While everyone here was enjoying themselves, large-scale migrations had already begun in the county town.
After investigation, it was found that the disease in the town was caused by corpse poison. The army specially dispatched a group of soldiers wearing protective suits to the county town to clean up for a few days. All the corpses that had not been collected were gathered together and burned. As for those that had been thrown into the river, there was no way to retrieve them for the time being. Everyone was advised not to drink the water from the river.
Each location was assigned some soldiers to guide them on their journey, as the route had been scouted beforehand and any dangerous sections had been avoided.
Everyone carried large and small bags, packing up everything they could think of. As for those items that couldn't be taken, they were all gathered in one place and managed by the military, where they could be moved again or multiple times.
Even so, everyone was carrying a heavy burden, and even the young children were carrying bags and following closely beside the adults.
They didn't know what awaited them, only seeing collapsed houses and deformed roads everywhere. Where they used to be able to drive there in no time, they now had to walk there step by step. Some people wiped away tears as they walked.
The further out of the city you go, the more desolate it feels. Many housewives haven't left the city since the earthquake, and now, seeing the fallen trees covering the mountains and the mangled roads, they feel even more hopeless about the future.
The leading soldier didn't give them time to worry and kept pace. In order not to fall behind, everyone gritted their teeth and kept up, knowing that this was just the beginning and there were still many days to go. If they couldn't even endure this little bit of hardship, then they would never be able to go to the countryside to farm.
However, not every village is like Pinghe Village, with houses already built. In many places, people simply dig a pit, and the whole family squeezes into it. Everyone is thinking about when they can get the materials to rebuild their houses.
After walking for several days, they finally arrived at the first village. They separated the people who wanted to settle there, while the others continued on their way.
When these people arrived and saw the houses in front of them—or perhaps it shouldn't be called houses, but rather cellars or dugouts would be more accurate—many of them broke down, shouting that they didn't want to stay there any longer and wanted to go back to the city. They said that even if they starved to death in the city, it would be better than staying here.
Seeing these once-arrogant city dwellers crying and making a scene, expressing utter disdain for their place, the local villagers were also furious. Some even declared that they were not welcome and told them to leave immediately, and as the conversation progressed, an argument broke out between the two sides.
Seeing that things were about to get out of control, the village chief and the soldiers who had come with them quickly separated them and tried to persuade them to stay together.
The village chief calmed the villagers down, but the people assigned from the city continued to make unreasonable demands. Some even asked the soldiers to build houses for them before they could leave, leaving the onlookers astonished. They couldn't believe there were such shameless people in the world; no one was their parent, so how could they be so brazen?
The village chief sighed. Although the village had lost some people, if they were to take in someone of such character, the future of the village would be truly worrying.
Seeing that the group was becoming increasingly outrageous, the leading soldier shouted for everyone to gather together.
"Since you're all dissatisfied, then go back to the city and make your own arrangements. We received orders to take you to your destination and help you settle down, not for you to stand here and boss people around." After saying that, he told all the soldiers to go aside and rest. These soldiers hadn't had an easy journey either; they were carrying supplies to distribute to each family on their shoulders, and they had been trying to keep these people moving quickly. They were human, not made of steel. Seeing these people making such a fuss, he simply told them to go aside and rest so that the soldiers could catch their breath.
"Why are you acting like this? Since you brought us here, you should help us settle down." In fact, most of them understood that settling down in the countryside was inevitable, but when they arrived, it was far from what they had expected. They thought that if they made a fuss, they could get more subsidies. Now that they saw that the soldiers were ignoring them, they became a little anxious.
“These young soldiers are also born of parents. They are here to maintain social order at this time. Can’t you be a little more polite to them?” The village chief and villagers couldn’t stand it anymore and stood up to speak out.
“Let these young men rest for a bit. I just checked their luggage, and it’s all heavy stuff. You can see how exhausted they all look. Please be understanding,” the village chief couldn’t help but say, and then asked his wife to bring some mung bean soup for the young men.
“We don’t want to make things difficult for them, but this is so different from what we imagined. They didn’t tell us that this is the situation here. The psychological gap is just too big.” A smart person quickly stepped forward and said some conciliatory words.
“Everyone is having a hard time right now. We can’t buy building materials, and the weather changed so quickly before. This is the only way we can get through it. You’re a little better off. At least you have the army to protect you in the city. Look at us here, everyone is struggling to survive. There are still many who didn’t make it.” The village chief wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye as he said this.
The people who had moved here fell silent upon hearing this. Yes, they were actually quite lucky; at least the city had provided them with enough to eat and drink for the time being, which was already more than enough. But no one could support anyone forever; they would have to rely on themselves in the future.
With these thoughts in mind, people began to gather their belongings from the ground. Those who were good at networking quickly made friends with the village chief and villagers, taking out their treasured cigarettes to start building rapport.
Most of the villagers are simple and honest. Seeing that the other party had already given them a way out, they followed suit and began to introduce the various situations in the village, and the atmosphere began to improve.
Since they knew they would eventually have to integrate into village life, they were all on high alert, getting along well with the villagers.
Seeing the harmonious scene on their side, the soldiers on this side quietly felt relieved, and some even secretly gave the soldier in charge a thumbs up.
This situation plays out in every village, but in the end, they all accept reality, which is the best arrangement for them at present.
What reassured them most was that along the way, although the crops by the roadside weren't growing very well, they still yielded some harvest, which gave them a boost of confidence.
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