"The scattered households in the forest area are the ones Li Gang mentioned before. They want to take their children out for medical treatment." Daping said as he turned sideways to gesture to the two of them to look at Sangsang on his back.
"Oh~ Are you the family that made the jerky for Li Gang and the others? I didn't expect the girl to be so young."
Daping rolled his eyes. "They're the only family in the entire Mo Ning forest area, who else could it be?" He turned to Ningxia and said, "This one's called Lei Laowu, we all call him Tiger. The young one is called Le Zhengtang."
Ningxia nodded repeatedly: "Brother Lei, Comrade Xiaole."
The young man named Le Zhengtang chuckled and said, "My last name is Le Zheng."
Ningxia raised her eyebrows, a little surprised: "Sorry, this is the first time I've heard of this double surname."
Everyone in the group except Maomao went into the house.
Ningxia was very confused when she first got outside. She had no idea what materials these three small bungalows were made of. They didn't look like wood, and they didn't look like bricks.
Inside the house, apart from simple daily necessities, the walls were of a strange color, looking like foam boards, but faintly shiny.
Seeing Ningxia's curiosity, Le Zhengtang explained, "This house is made of new building materials. It can isolate a certain amount of high temperature and also keep you warm."
Ningxia turned her head and bumped into Le Zhengtang's smiling eyes. She was surprised and said, "I haven't seen this kind of building materials at the trading point!"
"This material was only released last January, and it was distributed right after the experimental stage. After the Chocobo welfare centers in various shelters distributed it, there was nothing left. As for us, we had to fight hard in the camp to get it."
Ningxia was very excited: "How is the effect?"
Le Zhengtang touched his head and said, "Fortunately, in the Sunny Month, the room temperature can be maintained at around 32 or 33 degrees Celsius, and the highest does not exceed 35 degrees Celsius. In the Cold Month, the room temperature is around -7 or 8 degrees Celsius."
Ningxia suppressed her excitement and decided to deal with the task at hand first.
Ningxia took Sangsang from Daping and pulled Lin Yi to sit down together.
"Sister, I don't have any tea here, so you can just drink it." Daping handed over a glass of water, and Ningxia quickly took it.
Just as I was thinking about how to start the conversation, Lei Laowu brought up the topic directly.
"You want to go to the trading point with all these belongings by yourself?"
Ningxia pursed her lips and then nodded seriously.
Lei Lao Hu shook his head: "You can't do it alone, let alone with two children. Wild animals have been coming out of the mountains one after another these days. How can you handle it alone?"
At this point, Lei Lao Hu turned directly to Le Zhengtang and said, "Well, you come with me, and Da Pingzi will stay at home."
Ningxia quickly stood up, stammered a few times but couldn't even utter the polite words of refusal, and could only keep saying thank you.
Lei Lao Hu waved his hand nonchalantly: "Well, we were supposed to go back to the camp to get food anyway, so we're just leaving a few days earlier."
Although he said this, Ningxia knew how much risk the three people in front of him took to be willing to send them out.
"That's right. Originally, we were supposed to help the residents in the forest area, but there are no residents in the forest area. Moreover, when Li Gang left, he bribed us with your dried meat and specifically asked us to take care of it." Daping also followed up the conversation.
The three of them could see that Sangsang was indeed not feeling well, and they could also sense the anxiety of the siblings. Without Ningxia urging them, Le Zhengtang got up and packed two travel bags in a matter of moments, moving incredibly quickly.
"Let's go."
Ningxia nodded repeatedly.
The three of them stayed at the riverside post for less than half an hour before setting off again. Behind the post was a forest. Lei Laohu led the group through it, and the river also meandered through the forest. As they emerged from the forest, they saw a large lake!
The cracked soil at the lakeside indicated that the water level had dropped considerably during the Fiery Sun Moon. However, for this lake, this was a drop in the bucket, completely insignificant.
Lei Lao Hu smiled and said, "Our place is pretty good, nestled in the mountains and beside the water. I just don't know why no residents are willing to settle here. It's strange."
Ningxia also felt that although she came to live in the forest area because of poverty, even if she had money and could choose, she would choose the forest area, where there is a high degree of freedom and self-sufficiency, which is so good.
Le Zhengtang walked ahead, holding Maomao's hand, and said with a smile, "The water here is very clean. Come and catch fish when you have time. It's best to come during the cold months, when the fish are big and fat, and you can definitely catch one every time."
Ningxia quickly thanked him and took the matter to heart.
This road was much easier to walk than the one Ningxia had taken when she first came here. She asked Lei Lao Hu what was going on.
"This route is planned and opened last year. It will probably reach our outpost by the end of this year. The surrounding area has been surveyed, so it's easier to travel. It's just a little more roundabout than the route you took here, and it'll take half a day longer."
Lei Laohu didn't take them the same route they'd taken in Ningxia because Sangsang was ill, and riding a mule over the mountains would be inconvenient and dangerous. This route was much smoother, with few curves.
Ningxia nodded in understanding. It was a good thing that the road was open. Even if it only led to the checkpoint, it would be much more convenient than it is now.
"Brother Lei, how long will it take to get from the sentry post to the trading point after the road is opened?"
"That's hard to say. We can walk there and back in about a day, and riding a horse would be even faster, half a day. But it all depends on the individual situation, just like before, some people drive fast, some drive slow."
"That's great too."
In the evening, Lei Laohu directed Le Zhengtang to set up camp. Sangsang, who had been on the mule all day, became a little weaker. Lin Yi carried her down and gently massaged her arms and legs.
"What are you doing? Le Zheng and I brought some dry food. We get quite a bit of supplies every season at our outpost. You can save some for your brothers and sisters."
Ningxia took out a multi-grain steamed bread from her bag, but the other party refused to take it. Helplessly, she scooped out a few spoonfuls of spicy shredded pork and diced leeks and bamboo shoots, put them in a bowl and handed it to him: "Brother Lei, you and Le Zheng should have something to go with the rice. I made it at home, and it goes well with the steamed buns."
After another round of rejection, Lei Lao Hu saw that he couldn't refuse anymore, so he scratched his head and took the steel bowl from Ning Xia's hand. "You are too polite. No wonder Li Gang praised you so much!"
Ningxia smiled without saying anything. After seeing the other party accept it, she turned around and took the thermos bucket to pour porridge for the brother and sister.
The food Ningxia brought was being heated on the fire in the camp, and dry food from both sides was being heated on the stone slab nearby. Several potatoes were also being roasted underneath.
Le Zhengtang busied himself with finding a suitable place to tie the mule and then gave it some water. He had already prepared a spot for the three Ningxia men to rest for the night.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com