“Alright, girl, you’re right! Better safe than sorry!” The village chief felt a chill run down his spine and took a deep breath. “I’ll go tell them that once we’ve exchanged the water and food, we’ll leave immediately! We have to leave even if it gets dark! Taking turns keeping watch outside is better than staying here!”
He composed himself and turned to walk towards Weng Lao Jiu and Li Lao San.
My steps were a little heavy.
Old Man Weng was smiling as he spoke to Old Man Li and Old Man Liu: "...I'll bring you water later. The granary is in the back. It's getting dark, so we can't see the weight clearly. Tomorrow morning, we'll make sure you get a fair exchange! Our village also has a stone mill, so we can grind the grain into flour and make pancakes for you to take with you. It'll be very convenient!"
Li Laosan, Liu Dazhuang, and the others listened with gratitude and relief on their faces.
"Manager Weng, thank you so much!" Old Li repeatedly clasped his hands in thanks.
"That's right! We can finally catch our breath!" Liu Dazhuang grinned.
Jiang Fu and Jiang Shou squeezed to the side, their eyes shining.
Jiang Fu asked anxiously, "Manager Weng, what's the price of grain? Do you have both coarse and fine grains?"
Jiang Shou rubbed his hands together and said, "Yes, yes, how many pancakes can we make?"
The village chief walked up and interrupted them.
He forced a smile, but it looked unnatural. "Manager Weng... it's like this, I've been thinking about it..."
All eyes were on him.
The village chief cleared his throat, his voice not loud but clear, "We... just mix some water and food, enough to last two days. I think... before it gets completely dark, let's continue on our way?"
This caused quite a stir.
"What? Leave now?" Liu Dazhuang was the first to widen his eyes, his voice rising, "Village Chief! I can't walk anymore! I really can't walk anymore! I can't even lift my legs!"
Li Laosan also got anxious, "Yes, village chief! We just found a safe place, why do we have to leave again? Everyone is exhausted!"
"Yeah! I'm exhausted!"
"Let's rest for the night, village chief!" The other villagers echoed, their faces full of confusion and reluctance.
The most vehement reactions came from Jiang Fu and Jiang Shou.
"Leave? Leave now?" Jiang Fu's voice was shrill. "What are you going to take with you? My family suffered a disaster today, you know that, right?! Steward Weng said he'd give us grain tomorrow morning and even help us make pancakes! Leave now? Are you expecting me to starve?"
Jiang Shou jumped up and down, "Exactly! Are you out of your mind? We finally found a place with food and drink! Can't you even enjoy a good day?"
The wave of opposition instantly overwhelmed the village chief.
He didn't expect that the biggest obstacle would come from his own people.
A fleeting, almost imperceptible change crossed Old Man Weng's face, but it was quickly replaced by a kind smile.
He stepped forward, patted the village chief's arm, and said with concern, "Brother Chen, what's wrong? In such a hurry to leave? Look how exhausted everyone is! It's almost dark, and traveling at night is too dangerous! Besides, we haven't even exchanged our water and food yet. Rest for the night, and we'll be more energetic tomorrow, so as not to delay things!"
"That's right!"
"Manager Weng is right!"
"Let's rest for the night, village chief!"
The exhausted villagers offered their advice in unison, almost unanimously.
Village Chief Chen is in a difficult situation.
He can't say, "I think this village is like a bandit's den," because such statements are baseless and will only cause panic and greater chaos.
Looking at the tired yet pleading faces, especially with even the pillars of support like Liu Dazhuang and Li Laosan not supporting him, the resolve he had just made began to waver.
Old Man Weng's smile was so "sincere".
He stood there awkwardly, sweat beading on his forehead.
The atmosphere froze for a moment.
Old Man Weng was still smiling, but his eyes had deepened. "Brother Chen, is there anything in our village that we haven't done well in terms of hospitality? Please tell us so we can make changes." This put the village chief on a higher pedestal.
"No...no! We were very well treated!" The village chief quickly waved his hand. "We were just in a hurry to get going..."
He took a deep breath and decided to test the waters first.
He pointed to the jagged wooden spikes on the high wall not far away, and asked casually, "Manager Weng, what are those sharp wooden spikes on the wall in your village for... uh..."
That's a stupid question. In this day and age, of course it's about guarding against people! Guarding against those starving refugees from before!
But even though he admitted to being foolish, he still asked.
"For wolf protection!" Old Man Weng sighed, his expression serious. "The wolves in those mountains are very fierce! They're big and can jump! A few years ago, before this wall was built, we suffered terribly! Many livestock were dragged away. There was no other way but to raise the wall and put these things up for protection."
"Oh..." The village chief nodded. The other party had indeed mentioned that there were wolves and sheep in the mountains.
He then remembered what Jiang Chan had said about the window and asked, "Then... why is the window in the room we're supposed to stay in nailed shut from the outside?"
"Oh dear!" Old Man Weng slapped his thigh, as if recalling some unpleasant incident. "Don't even mention it! Just a couple of years ago, before the wall was finished, one night, several wolves wandered over here and started scratching at the windows! Their claws made the wood creak! They terrified the children and women sleeping inside! The kids cried all night! Even after the wall was built solid, everyone was still worried, especially families with children. They had to nail the windows shut before they dared to sleep, afraid the kids would wake up and cry at night. Sigh, there was nothing we could do about it." He shook his head, looking helpless.
This explanation sounds...perfectly reasonable.
The village chief felt a weight lift from his heart, as if a stone had been lifted a little.
Yes, it's understandable that the terrified women and children would ask the windows to be nailed shut to calm their nerves.
Looking again at Old Man Weng's simple face and helpless expression, his wariness lessened a bit.
The last question lingered in the village chief's mind like a thorn.
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