As night fell, Yunqi asked Sicheng in a low voice, "We shouldn't be coming here again for a while, right?"

Si Cheng nodded. "The salt we brought back this time will last our village a long time. If nothing unexpected happens, we won't have to make another trip so soon."

Yunqi asked, "Didn't you previously plan to form a team to run this route? Why did you change your mind?"

Si Cheng said, "If we go back this time, other nearby villages will definitely follow suit. Plus, with the troops in the city, we won't get any advantage. We might as well think of another way."

Yunqi said, "But since they left all the supplies behind this time, they'll definitely want to make another trip soon, and then they'll have to come looking for our village again."

Si Cheng said, "We can't stay in the village forever. Besides going up the mountain and working in the fields, I also want to go south."

Yun Qi sat up straight and looked at him. "Why?"

Si Cheng looked into the distance and said, "I want to walk the path I didn't accompany you on again."

Yunqi looked up at the sky, trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes, but many past moments kept flashing through her mind.

Si Cheng held her hand, looking at her with concern, "This is just a small regret of mine. If it really doesn't work out, we won't go."

Si Cheng had no idea how many hardships Yun Qi had endured after he left, preventing him from reaching the base in the end. Yun Qi didn't say, and Si Cheng never asked.

Based on his understanding of Yunqi, he guessed that after he left, she must have also been determined to die. The only reason she was able to rush back to her hometown was because of her concern for her parents and elders.

Yun Qi squeezed his hand back. "Then I'll lead the way for you. Actually, I've met many kind people along the way, but I don't know if I'll have the chance to repay them in this lifetime."

Yunqi said this because this life is different from the past. The coastal areas were evacuated early, and other provinces also made arrangements early. Even if they were affected to some extent, their situation is definitely much better than before.

Si Cheng said, "If you don't want to leave, we can go somewhere else. I'm also curious about how that insider is doing now. Since they already knew what was going to happen and informed the authorities, how come the situation is still so out of control?"

Si Cheng was thinking of leaving because the days ahead were relatively stable, and the village's fighting strength and defense were at their best, so he could leave with peace of mind.

Yunqi squeezed his hand, "You decide. I'll follow you wherever you go."

The other villages were also not peaceful. "It seems that Pinghe Village won't be coming back anytime soon. Look at how much salt they exchanged this time."

Captain Liu glanced at the villagers who were speaking, "If all else fails, you can take everything back with you at once. Village Chief Zheng is willing to prepare the salt for you."

"Captain Liu, there's no point in talking like this. We don't have as many animals as Pinghe Village to help haul salt, nor do we have the strength of Village Chief Si. Even if we were given more, we couldn't carry it all back."

Captain Liu said, "Then you should just quietly wait to come over next time. What's the point of saying all this now?"

Bai Lusi, the person in charge of Baijia Village this time, leaned close to Captain Liu and said, "Can we discuss with Pinghe Village again and go back immediately? After all, it's safer to keep this in our own hands. If it goes on for too long, and Yan Village doesn't acknowledge it, we'll suffer the consequences."

“If you want to talk to them, go and talk to them yourselves. Do you think this trip won’t take time and effort? Besides, the salt they brought back this time will be enough for them to use for a long time. Why should they help us for free?” Captain Liu refused directly.

“You can’t say that. You all have a share in this too. Even if we all try to fight for it, we still have to! What if Village Chief Si agrees?” Wang Qiang from Hutiao Village retorted in a low voice.

Captain Liu laughed in exasperation, "How much free time do they have to be to keep running around like this with you guys? Would you be willing to do that?"

This next question stumped everyone. Although no one was willing to give up, no one dared to ask.

Captain Liu muttered to himself as he walked toward his campsite, “Looks like I can’t be a good guy after all. If I do too much, people will think I’m stupid, always rushing to the front lines. Since I’m not afraid of offending people, I’ll just do it myself.”

He didn't lower his voice so that everyone present could hear him, so no one dared to say anything more.

After all, they had offended Pinghe Village badly during the last drought. If it weren't for the sake of their relatives and friends in various villages, they might not have been invited this time.

People are losing their nerve in front of Pinghe Village and can only rely on Captain Liu and his team. But now, they don't care about their own interests at all and have completely blocked this road.

Regardless of what everyone thought, they still had to pack their bags and head back early the next morning.

Although the volume of salt is much smaller, its weight is also much greater.

Si Cheng was also having a tough time this time. So much pig iron was weighing on him, and even if he wanted to help Yun Qi carry the salt with him, he was powerless to do so.

"Brother Cheng, how are you? If you can't handle it, we'll all share the burden." Yun Heng asked with some concern, looking at the iron frame that was about to bend under the weight.

"Get out of the way, can't you even ask questions?" Yun Jianying pulled him aside. "Brother Cheng, let's redistribute the tasks. We can't let you shoulder everything."

Yun Qi looked at him with some concern, after all, so much raw iron was no joke.

Si Cheng said, "I'll try it first, and if I can't hold on, I'll share the burden with everyone else."

Seeing everyone still looking at him with concern, Si Cheng could only explain, "I also want to see where my bottom line is. After all, it's only this much pig iron that's making me feel a bit strained."

Hearing him say that, everyone could only obey for the time being, but everyone's eyes were always on his back. As soon as Si Cheng showed the slightest sign of fatigue, everyone would step forward to stop him.

The other villages quickly noticed the anomaly, but they didn't know the reason or see them carrying iron on their backs. They were only surprised to see that with each step the village chief took, he left a deep footprint in the ground.

Only Village Chief Zheng stood on the wall watching them leave, thinking, "Why isn't someone like that in our village? I'd rather give up my position as village chief."

Accountant Liu squinted at the front of her eyes. Although she was very nearsighted and could not see very clearly, she knew what kind of weight Village Chief Si was carrying on his back.

Hearing Village Chief Zheng's words, he couldn't help but laugh. "That's because you didn't have a daughter like Yunqi who could attract a son-in-law like that. Otherwise, Village Chief Si might have been able to take your place."