Chapter 44 Entering the Village Chen Huaian frowned slightly. He didn't quite understand. The environment was so bad, why didn't they move away? He asked Wang Ping, and Wang Ping's answer was "difficult". First of all, women and children are a problem. The wind and sand here are too strong, and the temperature fluctuates too much between day and night. Women and children are weak and cannot withstand such hardships. Moreover, there are nearly twenty people in their village. Although not many, if they carry out a large-scale migration, they may be buried in the yellow sand if they are not careful. "Isn't it just a few hours' journey?" Chen Huaian asked. If they went a little faster, they could reach the edge of the forest before dark. After listening to Chen Huaian's words, Wang Ping sighed and shook his head, "It's not that easy. Even if we can reach the edge of the forest before dark, we still have to face crises that may arise at any time." "The wild beasts that could rush out of the forest at any time, the poisonous insects and snakes that lurk in the sand." “Also, after arriving in a new environment, we still need to adapt.” "Many women and children here are suffering from the erosion of wind and sand, and their bodies can't stand it." After hearing what Wang Ping said, Chen Huaian frowned slightly, "Are you planning to live like this?" Chen Huaian asked, in such an environment, people's life span would certainly not be long, their lungs had long been eroded by wind and sand, and some of them might even have difficulty breathing.
“Some of us have lived here for too long to leave.” "There used to be a lot of people in our village, but many people couldn't stand this kind of life and gradually left. In the end, there were more and more elderly people. We couldn't bear to see them left unattended, so we stayed." "By the way, Brother Wang, I heard you guys talking about the Sand Bandits earlier. What kind of people are they?" Chen Huaian changed the subject. He didn't intend to continue discussing this heavy topic. "Sand bandits." Wang Ping's tone changed significantly when he said these two words. "They are a group of people who I wish I could tear their tendons and skin alive," Wang Ping said, his tone filled with anger that was difficult to suppress. When Chen Huaian heard Wang Ping's tone, he already had a general understanding of this group of bandits. He did not ask any more questions, nor did he let Wang Ping talk about this group of bandits in detail, because doing so would be tantamount to exposing other people's scars. "Brother Chen, can I ask you for a favor?" Wang Ping suddenly asked. Chen Huaian was a little confused. He didn't know what to say to Wang Ping's sudden request. "Just tell me, as long as it's not too much, I can agree to it." After Chen Huaian finished speaking, Wang Ping knelt down in front of Chen Huaian. "Brother Chen, I know you are not an ordinary person. I beg you to help us wipe out the sand bandits and bring us peace!" "I won't stay long." Chen Huaian replied, and stretched out his hand to help Wang Ping up. Chen Huaian’s goal was very clear from the beginning to the end - Penglai. "I know. I just want you to take action. The bandits will come to our village tomorrow. You can take action then." "If you don't leave here, this is just a delaying tactic." Chen Huaian said, but what Chen Huaian said was the truth. If Wang Ping and the others did not move away, this problem would never be solved. "I……" Wang Ping hesitated to speak. How could he not understand what Chen Huaian said? But reality did not allow him to make so many choices.
"Think about it carefully. If you plan to move away from here, tomorrow will be the best time to do so after driving away the bandits." "I know that in addition to being worried about environmental uncertainties, you are more worried about the sand bandits." "Let's think about it." "Yeah." Chen Huaian and Wang Ping ended their conversation. Wang Ping needed to think, and Chen Huaian also needed to think, because... Lao Niu had gone somewhere. The old cow will not get lost, so Chen Huaian is not worried. However, it’s time for it to study the map. Chen Huaian searched for a while and finally found the old cow in a cowshed. Chen Huaian couldn't help laughing when he saw the tied old cow. "Old cow, what's wrong with you?" Most people are capable of tying up an old cow unless it is willing. "Moo." (A brother and sister led me here. Their mother fainted on the way out to fetch water, so they asked me to carry her on their back.) "Oh, I see." Chen Huaian said as he walked closer to the old cow and untied the rope that tied it. "Then they shouldn't tie you up." Chen Huaian said. Lao Niu's answer was that the two children tied it here because they were worried that it would be captured by bad guys. "I thought you won the lottery again." Chen Huaian was naturally referring to the incident where the old cow had been drugged. It would have been fine if Chen Huaian hadn't mentioned this, but when he mentioned the old cow's front hoof, he couldn't help himself. "Just kidding, just kidding..." He couldn't stand the old cow's hooves. If he was hit by one, he would have to lie down for at least three days. "Liu'er, who's outside? A guest?" A weak female voice suddenly sounded, and a tender child's voice followed, "Mom, lie down, I'll go out and take a look." Chen Huaian stood there, and a boy walked out of the room. He looked at Chen Huaian. His clean black clothes and face made the boy named Liuer know at once that he was not a local. "Who are you!" Liu'er asked in a fierce tone. Chen Huaian didn't care about it. It was due to the environment. Besides, the reason why the boy named Liu'er did this might be to protect his mother. "Brother, what's wrong?" A little girl walked out of the room. She looked about four or five years old, very delicate, with clear eyes. Her breathing was weak and she had a slight cough. Chen Huaian already knew that this girl had lung disease. "If I don't find a new place to live, I may not live long." Chen Huaian said in his heart, and walked closer to the two children. He couldn't see clearly from a distance. It was not until they were about half a meter away that Chen Huaian saw clearly that his brother's face was full of stubbornness, while his sister's eyes were full of worry. But their skin was very delicate and their faces were rosy. Chen Huaian knew at a glance that their father protected them very well. "My name is Chen Huaian. I just came to this village today. The cow you tied up is my cow, so I am here to take it back." Chen Huaian said, and then he turned and walked towards Lao Niu, ready to take him away, but Liu'er got in front of him and shouted, "No!" "He is my cow, why can't I take him away?" Chen Huaian asked. Liu'er was somewhat embarrassed by Chen Huaian's question, but his body did not move at all.
"Because... because..." Liu'er didn't know what to say, but his sister spoke up, "Because after you took the cow away, there was no one to take care of our mother. Our mother's condition worsened, maybe... maybe..." Her voice was soft but strong. Although she didn't finish her words, Chen Huaian already understood that their mother would not live long. (End of this chapter)