Chapter 128: Line Up Properly

Once again, she had eaten too much.

Yan Yu despised herself.

But honestly, the natural ingredients in ancient times were just too delicious, carrying an inherent sweetness.

She used to hear her parents complain that fruits weren’t sweet, vegetables lacked flavor, and even meat wasn’t fragrant. She could never quite imagine the difference.

Now that she had experienced it firsthand, she understood.

Naturally grown food had its own unique character—distinctive, unforgettable after just one taste.

After a full meal, it was time to work.

Except for her mother, even her uncle had to help with distributing the soup.

The villagers had heard the news last night and had made preparations early. Two large pots had been set up—not using firewood, but Yan family’s charcoal, which required no tending and could burn for a long time, saving effort.

Originally, the Yan family was supposed to provide the water, but after some discussion, every household contributed a bit.

There was water in the nearby mountains, but hauling it down took effort.

Yan Yu had assembled her Young Scouts, who were brimming with enthusiasm.

Such an important security task had been entrusted to them—how awe-inspiring!

Yan Yu gave her final instructions: “Hold your wooden sticks tight, don’t let go. Stay with your team, don’t get separated. Our main job is to keep order. If anyone stirs up trouble, just aim for the parts with the most meat. The adults are right nearby, so we won’t suffer any losses.

“Whether our Young Scouts makes a name for itself depends on this. Let’s not embarrass ourselves in front of the grown-ups.

“My dad said he could give us some supplies as our squad’s foundation. Afterward, we’ll evaluate who contributed the most.”

Yan Huaiwen quietly watched as Tianyou and Er ya each took charge—one rallying the able-bodied men, the other organizing the children.

As expected of a father-daughter pair, they made the same choice. Both were holding wooden sticks.

This was the promise his niece had given him—no bows and crossbows!

The bones that Sanbao had stepped over were tossed into the pot, and soon, the fragrance of bone broth began to spread.

When word spread that bone broth was being given out for free, the disaster victims erupted in excitement.

A crowd surged forward but was immediately intimidated by the row of men holding wooden sticks at the front. They dared not approach recklessly.

“Big Brother, say a few words,” Yan Lao’er naturally suggested.

Yan Huaiwen glanced at him, then spoke in a clear voice:

“Fellow villagers, we have all been forced by natural disasters to leave our homes and seek refuge here. Since we travel the same road, we should look out for one another. But we are just ordinary farming families with limited means.

“There is food to be found in these mountains. I urge everyone to stay strong and gather as much food and water as possible.

“Today’s bone broth is free for all. There is only one rule—no fighting over it. Line up properly, and no one gets a second serving.”

With that, Yan Huaiwen signaled for Yan Lao’er to begin.

Yan Lao’er and Yan Xiangheng, the uncle-nephew duo, each picked up a long-handled ladle.

Yan Xiangheng followed his second uncle’s example and stirred the pot.

“Hold your bowls and line up properly. This is our first time doing this, so don’t blame us if the portions vary. It’s the thought that counts!”

Yan Lao’er realized that ladling out soup was slowing him down, so he had Da Ya take over.

Da Ya was so nervous that she stiffened completely.

Yan Yu saw this wouldn’t do. Smiling, she took the refugees’ bowls, handed them to Sister Da Ya, waited for her to scoop the soup, then passed the bowls back.

With this extra step, Da Ya relaxed.

However, Yan Yu’s little hands turned red from the heat.

Feeling distressed, Da Ya pulled her sister aside, preventing her from helping.

She stopped looking up at people and focused solely on scooping soup. Soon, she got the hang of it and became quick and efficient.

Seeing that everything was running smoothly, Yan Lao’er continued his speech:

“Drink some hot soup to warm your stomachs. Once you’ve regained your strength, do as my brother says—head into the mountains and find more food. We’ll be on the move again soon.

“We lost a lot of time fighting bandits to rescue people, so we can’t afford any more delays. If you fall behind, don’t panic. The sky is clear, and there are wheel tracks and footprints on the ground. Just follow them.”

“We won’t all be heading to the same place. Along the way, ask around—those with relatives should seek them out. If you don’t have a destination, find a good place to settle down. You don’t have to follow us. Our journey is long, and without livestock to ride, traveling on foot will be tough.”

“Where are you going?” a refugee asked bravely.

“We’re heading to Guanzhou.”

There was nothing to hide.

“That’s the border region! The barbarians raid there often, and it’s freezing cold. But I heard it’s the fief of Prince Ying. He treats his people decently, doesn’t oppress them too much, and the labor taxes aren’t too heavy. But still, when the barbarians come, you have to fight them off!”

Yan Lao’er’s words were always plain and down-to-earth.

The refugees were instantly drawn in.

The line moved forward steadily, without the chaos they had feared.

Yan Huaiwen thought: With a ring of young men wielding sticks standing around, and even the children eyeing the crowd like tigers, who would dare make trouble?

Besides…

His brother Tianyou had a way with words—far better than the average person!

Yan Lao’er had sharp eyes. Spotting a child soldier pulling at an adult who tried to cut in line, he loudly declared, “No cutting in! First come, first served, even if you’re family. If you arrived late, that’s on you! If everyone starts squeezing and pushing, the whole line will be a mess.”

“This pot will run out, but there’s more behind it. We prepared plenty of water.

“We can’t give everyone a full meal, as you can see. We’re just like you—ordinary village folk. Think about it—if we had good lives, would we be fleeing with our families?

“Drink some bone broth for strength. There are still bones that haven’t been added yet. Once this pot is empty, we’ll put in more bones and water—another pot of good soup!”

Hearing this, the refugees felt reassured and became less frantic.

Yan Lao’er moved through the middle and back of the line.

Without hesitation, he singled out a few people who had already received soup but were trying to sneak in again.

Seeing the Qi family brothers following closely behind him, these people didn’t dare utter a word and slunk away.

Yan Yu took the opportunity to educate Fengnian.

“Fengnian, look at those people’s expressions. They’re clearly unhappy, but they don’t dare act out. Ha! They’re scared of the Qi family uncles.

“Let me tell you, Uncle Qi and his brothers are incredibly strong. If they hit someone with a stick, half their life would be gone!”

Liang Fengnian’s eyes shone as he looked at the three Qi brothers.

“The Qi family uncles are naturally strong.” Ahem, though they also eat a lot.

“But there are ways to make up for it in other areas,” Yan Yu said seriously. “Our Young Scouts hasn’t trained for long, but we’ve become more agile and fast. Look—groups of three can take on an adult without fear.”

“There are too many bad people in this world. The really bad ones are bandits—they don’t value human life, rob people, and even sell them to mines. They deserve to die!

“But there are also minor troublemakers—not as violent, but just as annoying.” Yan Yu scrunched her nose. “If you avoid them, they think you’re afraid. I say we should be tougher—scare them so they don’t dare cause trouble.”

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(End of Chapter)