PFC Chapter 222 A man disguised as a woman
Chapter 222 A man disguised as a woman
The women in the family, including the children, tried hard to hold back their laughter and covered their mouths, with curiosity and surprise flashing in their eyes. They felt that such attire was unprecedentedly fresh and interesting.
When everything was ready, Xiao Zhixue respectfully bowed to the elderly Jiang Bo as a farewell ceremony, then walked firmly in front, leading the group of "women" slowly out of the door.
The world outside the door seemed to be incompatible with them. As soon as the men stepped out of the threshold, they lowered their heads involuntarily and used their wide sleeves to half cover their faces, for fear of being recognized and causing unnecessary trouble.
Xiao Zhixue knew very well that such behavior was too deliberate and would attract the attention of others, so she gently but firmly encouraged everyone to raise their heads and remain natural so as to avoid unnecessary suspicion and questioning. After all, although she had a lot of clever ideas, she could not guarantee that she could completely protect everyone under strict inspections.
The cheeks of the men in the group blushed even deeper. Xiao Wei, Xiao Tingrui, Xiao Tingxuan and others could hardly hide their embarrassment. Their glances to each other were filled with a strong desire to disappear immediately.
However, the arrow was on the string and had to be shot. They had no choice but to take a deep breath, straighten their backs, and follow Xiao Zhixue, heading towards the unknown yet hopeful direction outside the city.
Inside the city, the officers' search operations were still tense and cruel. Many captured men put up great resistance, shouting at the top of their lungs that they did not want to leave home to join the army, but they ultimately met with a tragic fate and became victims of street parade.
The people around were all terrified when they saw this scene. They gave up resistance and chose to obey silently and were taken away by the officers.
In contrast, the villagers were grateful for Xiao Zhixue's wisdom. Even Lu Degui felt strange looks from passers-by from time to time while walking, but he felt unprecedented relief in his heart. After all, compared with going to the battlefield, this brief humiliation was nothing.
In their minds, being drafted into the army is almost equivalent to embarking on a path of no return. Without solid martial arts skills, it would be difficult to escape disaster on the battlefield full of artillery fire.
Therefore, even if it means sacrificing some face in exchange for a chance to survive, it is worth it.
Faced with a matter of life and death, personal dignity seemed small and insignificant at that moment.
After all, as long as they can safely leave Zhangzhou, this troubled place, why would anyone in the outside world care about their disguise today?
Under the steady and agile leadership of Xiao Zhixue, the group walked quickly forward, and after about half an hour, they finally arrived at the foot of the Zhangzhou city gate.
There, the team leaving the city moved slowly like a long dragon, while the guards at the city gate were like hungry beasts, with sharp eyes, vigilantly examining everyone who tried to leave.
The officers would let women go without asking any questions, but once they found men in the team, they would immediately arrest them and mercilessly incorporate them into the army.
Xiao Wei's anxiety surged like a tide. He leaned close to Xiao Zhixue's ear and whispered, "Third girl, can we really fool them by dressing like this?"
Xiao Zhixue gave him a gentle and confident smile in return: "Dad, don't worry. No one can see any flaws in your current appearance. What's more, once those officers see that I am leading the team, they will not stop us."
In fact, Xiao Zhixue had already discovered that the police had a portrait in their hands, and anyone who wanted to leave the city would be compared one by one.
The woman in the painting was none other than herself.
It seems that Pei Ming really put a lot of thought into ensuring their smooth exit from the city and made such careful arrangements.
Soon, it was Xiao Zhixue and her group's turn to be examined.
The officers held the portraits in their hands and carefully compared Xiao Zhixue in front of them with the person in the painting one by one. When they confirmed that they were correct, their originally tense faces suddenly brightened up and were filled with smiles.
"Oh, it's Miss Xiao! The superiors have ordered that no one brought here by you should be arrested. Miss Xiao, please lead your entourage out of the city as soon as possible."
Xiao Zhixue gave the officer a grateful smile, bowed slightly to express her gratitude, then turned around and, with her expectant family and fellow villagers, crossed the threshold of Zhangzhou and headed towards a new world of freedom.
The villagers celebrated silently in their hearts. A feeling of relief quietly rose in everyone's heart, as if the huge rock pressing on their chest had finally fallen, and the long-lost relaxation and hope returned to their faces.
Xiao Zhixue slowly took out a yellowed map from her pocket. It was a map that Jiang Bo had carefully drawn stroke by stroke based on his years of memory and superb skills.
Her eyes were as sharp as torches as she scanned the surroundings, comparing the dense woods and winding paths one by one, and then she accurately locked onto the direction of advance.
She turned around and nodded to everyone. An unquestionable firm strength emanated from her frail body, leading this group of dusty travelers to embark on another unknown and arduous journey.
In recent days, they have been hiding in a dilapidated old house. Although their life is extremely simple, with only rough tea and light meals to fill their stomachs and plain water and cabbage to quench their thirst every day, the warmth they provide for each other has brought a touch of warmth to these difficult days.
Now, following Xiao Zhixue's order, everyone had to regroup and face the upcoming wandering and uncertainty.
Although the road ahead is full of thorns, everyone present bears it silently without a single complaint.
After all, as a displaced refugee, being able to meet Xiao Zhixue's family and enjoy that peace for a short time was already a blessing from fate.
In their hearts, by following Xiao Zhixue, they will be able to pass through the darkness and embrace the light one day.
The moment of leaving Zhangzhou meant temporarily getting rid of Pei Ming's invisible clutches.
For the sake of travel safety, Xiao Zhixue wisely decided that the men in the group should continue to wear women's clothing to prevent any accidents.
Although the villagers were quite uncomfortable walking in long skirts, with the hems of their skirts often getting caught on branches in the snow or dragged into a ball on the deep snowy road, making walking difficult, none of them expressed any dissatisfaction.
This experience made these grown men deeply realize the difficulties women face in their daily dressing, and they felt a sense of admiration for them.
Following the instructions on the map, the team, led by Xiao Zhixue, crossed mountains and hills, experienced many hardships, and finally stopped in a relatively open area.
The long trek made everyone's legs feel like they were filled with lead, and the feeling of hunger came in waves, with their stomachs rumbling.
The women immediately took action and built simple cooking utensils, while the men quickly dispersed and went into the woods to search for dry firewood.
The few dry and hard bread slices left in the backpack will become part of this simple dinner, served with the cooked wild vegetable soup. Although simple, it is a rare delicacy in such an environment.