When the people who went into the mountains returned to the village, Yun Zhizhong and his team had already gone to the city. This time, most of the people who went were middle-aged women and family members.

Upon hearing that the village had gone to exchange supplies again, Si Cheng began searching everywhere. In fact, he already knew the answer in his heart: his bored wife had probably gone with them again.

After Captain Liu and his group left, Si Cheng gathered the elderly people and village officials who remained in the village together.

“This time I still want to go to the city. Since our village isn’t interested in that area behind the mountain, let’s find some reliable neighbors for ourselves.”

"Brother, does that mean we won't be able to hunt there anymore? We'll be at a huge loss."

"Do you think that place can be kept secret for long? We brought people from Xin San Village up the mountain this time, and many of them might start thinking about finding another time to go back up the mountain."

"How could this happen? I should have known better than to invite them into the mountains. We've lost so much money now!" Zhao Dongwei wailed. It was truly a real-life example of a disciple teaching his master only to starve himself.

“Even if we don’t take them into the mountains, they’ll find their way in sooner or later. Besides, the back mountain isn’t our village’s territory. Such a good place will be discovered sooner or later.” Wu Yong was more optimistic than Zhao Dongwei, after all, his village already had much more than others.

"At least let's make a couple more trips." Zhao Dongwei still felt it was a loss.

“You don’t think the back mountain will stay peaceful forever, do you? Don’t forget about that tiger from before. If that place is allowed to continue to be desolate, I believe it won’t be long before it becomes a hunting ground for other large wild animals.” Si Cheng saw that many people were somewhat disapproving, so he presented the reality.

“If a group of capable and friendly people lived in that area, they could deter wild animals from making their home there, and our village would be more peaceful. This win-win approach is much more worthwhile than going up the mountain to hunt twice.”

Everyone fell into deep thought after hearing the village chief's words. The safety of the village was definitely more important than material possessions. Although they felt a little regretful, everyone raised their hands in support of the solution.

As for who to find to stay? We'll have to decide based on the actual situation in the city. If you want to stay deep in the mountains, you'll definitely need to have some resources.

Everyone was very excited about going to the city, but so many people had already gone from the village that it was impossible to send many more, especially with Dong Ge as a potential enemy. Si Cheng only selected a dozen or so people to accompany him on the day of departure.

Yun Zhizhong's leadership made the group seem a bit somber, perhaps because most of the members were elders. Yun Qi and the others could only keep their heads down and follow along, rarely speaking.

Even so, the speed along the way was not much faster; the speed was deliberately slowed down to take care of the elders.

Si Cheng and his group traveled with ease and finally caught up with each other at the camp just before reaching the city.

When Yunqi saw them, he could hardly believe it. He had been traveling for the past two days and thought he was hallucinating.

"I have to say, you're such a clingy kid. It's only been a short time since we last saw each other, is it really necessary to rush after us like this?" Si Cheng happened to be standing next to Yun Mingwei and was immediately teased.

“Ah Cheng is bound to stick close to Xiao Qi. Does he expect him to follow us old folks around?” Since Yun Mingwu stopped being the village chief, he seems to have become more cheerful and often jokes with everyone.

Joking aside, he immediately became serious and asked Si Cheng, "Is everything alright at home? Why did they follow us?"

"Everything is fine. I came here to see some people and also to try and find out if there's any news about that Brother Dong. Since we're all gathered here, someone might have some information."

It wasn't that Si Cheng wanted to be relentless towards Dong Ge and his group, but rather that he felt that if this group continued to stay in this area, countless villages would suffer. Moreover, he was always worried about leading his team out on trips. So, it was better to nip all possibilities in the bud.

This exchange was more lively than the last one, because most of the nearby villages gathered together on the same day. As soon as Si Cheng and his group entered the city, they were taken to the designated location.

"With so many people, will the supplies they dig out be enough for them to exchange?" Yun Qi was a little unsure, after all, many things were in short supply last time.

"Judging from this situation, this time it won't be so simple." Yun Liping had been traveling with Yun Qi the whole way. Even when Si Cheng caught up later, she didn't find another companion and deliberately stood between the two of them.

"I wonder what tricks they're going to pull this time, calling so many people together. Maybe they're planning an auction." Yun Qi said this, and that's what she was thinking too. She planned that if they used an auction, she would definitely take all the grain she had brought back with her.

"If that's really the case, then they're too cunning. If it really doesn't work out, we won't make the change." Yun Liping didn't want to be taken advantage of.

Just as everyone was speculating about this event to exchange supplies, Si Cheng and Yun Zhizhong had already found their office and located Ma Tao, who was there compiling statistics.

"You need to calculate these, right? I'll help you." Yun Zhizhong took the calculator from his hand and gestured for Si Cheng to ask him for information.

"Brother Ma, I'm sorry to trouble you again this time." Si Cheng knew that he was busy at this time, so he didn't delay and went straight to the point.

"There are additional conditions for bringing everyone here this time, and the exchange rate is the same as last time." Ma Tao knew what they wanted to ask, and it wasn't a secret; he would post it out in a moment.

"What are the additional conditions? Are they difficult to handle?"

“Your village must be facing some difficulties.” Ma Tao knew a bit about the village he was about to move into. “This time, the exchange is based on the ratio of refugees received. If more are received, priority will be given. If I remember correctly, the land in Pinghe Village is already full.”

"If I can't receive it, does that mean I can't redeem it?"

"That's not necessarily the case. It's just that if you're ranked lower, there aren't many options left, and the exchange rate should increase slightly."

Si Cheng suddenly felt that this idea was really too cruel. Those villages that had previously refused to accept refugees would have to make a choice this time.

"As long as you can provide land to accommodate refugees, you can exchange it for supplies, right?" Si Cheng confirmed this question again.

Ma Tao nodded. "That's the principle, but we also need to provide them with some farmland so they can continue to survive. What? Have you cleared some wasteland again?"