After Bai Qingqing's space was upgraded to the third level, there was no time to go to the big city warehouse to search for some vehicles and other means of transportation, so the two could only walk to Zhoucun.
The distance of two kilometers is not far, and a normal person can walk there in about half an hour.
A high wall was built outside Zhoucun, and wooden spikes and barbed wire were set up outside. It was difficult for both zombies and humans to approach the village, making it a closed area.
If pedestrians wanted to use the passage, they had to get the owner's permission. The sentry saw two shadows slowly approaching and picked up his gun vigilantly.
"They are not zombies, but humans, a man and a woman."
Fu Chen took Bai Qingqing to a safe distance from the obstacle and raised his voice, "I have a friend in your village. Can you let us in?"
After confirming that the two people were not zombies, someone came over quickly to open the door and let them in.
The people of Zhoucun have lived on the mountains and the water for generations. It is a village with its own indigenous culture. It is divided into two mountains, the south and the north. Every household is located between the two mountains, and the roads form a watershed.
From ancient times till now, this place has been called a paradise on earth, but it also makes people feel afraid. If ordinary people fall into such a mountain, they can't escape.
The houses built by Zhoucun people are also quite stylish. Every household builds their houses with wood. Plants such as banana and camellia are planted in the courtyards. The pleasant courtyards make people want to stay and relax.
The locals also dressed in ethnic style. The man wore silver ornaments on his ears and surrounded the two people with a curved knife in his hand, asking, "What are your names?"
Fu Chen said: "I have friends in your village, I am here to look for them."
The guard was merciless and asked for money right away: "Anyone who enters the village must pay."
"How much?" Fu Chen asked calmly.
The man looked at the two of them and said, "20,000 each. We only accept cash and gold and silver."
The poor mountains and bad waters are home to many unruly people. Zhoucun has closed off the mountain village. Anyone who wants to pass through or stay has to pay a large sum of money. If you don't have money, you can only make other plans.
Fu Chen took Bai Qingqing to one side, took out some gold and silver from the space, waited for a while, and then went to the gatekeeper, "Is this enough? Can we go in?"
Bai Qingqing followed him obediently without saying a word. With Fu Chen's strength, she would be safe as long as she followed him, no matter where they went.
The gatekeeper questioned the authenticity of the gold, took a bite, and smiled: "It's real gold, come in, what's your friend's name?"
Fu Chen said: "Xiao Yang."
A strange light flashed in the gatekeeper's eyes, and he laughed heartily: "So he is a friend of Brother Xiao Yang."
"Can friends not charge money?" Bai Qingqing asked.
The man looked embarrassed and said, "No, the rules cannot be broken." He put away the gold and said, "Your friends are on the north mountain, but if you want to stay, you must come with me to see the chieftain first."
The man led the two people into Zhoucun. As soon as they entered the village, they saw the majestic modified car. The tires were locked with chains at this time, and no one could start it.
It seems that the members of the Thunder Team are really in Zhoucun. I wonder how they are doing.
There were few people in the village except for some sturdy men with weapons patrolling the area. When they saw newcomers entering the village, they cast scrutinizing glances at them.
Bai Qingqing felt the uncomfortable and strange gaze and couldn't help but move closer to Fu Chen.
Fu Chen quietly held her hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid."
"I'm not afraid." Bai Qingqing said softly, "My brother is by my side."
Fu Chen held her hand tightly, and pulled her to follow the gatekeeper into an ancient building, which was the ancestral hall of the Zhoucun people.
There were several people sitting in the ancestral hall. An old man with gray hair sat in the main seat. He looked to be over 80 years old. The other men were around 50 or 60 years old.
"Are you the new outsiders?" the patriarch's old voice asked.
"Yes." Fu Chen said, "I have several friends here."
The patriarch asked, "What's your friend's name?"
"Xiao Yang." Fu Chen said calmly, "I accidentally got separated from them and came to look for them."
The tribe leader ordered the young man behind him: "Huzi, take them to find someone."
The man named Hu Zi responded: "Okay, Chief."
After coming out of the ancestral hall, Bai Qingqing finally felt a little relieved. Just now, she always felt that something was wrong in the ancestral hall, as if she was being stared at like a commodity.
Hu Zi was wearing a vest and shorts, with a silver necklace engraved with intricate runes hanging around his neck, and several red and green marks on his face.
As he walked, he said, "Your friends came the day before yesterday. They have all settled down in the village and are not leaving."
Bai Qingqing's eyes flashed with surprise. How could that group of guys be willing to live in a small mountain village and not leave? There must be something strange going on.
Huzi led them along the winding road to the north of Zhoucun, and when they reached halfway up the mountain, they met a group of people carrying wood.
But after not seeing them for two days, the Thunder Squad looked very different. Cheng Rui and Xiao Yang were wearing silver jewelry around their necks, with their muscular upper bodies naked, and wearing black lantern pants and cloth shoes on their lower bodies. They were carrying two pieces of wood together.
Bai Qingqing looked at them with admiration and said jokingly, "Brother, it seems that they really don't want to leave and plan to stay in Zhoucun as sons-in-law."
Fu Chen blocked her gaze, frowned at Xiao Yang and Cheng Rui, and said, "When are you free?"
Cheng Rui and Xiao Yang carried the wood and said, "Half an hour later."
Fu Chen nodded slightly and looked at Shen Mingxuan and Liang Zhiyu who were walking down the mountain road. They were not spared either and changed into ethnic clothes and costumes.
These men are handsome, and due to regular training their bodies are comparable to those of male models. Even when they change into different outfits, they all have their own unique features, which are very pleasing to the eye.
Bai Qingqing smiled secretly. She never expected that the big guys who were able to call the shots in the last days would be left in a small mountain village to carry wood.
Shen Mingxuan saw Bai Qingqing standing next to Fu Chen, and a strange look flashed across his peach blossom eyes. He did not target her with his sharp tongue as usual.
Huzi took the two girls to meet his friends, and then took them to a wooden house. He said, "In our village, unmarried men and women must live separately. The north side is where men live. Girl, you have to go to the south side with me."
Bai Qingqing thought, no wonder I didn't see Bai Tiantian. The men had to move wood and work, and I didn't know if the women would do anything. She looked at Fu Chen with a panicked expression, "Brother, I don't want to be separated from you."
"Little girl," Hu Zi said, "Don't make things difficult for me. The rules of the village cannot be broken."
Fu Chen's dark eyes were deep, and he said, "Be obedient and go."
Bai Qingqing lowered her eyelashes, pursed her lips and said, "Okay."
She followed Hu Zi down the mountain towards the south, looking at the entire village on the way. As the sun was about to set, the beautiful scenery in the daytime seemed a little eerie.
Hu Zi led her to the village in the south and let her go up the mountain by herself to sleep at the house where corn and peppers were hung.
"Host, I have issued a side quest. Do you want to do it?"
Bai Qingqing asked as she walked over, "What are the benefits of doing side quests?"
"Points gained from completing tasks can be exchanged for mutant plant seeds." said the system.
Bai Qingqing paused and asked, "Are you talking about plant seeds that can be planted in space?"
"Yes, host."
"The branch line is opened. Mission 1: Help Awang meet Amei. Mission 2: Let the two of them finally get married."
“…”System, are you sure you are not kidding me?
Who is Awang and who is Amei? She actually serves as the matchmaker in the apocalypse, which makes people speechless.
Never mind, she endured it for the sake of mission points.
Bai Qingqing found a wooden house as Hu Zi had described, pushed open the fence and walked into the courtyard. Just then she saw an old lady carrying a bucket of water and slowly going up the stairs. She ran over quickly and said, "Old man, let me help you."
The old lady heard the voice and smiled: "Thank you, you must be the new girl."
"Yes, my name is Bai Qingqing." Bai Qingqing carried the water up the stairs, walked into the room in three or two steps, and put the bucket next to the water tank.
The old lady hobbled into the room and asked gently, "Miss Qingqing, have you had dinner?"
Bai Qingqing and Fu Chen had eaten some dry food on the way. They hadn't eaten anything at night, so they were indeed a little hungry. They shook their heads shyly, "No."
The old lady took out the corn from the pot and said, "Here is a piece of corn. Eat it first. I will go cook."
Bai Qingqing took a bite of the corn. The sweet and tender yellow corn tasted so good that she couldn't help but take two bites. She went over and said, "Grandma, let me help you."
"No, I'm an old lady and I can still move. How can I let the guests do that to me?" The old lady rejected her kindness.
Bai Qingqing bit a piece of corn and looked around the wooden house. The room was simple and the furniture was very old, but it was kept very clean.
During dinner, she asked her grandmother, "Grandma, do you know who Awang is?"
The old lady put down her bowl and asked, "Which Awang are you looking for?"
Bai Qingqing had a bad feeling: "Could it be that all the men in the village are called Awang?"
The old lady smiled and said, "Little girl, which boy are you dating? Didn't he tell you his real name?"
“……”Really.
"What about A-mei?" Bai Qingqing asked again, feeling hopeless: "Are all the girls in the village called A-mei?"
"No, not really." The old lady gave her some bacon and said, "You are too thin. Eat more."
Bai Qingqing was only interested in completing her mission, so she asked, "How many Awangs are there in the village?"
"Let me think about it." The old man took a long time to name three families.
Bai Qingqing guessed that the old man's memory was not very good, so she did not ask any more questions. The next day, she got up early, did not even have breakfast, and went out to look for someone.
It would be nice if Zhoucun could be developed into a tourist attraction. The air in this picturesque place is fresh, and the golden sunlight shines down. The mountain village shrouded in a thin layer of mist is particularly beautiful.
The sound of roosters crowing could be heard faintly in the village, and white smoke was seen rising from the roofs of several houses, finally bringing a bit of the human atmosphere.
Bai Qingqing didn't know how long Fu Chen would stay in Zhoucun. In order to complete the task as soon as possible, she had to hurry and find him.
She first went to the house closest to the old lady. After walking for a few minutes, she finally reached the outside of the house and looked inside through the fence.