Chapter 98: Breaking the Separation
There was a lot of discussion below, and the clan leaders, village heads and elders couldn't help but nod when they heard it. Several people talked in low voices for a long time. Finally, the clan leader stepped out and raised his hand to calm the situation.

"Okay, okay, everyone, be quiet and listen to me."

After the ancestral hall fell silent, the clan leader spoke.

"Guangji did this today out of consideration for everyone. It was a kind act. You are all brothers from the same clan and should not be belittled or ridiculed. However, this news needs to be verified..."

"Clan leader, Third Uncle!"

"Okay, Guangji, calm down and listen to me."

Suppressing Doctor Xu's anxious warning, the clan leader continued to speak to the crowd at a leisurely pace.

"But kids, as the old saying goes, you should not have the intention to harm others, but you must be on guard against others. We should not lose our composure because of a few strangers' words, but we can't ignore this matter just because the news has not been confirmed.

So, I discussed with the elders and decided that we should not move for the time being, but each household should send out a young and strong man to patrol the village day and night starting tonight. We must not relax. If there is any change, we should sound the gong to warn everyone. Every family should prepare their valuables and take their children into the mountains to hide when they hear the gong.

After the clan leader finished speaking, Doctor Xu felt bitter.

He tried his best to warn his fellow tribesmen with sincerity, but they simply didn't believe him. Now this is the best outcome.

Seeing that the tribesmen below were chattering and making a fuss again, Doctor Xu said nothing more. He just kept his worries in his mind and thought that he would ask his wife and children to pack up their belongings when he returned home in case of emergency.

The clan leader spoke, and although the clan members were reluctant to see this result, as they still had to deal with this trivial matter during the New Year, they still obediently selected one male from each family. Even those with other surnames, such as Aunt Wu's family, were arranged by the clan, and the clan members were only asked to notify them later.

As for his own family, naturally he was the only suitable one, so Doctor Xu stepped forward to sign up. The elders of the clan were quite considerate of him and did not assign him to a team with those people who were jealous of him. However, he could not escape the daily patrol, which was just in front of and at the end of a village, so Doctor Xu did not care about it anymore.

After doing all this and arranging and assigning the patrol team, it was already late. Doctor Xu was still worried about home and was about to go back, but he was stopped by the village head and others.

Doctor Xu didn't understand what he meant, and then he heard the headman say, "Guangji, we all know that you are a kind person, but kind people are the most bullied in this world. Have you forgotten how you were slandered and how you couldn't continue your imperial examinations and had to give up your studies to become a doctor? My son, the uncles still say the same thing, you must be on guard against others."

"Uncle Seven, what do you mean?" Doctor Xu was surprised at first, then he suddenly reacted and was indignant. "Did you and the other uncles really believe such nonsense and suspect the guests in my nephew's house?"

The village head coughed uncomfortably, "You kid! They don't have a household registration pass. What if, as the tribe members say, they committed a crime and fled here?"

"Uncle Seven!"

"Okay, okay, don't worry. Guangji, the uncles and aunts don't want you to be embarrassed. So, let's take a step back. It's impossible to put all the people in your home. If not for other considerations, you have to think about your niece's wife and my nephew's grandson. What if you are wrong again? Guangji, listen. If you really feel bad about it, the women will stay in your home. As for the men, you can say that there is no room at home. You can let your two brothers go back with you to take them to your uncle's home to settle down. Anyway, our two families are close to each other. This will not embarrass you, right?"

Doctor Xu smiled bitterly and thought to himself how could he not be embarrassed? A gentleman is open and honest. How can he be a gentleman if he goes back on his words? How can he explain to his new friends when he goes back?

Doctor Xu felt bitter, but the village chief did not give him another chance to speak.

He was afraid that he would cause trouble again, so he even buried in his heart the plan he had just discussed with the elders: if everything went smoothly this time, he would take the trouble to the town without telling his nephew after the snow melted, and let the mayor handle it.

Doctor Xu was completely unaware of this and could only return home in despair with his two tails under the strong arrangement of the village head.

As soon as he entered the door, he met his wife who had just come out of the front room. When Mrs. Xu saw him, she hurriedly came up with her two children in joy. "Dad."

"Daddy!"

"My husband is back. We were just talking about you when you came back. What a coincidence..."

Madam Xu held her husband's hand and talked to him, while the two tails following behind her shouted for help.

"Sister-in-law Ji."

"Hello, sister-in-law."

Madam Xu responded with a sigh. Then, after she came to her senses and looked behind her husband to see who was calling her, she was still confused, "Huh? Brother Guangda and Guangfa, why are you here?"

The two of them smiled innocently and responded to Doctor Xu's children's call before they were about to explain. Doctor Xu then pulled his wife aside so they could talk.

Inside the door, the couple lowered their heads and whispered to each other. After listening, Mrs. Xu was stunned and felt a little confused and embarrassed, and could not help muttering to herself.

"Sir, I think that family is very nice, they don't look like bad people, and they are still unconscious and injured. Is it not a good idea for us to do this? They have already settled down."

Doctor Xu knew that this was not a good thing to do, but what could he do? The clan leaders and elders spoke together, saying that clan rules were more important than anything else. Even though he was a scholar, he was still a junior, so how could he not listen?

He could only smile bitterly again, "Forget it, you take the children back to the back to rest, I will go to the front."

Watching her husband's inexplicably desolate back and his cousin enter the front hall, Madam Xu was worried and stood at the doorway of the backyard for a long time without moving.

They never expected that this guest was a good person and did not cause them any trouble at all.

Madam Xu didn't know that as soon as Doctor Xu came in and said something, Cheng Su immediately agreed to the matter. He just gave some worried instructions to his wife and children, and then he and the unconscious Shen Yue were taken to the Chang family at the end of the alley by Doctor Xu's cousin to be settled. Madam Xu, who was paying close attention to the situation, was grateful to Li Yaoguang's family for being so nice.

Seven days passed in peace and tranquility. I don't know whether it was because of Doctor Xu's good medical skills or the effectiveness of the medicine after my previous rescue, but Shen Yueren was getting better day by day. Not only was he no longer in a coma, he could even get off the kang and practice swordplay. Even the swelling on my uncle's injured leg had subsided.

The whole family was very happy about this, but on the night before New Year's Eve, when everyone was busy and happy about the upcoming New Year, danger came quietly.

After dinner at night, the patrol team handed over their shifts, and Dr. Xu was personally escorted out by his wife to receive the task of inspecting the back village today.

And it just happened that the person who was tasked with patrolling the village entrance was the troublemaker who had a conflict with Doctor Xu that day.

It was a silent snowy night with the north wind howling. After a round of patrol, not to mention Hu Bing, there was not even a ghost of a wild animal. The continuous calm made everyone slack off, and the troublemaker was even less serious. It could be said that he never believed the news that Hu Di had conquered the capital and did not take it seriously at all.

Taking advantage of the midnight when the tribesmen dispersed for patrol, this guy rolled his eyes, secretly chose a place sheltered from the wind, took out the sheep horn bag from his waist, raised his head and took a few big gulps of liquor, and threw the gong on his waist into the snow nest beside him in a bad mood, humming a little tune, and complaining with the smell of alcohol.

"It's all that damn scholar's fault! If it weren't for him, I would still be playing with money in the house, hugging my wife and getting into bed. Why would I have to suffer the cold and fatigue in this snow cave? That guy is really hateful!"

At the same time, Li Yaoguang, who was staying at Xu's house and was settled in the front yard wing room, sharing the same bed with her aunt and cousin, had a dream...