bookrandom Chapter 227 Small Mountain Village
Chapter 227 Small Mountain Village
Xu Si weighed the [Piercing Prism] in his palm, the cool sensation seeping into his skin.
"Thanks!" Xu Si said to Dou Dou.
"This was clearly a gift from Ya Ya to Brother Xu, why is Brother Xu thanking me?"
Because of Grandma Xin's passing, Dou Dou has been feeling down for the past two days. She briefly spoke with Xu Si and then went back home.
Doubao and his friends are in dire need of support and comfort right now.
Meanwhile, the camp began to bustle with activity.
Although everyone was surprised by Ya Ya's unusual behavior, they didn't pay much attention to it.
"Think about what I just told you. I'll go and discuss it with others!" Fu Xiaojian was referring to the supply point in the mountain village.
The convoy is not short of supplies right now, and as long as they play cautiously and develop their resources, they can greatly ensure the safety of everyone in the convoy.
This is also why Fu Xiaojian didn't announce it widely; he actually preferred not to get involved.
However, to Fu Xiaojian's surprise, several people, including Tashan, Su Su, Wang Hu, Shao Bing, and Li Miao, wanted to go in and find out what was going on.
The main reason is that these people all owe Xu Si for the strange fall, and if they have the chance, they will definitely want to pay it off as soon as possible.
As for the other extraordinary beings, they were indifferent. Their supplies were enough for a period of time, so a little more or a little less was fine with them.
"Is it... absolutely necessary to go in?" Fu Xiaojian was somewhat unsure.
"Old Fu, didn't you say the danger was controllable? Besides, our team now has four or five Sequence 3s, it's the perfect time for us to take risks."
"Besides, you must be talking about a small mountain village. Most people in the village will store up grain. Maybe we can find some other seeds!" Tashan was in favor of going into the village.
"You all think so too?" Fu Xiaojian looked at the others.
Su Su and the others either remained silent or nodded, clearly indicating their stance.
"Alright, if we're going in, let's go in together!" Tashan's words had just enlightened him.
Now that they have Niu Niu as a logistical support station, what they lack is no longer food and supplies.
Instead, they are all kinds of seeds; there might be some seeds hidden in the nooks and crannies of a mountain village farmhouse.
This is also the main reason for his softened attitude.
"Then it's settled." Fu Xiaojian took a deep breath, his eyes becoming firm.
"Since everyone thinks it's necessary, let's go into this village and take a look."
"But everyone remember, our primary goal is to ensure the safety of the convoy members, not to desperately search for food. We have cows, so the supply pressure isn't that great," Fu Xiaojian instructed the group.
His gaze swept over the crowd, especially lingering on Tashan for a few moments, because his car had the most ordinary people, who were also the most likely to be in danger.
"Safety is the top priority in this operation."
"Yes!" Xiao Luo and Li Miao replied in unison, their eyes sparkling.
"Old Fu, how far is that place from here?" Ta Shan rubbed his hands together, the veins on his rock-like arms slightly showing, indicating that he was eager to try.
He was more eager than anyone else to fulfill his promise of Xu Si's mysterious fall.
"The straight-line distance is about eight kilometers, in a valley on the other side of the mountain. The road conditions are unknown, but it shouldn't be too difficult to travel," Fu Xiaojian pointed to the mountain path behind the gentle slope.
"DouDou, let YaYa fly over and take a look beforehand..." With YaYa's caravan, they can conduct reconnaissance in advance, and if there is any unexpected situation, they can avoid it in time.
DouDou hugged the cow shell and nodded gently.
Fu Xiaojian's gaze then turned to Xu Si, as if he wanted to say something but then looked away.
"That's all for now. I'll let everyone know as soon as anything happens. You can all leave now!"
The convoy rested on the hillside for about an hour before restarting.
Next, we had to cross the mountain ridge.
The crows circled high in the sky, their three heads turning in turn to provide real-time feedback on the mountain road ahead to DouDou, who then relayed the information to Fu Xiaojian.
Everything was normal as we crossed the ridge, and the mountain road gradually began to descend, revealing a breathtaking view ahead.
It was a small valley hidden among the mountains, with gentle terrain and a dried-up stream meandering through it.
In the center of the valley, nestled against the hillside, are scattered dozens of households.
"A bungalow?" Xu Si was slightly surprised.
Xu Si knew these bungalows all too well; his hometown was full of houses like these, quite different from the white-walled, gray-tiled houses of the south.
Moreover, most of these houses were remarkably well-preserved, and the convoy wound its way downhill, getting closer and closer to the small mountain village.
Xu Si's starry eyes had already taken in the mountain village.
The entire village was completely abandoned and devoid of any life.
Those houses are just like those in the rural areas of western Henan.
Dozens of houses are scattered haphazardly and without any pattern in this valley.
No one knows the name of this village, and no one is destined to investigate it.
Xu Si and his companions were merely passersby, and insignificant ones at that.
The convoy slowly drove along the dried-up streambed into the outskirts of the mountain village.
The scene before me was clearer than when I viewed it from afar, and it also exuded a deeper sense of deathly stillness.
Most of the bungalows had their doors and windows tightly closed, and some wooden doors were crooked, their dark entrances resembling silently open mouths.
Because the households in this village are extremely scattered, the group is destined to search separately.
"I'll go to that one!" Tashan pointed to the largest house. No one competed with him for it, since everyone had enough supplies.
"Brother Dao, we're going too!" Xiao Luo and Li Miao also set their sights on a farmhouse.
"Be careful!" Xu Si reminded him, as he did not see anything unusual in the village.
It doesn't look strange at all.
"Disperse! Reassemble here in one hour," Fu Xiaojian reported over the walkie-talkie.
There aren't many houses here, and a car can only search two or three at most, so an hour is more than enough.
Xu Si was at the back of the convoy, so he waited until all the vehicles had left before choosing his target.
It was an unremarkable house, not even considered wealthy by the standards of the entire village; in fact, it could be described as rather ordinary.
However, although the furnishings in the courtyard were simple, they were quite tidy, suggesting that the family had managed the place carefully.
This reminded him of his hometown.
The courtyard gate was ajar. Xu Si reached out and pushed it open. The dry, cracked wooden shaft made a dry, creaking sound, which was particularly jarring in the silent mountain village.
He stepped in slowly, his Star Eyes operating silently, a scarlet light flowing in his eyes as he took in every detail of the courtyard.
The courtyard was small, with some rotten farm tools and firewood piled against the wall, and an abandoned well covered with a half-broken well cover.
The main house consisted of three single-story rooms with tightly closed doors and windows, the glass covered with a thick layer of grime.
Everything looked like a typical scene of desolation.
His goal was a large vat in the bungalow.
Actually, there was more than one large vat inside, but only the wheat in that vat hadn't rotted yet.
Farmers are inherently aware of potential crises and typically store surplus grain for a year or two.
Most of it is for personal use, and a small amount will be sold when grain prices are high.
In the innermost room of this house, there was a wheat storage bin and two large vats.
The grain bin was empty; the grain inside must have already been sold.
The large vat was only half full of wheat, which was probably kept by the farmer for his own use. By now, it had all turned into black mud.
The wheat in the other large vat was relatively intact; Xu Si estimated that there were at least three bags of grain, which was about 300 jin.
Xu Si reached out and took down the bamboo basket, unwrapped the plastic bag, and stuck his hand into the wheat to test the temperature.
The jar of wheat is in remarkably good condition.