Lian Qingfeng and Lian Jianpeng finally saw someone come up the mountain. They packed up their belongings early and said goodbye to the villagers of Pinghe Village who had taken good care of them during this time.
They had a very fruitful time in Pinghe Village. Not only did they bring back a large amount of tea seeds and press a big barrel of tea seed oil, but they also dug up some extra supplies there. They didn't sit idle during this time either, exchanging all the supplies they had for various necessities, so their luggage was quite full.
Looking at the huge pile of luggage, the father and son exchanged glances; it was twice the size of what they had brought before.
Wu Yong had guessed their troubles and made a point of speaking to Deputy Officer Chen, who was leading the team. Deputy Officer Chen wasn't the type to nitpick, and he immediately told his men to help them share the burden.
Having tasted success last time, Hutiao Village organized some of the stronger villagers to go up the mountain this time. They also wanted to develop aquaculture, and if they could go up the mountain this time, they could not only bring back wild ducks, but also solve their food problem. They would never miss such a profitable opportunity.
But going up the mountain required troubling others, so this time Old Zhao shamelessly approached Wu Yong and his group again.
“We can’t make that decision. We can take you to meet their leader, and the rest is up to you to discuss.” Although Wu Yong wanted to help them, these were not decisions he could make on his own.
Old Zhao nodded understandingly, "Thank you so much already. I'm always troubling you."
Wu Yong said, "We'll all be neighbors from now on, so it's too formal to say such things. We also hope that you all do well."
After saying this, he didn't linger and led them directly to Deputy Officer Chen.
As soon as Deputy Chen and his men entered the village, they helped Ma Tao and his men make adobe bricks, doing as much work as they could for them.
Besides Ma Tao and Fang's parents, the other family members who were planning to settle in Pinghe Village also came along.
These people were still hesitant at first, but when Village Chief Si and the people of Pinghe Village helped drive away Brother Dong and his gang, their fighting prowess shocked them. Fearing that the spots they had reserved would be taken by others, they could no longer delay and followed along.
Deputy Chen didn't agree immediately. He spoke formally beforehand, saying, "You can come into the mountains with us, since this back mountain isn't anyone's territory. But you can't easily leave the group, or if something happens, they won't be able to find us."
Along the way to Pinghe Village, Deputy Officer Chen inquired a lot about the situation in the vicinity from Yun Zhixin, so he had some understanding of what was happening in these villages and wanted to nip any unstable factors in the bud.
Upon hearing this, Old Zhao quickly nodded in agreement, "It's only right. We are already very grateful that you allowed our people to come into the mountains with us. I will specifically instruct them not to cause any trouble for everyone and to follow your orders in everything."
Lieutenant Chen nodded. "It would be best to find someone with good stamina who can keep up with the group. We can't afford to be delayed too much on this journey. After we get our things, we need to head back as soon as possible."
Old Zhao also understood this principle, and having gained experience from his last trip into the mountains with Pinghe Village, many villagers had been working on their physical strength, waiting for an opportunity to continue following along and scavenging for any remaining loot.
So when they heard about the opportunity to go into the mountains, they asked Old Zhao to make the trip.
Old Zhao thanked Deputy Officer Chen and the others profusely, not daring to delay their work, and hurriedly ran back to his village to begin selecting manpower.
Since Deputy Chen and his team were unfamiliar with the terrain, they enlisted the help of Captain Liu from Xin San Village to lead the team into the mountains, which made the whole team look particularly impressive.
"Brother Yong, why aren't we going into the mountains with them this time?" Yun Tao asked curiously as the group walked away.
Wu Yong said, "Our village doesn't lack those things right now, so there's no need to risk going into the mountains. Let's take care of our crops first, water them more, and see if we can get a better harvest."
Although water has now been brought into the village, there are still many high-lying areas where people still need to carry the water home by hand.
Those families who live near the back of the mountain are especially busy.
The crops in the fields dried up very quickly in the following days, and everyone had to take turns constantly operating two waterwheels to barely keep up with the demand.
"I don't know if this drought will continue to get worse. If it continues to be this dry, we might have to become homeless too." Gao Baiyun looked at the withered weeds by the roadside and was worried about the days ahead. He had finally managed to settle down in Pinghe Village and had no desire to flee.
“We’re doing alright here now, but those villages with less water are having a much harder time.” Yun Tao said with a worried expression, thinking about what his uncle had told him about the journey yesterday.
"Things will work themselves out. What's the use of worrying now? Hurry back and water the crops in the fields, or things will get much worse than just a water shortage."
After saying this, Wu Yong led the way back home. Now it was just him and his mother at home, and he wanted to cook more so that his mother could get some rest.
Yunqi and Yunzhiming have been spending the last two days watering and weeding in the field.
Yunqi tapped his shoulders. "This grass grows much faster than crops. It's only been a short time since we cleared it, and it's already sprouting again. If crops could grow at this rate, we wouldn't have to worry about anything."
Yun Zhiming sat down on the edge of the field to rest. "You're a mother now, and you're still talking about these nonsensical things. Yesterday, when A-Xin came back injured, I didn't see you worry about your son-in-law at all. You were just smiling all day long."
Yunqi said, “It’s not that I’m not worried. Before we even asked, Uncle Zhixin had already explained their situation. Brother Cheng didn’t have a scratch at all, and you should also trust your son-in-law’s abilities.”
Yun Zhiming pointed at her from a distance, "No matter how good your abilities are, you can't necessarily dodge bullets. Besides, he was leading the charge this time. It's already very lucky that he's safe. Look at your Uncle Zhixin, he wasn't so lucky this time. He was shot in the arm, which will definitely have some impact on him in the future."
Yunqi was also worried when she heard about the gunfight, but she couldn't show it in front of her father. "I made some preparations for him beforehand, and Brother Cheng's strength and speed are better than others, so everything is fine."
“就算能力再好，也要特别的注意，等他回来一定要好好的说说他，不要事事都冲在前头。什么事都要想想前后，这家里还有一大家子等着他……。”
“我去看看他们怎么这么久还没有送水过来？”云起看着自家老父亲眨眼间就变成了絮絮叨叨的唐僧，只能找个借口离开。
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