Huanren and his entourage, who were familiar with the route, walked in front, while Jiang Wanqing walked in the middle, with two others following behind. Her safety was the top priority.
The mountain path was rugged and difficult to walk. At first, she could manage, but towards the end, her legs were trembling. Looking down, she saw a sheer cliff. Jiang Wanqing closed her eyes and continued to walk uphill.
After walking about two-thirds of the way, the road was suddenly blocked by mud and rocks from a landslide.
Huanren pushed up his glasses and slapped his head in frustration.
"The road ahead is blocked, we can't get through."
The mud and rocks were soft and slippery, and forcing their way across could cause them to fall off the cliff. They had walked for so long, and going down the mountain now would mean all their efforts were wasted.
Jiang Wanqing went to the front to take a look, and it really was a scene where she couldn't go forward or backward.
"What do we do now?"
"Let me think about it..."
There was no village or shop in sight, and Huanren was truly at his wit's end.
Someone suggested, "We'll have to take a longer route. If it's too late tonight, we might still be able to stay overnight at a local's house."
"A long way? Besides this road, who among you knows any other roads?"
Upon hearing this question, everyone else looked at each other and shook their heads, let alone Jiang Wanqing, who was new to the area.
"Don't look at me, I know even less."
This is the Shiwan Mountains. One wrong step and you could be eaten by wild animals. If you get bitten by a snake, you can only wait to die. You absolutely cannot wander off.
Just then, a girl carrying a basket on her back came up from the foot of the mountain, drenched in sweat, and dressed in the traditional clothing of an ethnic minority.
Huanren felt like he had seen a savior and quickly stepped forward to ask.
"Comrade, the road ahead is blocked. How did you get down the mountain? If there's another route, could you show us the way?"
The girl, A-mei, instinctively became wary upon seeing strangers, her bright eyes fixed on them as she timidly asked a question.
Who are you?
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Huanren, and I'm from the county. These are also from the county. We came to a nearby village for an investigation, but we got stuck here."
"Are you government employees?"
Yes, yes.
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, A-mei's eyes lit up with excitement, and her attitude immediately changed as she raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
"I know a shortcut, come with me."
It's true that someone will hand you a pillow when you're sleepy; now you don't have to worry about sleeping outdoors.
Huanren told Jiang Wanqing to follow, and the group followed behind Amei onto another path in the mountains.
The path was long and winding; a slight misstep would lead into the deep forest. Huanren was afraid that Jiang Wanqing would fall behind, so he kept looking back before finally walking alongside her.
A-mei smiled and made conversation along the way.
"Comrade Huanren, is this beautiful woman your girlfriend?"
"No, no, no, it's not..." Huan Ren quickly waved his hand and looked at Jiang Wanqing's face. Fortunately, she was not angry. He quickly explained, "This is a comrade from the Beijing area. He is planning to set up a factory in our county and recruit workers. If you are interested, young comrade, you can keep an eye out and sign up first."
"Huh? Hiring? Is it a job that pays?"
"Of course, you can earn much more than you would by farming. You're still young, you'll learn quickly, you'll work fast, and you'll earn even more."
A-mei, carrying a basket on her back, weighed it in her hand and looked at Jiang Wanqing with envy and admiration.
"Beautiful lady, you're amazing."
The people in the mountains are simple and honest, and they speak the truth without any flowery words. Jiang Wanqing returned the smile.
"You can do it too. You're so capable. You go down the mountain to buy things by yourself and then climb back up to go home. Don't your family members come with you?"
She was probably eight to ten years younger than Jiang Wanqing, and was thin and small due to years of malnutrition.
“There are only my father and my brother at home. My brother has some mental problems, and my father has to stay with him, so I have to come down the mountain.”
"Ah, I'm sorry..."
Jiang Wanqing accidentally touched a nerve and quickly apologized sincerely, but Amei waved her hand dismissively.
"It's okay, you don't know either. But my family loves me very much. I'm willing to do things like going down the mountain to buy things. Sister, you don't need to pity me."
Coming to her senses, Jiang Wanqing felt ashamed of her sympathy and pity. Yes, she had only lived in the city for a few years, yet she had already begun to look down on these mountain people. She needed to reflect on this.
"You just mentioned your family situation, so I imagine you're not well-off financially. If the factory opens, I'll reserve a spot for you. Would you like that?"
"Yes, I want it! Thank you, sister."
"You're welcome. We should thank you for taking us up the mountain; otherwise, we would have just been waiting."
"Yes, young comrade, you are also very impressive. At such a young age, you have traveled through mountains and rivers. We are ashamed of our own abilities," Huanren praised.
"You're exaggerating. I'm just an ordinary person." The girl smiled. "Our village is just ahead. Would you like to come to my house for a while?"
"Okay, we'll come find you after we've investigated each family's situation."
"Um!"
The group chatted and laughed all the way, and soon arrived at the village entrance. Seeing so many outsiders, many villagers came out of their mud houses and looked out.
Many of the elderly people were wary of outsiders, which left Huanren and his men unsure of where to begin.
Seeing their predicament, Amei offered, "Why don't you go to my house first? After I put your things away, I'll help you look for people from house to house."
"That's great, thank you."
Jiang Wanqing had been observing her surroundings when her gaze suddenly fell upon the figure of a man halfway up the mountain in the village…
“Hey, that’s…”
That figure gave Jiang Wanqing a sense of familiarity, and she almost blurted out the name from her memory.
A-mei looked in the direction she was pointing and exclaimed "Ah!"
“That’s my brother. Ever since he suffered a brain injury, he’s liked to look down from high places. Did that scare you?”
"Oh, no, it's nothing."
Jiang Wanqing twitched the corners of her mouth. Sure enough, she hadn't slept well last night and was too tired from climbing the mountain, so she actually fantasized that she would find the person she had been longing for here.
The girl herself said that he was her brother...
"Then come with me."
"Isn't your brother going home?" Huanren asked.
"It's alright, he'll go home on his own when it's time."
"Oh, okay."
The group followed the girl to her house, where the stark emptiness of the house was immediately apparent, with farm tools scattered around.
"Please make yourselves at home. We haven't had any guests before. I'll go get you some water."
She brought over tree stumps for them to sit on, then turned around and went back inside to pour water, showing meticulous care.
After resting for a while, she led everyone on a tour of the village, explaining the situation to each household. Most of them were willing to chat with her.
Jiang Wanqing and her group obtained a lot of useful information from the villagers, such as their concerns and what they really needed in their daily lives...
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