"Yes, big brother, second brother is right. As long as we stay alive, we'll surely find a way out."
"But the ancestral formula, just like that, was taken away by that person. How can I face our ancestors and our parents in the future?"
Fu XinCi heard the old man crying sadly and wanted to call him pedantic, but thinking of how ancient people valued their word, she said as if speaking without reservation, "What's there to cry about? So what if someone stole your formula? If you can't afford to offend them, just pack up your families and move to a place where their reach doesn't extend. Then you can start anew."
"You can do that?"
"Why not? They who snatched your formula aren't embarrassed, so why should you be! Besides, you're just changing your living place."
"The old saying goes that people thrive when they move. Perhaps your future will be even more prosperous than before."
"Aye, this girl speaks sense." The old man, who had been frowning, suddenly took heart. He hurried over to his two younger brothers and began to discuss with them.
"We can't stay in Lin County where we used to live anymore."
"Then where shall we move?"
"Yes."
Fu XinCi saw the three old men sitting on the ground by the carriage, discussing where to settle down, and couldn't help but offer another suggestion.
"Since you want to do business up north, you can move your families north. Of course, you can also go south, or east or west, as long as you leave the sphere of influence of that villain. Remember, the further, the better. Isn't there a saying, 'The whip cannot reach too far'?"
The young girl said it lightly, but the three old men, hearing her reminder, felt as if a great enlightenment had dawned.
The youngest-looking old man immediately voiced his thought, "Big brother, second brother, why don't we go back right now, bring everyone from home, and then go north with these soldiers?"
Fu XinCi hadn't expected her few words to change the minds of the three old men, making them want to follow them.
The three old men deliberated for a while longer, and the eldest among them walked back to Old Jin to discuss.
"Soldier, can my family and I go north with you?"
Old Jin: ?
"I mean, please wait for us here for one more day, soldier. My home is in Ling Shui Town ahead. I'll go back now and bring my women and belongings."
Old Jin hadn't expected these three old men to be so bold. After Xin Ci said a few words, they not only listened but immediately took action.
"We can wait for you. But I'd like to ask what your family did for a living."
"To the soldier, my family used to run a weaving workshop and a dyeing house." The old man sighed at this point. "But now, our whole family has nothing left but people."
"Our old house was occupied by that person. What's most infuriating is that he said he'll use it to raise livestock, and we wouldn't even be able to buy it back in the future."
"Raise his mongrel!" Old Jin blurted out.
Hearing this, the three brothers felt an immense sense of relief. They had wanted to curse him too, but for the sake of their families' children, they had to endure. Today, someone had cursed for them, and their hearts immediately felt lighter.
When Fu XinCi heard that this family used to run a weaving and dyeing workshop, she had an idea. She would discuss it with the captain when her companions returned from hunting.
However, before she could find the captain, Uncle Jin sent Yu Luo to look for her.
"Uncle Jin, you were looking for me?"
"Yes." Old Jin watched the family unloading goods from the back carriage and then, with a tone as if they had gotten a great deal, said to Xin Ci, "Xin Ci, do you think we should abduct this family to our Meng Family Town?"
Xin Ci really wanted to say that she had the same idea. But a good child should first listen to the elders before speaking.
"Your aunt's health isn't very good now, so I don't want her to manage that small workshop anymore."
Fu XinCi nodded. Zhong Shi's health had indeed declined.
"Just now, that old man mentioned their ancestral craftsmanship, and I was tempted. Not to mention other places, just our town alone uses a lot of fabric throughout the year, plus the nearby garrisons."
Fu XinCi didn't say: And the people of Longcheng too.
"So I was thinking, when we set off, I'll have a good chat with them."
"Yes, Uncle Jin's idea is good."
"As long as our Meng Family Town can be self-sufficient, we won't fear anyone."
Fu XinCi hadn't expected Uncle Jin to have such an ambitious plan. If Meng Family Town could truly be self-sufficient, as Uncle Jin said, they wouldn't fear even a siege.
The captain and his group had been out for quite some time. Seeing the adult wild boar they brought back, not only the youngsters were envious, but even Old Jin felt like jumping up and joining the captain to hunt another one.
The second generation of the Zhou family, seeing such a large wild boar for the first time, kept pestering Pang Dun'er with questions. Pang Dun'er's good temper was fully displayed. Not only was he not impatient, but he patiently recounted the entire process of catching the wild boar. What he described made not only the Zhou brothers' blood boil, but the youngsters also wished they could go hunting for an even bigger wild boar right now.
Seeing the youngsters practically fidgeting, Old Jin struck up a casual conversation with the captain, "Long Teng, where do you live now?" After asking, he realized he might have been too abrupt and quickly tried to make amends, "Uh, Long Teng, if it's inconvenient to say, you don't have to."
"There's nothing inconvenient about it. The place we live is called Long Cheng Town."
"Long Cheng Town?" The latter half of the sentence, "How have I never heard of this town?" was forcefully swallowed back by Old Jin.
Fu XinCi was sitting beside them. Uncle Jin's face was contorted, looking rather comical. The captain, however, didn't seem bothered. Instead, he respected this man even more. "If Battalion Commander Jin is interested, Xin Ci can take you there to visit when you have time."
"Okay. When we get back, I'll have Xin Ci bring me to pay a visit."
"You are most welcome."
"Thank you." Old Jin really liked these young people. He was truly grateful to heaven that they had been saved.
Captain: ...
"Great kindness needs no thanks. If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word."
"Alright," the captain smiled, not being polite.
"Oh my, your personality suits me perfectly. I don't have a daughter, otherwise, I'd definitely propose to you for my family."
Captain: This is too much.
His companions covered their mouths and giggled. Old Jin actually wanted to say that although his two sons were good, he was even more fond of someone like Long Teng.
Captain: "Let's lift the boar and go to the river to clean it up."
"Okay!" The companions, afraid that Old Jin might say something more embarrassing to their captain, followed him to the river with the wild boar.