Chapter 84 Beishan Town - 5 Tang Bufan and Lu Yi...
Tang Bufan and Lu Yi entered the cement house and saw a large round table in the middle of the living room. There were people standing or sitting scattered around the house... 12345... Jia Wanqi was holding a large family with six children.
A tall, middle-aged woman wearing an apron came out. She paused for a moment when she saw Lu Yi and Tang Bufan, then immediately smoothed her hair with her greasy hands before returning to the kitchen, looking embarrassed.
"Second son, take your younger siblings upstairs." Wan Qi handed the boy in his arms to his second son and told the children to go upstairs so as not to disturb Lu Yi and Tang Bufan.
But Tang Bufan didn't mind sitting at the same table with the children, and he quickly stopped them, saying, "The children haven't eaten yet, have they? Why don't you stay and eat with us?"
“They’ve got cured meat and corn drying upstairs, so they won’t go hungry.” As the children’s father, Wan Qi knew how noisy these kids were, and several of them weren’t old enough to understand things. If they stayed, they would probably start banging on their bowls and screaming at the dinner table.
The second brother was very obedient. He carried the youngest brother and urged his younger siblings upstairs. Wan Bing and Wan Qi then invited the two of them to the dinner table.
"Last time at the market, it was you who treated me to a meal, and this time it's your family again. I feel so bad," Tang Bufan said with a smile. As a true Chinese, he believed in reciprocity, and now he owed Wan Bing two meals.
He then invited the two brothers to sit down as well.
Tang Bufan's two calls of "Big Brother" immediately made the two orcs overjoyed, their faces flushed. They had only heard that the young master of the Western Federation was approachable and unpretentious, but they never knew that his wife was even more so, calling them "Big Brother" in the process.
"Madam, you're too kind. It's an honor for the Wan family that you and the officer have come to our home for dinner." Wan Bing smiled broadly and invited the two to sit down again.
The four intelligent people exchanged pleasantries and sat down.
The table was wiped very clean, but you could tell it was an old wooden table that had been used for decades. On it were six or seven home-style dishes that had already been cooked, served in simple porcelain bowls. Tang Bufan glanced at the cement house again, and it was indeed similar to those in a 21st-century village.
"My home is simple, please excuse my humble abode." Wan Qi poured wine for the two of them in a bowl. It was homemade liquor, which was the highest level of hospitality in this post-apocalyptic town.
"Your family is already very well off," Tang Bufan praised him with a smile. "There are still a lot of people outside who can't even get a meal."
"Our Wan family is neither rich nor poor," Wan Bing said. As the market manager, he had seen many homeless orcs without even a fixed place to live. He sighed, "Compared to when I was a child, the orcs' lives are slowly improving. Back then, people were starving to death every year."
Lu Yi looked at him and asked with concern, "What did the Eastern Federation say about the market being attacked by mutated poisoners?"
Each federation has its own official website, but very few people have internet access in this era, so many things are not published as news. Even with his personal AI, Lu Yi cannot obtain much information.
“The higher-ups took it very seriously and immediately dispatched troops to investigate, but probably because of the onset of winter, those poisonous people have quieted down,” Wan Bing said, his expression turning serious. “Everyone is guessing that it was done by humans.”
Four men sat around a round table, drinking and chatting.
"It seems the western border of the Federation has also been attacked, hasn't it?" Wan Qi turned to Lu Yi and asked, "Sir, given your high rank, do you have more concrete information?"
This matter concerns the survival of every orc, so Wan Qi, as the town mayor, cares a lot about it. The residents of Taicheng are protected by the city walls, but his whole family lives at the foot of this mountain. Judging from the Federation's attitude, they don't seem to care much about their brick-producing town and haven't sent any scouts. So if the situation gets really bad, Wan Qi plans to lead the entire town to hide in the mountains.
"There aren't many mutated poison people spreading to our western region, but our research institute has discovered that burying mutated poison people in the ground can have a certain purifying effect on the soil." Lu Yi told the two brothers what he knew: "So if poison people really attack later, don't burn them after you kill them. Find a good place to bury them, and after the poison people's corpses decompose, that soil should be able to grow good crops."
The two brothers were very surprised to hear this, and Wan asked in astonishment, "Doesn't a poisonous person have even more toxins in their body? How can they purify the land?"
"They have mixed plant genes and, like us orcs, can cleanse themselves of toxins. The microorganisms produced by the decaying corpses can also consume pollutants," Lu Yi said, then reminded the two brothers, "However, they are very aggressive towards orcs. If you're not confident, it's best to take the elderly and children with you and hide."
“I heard that medium-level poisoners can fight them to a draw, and even a few low-level orcs can defeat one.” Wan Bing looked at his brother: “If their corpses can really purify the soil, I think we should have the able-bodied men in the village sharpen their knives, make traps, catch dozens of them and kill them. Wouldn’t that make our town’s fields fertile?”
Beishan Town is all black soil, but it's not fertile black soil; it's polluted black soil. As a result, the crops grow very poorly, wilting and small, and there aren't enough to feed all the sub-beastmen in the town.
"It's not that easy to catch them." Wan Qi frowned. The town didn't have a large population, and many capable young people had gone to Taicheng to develop their careers. The death of one person would be a major blow to any family, and he didn't want to take the risk.
Wan Bing knew his brother was timid, and seeing that he didn't dare to take the risk, he could only sigh helplessly and then turned his gaze to Lu Yi and Tang Bufan.
"Do you two have some mission in Taicheng?" Wan Bing asked curiously, while Wan Qi also looked at Lu Yi.
The rumor about Lu Yi is that he was kicked out by his brother, but Lu Yi's brother has a genetic problem. Hans took back Luther's military power a few years ago and has not given it back to him since, so everyone still assumes that Lu Yi is the successor.
Coincidentally, the mutated poison people began to appear last year, originating from their eastern continent. This coincided with the time when Lu Yi appeared. Wan Bing wondered if the Western Federation had already discovered something through satellite and secretly sent Lu Yi to investigate.
The Western Federation currently possesses the most communication satellites in the world, not because the Western Federation has the strongest technology, but because the Western Federation has the best relationship with the humans in the Western Underground City, and the humans are willing to help more.
Lu Yi played a significant role in bridging the gap between the two groups. He had been in charge of liaison with the humans of the West District Underground City since he was ten years old, and he also reformed the criminal allocation system. Many humans in the West District Underground City liked him.
Wan Bing also likes them now; it's only after getting to know them in person that he realizes how likable this young couple is.
Lu Yi's initial goal was to find Fang Yue, to see her eco-friendly container houses, and to learn about her plans for building human ground bases. Now that this has happened, his goal has changed.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Yi did not answer immediately, but probed the two brothers: "There is a mission, which is related to a resistance faction."
Tang Bufan, who was eating, looked at him. He hadn't said much since he sat down because he was unfamiliar with the world and was afraid that his behavior would expose his ignorance. So he mainly listened to the three of them chatting.
Both brothers were intelligent and understood immediately. Wan Qi was indignant: "As expected, the mutated poisonous people were a 'good' thing done by the resistance-faction humans."
Lu Yi could tell from their appearance that they were familiar with the resistance faction, so he revealed a little more: "That resistance organization is the humans in the East District Underground City. It concerns the security of the Western Federation's border, so I came to find Mr. Guo Wen to learn more about it."
Wan Bing's eyes lit up slightly, and his face, flushed from the alcohol, said, "So, you two are planning to go directly to see the head of state?"
Lu nodded, and the two brothers, Wan Bing and Wan Qi, immediately exchanged a glance.
Wan Bing rubbed his hands together and asked tactfully, "This is the first time the commander and his wife have come to the Eastern Federation. They are unfamiliar with the place and the people. Would you like to find a guide or something?"
Tang Bufan put down his chopsticks and looked at him with a smile: "We came to find you because we wanted you to be our guide, didn't we?"
“That’s easy!” Wan Bing was overjoyed and readily agreed: “I’ve been resting at home for the past few months, and given the situation this year, the grassland market might not even open. I can take the two of you with me.”
After he finished speaking, he swallowed excitedly, observed the expressions of the two men, and continued, "My eldest nephew also serves in the army in Taicheng, but he's just an ordinary search soldier. It's not spring yet, so he's free. If Madam needs a bodyguard..."
He looked at Tang Bufan with his crow's feet eyes. Tang Bufan was somewhat surprised that Wan Qi actually had a son. He also understood what Wan Bing meant, so he turned to look at Lu Yi.
Lu Yi, who had been involved in social circles since childhood, knew exactly what to do and readily agreed: "Okay, when we get to Taicheng, I will appoint your nephew as our bodyguard."
This is not a difficult task. The host will definitely arrange guards for distinguished guests from the Federation. Lu Yi is responsible for negotiating with humans every year and is already familiar with them. Sometimes, when human research teams go out to collect samples or conduct experiments, a small army will be specially dispatched to accompany them. They will agree to whoever they want.
Wan Qi is just a small town mayor, and his son is just an ordinary soldier. The Eastern Federation won't upset him for such a small fry, so they will definitely send someone over. And that's exactly what Wan Bing wants.
Having served as a bodyguard for the first son of the Western Federation's leader, his resume is impressive. It would allow Wan Qi's son to stand out among many ordinary soldiers and at the very least be promoted to captain in Taicheng. As for whether he can achieve even greater success, that depends on the kid's own abilities.
Seeing that Lu Yi had agreed, Wan Qi and Wan Bing were overjoyed. Their faces flushed and smelling of alcohol, they immediately filled Lu Yi's cups and were about to clink glasses with him.
Tang Bufan clinked glasses with Lu Yi, and while sipping his wine, he secretly glanced at Lu Yi and noticed that Lu Yi's face was also a little red.
"Can an 18-year-old drink this much liquor?" Tang Bufan wondered to himself.
At this moment, the hostess brought up a steaming pot of steaming meat. She wiped her apron with her rough hands, gave Lu Yi and Tang Bufan a simple and honest look, and then turned around to go back to the kitchen to continue her work.
"Big sister, please sit down and eat with us." Tang Bufan stood up and invited the woman, feeling that there was already enough food on the table.
"Oh, this..." The woman seemed a little lost and turned to look at her husband.
“Madam, please don’t mind. It’s rare for us to have guests. Let her cook a few more dishes for us,” Wan Qi said.
"There's enough food, sit down and eat with us." Tang Bufan grabbed the woman's hand and invited her warmly. He had wanted to ask her to join them earlier, but she went into the kitchen too quickly.
Lu Yi also stood up. As soon as he stood up, the Wan brothers hurriedly got up. The five of them politely tugged at each other around the table. Finally, Wan Bing asked the woman to sit down with them.
"Then, sister-in-law, please sit down with us."
"Well... eh." The woman blushed and sat down next to Wan Qi, feeling embarrassed.
"Big sister, did you give birth to seven?" Tang Bufan handed the woman clean chopsticks.
"Yes," the woman replied in a simple and honest manner; she didn't seem to be very talkative.
"Madam is so young and beautiful, you and your superior will surely be able to have seven children too," Wan Qi said with a smile, praising Tang Bufan.
"..." Tang Bufan listened strangely. He hadn't even gotten used to the identity of "Madam" yet, so how could he accept having a child? In his plan, he and Lu Yi would not get married for at least two years, so he was still quite relaxed. He looked at Lu Yi beside him with a half-smile.
"Do you want me to have seven children?" Tang Bufan asked the 18-year-old beastman next to him, who had just completely shed his childishness.
"!" Lu Yi didn't know how to answer, and he never expected Tang Bufan to tease him like that. His face immediately turned red.
"Teacher...Teacher, you've decided..." Lu stammered, thinking to himself that he and Tang Bufan hadn't even kissed yet.
His awkward reaction immediately made the Wan family burst into laughter.
Lu Yi's face turned even redder. Tang Bufan laughed, finding him adorable, but seeing Lu Yi's extreme embarrassment, he stopped teasing him.
The group continued eating and drinking.
While drinking and chatting, Wan Bing thought of Lu Yi's mission and suddenly said to the woman, "Sister-in-law, didn't you say before that you suspected your friend had joined the resistance faction?"
Tang Bufan and Lu Yi immediately perked up, while the woman paused slightly, stammering in broken Mandarin, "You mean Xiaofeng?"
“Yes, it’s him.” Wan picked up a peanut with his chopsticks.
"Sister, tell me about it." Tang Bufan offered to pour wine for the woman.
The woman was surprised that a noble commander's wife would pour wine for a peasant like her, and she blushed with embarrassment. Perhaps because Tang Bufan's attitude was very calm and friendly, the woman gradually calmed down.
“Xiaofeng was my classmate at Ang Primary School. His name is Lu Xiaofeng, and Ang’s name is Lin Xiaofen. We got to know each other because we had the same name. But he married and moved to Taicheng. Ang hasn’t seen him for more than ten years. I heard it from my great-aunt in my hometown. She said that Xiaofeng has gone bad and is secretly working for the resistance faction.” The woman said in broken Mandarin.
Tang Bufan was immediately surprised. He looked at the Wan brothers and asked, "Is the resistance faction so prominent in the Eastern Federation?"
“The noise was quiet in the early years, but it has become louder and louder in the last ten years or so.” Wan Qi sighed: “We don’t live in Taicheng either. I don’t know what’s going on, but a lot of sub-beastmen suddenly came out and shouted slogans, saying that the beastmen not only oppress humans, but also the sub-beastmen, forcing them to reproduce and not giving them the freedom to divorce. They said they didn’t want to depend on the beastmen for survival, and so on.”
"The sub-orcs are trying to gain independence, but with their physical condition, can they live alone?" Wan Bing, his breath reeking of alcohol, frowned and said with a flushed face, "It was those humans who originally started the resistance. Even after they became sub-orcs, they are still restless. The situation on the surface and in the underground city is completely different. There are cameras everywhere in the underground city, the crime rate is extremely low, and women and the elderly can live alone. Try going to the surface and see what happens. Every night someone will try to break into your house."
"So... those resistance-prone humans are still fighting even after they've become sub-beastmen?" Tang Bufan said.
"Yes." Wan Bing frowned and answered forcefully, then told the two, "Two months ago, they poisoned an army canteen, causing more than a hundred orcs to vomit and have diarrhea, and four of them died from serious injuries."
Tang Bufan and Lu Yi exchanged glances, neither of them expecting that the Eastern Federation was in such chaos.
This is truly a situation of both internal and external troubles.
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