Chapter 79 Destination Lin Qingan carefully counted...
Lin Qingan carefully counted the people present; there were twenty in total, including A Bao and Lin Yanfeng, making five children.
There are very few truly strong men, so the days ahead will be quite difficult.
The most important thing is how to produce the ingredients without arousing suspicion.
Just as Lin Qing'an was lost in thought, Lin Deyi's shout pulled him back to reality.
He took the lead and said to the other men, “Let’s go and gather some firewood. It’s cold. We got warm just now because we were walking around, but we’ll all get cold soon.”
"good!"
Upon hearing this, the other men also stood up and followed suit. Lin Deyi looked at Chen Gengnian and the others and said, "A-Nian, you guys rest for a while, we'll go."
Chen Gengnian did not get up, but only instructed: "Just pick it up near the door, don't go far. Although the wild animals are in the east, we can't be careless."
The group nodded in agreement before leaving.
As soon as the others left, Lin Qingan pulled Chen Gengnian into the house.
As soon as the door closed, Lin Qingan asked Chen Gengnian in a low voice, "Brother Nian, how are we going to get the things out now?"
Chen Gengnian had been thinking about this issue for a while, and only just now did he have some ideas.
He walked over and opened the rice jar where he used to store grain. Just as he was about to ask Lin Qing'an to take some grain and pour it in, an unbelievable scene unfolded before his eyes.
The rice jar was full, filled not with any other grains but with pure white rice!
The two stared intently at the large vat of white rice, then looked up at each other in disbelief.
They could clearly see the doubts in each other's eyes.
The two immediately shook their heads, both saying they didn't know why.
But that wasn't the only thing that surprised them, because half a box of cured meats was found in the wooden boxes where the quilts were kept!
The two looked at each other, completely bewildered.
Lin Qing'an exclaimed, "Who on earth is it that is even more prescient than us?"
Chen Gengnian also shook his head blankly.
It's obvious that someone has been here recently.
But Chen Gengnian looked around and it didn't look like anyone had lived there.
So this person...
Chen Gengnian suddenly remembered the man who used to live here. Could it be him?
"Brother Nian."
Lin Qingan's sudden shout brought him back to his senses, and Chen Gengnian hummed in response.
Lin Qing'an then spoke up, "We can't just let everyone eat this white rice all the time, can we? It's not that we can't afford it; my master and I have so much rice that we could eat it all in a lifetime. I just..."
“I know.” Chen Gengnian smiled and dispelled Lin Qingan’s concerns, saying, “I know what you’re worried about. Here’s what we’ll do: take out some corn and we can mix it together. That way, they won’t suspect anything.”
Lin Qingan also had this plan.
Luckily, I had prepared some corn kernels beforehand, otherwise I wouldn't be able to grind them now.
The two agreed on their story before opening the door and telling everyone that these things had been prepared in advance because they planned to grow medicinal herbs in the mountains this year.
They often went up the mountain, so this explanation left no one with any doubts, and even if they did, they didn't have time to think about it.
With the food problem solved, Lin Qing'an also took out some cooking utensils and blankets, using a simple excuse that he only occasionally brought some when he went up the mountain.
When the men returned with firewood, everyone had already started washing the pots and pans and cleaning the stove. The atmosphere was lively and bustling, and most of the fear they had felt earlier had dissipated.
After a quick meal, the women and children were led inside to rest. The children were exhausted from traveling all night, so it was a good opportunity for the women to rest as well.
Chen Gengnian left Yang Ruo and Mo Xing behind to take care of everyone, and then led all the men to build houses in the mountain valley.
As for building materials, the reason given is still the same as that given for grain.
Lin Qing'an didn't stop Lin Yanfeng from going with him. He was already an adult. It didn't matter how much or how little he did. He needed to practice the responsibility that a man should have.
The small thatched hut was in front, while the small hill that Lin Qing'an and his men had prepared was behind, so this small thatched hut was the first sentry post.
After Chen Gengnian and the others left, Chen Yuetao led everyone to clean up the only bedroom that could provide shelter from the wind and rain. They took out all the quilts and spread them out on the floor to make a large communal bed. The men shared one side and the women shared the other side, which was enough to get by.
Fortunately, Chen Gengnian built it quite large to accommodate more equipment; otherwise, no matter how crowded it is today, it wouldn't be able to house so many people.
Even with guards around, no one dared to fall into a deep sleep; only the children huddled together, sleeping soundly.
Lin Qing'an tried to doze off for a while but couldn't fall asleep. She tiptoed out of the house and saw Yang Ruo warming herself by the fire in the yard as soon as she closed the door.
When he came out, Yang Ruo raised his eyes and smiled as a greeting.
Lin Qingan walked over and sat down next to her, asking, "Yangruo, aren't you sleepy?"
Yang Ruo shook her head, "I'm not sleepy. We can go for days and nights without sleeping."
Lin Qingan suddenly stared at her blankly. Yang Ruo realized she had said the wrong thing and chuckled to smooth things over, "I meant that when practicing martial arts, sometimes it takes two or three days to train, so it's normal not to sleep."
Lin Qing'an felt something was off, and just as he was about to ask again, Yang Ruo asked him in return, "Brother-in-law, you said the food was prepared in advance, so were the quilts in the room also prepared in advance? And you even knew to prepare so many?"
Lin Qing'an was immediately on high alert. He never expected that the person who questioned them would be Yang Ruo, but he quickly calmed himself down and laughed it off.
"Uh...yes, it's damp in the mountains, so it's good to prepare more."
"Oh, I see." Yang Ruo seemed to believe it too, and started poking at the fire with a stick.
Lin Qing'an glanced up at her, but her face was expressionless, and he couldn't tell anything from her. He thought to himself that he was probably just too nervous.
"Where's your brother?" Lin Qingan asked, changing the subject.
Yang Ruo said, "He said he was going to take a walk around the neighborhood to see if there were any wild rabbits or anything."
Lin Qing'an nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He had witnessed Mo Xing's martial arts skills before, so he wasn't worried at all.
As noon approached, the group prepared a simple meal. Chen Gengnian and the others did not return for lunch, so at A Meng's suggestion, Lin Qing'an had A Meng take the prepared porridge to them in portions.
For the first two days, the women did simple housework in the thatched huts. But when they saw that the men were exhausted and had accepted that they couldn't go down the mountain for the time being, they all decided that all the able-bodied women should go and help, leaving only the elderly and children behind.
Lin Qing'an didn't stop them. Instead, he arranged for A Meng and Yang Ruo, the two siblings, to protect everyone before he followed them.
For several days in a row, everyone was busy, and no one from the mountains came after them. Everyone went from being scared at the beginning to getting used to it, and because of the work, they were able to get a good night's sleep.
During this time, Lin Qing'an also found various excuses to take out a lot of food from his treasure bag, including meat and wine, so the food was not too stingy.
Most of the firewood was pre-made by someone else. Apart from the main structure of the house, the rest was basically mortise and tenon joints, so it wasn't too difficult to assemble. After working for another seven or eight days, the second foothold was finally completed.
Ten separate cabins were built in total. Each cabin was very small, barely big enough to fit a bed, but it was warm because of its small size.
Because the terrain at that location was not flat, each house was built on the flat ground at the foot of the mountain, some two or three meters apart, and some ten meters apart. In addition to the living quarters, a relatively spacious kitchen and hall were also built.
The hall was large and required a lot of materials, so the materials brought by Lin Qing'an and his group were naturally insufficient. Therefore, everyone used local materials and, at Lin Qing'an's suggestion, built two more bathhouses and two more outhouses, separating the men's and women's rooms, which were arranged in an orderly manner.
The houses are built against the mountain, which protects them from strong winds and heavy rains.
During their time in the mountains, everyone loved and helped each other, and no one had any disloyal intentions. On the day of the move, everyone was extremely excited.
Although it's called a move, we can only take the rice and flour. Almost everything else has been prepared there, and it's newer and has more items than here.
These days, Lin Qing'an and Chen Gengnian have told countless lies, and Chen Yuetao, Lin Yanfeng, Abao, and Lin Jing have all covered up these lies. Therefore, everyone only praises Lin Qing'an and Chen Gengnian's family and has no doubts whatsoever. All they want now is to live a peaceful life.
Originally, they thought of leaving some people in the hut to guard it, but seeing that everyone was reluctant to part, A-Meng discussed it with Chen Gengnian and Lin Qingan and decided to let everyone move there. The issue of guarding the safety would be left to A-Meng, who was willing to patrol back and forth every day.
Facing A Meng, Lin Qing'an didn't know what words to use to express his gratitude. It should have been quietly cultivating in the spiritual land it had found, but it had been delayed in this mountain because of them.
Seeing Lin Qing'an lower his head and purse his lips, A Meng stepped forward and patted his wing hard on the head before arrogantly saying, "Don't even think about it. I'm an immortal spirit. I'll have plenty of time to cultivate in the future. Besides, who knows how long you guys can stay here?"
Lin Qing'an then looked up and forced a smile, sincerely thanking A Meng, "Thank you, senior brother. I'm also sorry that you won't be able to speak in front of people anymore."
Snap—
Lin Qing'an didn't get a reply from his senior brother, but instead received a nagging voice. The pain on his head dissipated the guilt in his heart.
Finally, Ah Meng took pity on me and reminded me, "Tell Ah Bao to teach me to speak in a couple of days. By the way, I don't need to carry anyone on my back."
Yes, he can pretend to teach Ah Meng to speak, and then Ah Meng can speak openly in front of people, right?
Lin Qing'an slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing what was going on.
The weather was exceptionally good on the day of the move, finally resembling early spring. A group of people, carrying large and small bags, and children, walked along the cliffs surrounding the mountain.
Although the road had been repaired, not much work was done in preparation for future defenses. Fortunately, those who went into the mountains this time were mostly farmers who were used to manual labor, so the journey was not too difficult.
The group walked ahead, while Chen Gengnian stayed behind to restore the cleared dead branches and dry grass until he was satisfied that it was no longer so noticeable.
After many stops and starts, we finally arrived at our destination.
The warm sunshine of the past few days has caused the withered flowers and plants to sprout again, and the streams are sparkling in the sunlight. The children, who have never been here before, are clapping and cheering with joy.
The pure laughter was like a gentle feather duster, lightly scratching the hearts of the adults who had not yet fully relaxed. Everyone slowly smiled and walked step by step toward the future they had built with their own hands.
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