Early the next morning, Chen Yu got up and went to the house where the wounded transport team of the Fire Seed Base were being housed.

Lin Lele was curious and followed along.

As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw that a large crowd had already gathered outside.

Village chief Xu Anbang and Zhao Zhang, along with most of the villagers who participated in the rescue last night, were present. They huddled together, discussing something in hushed tones, each with a solemn expression on their face.

Upon seeing Chen Yu and his companion arrive, everyone stopped talking at the same time.

"Young friend Chen Yu, Miss Lele, you've arrived." Xu Anbang greeted Chen Yu, his voice tinged with a hint of awkwardness.

His gaze shifted between the two men, as if he wanted to say something, but hesitated to speak.

Clearly, there were some things they didn't want Chen Yu and Lin Lele to know.

Chen Yu wasn't angry about this, after all, to the villagers, he and Lin Lele were also outsiders in this village.

"We were just about to go to the cafeteria for lunch and stopped by to check on things," Chen Yu replied with a smile. "How are those people doing last night?"

"They haven't woken up yet, but according to Uncle Wang, their condition has stabilized and they should be out of danger." Xu Anbang's voice was heavy.

"Since everyone's alright, Village Chief, why do you seem so preoccupied?" Lin Lele asked, puzzled.

“This…” Xu Anbang looked slightly embarrassed.

"You talk too much," Chen Yu scolded Lin Lele in a low voice.

Then, with a smile, she said to Xu Anbang, "It's good that everyone is alright. Lele and I will go to the cafeteria for breakfast first. You guys go ahead with your work."

After saying that, Chen Yu gently patted Lin Lele's shoulder, signaling her to leave with him.

Lin Lele had only asked casually; she didn't really care about the village chief's attitude. When she was out and about, she didn't want to think too much, so she didn't dwell on it and obediently followed Chen Yu toward the canteen.

After Chen Yu and Lin Lele walked away, the villagers continued to chatter and discuss in hushed tones.

“Village chief, although our Wenshui Village has a hot spring and can be self-sufficient for the time being, the hot spring is only so big and can only support so many people. Every additional person means another mouth to feed. It’s one thing to take in those two young people, Chen Yu and Lin Lele, but now we have to take in eight people at once. This is quite a burden!” a villager said worriedly.

“Yes, and these eight people came from the Fire Seed Base. If they have bad intentions and gang up to cause trouble in our village, then our Wenshui Village will be in big trouble.” Another villager chimed in, his face full of worry.

Xu Anbang also frowned at this moment. He understood the villagers' worries, after all, the sudden change had broken the long-standing tranquility of Wenshui Village.

The burden of resources is a minor issue, but if the eight people unite, along with Chen Yu and Lin Lele whom they took in a few days ago, there will be ten outsiders in the village, all of whom are young and strong. If they have bad intentions, they might even have a chance to turn the tables.

After all, Wenshui Village is a small village with a total population of only about 200 people. Excluding the elderly, women, and children, there are at most about 30 young and middle-aged people.

He originally thought that the people in the transport team had been trapped in the blizzard for so long last night, and their bodies were almost frozen stiff. Under such circumstances, at least a few of them would freeze to death, and it would be good if two or three of them survived.

Taking in a few more people at that time would not be too much of a burden on the village, nor would it create instability due to the large number of people in the transport team.

To everyone's surprise, these transport team members were incredibly resilient; all eight of them survived.

However, what the village chief and others didn't know was that the lives of the transport team members were indeed tougher than dogs'.

After all, the transport team members do the hardest and most tiring work every day. Since the natural disaster, they have been living in the extreme cold outside, risking their lives, and have long been accustomed to the harsh environment.

Those who weren't tough enough wouldn't have made it this far.

Xu Anbang pondered to himself, knowing that the situation was far more complicated than he had anticipated.

Releasing them is impossible; that would put them in even greater danger.

Kill these transport team members before they wake up?

Obviously, they wouldn't do something like that.

Otherwise, why would they have gone to rescue those people last night?

“Since this concerns the interests of the entire village, I think we should vote to make a decision,” Zhao Zhang, who had been silent all along, suggested.

Upon hearing this, Xu Anbang pondered for a moment before finally nodding.

…………

On the other side, Chen Yu and Lin Lele had a symbolic breakfast in the canteen, then helped out at the mushroom field for a while. Feeling that it was about time, the two slowly walked towards the house where the transport team members were housed.

When the two arrived at the wounded's shelter, the villagers had already finished their discussion and were now chatting with two unfamiliar faces.

Upon seeing the two, Chen Yu's face immediately darkened.

These two unfamiliar faces were not unfamiliar to him. One of them was named "Li Liguo," who, if nothing unexpected happened, was the captain of this transport team. The other was "Xiang Shaogang," Li Liguo's number one henchman.

In the previous life, these two were the culprits behind the destruction of Wenshui Village!

At the time, Chen Yu, though willing, was powerless to stop it. He admitted that, in order to save his own life, he hesitated.

This caused him to live the rest of his previous life in painful regret. Every time the night was quiet, he would be haunted by nightmares of that disaster. The fire in Wenshui Village, the screams of the villagers, and the cold and ruthless smiles of Li Liguo and others in his dreams cut into his heart like sharp blades.

That version of himself, bearing his face, cowering in a dark corner, is a cowardice he can never forgive.

In this life, his appearance here is less about repaying the villagers' kindness and seeking revenge against Li Liguo and others, and more about redeeming the cowardice and regret deep within his soul.

Chen Yu took a deep breath to calm himself down. He knew that now was not the time to settle scores with Li Liguo, so as not to disrupt his plans.

He took Lin Lele's hand and slowly walked towards the crowd, a faint smile on his face, as if nothing had happened.