This was more serious than he had imagined. Cheng Chao didn't even dare to use the phone and walked back on foot.

After dark, they quietly drove into the village.

Along with them came Cheng Jin, whose head was throbbing with pain.

Before long, Lao Han and the others saw Jian Dan leave with the car.

After leaving the village, turning a corner, and finding an inconspicuous spot, we simply got off the car.

There's a small path leading up the mountain nearby, which I discovered a few days ago. It's a bit far to go back to the cave where she put her things, but it's safe.

Although the area at the foot of the mountain is remote, it is a special time. Not only is the village entrance heavily fenced off, but patrols are also being conducted in three shifts around the clock.

How could the militiamen and villagers who work there year-round not be able to tell the difference between empty and loaded trucks?

At that point, without explanation, rumors might spread like wildfire.

Need an explanation?

There's no need to explain this to the villagers. At times like this, it's not something that can be done openly. The fewer people who know, the better. Didn't you see they're all keeping it quiet?

Jian Dan walked ahead. Although it was dark, her familiarity with the mountain terrain made her a valuable asset. She led the way with a flashlight, while Cheng Chao and his men followed nimbly behind, like leopards in the night, making almost no sound in the quiet night.

With Cheng Chao around, she didn't need to worry about the reasons.

Following the path uphill, turning two corners, and traversing a rather steep and narrow mountain trail, she soon reached a slope, paused briefly, and waited for Cheng Chao to catch up. She then pointed to a large rock beside her.

"Move this rock aside, and you'll find a cave inside."

Cheng Chao walked forward for a while, then turned back, his sharp gaze sweeping over the familiar surroundings twice before he strode back to the front of the cave.

"Two people, come and move the stone."

Several people immediately came forward and quickly worked together to move the stone away, revealing a dark hole inside, which also smelled of withered leaves.

Cheng Chao glanced at Jian Dan, grabbed a flashlight, and took the lead, bending down to walk inside.

Several young soldiers wanted to follow, but Cheng Jin stopped them.

"Let's rest for a while, and we'll talk when he comes out."

Twenty minutes later, a sound came from inside the cave. Everyone became alert, and the footsteps gradually approached. Soon, Cheng Chao bent down and crawled out.

He first looked at Jian Dan with a complicated expression, then exchanged a glance with Cheng Jin before giving instructions to the others.

"Go in. One team, take flashlights for illumination. The second and third teams, be ready to carry things down the mountain. Coordinate with the people down the mountain. The rest of you, take your sacks and tools. Load the pre-packaged and loose items separately and don't mix them up."

Act quickly and resolve the issue swiftly.

"I'll finish the mission before dawn and make you guys a big meat feast when I get back."

A group of young men chuckled a few times, quickly got into the swing of things, and one after another crawled into the cave.

Cheng Jin glanced at the two children and then followed them inside. Cheng Chao looked at the simple situation with a hint of helplessness.

"You really don't have any sacks? You're just going to leave them there like that, so crudely?"

He was startled when he went in; it was a real mountain of grain. The outer part was alright, but the sacks against the wall were neatly stacked. He randomly picked up two sacks; some contained unmilled rice, some contained milled rice and flour, and some contained sorghum.

Refined grains accounted for almost half of the diet.

But at the very back, once you go in, the floor is almost completely piled up with corn, the local staple food, so it doesn't seem out of place.

To his astonishment, the corn on the ground was still in its unthreshed state, a golden expanse that, under the flashlight beam, almost completely filled half of the cave, making it exceptionally conspicuous.

A simple chuckle.

"Well, I already said I really don't have any sacks."

I'm pressed for time and have a heavy workload; there's no time left for threshing.

So many people have nothing to do, they're just sitting around doing nothing anyway, and there's only a little work to do, isn't it going to be quick?

Besides, corn husks can be used as firewood, so you'll have one less task to do.

Cheng Chao couldn't quite describe his current mood; he felt a bit like disciplining the brat.

However, my nose is still a little stuffy and sore. They said they were helping them provide food and solve their difficulties, but they were so thoughtful. Those fine grains were clearly meant for them.

This was done on purpose, probably to make these rough men uncomfortable, so they deliberately made it so leathery, hoping they would feel more comfortable doing it themselves.

Soon, people carrying the filled bags came out of the cave and walked down the path they had come up from.

Cheng Chao stood on top, looking up with shining eyes.

Even if it's simple, keep stretching it out and don't move.

"Brother, is this enough?"

If not enough,

Cheng Chao quickly stopped him.

“Stop it. I think there’s quite a lot, at least several tens of tons. We’ll discuss it when we get back. Don’t worry, a thousand or eight hundred people will be enough for half a month. You’re not allowed to take any more risks.”

"So, they're all going to those people?"

Cheng Chao froze for two seconds, his eyes welled up with tears, his lips curled into a smile, and he reached out to hug her.

"Don't worry, I know your feelings, I know everything, we all know."

The further down the road the group went, the more excited they became.

With red eyes, more than twenty people worked for most of the night until dawn before they finally finished packing up the things in the cave. The last person carried a sack, and the others cleaned up the scene and wiped away any traces before preparing to go down the mountain.

"Hey? Where's Little Jian?"

"Weren't you with us?"

When did it disappear?

"Hurry up and look for it, hurry up and look for it."

Those with sharp eyes spotted it immediately.

"Hey? Hey? Look over there, isn't that Little Jian? Is she calling us?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!