"War's broken out! We're going to war! They're rounding up men again!"
The words were shouted by different people in a chaotic medley of voices. Every person who ran past her wore an expression of sheer terror, and Ji Huan felt her own heart begin to race in panic.
Hu Liang led them straight back to the Hu family home. Once inside, he set Dabao down, turned, and bolted the courtyard gate. He even found two thick wooden beams to brace it shut.
They had just entered the main hall when Widow Xie, her face still streaked with tears, rushed over and grabbed Ji Huan's hand. "What are you doing, running around at a time like this! I had Liangzi searching all over for you…"
"I took Dabao to visit the graves. We were a bit slow on the road…"
At first, Widow Xie hadn't guessed that Ji Huan had gone to visit the graves. According to tradition, women weren't allowed to go to the burial grounds to pay respects to ancestors.
