Chapter 81

The trees grew and were cut down, then grew back again, and several months passed in the blink of an eye. Judging from the changing amount of vine juice provided to Tian Zhaozhao each day, this young manager ultimately did not stop his subordinates from spreading the news; the number of people on the other side of the river was steadily increasing.

One early morning, Grandma Tong took a basin of mixed chicken feed to the specially built chicken coop to feed the chickens. While walking, she suddenly saw a person lying by the grass not far away. She was shocked and turned back home to call her younger relatives.

This was a man in his thirties or forties, with a pointed face and monkey-like features. Wang Jie checked and found he was still breathing, but he was completely unconscious. Tong Shu picked up the plastic bottle that had fallen beside him, shook the remaining liquid inside, and immediately recognized it as the vine juice she had traded to Tian Zhaozhao and the others.

“People from Tian Zhaozhao’s side.” Tong Shu sneered and kicked the bottle away.

"Didn't you bring the antidote? Why would you still be drugged?" Shuli asked, puzzled.

“The density of the poisonous mushrooms growing here is different from that on the other side. I guess Tian Zhaozhao has taken in quite a few people recently, and she was afraid that Shushu would be angry, so she didn’t ask us for Lala Vine Juice per person. Each person probably only gets a bottle every few days.” Wang Jie analyzed, “The mushroom density is lower over there, so you can get through it by drinking a little, or you can just stay at night and drink a little if someone faints. It’s very economical.”

Shu Hua suddenly realized: "So he drank some of the 'Lala Vine' juice and came over, and then he was knocked unconscious by the mushrooms here."

Wang Jie nodded, indicating that it was almost certainly true.

"What should we do with this person?" Wang Jianye looked at the person lying on the ground, somewhat troubled.

"Tie him up. Brother Jie will blow a whistle later to tell Tian Zhaozhao not to leave. I'll go talk to him." Tong Shu's tone was icy. This person's appearance had disrupted the delicate balance between the two sides. She had repeatedly emphasized to Tian Zhaozhao that no matter what happened on the other side, she didn't want anyone inquiring about their situation. Whether this person was blinded by greed or acting on someone's orders, she had to go and see how Tian Zhaozhao planned to handle the situation.

“Actually, this place is so big, and it’s just our family living here. It’s not realistic to expect others not to come... I think it would be more lively with more people around…” Grandma Tong glanced at the people on the ground, then at her family members around her, and said softly.

Tong Songming's face showed a helpless expression: "Mom, I know you want things to be lively, but there's a time and place for it! Do you think this person wants to be your neighbor? Shushu has worked so hard to give the other side the impression that we have a lot of people. If they find out that there are only eleven of us in the family, all sorts of thoughts will come to mind. I bet the first thing they'll do is come and take over the house we worked so hard to build, and then kick you two out."

Upon hearing this, Grandma Tong hugged the bowl of chicken feed tighter and murmured softly, "...They can't be that bad, can they? We've helped them so much..."

Tong Shu ignored the old man's opinion and, seeing that his two uncles had already tied up the unconscious man, immediately dragged him out of the small boat and threw him aboard. Just then, three whistles sounded from the opposite bank.

Wang Jie quickly took out his whistle and blew it three times.

Normally, if there is no response within ten minutes of Tian Zhaozhao blowing his whistle, he will lead his men away from the riverside park. If he hears a response, it means that Tong Shu and the others have something to tell him, and Tian Zhaozhao will let the others leave while he waits alone in place.

When Tong Shu led Wang Jie across the small boat, Tian Zhaozhao was indeed standing alone by the brickwork. His hands were clasped together, and he looked somewhat uneasy; clearly, he didn't know why Tong Shu had asked him to stay today. They had just finalized the types and quantities of the new batch of supplies exchanged a few days ago, and theoretically, no other details should have been overlooked.

When Wang Jie laboriously threw the unconscious man in front of Tian Zhaozhao, Tian Zhaozhao finally understood why Tong Shu and Wang Jie had been wearing such stern faces. She stepped forward, her scalp tingling, and stammered, "...Sister Hua, who...who is this?"

Actually, Tian Zhaozhao had already recognized him from a distance. This person seemed to be a friend of her colleague's family. Recently, while working, he had been frequently asking some elderly people about the situation on the other side. Tian Zhaozhao had even specifically asked someone to warn him twice, but this person still didn't seem to behave himself. She just made sure he wasn't seen asking questions, and whenever she saw him approaching, he would immediately shut up and pretend to be obediently working.

I never expected this person to be so bold! He went across the river alone without a word to find Sister Hua and the others! Tian Zhaozhao was seething with hatred, but she didn't dare to show any fierceness on her face, for fear of causing Tong Shu and the others to misunderstand.

Tong Shu could tell from his expression that he had already recognized her. She snorted coldly and said, "Don't you recognize me? You came here with our bottles and dumped them near our woods." Tong Shu kicked the man's leg, crossed her arms, and leaned back on the small boat, her tone icy, "Explain."

Tian Zhaozhao dared not play dumb this time. He quickly explained the man's situation to Tong Shu in detail. After finishing, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, glancing at Tong Shu's expression out of the corner of his eye, and said nervously, "...Sister Hua, I didn't do a good job this time. I didn't manage my subordinates well. I will definitely find a way when I get back. After we get the Lala Vine juice, all of it will be kept by my own family! We will distribute it in rations if necessary. With this person as an example, without enough Lala Vine juice, no one else will dare to cross the river and risk their lives again..."

This guy's got a quick mind. Tong Shu glanced at him and asked with a forced smile, "Just came up with this? Or did you think of it a long time ago, but just didn't implement it, waiting for something to go wrong to see my attitude?"

Tian Zhaozhao hadn't expected Tong Shu to be so blunt, and her expression faltered slightly: "...Sister Hua, it's my fault. I should have done this sooner. But there are just too many people now. If we suddenly start controlling Lala Vine Juice like this, some people will inevitably band together and rebel. The situation here is getting more and more complicated. You should understand that. For the sake of my own family, I didn't really want to take this risk..."

Tong Shu observed his expression and saw that his eyes were sincere, and he didn't seem to be lying, so she stopped pressuring him. She stared intently at Tian Zhaozhao until he started rubbing his hands together involuntarily again, then she looked away.

"Tomorrow, bring everyone here," Tong Shu said. "I'll keep an eye on these people for you."

Tian Zhaozhao shuddered and wanted to refuse, "...No, sister...there are so many people..." But Tong Shu's gaze was so intense that he couldn't open his mouth and could only stammer a yes.

"What idea did Boss Shu come up with? Is he going to give that troublemaker a good scare?" On the way back, Wang Jie rowed hard, not forgetting to tease Tong Shu.

Since this matter also required Wang Jie's cooperation, Tong Shu didn't hide anything from him. She leaned closer to him and whispered a few words. Wang Jie's eyes lit up as he listened, and he nodded repeatedly. Finally, he asked hesitantly, "The effect should be good, but can you manage such a long distance?"

Seeing Wang Jie's suspicious look, Tong Shu rolled her eyes: "Believe it or not, just do as I say."

"Fine, fine." Wang Jie shrugged indifferently. Anyway, even if he failed, it wouldn't be him who would lose face.

________

The next morning, Tian Zhaozhao led a large group of people to the riverside park. The group huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, discussing something unknown. Tian Zhaozhao glanced around and saw a variety of expressions: some curious, some sleepy, some disdainful... but no one showed any fear. Tian Zhaozhao grew increasingly uneasy.

The sky was still a bit foggy, and only the faint ripples on the river could be seen. Tian Zhaozhao stood on the stone base left by the collapsed sculpture in the center of the park and cleared her throat twice: "Stop making noise! ​​Be quiet, everyone. When the people from the other side come over, be respectful and don't offend them!"

The hundreds of people looked at each other, and finally quieted down. Everyone, from the veterans to the newcomers, respected the young leader who had found them work and distributed supplies regularly. However, the people on the other side of the river were irrelevant to them; after all, fewer than twenty of those present had ever seen them before, making it difficult for them to feel any fear.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Tian Zhaozhao composed himself, picked up the whistle hanging around his neck, and was about to blow it when suddenly, a blinding light shone from the tree branch above his head. He quickly let go of the whistle and held his hand to shield his eyes.

Tian Zhaozhao squinted and strained to take a look, and found that they were two rechargeable camping lights.

The crowd stirred. They hadn't seen the cold white light of electricity in a long time. These days, those who could afford electricity were either incredibly powerful or incredibly wealthy, neither of whom were people that ordinary people could afford to offend.

"...Hua, Sister Hua? Is that you? You've already arrived?" Tian Zhaozhao's voice was a little weak. He turned his head and looked around, wondering where Tong Shu and the others were hiding.

"Stop looking, it's over here." Wang Jie's voice came from not far away. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a figure appearing and disappearing among the leaves.

"Brother Hua, it's you." Tian Zhaozhao breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to Tong Shu, Wang Jie wasn't as intimidating. "Where's Sister Hua?"

Wang Jie raised his chin and looked between the two trees: "You'll find out soon enough."

Following Wang Jie's gaze, Tian Zhaozhao and the others saw a rope connecting the branches, with three objects hanging from it, seemingly still alive and struggling.

"Hmm, it looks like a rabbit... a wild rabbit, it's so big..." Under the stone seat, a girl swallowed hard after seeing what was hanging there.

Everyone looked at Wang Jie in the tree, then at the live rabbit hanging there, puzzled.

Just as the crowd was becoming increasingly agitated, Wang Jie blew his whistle.