Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Falling Apart
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At night, the rain got heavier again. The fierce rain covered the sky and the earth. The rapid sound of the rain had a 3D surround effect, which easily awakened the sleeping forest.
From dusk to early morning, Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao had not found a chance to leave, and more people continued to enter the village. However, by midnight, Shijin Village had been surrounded by the young and middle-aged men sent by the Yongyue.
Every alley was guarded by people. Those people wandered around the village all night long as if they didn't need to sleep. If they went out to use the toilet, they would be stopped and questioned.
The situation is not good. Yongyue's defense of the village is far beyond expectations. Gu Mengran's mood has changed drastically from the initial confidence of escaping to the current anxiety.
The bed was soft and the quilt was warm, but Gu Mengran tossed and turned and couldn't sleep at all.
With his head resting on his arm, he changed from lying flat on his back to lying on his side, and a barely perceptible sigh escaped from Gu Mengran's lips.
Just after saying this short syllable, a concerned voice immediately came from the side asking, "Why aren't you asleep yet? It's almost dawn."
Turning around to face Liang Zhao, Gu Mengran met the pair of eyes with a faint glow in the dark. There was no romance in his heart, and his brows were knitted tighter and tighter. "I'm worried. I can't leave the village tonight. It will be even harder to leave tomorrow. We still have space as a backup, but the Wind Wing is still parked on the lake. What if we are discovered..."
"Don't worry too much. They are focusing on Shijin Village now and have no time to explore the lake. The radar cannot detect it at this distance, so the Fengyi is safe for the time being." Liang Zhao analyzed reasonably and gently held Gu Mengran's hand in the quilt.
Gu Mengran pursed his lips in annoyance, "But we haven't returned for the whole night, and we can't contact each other. I'm afraid... I'm afraid that grandpa will come looking for us."
"What are you thinking about?" Liang Zhao said softly. In order to ease Gu Mengran's emotions, he used a joking tone: "Is grandpa a rookie who has just entered society? We always went home on time before, but suddenly we didn't come home at night. They must have realized that something was wrong."
"Don't worry, they won't come here rashly. We have dinghies, diesel boats, and telescopes on board. Grandpa and Zheng Yijie are both smart people. They will take a safer approach to understand the situation."
Gu Mengran's tightly knitted brows slowly relaxed, and he looked at Liang Zhao eagerly, "Really?"
"Really." Liang Zhao nodded very confidently.
Feeling comforted, the anxiety hovering in his heart dissipated a little, and Gu Mengran exhaled a breath of hot air, "What should we do tomorrow and today? We still don't know what Sister Fang and the others are planning. If a fight breaks out or we are forced to board the ship, it seems that we can only follow the villagers."
"Are you scared?" Liang Zhao rubbed his head and asked instead of answering.
Gu Mengran shook his head. "I'm not afraid, but I don't know what to do."
Although there is space as a backup, the more people there are, the less space can be used. After all, a life-saving space is much more eye-catching than supplies, and Gu Mengran does not intend to use himself to attract firepower.
If they were to use the space, it would be best to hide in it now and play a vanishing trick. Even if the group of people thought they had run away, there were only two of them, so they wouldn't go to great lengths to find them. They could wait for them to leave and then come out of the space, which would be a sure thing.
But the consequence of doing so is -
They just stood by and watched, letting Shijin Village fend for itself.
It’s not that Gu Mengran couldn’t bear to do it, the key is that if he hid in the space, he would lose contact with the outside world. If his grandfather and Zheng Yiji came looking for him, they would not even know that they were taken away.
Let's take it one step at a time. The difference in numbers between the two sides is not big. As long as we unite as one, there will always be -
"Miss Wu, Miss Wang, what are you doing!"
A loud shout suddenly rang out in the alley. Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao, who were lying on the bed, looked at each other and sat up quickly and tacitly.
There is an alley outside Xiaodong's second bedroom, and the bed is right next to the window. All she has to do is raise her hand to open the curtains, and the alley shrouded in faint daylight will come into view.
Diagonally opposite, at the door of Duan Yueyan's main hall, more than a dozen bulging snakeskin bags were piled under the eaves. Four or five maids were busy going in and out, carrying the snakeskin bags and moving them out.
A figure hurried over from a distance. It was Xiaodong who had not returned home all night. He was panting and stretched out his arms to block the door. "Put your things down. Where are you moving to? What on earth are you doing?"
Xiaodong's big guy blocked the door, so it was impossible to get through with the things he was carrying.
Miss Wu, the leader, had no choice but to put down the bag, patted Xiaodong on the shoulder, and said earnestly: "Get out of the way, Xiaodong, we have decided to follow Captain Dong. They are right, we can't stay in the village for long. When the water floods, we won't even have a place to stay."
"Yes, Xiaodong." Another lady came over and said, "We can't swim. If we don't leave now, are we going to die here? You know, my grandson is only six years old this year. I don't want to die yet. I want to watch him grow up."
"Dong, we are not the kind of people who have no conscience. We, we just take the food that belongs to us and don't take more."
The ladies came up one after another. Xiaodong was anxious and angry. She blocked the door and refused to let them in. She blushed and retorted, "Without Brother Duan and Sister Fang, can we live a life without worrying about food and drink? Brother Duan hasn't come back yet, and Sister Fang hasn't made a decision yet. Do you, do you really have to separate the family at this time!?"
"What are you saying? Without Xiaoyan and Xiaofang, we can't live like this? This is the result of everyone's joint efforts. We have also contributed. We have a share of these food and supplies."
"Don't delay! They are leaving today. If you don't get on the boat now, you will have no chance."
One mouth cannot speak more than five mouths. Xiaodong was so anxious that he almost cried. He shouted hoarsely: "Didn't Brother Duan take people out to find a boat? Don't worry! We will always have our own boat!"
"It's been several months and we haven't seen a shadow. We can't wait any longer!"
"Get out of the way, Xiaodong. Don't block the road."
"Get out of the way!"
…
No matter how big he was, he was just one person. The ladies, who couldn't accept the explanation, started to take action. Each of them pushed Xiaodong hard towards the door.
Even an ant can shake a tree. Under the push of countless hands, Xiaodong retreated little by little.
The snakeskin bags piled at the door tripped him, and he leaned back uncontrollably, staggering and falling into the rain.
Xiaodong sat on the ground motionless, letting the rain wash over him. His scarlet eyes reflected his relatives and friends who had been with him day and night, and his eyes were full of despair.
The ladies were all stunned for a moment when they saw this. Two of them were about to pull him away, but at this moment, a mocking whistle sounded not far away, and a strange male voice echoed in the alley:
"Hurry up, first come first served."
The slightly hesitant ladies turned around and left, moving the supplies in a hurry.
When daybreak came, the village was in complete chaos.
Sister Fang lost her voice, and the villagers, as if they had made an agreement at night, packed their bags and moved the supplies that "belonged to them" from the warehouse.
Everyone said that they had contributed and had the right to take their share, but the supplies in the village had never been evenly distributed per person, and the amount of "their share" was determined by themselves.
Perhaps at the beginning only a small number of people who only cared about immediate interests were shaken, but it is human instinct to seek profit and avoid harm. As the supplies in the warehouse became less and less, coupled with the instigation of that group of people, more and more people chose to leave.
Without any effort, Shijin Village fell apart overnight.
It was noon, in the main hall of Fangjie's house.
Dozens of warehouses were almost all emptied, and most of the people who were supposed to leave had also left. More than 20 young men and women stood in the room, all of them dejected, with dark circles under their eyes, and confusion and despair between their brows.
"Sister Fang, everyone is here."
Someone said something, and two minutes later, the door to the inner room opened.
Sister Fang came out with Xiaodong. Like the others, it was obvious that both of them had not slept all night. There were bruises under their eyes and their eye sockets were red.
More than twenty people were squeezed into one room, but the main room was eerily quiet.
Looking around, Sister Fang closed her eyes in despair, took a deep breath and said, "Are these the only ones left?"
"Well, we shouted for several rounds, and that's all." said a boy.
Sister Fang's shoulders trembled slightly, and after a moment's silence, she slowly opened her eyes. As if bidding a silent farewell, she swept her eyes across everyone's faces, and finally looked at the empty gate, "Let's go, you guys go too, get on the ship with them, and start a new life again."
As soon as these words were spoken, the quiet room suddenly became lively.
"Sister Fang, are you chasing us away?"
"I didn't leave just now, and I won't leave now!"
"Why do you want us to leave? If the supplies are gone, they are gone. As long as we are still here, it's fine. We have hands and feet, we are still young, and we can start over!"
"What do you mean we should leave too? Sister Fang, you..."
Everyone was talking so noisily that it hurt my ears. Sister Fang waved her hand and waited for everyone to quiet down before answering a few questions: "Yes, if we don't have supplies, we're gone, but what if we don't have land? We're gone no matter who we go with, so it's better to go with the main group so we can take care of each other."
"I, I won't leave. I grew up here and I can't bear to leave. I've lived in this village for so many years, it's impossible for no one to stay, right? I want to stay here, no matter what."
Before he finished speaking, crisp applause came from outside the door.
The winner of this game walked to the door, leaned against the door frame in a leisurely manner, and looked at everyone with a smile on his face, "It's very touching, very touching. Xiaofang, is it Xiaofang? You are kind-hearted and loyal, I like you very much."
When she raised her hand and saw Dong Hongbo, Sister Fang's eyes darkened and she said with a gloomy face, "Thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary."
"Oh, you're quite fierce." Dong Hongbo smiled and looked at her with interest. "I thought you were a smart person, but I didn't expect you still can't see the situation clearly now."
Sister Fang didn't say anything, but a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes.
Dong Hongbo raised his chin proudly, "I don't run a charity. Your warehouse should be empty now, right? Without supplies as tickets, why should I bring these people in your room?"
"There's someone else. This girl is pretty enough to be our captain's wife."
"Be a wife? Is she worthy of being a country girl? She's more like a concubine."
"Ha ha ha ha……"
With his younger brothers teasing him wantonly, Dong Hongbo completely took off his hypocritical mask and looked at Sister Fang with interest. His staring eyes clearly showed what he meant.
The young people in the room couldn't stand it anymore and clenched their fists. Before they could get angry, Sister Fang waved her hands as if nothing had happened and gave Dong Hongbo a smile in return.
“I don’t think young people with ability will be unwanted.”
"Haha! It seems that Miss Xiaofang knows our needs very well." Dong Hongbo laughed, and then he stretched out his hand to invite her. "Please, Xiaofang, take the lead. Let's get on the boat together and start a new life."
Sister Fang stood still and shook her head slightly, "I won't go. You take them away."
"It's not up to you." Dong Hongbo raised the corners of his mouth confidently.
Before he could finish his words, the younger brothers behind him rushed over, grabbed the boy closest to the gate, raised their fists and hit him in the face.
"stop!"
The fist had already touched the boy's nose. Sister Fang yelled and the younger brothers immediately stopped.
Sister Fang was still in shock, her chest heaving violently. It took her nearly a minute to come to her senses. She stared at Dong Hongbo with wide eyes, "Captain Dong, what do you mean? Do you want me to get on board too? Aren't you afraid that I will expose your disguise in front of all the villagers and let them see your true face?"
Dong Hongbo shrugged disapprovingly and spread his hands. "No, you can't, and you don't dare. A man of insight is a wise man. You know what to do to make their lives more comfortable."
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