HLnovel Chapter 200 Lin Chang'er was completely bewildered. Was this really her fault?
Chapter 200 Lin Chang'er was completely bewildered. Was this really her fault?
After everyone left, Lin Chang'er rubbed Gu Xiaoman's head and teased him, "You naughty boy, aren't you afraid of being arrested by the police?"
Gu Xiaoman giggled, showing no sign of fright. Instead, she pointed to the 20 Huo family boys she had brought back and said, "We agreed that he was lying to the children. I'm not afraid at all, with the Huo family uncles here!"
Lin Chang'er nodded slightly to Gu Xiaoman and then greeted the men, "Thank you all for your help."
The men of the Huo family had long been on good terms with the Gu family. They waved their hands, said no nonsense, and got straight to work.
Gu Xiaoman leaned mysteriously closer to Lin Chang'er and said, "Auntie, I didn't make them work for nothing; it cost me an ounce of silver!"
Lin Chang'er looked at him in surprise, "You paid someone to come?"
Gu Xiaoman nodded, and Gu Xiaolu told her about the encounter with the constables on their way to the Huo family to ask for help.
Fearing that Lin Chang'er would be unhappy, he added, "Mother, my brother and I will use our own monthly allowance to hire someone. We are too young and don't want our older brother, uncle, or maternal uncle to help you. We will pay for someone to come."
Lin Chang'er laughed after hearing this, rubbing one of her little heads with both hands, "You're quite clever! Mother will pay for this."
"No need, no need!" Gu Xiaoman waved her hand.
Gu Xiaolu also said, "We usually save the monthly allowance that Mother gives us, so this time my brother and I will pay. One tael of silver, 500 coins each for my brother and me."
Was this person hired for 50 coins?
In special circumstances, this is reasonable.
Lin Chang'er didn't argue with them anymore and said, "Alright, then Xiaoman and Xiaolu will have to pay for these."
Gu Xiaoman patted the money bag, and Gu Xiaolu covered her mouth and giggled.
Just then, a group of women and children entered from the front gate; they were all people who had a good relationship with the Gu family.
Aunt Zhou, Sister-in-law Zhou, Sister-in-law Xiaohua, Niu Xiaomei, He Chunhua, and the mothers of Xiaoshan, Xiaoshu, and Datou, as well as the women who usually help out at the sugar factory and the dried goods workshop, and the children who can help.
While helping to organize the markings, Aunt Zhou said, "Have all the other warehouses been packed up? We have enough people now, so let the men move some things to the ancestral hall first. You have a lot of things here, so I'm afraid you won't be able to move them all in one trip."
Lin Chang'er said, "They're all here. I had a feeling that this flood season might not be good, so I sold off some goods beforehand."
"Lord Wu sent us six mules, a horse, and my family's old donkey, plus the cow we've been raising for so long. He also lent us seven people, so we won't cause any more trouble for the village."
“I’m almost done packing up here. Aunts, sisters-in-law and sisters, hurry back and follow Uncle Hai to higher ground. We’ll set off soon.”
Aunt Zhou was still worried, "This!"
The men from the Huo family standing nearby laughed and said, "Auntie, you should go home early. We're still here!"
"The old man rented us out to the Gu family today, so there are all of us here!"
Aunt Zhou glanced around, then made a firm decision. "Alright, I'll take everyone back first. Once you've packed up enough, hurry up and leave. The river will rise to the surface soon."
Lin Chang'er said, "I know."
Many hands make light work. Not long after Aunt Zhou and her group left, Lin Chang'er had almost finished tidying up.
The group wrapped the goods in oilcloth in batches and loaded them onto the mules' backs.
If it can't fit, people still have to carry it.
Looking at the 20 burly men from the Huo family, Lin Chang'er felt uneasy. "Have you really made all the arrangements at home?"
The man in the lead replied, "Don't worry, everything is fine at home, that's why the old man lent us here."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chang'er stopped talking and gave everyone a piece of oilcloth to wrap around themselves as a raincoat.
Liu Zi led his men over to the Gu family's courtyard first.
The two sides met at the entrance of the courtyard, and the old woman from next door was also given a ride. Then, Lin Chang'er led them into the mountains.
Those who were slow to move and missed the first two groups also followed Lin Chang'er's group.
Zhou Hai and Huo Lao were in charge of the evacuation, while Gu Xiaoman and Gu Xiaolu obediently sat in the baskets carried by Gu Dalang and Gu Erlang.
The little goldfish was healthy and walked alongside Lin Chang'er on its own, so Lin Chang'er didn't need to worry about it.
Lin Yanqing and Gu Silang went ahead to check the situation.
What worried Lin Chang'er the most was Gu Ersao, who was due to give birth in a little over a month, and now her belly was already very big.
The mountain road was narrow, so the carriages of the donkey cart and horse cart were dismantled and left in the Gu family's courtyard.
Given Gu Ersao's current size, it's not convenient for her to carry her.
Niu Xiaomei and He Chunhua then volunteered to help look after the animals.
The group made their way up to higher ground, but when they reached a slightly higher elevation, they suddenly heard someone shout, "Water! The floodwaters are rising! The floodwaters are flooding our house..."
Immediately, sobbing sounds rang out from the crowd.
Lin Chang'er glanced back at the surging river, which had submerged most of the village in just a few breaths.
Although I felt sad, I had no time to be sentimental. I shouted, "Where there's life, there's hope. We can rebuild our homes once the water recedes. The water level is still rising. Now is not the time for us to be sad. Let's hurry up and catch up with the villagers ahead."
Some villagers, ignoring their grief, wiped away their tears and pressed on with all their might, while others gave up entirely, saying, "You make it sound so easy; rebuilding our homes is not that simple."
"Exactly! Do you think everyone's family is as rich as the Gu family?"
"It's easy for you to talk when you're rich and powerful."
Lin Chang'er was completely bewildered. Were these people out of their minds?
Is this the time when people are starting to resent the rich?
The Gu family members all looked grim, even the children glared menacingly at the complainers.
The little goldfish couldn't help but exclaim, "My family used to be one of the poorest in the whole village! Did our money fall from the sky and we picked it up from the ground?"
“It was all earned by my mother, penny by penny. You didn’t work hard, and now that you’ve encountered a natural disaster, you’re blaming others!”
“Our family has spent a lot of money on us. My mother takes good care of all the uncles, aunts, grandparents, younger siblings and other relatives in the village. My mother doesn’t owe anyone anything, and no one here owes you anything either. If you’re going to give us attitude, you’ve come to the wrong place.”
"That's right, why are you blaming Sister Chang'er for no reason?" He Chunhua muttered along with her. "If it weren't for Sister Chang'er, would this village be living the good life it used to have?"
Niu Xiaomei chimed in, "Sister Chang'er didn't say anything wrong! If we don't leave now, are we just waiting to be swept away by the flood? As long as we're alive, the whole family can come back together. Sister Chang'er is already being kind by taking you all with her. You can't go too far."