HCB Chapter 171 Difficult Choices
Chapter 171 Difficult Choices
Shen Youyou's eyes flickered and she shifted her gaze. At this moment, she wanted to be selfish for a moment and thought that living in seclusion in the mountains was quite nice.
We have enough water and food. As for their family of three, even if they have to live in the mountains with everyone, things will get better slowly.
But based on Shen Zhiqiu's understanding of his daughter, he could not hide Shen Youyou's unnaturalness from him.
He was not so great as to risk his life for it, he just wanted to know what idea his daughter had come up with, and why she was so hesitant.
It was obvious that her daughter had something to hide, so Shen Zhiqiu didn't ask her on the spot, but arranged for everyone to make dinner first.
But he was taken away by his daughter and wife. Shen Luming looked depressed: "Brother Yuanbao, what do you think my parents and sister are doing? Are they hiding something from me?"
Shen Yuanbao looked disgusted and said, "What are you thinking about all day? Don't meddle in adult affairs."
Shen Luming said, isn’t my sister also a child?
When Shen Yuanbao heard this, he looked at Shen Luming seriously: "Sister Youyou is so smart, she is an exception. Didn't you see that she can make decisions better than adults along the way?"
Shen Luming was disappointed: "I just don't want them to hide anything from me."
Shen Yuanbao rubbed his brother's head: "You are a boy, don't be like a woman, why do you have so many little thoughts?"
Shen Luming snorted coldly: "You are like a woman, I won't play with you anymore."
After saying that, he went to find his grandfather angrily and ignored his brother Yuanbao from then on. But after thinking about it, he decided to ignore his brother Yuanbao today.
Behind a big tree, Shen Zhiqiu stressed: "Although this mountain is not particularly big, it is precisely because it is not big and there are so many bandits that we have no chance to avoid the bandits and walk through the mountain.
Also, the mountain looks densely wooded and the roads are narrow, so it will be more difficult for us to push the cart than before.
Even if we can leave, there is no guarantee that we will not be discovered. With so many elderly people, women and children, we cannot afford the possibility of this happening."
After saying this, he looked at Shen Youyou steadily, his eyes speaking volumes.
Shen Youyou felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by his father. His pink lips were pursed into a straight line and his throat moved, but he said nothing.
But Li Jingshu suddenly said: "Old Shen, didn't you buy sulfur and saltpeter? We also have bamboo charcoal. Otherwise, we will wipe out those bandits."
Shen Zhiqiu had also thought about this, but most of the people in the mountains were actually refugees. Even if they were forced to go up the mountain to become bandits, they should not be guilty of a capital crime.
In fact, Li Jingshu realized this was not a good idea right after he finished speaking. After all, gunpowder was extremely powerful, and they could not be sure that they would only blow up the bandits. The refugees who were brought up the mountain were innocent, especially those poor women.
It is indeed worrying to think about it. If the mountain stronghold was full of vicious bandits, it would be easier to deal with, but the bad thing is that there are also many ordinary people.
Shen Zhiqiu shook his head at his wife, then looked at Shen Youyou: "My daughter, if you have an idea, just tell me and we can discuss whether it is feasible. Don't worry, I will definitely not take the risk if it is too dangerous."
Shen Youyou sat down on the ground, feeling very nervous. When that man was waving his sword at her father before, she broke out in a cold sweat. Now the situation was the same again. She was really afraid that something might happen to her father.
Li Jingshu also looked at her daughter, and now she understood: Yoyo had come up with a solution, but felt it was dangerous and did not say it out loud.
Even though she guessed it, she was not too nervous because she knew her husband better.
The reason why his daughter didn't understand was that Old Shen was a different person in front of him and his daughter.
In front of her, Lao Shen basically doesn't pretend at all. They have known each other since childhood and have been married for so many years, but her husband has always been quite timid.
When he first heard wolves howling in the mountains, he kept saying to himself: The sound is so creepy, I'm afraid that one will suddenly jump out from in front of or behind me at any time.
But in front of his daughter, he is the good father who can take on everything for his child.
The old man who has been pretending to be so great has finally become great!
So if there is real danger, her husband will definitely not risk himself for anyone else because he still has to take care of their family.
Shen Youyou gritted her teeth and said, "My idea is to send a dozen men up the mountain and say that they want to join the bandits. We have come a long way and there are no women around.
There are probably many refugees in the same situation, so they shouldn't arouse the suspicion of the bandits.
First gain the trust of the bandits, and then take the opportunity to knock them out.
I have thought about the ancient drugs, and I guess Grandpa Guo could make one, but I'm not sure whether the drugs seen on TV in the past were exaggerated or whether they were really that effective.
So there is another way, which is to get them all drunk. Of course, the bandits may not have any alcohol now, so the people who go up the mountain can use Pueraria root to make wine and the method of purifying wine as a stepping stone, and say that it is a secret recipe passed down from ancestors and are willing to give it to the bandits.
Pueraria root can also be used to make wine. The steps are very simple. Just wash and cut the Pueraria root into pieces, steam it, break it into Pueraria root paste, put it into wine yeast and seal it for fermentation.
We can distill the finished liquor several times to make it stronger, and get the bandits drunk. Then we can tie them up and leave."
Shen Zhiqiu's eyes lit up. This was a good idea and very feasible.
Shen Youyou didn't wait for his father to say anything, and continued to tell him: "First, it takes a long time to make wine again. Pueraria wine needs to ferment for more than 15 to 25 days. And we have to take into account the time they first dug Pueraria, which will take at least a month.
The longer the time, the greater the risk. If something goes wrong, it will be very difficult for the dozen people who went up the mountain to safely retreat from the bandit camp of thousands of people."
There is a saying: Man proposes, God disposes. No one can guarantee that everything will go as expected. It will only develop in a good direction and no accidents will occur.
Shen Zhiqiu pondered. He now understood why his daughter was so conflicted. The problem was too obvious. If this plan was to be implemented, he would have to go up the mountain himself.
Because when these men from the village go up there, I’m even more worried that they might not be smart enough and won’t do things carefully.
He is not arrogant and thinks that everyone can't accomplish anything without him, but after such a long period of contact, he has a very good understanding of everyone's personality. This is considered as being a traitor, so he probably needs to watch over it.
To be honest, if he had just traveled through time, he would have chosen to live in seclusion in the mountains and develop his life without a second thought.
But also because of fleeing famine and going through so much, the villagers were willing to risk their lives for him several times.
For example, that time due to the shortage of water and food, everyone chose to give up on themselves. Although they also did it for the sake of leaving behind a child to carry on the family line, they were indeed trying to preserve their own family.
Also, because of the communication with Mr. Meng, he had a better understanding of the current situation. It was still unknown how long this battle would last. No matter whether the young princes on this side won or lost, the lives of the common people like them would not be easy.