Meanwhile, everyone in Pinghe Village is still busy.
The village had been filled with the aroma of smoked meat for several days, and at that point, everyone was terrified of meat.
At this time, the green vegetables in the field became everyone's new favorite.
Affected by the earthquake and lack of sunlight, the leafy greens were also drooping. They were collected by everyone, and those that could not be eaten were pickled or dried in a kang (heated brick bed). Not a single bit of waste was allowed.
As for the crops in the fields, they are not yet ready for harvest, so they can only be left aside for the time being, but the harvest is unlikely to be very good.
The entire village, except for toddlers who had just learned to walk, even four- or five-year-olds, could help with simple tasks; these children all grew up overnight.
After collecting enough wood, Yunqi and the others joined in processing the limestone, despite their father's objections.
"Why didn't I think to prepare some building materials back then? Even some lime powder would have been fine." Every night, Yunqi regretted not thinking of needing these things.
Looking at the items crammed into his space, Yun Qi began to doubt himself for the first time. What was the use of collecting so many supplies if he didn't dare to use them generously and could only look at them?
Everyone seemed to channel their previous shock into energy, feeling alive only through continuous labor.
Many people have blisters all over their hands, so they just prick them, apply medicine, wrap them in a cloth, and continue.
In this way, several families with more laborers gathered the materials needed for their houses, including the mortar, lime, and sand.
Many people have no experience in building houses and don't know where to start. At this time, those who have done odd jobs or worked on construction sites become sought after.
So everyone brought a bag of salt and some vegetables, and went to the homes of the craftsmen to watch them build houses. At this time, the craftsmen didn't hold back, demonstrating and explaining as they went.
Most of the foundation is still intact and has not been damaged, so as long as the bricks are cleared out and the prepared mortar is added, learning simple bricklaying techniques is not difficult for someone used to farm work.
When Village Chief Yun and his group returned, they saw the scene before them: several houses were already mostly built, and some were even almost finished.
"They're back! Look, they're back!" Someone could see people walking towards the village entrance from the lakeside and guessed that the people who had gone out had returned.
Soon a large group of people gathered at the village entrance, all eager to know what was happening outside.
When the second grandfather and the other elders arrived at the village entrance, Village Chief Yun and his group had just arrived as well.
"How is it? What's the situation outside?"
Have you arrived in town yet?
"Will anyone come to our rescue?"
"..."
Before they could even stop, anxious and expectant voices rose from all around them.
"Everyone, disperse for a bit and let them go back and rest." Seeing that they all had stubble on their faces, and that they hadn't had a good rest or washed up in the past few days, the group of people looked a bit like homeless people.
"Let everyone go back and have a meal and rest. You can ask your questions at the square in the evening."
Seeing the group of people who looked like homeless people, no one asked any more questions and urged them to go home and rest.
When Yunqi saw Sicheng appear before him, covered in dust and dirt, he didn't ask anything. Instead, he took him to the makeshift shelter with a look of heartache and took out the bone broth he had prepared earlier from his spatial storage.
"Wait a moment, I'll make you some noodles right away." He said as he started boiling water in a pot.
"Get him some goat milk to fill his stomach first." Mother Yun looked on with heartache. Seeing that Yun Qi was about to boil water to cook noodles, she immediately told her to get some hot goat milk first, otherwise it would take a while to cook the noodles.
"No rush, I'm not hungry yet. We spent the night on the other side of the lake last night, and we haven't walked much today."
"Have a drink first. Who isn't tired when they're traveling? Especially in this situation, with high stress levels, not eating or sleeping well, you'll wear yourself out."
Hearing his father-in-law join in the persuasion, Si Cheng reluctantly picked up the goat milk that Yun Qi had given him and took a big gulp.
Yun Qi covered her mouth and chuckled to herself. She knew that Si Cheng disliked goat milk the most. When they first bought the goat and made goat milk for the first time, she noticed that Si Cheng always made excuses not to drink it.
Now, under the care of my parents-in-law, in order not to disappoint them, I have no choice but to grit my teeth and drink it.
When Junjun and Lele saw Sicheng drinking goat milk, they rushed to their father, shouting, "Mine, mine..."
"Don't come near me! Daddy's dirty." She said as she dodged away.
Seeing that her son-in-law was being chased by the two little devils and had nowhere to hide, she quickly grabbed one of them and hugged him, coaxing him, "Sweetie, I'll give you some to drink later. That's for Daddy, Daddy's hungry."
"I'm hungry, I'm hungry," Junjun heard Lele keep saying "I'm hungry," and he started shouting along, making all the adults in the family laugh.
After a burst of laughter, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
After cooking the noodles, I boiled a large pot of water on the stove.
After finishing his noodles and taking a shower, Si Cheng felt like he had come back to life.
Si Cheng looked at Yun's mother, unsure how to bring up her family background. But if he didn't say anything now, she would find out later anyway.
Seeing her husband fidgeting and glancing at her mother several times, Yunqi felt a little worried.
She walked over and gently tugged at Si Cheng's sleeve, asking, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
"Mom, I have something to tell you, but don't get too excited." Si Cheng decided to speak to his mother-in-law first.
"What is it?" Hearing this solemn tone, Yun's mother suddenly felt that something bad was about to happen.
"Hu Family Village..."
"What about Hu Family Village?" Upon hearing these three words, Yun's mother could no longer remain calm.
"Let's hear what A-Cheng has to say first," Yun's father said, putting his arm around Yun's mother's shoulder, already having a bold guess in his mind.
"It's said that the entire Hu family village was wiped out. The whole village was squeezed out by the mountains on both sides, and everyone is saying that the chances of survival are slim." Si Cheng hardened his heart and finished speaking in one breath.
As soon as Yun's mother heard this, her whole body went limp and she collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, Yun's father was there to support her.
Everyone quickly helped her onto the bed. Seeing that she was completely unconscious, Yun's father pinched her philtrum hard. Yun Qi and Si Cheng each grabbed one of her cold hands and rubbed them vigorously, trying to warm her up.
At this moment, the twins saw their grandmother, who was usually the kindest to them, lying there motionless, and they also started to cry loudly.
At this point, no one had time to comfort them. Perhaps because they couldn't bear to see the children crying, not long after, Yun's mother slowly opened her eyes.
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