"But if this mountain road isn't cleared, we won't be able to move forward at all. This is truly a dilemma."
Yao Qingshuang frowned, standing there for a long moment with a look of worry on her face. But then she consoled herself mentally, "However, this mountain road is so rugged and difficult to walk. Most people wouldn't bother to come here. I guess only poor refugees like us, with nowhere else to go, would dare to walk this mountain road."
Thinking of this, her heart slowly calmed down, and the sadness on her face eased a little.
The village chief looked at Bai Dongqing, who had endured so much hardship, with a look of sympathy and kindness in his eyes. He slowly said to the young man, "My child, we are from Sujia Village. We all set out on this journey together to escape the famine because we couldn't survive. It's not easy for you two, grandfather and grandson. If you don't mind, you can stay in our camp tonight and rest up."
Bai Dongqing's eyes flashed with surprise and gratitude after hearing what the village chief said. He waved his hands repeatedly, his voice trembling with excitement. "Don't mind, don't mind. It's truly a great favor for you to take us in, village chief! All we need is a place to sleep. Thank you so much!"
As he spoke, he held the hand of the old man next to him. The old man nodded continuously, his eyes full of emotion, and kept muttering words of gratitude.
Seeing this, the village chief smiled slightly and began to make arrangements.
He led the grandfather and grandson to his bedding, pointed to a relatively flat open space, and said, "You two can sleep here tonight. Although the place is not spacious, it will be enough for you to sleep. If there is any movement at night, you can take care of it."
They looked at the resting place arranged for them by the village chief, their hearts filled with gratitude, and thanked the village chief repeatedly.
Those who had gathered to watch the fun gradually dispersed and returned to their homes to rest.
The camp slowly returned to its previous tranquility, with only a few occasional soft snoring sounds echoing softly in the night of the mountain forest.
The next morning, everyone in Sujia Village prepared to pack up and hit the road again.
Bai Dongqing stood aside, his eyes fixed on the people from Sujia Village who were busy but methodically packing their luggage, his heart filled with uneasiness.
He bit his lip, hesitated for a long time, and then slowly walked towards the direction of the village chief.
When he came to the village chief, Bai Dongqing lowered his head slightly, his hands unconsciously tugging at the corners of his clothes, and asked awkwardly, "Village Chief Su, I...I have something I want to ask you."
He paused, raised his head, and looked straight at the village chief. He mustered up his courage and continued, "Can my grandfather and I go with you? We promise to just follow quietly from behind. Really, we won't cause you any trouble at all!"
When saying this, Bai Dongqing's voice trembled slightly, and his bright young eyes were now full of pleading.
He knew very well in his heart that this vast mountain range was not a peaceful place, and unknown dangers lurked everywhere.
If the grandfather and grandson want to get out of the mountains smoothly, there is a high probability that they will encounter an accident.
At this moment, he looked at the people of Sujia Village in front of him, and saw that they did things in an orderly manner, arranging itineraries, assigning tasks, and everything else was handled properly. Moreover, the villagers got along with each other in such unity and friendship, helping each other.
Therefore, in this mountain full of dangers, he really hopes to act together with the people of Sujia Village, so that perhaps the grandfather and grandson will have a greater chance of getting out of the mountain safely.
After hearing Bai Dongqing's request, the village chief frowned slightly, with a look of embarrassment on his face.
He was silent for a long time before he slowly spoke, "Well, I need to ask the villagers for their opinions. After all, this isn't something I can decide on my own. Everyone needs to agree on it."
Bai Dongqing immediately smiled in understanding after hearing this and said quickly, "This is only natural. Please. I know everyone needs to agree on this matter. Could you please help me, Village Chief? No matter what the final result is, we are grateful to you."
The village chief nodded, and then gathered all the heads of households together.
Everyone sat in a circle, with confusion in their eyes, wondering why the village chief had gathered everyone together.
The village chief cleared his throat and expressed in a serious tone that Bai Dongqing and his grandson wanted to go with them, and then he sincerely asked for everyone's opinions.
A low murmur suddenly arose among the crowd.
Some people, upon hearing this, waved their hands nonchalantly and said carelessly, "What's the big deal? This mountain isn't ours. The grandfather and grandson want to follow us, so we can't just drive them away unreasonably."
But some people immediately frowned and said with displeasure, "I don't want to do this. We are all from the same village. We know each other well and get along well. What's the big deal about two people from other villages suddenly coming in? Who knows what kind of character they have? What if they cause trouble?"
Others sighed softly and said earnestly, "We're all refugees trying to make a living in this difficult world. We should help each other. The grandfather and grandson are all alone, and it's not easy. Let's go together. Two more people means more care. There's no need to push them away."
Everyone expressed their opinions one after another, and the village chief listened quietly on the side, his brows sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed, and he was weighing in his mind what was the best decision to make.
Yao Qingshuang stood aside, frowning slightly, with a thoughtful glimmer in her eyes.
She kept recalling the names of Bai Dongqing and his grandson in her mind. Baizhu and Dongqing seemed to be medicinal herbs. Generally, doctors in ancient times liked to use medicinal herbs as their names. Could they be doctors?
Yao Qingshuang thought for a moment and said, "Village Chief, have you asked them what they do? Their names are all names of medicinal herbs. Could they be doctors?"
There was a hint of anticipation in her voice.
The village chief was originally discussing the next itinerary with several villagers and was startled by Yao Qingshuang's sudden words.
He was stunned for a moment, looking at Yao Qingshuang with surprise in his eyes. Then he reacted and a look of surprise and joy appeared on his face. He said hurriedly: "I didn't ask. Wait, I'll ask them to come over and ask!"
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