"Look, the ground is full of stones, and stones cannot retain water. If there is no drought, the trees in this place can grow. However, if there is a drought, the trees in this place will die." Yun the butcher said, pointing to the stones on the ground.
"The firewood for my family's fire is picked up here. Before, when we came here to pick up firewood, there were a lot of dead trees. After we picked up all the firewood, it is like this now." said Yun the Butcher.
"Brother Yun, have you been to the further front?" Hunter Zhang asked curiously.
"I was in a hurry to collect firewood and didn't go forward. However, if you walk a little further forward, you will find that there is still a forest ahead, and the trees in the forest are taller than the ones here." Yun the butcher said, pointing to the vague forest in the distance.
"Dad, I feel like we're going in the right direction. If we continue in this direction, we can reach the top of the mountain," said Yun Yiyi.
"Then let's keep going. I feel that as long as we can reach a place where there are still green leaves on the trees, we will be close to finding water." said Zhang the Hunter.
"Okay, let's continue." Yun the Butcher said as he walked forward.
Everyone followed the group and continued to move forward. Although there were no trees in this area, there were many rocks on the ground, and it was easy to fall if you were not careful. Fortunately, there were many young men entering the mountains, so everyone walked through this area safely.
Yun the Butcher and his companions arrived at the entrance of a forest. From the outside, the trees looked very tall. Although the tops of the trees were bare, no sunlight could penetrate the ground below.
As Yun Yiyi entered the woods, she felt a cool breeze. She turned and looked around. Tall trees were everywhere. Some had vines entwined to the treetops. The ground was covered with thick fallen leaves. They crunched under her feet. The further she went, the darker the light became. It suddenly occurred to her that there had been no bird calls since she arrived in the woods.
"Dad, how long will it take us to get out?" Yun Yiyi asked loudly.
"Let's go a little further. I see a fork in the road not far ahead. Let's go there and take a look." Yun the butcher said, pointing not far ahead.
"Okay, Dad." Yun Yiyi said.
In fact, we had been walking in the woods for almost an hour. At first, the young men were chatting excitedly. But as we walked further, we found that the scenery was similar everywhere, and everyone gradually became quiet. Fortunately, it was not hot in the woods, so everyone could move forward quickly.
Yun Yiyi and the others walked for about twenty minutes before finally reaching the intersection Yun the Butcher had mentioned. Calling it a fork in the road wasn't quite accurate; it was a path trodden by animals. It was narrow and bumpy. One end led up, the other down.
Yun Yiyi observed carefully and decided that if she continued walking up the fork in the road, she would probably reach the top of the mountain. If she continued walking down, she didn't know where it would lead to.
"This road now can go up or down. I thought, you and I should each take a few people to check it out. What do you think?" asked Yun the Butcher.
"Okay, Brother Yun, how about I take a few people and walk up for another forty minutes to see where we can get to?" Hunter Zhang said, looking at the road ahead.
"Okay, then I'll take a few people down there and see where we are. We also need to leave two people at this intersection so we don't miss each other."
"Okay, Brother Yun. Now those who want to follow me up the mountain stand on my side, and those who want to follow your Uncle Yun stand on his side. Those who want to stay where they are, stay where they are." After saying this, Hunter Zhang stood aside.
After hearing what Zhang the Hunter said, the young men took action. Three of them chose to follow Zhang the Hunter to the top of the mountain. Three of them chose to follow Yun the Butcher down. The remaining six men stood still. The team was divided like this.
"Yiyi, do you want to follow me or rest here for a while?" asked Yun the Butcher.
"Dad, I'll go with you." Yun Yiyi said and stood next to Yun the Butcher.
"You guys stay here and don't run around. Just wait here. We will send someone back to inform you when we have news. If you feel tired and want to sleep, two people will have to stay on duty." said Yun the Butcher.
"Yes, there are many dangers in the woods. Although many animals have moved to the mountains due to the drought, you should not be careless," Hunter Zhang added.
"Okay, Uncle Yun, Uncle Zhang, we will make arrangements. Don't worry." A young man said loudly.
"Okay, then we'll go down first." After saying that, Butcher Yun took Yun Yiyi and a few young men and walked down the road. Hunter Zhang also led the young men to climb up.
After walking down for more than twenty minutes, Yun the Butcher and his companions noticed that it was getting brighter overhead, with sunlight occasionally filtering through the trees.
"Dad, do you feel that the air is getting more and more humid? And the ground is a little damp too." Yun Yiyi said while touching the soil on the ground.
"What's wrong, Yiyi? Is there something wrong?"
"Dad, this is definitely not right. Think about it, we've been walking in the woods for so long, isn't the ground dry?"
"It hasn't rained here for a long time. Normally, the ground should be dry everywhere. Do you think I'm right, Dad?"
"Yes, that's normal." After saying this, Yun the Butcher squatted down and touched the soil on the ground. He found that the soil was a little damp. This was strange. There was no water, so how could the soil be a little damp? Before Yun the Butcher could react, Yun Yiyi spoke again.
"Dad, this means if we go further, we'll find water. Only when we're close to water will the soil be a little damp."
"Really, Yiyi? Can we find water ahead?" a young man asked in surprise.
"It would be great if we could find some water. We're running out of water at home."
“There’s not much water left at home.”
"Yes, why didn't I think of this. Yiyi, you are so smart. If we can find water this time, we can hold on a little longer." Yun the Butcher stood up and happily picked up Yun Yiyi.
"Dad, according to my guess, there will be water ahead. In fact, not only the soil has become a little damp. Dad, look, is there green moss on the top of that stone?" Yun Yiyi said, pointing to a large stone ten meters away.
A young man quickly ran to the big rock, took a look, and shouted loudly.
"Yiyi, Uncle Yun. There is indeed some moss growing on the big rock."
After hearing the young man's words, the rest of the young men, including Yun the Butcher, looked at Yun Yiyi in surprise.
"Yiyi, how did you see moss growing on that stone from such a distance?" a young man asked curiously.
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