More and more people are settling along the lakeside section connecting the village entrance to Xin San Village, and people often linger there at the village entrance.

Those people just lingered there, not daring to knock on the door or shout, because in order to deter these people, there were now four people guarding the place, carrying bows and arrows on their backs.

When my second grandfather and the other elders had nothing to do, they would go outside the village with some younger relatives to chat with Old Zhao and his family, and also to find out what was going on outside.

Old Zhao also wanted to be on good terms with Pinghe Village, so in his spare time he would often tell them about the news he had heard recently, so that they would have some understanding of the chaos outside.

“Old Yun, we’ve been living in constant fear here. A few days ago, some people fled to this area. Apparently, they wanted to find a water source to settle down in, but they didn’t expect that the water source they found was the territory of some animals. That very night, they were attacked by animals. Some people ran away, but we don’t know what happened to the others. Nobody dares to go back and check. Now we humans have to fight with animals for territory.”

Old Zhao became somewhat incoherent as he spoke. He was already living in fear here, and now he was hearing one piece of bad news after another. Every night, he dared not sleep deeply.

My second grandfather and the others felt sorry for them, but there really was nowhere in the village to take in outsiders now, so they could only comfort them.

"We've already notified the kids in the village to keep a close eye on things here. If anything unexpected happens, just shout towards the wall, and we'll do our best to help."

"I feel a little more at ease knowing that you older brothers have said that. I don't really care, but these are the only two younger members of our family left. I don't know how much longer I can protect them." Old Zhao sighed after saying this. He was only in his early sixties, but the world had already weighed him down.

"The main problem is that your area is too close to the mountainous region behind it, and there's not much cover here, making it really difficult to build defenses." Grandpa and the others looked helpless. Defending this area would be an enormous undertaking. Things that were difficult to do even before the great disaster were now even more impossible.

"There are many solutions, but we lack the energy and tools."

Upon hearing Old Zhao mention this, Second Grandfather and the others exchanged glances, thinking to themselves, "Here it comes."

Seeing that the others didn't respond, Old Zhao continued, "My eldest grandson has been learning to swim, so his diving skills are quite good. A few days ago, he went diving with some others to the bottom of the lake to observe, and found that the water along the shore wasn't very deep. Later, we tried it with long bamboo poles, and the deepest part was only a little over 3 meters."

An old man next to him continued, “After discussing it, we all agreed that we could build a row of bamboo rafts on it. But the prerequisite is that we need to drive a few large wooden stakes into the bottom of the lake to secure it. Otherwise, the buoyancy of bamboo won’t be enough to keep so many people afloat. But if we have wooden stakes, it’s a different story. We can build a row of small wooden houses on it, at least providing a temporary shelter.”

My second grandfather and his family were shrewd and experienced, and they probably guessed their intentions.

"Our village can lend you some tools, but how will you drive those wooden stakes into the water?"

Old Zhao rubbed his hands together, smiling cautiously. "I heard that our Village Chief Si is incredibly strong, and I was hoping to get his help. I believe that with his assistance, these problems can be solved."

The old men had an "I see" look on their faces. They knew that these people were well-informed and must have found out everything about their village.

“Although my son Acheng is stronger than others, this is underwater work after all. We need to ask him about the specifics and see if he is confident. If this were just on land, then we could help him. But underwater, not only do you need to be a good swimmer, but it's also difficult to exert force.”

As soon as Grandpa finished speaking, Old Zhao and the others quickly nodded and said, "Of course, if it's not possible, we wouldn't dare to force it."

"But you guys are really well-informed. You even found out about our secluded village so clearly."

"You rarely come out, so you don't know that the news has spread throughout this area that your Pinghe Village is the most capable in this region. You've quelled several disturbances thanks to you. You should also have noticed that more and more people are gathering here lately, all hoping to rely on your village's power to deter those scoundrels from daring to mess with this place."

This is also why Old Zhao and his family are both worried about the safety of their backing here and reluctant to leave. After all, some people outside are becoming increasingly arrogant, and it would be very difficult for him to survive on his own with two children.

"These people outside are being too exaggerated. We just built our walls a bit higher. We don't usually go out and cause trouble. After all, in this kind of world, being able to keep ourselves safe is the most important thing." Second Grandfather and the others didn't dare to take on too much responsibility; they just wanted to protect their village and their people.

“That’s natural.” Old Zhao could hear the rejection in their voices. “But being here has indeed reduced a lot of harassment. In other places, we can’t even guarantee a basic living supply. Yesterday, some prostitutes came here, but we drove them away. We finally found such a clean place, so we can’t let these people make this place a mess again.”

"??"

Seeing that the elderly people didn't understand what he meant, he decided to explain it more clearly.

"It's a group of women engaged in a special profession. Some villages nearby have become the laughing stock because of them, and many people have even lost their families because of it. They have really done a lot of harm."

Having made the point clear, the old men understood. They then realized that there were still many bachelors in the village, and they didn't want to cause any trouble in the future.

Old Zhao and the others told them a few more stories. When the old men returned to the village, they all looked solemn. Even the younger generation who came with them were frequently scrutinized by their gazes.

"What does this mean? We don't seem to have done anything." Sun Shaofeng tugged at Yun Tao's sleeve. Why did he feel that his old man's gaze was so unsettling?

“I think they’re worried about us. Don’t forget, Old Zhao and the others were just talking about those wicked young people who caused such a rift with their families over some unknown women, even going so far as to empty their own homes.” Yun Tao had a bad feeling ever since Old Zhao and the others started talking about these things.