Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!-Chapter 217: Trouble at the Ferry Crossing

When everyone could see the shape of the ship, they cheered excitedly.

Hahaha!

They could finally leave this godforsaken place.

It was too crude here, and their food was about to run out. If they didn’t leave soon, they would have to chew on tree bark.

Once the ship came closer, confirming that the people on it were indeed their own, everyone cheered and went back to pack their luggage.

Cheng Yongtian placed the board on the dock, and Qi Fei was the first to jump down, standing upright in front of Cheng Xiaoxiao, "Boss, mission accomplished."

"Good job, well done!"

Then Cheng Xiaoxiao turned around and called out to everyone, "No time to lose, everyone, get on the ship quickly."

Because the system said that the refugees had already discovered the ship and were heading towards the dock.

Cheng Xiaoxiao wasn’t going to give those people a chance to get on the ship. He instructed Cheng Dawei to send some people to block the road, while the others gathered their belongings and boarded the ship immediately.

As they led the cattle and horses onto the ship, the ten or so people guarding the road were struggling to hold on. The refugees swarmed in, their eyes gleaming with hope upon seeing the large ship, and they shouted loudly.

"There’s a way out, there’s a way out, a ship has arrived."

"Let us through, quickly let us through, I want to leave here. I have money, I’ll give you money." As the person spoke, they took out several silver notes.

"Please, kind sirs, let us board the ship!"

Several women pushed their children forward, "Have pity on the children, please! Sell them to you, no, give them to your master. No need for money, just take them away and give them something to eat so they don’t starve."

Ha! These people really have a thick skin!

They thought after that massacre, they would be enemies, yet here they are, pushing their children in front of their supposed enemies.

"That’s why you say those people have ulterior motives," the system sighed.

"Those people are beyond saving, no need to pay them any mind."

Thinking of what the system said made her sick, on the day their relatives died, they didn’t dare to come to collect the bodies, but later crept into the woods to dig up the bodies they’d already buried.

At that time, she thought they were going to give them a separate burial monument, but it turned out...

She didn’t want to recall the hideous faces of those people, unable to imagine human nature could fall so low.

Cheng Xiaoxiao’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice.

It turned out the refugees, seeing that their pleas were useless, some took the opportunity to start attacking those blocking their way. At this point, they forgot their fear, with only one thought in their minds: to get on the ship. The scene turned chaotic, with curses, cries, and shouts filling the air.

More and more refugees pushed forward, crowding and shoving, people fell, others were trampled, driven and frantic, many even began climbing over the slope nearby.

Seeing the situation was about to get out of control, once it was confirmed all withdrawal personnel were on the ship, the rest of the patrol team rushed forward to help. Rushing refugees were directly knocked down with a stick, everyone kicked down the crowd at the front, and during a brief pause, quickly turned and ran back.

The dark mass of people behind stepped over the ones knocked down in the front row, quickly chasing after them.

Everyone held their breath, silently urging the patrol team members to run faster and faster.

By the time the last team member boarded the ship, the fastest refugee had already stepped onto the board, with a string of people following behind.

Cheng Beiniu acted decisively, kicking out forcefully, and the sturdy board instantly shifted direction, dropping straight into the water, followed by a series of splashing sounds.

"Do these people really only eat wild vegetables to fill their stomachs? They don’t seem to be running slowly at all," Cheng Xiaoyuan remarked.

"When hope for life arrives, who would want to wait for death? In order to survive, people can often go to any lengths, ignoring blood ties. What we see is just the tip of the iceberg."

Cheng Xiaoxiao’s voice was calm and light, as if explaining, yet also regretful. Human nature couldn’t withstand any test; in the face of life and death, everything seemed insignificant.

Her words weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts; they had never witnessed such madness before. The sinister cruelty of the world was just beginning to show its fangs—it would only grow harder in the future.

To break the gloomy atmosphere, everyone started to rant about the earlier event, "Those people are too shameless, robbed us and still wanted to get on board."

"Exactly, exactly, I saw many people being trampled, and no one cared, a bunch of heartless and selfish bastards."

"There was even a woman with a child who climbed over the slope. The child wasn’t held properly and fell straight down, yet the mother ran off by herself."

Everyone chattered angrily.

A soft breeze brushed against their faces, blowing a strand of hair, and a faint voice spoke, "If those people had any bit of humanity left, it wouldn’t have come to this."

Xiaoxiao didn’t finish her words, but everyone could understand her meaning.

There were no good people among them, beneath contempt—unworthy of rescue.

Exactly, didn’t they hear the people on the dock cursing them?

The loudest voice belonged to Diao Chan’s terrible mother, her shrewish voice so piercing it was clear even from afar.

Diao Chan lowered her head in shame.

"Don’t be afraid, Sister Diao Chan. From now on, we’re your family, the past is the past," Cheng Yalan patted her shoulder in comfort.

After a few days together, they found out Diao Chan was actually 10 years old, the same age as her. How much hardship and exhaustion had it taken to raise a 10-year-old girl to look like a shriveled seven or eight-year-old?

So Cheng Yalan shared her miserable past, with tears and snot with Diao Chan. The two related deeply to each other’s plight, and their relationship quickly advanced, becoming best friends in just a few days.

"Those heartless parents aren’t worth it. From now on, I’ll take you flying, show you the world," Cheng Yalan said with bold eloquence.

Listening to Cheng Yalan’s grand words, Cheng Xiaoxiao put a hand to her forehead. Where did the once obedient Xiaolan go?

"Haha! These were the words taught by you, host," the system remarked, amused.

"I didn’t teach her to use them here either!"

"This is called practical application... "

Ha! Your big head is the only thing practical.

The ship sailed away with the wind, and the curses gradually faded into the distance.

What Cheng Xiaoxiao worried about most was her second brother. Now that they were moving farther away from the site of the incident, she didn’t know if her second brother was in this direction. If not, they would only be heading in opposite directions, and meeting again would be difficult.

What was Cheng Hao, the brother being thought of, doing at this moment?

Nearby was a bothersome fly continuously buzzing, while his thoughts were fully immersed in the dragon-like strokes of his writing, rendering everything around him mere shadows.

"Enough!"

The little maid who had been trying her best to persuade stopped dead at her mistress’s stern reprimand, almost scared out of her wits.

"This young lady has made up her mind. Whether you want to or not, you’re getting married."

Humph!

The exquisite beauty seated in a carved rosewood chair let out a cold snort and turned away angrily.

The little maid snapped out of it and shouted, "Miss, miss, don’t go, we haven’t even got the master-to-be’s birth chart yet!"