Although he didn't know the current situation, Ah Chen felt a chill run down his spine just hearing the word "fire."
Moreover, it was one of the ancient villages he valued most, namely Ji Niao Ancient Village.
That's where her mother grew up!
A few minutes later--
Surrounded by jackals and the guards, Ah Chen and Ah Mo carried torches and hurried towards the ancient village of the Miao people in short skirts deep in the mountains.
Where's Ah Chen? Has he already run ahead?
The sound of horses' hooves was particularly striking in the cold night.
It was also because Ah Chen and Ah Mo suddenly left the stage, along with the departure of Ah Mei from the Short Skirt Miao branch who was in the dance hall, that the Seventh and Ninth Elders received the news.
For a dance hall with tens of thousands of people, the departure of a few hundred people has absolutely no impact.
The non-Miao people simply didn't see the future Miao King and Holy Maiden at the dance!
but--
Han Feng and his group, who were closest, saw it.
So, Han Feng and the others went along.
Three hours later--
One o'clock in the morning.
Ah Chen and Ah Mo, along with several hundred others, finally arrived at the Ji Niao Ancient Village.
In the vast Lusheng field, thousands of Miao people in short skirts gathered.
As soon as Achen and his companions dismounted, the chief's uncle immediately came over.
"Saintess Achen, what brings you here?"
It's so cold at night!
While asking Ah Chen questions, the uncle pulled Ah Chen towards the campfire, saying it would be warmer there.
"Amo and I came as soon as we received the news, Uncle. How is the situation?"
"The fire didn't reach this entire village, but it destroyed the houses of seventeen households in a row."
"Uncle, you're getting old, don't stay up late! Go to sleep, your uncle will take us there."
"How can I sleep!"
My uncle is the chief of the village, and he's worried about what happened.
The fire didn't start here; it started at the foot of the mountain on the side.
But that area is gone this time.
More than a dozen households!
In Miao villages, the biggest worry is fire.
Because all the buildings are made of wood, not even a tiny spark can touch them.
The dozen or so houses on the side are not actually part of the ancient village of Jimiao, but they are so close to it, separated by a stream, that everyone assumes they are.
These dozen or so Miao families also received some money this year for working in the orchards.
So before the Miao New Year begins, every family buys a pig to slaughter, marinate, and then smoke it in a heated brick bed.
This is not--
It caught fire by accident.
The key issue was that the fire ignited the kerosene stored in the house.
Kerosene fueled the fire, and the wooden houses were built side-by-side, forming a continuous complex, so--
Once it starts, the fire gets out of control.
When the fire was discovered in Ji Niao Ancient Village, the Miao people rushed over, rescuing people and fighting the fire at the same time.
But the fire was too big to be extinguished.
"What about that person? Is he/she no longer alive?" Ah Chen asked.
"They were injured, but everyone was rescued! It's just that their houses burned down, there's nothing left. The Miao men and women here are crying—"
"knew."
In these remote mountains, not a single village has electricity.
At night, they used kerosene lamps for lighting.
Therefore, most households would keep some kerosene at home.
Ah Chen and his companions, carrying torches, crossed the stream and river, and as they approached the foot of the mountain—
A sea of black, all the Miao men, women, and boys in short skirts were taking care of the Miao people affected by the disaster.
The starlight in the night, at this moment--
It lit up the darkness of this area.
There was also a strong smell of burning in the air.
Ah Chen and the Holy Maiden Ah Mo arrived late at night, and the Miao people quickly shielded them from the wind, seemingly afraid that Ah Chen and Ah Mo would get cold.
"Achen--"
"Achen--"
"It's all gone, everything's gone, it's all burned to ashes."
"It's my fault, it's all my fault, I deserve to die."
As soon as Ah Chen arrived, all the Miao people who had been burned alive surrounded him, and the aunties cried their hearts out.
Even the uncles who were affected by the disaster had tears in their eyes.
After all, the house burned down.
Ah Chen helped the woman, who seemed to be injured, and looked at their smudged faces. Then he looked at the younger Miao children and asked:
"Is there nothing left in the house?"
“It’s all burned to ashes! It’s all my fault, all my fault… I didn’t notice there was a pot of kerosene next to the kang (heated brick bed).
These women's voices were hoarse from crying.
yes!
Because of my negligence, these dozen or so houses were burned down. This loss—
It's not just about houses anymore, but also about other things belonging to the Miao people.
As for money and each family's silver jewelry, I'm not worried about that!
After all, in Miao villages, every family has a cellar, large or small, specifically for storing important items, in case a fire destroys them.
Once it gets light, we can clear the rubble and retrieve the contents of the cellar.
Even so, for the impoverished Miao people, the loss of seventeen wooden houses and everyday items was like the sky falling.
so--
The aunt and uncle said that they couldn't afford to pay the compensation all at once and didn't have that much money, but they would work hard to earn money to compensate the other Miao people.
"Don't talk about that yet. It's best that everyone is alright. I'll go check on them first."
Holding a torch, Ah Chen, accompanied by the Miao people in short skirts, went to the scene to take a look.
The location and view are decent; if we have the money, we can rebuild it.
The place is a complete ruin, utterly destroyed!
On Amo's side, she immediately made arrangements: "After dawn, each family should take stock of their losses as soon as possible!"
"Chief Long, arrange for the seventeen households here to be handled by Ji Niao Ancient Village first! As for the others, deal with the Short Skirt Miao people first. If you can't handle them, then report it to higher authorities."
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