This time, everyone's destination was not the back mountain, but the mountainous area opposite the village entrance.
Although the Lian family father and son, who had been staying in Pinghe Village, were anxious, they could only patiently continue to wait.
Captain Liu and his team from Xin San Village also received the news, but since the incident where people from their own village went up the mountain without permission last time, they themselves dared not speak up.
Fortunately, the wild boars they brought back last time are starting to grow up. Wu Yong and his team also taught them how to set traps as promised. Now they have some harvest, and the village can have some meat every now and then, which has improved their lives.
Seeing such a large group of them heading into the mountains, the people at the village entrance couldn't help but look on with envy. They only dared to look for food around the mountains; they wouldn't dare venture any further into the mountains. But the area was only so big, and the food they could find was becoming increasingly scarce.
"Wouldn't it be great if I could follow them and pick up some leftovers?" Someone had this thought and couldn't resist the urge.
A few bolder people secretly followed behind them, and gradually more people joined in.
Wu Tianxiang, who was walking at the back of the group, quickly spotted them. "These people are really fearless. Have they forgotten those green lights on the mountain at night?"
The monkey glanced back and said, "It's not that they forgot; it's that they've searched through almost everything edible nearby, and they're too scared to go up the mountain on their own. Now that we're leading the way, they can come over and scavenge for any leftovers."
"What do we do now? Should we shoo them away? If something goes wrong, we won't be able to protect them." Wu Tianxiang looked at the paper figures in front of him, which looked like they could be blown away by the wind, and hesitated.
"Let them follow us for a while longer. The route we've taken should be relatively safe." Hou Yunhai looked at the people who had caught up, thought for a moment, but still didn't take any action.
Sometimes, opportunities are like this: if things remain unchanged, they can only stubbornly cling to the limited resources available nearby and endure the hardship.
The commotion behind them grew louder and louder until even those in front noticed it.
Thinking that the people behind him hadn't made a sound, and guessing their intentions, Si Cheng remained silent as well, but observed the surrounding environment more carefully.
"They must have spotted us." As more and more people followed, the commotion grew, and the people in front began to worry.
"It's alright, they haven't said anything, so that means they've given their consent," his companion comforted him softly.
Looking at the people in front of him, Wang Dali's eyes were filled with gratitude. "Actually, Pinghe Village is quite different from the villages we've encountered before. Since we arrived here, they've helped us a lot. Unlike other villages, they don't try to drive us away as soon as they see us."
Liu Huatian nodded in agreement, "That's why I insisted on staying here. Even though I can't become one of them, being their neighbor can benefit me in some way."
"So we can't cause trouble for them. Once we've made some gains, we'll go back." Wang Dali said this while looking at his companions.
The others nodded in agreement. After all, the other person had discovered them and was willing to lead them into the mountains, but it would be inappropriate to continue following them, lest they become a burden to the other person.
After walking for most of the day, those following behind were almost exhausted and began to feel thirsty and hungry, but no one gave up and gritted their teeth to keep up.
Sicheng didn't mean he didn't want to find a place to rest, but there were no wild vegetables or mushrooms in this area, and he didn't even see any small animals.
He knew that the people behind him were all holding their breath, having walked such a long distance, and if they couldn't find food, he didn't know if they could even make it back.
Wu Tianxiang and Hou Yunhai, standing in the crowd, also felt some regret, thinking they should have let these people leave in the first place. Looking at the barren mountainside, the two began to feel anxious.
But at this point, the two of them had no other choice; they were now in a dilemma.
Some of Wang Dali and the others who were following behind were gradually unable to keep up, and some were even supporting each other, trying their best to keep up with the group.
"I can't hold on much longer, my limbs are starting to feel weak, I need to rest here for a bit." The first person who couldn't hold on any longer sat down on the ground.
Once the first one was there, others seemed to be infected as well, one after another sitting or lying down on the spot.
"Brother Cheng, they're running out of stamina, what do we do now? We can't just leave them here, can we?" Zhao Dongwei turned around, saw the scene, and grabbed Brother Cheng.
"Then what should we do? Why don't you go and carry them all on your back?" Si Cheng glanced at him, then ignored him and continued walking forward.
Zhao Dongwei was stunned. "Even if all of us stepped forward, we still couldn't recite it all."
"You idiot." Yun Jianying slapped him on the back of the head. "The best thing to do now is to find a suitable resting place, otherwise they will run out of energy later."
After saying that, she ignored him and quickly caught up with Brother Cheng.
The more anxious a person is, the more problems arise. In order to resolve this predicament as soon as possible, Si Cheng divided the people into groups of two and had them search in four different directions.
Once the direction was determined, he immediately called out to everyone, "Let's go this way. It's more open up ahead, and you can rest there for a bit."
At this point, the people of Pinghe Village stopped focusing solely on walking ahead. They began to join the refugees behind them, helping them continue forward.
Cen Ran, who had been following behind the crowd, refused help from others and gritted her teeth to keep up, leaning on a wooden stick.
That day, guided by a kind person in Gaojia Village, they arrived at the entrance of Pinghe Village.
Fortunately, they arrived in time. Not long after they settled in, a wall was erected around the area, preventing others from entering.
This place is much safer than where they used to be, and she can leave her younger sister there without worry, so she can go out and find food with her aunt.
She had seen so many people following her into the mountains before, and she didn't even have time to notify her aunt who was fishing by the lake, so she followed along by herself.
Although the journey became increasingly arduous, they also felt the kindness shown to them by Pinghe Village.
"Come on, Village Chief Si just found us a resting place. We've already held them back, we can't cause them any more trouble." Wang Dali stood on the side, trying his best to encourage everyone. Now he regretted his impulsive decision to follow along.
Because of their actions, Pinghe Village had to slow down to accommodate them. Now they even had to change their route for them, yet they didn't blame them at all.
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