the pain to walk. Even the wind blowing on their faces felt a little cool.

It took them more than an hour to reach the main river channel of the Majin River, which would take half a day to walk. They saw a river channel of four or five feet wide lying there like a winding dragon and snake. The water level in the river had dropped by more than half, and there was still a shallow layer left.

It's good to have water. With water, they don't have to rely on that half cup of water to survive the next two or three days.

Gu Lin didn't let Lin Zhen get off the horse, but jumped off the horse himself, first found a relatively flat place to go down, and led the horse carrying Lin Zhen down.

He stepped on the reins and let the horse go down a little to drink water. He dipped the dry bamboo cup into the river water and handed it to Lin Zhen.

At this moment, it doesn't matter whether it is river water or well water, or whether it is boiled or not. It's good to have something to drink. Lin Zhen held the cup of water and swallowed the water impatiently. His dry and cracked lips were a little painful when they were soaked by the water, but it was comfortable. His mouth, throat, and internal organs all sent signals of joy because of this full cup of water.

Lin Zhen quickly finished a cup and handed the cup to Gu Lin: "More."

Gu Lin saw that the corners of his mouth were wet, and his eyes finally looked alive. He smiled and took the cup and filled it with water again and handed it over.

This time, Lin Zhen finally looked less like a starving ghost. He looked at the river connecting to Anyuan Town: "Anyuan Town is much lower than here. Since there is still some water here, there should be more water in Anyuan Town than here." Anyuan

Town itself has many small rivers. In addition to the deep mountains and old forests, the town and surrounding villages are full of rivers. This is why Lin Zhen ran straight back from the capital.

It is too far to go to other places, and I don't know the way. It is better to go back to Anyuan Town, at least I have some confidence.

But to say that he was completely sure before, that would be a lie. He was also uneasy in his heart, until he saw the Majin River with a little water left, he felt relieved.

Chapter 114

The river is wide, and there are many animals that come here to drink water.

Birds, rabbits, roe deer, deer... and some beasts, there was a moment of harmony before they drank enough water.

The horse that Gu Lin robbed also lowered its head to drink water attentively. The long mane on its neck was a little frizzy, and the black and gray mixed color did not look good, but the skeleton was good, and it did not weaken after carrying the two of them for such a long distance.

Lin Zhen was on the horse, and he handed the bamboo tubes in the backpack to Gu Lin, asking Gu Lin to fill them with water and put them back. The two rode the horses and turned left at the fork in the road called Majin River according to what Wang Youcai, the servant of Wang Qin, said.

Fearing that the only horse for the two people would be exhausted to death in this desolate mountain and wilderness, and they would have to walk back again, Gu Lin did not urge the horse to speed up, but trotted for a while and found a cliff before nightfall.

Gu Lin stood under the horse and opened his arms to Lin Zhen: "Thanks to Uncle Lin's good eyesight, he found such a place. We can have a good sleep tonight."

Lin Zhen was also very happy looking at this cliff that could shelter him from the wind and rain. He was used to living in a house, so he was still a little nervous about sleeping in the wild. He was afraid that some wolves, tigers and leopards would suddenly run out at night and drag them into their dens for midnight snacks.

Although the cliff could not completely isolate the danger, it was already very good compared to the wild with wind blowing everywhere.

It's just...

Looking at Gu Lin's open arms, Lin Zhen felt that this kid seemed to take care of him too much. When he encountered a steep road and the horse was difficult to walk on the road, he got off the horse and led him to walk, which was fine, but he wanted to take him down here?

Lin Zhen put his leg over and said, "My other foot is fine. It's okay. Go pick up more firewood and I'll get some to lay on. It's getting colder at night."

As he spoke, Lin Zhen handed him the backpack on his back, landed on the foot that was not pierced by the thorns but only had blisters, limped around under the cliff, and nodded with satisfaction.

Gu Lin slowly retracted his open arms, looked at his back, tied the horse to the spacious other side of the cliff, and went to the nearby forest to pick up enough firewood for the night.

The drought not only made people suffer, but also the animals. Those who survived were particularly fierce. Without the deterrence of the fire, it was impossible for them to sleep peacefully at night.

Lin Zhen chose a place to sleep at night, a place close to the innermost part of the cliff cave. There were no stalactites hanging from the top that might fall down, and no strange animal footprints below. He turned around and went to the surrounding area of ​​the cliff cave entrance to pick up wild grass.

Now there is nothing much outside, just dry wild grass and dry branches.

He quickly ran to the cliff cave twice, squatting to spread the hay evenly on the ground. After a while, Gu Lin, who had gone to find firewood, also came back. Lin Zhen walked over and helped him break the dead branches into long and short pieces for making fire. While breaking them, he asked: "In the city before, I only knew that you got up every morning to draw the bow and practice archery. I didn't know that you also learned martial arts so well. Did the teacher in your academy teach you?"

It was not even a month, and the few years in the city seemed like a thing of the past life. The two stores they opened on Sitong Street and the neighbors they had finally gotten to know became out of reach.

On the night they escaped from the city, everyone was like ants in a pot. No one cared to look at each other, and no one knew how many people could survive.

Gu Lin took out the fire starter hidden in his body and shook it a few times to rekindle the fire inside, saying: "This is the monthly homework of Huaishan Academy. I think it is very useful, so I go to the academy to practice every day after I draw the bow at home."

"Do you practice the content of the monthly lesson every day?"

"Yes, wait until the second month when the teacher teaches new things and then practice together."

"..." Lin Zhen looked at him and couldn't help but rub his head like when he was a child, "If you hadn't worked so hard, you and I wouldn't have come here."

As early as at the city gate, when he met Er Laizi and others, and when he was chased by the bandit leader who still scared Lin Zhen when he thought of it, he would stay in those places forever. How could he sit here and talk about these things now?

Lin Zhen couldn't help but think of Zhong Yan, Wang Qin and others. Since they were dispersed by the refugee army that day, they have never met again. How can they hold on without food and water, and where are they now?

Lin Zhen couldn't help but think about it, but didn't want to think too much. He just remembered what they said that day, to meet in Anyuan Town.

Various thoughts were intertwined in his mind. Lin Zhen took out a piece of rice cake that was slightly bigger than his palm from the bag in his backpack and roasted it next to the charcoal fire. When both sides of the rice cake were browned and soft to the touch, no longer hard, he wiped off the charcoal ash on it, divided it into two halves, one larger and the other smaller, and handed the larger half to Gu Lin: "Eat and sleep. You've been tired all day today and you have to continue on your journey tomorrow."

Gu Lin didn't stretch out his hand: "I'm not very hungry."

"Don't tell me what you said to anyone else. I don't know how much you eat." It was the growth period of his body, and Gu Lin's appetite was like a head. He had snacks with three meals a day, and he would eat up any food he was given. He hadn't really eaten enough in these days. His already thin figure looked even thinner, and his cheeks were a little sunken.

Lin Zhen stuffed the half of the rice cake into his hand and said, "Eat it. If Anyuan Town is as we thought, and your youngest uncle went to say hello first, the food at home should not be as tight as it is now."

As he said that, Lin Zhen ate his half of the rice cake in a few bites, patted the ashes on his hands, and lay down on the grass-covered ground next to him.

Gu Lin looked at the half of the brown and soft rice cake that was stuffed into his hand, and sat by the fire and ate it bite by bite, until the last piece of brown skin was put into his mouth and swallowed, and then he added a few tree trunks as thick as two palms to the fire. With such tree trunks, he didn't have to get up all the time to add firewood.

He walked to the sleeping place made by Lin Zhen and lay down half an arm away from Lin Zhen. He

lay flat at first, until Lin Zhen's breathing became steady and long, and then he silently turned his body to face him.

In fact, it's not just him. Lin Zhen has also lost a lot of weight these days. His white skin has been peeled off several times by the scorching sun. The tender flesh that has grown back has been exposed to the sun again, causing the skin on his face, neck, and hands to be all red, which is no longer the same as before.

But in Gu Lin's heart, Lin Zhen is Lin Zhen, his Uncle Lin. As long as he can hear his voice and smell his scent, he can confirm that the person in front of him is still the Uncle Lin he has been thinking about. It's enough.

The wind blew outside the cliff cave, and the dry leaves and dead grass were rustling.

Gu Lin hesitated and stretched out his hand to Lin Zhen's back.

He didn't want to do anything.

He didn't know what to do.

He just wanted to touch the person he respected, loved, and loved.

This half month was very hard, and he encountered a moment that almost cost him his life, but it was also the time when Gu Lin felt the happiest. He could carry his Uncle Lin on his back, he could rest his head on his Uncle Lin's legs, he could carry him on the horse's back, and he could lie in the same place with him like now.

These are things that they may never have again after they return. They have become Lin Zhen and Lin Zhen's stepsons in the eyes of many people.

Uncle Lin will be asked if he wants to find another person, so that he won't have no one to talk to for the rest of his life, and his marriage will be asked over and over again.

Gu Lin kept thinking of the scene when they rode horses together today...

His outstretched fingers lightly touched the clothes on his arms. Suddenly, Lin Zhen snorted, and his body suddenly lay flat on its side, with his hands raised to the side of his face, like a child throwing a tantrum, and wrinkled his nose.

Gu Lin looked like he had done something terrible. He quickly retracted his outstretched hand. His face was terribly stiff, and he pretended to close his eyes, fearing that what he had just done would be discovered.

But Lin Zhen, who turned over and lay flat on his back, showed no signs of waking up. He just changed his sleeping position.

Gu Lin opened his eyes again. Suddenly, Lin Zhen, who was lying flat on his back, seemed to feel very uncomfortable in this position. He turned to Gu Lin, and his light breathing was only a palm away from Gu Lin. His hand, which changed with the change of position, even touched his forehead.

Gu Lin just stared at his sleeping face. All the invisible thoughts that he had suppressed in his heart were like evil spirits that broke free from their cages and broke through his chest.

The hand he had originally retracted stroked Lin Zhen's no longer delicate cheek, and his head slowly leaned forward, their breaths entwined...

"Cough cough--" Lin Zhen coughed because of a breath of running air. He opened his eyes uncomfortably and saw Gu Lin who was very close to him. He could really feel the tip of Gu Lin's nose pressing against his face, the skin of their faces pressed together, and his lips...

"Bang!" He pushed Gu Lin away violently, and his hand fell on Gu Lin's face faster than his thoughts, "You... what are you doing..."

The loud slap was extremely clear in the cave on the cliff. Lin Zhen looked at the child he had raised in front of him in disbelief: "Gu Shuanzi... you just... do you know... what you were doing?"

The touch on his lips was still so vivid that Lin Zhen didn't even dare to reach out to touch it. He was afraid that the touch was real.

Gu Lin, with a mark on his face, sat on the ground and looked at Lin Zhen with his dark eyes: "I know, I want to marry you, I want you to be my husband."

If Lin Zhen wanted to lie to him just now, that Gu Lin just accidentally leaned close to him and did an unintentional action, now it was like tearing off the last layer of fig leaf.

He stood up suddenly, his mind in a mess: "What is the relationship between you and me?!"

"I am your father!"

"You are just my stepfather, I am not your biological child."

"But I raised you!"

"So you let me call you Uncle Lin for so many years, and I also regard you as Uncle Lin."

The author has something to say:

Gu Lin didn't know that kissing was not limited to lips, but also other places from the first time he kissed his Jiaojiao.

He also didn't know that it was not only on the outside, but also on the inside.

It was his Jiaojiao who taught him step by step.

But his Jiaojiao soon stopped playing with him.

Lin Zhen: (ノ=Д=)ノ┻━┻If I had known that you had such an inhuman thing, I would not have taught you anything. I would have covered my pig and run faster!

Chapter 115:

Lin Zhen said one sentence and he responded, as if he was confident and not afraid of anything, but only Gu Lin knew that his hands behind his back were shaking slightly, and his voice was tighter than usual.

If Lin Zhen had not woken up unexpectedly just now, he would probably bury this moment of insolence deep in his heart. He couldn't bear to drag Lin Zhen into a situation where he would be condemned and despised by thousands of people.

But Lin Zhen woke up and found out what he had done.

At that moment, Gu Lin knew that if he stepped back at this moment, according to Lin Zhen's temperament, he would probably stay away from him for the rest of his life.

Lin Zhen had done his best for him, and if he wanted to leave, even he had no reason to stop him.

This was something Gu Lin could never accept.

If they couldn't be father and son, and couldn't be with Lin Zhen day and night, then they could be husband and wife.

He didn't believe that he couldn't protect Lin Zhen for decades with boundless power and supreme glory!

Lin Zhen didn't know what Gu Lin was thinking. He just looked at the child he had raised in disbelief: "Gu Shuanzi, do you know why I sent you to Master Xu to study that day?" "

I know. You thought I was eccentric and violent, and you wanted me to read the books of sages and understand the truth."

"Okay, you understand everything. Then tell me if what you are doing now is in accordance with the teachings of the saints?!"

"Uncle Lin," Gu Lin suddenly stood up and looked back at him, "I have never followed the teachings of saints, I follow your teachings."

"I take your constraints as constraints and your principles as principles. I have always been following you and looking at you behind you."

"When I was little, I respected you and honored you. Now that I have grown up, I love you and please you. Uncle Lin, you don't have to be troubled or worried. You just need to be yourself as before, but there is me who is no longer your stepson."

"Wrong logic!" Lin Zhen had never found that Gu Lin, who was always taciturn, could be so eloquent. In the past, those actions and words between relatives that were normal in his eyes were covered with a gray shadow because of Gu Lin's thoughts about him. He couldn't accept it at all. He took a few steps back and walked towards the cliff cave.

He didn't want to stay with Gu Lin now. He wanted to wake up.

Seeing him limping out, Gu Lin pursed his lips tightly, took a few steps to catch up, and grabbed his arm: "Uncle Lin, you have an injury on your foot. It's dangerous to go out alone."

Lin Zhen certainly knew the danger, but being in the same room with Gu Lin now really made him feel uneasy.

He really just treated him as his junior, as a child he had grown up with.

Obviously, everything was fine before today, how could it suddenly change.

Lin Zhen pulled his hand away: "This is my own business, you take care of yourself."

Lin Zhen continued to move forward, and his slender figure was about to enter the dark wilderness.

Gu Lin looked at his hand being pushed away, suddenly sneered, walked up quickly to grab Lin Zhen, and pulled him inside. Lin Zhen realized at this time that he had no room to exert his strength in front of him. The hand holding his wrist was like iron, and he couldn't get rid of it no matter what!

"Gu Shuanzi!"

"Gu Shuanzi, let me go! Did you hear me? I told you to let me go!"

Lin Zhen's face flushed with anger, and he stretched out his foot to kick him.

Gu Lin's powerful long legs held his legs, "When we get to Anyuan Town and return to the Lin family, you can keep your distance from me for a while, but I want to take you back from here."

After saying that, he ignored Lin Zhen's struggle, picked him up horizontally, and put him on the place covered with hay.

Lin Zhen's hair stood up all over his body, but he was not an impulsive person who didn't think about things. Indeed, they only had one horse now, and they had to rush back to inform the people in Anyuan Town quickly, so that they could prepare for the attack of the refugee army. They didn't have much food and water left. Whether he rode the horse or Gu Lin rode the horse, the other person would feel uncomfortable.

No, maybe it was just that Gu Lin was not feeling well, and he would die without his horse.

"Ahhh!" Lin Zhen was so irritated that his head was about to explode. He pounded the hay-covered ground with his clenched fists. He turned his back to Gu Lin, and every cell in his body exuded awkwardness and resistance.

On the other side, Gu Lin was sitting next to a cliff wall two meters away from where he slept, and he was only a few steps away from the cliff cave.

He looked at Lin Zhen's back, and turned his head to look at the wilderness that was as thick as ink.

Before dawn the next day, the two who had not slept all night got up from their sleeping places. Gu Lin knew that Lin Zhen would never let him treat his foot injury now, so he walked over with the remaining medicine.

After walking five or six steps, Lin Zhen stepped back. Gu Lin stopped and put the medicine in front of him: "It's time to change the medicine on your foot. After changing it, we will leave immediately."

"..." Lin Zhen wiped his face. He didn't know how the two people who used to have such a good relationship came to this point. He didn't say anything. He picked up the bottle of trauma medicine that Gu Lin put on the ground, gritted his teeth and squeezed out the pus that had swelled a lot overnight, but was slightly better than yesterday, and poured the powder on it.

But he couldn't twist his hand to the sole of his foot, so he simply knelt down and poured the powder on the wound on the sole of his foot from the side, and then continued to wrap it with a cloth strip.

After all the tossing and turning, not only was the wound twisted to a little painful, but he was also sweating all over.

As soon as he cleaned himself up, Gu Lin handed him most of the rice cakes, as well as a bamboo cup filled with water with the lid already opened.

Lin Zhen suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He looked up at Gu Lin: "Gu Shuanzi..."

"I'm still your Uncle Lin, and you're still my child. Isn't that good?"

Let's go back to the past. Don't be like this now, just pretend that what happened last night never happened.

Lin Zhen, who always faces difficulties head-on and tries every possible way to overcome them, had the idea of ​​turning a blind eye for the first time. Cats and dogs can be attached to each other after three or five years of raising them, not to mention a child who has been with you since childhood, who is sensible, excellent, and loved by everyone.

Gu Lin lowered his eyes and looked at Lin Zhen, who looked younger than he actually was because he looked up, and his face was a little innocent: "Uncle Lin, you know this is impossible."

Lin Zhen said no more, took the rice cake and water, ate them in silence, and then led the horse to a place with stones, stood on the stones and stepped onto the horse's back.

Gu Lin hung the backpack on the side of the horse, grabbed the saddle and flew up.

The warm, still somewhat thin body of the boy pressed against his back. Lin Zhen's body, which had just relaxed yesterday, instantly stiffened. He couldn't help but move forward a little, increasing the distance between the two.

Gu Lin didn't say anything either, but just turned the reins of the horse and led the horse towards Anyuan Town.

"Gee."

The seven-day journey took two and a half days. When he saw Anyuan Town appear in his sight, Lin Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and turned back with a happy voice, "Gu Lin, we..."

The two of them sat on a horse, and the saddle was narrow. The moment he turned around, Lin Zhen could even feel Gu Lin's breath on his face.

His face tightened, and he was instantly annoyed by his subconscious, habitual behavior over the years.

He turned his head and said nothing.

Gu Lin said, "We occasionally see some trees that haven't completely died along the way. The people of Anyuan Town may not have fled to other places like the city did. Let's go to the county government office to find the county magistrate and tell him that the refugee army is about to attack Anyuan Town. Let them prepare early. Then I will send you back to Liyu Village to find Aunt Lin and Grandpa Lin."

He was right. Lin Zhen thought so too. He nodded: "Yeah."

Gu Lin loosened the reins in his hand, slowed down the horse and drove straight into Anyuan Town.

Anyuan Town is a large town in the surrounding area. There are hundreds of households in the town, and it governs more than 20 nearby villages of all sizes. It is very lively and crowded when the big and small markets come.

But at this moment, the town is dead silent. It is obviously time to cook dinner, and there is rarely any smoke from cooking in the densely populated town. Lin Zhen and Gu Lin soon saw people carrying buckets and hoes in the former river on the edge of the town. They were digging grass roots that had dried up and could not be eaten in other places, but still had some moisture, and digging deep buried tree roots with a layer of tender skin.

When these people saw Lin Zhen and Gu Lin riding horses, their hungry faces showed a desire for meat.

But the huge broadsword on Gu Lin's back forced them to give up the idea.

But Lin Zhen saw that the original inhabitants of the town were still there, and they did not leave the town with their families to become refugees to escape famine, which was good news.

That means the Lin family in Liyu Village is most likely still there, and they will be able to meet soon.

Gu Lin led Lin Zhen on horseback into the town, passing by Zhazi Street, which was once the busiest street in Anyuan Town and all the shops were closed.

They also saw the sign and the storefront of Zhenyouwei Snack Shop, which was covered with a thick layer of dust. Several wooden doors were tightly closed, and the words on the sign were a little blurred.

The horse's hooves paused here and headed towards the county government office. Gu Lin got off the horse first, walked to the high door that was closed like the ones in the town, and picked up the drumstick to beat the drum of grievance.

"Dong, Dong, Dong..."

The dull shouts reached the back of the yamen, making the worried county magistrate frown: "Who is this? At this time, you still come to ask me to handle the case. It's good enough to be alive!"

The drought has lasted for almost half a year. If there were no refugees from other places who said that their place was worse than Anyuan Town, and they were exchanging children for food and starving everywhere, the county magistrate would have packed up his belongings and taken his people back to Kyoto to escape. He would not have stayed in the small Anyuan Town. The

drought was getting worse and worse, and there was less and less drinkable water and edible food. The yamen runners, legal advisors, chief clerks, county magistrates and others who originally came to the county yamen to do their work were called back by him. Now there were only the county magistrate's family in the county yamen.

Listening to the injustice drum that never stopped, the county magistrate waved his hand and asked the servant to go and see: "Go and tell them to stop knocking. It's giving me a headache."

"Yes." The servant took the order and walked out.

Chapter 116

: Three years as a clean magistrate, 100,000 silver coins.

There is no official who does not take advantage of the situation to make some money. Although Anyuan Town is a small place, the current county magistrate does not exploit it harshly, but the money given by others is enough for the county magistrate to fill his stomach.

Even the servants in the county government live better than the people outside. They do not look like the hungry people that Lin Zhen and Gu Lin saw outside.

Instead, his face is normal, but there is some sadness on his face.

"It is you who beat the grievance drum. You know that if there is no life case or major grievance, you will be punished by beating this drum. Why don't you leave quickly!" When the servant saw Gu Lin carrying a huge broadsword and a bow and arrow, he felt that this person was not like an ordinary citizen, but his demeanor was not like that of a rough martial artist. Instead, he was a bit similar to the master holding a book.

Gu Lin said, "We came from the prefectural capital. We encountered a group of 500 refugees in a village not far from the Majin River. We heard with our own ears that they were coming to attack Anyuan Town."

"Please inform the county magistrate."

Anyuan Town had never had any refugees. At most, there had been more cases of stealing, beating and cheating in the past six months. The servant did not believe the news when he first heard it.

But seeing that Gu Lin and Lin Zhen did not seem to be talking nonsense, he thought for a while and said, "You wait here, I will go and tell the master and see how the master will arrange it." After

saying that, the servant turned and entered the county government office, and hurried back to the yard behind the county government office.

"Sir, two people came outside and said they were from the city. On the way, they met a group of 500 refugees. They also said they heard with their own ears that this group of refugees would attack our Anyuan Town soon, and they wanted to report to you in person."

"What, the refugees are going to attack Anyuan Town?!" The county magistrate stopped fanning himself and looked at his servants, "Did you hear it wrong?"

"That's what they said."

The county magistrate was born into a wealthy family. Although he was a concubine's son, his mistress was quite generous and never let these concubines suffer. It was just that he was too old to compete with his brothers and sisters for family property and connections. He relied on himself to pass the imperial examination and was exiled to this remote town.

The county magistrate cherished his official position and hoped that he could be transferred back to the capital one day, so he did not abandon the county government and run away due to several factors.

But if there were really more than 500 refugees, what could they do to resist them? Rely on those more than 30 yamen runners?

He panicked all of a sudden and said, "Bring the person in, I want to ask something clearly!"

Seeing his master so anxious and hurried, the servant also panicked. He turned around and went outside the county government office to call Gu Lin and Lin Zhen: "You two come in, the master has something to ask you."

Lin Zhen and Gu Lin followed him and walked into the backyard of the county government office, which was cleaned tidy, but the flowers and plants in the courtyard were almost dead. The two of them went in and saluted to the county magistrate who was sitting at the top: "Greetings, sir."

Gu Lin was a scholar, so he didn't need to kneel when he saw an official, but just bowed his hands.

Lin Zhen was just a commoner, so he had to kneel down and kowtow: "Your humble servant pays respect to you, sir."

The county magistrate saw Gu Lin, who didn't kneel down to him but just bowed his hands. He frowned and thought for a while, and felt that this face looked familiar. He quickly remembered: "You are the first place in the county examination for students. What's your name? Gu..."

"Gu Lin."

"Oh, yes, yes, Gu Lin, the son of the owner of Zhenyouwei Snack Shop. I didn't expect it to be you."

"Then this is your father, the owner of Zhenyouwei Snack Shop."

The county magistrate had an impression of both of them. One was very beautiful, and the other was very talented. In the middle, the test paper was missing, and the other thing about finding it back was hard for him to remember. It was

just that Gu Lin had grown so tall after not seeing him for a few years, but Lin Zhen didn't look like he used to. His skin was red and peeling.

He straightened his face and asked Gu Lin: "Is what you just said to the servant true? There are refugee troops coming to attack Anyuan Town?"

"This is not something that can be said casually. If you try to fool me with your words, I will never forgive you."

Gu Lin's expression did not change, and he said: "It is true."

He clearly told the county magistrate about what they encountered on the way out of the city, especially the brutality of the refugee troops, which made the county magistrate and the servants in the house pale. The county magistrate immediately

stood up and ordered the servant: "Immediately ask someone to call the two shifts of yamen runners. I will immediately write a letter, stamp it with the official seal, and give it to the three inspectors. Let them quickly take their men back to defend Anyuan Town!" There are

more than 20 villages in Anyuan Town, and three inspectors who are in charge of more than 100 people are stationed in three large townships. Minor matters are handled by the township gentry, village heads, and village heads. Major matters that require the dispatch of soldiers under the inspectors require the county magistrate to show documents.

The fact that Anyuan Town and the surrounding villages can maintain the current relatively peaceful situation has a lot to do with the county magistrate and three fairly responsible inspectors.

It's not that there were no troublemakers after the drought became more and more serious, but they were all suppressed step by step by the people under the village, the neighborhood, and the inspectors. The troublemakers were all locked up in the county jail.

But the more than 500 refugee soldiers were more than the soldiers under the inspectors, and the county magistrate was still unsure.

He ordered people to go to each village and call the militia over to help resist the refugee army.

Lin Zhen and Gu Lin didn't expect that the county magistrate was quite far-sighted and acted quickly, and they felt relieved at the same time.

The county magistrate looked at Gu Lin and said, "I didn't expect that you have good literary talent and martial arts skills. You can come all the way from the city and escape unscathed when you encounter the refugee army. So, you should stay in the county office for the time being. When the three inspectors come, you can see who to follow and work together for this matter."

"Yes." At this moment, Gu Lin naturally would not refuse, but said to the county magistrate, "But sir, please allow me to send my uncle back first. He has a foot injury and does not know martial arts. It is really dangerous here."

"Uncle?" The county magistrate remembered that the two were clearly stepson and stepfather. How could they become something else in the blink of an eye?

But now there are so many things to do that his head can hardly turn around. He didn't bother with these details and said, "Okay, the housekeeper will go and get two buckets of grain as a reward for Gu Lin. If he hadn't brought back the news, we would be in danger."

"Thank you, sir."

At this time, a bowl of grain was enough to buy a little girl outside, and the reward of two buckets of grain from the county magistrate was not too heavy.

The housekeeper quickly took people to carry two buckets of grain to the outside of the county government office and said to Gu Lin: "Mr. Gu, I have prepared a room for you in the county government office according to the master's instructions. You can move in immediately whenever you come."

"These are two buckets of grain according to the master's instructions. They are all newly harvested millet last year. They have not been eaten by insects or moldy."

"Thank you, housekeeper." Gu Lin took a look at the bag of sufficient millet, led the horse to the steps, let Lin Zhen stand on the steps and step on it, then carried a bag of millet to the back of the horse and put it on the back, and led the horse to walk.

The housekeeper was amazed and was very curious about this young man who could run here from the capital with his father who was powerless.

If what Gu Lin said just now was not adulterated, then it is indeed worth the master to recruit him with two buckets of millet. In the current chaos, it would be much more reassuring to have a person with strong martial arts around.

The horse has been running for so many days in a row and is already tired, and its pace is not fast.

Gu Lin did not urge them, but just led the horse and walked forward silently.

They had walked this road back to Liyu Village many times before, and they remembered clearly where there were small hills, stones to sit and rest, and trees to enjoy the shade.

Three hours later, the two saw the village of Liyu Village. The trees that still had some greenness were drooping lifelessly. The river where every household would go to wash clothes and fetch water was dry, with only a little water left near the bottom of the river.

The crops in the fields that were supposed to be harvested were either malnourished and had no seeds at all, or the bottoms were left to be cut back. It seems that the villagers saw that the crops could not continue to grow, so they cut back the half-green and half-ripe ears that could be eaten.

Suddenly, a few people who were holding grass roots by the river saw Lin Zhen and Gu Lin and looked at them with caution.

"Uncle!"

"Uncle, you're back!"

Before Lin Zhen could see what those people looked like, two skinny children excitedly ran over with baskets filled with more than a dozen grass roots.

Lin Zhen then realized that the two children were Lin Huaixiang and Lin Chunxiang. The two children were now about eleven or twelve years old, with dark skin, not particularly dry and yellow hair, and looked a little thin.

Lin Zhen came back twice last year and bought them new clothes and shoes from the city, as well as various hairbands and tiaras. At that time, they were still relatively chubby in the village, with baby fat on their cheeks, which was completely different from now.

Lin Zhen rode on the horse and asked them anxiously: "Where are your grandma, grandpa, daddy and others? How are they? Are they all at home?"

Lin Huaixiang, who was holding a basket and bamboo sticks for digging mud, said: "They should all be there at this time. We are about to go back."

"Uncle, grandma and the others were still talking about you this morning."

"Yeah, we all miss you very much." "

Uncle misses you too. Let's go home." Seeing the two children and thinking of the family he was about to see, Lin Zhen felt that all the hardships along the way were worth it.

Lin Huaixiang and Lin Chunxiang were jumping and skipping beside the horse with joy on their faces. This was the first time they saw a horse, and they were not afraid of Gu Lin, who was always taciturn and cold. They called him "Brother Shuanzi" left and right, asking him if it was a mule, why it was taller and bigger than a mule, and wanted to reach out and touch it.

This horse was a bit irritable and had a bad temper. If Gu Lin hadn't been holding it, even Lin Zhen couldn't ride it.

Seeing the two children wanting to touch it, Gu Lin tightened the reins and looked into the horse's eyes.

The horse snorted indignantly and allowed the two hands to touch it several times.

Chapter 117

Before Lin Zhen and his friends reached the Lin family's house, Lin Huaixiang and Lin Chunxiang had already run to the front: "Auntie, uncle is back, and he's back with brother Shuanzi!"

With a bang, several people rushed out of the Lin family's yard and ran outside the yard. When they saw Lin Zhen, who looked different from before on a horse, they all surrounded him: "Zhen'er! My Zhen'er is back!"

Lin's father looked at Lin Zhen with tears on his face.

Although Lin's father standing next to him barely managed to hold back his expression, the worry in his eyes was no less than that of Lin's father. There were also Brother Lin, Brother Lin, Sister Lin, Sister Lin, and Little Lin who was called back by him in May.

Lin Zhen slid down the horse's back and looked at the whole family: "I'm back, I made you worry."

"I dream about you every day, both good and bad, I'm afraid you won't have a good life outside," Lin's father grabbed his hand, "Now it's good, you're standing in front of me."

Lin Xiaoyao was also very excited. He was called back by Lin Zhen in May. Half a month later, he returned to the village and found that the crops were not good. He immediately told everything Lin Zhen asked him to bring.

At that time, the drought was not serious, and there was a river next to Liyu Village. Lin's father and others thought that the drought might be only temporary, and it would rain in ten days and a half.

But on the one hand, they were afraid of being hungry before, and on the other hand, they trusted Lin Zhen, so they didn't think much about it and bought a lot of food secretly according to what Lin Xiaoyao brought back, and kept the food that they were going to sell.

Until now, the Lin family has a lot of food. Although they can't eat as much as they want, they won't starve to death.

But Father Lin also thought that family members should not be too conspicuous, and on weekdays, they should dig some wild grass roots and tree roots like the villagers.

Lin Xiaoyao, who was standing next to Father Lin, looked anxious and hesitated.

Lin Zhen knew in his heart that he wanted to ask about Zhong Yan.

But he didn't know where Zhong Yan was now...

Gu Lin was pulling the horse from behind. While everyone was talking, he took the two buckets of millet off the horse and put them on the ground.

Father Lin was extremely happy to see Gu Lin grow so tall, and he couldn't believe it: "I haven't seen you for more than a year. Shuanzi has grown so tall? Even taller than your father."

"..." Lin Zhen paused when Father Lin held his hand, and felt a little strange in his heart.

In the past, he was fine when others called him Gu Shuanzi's father, but now he felt a kind of suffocating and awkward feeling, all because of this kid.

Lin Zhen glanced at Gu Lin and said to Lin's father: "I have only raised him for a few years, so I am not his father."

"As a father, what's wrong with you today? Don't you protect Shuanzi the most on weekdays? Have you forgotten the time when you held him on your lap from time to time?" Last year, when Lin Zhen and Lin Xiaoyao came back for the New Year and the autumn harvest, Gu Lin was busy with his studies and did not come back with them. It has been more than a year now.

Lin's father and others still remember Gu Lin from the last time they met. At that time, Gu Lin was only as tall as Lin Zhen's chin. He was thin and wore a light blue robe. His hair was longer than Lin Zhen's and was tied with a hairband. He didn't fit in with their small village at all.

At that time, the relationship between the father and son was very good. Wherever Lin Zhen went, Gu Lin went there. They had a tacit understanding in everything they did. Ordinary fathers and sons could not compare to them.

It has only been more than a year since they last met, but Gu Lin has grown a lot like a bamboo in the spring rain, and there seems to be a gap between him and Lin Zhen.

Gu Lin looked at Lin Zhen and said to Lin's father: "Ah, Uncle Lin is right. Uncle Lin has the grace of raising me, but he is not my father. I used to call him Uncle Lin, and now he is also my Uncle Lin."

...

Both father and son are equally strange. The Lin family looked at this and that, not knowing what to say.

They didn't know what happened inside, and they were afraid that they would not be able to persuade him to the point, but would add fuel to the fire.

At this time, everyone came back to their senses from the great joy of Lin Zhen's return, and looked at the bag of grain and the horse that Gu Lin took down. Both grain and horses were rare at this time.

And he was carrying a huge broadsword and a bow and arrow on his back, looking majestic.

Several boys in the family gathered around, and Gu Lin pulled the reins of the horse: "It has a bad temper. I'll tie it up first."

"This horse is really majestic. Can it go up so high?" The speaker was Lin Shitou, who had been helping out at Zhenyouwei Snack Restaurant in recent years.

He is good at speaking and is more useful than his father, Lin Laoer. Although the shop belongs to the adults in the family, he is the one who manages it most of the time.

He looked at the tall horse eagerly and wanted to sit on it.

Gu Lin tied the reins: "You can get on it. Just step on the stirrups and pull the saddle to increase your strength. But its original owner is not me, and it will kick back."

As if to prove his words, the horse surrounded by Lin Shitou, Lin Zhuzi, Lin Shitou's seven-year-old brother, and Lin Zhuzi's five-year-old brother really kicked back. The force was so strong that it could kick a hole in a person.

The elder and second sisters of Lin, who were nearby, quickly hugged the two younger ones and said, "This horse is so wild, can Shuanzi ride it?"

Yes, of course he can't ride it. Bring it back from such a far place.

Lin Zhen looked at Gu Lin who was surrounded by the boys in the family and was pulled in by Lin's father. Lin Xiaoyao also hurriedly followed.

Everyone in the family knew that Lin Adie loved Lin Zhen. As soon as he entered the house, he touched his tender skin that was sunburned and peeled: "How did you torture him like this? Did he suffer a lot on the way? I should have come back with Xiaoyao if I had known."

Lin Zhen naturally couldn't tell what he had experienced. It was all in the past. It was useless and uncomfortable to talk about it. He just said: "It was relatively smooth. It was just that I didn't stay in the house. I got a little more sun. I will be back after recuperation."

He had the best and fairest skin in the family. It was even more distressing to see him like this. Lin Adie remembered that he had bought hand cream before, patted Lin Zhen's shoulder and asked him to get it.

Lin Xiaoyao, who couldn't wait any longer, looked at Lin Zhen eagerly as soon as Lin Adie left: "Third brother, has Zhong Yan returned to the town? Is he okay? Did he get hurt on the way?!"

When he came back, Lin Xiaoyao was always worried about his third brother, them, and Zhong Yan. As the drought became more and more serious, this worry turned into worry, making him unable to sleep or eat.

He was happy that Lin Zhen came back. He was happy that his third brother was fine, and he was finally relieved that Zhong Yan came back with his third brother.

If he hadn't been worried about the presence of so many people at home and it was difficult for him to ask about Zhong Yan's news, he would have asked clearly.

Lin Zhen was silent.

He looked at Lin Xiaoyao, who was eagerly expecting to hear news about Zhong Yan from him, and his voice was dry: "Xiaoyao..."

"We encountered the refugee army on the way back that day. In order to avoid the pursuit of the refugee army, I got separated from Gu Lin and Zhong Yan..."

"Gone, separated?" Lin Xiaoyao's face was stunned. He pulled Lin Zhen with trembling hands, "Third brother, when did you get separated? Is there anyone else with him? Where is he now?"

Seeing that Lin Xiaoyao was emotional, Lin Zhen hurriedly held his hand: "Xiaoyao, he got separated with Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen and four servants. He is not alone. Don't worry for now, just wait a few more days."

"Except for reading and writing, he can't even do any heavy work. Even you and Gu Shuanzi have been so exhausted before coming back. He..."

"Third brother, I want to find him!"

"Xiaoyao!" Lin Zhen hurriedly grabbed Lin Xiaoyao, who stood up and wanted to pack his things in a panic, "Where are you going to find him in this world!"

"He's such a smart man, he will definitely find a way to come back alive. If you go, you will just be adding another person."

"Third brother, I haven't been able to sleep for nights these days. I'm worried that something happened to you outside, and that he was overwhelmed by all the suffering. I finally saw you, but I don't know whether he is dead or alive, I..." Lin Xiaoyao couldn't hold back any more, and tears fell. Lin Xiaoyao

is already twenty-one years old this year. If he hadn't been thinking about Zhong Yan in his heart, he might have succumbed to the advice of his father Lin at home and married a boy with a good family background and a good person. The child is already three or four years old.

But human emotions are so unreasonable that you can't compromise and don't want to compromise.

Lin Xiaoyao knew that there was no possibility for him and Zhong Yan, so he prepared to adopt a child early on, knowing that Zhong Yan was living well in a place he didn't know.

But now he knew that Zhong Yan might lie in some wasteland and never come back...

Suddenly, Lin Adie, who had gone to get the hand cream, came back. Seeing the two brothers, one with tears in his eyes and the other with a serious face, he hurriedly asked what happened.

Lin Zhen quickly wiped the tears from Lin Xiaoyao's face, "I told Xiaoyao some things I saw on the road, and Xiaoyao cried."

Lin Adie had never experienced a particularly serious natural disaster before. This time, the family had made preparations in advance and was not hungry, but the thought of it made him shudder.

He walked to Lin Zhen with the cream, first wet a towel with a little water to wash Lin Zhen's face, and then dipped the cream in Lin Zhen's face.

Nowadays, creams are almost all made with lard or some other animal oils, and they all rely on oil to moisturize.

Anyway, after Lin Zhen applied it, he felt that his face was shiny and could reflect light.

Lin Adie even took care of his neck and arms, applying a thick layer of cream on them.

When others came in and saw his appearance, they laughed, which was rare in the drought.

Soon, they learned from Lin Zhen and Gu Lin that a group of murderous refugees were going to attack Anyuan Town, and might even spread to their small villages, and they immediately lost their joking mood.

Lin's father took Gu Lin to the village chief with a heavy face to discuss countermeasures.

According to the news brought by Gu Lin, the county magistrate would withdraw the militia from each village to fight against the refugees with the soldiers under the patrol, so the remaining people had to think of a way to deal with the refugees in the village.

For a while, the joy of Lin Zhen's return was somewhat dispersed. At night, the family had a luxurious reunion dinner together and went to bed worriedly.

Lin Zhen finally got a good night's sleep, and he barely opened his eyes until the sun was high in the sky.

Lin Zhen lifted the quilt and got up. Suddenly, he saw a piece of paper pressed on the table at the head of the bed.

"Third brother, when you see this note, I have gone a long way..."

Lin Zhen almost crushed the paper.

Lin Xiaoyao actually went to find Zhong Yan!

He actually dared to go to find Zhong Yan alone!

Chapter 118

Lin Zhen's brain was buzzing. He wished he could install rockets on his feet and catch Lin Xiaoyao who had run away to who knows where. How could he find Zhong Yan in such a big world? !

Not to mention finding Zhong Yan, he might even lose his life!

Lin Zhen was glad that he had told him in detail yesterday about what happened on the way back. No, maybe he was provoked by him and couldn't help but tell him in detail.

At that time, he was immersed in his sad and uncomfortable mood, and was distracted by Gu Lin. He didn't realize that he asked too much. It was obvious that he made a decision immediately after knowing that Zhong Yan didn't come back.

He had known Chen Niangzi and Zhong Yan for many years, and he knew Zhong Yan very well. Zhong Yan was a very good person, talented and persevering. He didn't succumb to the powerful when he was poor, and he was calm and composed after passing the imperial examination. He

had extraordinary talent and awe-inspiring character.

Such a Zhong Yan could match any woman.

As for Lin Xiaoyao, it's not that Lin Zhen looked down on his own family, it's that the two sides simply don't match.

Lin Xiaoyao wants to be with Zhong Yan, which is no different from a mortal trying to drag a fairy floating in the world into the mortal world. It's difficult, harder than going to heaven.

Lin Zhen ran out in a hurry with the letter. When Lin's father heard that Lin Xiaoyao actually ran out to find Zhong Yan at this time, he almost fainted.

"He doesn't even want his own life, just for a kid!"

"No wonder I asked him to come back and get married all these years, but he didn't want to. Isn't this digging his own grave?" The two families have a good relationship. Lin's father and Lin's father have met Zhong Yan several times. In the eyes of the Lin family, he is a person they need to look up to. Who would have thought that Lin Xiaoyao would have such thoughts about this person who is out of his reach.

Seeing the anxious father Lin and the others, Lin Zhen looked at Gu Lin and pursed his lips: "Gu Lin, you ride along the road from Liyu Village to the town to find your uncle. Pay attention to the woods and bushes on the roadside. He must have expected that we would look for him, and he might hide."

At this moment, Lin Zhen felt like Zhong Wuyan when there was something going on and Xia Yingchun when there was nothing going on. He called Gu Lin when he needed him, and didn't even talk to him when he didn't need him.

But Lin Zhen really couldn't find anyone else to use except him.

Gu Lin untied the tied horse without saying a word, jumped on the horse's back and galloped away.

Because it was estimated that Lin Xiaoyao left in the middle of the night, it was almost time to reach the town. Gu Lin galloped all the way, always paying attention to the woods and bushes on both sides of the road.

After circling around the town, he didn't see Lin Xiaoyao, and he rode a few miles away, but still got nothing.

"Oh..." Gu Lin reined in his horse, knowing that trying to find Lin Xiaoyao was like looking for a needle in a haystack. In such a wide area, as long as Lin Xiaoyao was determined and found a place to hide, it would be impossible for them to find her.

Gu Lin could actually understand Lin Xiaoyao's behavior. With Zhong Yan's personality, it didn't matter who he married. He would be the most polite and respectful husband to his wife, and they would treat each other with respect.

Lin Xiaoyao wanted Zhong Yan to see him and realize his existence, so he had to keep betting on himself and make Zhong Yan have to choose him.

However, Gu Lin felt that his uncle Xiaoyao had never thought of this. He was really using his life to find Zhong Yan's whereabouts.

Everything was just the strongest and most primitive impulse.

Gu Lin glanced at the mountains in the distance and rode back to Liyu Village.

Lin's father, who was anxiously waiting in the house, saw that only Gu Lin came back. Tears rolled down his eyes and he cried on Lin Zhen's shoulder.

Lin Zhen thought Gu Lin was taking a break, so he could only put aside his anxiety and worries and comfort Lin's father: "Father, Xiaoyao is not stupid. Look, we just saw him carrying a lot of convenient food and the largest leather bag for water. Maybe he will be back after a few days, or maybe he will be lucky enough to meet Zhong Yan on the way and come back together." The

Lin family had enough food and a lot of food reserves. They made a lot of dry biscuits and rice cakes that could be eaten after just baking. Lin Xiaoyao was also smart. He didn't take the troublesome sorghum rice and buckwheat, but took semi-finished products.

"He has been the most sensible one since he was a child. Except for his marriage, he has never made me worry. But this time can make me lose this brother." There are

two brothers in the Lin family. Lin Zhen relied on his good looks and caused a lot of trouble at the age of fifteen, which made the Lin family bear a bad reputation for several years. He also did a lot of evil things when he was young.

In comparison, Lin Xiaoyao was so well behaved that it made people feel distressed. He did everything from washing clothes and cooking to working in the fields. He had been doing business with Lin Zhen for the past few years and was very stable.

But he fell into the trap of Zhong Yan.

Even Gu Lin, who was riding a horse, failed to catch the man back. Lin Adie and the others had no other hope. The atmosphere was so depressing that the children dared not speak.

Suddenly, someone shouted in the yard: "Lin Da, are you at home? I came to ask you and your grandson something."

Lin's father, who was in a bad mood because of losing his brother, stood up, tidied his clothes and walked out: "I'm here, old village chief, please come in and sit down."

"Oh." An old village chief in his sixties walked in, followed by the heads of the farmers in the village, and the yard was full of people in an instant.

In a drought, it is not allowed to invite people to drink tea and water. The old village chief looked at the villagers with sallow faces, then looked at Lin's father and Gu Lin: "I have informed you of everything you said yesterday. Now I want to discuss with you and see what we should do."

The village chief is in charge of the village affairs. If the village chief can't handle it, he will report it to the head of the village. Although Lin's father learned from Gu Lin that the refugee army was going to attack the town and might even flee to their place, he could only inform the village chief.

What to do and how to do it must be decided by the village chief, otherwise if you offend the village chief, you will have to wear small shoes in the future.

Father Lin sat down next to the village chief and said, "There are more than 20 militiamen in our village, including my son Lin Er. When the time comes, all of them will go to the town and obey the county magistrate."

"This way, there will be fewer able-bodied men in our village. If a group of vagrants comes, we won't be able to fight them, so we have to think of a way for all of us in the village to escape safely." There were not many households in Liyu Village to begin with. There were only more than 160 men and women, young and old, and if more than 20 able-bodied men were removed, there would be even fewer people who could pick up things to resist.

Father Lin had been thinking about this problem since last night. All he could think of was to hide in a cave on the mountain, or hide when someone came.

The people who came with the old village chief had similar ideas, chattering about which cave was deep, which cave was wide, and where they could hide.

But the cost of moving into the cave is a bit high. In recent years, the life of Liyu Village has been better. Every household has bought a lot of things, and they are reluctant to sell cows, mules, chickens, and pigs even if they have to squeeze out food from their teeth.

How to feed and raise these animals in the mountains is another big problem.

Some people suggested moving away, which is even more impossible.

Now every family in Liyu Village has a new house that has been renovated for less than two years. How can they bear to

leave? Most of their life savings have gone down the drain, so they might as well die.

A group of old men who eat less than before and have sallow faces started arguing in the yard, and the more they talked, the more outrageous

they became. Suddenly, the old village chief, who was not very satisfied with their proposals, looked at Lin Zhen: "Brother Zhen, you have been to the provincial capital and seen the world. Tell me if you have any good ideas."

Lin Zhen was also worried that the refugee army would flee to the village. Looking at a bunch of people looking into his eyes,

he recalled the famous tunnel warfare during the war years: "I saw a method in a book before, why don't we try it..." When Lin Zhen was a child, his family had a black and white TV set, which played movies and TV shows over and over again. His favorite movie was a tunnel warfare movie, which was funny, relaxing and fun. He also dragged a group of friends to dig pits everywhere.

Considering the current situation, digging tunnels may be the most suitable for Liyu Village. Not only can the elderly and children hide quickly when danger comes, but they can also rely on the tunnels that can be seen everywhere and are hard to guard against to kill the refugee army that may flee here, so that they don't go to other villages to harm them.

Lin Zhen can say anything very interesting. He also told the people of Liyu Village how to use the tunnels, how to use them, and what effects they will have if used well according to the plot in the movie. Everyone was amused and even forgot the drought for a few seconds at this moment, and laughed out loud.

In the end, the old village chief made a direct decision to dig tunnels!

"Brother Zhen, you are fully responsible for this matter. You have to personally take charge of how to dig and what the digging should be like. Of course, you can't come up with ideas and work for nothing. Each family will give you two mouthfuls of sorghum and buckwheat-" "

Village chief, it's not easy for everyone. I don't want those two mouthfuls of life-saving food. Anyway, I can't do crops and work now. Just wander around the village for a day."

"Good! You are worthy of being the most promising in our village. Bring honor to your Lin family!" The old village chief turned his head and looked at Gu Lin again, "According to Gu Xiaozi's meaning, the head of the village may come to take away the militia in two days. Everyone, be prepared and don't be in a hurry when the time comes."

The militia in the village, although called soldiers, are actually just to deal with the names reported casually by the superiors.

Dayu has been peaceful for many years. Those who have their names written are just a name and continue to be farmers.

Who would have thought that they would actually have to fight with the thieves. Those with militia identities are all uneasy.

The Lin family reported to the second brother, Lin's father, Lin's father, and Lin's eldest brother and Lin's second wife, all of them were a little worried, afraid that he would have an accident in the town. That was a sword that could hurt people, not mud in the fields that would make a pit if stepped on... Lin's second wife,

who had always been thick-skinned, looked at her man and was too tongue-tied to know what to say.

On the contrary, Lin's second brother, as always, moved a stool and sat in front of Gu Lin: "Shuanzi, I see that your big sword is heavy, can you teach me a few moves, so that I won't just run away when I meet someone and get chopped on the butt."

"..."

Chapter 119

: When it comes to cramming, a hug is always useful.

Gu Lin nodded, looking at his rough and handsome, masculine, but honest uncle Lin: "Okay."

He did not move the huge broadsword, but performed a few simple and practical moves with his bare hands, and explained to Uncle Lin when to use them best and when to use them counterproductive.

Lin Zhen withdrew his eyes from Gu Lin and held Lin's father's hand: "Things have come to this point. It's useless for us to worry here. We can talk about other things after he comes back."

"..." So many villagers came just now, and Lin's father had to endure and hold back his tears, but now he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable again.

But as Lin Zhen said, it's useless for them to worry here, and it will only make the family gloomy.

Father Lin wiped his eyes and turned his head away: "Okay, okay, everyone has their own destiny. Maybe he can also wake up like your brother."

"Yes, he will." Lin Zhen naturally couldn't tell Father Lin that he didn't wake up, but replaced him with a son.

Suddenly, Lin Zhen asked Father Lin: "So many people came just now, why didn't I see Uncle Ma, the carpenter? His family is simple, and there should be no shortage of food at home." "

No, they can't eat too much, and Aunt Ma is a thrifty person. She likes to save some food on weekdays."

"But Aunt Ma has been in poor health recently, and the town's clinic is closed. She can only find some common herbs in the mountains to eat. Carpenter Ma takes care of her at home." Lin Zhuzi learned the craft from Carpenter Ma. He sent food, drinks, and clothes as a disciple during festivals. In addition, he walked around in front of the couple every day. Carpenter Ma became more and more concerned about Lin Zhuzi, and vaguely regarded him as his own nephew.

Brother Lin and his wife also returned the favor. Last year, they invited the couple to their home for a reunion during the Spring Festival, which made Ma the carpenter and Ma's aunt spend a lively Spring Festival.

Listening to this, Lin Zhen couldn't help but think of Ma Min, whom he met on the way. They were caught off guard that day, and he didn't know whether she, a woman with a child, could survive.

Lin Zhen didn't plan to tell Ma the carpenter and Ma's aunt about Ma Min. This would be good for the old couple and Ma Min. He would just go and see them.

The day of chaos passed quickly. Regardless of whether they could sleep or not, the family returned to their own rooms to sleep.

The current house of the Lin family is still the one newly built five years ago. The main room is in the middle, where the ancestral tablets are placed. It is used for worship during festivals. There is a room at the back, where Lin's father and father live. There are

a total of six side rooms on the left and right sides, which are also divided into front and back like the main room. Brother Lin and his wife, Brother Lin and his wife, and several children in the family live respectively.

Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou have grown up, so they naturally have their own houses. The girls and boys also have their own beds.

Although they cannot each have a room, it is already a very good condition in the village.

If it were not for the drought, the family would have arranged marriages for Lin Zhuzi and Lin Shitou.

There are also Chunxiang, Xingxiang, and Huaixiang, so they should look at more families as soon as possible and get married when they are older.

Lin Erge will go to town in two days. Zhao Xiu couldn't sleep with her eyes open. Seeing that her husband was sleeping soundly next to her, she simply got up and scooped up grain to make sorghum and buckwheat cakes.

There was not much left at home, and she didn't know what the situation in the town was. It was better to carry food to fill her stomach.

Zhao Xiu went to the kitchen and scooped sorghum rice and buckwheat gently. When she was pouring sorghum rice into the basin, she suddenly saw Lin Zhen flashing outside the window and was almost scared.

Lin Zhen, who got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, was also startled by the shadow cast by the oil lamp in the kitchen. He pushed open the kitchen door and walked in: "Second sister-in-law

, what are you doing?" "Making some sorghum and buckwheat cakes for the second child to take to town to eat."

"Brother Zhen, why are you up so late at night?"

"..."

This question hurt his heart.

When he built the house, he specifically asked Brother Lin and Brother Lin to leave his room and Gu Lin's room together, separated by only a wall.

At that time, he thought that Gu Lin would definitely have his own small family when he grew up, and move back to Datianzi Village to live. At most, he would live here for seven or eight years, which would be fine.

Who knew...

This feeling of knowing where people lie is really too weird. Lin Zhen thought about Lin Xiaoyao again, so he simply went out to the yard to get some fresh air.

"I slept too much yesterday and couldn't sleep. Second sister-in-law, let me help you."

"Okay."

There was little water, so he had to scrub it bit by bit, and pick out the bad sorghum rice by the way.

Lin Zhen held the oil lamp lower and pushed the good ones aside.

Zhao Xiu went to get an armful of firewood, lit the stove, and added just enough water to cook the sorghum and buckwheat. When the water started to boil, he squatted down and picked with Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen looked at the sorghum rice in his hand, and suddenly remembered that Gu Lin was also going to the town. According to the attitude of the county magistrate that day, he guessed that he would be assigned some tasks. He must be different from the militiamen like Lin Erge, and there is a high possibility that he would be in the front.

He went to get the bag of grain and poured the same sorghum rice as in the basin into it.

Zhao Xiu scratched his head: "Zhen brother, are you going to make sorghum and buckwheat cakes for Shuanzi too?"

"..." Having raised a child for so many years, Lin Zhen really couldn't ignore Gu Lin for a while. If he could forget about Gu Lin all of a sudden, that would be easy, and he wouldn't get up in the middle of the night to blow the wind.

He lowered his head and picked out the bad sorghum rice: "Yeah."

"Hehe," Zhao Xiu smiled, with a smile on his handsome eyebrows, "It's the same as me and the second brother. When he goes out, I feel like a drum in my heart. I'm afraid he will be hungry and thirsty. I won't feel at ease if I don't watch him when I sleep at night."

"Ahem!!!" Lin Zhen had only two words of admiration for his second sister-in-law, whose son was about to get married and who might even have a grandson in two years.

What's the point of being the same as him and the second brother? How can it be the same? There is the Great Rift Valley in between.

He quickly ended the topic: "Second sister-in-law, let's do it quickly, it will be dawn soon."

"Oh, okay." Although the village chief said that the head of the village who led the militia would not come for two days and had to go to other villages first, it was better to finish it early, so as not to be too late if he had to leave suddenly.

The washed and selected sorghum rice and buckwheat were put into the pot in batches, and they were stirred to prevent sticking to the pot. They were twisted with their fingers until the rice core broke, and then they were picked up and put into the wooden barrel for steaming rice. There

is little water now, so the family usually cooks porridge directly, but in order to make it easier for Lin Erge and Gu Lin to carry, they can only use this slightly water-consuming method.

After a while, the sorghum rice and buckwheat were steamed, and then the two of them crushed the sorghum rice and buckwheat while they were hot, rolled them into pancakes as big as a child's fist, and placed them on a board that had been sprinkled with a layer of flour in advance.

The color of sorghum and buckwheat is not good-looking, gray and a little black. After cooling, they will become hard and can be eaten after being slightly roasted over fire.

The sorghum rice and buckwheat that just came out of the pot were very hot, and Lin Zhen and Zhao Xiu's hands were soon burned red. They didn't finish until the rooster crowed for the second time.

"I'll clean up the rest, you go to sleep, Zhen brother."

"Okay." The next step was to put out the fire, wash the wooden barrel for steaming rice and put it out to dry. Lin Zhen, who was already feeling sleepy, didn't bother to be polite with Zhao Xiu. He pounded his waist and went back to the house.

After cooking this meal, he finally understood what he should do in the future. He didn't want to become timid because of that kid. Instead, he became more and more motivated. When the drought was over, he would take his bag to the provincial capital to participate in the provincial examination, and then go out to try his luck.

After three to five years, his little thoughts would probably be almost gone.

Lin Zhen was very tired on the road. Without the pressure on his mind, he fell asleep in bed.

Lin Zhen was half asleep. The head of the village, who the village chief estimated would take two days to arrive, actually arrived. He hurriedly asked the village chief to gather all the militiamen in the village and immediately meet up with the militiamen from other villages and rush to the town.

There were a total of 27 militiamen in Liyu Village. The tall Lin Erge stood out among them.

Lin Ersao put the sorghum and buckwheat cakes that she had made before dawn in her bag and hung it on him. The couple stood together and talked.

Lin Zhen also packed the other half of the sorghum and buckwheat cake and handed it to Gu Lin: "I'll do what I should do as an uncle, and you should do what you should do. Take it."

Gu Lin always knew that his Uncle Lin was a very open-minded, smart, and kind person.

From the time he expressed his feelings to the time he asked himself if he could be like before and pretend that nothing had happened, Gu Lin knew that Lin Zhen really regarded him as a family member. Even if he coveted him, he would not drive him away all of a sudden.

This was an opportunity that Lin Zhen had personally given himself.

Gu Lin took the bag and slung it over his shoulder: "Thank you, Uncle Lin. I'll be back after I finish my work in town."

"...Be careful."

"Okay." Gu Lin stepped on the stirrups and grabbed the saddle, jumped on, and was particularly conspicuous among the militiamen.

The head of the village had already known Gu Lin from the head of Liyu Village, and also knew that Gu Lin was going to the county magistrate to do some work. Seeing that Gu Lin was young but capable of both literature and martial arts, he couldn't help but sigh why his family didn't have such a promising grandson.

The head of the village led the militia away. He heard him say that they had to go to the front to meet up with people from other villages, and then go to the town together.

They were farmers carrying hoes on weekdays, and they didn't know how to arrange it when they went to the inspection.

If something went wrong...

The old and young whose families had gone stood in the village field until their backs disappeared on the ridge, and then they went home in a depressed mood.

The usually rough-minded Lin Ersao also fell silent for a rare time, and went into the house with her head down.

Lin Zhen was busy. The idea of ​​digging a tunnel that he had given to the villagers before was about to be implemented. The old village head's family called him and asked him to see where to dig and how to dig.

Chapter 120

"Pfft..."

"Ahem!"

Lin Zhen jumped into the tunnel and was covered in the dry, powdery soil that had not been piled up firmly. He quickly took two steps back and said, "Uncle, the excavated soil must be transported out quickly, otherwise when people come, they will know where the entrance to your tunnel is and it will be a waste of time."

The old man with wrinkles on his face admired Lin Zhen very much. He wandered around the village every day these days. If he met a family with no strong labor but only the elderly and children, he would follow him to do half a day's work.

A brother who was rougher than a man, talking about the tunnels in a very knowledgeable way, put those who were a little skeptical about the tunnels at the beginning at ease.

The old man went to the house and took out a piece of maltose that had been stored for who knows how long. It was half melted and was as long as two fingers. He gave it to Lin Zhen: "I bought it to coax the children before. Brother Zhen, take it and eat it."

"I don't..."

"Take it," the old man stuffed it into his hand, "Anyway, this thing can't fill your stomach, just eat it for fun."

"Thank you, uncle."

The old man looked at the pit where a lot of soil was dug out and said, "Will this refugee army really run to our place?"

"It's hard to say. It depends on what happens in the town. If we can wipe out the refugee army in one fell swoop, our villages will be fine. If there are escapees, I don't know where they can escape to. It's always better to be prepared." The main reason is that Anyuan Town is not like the prefectural city, which has high walls as a basis, but an open area. The refugee army and the people in the town will fight face to face as soon as they arrive, and chaos will happen in the blink of an eye.

If they suffer a loss in the town, the refugee army is most likely to rob the village for supplies. Although Liyu Village is not close to the town, you can't gamble on the possibility of something happening.

After leaving this uncle's house, Lin Zhen went to several more houses to see the choice of their tunnel entrances and whether the tunnels were dug safely. He also asked them to make two exits and two entrances. It didn't matter if they were a little narrow, but it was better to be flexible, able to run and retreat, and have a chance to escape if discovered, so as not to be caught in a trap.

——In

the town, the village heads and militiamen arrived. There were more than 20 villages, 70% of which were small villages, more than 20 larger ones, and 40 to 50 large villages like Datianzi Village. There were

about 300 people standing together.

Everyone knew each other. On weekdays, they just randomly reported names. When they heard that they were going to fight the refugee army with real swords and guns, their faces turned pale. Gu Lin didn't

stay with them when he arrived in the town. He said hello to Lin Erge, and asked him to find him at the county government office if he had anything, and then rode his horse to the county government office.

The entrance to the county government office was very different from the last time they came. The tall door was open, and two yamen runners were guarding the door. There were also soldiers in uniform coming in and out.

Gu Lin dismounted under the vigilant eyes of these people: "Please inform the magistrate that Gu Lin comes to pay his respects to the county magistrate."

"Gu Lin?" A soldier who was stepping on the steps to go in looked at him, "Are you the kid who was put under the command of our Lu patrol inspector at the request of the county magistrate?"

The man spoke with a strong tone, and did not take Gu Lin, the airborne kid, seriously at all.

Listen to what the county magistrate said, all the way from the prefecture city back to the town, he encountered the refugee army on the way, but who knows if he ran away when he saw the refugee army, and just passed on a message.

He was still a scholar. These rough guys don't like dealing with scholars the most. None of their words are useful.

Gu Lin looked at him straightly, his dark eyes were somewhat gloomy: "If there is no second Gu Lin, then I will be the one who is put under the command of Inspector Lu."

"You are quite arrogant." Jun Han heard what the boy in front of him meant, and he did not feel inferior to others.

He said: "I also want to see the county magistrate, come with me."

The three inspectors were summoned by the county magistrate, and each of them brought people with them. The backyard of the county government was no longer as deserted as last time.

The county magistrate thought this was great. With such strong soldiers, he could sleep peacefully.

Seeing Gu Lin coming in with Jun Han, he called him over: "Gu Lin is here, come and meet the three inspectors."

Gu Lin walked over to greet the three inspectors. The three inspectors were all big and taller than him. One of them was big and strong, and the other two were fatter and thin.

The patrol inspector was a ninth-rank military officer, and he had a fixed number of soldiers under his command. On weekdays, they would not go anywhere else except for training. After receiving the order from the county magistrate, they rushed over, and heard the county magistrate mention Gu Lin, who brought the news that the refugee army was about to attack Anyuan Town.

Patrol Inspector Lu was also the one who received this scholar.

So Patrol Inspector Lu spent the longest time watching Gu Lin, and asked: "Look, the knife on the back of Scholar Gu is not light, how long have you practiced martial arts?" "

Two years."

"..." Patrol Inspector Lu's sturdy body trembled. Good guy, he thought that someone who could use such a big knife would be good at martial arts, but he only learned it for two years.

He spent two years just doing horse stance.

But the sturdy-looking Inspector Lu was kind-hearted. The county magistrate was their superior, and since he had said clearly that he wanted to put people under his command, he could not refuse the county magistrate's face, so he said: "Then you lead the people of the tenth flag and wait for orders. It happened that the leader of the tenth flag injured his legs and feet a few days ago and is recovering in the station."

There are ten people in a flag, and there are ten leaders. Above them are two flag generals, each in charge of fifty people, and above them is Inspector Lu.

In the past, Inspector Lu would not mind bringing this person with him personally to make the county magistrate happy.

But when it comes to facing the refugee army, he really can't spare the heart to deal with it, so he can just give Gu Lin a person from a small flag to play with himself.

The soldiers on the left and right are all old people who are familiar with the route, and leaving him there will not delay major events.

The county magistrate looked at Inspector Lu and said nothing.

Among the three inspectors, Inspector Lu is the most capable and strictest one under his subordinates, and he has also done the most work since the drought.

The other two looked like they were just mediocre. The county magistrate still had to rely on Inspector Lu to quell the impending chaos. Even though he felt that it would be better to let Gu Lin be the leader of a small flag, he did not say anything.

"Thank you, Inspector." Several adults were discussing matters here. How could a newly appointed leader of dozens of small flags stay here?

After Gu Lin, the county magistrate and Inspector Lu took their leave, they went directly to the outside of the county government office and walked along the street on the left side of the county government office. When he came over, he took a look. Several inspectors brought hundreds of people who requisitioned the houses here and lived here.

As soon as Gu Lin walked in, he saw soldiers gathered in groups of three or four, chatting and playing with small toys.

Seeing this stranger without a military uniform, they all looked over at him. The person closest to him stretched out his hand to stop him: "Hey, kid, this is our temporary camp. It's not where you should come. Go back to where you came from."

Gu Lin: "I'm the leader of the tenth small flag newly stationed by Inspector Lu."

"?"

"Are you the leader of the tenth small flag?" The soldier jumped onto the top of the wall in two or three steps and said to the people in another yard, "People from the tenth small flag, the inspector called a kid to lead you!"

"Bullshit, our leader will be able to get out of bed in a few days, the inspector won't send anyone over."

Another person who was looking for trouble looked at Gu Lin and also climbed onto the top of the wall: "Really, he's on our side, come and have a look."

A group of soldiers in black uniforms came over from the yard over there. They were old and young, the oldest was in their forties, the youngest was in their teens.

Military status is hereditary, and the son will take over when the father dies. They also have to move with the place where they live. These soldiers have been dealing with the soldiers in the team since they were young, and they are full of military oil.

This is still something that Inspector Lu can suppress. The soldiers under the other two inspectors, like the sound of playing, came from far over there.

As soon as these people came, they surrounded Gu Lin, "You are the leader sent by the inspector. Oh my God, little guy, have you been weaned? Don't let him fight with others. You will find your father and father. What should we do?"

"Hahahahaha, don't you have a child in the Tenth Banner? It's okay to take another one!" They are all brothers who get together to train and play every day. The fathers of the family are old friends for decades. People from other banners came to watch the fun. There were three layers inside and three layers outside. The walls and yards were full of people, and some of them who climbed fast squatted on the roof.

The youngest and tender-faced soldier who came with the tenth flag blushed, "I'm sixteen years old and I look young!"

"Then look at how old he is. If he is younger than you, can he still call you brother?"

"Hahahaha!!!"

"Hey kid," a man who was half a head taller than Gu Lin, with dark skin and a dark face walked out of the tenth flag, "We will go and talk to the inspection team ourselves, you should leave quickly."

"I can't be the leader of the tenth flag for a few days, but it's not up to you to decide whether I can be the leader or not," Gu Lin glanced at the soldiers who were crowded together to watch the fun, and looked at the man in front of him, "Have a competition with me, if you lose, I will turn around and leave immediately."

Wow.

The soldiers were silent for a moment, then clapped their hands against the wall excitedly: "Great, this kid who hasn't even grown all his feathers yet has the guts."

"Zhang Tie, come on, you're so close to the leader of the flag, you can't let someone else take your place!"

Zhang Tie was from the tenth flag, and he was as close to the original leader as a brother, and the leader was injured for him, so he had no good feelings for Gu Lin, the parachuted kid who had taken over the magpie's nest.

He looked at Gu Lin's thin figure and the broadsword that was probably just used as a decoration: "Okay, let's compete in archery, don't say I'm bullying you."

Zhang Tie thought to himself, anyway, this kid bumped into me, and he wouldn't be responsible if the inspector asked about it.

Hearing that he was going to compete in archery, Gu Lin raised his eyebrows: "Okay." When

the people who were idle every day had moles on their backs, they immediately volunteered to prepare the target and bow and arrow when they heard that it was going to start. Zhang Tie looked at the old bow and arrow in Gu Lin's hand and said: "The bows here are good, change them?"

"No need."