Chapter 78: Choice
Editor: Atlas Studios
Looking at the children who they had raised with great difficulty, the parents were in agony. Third Uncle Liu looked at Liu Yong and his youngest son, Liu Xing, and finally stood up himself and said, “I’ll represent my household.”
However, Liu Yong pulled him back and stepped forward. “Let me do it.”
“Ah Yong!” Third Uncle Liu exclaimed.
Liu Yong looked at his father solemnly and said, “Father, I was wrong nine years ago. This time, I’m stronger than you. I even killed someone just now.”
Third Uncle Liu opened his mouth but no words came out. Liu Xing said with reddened eyes, “Brother, let me go.”
Liu Yong only glanced at his brother before turning around and standing behind Liu He.
Liu Daqian also looked at his two sons. Liu Zhuang took a step forward and said, “I’ll do it for my family. Eldest Brother is the eldest son, so you should support our parents.”
Liu Ting hurriedly went forward to stop his younger brother, but Liu Daqian stopped him and said in a deep voice, “Your younger brother is right. Let him go.”
Madam Liu-Zhang hugged her children and burst into tears, but she didn’t dare to say that she wouldn’t let Liu Zhuang go.
Most families would choose to let their eldest son stay and their second son go.
When it came to Liu Erqian, there was no choice. Liu Xuan was already by Mu Yangling’s side, but Second Madam Liu stood up and forced Liu Yuan’s wife to swear. “Xuan’er doesn’t have children yet. If he dies, your family has to promise to pass on a son to him so that the family line doesn’t end with him.”
Liu Yuan and his wife had no objections.
When it was Liu He’s turn, he was silent for a long time before finally saying with difficulty, “Dazhuang is also by Ah Ling’s side.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Liu He’s wife immediately cried bitterly and went forward to hit him. “Why did you choose him? Why did you choose him? He’s only 18 and hasn’t gotten married yet.”
Among Liu He’s five sons, the eldest four were married. As Liu Dazhuang was the youngest and had come by in his autumn years, the old couple doted on this child the most. Now that they wanted him to come out, everyone couldn’t help but feel sad.
Liu He’s eyes were also red, but this was a choice he had to make.
The villagers were still hesitating. If he didn’t show his attitude, they might not have come to a decision by the time Mu Yangling returned.
His four sons would definitely have objections. Since Dazhuang was already following behind Mu Yangling, if he were to choose from the other four sons, they would probably start to have internal strife before they even started fleeing.
Therefore, he had no choice but to choose his youngest son.
As expected, with Liu He’s choice, the rest went much smoother. Some families couldn’t bear to part with their children, so the heads of households who weren’t even 40 years old stood up on their own. Some sons couldn’t bear to see their fathers die, so they pulled them back and volunteered themselves.
There were those who were considerate of their families, and there were naturally also those who were biased. In short, in 15 minutes, Mu Shi saw plenty of dramatic scenes concerning life and death. But what about him?
Mu Shi felt his heart turn cold. Others could offer a son in his twenties, but his daughter was only nine years old!
How could Mu Shi let his daughter do such a thing?
He took a step forward and said in a low voice, “I’ll represent the Mu family. Let Ah Ling come back and take her mother and the others away.”
Once Mu Shi said this, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Compared to Mu Yangling, everyone naturally trusted the tall and muscular Mu Shi more.
Liu He didn’t refuse and only said, “Ah Ling will be back soon. Now, everyone, go pack your things. If you have anything to say to your family, quickly say it. Don’t make too much noise. The Hus are right behind us.”
Only then did everyone disperse.
Mu Yangling quickly brought the men back, covered in blood. Everyone was more or less injured, but they all came back alive.
At this moment, they were still wearing the Hu costumes. Mu Yangling only managed to get rid of the Hus so quickly by using these clothes to confuse them.
Seeing that his daughter was covered in blood, Mu Shi pulled her over and searched her up and down. Mu Yangling hurriedly said, “Father, this isn’t my blood. It’s all from the Hus. I didn’t even lose a strand of hair.”
Mu Shi’s face darkened. “Who asked you to do such a dangerous thing? Didn’t I tell you to only scout the way?”
“We had no choice, Father. You have no idea, but the Hus kill the villagers like they’re cutting melons. This way, even if our family manages to avoid them by being at the front, they’ll definitely catch up from behind eventually. How can our family escape when that happens?” Mu Yangling tried to convince Mu Shi in a hushed voice. “Father, I’m not being selfless, but I’m doing this for personal gain.”
Mu Shi snorted coldly. “Go ahead and argue. What’s that about fending for oneself? I think you’ve already made up your mind to take charge of this matter from the beginning.”
Mu Yangling could only rub her nose.
Mu Shi’s eyes were burning. Seeing that his daughter was resembling more and more like his father, his heart felt as though it was being stabbed by a knife. “Why are you two so much alike? Why don’t you think about your parents and your younger siblings? You’re just like your grandfather. He’s a Hu, and the blood of a Hu flows in you, too. Why are you so biased towards the Han people?”
Mu Shi had always been brooding over his father’s choice to protect the villagers and abandon him. It was fine if it was his mother since she was born and raised in Nearhill Village. But what about his father?
He was clearly ostracized by the villagers and had a faint relationship with them. Why did he risk his life to protect them?
In the past, his daughter was only concerned about taking care of the family. He was even proud to have given birth to a daughter who took after him. He had thought that this child only looked like her grandfather but did not take after him in temperament. Now, not only did she look like him, but she was equally selfless. The only difference was, his father did things without saying a word. In contrast, her daughter’s bark was worse than her bite. Even though she would say things like going their separate ways, she kept turning around to save the villagers.
So he was the unconventional one in the Mu family?
Seeing that her father was being stubborn, Mu Yangling quickly pulled him into the forest and said in a low voice, “Father, I’m not lying to you. How fast can we run with Mother and my younger siblings? Saving them is akin to saving ourselves. Otherwise, even with us two around, can we really protect our family if the Hus rush up like a swarm of bees?”
Mu Yangling looked at Mu Shi seriously as she said, “Father, I can distinguish between family and outsiders.” She had her ideals and bottom line, but she also knew that she was not a soldier now, and this was not a socialist society. She stuck to her bottom line, but she would not choose to protect the civilians at the expense of her own life, like in her previous life.
Mu Shi looked at his daughter suspiciously. “Are you serious?” His daughter had been helping the villagers, even bringing them into the mountains to hunt earlier on.
Mu Yangling nodded fiercely. “I’m not lying to you, Father. I’m very good at escaping. If I can’t defeat the Hus, I’ll just run into the mountains and hide for two to three days. When it’s safe, I’ll come out to look for you.”
Although Mu Shi was still worried, he did not object.
Mu Yangling took the opportunity to say, “Father, we can’t live without you, so it’s better for me to go.”
Mu Shi said with a straight face, “No…”
“Father.” Mu Yangling pestered him. “What can a nine-year-old child like me do? I might not even be able to protect Mother. Most importantly, I’m better at escaping and fighting in a war than you.”
“Fighting in a war?” Mu Shi looked at her suspiciously. “How do you know how to fight in a war?” He knew that his daughter was good at escaping, but what was the deal with fighting in a war?
“Father, this is a talent I inherited from our ancestors. In any case, just now when I went to investigate, my mind suddenly buzzed when I saw the Hus. It was as if something suddenly clicked inside of me and I suddenly knew how to march and set up military formations. Really, I’m not lying to you. Otherwise, where do you think I got the ability to kill nearly 20 Hus with just five to six people?”
Mu Shi immediately believed it. Reason being, their divine strength had been inherited from their ancestors, and his daughter was even stronger than him. Therefore, it was not impossible for her to have inherited the talent to fight in a war.
Seeing this, Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. As expected, their ancestors were indeed formidable—she could just attribute everything to their ancestors. It was even more useful than praying to Bodhisattva Guan Yin.