Chapter 32 Bai Wulin Qian Bacun and He Si were in front of the carriage...
Qian Bacun was driving the carriage with He Si in the front. Mainly, He Si was driving the carriage. He was looking back from the side, squinting his eyes and looking into the distance through the dust on the road. Until a vague black shadow appeared on the horizon, he paused with a look of surprise.
"Third uncle." Qian Bacun lifted the curtain.
"It's catching up." Uncle He San stood still like a mountain. When he heard this, he slowly opened his eyes and said.
"Yes." Qian Bacun nodded, then he lifted the curtain and entered the carriage, sat below Uncle He San, and waited quietly.
The fleeing team kept moving in a certain direction. After a few days, Ye Lu felt better and was able to get on the front carriage. In the past few days, he would go forward from time to time. His own people would go to the escort team, leaving only the ghost scholar in his own carriage.
Ye Lu closed his eyes and rested, sitting cross-legged not far from Uncle He Si, while Helan was driving in the front. Since the drought would not continue to follow, there was no need for Uncle He Si to keep traveling, so he and Helan would take turns. Although Helan's experience was not as good as He Si, his talent was also somewhat useful for traveling, so he was barely enough.
Everything went well today.
Ye Lu occasionally discussed some things with Fourth Uncle He. Since the ghost scholar couldn't come, he had to convey some things to them.
"It's still the end of the drought, but we can still see some green from time to time. When the convoy stops and the escort team goes hunting, we can also ask the villagers to find some wild vegetables within the escort range." He brought the ghost scholar's words. There was only dry food but no vegetables at home. It was okay for one or two days, but how could it be done every day?
Originally, Ye Lu was the only one in their family. They ate and drank at his uncle's house. No one dried vegetables for them. The vegetables they had along the way were all exchanged for the meat of the strange beast last time. They had been eating only this until now, and they wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
Fourth Uncle He nodded slowly, agreeing: "According to convention, it is indeed possible. When the time comes, I will ask Uncle Jiu to have his black dog expand the patrol range a little and look after the villagers."
"But we have to leave some for those people fleeing famine." When he said this, Fourth Uncle He gave another reminder. He remembered the accurate amount calculated in his mind by his nephew. For example, when he defeated the scarecrow with the magic bead last time, Fourth Uncle He actually felt in his heart that it was impossible for his nephew to snatch food from that group of people, but didn't they have a ghost among them?
That kid, Fourth Uncle He is very good at judging people. For example, Ah Gui is definitely a cold-hearted person. If he sees something he likes, he will definitely snatch it away without hesitation. At this time, wild vegetables can barely be considered one of them.
"...Ahem!" Ye Lu coughed several times, and heard the meaning of beating in He Sijiu's words, but he couldn't guarantee that the ghost book student really wouldn't move at all, so he couldn't say anything. After a pause, he decided to suppress his brother's hoarding habit and said, "I will discuss it with him."
Anyway, they are not short of food. The reason they hoard so much is just because of their insecurity. If they really want to eat, they can exchange the cornmeal in the jar for wild vegetables. I believe those refugees will be willing to do so.
We were chatting when the car stopped without us noticing.
The curtain was lifted, and a frowning figure walked out from outside. She was a strong, domineering and sharp-looking woman with a powerful aura. It was Helan.
Qian Bacun had been quietly listening to the conversation between Ye Lu and He Sijiu. When he heard the noise, he quickly raised his head and looked at the curtain. He saw Helan's dissatisfied expression. He asked in confusion: "Helan leader, why did the car stop?"
"It's almost dark. We left late today and I'm on the road. Do you see a good place? Let's rest first. Didn't you say just now that we could ask the villagers to find some wild vegetables?" Helan turned her head to look at Fourth Uncle He and Ye Lu. Obviously, the conversation in the car just now did not escape her ears.
He Lan did not plan to wait for Fourth Uncle He to reply, and said calmly: "If we stop earlier, we will have more time to look for him. I have already notified the guards. Then they can run deeper under the protection of the black dogs, so they can come back faster. Otherwise, they will have to wait until it is really dark."
"Things were much weirder back then. This is not the way to seek death."
Chief Helan's tone today is particularly irritable.
Just by listening to these few words, Ye Lu guessed that the Helan leader was not in a good mood at the moment. Although these words were not directed at any of them, they sounded angry.
Ye Lu touched his chin, thinking a lot in his mind, who in our team is so bold as to make this person angry? But he didn't dare to say it out loud. Just kidding, this person is his elder.
On the contrary, Fourth Uncle He's reaction was much calmer. He didn't care about Helan's attitude at all or seemed to be used to it. He asked very calmly: "What happened? Why are you so upset?"
Fourth Uncle He asked straightforwardly.
Ye Lu paused, a little surprised by Fourth Uncle He's frankness. This was the first time he saw the interaction between Fourth Uncle He and Aunt Lan. It was more like a conversation between brothers and sisters than colleagues. Ye Lu thought about it and it was true. Fourth Uncle He and He Lan were indeed brothers and sisters of the same generation, but they were distant cousins.
Helan is the second child and He Sijiu is the fourth child.
The He family usually ranks generations according to the children born in this batch. For example, Ye Lu's mother is the youngest, and his grandfather is the younger brother of He's third uncle.
"Didn't Third Uncle say he received news that we might have to go to the 'market'?" Helan said in a somewhat irritable tone, but fortunately, as the leader of the guards, she could barely control her unhappy emotions. Perhaps because everyone present was close to her, she still revealed some of it in her words.
"There will definitely be those annoying merchants at the market."
"Don't let it be the same group of blood-sucking insects we encountered again." Just a few words showed that Helan hated businessmen deeply.
In Helan's opinion, the caravans they met in the past were very greedy. Not only did they ask for a large share of green millet, but the price they offered was also very low. She had always been against giving the caravans too much share, but had always been suppressed by the village elders. Their village was too remote, and they also needed the caravans to bring things for exchange.
Now going to the market again, those unpleasant memories resurfaced in her mind.
"Since it was my father who said that, he must have received accurate information." Fourth Uncle He knew that his father had always raised some birds and would give them some white millet from time to time. These little birds used to be very useful. The day before they fled the drought, all the birds in his house flew away. Only recently have they started to fly back one after another.
Is this him? Did Dad receive the news?
Fourth Uncle He raised his eyebrows silently.
"The caravan we met in the market may not be the same caravan we met before. What if it is a new caravan?" He Sijiu spoke the truth and agreed with He Lan's words, saying: "You are right. The previous caravan was too extreme. The village elders wanted to replace them a long time ago, but unfortunately they have been blocking the news. Foreign caravans cannot come in, and our village can only trade with their caravan."
It seems that the caravan's behavior was indeed inappropriate. Even his fourth uncle, who was usually a steady person, was a little unhappy.
What He Si said was indeed right. He Lan's expression relaxed a lot. She could actually think clearly. The reason why she had been unhappy was mainly because the previous impression was too bad.
"I hope it's what you said." Helan sighed and said helplessly: "There is one good thing about our long-term escape from the famine. At least the news about the strange plant will not be blocked, and we can contact other caravans."
The atmosphere in the carriage was barely better.
"Knock knock knock--" There was a somewhat hurried knock on the door coming from outside, knocking on the door of the carriage outside.
Helan looked up and asked cautiously: "Who?"
"Leader, it's me!" Qian Gouzi's voice came from outside. These days, everyone has noticed Qian Gouzi's advantages, such as being smart, fast at running, and having some talent, so most of the errands are done by him.
"Come in." Helan said loudly.
The curtain was lifted and Qian Gouzi stepped into the carriage.
Before Helan could open his mouth to ask, Qian Gouzi quickly and logically told him everything that had happened.
"Chief, the scouting team brought back news that we encountered a forest not far ahead. The forest was neither big nor small but was covered with a layer of white fog. We didn't dare to go in and had to stay outside." After Qian Gouzi finished speaking, he seemed to have something else to say. He looked up, with an expression as if he wanted to say something but stopped.
"Just say what you want to say, and finish it quickly. Why are you pretending?" Helan thought something was weird, so he immediately stood up straight, but when he saw Qian Gouzi's look, his eyebrows raised.
"Eh, no, chief, listen to me, the people who were investigating saw faint shadows of trees in the white fog, and something didn't look right. They suspected it was a strange plant!" After hearing this, Qian Gouzi couldn't help but tell it all in one breath.
"Strange plant!!!"
"Um?"
“Speak clearly!!”
After these words were spoken, not only was Helan surprised, but Ye Lu and He Sijiu couldn't help but look at Qian Gouzi, expecting his next words. They all knew the importance of the strange plant.
"That tree is a bit strange. They also saw strange creatures rushing in from time to time. For a long time, there was no sound at all." Qian Gouzi said that they believed that the shadow of the tree was important evidence of the strange plant, and said: "What can swallow the strange creature silently?"
It can only be a strange plant.
When Helan heard this, she was not as impatient as at the beginning. On the contrary, she even sat down again with a serious look on her face.
"Fourth Brother, tell me, what do you think?" Originally Helan was still a little bit convinced that it was a strange plant, but after hearing this, she became a little uncertain.
It's not that easy to find strange plants, and they're not that high-profile. Even if they were that easy to find, it wouldn't be their turn.
He Si was silent for a while. His thoughts were similar to He Lan's. He didn't believe or think that their He Village could be so lucky.
But that is a strange plant.
If they really don't investigate, none of them will be willing to give in.
If they could find a strange tree-like plant, it doesn't have to be a large one, a small one would be fine, all the suffering they have endured along the way would be worth it.
He Si tapped his knees slowly, one after another, neither hurried nor slow. After a moment, He Si made up his mind and said, "Wait."
"It's dark now, and all the weird things have come out. We can first see what's going on in the white fog forest, and then make plans tomorrow."
"That white mist forest is a bit strange, it's probably just a trick." He Si also thought it was unlikely to be a strange plant, so in order to avoid disappointing the guards, he comforted them in advance: "Strange plants are hard to find, so don't be disappointed if it's not one."
"I understand, I understand. Deputy leader, don't underestimate us. We are just guessing about the forest." Qian Gouzi is a smart man. He smelled something different from the attitudes of the two leaders. He understood it instantly and raised his hand to guarantee that he would never act on his own.
"Should we inform those refugees that the Baiwu Forest is dangerous and it's better to stay away from it?" Qian Gouzi said hesitantly after hesitating for a while.
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