Chapter 142: Warning

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Warning

Today, Gu Qingli had called for Mrs. Li and Mrs. Zhang. They were originally household slaves from a wealthy family, but after their masters met with misfortune, these servants were sold off. They weren’t skilled in farm work either, being thorough city dwellers. Gu Qingli had asked them to come out mainly to help her carry some firewood and gather fodder for the cattle and horses.

Seeing their mistress working so hard while they only helped gather the firewood, Mrs. Zhang felt quite uneasy. She stepped forward and offered, “Third Mistress, let me do the chopping.”

Gu Qingli glanced at her, nodded, and handed her the hatchet.

Mrs. Zhang learned from Gu Qingli to cut only the dead branches from the trees.

If the mistress can do it, why can’t I, at my age?

she thought.

Gu Qingli saw she was managing well, so she picked up the sickle from the ground and began cutting grass.

Around noon, the three of them headed down the mountain, carrying bundles of grass and a load of firewood.

“FLAP FLAP FLAP…”

Suddenly, the sound of birds flapping frantically in panic came from deep within the woods.

Gu Qingli looked back and saw many birds scrambling to fly out of the forest.

“Third Mistress, could a fierce beast be coming out? We should hurry,” Mrs. Zhang said, also looking back at the scene.

Gu Qingli didn’t know what was happening.

Da Bai is in the Space; otherwise, I could have sent him in to take a look.

However, seeing the birds so alarmed, Gu Qingli didn’t think it was a wild animal descending the mountain. It feels more like a warning before a disaster.

Her heart tightened as she looked at the blue sky with its white clouds, and at the birds, some of which had already flown far away.

“Let’s hurry back.”

“Okay.”

Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li quickened their pace considerably.

When they got home, they heard Gu Chang’an banging a gong and shouting for everyone in the village to gather at the grain-drying ground for a meeting.

“Third Sister-in-law, what’s going on?” Ms. Yang, who was cooking in the kitchen, heard the shouts, came out, and looked up to see the birds flying away.

“I don’t know. Let’s go to the grain-drying ground and find out. Let Aunt Li and Aunt Zhang finish cooking. Call Second Sister-in-law, and let’s go quickly.”

“Okay.” Ms. Yang untied her apron, called for Ms. Wang, and the three sisters-in-law hurried towards the village’s grain-drying ground.

On the way, they met a hurrying Gu Dalin, and the four of them walked together.

“Father, do you know why this is happening?” Gu Qingli asked, pointing to the birds overhead.

Gu Dalin shook his head. “I don’t know either. I’ve lived this long and never heard of or seen anything like it.”

“Oh,” Gu Qingli responded. A complicated feeling settled in her heart as she followed him to the grain-drying ground.

Many people had already gathered, all discussing animatedly.

Gu Chang’an still held the gong. Standing beside him were two old men whom Gu Qingli recognized as clan elders.

“DANG! DANG! DANG!”

“Everyone, quiet down!” Gu Chang’an, seeing that almost everyone had arrived, struck the bronze gong a few times and shouted.

The noisy crowd below instantly fell silent.

“You’ve all seen it, haven’t you?” Gu Chang’an pointed to the sky.

He struck the gong again and said, “There’s no need to panic. The situation is still unclear, but everyone needs to prepare.”

“According to records in our ancestors’ manuscripts, a natural disaster is likely imminent.”

“It could be a locust plague, an earthquake—what our ancestors called an ’Earthworm stirring’—or perhaps a flood…”

“This is Heaven giving us a warning. So, before any of these things happen, everyone go home, pack your valuables, and be ready to move at any time.”

“Ah, Village Chief, where will we go then?” a villager asked with a despairing look once Gu Chang’an finished.

“Yes, if this whole area is struck by disaster, where can we go?”

“Village Chief, why don’t we just leave now?”

“Exactly! Look at those birds still swarming out. This seems serious. We should leave now; it might be too late if we delay.”

…

“DANG! DANG! DANG!”

“Quiet! Listen to what the clan elder has to say.”

The restless crowd below quieted down again.

At this point, the eldest clan elder coughed a few times and said, “Everyone, don’t panic. This is just Heaven giving us a warning. We don’t know exactly what will happen or where. Go back and prepare, and await further instructions.”

Hearing the clan elder speak, the crowd indeed seemed less agitated.

Gu Qingli, however, wasn’t so optimistic.

In modern times, disasters like this could strike in the blink of an eye, leaving no chance to escape. Especially earthquakes.

Judging by the way those birds flew out of the forest and scattered in all directions, it’s highly probable the disaster will occur within the Azure Dragon Mountain range.

“Clan Elder, Village Chief, wild animals are coming down the mountain!” Gu Dafeng, a villager who made his living by hunting, ran up, panting as he spoke.

“Ah! Quick, go back! The children are still at home!” Hearing this, the crowd grew even more frantic. Without waiting for the clan elders or the Village Chief to say anything more, they scattered in a rush.

Some, however, ran towards the outskirts of the village, probably hoping to scavenge something or gain some advantage.

Soon, only the clan elders and the Village Chief remained at the grain-drying ground. Hearing that wild animals were descending the mountain, Gu Dalin, Gu Qingli, Ms. Yang, and Ms. Wang were among the first to run back.

Their two families lived at the foot of the mountain, making them most vulnerable to animal attacks.

“Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, go back and bolt your doors. Don’t come out. I’m going to check on my mother,” Gu Qingli said on the way to Ms. Yang and Ms. Wang, who were pale with fright.

They both nodded. It was the first time they had experienced such a scene, and they were terrified.

They were even more worried about the children in town.

Even though they knew someone was secretly protecting the children, they were still worried.

Gu Qingli and Gu Dalin ran quickly. By the time they reached the village entrance, they saw many wild animals indeed rushing down the mountain and stampeding towards the other side of the river.

Seeing the animals, Gu Dalin ran even faster, disregarding everything else, and dashed into their courtyard in a few strides.

Gu Qingli was a few steps behind. She ran into the courtyard and, seeing no wild animals there, stopped, panting heavily.

“Li’er, hurry inside!” Ms. Wu, supported by Gu Dalin, called out to her anxiously.

“Mother, don’t be afraid. These animals aren’t attacking people,” Gu Qingli said with a wave of her hand. Once she had caught her breath, she went over to take Ms. Wu’s pulse.

The wild animals were focused solely on escaping and hadn’t even entered the village proper. It seemed they would only feel safe once they had fled this area.

“Li’er, is your mother alright? What should we do now?” Gu Dalin waited until Gu Qingli had finished checking Ms. Wu’s pulse, then asked.

Gu Qingli glanced at the two, who looked utterly lost. “Father, Mother is fine. You two start preparing now. I’ll have someone come to pick you up later. Go to town, pick up Dashuang and the other five children, and hurry to Qiyang County. We have a house in Qiyang County; you can stay there for now.”

We absolutely can’t stay here any longer. The County Town won’t be safe either.

“We don’t have many belongings, but I don’t know what to do about all the grain,” Gu Dalin nodded, frowning.

Gu Qingli glanced at Ms. Wu. “Grain isn’t as important as people. Hurry and prepare. I’ll go back and arrange for carriages.”

“Alright.”

Gu Dalin and Ms. Wu both nodded. They had always considered Gu Qingli their pillar of support, so they naturally did as she said.

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