The air-raid shelter miraculously did not collapse during that earthquake. Although it was not very deep, it could easily accommodate so many people.
Now that they've arrived, they're all skilled workers. They quickly and easily tidied up the area and lit a pile of charcoal they brought from home. Everyone gathered all their backpacks together to surround the entrance of the shelter. Even if it couldn't completely match the freezing cold outside, it could at least maintain the temperature of the ground. With the scattered fires, the temperature of the entire air-raid shelter rose immediately.
"Brother, I knew you would come too." Gao Liang came over at this moment.
"Is everything alright at home?" Si Cheng asked, looking at his younger cousin who had grown up quite a bit.
"Everything is fine. Luckily, we had the tools you sent before and the reminder to stock up on firewood. That's why our village didn't end up living in caves like the village next door."
Si Cheng handed a piece of mutton bone soup he had brought from home to Gao Liang: "Try your aunt's cooking."
After saying that, she ignored him and took a small soup pot from the side of her backpack. She put a piece of mutton soup into it, then walked outside the air-raid shelter, found a clean piece of ice, knocked it off, added it to the pot, and let it melt slowly.
Since the freezing weather began, people usually take the clean ice that has frozen onto the wall off the wall the next day, melt it, and then use it.
Gradually, the entire air-raid shelter was filled with the aroma of various foods, indicating that everyone's family had put a lot of thought into preparing the food before they left.
"At this hour, there's still the smell of instant noodles. Who's so incredibly generous?"
"No one expected that instant noodles would become a luxury item."
"If I had known, I would have stored a hundred or eighty boxes of it earlier."
"If there were a way to undo mistakes in this world, other instant noodle factories would simply stop selling their products and keep them for themselves. Wouldn't that be better?"
Although everyone joked around like that, they were all very satisfied with the food in their hands, which was full of love from their families.
Si Cheng watched as the soup was cooked, then threw in a handful of noodles and ate it with relish, enjoying it immensely.
Seeing his cousin's actions, Gao Liang quickly found his own small pot and tried to do the same.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two brothers chatted about their recent situations, while the others also chatted in twos and threes with people they knew.
The people of Pinghe Village already knew a lot about the other villages. At this time, they all unanimously concealed most of the village's situation. This was not the time to show off; keeping a low profile was the best policy.
The villagers from Majia Village dispersed to other villages to seek help, and they also gathered together to discuss how to drive out the bandits who had occupied the village.
All the villages had agreed to cooperate with their operation, and the specific arrangements were still up to them. Fortunately, before they set off, Village Chief Ma had given instructions to enter the villages at night and have someone familiar with the terrain lead them to catch them off guard.
They explained their plan to the village leaders, and no one had any objections. Si Cheng then suggested taking a few men to guard the village entrances to prevent any escapees.
Everyone agreed with this suggestion, as there would definitely be future troubles if the person escaped.
Although Ma Su and the others wanted Si Cheng to go to the village to fight the bandits, feeling that their chances of success would be much greater with him there, they didn't say anything more after seeing that everyone had agreed.
Si Cheng returned to the meeting point in his village and made arrangements for the tasks to be done early the next morning.
This time, he only selected a few young men from the village to guard the village entrance with him, and had Monkey and the others lead the villagers to follow Ma Family Village.
“Although it’s safer to act together, everyone should still be careful. It’s best to gather in groups of several people from the village and act together. That way, you can help each other out. Never act alone.” After saying that, he looked at the other young people: “Follow me to the village entrance. If the other side doesn’t run towards the village entrance, then we are safe. Otherwise, the danger will be much greater. If you have any ideas, you can speak up now.”
Everyone shook their heads to indicate they had no objections. They were joking; it was a rare opportunity to be a valuable accessory to a powerful figure, how could they possibly give it up? Didn't they see some people nearby already eyeing them covetously?
"If you have no objections, get some rest and recharge. Tomorrow you must be ruthless. The people you're facing next are seasoned veterans; they won't listen to reason. Be prepared." After saying that, he told everyone to find a place to rest.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the people of Majia Village secretly led a large group back to the village via a side road.
Si Cheng led a few people to the village entrance and saw the long bamboo stalks that had been flattened by ice. He knocked off the ice, tested their resilience, and felt that it was still manageable. He cut off the top and bottom, sharpened one end to a point, and gave each of them a bamboo stalk.
"Everyone, stay under the wall for a moment. If you see anyone coming up, push them in. Try to prevent them from running out and keep them away from getting close." As he spoke, he continued to shave a few more pieces for later use.
He then tied the three bamboo poles together, tried swinging them around, and then put them aside with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, the people from Majia Village secretly led their team to meet up with the village chief and his men who were guarding the area.
Seeing so many people arrive, the people of Majia Village were so moved they almost cried. These past few days had been incredibly frustrating. Even if their food had been stolen and their lives had been worse, they wouldn't be so resentful. The main problem was that these beasts shouldn't have targeted the village women. Several young girls had been abducted and their families' elders had been severely beaten when they confronted them. Several families had even lost their lives. Now, everyone wanted nothing more than to devour these people's flesh and blood.
Hearing this, everyone wanted nothing more than to grab a knife and rush in to kill these beasts. However, everyone remained rational, realizing that if they wanted to teach these people a lesson, they needed to work together.
Village Chief Ma used to be a ruthless man, and he told everyone about the plan he had been repeatedly considering in his mind over the past few days.
He instructed the villagers of Majia Village to take these people in batches to guard the houses that these bandits had seized. At the agreed time, he would ring a gong in the village to attract the attention of the bandits. He would wait until they all came out before rushing in and trying to prevent them from returning to the houses to harm the women of his village.
It's frozen solid outside now, which makes it easier for everyone to move around. Walking on the ice is completely silent.
The houses here were all built brick by brick by the villagers themselves, and no one knows the terrain better than them.
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