Chapter 89 Chapter 89 Invitation
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The main room fell silent. The middle-aged man sitting on the chair remained silent. The whole room seemed to be paused. His younger brothers all looked at the door in complete silence.
The calm atmosphere gradually became solemn. After two or three minutes, the man finally moved. He leaned forward, clasped his hands, and raised his chin nonchalantly towards the door: "Why, who are these two friends?"
As soon as he finished speaking, one of the younger brothers stepped forward and hurriedly reported: "Captain, these two people were driving a diesel boat sneaking around the village entrance and were stopped by us. They said they were villagers, but--"
"Okay, I was wondering why you two haven't been seen all afternoon. Are you feeling out of place again? Can't you sit still? Have you finished your work? You're a worry all day long." Without letting the little brother come out, Sister Fang stood up and pointed at Liang Zhao and Gu Mengran's noses and started to scold them.
After finishing the job, she changed her expression in a second, showing a polite and gentle smile to the middle-aged man beside her, "I'm sorry, Captain Dong, the young people in the village like to play, I'm sorry to embarrass you."
The man called Captain Dong raised his eyebrows and looked at the two men with interest. "You two little brothers are from our village too? You are so handsome. What are your names?"
The look in his eyes, like he was picking out pork, made people feel extremely uncomfortable. Liang Zhao frowned slightly, but before he could speak, Sister Fang took the lead and pointed at the two of them and introduced them, "This Liang Zhao and this Gu Mengran are young people who fled here with their families after the disaster. They are usually quite efficient and hardworking, but they just like to play around. I'm sorry to trouble you."
"No, no, it's normal for young people to be energetic." Captain Dong smiled and waved his hand. His eyes drifted to the door inadvertently and he winked unnoticeably.
The three younger brothers successfully received the signal and without saying much, they quickly left the door.
Almost at the same time, Sister Fang glared at the door and said to Liang Zhao and Gu Mengran, "What are you standing there for? Can't you see there are guests? Go away, go somewhere cooler."
Liang Zhao nodded slightly, pulled Gu Mengran and turned away.
But before he took a step, Captain Dong said with a smile: "Why are you leaving? You guys in the village are all our brothers. Just stand by and listen. Maybe you can help us make a decision."
Now that things have come to this, it would be tactless to leave any further. Liang Zhao gently squeezed the hand in his palm, took Gu Mengran to the side, and stood behind Sister Fang.
It was a very funny scene, with two groups of people confronting each other. One group had a huge crowd, while the other group had so many people that they could be counted on one hand. Duan Yueyan and the young people in the village had disappeared, and the only ones standing behind Sister Fang were Liang Zhao, Gu Mengran, and a confused Xiaodong.
The atmosphere was not too tense. Although the other party brought a large group of people, he still spoke politely and negotiated. If you didn't carefully think about the meaning of his words, he really sounded like a simple guest.
Liang Zhao and Gu Mengran arrived late. They had apparently already been chatting with Sister Fang for quite some time, but the man called Captain Dong spoke in a pretentious and extremely verbose tone, repeating the same thing over and over again.
After standing by and listening for a while, Liang Zhao basically understood the situation.
In short, the group of villagers who left Shijin Village after the disaster came back, bringing back a cruise ship and a group of strangers. The purpose of bringing people back was not to stay here, but to sincerely invite all the villagers of Shijin Village to board the cruise ship and leave here.
The other captain personally came to the village to invite them. He was very sincere and offered very attractive conditions. His reasons were also very sufficient. He pointed out the current problems of Shijin Village.
Live by the mountain, live by the water. Shijin Village is surrounded by mountains and rivers. If it weren't for the continuous rain all year round, the villagers could have lived here in peace and stability for the rest of their lives.
Due to sustained heavy rainfall, the resources in the mountains were gradually drained. Potatoes and sweet potatoes were dug up two months after the rain, and only bare wooden stakes were left in the surrounding mountains and forests. The rain washed away layer upon layer of mud, not to mention food.
Fishing in the lake and planting crops under the awning in front of the door are currently the only food sources for Shijin Village. However, the former is unstable, with one day it may be gone, while the latter means that crops grow particularly slowly due to lack of sunlight.
Food is only one aspect. After all, Duan Yueyan was very foresighted and had previously stockpiled a lot of food for the villagers. Their biggest dilemma now is - housing.
The rain fell day by day with no sign of stopping. Although the stone houses were solid, the roofs of many villagers' houses were leaking due to the long-term erosion of rain.
Moreover, the water level continues to rise, and the accumulated water has spread to the entrance of the village. If the rain does not stop, it is only a matter of time before Shijin Village is flooded.
Captain Dong seemed to know the situation in Shijin Village very well. He specifically mentioned this point and then showed his advantages by generously extending an olive branch: "Our Yongyue is large and spacious enough. It has six floors in total, more than 400 rooms, and can carry up to 730 people."
"There is no shortage of food and drink on the ship. We have been running around and collecting supplies for more than a year. Even if we only go out and not in from now on, I can guarantee that you will have enough food and clothing for three years. What's more, we have a professional fishing team and professional researchers. Their soilless cultivation experiments have achieved certain results. It won't be long before we can live the same life as before."
"It has been raining for more than a year, and no one knows how long it will last. Living on the boat, we don't have to worry about whether the rain stops or not. Even if all the land turns to water, we still have a place to stay."
Captain Dong became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice rose as if he was giving a passionate speech.
It was hard to tell whether Sister Fang was interested or not, but the villagers watching outside the house were visibly excited, and like a pot of boiling water, they began to discuss it enthusiastically:
"Is there such a good thing? No shortage of food and drink, and a stable place to live?"
"I haven't seen a cruise ship yet, can we go check it out first?"
"Seriously, I think what the captain said makes sense. If it keeps raining, it's only a matter of time before the village is flooded. If we don't come up with a solution now, where can we go? Now is different from before. The boat is really safer than the land."
"What are you talking about? Why haven't you thought of a solution? Didn't Xiaoyan and the others--"
"Ahem, let's stick to the facts and don't talk nonsense."
"I think we can consider it. It's hard to find a boat. If you miss this opportunity, you'll miss it. I've also seen Lao Luo's cargo ship. It's too small. If all of us go aboard, we'll probably only be able to sleep in the cargo hold. And the environment is definitely not as good as the boats that people have to buy tickets to ride."
"There are more than 400 rooms, and we can't even use one each!"
"You wish. There are still quite a few people on the boat."
"It's not impossible for me to live on the boat for a long time, but... it's not pleasant to live under someone else's roof."
"Don't ships need oil? What if they run out of oil?"
"If there's nothing to drift to, we can drift to wherever we want. But they don't have to worry about food and drink, so why should they take us with them? Are they really just doing good deeds?"
"Are you stupid? Aren't Xiao Zhou and the others on the boat? Xiao Zhou must have said hello to the captain and came back to pick us up."
…
A group of people gathered at the door of the main room and started a concert, making a lot of noise.
There were many questioning voices, but Captain Dong turned a deaf ear to them. Until the villagers gradually quieted down, he suddenly raised his hand and called softly, "Come on, Xiao Zhou, explain it to your fellow villagers."
As he finished speaking, a tall young man walked out from the right corner.
The young man had regular features and a handsome appearance. It was obviously a pleasing face, but the dark circles under his eyes and the messy stubble on his chin diminished his looks.
Xiao Zhou moved very slowly, and it took him a minute to walk from the corner to the door. He looked very tired, but he forced a smile when facing the villagers.
"Uncle and aunt, some of you have already guessed it. Yes, I was the one who brought the captain back to the village. I know you may still be resentful of me for leaving without saying goodbye, but I definitely did not abandon you. We just went out to look for help and see if there is a safer place to stay."
"After we left, we traveled around and had a hard time. Many people even died. We only met Captain Dong half a year ago. At that time, we were already at the end of our strength. He was kind enough to take us in and give us food and drink."
"Captain Dong is a good man. I told him at the time that we still have people in the village. He promised to pick you up, but it was raining all the time and there were mountain torrents and mudslides in many places. We couldn't set off, so it was delayed until now."
It was like a speech, with Xiao Zhou standing on the stage and talking, while the villagers below were talking about it.
"Is this true? Did you misunderstand them?"
"A lot of people died? Who died?"
"Why didn't you see the child from the Li family?"
…
Xiao Zhou waved his hand, and when the villagers gradually quieted down, he continued, "This is an unprecedented flood. Many places outside have been flooded. Our village escaped the disaster because of its high terrain, but Captain Dong is right. It is only a matter of time before we are flooded."
"Those who left before are now on the ship, uncle and aunt, I hope you will come on board with us, so that we don't have to be separated from our families, drifting together, and looking for a new home together. I promise you, as long as -"
"Zhou Zhiqi!" Sister Fang interrupted him harshly, her face flushed.
Without waiting for the villagers to start discussing again, Sister Fang turned her head to look at Captain Dong, twisted her lips, and forced a smile, "Captain Dong, didn't I just say that? We still need to discuss and consider it. Relocating the whole village is not a trivial matter, and it is not up to one person to decide. You don't have to let Xiao Zhou act as a lobbyist here, give us some time, okay?"
The words were spoken politely, and the tone was not friendly. Captain Dong was not angry at all. He pinched his chin and laughed softly, "Did you hear that, Xiao Zhou, you talk too much again."
"Sorry, Captain." Xiao Zhou took the blame and quietly stepped aside.
"You can't blame him entirely because he is a young man with a lot of passion and cares about his fellow villagers."
Captain Dong turned his head to meet Sister Fang's gaze, his smile growing even stronger. "Of course I can consider it, but you have to know that this is an opportunity for you, not for me. If Xiao Zhou hadn't begged me, I might not have made this trip."
"Thank you Captain Dong for giving me the opportunity." Sister Fang's mouth twitched, with a forced smile.
Captain Dong snorted and laughed, staring at Sister Fang, and shook his head helplessly, "How about one night? I'll give you one night to think about it, and we'll leave tomorrow. But before that, I'll have to trouble Miss Fang to arrange accommodation for us."
Completely forgetting what she said before, Sister Fang suddenly raised her head, her pupils suddenly shrank, "You guys are going to stay in the village tonight?"
"Why, you are not welcome?" Captain Dong raised his eyebrows and said in a deep voice, "If this is how Shijin Village treats guests, then there is no need to wait until tomorrow. We can leave now."
He almost gnashed his teeth when he said the last part, and the word "leave" even had a hint of anger in it. Qin Fang looked at the sanctimonious man in front of him and his eager younger brother behind him, and her hand hanging by her side trembled slightly.
"Welcome, of course."
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