The old village chief remained silent, secretly observing Li Lanzhen.
He didn't want to be the first to speak and make a decision.
On the one hand, he didn't want 20 more children, 20 more mouths, to be put into this Valley of Forgetfulness.
Moreover, among these 20 children, there are more boys than girls.
A higher number of boys means a higher food consumption!
Who will be responsible for their food and lodging?
If it is indeed as the villagers say, then a portion of the land already distributed to each household should be taken out and given to these children.
He was absolutely unwilling!
He thought the villagers were also unhappy!
Now, it remains to be seen how Li Lanzhen will handle this matter.
The best solution is for Li Lanzhen to take charge of these children.
Anyway, Li Lanzhen had supplies given to her by Jin Fulai, the young master, as well as supplies given to her by the caravan she encountered in Youzhou City.
He believes that Li Lanzhen only handed over a small portion of these supplies to the village.
Most of the supplies are probably in the hands of those few companies.
Moreover, the best solution is for Li Lanzhen to prevent the village from redistributing land to these 20 children.
During the old village chief's silence, Li Lanzhen had already discerned his thoughts.
My heart is filled with mixed feelings!
It's lively!
She was angry because she had wholeheartedly cared for the village and the old village chief, and had given so much food and supplies.
However, they were still not satisfied and did not accept the children she brought back.
I was secretly delighted!
That's good too. She can speak her mind freely, without any ulterior motives or guilt, and leave this place with her in-laws!
It wasn't that Li Lanzhen was scheming; she had a better living environment and place, yet she chose to leave them in this way, without taking them with her.
In fact, Li Lanzhen had been thinking about this issue all the way: what if the old village chief and the villagers of Wangyou Valley could treat these children well?
If they were willing to leave with her and live in that Grand Canyon.
She would be happy to take them there and live there.
Whether or not to leave here depends on discussing it with them; it's entirely voluntary.
However, given the current situation, Li Lanzhen didn't want to tell them about the existence of that valley.
After thinking about this, Li Lanzhen looked up and saw the other two village chiefs standing next to the old village chief, namely the village chief of Lujia Village and the village chief of Liujia Village.
The expressions on these two people's faces were exactly the same as those of the village chief of Hanjiacun.
They must be thinking the same thing.
Li Lanzhen chuckled inwardly. All officials have been the same since ancient times!
Then, she looked at Han Shunde, who was standing next to the old village chief.
Han Shunde harbored resentment towards his father.
His eyes were fixed intently on the women who had spoken first.
He glanced at the old village chief and spoke.
“My suggestion is that the 20 children that Lanzhen and her brother-in-law brought back should…”
Before he could finish speaking, the old village chief pulled him behind him.
The old village chief said to Li Lanzhen with a smile.
"Lanzhen, what are your thoughts?"
Li Lanzhen chuckled, "Old village chief, this is what I think: since I brought back 20 children, and they have entered the Valley of Forgetfulness, they are now villagers of the Valley of Forgetfulness. Therefore, they should enjoy all the rights that people in the Valley of Forgetfulness possess."
For example, distributing land, or distributing supplies.
After she finished speaking, she stared straight at the old village chief.
The old village chief hadn't expected Li Lanzhen to be so blunt.
He chuckled awkwardly, looked around, and then looked up at the crowd again.
Only then did he reluctantly speak.
"Lanzhen, look, all the land in Forget-Worry Valley has been distributed to the villagers, and according to your plan, the girls and women will have the same amount of land as the men."
So now, where is there land to distribute? I think you wouldn't have the heart to take some land back from the villagers and give it to these children from outside the village!
Li Lanzhen's smile widened even further.
But the chill in my heart only grew stronger!
What a way to talk! If you disagree, just disagree. Instead, stand on the moral high ground with an air of self-righteousness and try to incite the villagers' resentment towards you!
That's a brilliant tactic!
Since the human heart is unfathomable, unpredictable, and cannot withstand testing!
Then, it is time to leave, and leave with a clear mind, without any distractions, without any regrets, without any remorse, and without a trace of guilt!
Li Lanzhen looked at the old village chief without saying a word for a long time. She just stood there quietly, watching, without thinking about anything, because she had already made her decision.
At this moment, the butcher Han Dazhong stepped forward.
"Old village chief, what you're doing isn't right, is it?"
On this journey of fleeing famine, it was Lanzhen who helped us all the time.
When we arrived at Forget-Worry Valley, she repeatedly gave us supplies and food.
Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to live here so comfortably.
I'm willing to give a portion of our family's land to these children.
Next, Grandma Gou Dan, Zhang Deshui...
These families all stepped forward and said they could give away their land to their children.
Li Lanzhen stood still, waiting, taking measurements.
She wanted to see who would stand up for her and for these children today!
Ignoring the old village chief's attempts to pull him away, Han Shunde stepped forward and spoke.
“I also think that a portion of each household’s land should be allocated to these homeless orphans.”
The autumn wind swept through Forget-Worry Valley and rippled into Li Lanzhen's heart.
She still smiled as she spoke to the old village chief.
“Old village chief, since none of you want to raise the children I brought back, then I have no choice but to take them away from Forget-Worry Valley.”
I have already told everyone that they have no parents, they are all orphans, and they are all unfortunate children.
You still refuse to give them any land so they can live in this Valley of Forgetfulness.
So, I had no choice but to leave with them.
Li Lanzhen's words shocked everyone.
Li Erhan and his relatives by marriage remained silent. They believed that Li Lanzhen's decision was the best one. They were her family and her capable assistants, and they didn't want to cause her any trouble. They would simply follow whatever Li Lanzhen said and decided.
We've already endured all the hardships and difficulties of fleeing famine, what else could be difficult?!
Anyway, there's plenty of food in these mountains, so no one will starve!
The old village chief and the others did not expect Li Lanzhen to make such a decision.
This decision was completely unexpected for them!
The old village chief was still wondering if Li Lanzhen was testing their attitude by saying she wanted to leave.
Having left the Valley of Forgetfulness, what kind of environment will they seek next?
In these mountains, not only are there soldiers from Youzhou City patrolling the mountains, but even wild animals must be guarded against.
Besides, there are so many caves in Forget-Worry Valley, which is not found in other places, so they can stay there until next spring.
There is still arable land. They have been looking for food in the mountains and have seen that there are only mountains and mountainous areas, and very little land that can be cultivated!
Thinking of this, the old village chief burst into laughter.
"Lanzhen, stop talking nonsense. If you leave Forget-Worry Valley, where will you live with so many people?"
Only the Valley of Forgetfulness is a good place to live.
Li Lanzhen smiled and said, "It's alright, old village chief. There were no roads in the world to begin with. As more people walked on them and trampled them, roads were formed."
Therefore, we will always find a place where we can live.
Perhaps it's not as good as Forget-Worry Valley, perhaps it doesn't have caves where we can live directly through the winter, perhaps it doesn't have the readily available land here, but we have hands, and we can build a home.
"Alright, old village chief, I've told you my decision. I think I'll be leaving Forget-Worry Valley with my family tomorrow morning."
After saying that, she turned and walked towards her family's cave.
The children stayed close to her.
Gou Dan and Han Yinan glared angrily at the villagers of Wangyou Valley, then stomped their feet and left.
Han Mingjiang tried several times to reason with the old village chief and the others, but Xue Bao held him back tightly.
I don't know what she whispered in his ear.
Han Mingjiang no longer jumped up and angrily argued.
Xue Laohu saw all of this and thought to himself.
It seems that my in-laws encountered another great opportunity during this trip!
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