The villagers of Wangjia Village are busy all the time. Everyone is moving around like a little bee, constantly bringing back prey, which is then processed by specialized people.
The women are responsible for making the meat jerky and hanging it directly in the canyon. The mountain wall above protects it from rain leaks, making it a natural drying room.
The old village chief was also busy, constantly crushing the medicine in his hands so that he could use it at any time when needed. Common hemostatic powders were essential.
They are busy all day and take turns to rest at night. Those who don't rest are responsible for processing the dried meat.
After three days of busy work, news came from the foot of the mountain.
Goudan was so exhausted after running up the mountain that he was out of breath. He shouted intermittently: "The village chief is in trouble. There's an accident down the mountain... The dam has broken!"
"Seven or eight of the ten or so villages are gone, and two more are rowing over here. They must be heading up the mountain too. What should we do? We won't fight them, will we?"
The old village chief pursed his lips. He had experienced it more than 30 years ago and naturally knew the horror of human nature. The other villages had fled to the mountains, so they must have no food.
Once they discovered they were storing food, they wouldn't necessarily start a fight, which would only lead to more casualties...
After thinking for a moment, the old village chief patted Goudan's arm.
"Goudan called them over and told them I had something to say."
Wait until everyone is here.
The village chief said sternly, "Stop what you're doing now, cut bamboo to make bows and arrows, and set up traps around here."
"The canyon is covered with dead trees and vines. It's best not to let other villagers see it. Everyone, keep your mouths shut and don't tell anyone about what's happening here. Act as embarrassed as possible."
"No one is allowed to approach people from other villages. Tell them to move to another hill. This is ours. If anyone forces their way in, then... kill them."
The old village chief's face became more and more fierce when he thought of the disaster.
"You heard it all. I will bear all the blame for the murder. Only in this way can the people of Wangjia Village survive. Anyone who dares to mess around will be expelled from the Wang family tree."
The villagers looked at each other, all frightened by the village chief's appearance at the moment. Even when the dam broke, the village chief's expression had never been so terrifying.
Wang Yifan was a scholar in the village, and he was a little confused when he heard this.
"Village chief, why are you so afraid of those people? Aren't they all from the neighboring village? We used to have a good relationship with us, but now they're in trouble, so shouldn't we lend a hand?"
The village chief raised his head and glanced at him, sighed, and slowly told them what happened thirty years ago, looking at their shocked expressions.
"You have to know that natural disasters are terrible, but what's even more terrifying than natural disasters is the human heart. They're coming to the mountains to seek refuge, yes, but they're trying to steal our things and cut off our livelihood. What do you think?"
"Is it easier to hunt us or to just rob us? What if we help them and they bite us back and kill us?"
"I'm the village chief. All I can do is try my best to protect the villagers of Wangjia Village. I can't do anything for the villagers of other villages."
"There are so many hilltops in Panlong Mountain. The one we are on is not the highest. They can choose another place. Each village can occupy a hilltop and keep to themselves."
The villagers kept silent. They wanted to help, but their own families were more important. They had worked hard to save the food.
There cannot be any mistakes. As for those who have families in other villages, they naturally have their own selfish motives and cannot bear to watch their family members die, so this is what the village chief has to guard against.
Traps, bows and arrows, and other weapons were not meant to kill people but to intimidate them. If he wanted to protect the villagers, he had to think more about everything.
Zhaojia Village, Gaojia Village, and Xujia Village went up the mountain one after another.
Goudan stood at the fork in the road and said cheerfully, "Hello, uncles and aunts. The village chief asked me to show you the way. Qingzhu Peak now belongs to Wangjia Village. You can choose any other peak."
"Each village has its own mountain peak. It's best not to go to the other side's base unless necessary."
Village Chief Zhao's face turned grim: "What does Old Wang mean? Our two villages weren't on good terms before, and now the flood has come, he's treating us like snakes and scorpions, right?"
"Ah, no. The village chief said that in order to avoid conflicts within the village, it's best for each village to have its own mountain peak. Otherwise, if there's a conflict and they start fighting, it'll be very damaging to the harmony."
The other two village chiefs pursed their lips and spoke after a long time.
"As expected of someone who survived that disaster thirty years ago, you're truly ruthless. Are you afraid that we'll bring trouble to your village? That's ridiculous."
"That's right. We have a lot of strong laborers in our village. How can we possibly burden you? Maybe when the time comes, it will be your village that needs our help."
Goudan had a smile on his face, just pretending they were farting.
The village chief is a scholar, he has read more books and is smarter than them, so what he says is definitely not wrong. If they are not from the same village, then their hearts are not together.
After discussing it, the three village heads decided that they should stay together so that the able-bodied laborers could gather together and survive better in the mountains, which would be better than being separated.
But I didn't think about one thing: there is no room for two tigers in one mountain, not to mention the village heads of three villages. They must be thinking about their own villages in private, and it is inevitable that they will be unfair to other villages.
Of course, this is all later, we will talk about it later.
After Goudan showed them the way and made sure they had gone far away, he turned around and rushed in, walked through the dense bamboo forest to the foot of the mountain wall, and looked at the caves of various sizes.
The air was filled with the aroma of meat. I took a deep breath and felt at ease. I admired the village chief even more.
If the village chief had not had foresight, they would have suffered as well.
Village Chief Wang walked out slowly, leaning on a cane, and called out, "Goudan, come here and tell me about the three villages. How many people are there in each village, and which hilltops they chose?"
Goudan told everything and saw the village chief's complicated expression.
Curiously, "Grandpa Village Chief, what's wrong with you? I did something wrong. If you tell me, I will definitely change."
"Hey, you're not wrong. They're the ones who are wrong. I'm afraid that if these three villages... some of them start making trouble, who knows how many people will die. Leave two people to cut bamboo arrows."
Village Chief Wang glanced at the villagers and said in a deep voice, "As long as we can hold on to Green Bamboo Peak, we won't starve to death. The insects in these bamboos can be roasted and eaten."
"Find a few more people and spread that white powder around. The book says it can kill insects."
*
Zhao, Gao and Xu villagers came to the highest mountain and were overjoyed after finding the cave. They thought they would be able to settle down soon and no longer have to worry about floods.
But a new problem arose. The villagers of the three villages were hostile to each other. Who didn't want the biggest and best cave? But there were few caves and many villagers.
Village chief Zhao felt a headache as he watched the quarreling villagers. Now he seemed to understand what Old Wang really meant.
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