Tanya Jun lowered her eyes to look at the shadows on the ground.
"People are just like that, they're only capable when they're pushed to the limit. Once they're pushed to that point, there's nothing they can't do. If they don't do it, they'll starve to death. So, are you in or not?"
It has to be said that she is a clear-headed girl, and Jian Dan immediately looked at her with higher regard.
"Alright, there's still a whole winter to go, can't you get used to it yet?"
“That’s true, then we really can’t be lazy. I heard that people in the village are busy even in winter.”
"Yes, they have to gather firewood, feed the chickens and ducks, and clean the house for the upcoming New Year. Savvy housewives also have to plan their food supplies, since wild vegetables are only available in the spring. They need to make sure the food lasts until the spring. They also have to find ways to ensure that the elderly and children get a good bite of good food."
After the New Year, we'll have to worry about making a living next year.
They were all children at home, and even if they weren't favored, they still had parents. These things were none of their concern. Just hearing about it made my head spin.
"After Tan said that, I suddenly realized that we really have to live our own lives now."
"Yes, even if we live together, we are still a group of adults who can live independently and are responsible for ourselves. We don't have the right to be carefree children anymore."
The atmosphere became somewhat heavy. After a quick glance, he asked Chen Jianguo...
"Chen Zhiqing, did you go out during the day today?"
"I went to gather firewood, what's wrong?"
That's perfect. "Are the people down the mountain still there?"
Chen Jianguo didn't even hesitate.
"They're still here, but I heard that captain or battalion commander led some men up the mountain, probably to look for someone. With the weather like this, if we have to stay in the mountains for a few days, we might not even survive."
Jian Dan seemed to be deep in thought. It seemed that this matter was not yet resolved. The border was on the other side of the mountain, and the mountains and forests were all interconnected. There was no way to hide someone. Experienced people could play hide-and-seek with those coming up the mountain and confuse them.
"So, are you still going to gather firewood?"
Chen Jianguo was very decisive.
"Go now, or it will be even more difficult when it snows."
However, we can only walk around the foot of the mountain; we can't go any further up. It's quite heavily guarded now, so let's not go against the crowd. Better safe than sorry.
"Alright, then wake me up tomorrow morning, I'll go too."
After seeing Jian Dan off, the girls lay contentedly on the warm kang (heated brick bed), and Tan Yajun felt a long-lost peace.
This farce that has lasted for over a month has left her like a frightened bird. Despite not having done anything wrong and being the most wronged, she is the only one who has suffered the most damage and a devastating disaster.
If she hadn't met someone that day, she probably would be in another world by now.
She thought that moving to another place would only mean a life of barely surviving. Who would have thought that it would be the warmth she had been longing for?
Perhaps, we haven't reached the end of the road yet.
Or perhaps, they have already turned the tide and found a way out of a seemingly hopeless situation.
She covered herself with the blanket, tears silently sliding into the pillowcase, yet her eyes shone even brighter.
The next morning, the group of people came out early, carrying baskets on their backs. Coincidentally, just as they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw Lin Zhengde, the team leader, leading his men in an orderly formation, seemingly preparing to leave.
After all, they had fought side by side, so Jian Dan took the initiative to go over and say hello.
"Captain Lin, are you calling it a day?"
When Lin Zhengde turned around, Jian Dan was immediately startled. Who was this unshaven man?
After spending three days in the mountains, Lin Zhengde was in a terrible state. He was unshaven, his lips were chapped, and he looked like he had just recovered from a serious illness. His eyelids were also drooping.
Looking to the side, wow, the people around him all looked pretty much the same; without a doubt, they had just come down from the mountain.
"Heh, anyone who didn't know better would think you guys went digging a hole in the middle of the night."
It was just a perfectly normal joke, but the expressions on the faces of the people opposite her immediately changed. They were certainly very outgoing.
"Captain, look, even the young ladies can tell you're mistreating us. You should at least give them something to eat. I haven't eaten all night."
Lin Zhengde snorted coldly.
"Is it my fault? You could have come down much earlier, but you had to play around. Who alerted the snake? Huh? You should be grateful it didn't bite you. And you want to eat? Go hungry!"
It was easy to tell from the sound that the hibernating snake had been startled.
These men were young and energetic, and being active was their nature. After being scolded by Lin Zhengde, they immediately became like wilted quails, feeling wronged but not daring to speak up.
The educated youth looked at each other, trying not to laugh.
Lin Zhengde, his face dark, quickly asked,
"Captain Lin, can we go up the mountain now?"
Lin Zhengde nodded.
"It's okay, but you still need to be careful and not go too far into the mountains. This hidden danger has been eliminated, but there are still many dangers in these mountains."
Li Yan is quick-witted.
"Yes, we will be careful, especially with hibernating snakes."
Jian Dan only noticed that Lin Zhengde's face had darkened further, so he quickly lowered his head and called to his companions.
"Let's hurry up. No one has come up here for several days. There should be plenty to pick up."
"good."
Several people hurriedly ran past, and Lin Zhengde, unable to catch his breath, could only once again use his iron fist to control himself, leading the wailing group in a line to set off.
From a distance, the group burst into laughter.
"I was so suffocating! Didn't you see how dark Captain Lin's face was?"
"And Li Zhiqing even emphasized it again: hibernating snakes."
The group couldn't help but laugh when they thought about it. It was true, Li Yan had that skill; it was a stroke of genius.
This sudden remark likely expanded the psychological impact on Lin Zhengde by more than two-thirds.
"Let's walk faster, I feel like I suddenly have a lot more motivation."
Tan Yajun had just arrived and was unaware of their relationship, so she observed them coldly. She thought again that these educated youths were quite bold, even with dark faces, they still dared to joke with them.
While the mountain has been closed for the past few days, it's not entirely quiet.
The villagers have lived here for generations, and they would dig up even the smallest mouse holes. Not to mention the hidden paths, every household has one or two secret paths.
However, not many people managed to sneak up here. With the autumn wind blowing, quite a few dry branches were blown down, and the group happily picked them up.
"I knew I'd have more energy today, haha."
I was picking things up casually when I got lost. Just as I was thinking of turning back, I felt something was off about the air around me; I could smell human presence.
Almost simultaneously, Jian turned around and kicked the tall figure who was lunging at him. The figure was sent flying in astonishment, landing heavily on the rocks seven or eight meters away. As soon as his hand touched the ground, he realized with horror that he couldn't get up, let alone get up.
"What...what did you do?"
What do you think?
That's really unfair to her; she only did a little bit of trickery.
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