Chapter 388 - Incoming Bad News (2/2)

Xiaolian nodded her head and sped off home in larger strides. Zhou Shanhu’s face was ghostly white and she was scampering along behind her. Her father and older brother were out peddling goods and it was only her mother and her at home...it was urgent, she needed to inform her mother to pack everything first. Going with the Yu Family was definitely the safest route!”

By the time Yu Xiaocao reached the village chief’s residence, she was already completely out of breath. She placed the multi-colored stone at her chest and a cool feeling trickled into her lungs. Her chest, which felt like it was about to explode earlier, finally calmed down a bit. She found the village chief and told him how she had dove deeply and swam out to sea and coincidentally discovered the pirates’ ships. She told the older man every detail she could think of.

The village chief frowned deeply and asked half in disbelief, “Are you sure they were Wokou pirates and not some fishermen from our country out there?”

“I am absolutely sure!! The ships that I saw looked exactly alike to each other and there were at least thirty to forty of them total. Furthermore, they looked very big. I surreptitiously swam closer to one by diving into the water and I could faintly hear the people on the ships talking. I couldn’t understand a single word that they were saying! Then, I climbed up from the tail of the ship and saw that the people there were wearing completely different styles of clothing than us. They also had large knives and swords belted at their waist...I heard my grandfather saying that in the previous dynasty we had attacks from Wokou pirates, so I thought I needed to tell this to you first. Village Chief, time is running out, please come up with an idea ah!” Yu Xiaocao did her best to weave a story but she was afraid the village chief wouldn’t believe her. She was so worried that her entire head was covered in sweat.

The village chief knew that although Xiaocao was young, she was quite steady and would absolutely not do something like this as a prank or joke. He thought for a bit and decided it was better to be safe than sorry. Wokou pirates were always incredibly cruel and this wasn’t a small issue!

This was the first time this year that he had sounded the large bell at the entrance of the village. All of the villagers very quickly assembled over at the entrance of the village chief’s residence and were all avidly discussing just what the village chief called them all over for. Last year, when the bell was sounded, it was right before the locust plague hit.

The village chief very simply outlined what Xiaocao had told him and instructed the villagers to quickly go back and pack their things in preparation to flee to the mountains!

When the villages heard the news, lively discussion immediately arose. A lot of people didn't believe Xiaocao’s words and thought that she must have seen things incorrectly. Some of them thought that she was making a big deal over nothing. Consequently, there were only a few people who went back home to start packing.

Yu Xiaocao felt her anxiety rising. The pirates were about to come and the villagers were still debating amongst themselves. She thought for a bit and saw the person who was the best at climbing trees, Goudan. She pointed at the tallest tree in the village and said, “Goudan, go climb to the top of the tree and look. You should be able to vaguely see the fleet of ships from up there. In any case, I already warned everyone. It’s up to you guys if you want to believe me or not!”

At the end, she also added one more thing, “Think about what happened last year with the locust plague ah! What happened to those people who didn’t end up believing the news? Now, it’s not just a matter of losing money or grain, your choices can determine the fate of all of the people in your family!”

At this moment, Goudan, who had climbed to the very top of the tree, sputtered from above, “They’re there! I can see more than a dozen ships on the horizon and they’re heading in the direction of our village! I still can’t see very clearly if they are Wokou pirates or not…”

When people heard Goudan’s shouts added onto what Xiaocao just said, most of the villagers felt more confident in her news. It was just as the village chief stated: “Better to be safe than sorry”. If the ships coming were truly pirates, getting ready and hiding in the mountains was the sensible thing to do. If they weren’t, it wasn’t as if they would lose much, other than getting scared out of their wits.

When the village chief saw everyone running back home, he couldn’t help but remind them of a fact, “Make sure to only pack what is necessary and the valuables that are light. You’re not going to be able to bring everything along. Losing some possessions is not the end of the world. What’s important is to preserve your own lives! In an hour, everyone needs to assemble. Whoever’s late, don’t blame the rest of us for not waiting!!”

Once Yu Xiaocao saw everyone moving, she waved to the village chief and then sped off to her own family. On the way, she passed by the Zhou Family and saw Auntie Zhou sighing over the few hundred chickens she was raising.

“Auntie, take the chickens into the mountain thickets. Whatever can be saved is better than nothing! Take along the valuables that you can bring along but don’t be greedy. Keeping your life is the most important thing!” Yu Xiaocao couldn’t help but give the older woman a reminder.

When Yu Xiaocao got home, she saw all of the Yu Family members, other than Yu Hang who went to the docks and Little Siitou who was studying in town, congregated in the courtyard. All of their hired workers for the pharmaceutical workshop and piggery had gone back to their respective homes to pack. Yingtao and the stewards that Royal Prince Yang had given her each had a bundle of stuff in their hands as they fearfully waited there.

“Did someone tell Oldest Aunt’s family?” Yu Xiaocao noticed that her oldest paternal aunt’s family wasn’t there and had to ask.

Yu Hai gave her a reassuring look and said, “Erya went there to tell them, they should be back very soon!” Just as he spoke, his older sister’s entire family all came in with packs on their back as they rushed into the courtyard.

[1] Wokou pirates - Historically, these pirates often weren't only from Japan and included people of Chinese ethnicity who were impoverished by Ming Dynasty trade bans.