Just two days before they set off, Xinjiu Village in Houshan came down the mountain again.
"It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. We even managed to catch this opportunity." As soon as Amon entered the village, he found that all the young people in the village were in a state of excitement. After inquiring, he couldn't help but feel excited as well.
"Aren't you going to the city?" Yun Tao couldn't help but retort, remembering the loss he suffered at this man's hands last time.
"The city is so close, we can go again next time. This is such a rare opportunity to exchange salt. If we miss it, who knows when we'll have another chance?" Amon had inquired about the exchange rate they got last time, and it was much more cost-effective than exchanging salt in the city. Although it was a bit far, it was worth the trip.
Moreover, after such a long period of time, the city's salt reserves must be running low, and it's uncertain whether they can be exchanged.
Yun Qi had to put them down, "Isn't it okay for you to be gone for so long? When the people on the mountain see that you haven't come back for so long, they'll definitely be worried."
Amon also thought of this problem at this moment, and he couldn't help but turn his gaze to his companions, but everyone he saw couldn't help but take a few steps back.
Finally, he fixed his gaze on Aman, "Aman, take a few people and, while we've just cleared the roadside, go back tomorrow and tell the village."
Aman immediately exploded, "Why should I? I want to go too. It's the same if everyone else goes back."
The villagers who had been standing next to Aman immediately moved away from her, fearing that they would be called upon to go back to the mountain with her.
Aman knew that since her brother had already spoken, she had to go back to the mountain, but she still wanted to struggle a bit more. "Village Chief Si, can the date be postponed for a few days? I'll go back to the mountain to inform the villagers, and then bring another group of people with me. That way, we can exchange for more salt."
When the interests of the entire village were mentioned, everyone in Xinjiu Village looked at Sicheng, hoping that he would agree.
Yun Xun said, "This is not up to us. Several other villages have already announced their departure dates. Even if we are willing to wait, others may not be."
Aman wanted to say something more, but Ameng pulled her out. "Stop fooling around. We just happened to be there. They can't possibly have so many people waiting for us. If we miss this opportunity, we don't know when we'll be able to get the salt. Be good, I'll let you out next time."
In the end, Amon even started to coax her.
"But even though we brought a lot of things this time, it's not necessarily what they need." Ah Man wanted to argue a bit more, so she made up another excuse.
Amon said, “These are rare items we’ve brought. Look at all that leather and preserved eggs. We’ve got everything we need, both for food and daily use. Plus, we can hunt more game along the way. Just relax and go back to the back of the mountain to wait for us to come back.”
Having spent so much time in the mountains, everyone in Xinjiu Village has become a skilled hunter. The mountains have no shortage of meat and fur; what they are currently lacking are salt and medicinal herbs. These are also the things they use most often and must have.
After persuading several companions to accompany Aman back to the mountain, Aman began to use his honest and simple face to make connections everywhere, pestering many people to speak on his behalf, so that their group could be included in Pinghe Village.
The day of departure finally arrived amidst everyone's eager anticipation. In Pinghe Village, as always, each household traveled in pairs.
Other villages followed their example, and the whole team grew very large.
Upon exiting the village, they heard the words "village under lockdown" coming from inside. Only after the gates were firmly locked did they feel reassured and continue on their way.
"Sealing off the village," Xin San Village and Hu Tiao Village followed the same procedure as Ping He Village, completely isolating themselves from the outside world. The day the village gates reopen will be the day they return.
Looking at the earthen buildings outside the village, most of which had been melted by the rain, everyone couldn't help but click their tongues in regret. After all, they had been built with great effort, and after losing their usefulness, they had been completely abandoned.
Because it was built with adobe bricks, the mud walls were even overgrown with weeds, making it look even more desolate.
"It's really an eyesore. If this were a scene from a horror movie, it would have been the perfect setting." Yun Liping, who was also on the trip, couldn't help but complain when she saw the scene.
Yunqi said, "We put a lot of effort into it back then. This house falls into disrepair very quickly when no one lives in it. It's such a pity."
The villagers of Xin San Village and Hu Tiao Village had more complicated feelings. At the time, their two villages wanted to move here, but the other villages were unwilling to give up their houses for nothing, so they proposed to exchange them for grain.
As two newly relocated villages, everyone was already short of food, so where would they get the supplies?
After several unsuccessful attempts to negotiate, the two villages gave up and completely abandoned the idea.
The other villages that rushed over looked at the dilapidated houses with somewhat evasive eyes. Not only were their houses destroyed, but they also lost all goodwill.
Si Cheng ignored their private squabbles and directly arranged the trip's arrangements with the village leaders, even handing each of them a schedule.
Sicheng said, "From now on, everyone should follow this procedure. Whether it's clearing the way or keeping watch, everyone should do their part conscientiously. If you can't do that, you can form your own teams to go out."
That last sentence completely silenced everyone; even if they had opinions, they dared not speak up now.
Everyone was familiar with the road they had traveled before, but now it was overgrown with weeds, and no one could clear them. The people in front had to pat down the weeds and trample them down.
This caused a delay, making it much slower than the first trip.
On the first day, I almost missed the spot where I had camped last time.
The rampant growth of these plants made it more difficult for everyone to find firewood, but every time they found firewood, they would also find a patch of wild mushrooms, which enriched their food supply.
On the third day, they gradually caught up with the villagers from other villages along the way. After such a long period of exertion, many people had run out of salt, and when they encountered such a long procession, they packed their things and caught up as quickly as possible.
Sure enough, dissenting voices immediately arose in the group: "This is so unfair! We drive in front and have to keep watch at night, while these people are just following behind and getting the benefits."
"We can't just do the work ourselves; we have to delegate tasks to them as well."
"Since everyone is going to exchange for salt, everyone will definitely have to put in the same amount of work."
The discordant voices grew louder and louder, and soon a group of people gathered in front of Si Cheng and his group.
"I told you these people can't stand seeing others doing better than them, and now they're even bothering with this kind of thing," Yun Jianying said disdainfully, curling his lip.
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