As soon as he finished speaking, Yun the Butcher and Old Man Wu heard the footsteps of two people getting farther and farther away.

"Brother Wu, let's go back. I think we must talk to the village chief about this matter. My son Zirui also encountered human traffickers in the square before." Yun the Butcher clenched his fists angrily.

"You are right. The village chief and villagers must pay attention to this. Every family has a child. If a child is really lost, the child's parents will be heartbroken." Old Man Wu also hates human traffickers.

"The human traffickers in the square are so rampant. There have been children missing from the square for days, and the refugees haven't been able to find the traffickers. If I were to encounter a trafficker, I'd definitely give him a good beating."

"As a man, why don't you do something else? Why do you have to do such a wicked thing?" Yun the butcher became more and more angry as he spoke.

"I guess this matter is not simple. Brother Yun, think about it, the square is so small. If they stole the child, they must find a place to hide. However, the refugees in the square have been searching for the lost child for several days and haven't found it. Something is wrong." said the old man Wu.

"Brother Wu, maybe they took the child to the city. There are so many people coming into the city every day, and a child in a car wouldn't be noticeable, so it's easy for them to take him to the city."

After Yun the Butcher finished speaking, he glanced at Old Man Wu. Old Man Wu also reacted and felt that this matter was indeed quite serious.

"Brother Wu, I just said it casually. This can't be true." Yun the Butcher asked uncertainly.

"Don't think about it. I think it's just what you said. Let's go and find the village chief now." After saying this, Old Man Wu pulled Yun the Butcher and hurried to find the village chief.

When Yun the Butcher and his companions arrived, Li Xiucai and Zhang the Hunter had already arrived, and representatives from every household in the village had also come. Everyone was waiting for them.

"Okay, everyone is here now. Let's talk about what we have heard. Then we can see what to do tomorrow." The village chief said and glanced at everyone present.

"Let me start first, Village Chief. I asked a hunter I found in the square today. He said that refugees have been in this square for several months, but there weren't many people back then, and the government didn't restrict refugees from entering the city."

"As long as you pay the entrance fee, you can stay in the city for a day. Even if you beg, the government won't care. However, there is one rule: refugees must leave the city after dark and cannot stay overnight."

"It's only in the last month that the number of refugees in the square has increased. The government still maintains its original policy, so even though there are more refugees, no one is causing trouble."

"The hunter I was chatting with said they've been trying to find a way to buy a house in the city. He also heard from city residents that if they buy a house, they can settle down in the city."

"Many refugees know this news, but there are too few houses for sale in the city, and the prices are too high. Therefore, not many refugees settle down by buying houses." Hunter Zhang repeated carefully.

"We don't plan to settle here, so this news is not very important to us." The village chief hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I know, village chief. The refugees in the square are very vigilant and not many are willing to talk. Some of those who are willing to talk don't know much." Hunter Zhang said in embarrassment.

"Many of the refugees in the square came from the provincial capital. After experiencing something like that, it's normal for them to be on high alert. You've also made a tiring trip, Zhang the Hunter," said the clan elder.

"This is what I should do, elder."

"Village Chief, let me share some information I've gathered. I looked at the notice posted on the city wall, and it's true that there's a way to buy a house and settle there. However, the conditions are quite strict; you have to buy a house that's large enough to meet the government's requirements. Plus, there are fewer people selling houses right now, and prices are high. So, people like us basically don't have to consider this path."

"Also, the notice also said that if you have relatives in the city, you can also move in and live there after paying a deposit. This is similar to the prefectural capital, but the deposit is less."

"Also, the government has said they don't restrict refugees from entering the city. As long as they pay the entrance fee, they can enter. However, they must leave the city after dark. This is all stated in the notice."

"I also privately asked a few scholars. They said the county town was very peaceful. The county magistrate was a fairly upright official. However, since the government wasn't wealthy, he was also powerless."

"However, the government has also provided a convenience for the refugees. Since the county seat is not too far from the river, there is no shortage of water in the wells in the county seat. In addition, after the drought, the government has dug several more large wells. So there is no shortage of water at all."

"So, the government would give each refugee family outside the city half a bucket of water for free every day. Families with large families would also receive more water. Water was usually distributed every morning by government personnel, who would bring water to the city gates. All one had to do was bring their household registration to collect the water."

"Can we get water just by showing our household registration, Mr. Li?" the second elder asked hurriedly.

"Elder, this is true. I've confirmed it with them. Furthermore, the well dug by the government is about 600 meters away from the city gate. So it's convenient for the government to transport water."

"However, the government only gives these out for free. If you want more, you can buy it with money. It's five cents a bucket, and the bucket is also a large bucket like ours. Just talk to the officers and soldiers at the city gate, and they will deliver water."

"Then the official in this county is really a good person. With the free water distributed by the government, the family will definitely have no problem with water for cooking." The elder of the three clans sighed.

"Yes, the water sold by the government is five cents a bucket. It's not cheap, but it's acceptable. This time we can get more water." The elder breathed a sigh of relief. The villagers were running low on water. They had been worried about where to buy water. Now they didn't have to worry.

"Now the water problem has been solved. Tomorrow morning, I will take the villagers to get some free water, and then we will pay for some water. You can go back and discuss how much water you want to buy, and report the number to me tomorrow morning." said the village chief.

"Okay, Village Chief, let's discuss it when we get back."

"I've used up all the free water, and it's enough for cooking tomorrow."

"Yeah, and we can buy less water."

"We don't need to store too much water. Just like last time, we can store about the same amount. The closer we are to the river, the easier it will be to find water." The village chief emphasized hurriedly.

If we don't explain it clearly, some villagers who think long-term will store more water, which is fine. But I'm worried that some stingy women, seeing that they have to spend money to buy water, will actually buy only a few days' worth of water and then go from house to house in the village to borrow water when they run out.