Chapter 17: Searching for Her Husband 1

  Lü Gong naturally saw and felt the pain of his daughter's situation. However, for Lü Gong, this was indeed a difficult matter to speak about. Because it was he who had arranged for his precious daughter to marry Liu Bang, who had gained a reputation as a rogue. Now, his own daughter had ended up in such a state, how could he not be heartbroken?

  But be it sorrow or grief, the rice has already been cooked, and my daughter is already married to that Liu Bang. As they say, a married-out daughter is like spilled water, and no matter what happens in the future, good or bad, it's all her fate, and nobody can save her from it. However, at this moment, fortunately, our family has a solid foundation, so we can still provide some food and clothing for the mother and daughter. I don't have any sons, only two daughters. How could I bear to watch my own daughter struggle to make a living?

  Every time she returns from her mother's home, Lü Zhi's heart feels like it has been shattered into a five-flavor bottle, with all sorts of emotions. No matter what era, asking for things from one's mother's family is always something that makes people feel unglamorous. As a woman born into a prestigious family, Lü Zhi's temperament was already very proud and arrogant compared to ordinary women. For her, asking others for help was almost more difficult than killing her! Yes, someone like Lü Zhi should have grown up in such a way that she had hardly ever experienced anything that required her to ask others for help. On the contrary, others had often sought her assistance many times. And every time she encountered such situations, she would not be annoyed, but instead would go out of her way to help others and let them get through their difficulties.

  And as for her? At most, she just put herself in his shoes and thought about it, but the real feeling of asking for help, Lv Wei absolutely didn't have.

  But now, he had to come to her natal family to beg. Is it possible not to beg? It doesn't matter what happens to himself, but there are still those two hungry children! Yes, if it weren't for those two children, then Lü Zhi would have probably died long ago. The pressure of life has already brought her to a state of almost having no choice. Upon careful consideration, there really is no way out, only death, which can seemingly liberate oneself from that unbearable pain.

  But if I really died, what about my two children? How would they survive? Without a father, it's already hard for them. Would I just abandon them and let them lose their mother too? No way, she could only hold on, trying her best to keep living, for the sake of those two kids. Just that in the small courtyard where she lived, especially at night when people were asleep, would always echo with her sorrowful wails. Liu Ji, Liu Ji! Where did you go? How could you be so heartless? Heartlessly abandoning your loved ones and never coming back?

  It was also unknown from which day on, Lü Zhi suddenly had the idea of going to find Liu Bang in her heart. Yes, go find Liu Bang! You're not coming back, are you? Well, we'll just go look for you! Whether or not we can find him, anyway, it's better than dragging two children and staying at home to suffer!

  After having this idea, Lü Zhi couldn't bear it anymore. So, she began to think about her next step seriously. Lü Zhi naturally knew that for a woman, the most important thing is family, her husband and children, and her home as her own nest. A broken home is worth millions! The ancients also said that even a golden nest is not as good as one's own humble abode. This saying is really too apt! If you haven't experienced the helplessness of being forced to leave your hometown, it's hard for you to understand this point.

  After making such a decision, Lü Zhi found an opportunity to discuss this matter with her father-in-law. Tai Gong was a reasonable person, he naturally knew the hardships and difficulties his daughter-in-law had been facing recently. However, he was already nearly seventy years old and could only helplessly watch his daughter-in-law sigh and cry all day, unable to do anything about it. So when Liu Taigong heard that his daughter-in-law wanted to go find her unfilial son, he readily agreed and encouraged Lü Zhi, saying: "Child, be careful on your journey, be very careful!"

  The simple and unadorned words of the old man moved Lü Zhi greatly. Ah, didn't she herself know the hardships of an orphan and a widowed mother traveling outside? However, once she had made up her mind, not even the King of Heaven could stop her.

  She said goodbye and left! A few days later, Lü Yu gave her father-in-law some money he had left behind, bought him some food, packed up her belongings, took the two children, and finally set out on the long journey to find her husband. Fortunately, the two children were now old enough to walk, which saved her from having to carry them on her back. As the three of them left the courtyard, Lü Yu's tears flowed again. A family is worth a fortune! No matter how rich or poor, a woman always needs a nest of her own! But now, in order to find her husband, she was going to give up this home she had worked so hard to build, and how could she not feel sad? The scene was heartbreaking!

  Yes, what women value most is the family. But for her, what does family mean? In fact, for them, the greatest significance of family is still children and husbands. Even if it's like Lü Zhi, who only has two children but no husband by her side, that's meaningless too.

  However, to be able to resolutely abandon her home and career, take two young children, and go to a place she didn't even know where to find her husband, this kind of boldness, grandeur, courage, and determination is absolutely not something an ordinary woman can do. And wasn't Lü Zhi living in the same era as that legendary woman Meng Jiangnu, who also embarked on that road of no return to search for her own husband?

  As they walked on the road, at first, the two children were fine, but after a while, the two children, especially her own little daughter, couldn't hold on anymore and sat down on the ground, refusing to get up again. Lv Wei saw that her daughter's delicate face was covered with tears, it was heart-wrenching. There was no way around it, the child was just too young. It was already strong enough for her to follow him out, what else could he ask of the child?

  Then Lü Zhi carried her daughter on her back and continued to hurry forward.

  If the weather is good, it's still okay. But this is a world with unpredictable winds and clouds, and at any time, dark clouds will gather, strong winds will howl, and even sandstorms will occur. And once they encounter such bad weather, the three of them will be in trouble. If they happen to meet a village, that's fine. But on their long journey, where are there so many villages? As a result, most of the time, they suffered from wind and sun exposure. Dry rations were soon gone, but without shops, even with a few silver coins on Lü Zhi's body, it was impossible to buy food to fill their hunger. With no other choice, Lü Zhi had to learn how to beg for food like those who begged for meals, walking along the way and asking for food as they went. No matter what, they couldn't starve to death!

  Just as she was leaving, her heart was still cursing Liu Shanhe, hating him for doing such a thing that harmed his parents, wife and children, causing Lu Wei to leave her hometown and have no home to return to. However, as the days went by, they walked further and further away, and the instinct of survival had already made her no longer have the energy and mind to hate Liu Bang. What she thought about in her heart was only one thing, that is, she must live on strongly, for the sake of the child, and for being able to find that man who made her miss him and hate him to the bone.

  It's also unknown why, but often when Lv Wei felt desperate and wanted to give up, there would always be a voice in her mind that whispered: "You can't give up, you absolutely can't give up! In this world, all happiness doesn't come easily. Without going through some hardships, how can happiness arrive at your doorstep? You must live on strongly, you must walk on strongly, and ultimately, you will overcome various difficulties and find the person you're looking for in a mountain...

  Lü Zhi had also heard the voice many times in her dreams. However, when she suddenly opened her eyes, she couldn't hear the voice again. But those words still echoed in her ears, making her think deeply and giving herself great confidence and strength.

  "Perhaps, perhaps it is the will of heaven! Since there is the blessing of heaven, what else can we fear? It seems that coming out to find my husband is also fate!" Whenever Lv Wei was exhausted or disheartened, she would always think of that one voice in her heart, even in her ears, which had echoed countless times. Thanks to this seemingly heavenly voice, constantly encouraging, reminding and boosting herself, Lv Wei was able to travel thousands of miles, overcome countless and unexpected difficulties, and determined to find Liu Bang.

  As for Liu Shanhe, his days were not easy either. Since that day when he parted with Lü Yu, leading those dozen or so brothers, they had traveled through mountains and rivers, finally arriving at a deep mountain forest. The name of the mountain was Mangdang Mountain.

  At the beginning, everyone thought that once they entered the mountain, everything would be fine and safe. Liu Shanhe also thought so. However, soon after, he discovered the severity of the problem. Things were absolutely not as simple as they thought. Although it was a deep mountain forest, there were still people who came here from time to time, such as woodcutters and hunters. Liu Shanhe had thought that even if it was just these kinds of people, he couldn't let them discover his tracks. Yes, before his own strength truly became powerful, he absolutely could not expose his whereabouts. This point, Liu Shanhe understood very clearly.

  Then Liu Shanhe led his brothers to adopt the method of "hitting one shot and changing one place, hitting another shot and changing another place" in that deep mountain forest. They were hiding and seeking like they were playing hide-and-seek with someone, living a life without seeing the sun. Like this, Liu Shanhe led his brothers every day, those more than ten brothers, maybe hiding under a big tree today, maybe hiding in a cave tomorrow, and maybe hiding in a tall grass thicket the day after tomorrow. In short, they were changing their hiding place almost every day, playing a game of hide-and-seek with themselves that seemed to never end.

  It's precisely because of this that Liu Shanhe felt the days were quite difficult to get through. Alas, although he had finally managed to make a name for himself, boldly releasing the prisoner and joining forces with those brave men who had made up their minds to follow him on his quest for fortune, and successfully escaping into these mountains by taking a detour, yet, spending every day in this dark and hopeless way was truly making him feel helpless, his mood restless and anxious all day long.

  Liu Shanhe knew that he and his brothers were currently in an environment where they faced three major enemies. The first enemy was the government officials, who were the most direct threat. If they were discovered by the authorities, no matter how it happened, they would be easily eliminated due to their weak strength. Therefore, for Liu Shanhe and his group, the biggest enemy was the government's soldiers. That's why they kept changing places every day, just to prevent being detected by the authorities. If they were really found out, the consequences would be unthinkable.

  There was a second enemy, which was the potential threat from nature. When Liu Shanhe and his men first entered the dense forest of Mangdang Mountain, they didn't feel this way yet. At that time, they were still worried about the persecution of the government officials, and every day was like being on guard against thieves. The thing they feared most at that time was people! No matter who it was, they were afraid, almost to the point of being paranoid. Moreover, Liu Shanhe even gave a command to his fellow brothers, which was that once they discovered someone, no matter what that person was doing, they had to resolutely eliminate them. Although this approach was not very humane, in order to survive, they had to take some extreme measures. Otherwise, you might pay the price of blood or even your life for being too soft-hearted. Liu Shanhe had a deep understanding of this point. As time passed, the danger from humans seemed to have disappeared, because after all, this was a remote mountain forest, a place where people rarely ventured. However, what made them feel overwhelmed next was the danger that came from nature in the dense forest. Sometimes they would encounter wild men, who were not very tall but were quite robust and said to be fierce when fighting, and since most of them had some intelligence, it was difficult to deal with them. Liu Shanhe had heard about this before, he had heard a saying that if you go into the deep mountains, it's better to provoke a tiger than to mess with a wild man. He had a deep understanding of this. Therefore, from the moment they entered the dense forest, Liu Shanhe warned everyone that once they saw a wild man, unless absolutely necessary, they must not provoke them, otherwise, even if the government officials couldn't catch them, they might still be killed by those terrifying wild men.

  Apart from the savages, there were other great threats from nature, such as tigers, snakes and malaria that could kill silently. These factors threatened Liu Shanhe's survival at all times.

  There is also a third kind of threat, which comes from within themselves. Often, the greatest enemy is not outside, but within. Liu Shanhe has a very deep understanding of this point. Living in such a harsh environment for a long time, it's hard for anyone to bear. The dark and humid natural environment also makes these fugitives hiding inside undergo great psychological changes. At first, they were still curious, especially since they were still inspired by Liu Shanhe's grand words. Even if life was difficult, they could still resist. But later on, as time went by, things weren't that simple anymore. Long-term isolation from the world, long-term inability to live a normal life, and long-term psychological tension all led to everyone's mood getting worse and worse, even quarreling with each other, and even fighting. Every time this happened, Liu Shanhe would close one eye, think to himself, "Forget it, this is also forced by the environment, there's no way, let them be!"

  Until one day, someone was actually beaten to death in a fight! This incident had a huge impact on Liu Shanhe. I'm going to curse your mother, if it's like this, it's very likely that the group of people he had finally gathered together would not be persecuted by the authorities, nor would they die in the harsh natural environment, but rather, they might die from this despicable and terrifying internal conflict! It wasn't until then that Liu Shanhe sensed what the real danger he was facing was!

  At this time, his mind suddenly turned around and thought about what Liu Bang did at this stage. Thinking of this, Liu Shanhe couldn't help but slap his own head hard, damn it, how stupid he was, how rigid! He didn't even think of such a question!

  Then, Liu Shanhe calmed down and carefully recalled some of the experiences he had learned about Liu Bang in the 21st century. Hmm, it seemed that after the uprising against the snake, he also went to Mangdang Mountain. However, according to the books, Liu Bang quickly started training troops on Mangdang Mountain, which was very different from his own daily life of leading his brothers in hiding and fleeing! Ah, it seemed that he had strayed from the right path, yes, he had strayed from the right path!

  Having thought of this, Liu Shanhe couldn't help but make up his mind. He called over the guy who looked most capable, Hu Gang, and said to him: "Hu Gang, get all the brothers together, I have something to say to everyone."

  Before long, that guy really did call over those dozen or so brothers. Liu Shanhe looked at their tattered clothes and couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. But he quickly came to his senses, thinking "kindness is not for later, righteousness does not nurture wealth", and cleared his throat a few times, saying: "These past few days, everyone's mood has been terrible. I also deeply understand this. Alas, even if a saint were to come to this place, they would still die in just a few days! This is the strong will of us brothers, if it were someone else's words, that would be absolutely unacceptable! However, regarding that fight the other day, I still feel very distressed. The dead are already dead. Hong Qi," Liu Shanhe said to the guy who had killed his opponent in the fight, "I hope you can take care of yourself, if you really have the ability, next time when we need to fight against the enemy, show me your skills! Killing one's own people, what kind of hero is that?"

  After listening to Liu Shanhe's words, Hong Qi was also very ashamed. He repeatedly shouted "yes yes yes" and his forehead had already begun to sweat fine beads of sweat. Because he knew that this was actually Liu Bang intentionally letting him off the hook. Although yesterday when he was fighting with that short-lived guy, it was really an accident that he killed him. But no matter what, the person is dead, and was killed by himself. This point has already become an iron fact that no one can change.

  Under such circumstances, in such a harsh environment, under the most realistic conditions, he actually killed his own life brother, and Hong Qi knew what kind of crime it was...

  It can be seen that this is Liu Bang's intention to give himself another chance. He is not a fool, and naturally knows the pros and cons of this matter.

  "Hmm, I declare that from now on, anyone who dares to lay a hand on their own sworn brothers will have to bear the consequences! We are all our own people, and we are all some of our own esteemed sworn brothers! Don't you all feel like you have strength to spare? Well, I've been thinking these past few days too, we can't just keep hiding like this, we need to constantly strengthen our power, only then can we achieve the things we swore to do when we first started, to become rich and powerful, to be the best of people!" Liu Shanhe's voice was loud and clear, sounding like a great bell.