"Fuck, the criminals from Beichen are really abominable." But fortunately, their Luomu City has many mines, so it doesn't matter if they lose one or two pieces of jade.

Qi Wuze frowned: "Can you change the word? Stop touching me all day long!"

Gao Zangfeng chuckled twice and said, "I have little education, please don't blame me, City Lord."

Qi Wuze didn't bother to pay attention to him. He glanced at the belt on the table and thought of those rare eyes. His expression suddenly turned colder. He liked all beautiful things, mountains and rivers, flowers and plants, birds and animals, but his favorite was the clear and bright eyes.

But, those eyes are simply blind in her eye sockets. If her mind is not pure, it doesn’t matter how beautiful her eyes are!

Even the thought of Dahuang Village made him unhappy.

There is only one road leading to Dahuang Village, and a group of people entered the village one after another.

At the entrance to the village stood a massive, dead tree, its bare branches still scorched. Behind the tree stood a five-meter-long stone bridge. The river beneath it had dried up, leaving only a hint of moist soil.

As we walked along, we saw houses made of mud. Some of them didn't even have gates. Standing on the path, we could see the dilapidated roofs and the empty interiors.

It’s worthy of being called Dahuang Village, it’s really desolate!

I didn't see many people.

A woman carrying dirty laundry came out of a low earthen hut in the distance. Seeing them, she dropped the wooden basin in her hands and turned and ran back. Everyone was confused, until a moment later they heard hurried footsteps approaching.

The footsteps were mixed with the excited voice of a woman: "Village chief, more people are coming into the village, and this time there are a few strong men."

The dozen or so people who had just entered the village suddenly became nervous. Why did they need strong men?

Ye Nuan was thinking, how could such a shabby village still have a village chief?

The sound of gongs echoed through the village, and soon people began to gather around. Ye Nuan, Ye Xiaohu, and her mother retreated, and more than a dozen people huddled together. Fortunately, these villagers had no ill intentions and were simply looking them up and down.

Among the villagers, she saw the three people who had been taken away by the woman in purple.

The three were also surprised when they saw them, and then someone asked anxiously: "Why are there only a dozen of you left?" There was actually no need to answer this question. There were still a dozen people left, which was much better than expected.

Seeing so many people gathered in the village, the village chief said, "Don't gather around, come to my house and sit down and talk slowly."

The village chief's surname was Jin, a short old man in his fifties. His dark blue jacket was still new, his sparse hair was meticulously combed, and his eyes were small but sharp, making him look intelligent.

Village chief Jin's home is in the southeast corner of Dahuang Village. Unlike other people's mud houses, his house is built entirely of wood, each log is planed to a shine and even coated with tung oil.

The yard was open, with two large yellow dogs tied to the door. Beyond the dark dirt floor was a terrace, also built of wood, and beyond that was the wooden house. A bunch of corn cobs and a few heads of garlic were drying on the porch, making Ye Nuan hungry. Yet, the aroma of food wafted from the house.

The sun was not too strong yet, so the village chief asked people to help carry out the two long wooden tables in his house and asked everyone to sit down. However, all these people were looking towards the kitchen.

The village chief, smoking a pipe, smiled amiably, "This is your first day in the village, so I'll treat you to a meal." He turned and called into the house, "Yunniang, make something edible so they can fill their stomachs."

There was a response from inside, but it wasn't very happy. He muttered, "Eat, eat, eat, all he knows is eating. There's not enough food at home, and all he does is think about giving it away to strangers."

The village chief seemed used to it and laughed it off, "Ignore that woman. She's just mean-spirited but kind-hearted. Every time she doesn't do what you say, just sit down and talk." Then he waved his hand towards the gate and said, "Everyone else, please don't gather around. Go do what you need to do."

The villagers who had originally gathered outside the yard dispersed in groups of three or four, leaving only a few people to help.

People sat down one after another. Ye Nuan held Ye Xiaohu and sat with Su at the north corner of the table.

The village chief called out, "Aqiu, pour some water."

A little girl of about eight or nine years old came out of the main room. She was wearing goose yellow clothes and had almond-shaped eyes. She was holding a big pot in her hand. She was fair and pretty among the group of people.

In front of each person was a rough bowl, with many black spots on the bottom and an uneven rim. But when filled with water, it looked very comfortable.

The village chief laughed and said, "This is my daughter, Jinqiu." He was showing off very much. Before he finished speaking, everyone couldn't wait to drink the water.

Ye Xiaohu was small, so there was no bowl prepared for him. Ye Nuan fed him first, then slowly drank two sips herself. The water still tasted of mud and sand.

Su took a sip and frowned slightly: Isn’t the water in the wilderness all sweet?

This water was much worse than the one A Nuan gave her, but she knew it was rare, so she drank it all in one breath.

Ye Nuan put down the bowl, looked around calmly, and then glanced at the village chief who was speaking: He seems to be a kind-hearted person, but most of those who can come to the wilderness are criminals, and some have even killed people. Won't he be taken advantage of for being so kind?

When the village chief saw that everyone had drunk the water, he sighed and said, "Dahuang Village is full of exiled criminals. Many have come and gone over the years, and now there are only about twenty people left in the village."

He took a puff of his pipe, and the smoke, carried by the wind, choked Ye Xiaohu and made him cough repeatedly. Ye Nuan patted the child's back and fed the remaining water to his mouth.

"I'll tell you about the situation in the village, old man. The wasteland is vast and sparsely populated. Luomu City, nestled against Luomu Mountain, is the most suitable place to live, but Luomu City doesn't welcome us. The village is short of both water and food. Every three days, we have to leave the village to fetch water from Crescent Moon Lake, at the junction of Xueshen Mountain and the desert. Although we can grow some vegetables and raise poultry in the village, we're still short of food. If we don't want to starve, we must unite. Every household should send someone to fetch water. Those who are short of food can go to Hongyan Canyon to collect stones in exchange for food."

Picking up stones in exchange for food?

Ye Nuan was curious about how stones could be exchanged for food. Most people were just as puzzled as she was.

Village Chief Jin raised his eyebrows slightly at the mention of the stone, seeming pleased. He took another drag on his cigarette and explained, "This stone is a gem from the inner valley, but it's not as valuable as grain in the wilderness. One bushel of gem can only be exchanged for one bushel of grain, and that can only be done at the Creation Pavilion on the edge of the valley."

Creation Pavilion?

It was the caravan we encountered before. The woman in purple called herself "this Pavilion Master", so I guess she was the Pavilion Master of the Creation Pavilion.

A bucket of gems can only be exchanged for a bucket of grain. She is capable of doing this.

Someone in the crowd asked anxiously, "Do we have to leave the village to look for the stone? There are wild beasts and bandits outside the village. Even if we get lucky and get the stone, we'll run into bandits when we go to the Creation Pavilion."

This should be a concern for everyone.

The rest of the people were sad.

Village Chief Jin's smile faded slightly, and he held a puff of cigarette in his nose for a long time without exhaling.

"So you want to stay in the village and starve to death? I don't care what you did before. Once you enter the village, you are not allowed to steal or hurt anyone. If you are caught, you will be expelled from the village."

Those who originally had some thoughts looked at each other unconsciously - the one who had food in the wilderness was the boss.

Village Chief Jin smiled again. "Everyone can go find stones together. Bring weapons and cross the barren hills behind the village. You won't run into bandits. I have a history with bandits. Just bring me the stones you find and I'll trade them for things at the Creation Pavilion. But let's make a deal. This is life-threatening work, and I'll take 30% of what you get."

Ye Nuan finally came to her senses. The reason why the village chief's family was so rich was all because they pumped oil and water from every household.

It was clear that if you didn't want to starve to death, you had to follow the village chief's instructions. It seemed like a choice, but in reality, there was no choice. With so many empty houses in the village, it seemed like food wasn't easy to come by.

The meal arrived quickly, consisting of a pot of brown rice with some wild vegetables, watery and lightly salted. Everyone smelled the aroma of meat as they entered, expecting to eat it. However, upon seeing the wild vegetable porridge in front of them, although they were disappointed, they were still quite satisfied.

At least it was hot, and it was their first proper meal since arriving in the wilderness.

Too bad there’s only one bowl per person!

Village chief Jin stood by the wooden door, smoking a pipe and looking happily at the people around the table, his eyes as if he was looking at a group of laying chickens.

Tao, still wearing her apron, stood beside him and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Treat him every time. What a waste!"

Village Chief Jin exhaled a puff of smoke and scolded, "What do you know? Life is long. I'm hiring a long-term worker. Otherwise, you won't have a good life. Go, go, feed the hens in the backyard. They're waiting for them to lay eggs."

The adults were already hungry and ate quickly, finishing their meal in just a few bites. Ye Xiaohu was small, with small hands and a small mouth, and those who had finished would often glance into his bowl. Ye Nuan and her mother stood guard on either side of him, and when Jin Qiu came to collect the bowls, he still hadn't finished.

Little Jinqiu watched from the side, holding her bowl. She had a bad temper, but the little one was adorable. While waiting for her bowl, she glanced at Ye Nuan beside her and couldn't help but scrutinize her for a moment. Suddenly, her eyes met hers: her eyelashes were dark, and her pupils seemed to be moist with moisture, reflecting the figure clearly. They were even more beautiful than her own eyes.

"Miss Qiu, bowl." A thin hand handed over a bowl, and the fingertips were round and beautiful.

Xiao Jinqiu rolled his eyes, took the bowl and left.

Ye Nuan was a little confused. The little girl seemed to be hostile to her.

When Village Chief Jin saw that all the dishes had been taken away, he took a few steps forward with a smile and said, "After you finish eating, go find a house to stay in. There are many empty houses in the village. Erniu, take people to pick a house, and tell me which one you stayed in later." As he said that, he threw a corn cob to him.

Sun Erniu was so happy that his face wrinkled a few times. "Okay, Village Chief."

Everyone was afraid of being slow, so they trotted after Sun Erniu. Su Shi still had a back injury, and Ye Nuan, afraid of being squeezed, simply carried Ye Xiaohu and walked at the back with her. As they were about to leave the yard, they bumped into a plump young man.

The young man looked Ye Nuan up and down, then quickly approached Xiao Jinqiu and asked with a wink, "Sister, is that girl new here? She has some pretty eyes."

Aqiu glared at him and said impatiently, "Where have you been fooling around again? Be careful or your father will scold you." Just as he finished speaking, Village Chief Jin started cursing at the top of his voice.

"You little bastard, you're not as worry-free as your sister."

Jinbao frowned, turned around and walked into the house.

Meanwhile, Sun Erniu led the others on a tour of the village and discovered that only nine households were barely habitable. The remaining empty houses either had lost their roofs or doors.

Among these nine households, there are three particularly dilapidated houses. One has no door at all, one has many holes in the roof, and another doesn't even have a simple bed. It is as empty as if it had been blown by a strong wind.

Everyone wanted to live in a good house, so Sun Erniu decided by drawing lots according to the old method.

As soon as the sticks were made, the rest of the people couldn't wait to reach out their hands. After seeing the houses they drew, they all breathed a sigh of relief. In the end, only Ye Nuan and Feng Dazhu's families were left.

Feng Dazhu was being modest, "Miss An Nuan, would you like to have your drink first?"

The skinny man stared at the three lots, his face full of sarcasm: "It doesn't matter who draws them, all that's left is a broken house anyway."

Someone muttered, "It's still different. There's always something more broken."

That's true!

Ye Nuan was not modest and took one. Feng Dazhu immediately took one as well. The two lots were revealed little by little.