“I know you’ve been running around all this way and are exhausted. We want to help you settle down as soon as possible. The village is empty today because the whole village was looted and no one survived.”
At this point, those who had already secured their spots started whispering among themselves, and soon someone asked a question.
"Since things are so turbulent, sending us there is practically sending us to our deaths, isn't it?"
“I won’t hide it from you. This village was occupied by a gang, but no trace of the villagers was found. For some reason, the gang abandoned the village and fled. They haven’t been caught yet.”
When Chief Kuang finished speaking, the crowd below began to stir again. He didn't say anything, but just watched them quietly until they calmed down completely before continuing.
"Of course, we won't just abandon you in the village like that. We will definitely send a small team to help you with the defenses. As for your initial food rations, you may have to find your own way to survive in the mountains. But even that is better than you being stuck outside every day. You can think about these things carefully. We won't force you. If you can accept these things, those of you who have already signed up will have our team take you there in a bit."
"Will they still take care of us after we're settled?"
"It depends on the specific situation. I believe you have been here for some time now, and you should be aware of our predicament. It's not that we don't want to help you, but we are simply powerless to do so. However, we will try our best to maintain peace in this area."
At this point, Chief Kuang looked around at them before continuing, "Of course, our tolerance for those who stir up trouble is also limited. Although we can't use the law to measure your behavior right now, we don't mind using harsh measures in chaotic times. Don't do anything that you'll regret later."
Those who had registered earlier started packing their luggage, not because they were satisfied with these places, but because this was the best way out for them at the moment.
Seeing that those who had already registered had packed their things and set off with the group, the remaining people started to panic.
Although there is a water source here, and some wild vegetables and mushrooms can be found, it's barely enough to survive. But sleeping outdoors all day like this isn't a solution. You know, during this time, many women have been harassed to varying degrees by those with impure intentions, and those who are alone are even bullied and robbed by small gangs.
"Actually, you don't necessarily have to focus on the village. If you can find a place with a water source, some of you can pool your resources and build a small village there. That would be better than you wandering around aimlessly. Of course, if you're just using this place as a transitional stop, you should find another place to settle down as soon as possible and stop wasting time here."
"Once we find a place to settle down, will you provide us with some assistance?" Upon hearing this, some people began to consider in their minds which places in the surrounding area would be suitable for settling down.
In fact, everyone knows that to survive here, you must first have a foundation. However, their foundations are too weak. Apart from some food and clothing they carry with them, they have nothing else. And if they want to set up a home, they need a lot more.
It was because of all these reasons that they started to fight with the local troops for the places where resources were being dug.
"If you find a place, you can go to the city to clear out some old bricks to build houses and walls. If we find any supplies, you can borrow some from us in advance, just like the people before. But these are not free; you have to sign an agreement with us and return them within a certain period of time."
"But we don't know what will happen in the future. How will we repay them then?" Some people, upon hearing these conditions, thought of the drought and knew not when it would end, and dared not agree easily.
"You don't need to worry about that. We will introduce some specific measures in the coming days. Even if you don't want to return the borrowed supplies, you can use them to offset the debt."
This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision by Chief Kuang; rather, he knew he couldn't completely wash his hands of this matter. So, he decided to let him turn this place into a survival base.
This will require a lot of infrastructure capacity to help these people get through the most difficult times and to build an impregnable barrier around the area.
However, after making this decision, we will have to let down the soldiers who have already been approved for discharge. We will have to settle their families first, which means we will have to start looking for a suitable place for them to gather.
Now that there is hope and a direction to move forward, most of the refugees are highly educated, and they quickly accepted the plan. They even began to look for familiar companions and form teams to find suitable places to rebuild their homes.
Because they knew that this area was only so big, and refugees kept pouring in, if they didn't determine the location soon, they might have to search elsewhere.
Those who had previously stirred up trouble and created chaos have temporarily given up their plans upon seeing this situation, because they know that now that everyone has a clear direction, they will certainly not cause any more trouble or provocation.
Sicheng and Yunqi spent a wonderful and harmonious night inside the shipping container. They were awakened by the chirping of birds, probably because many small birds had suddenly appeared on the large metal container, flying and hopping around.
"I really want to go back and replace our earthen kang (heated brick bed). Is it more comfortable to sleep on a bed?" Yunqi stretched and felt that sleeping on that hard earthen kang before was just asking for trouble.
“We can put the mattresses out when we get back, and many people in the village put their mattresses directly on the kang (heated brick bed).” Although Si Cheng hadn’t been to other people’s houses, some people had saved their mattresses when they were salvaging supplies.
"Never mind, I forgot to take it out before. If I take the mattress out now, it will be too obvious."
"What does it matter? Who would go into our room to check? Besides, we used to have two cellars, and nobody knows what's in them." Si Cheng felt that since he liked it, there was no need to force himself. Yun Qi hadn't mentioned it before, so he assumed he was already used to sleeping on the kang (heated brick bed).
"Then arrange one in every room. If we're going to enjoy ourselves, then everyone should enjoy ourselves together." Yun Qi wouldn't let himself and his wife sleep on soft mattresses while his parents and children slept on hard earthen beds.
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