Chapter 489: Chapter 489: Seeking a Sense of Security
In short, on the way here in Hua Village, there have been many collapses and landslides, but no surface cracking was found. Even the subsequent Qinggu Mountain range hasn’t shown any signs of landslides for the time being. It’s a blessing in disguise.
The reason the journey was so smooth was that they had tidied up beforehand when setting off, but settling in the forest isn’t an easy task.
However, Song Qing from Songjia Valley doesn’t seem to care much, and Old Hua only symbolically reminded him.
"No worries," Song Qing said, indicating there’s no issue.
The main concern is staying close enough to Hua Village for safety. As for the living conditions, they are not fussy at the moment. Just a simple shelter is enough for people to live, the rest can be dealt with once their bodies slowly recover.
"Alright, since that’s the case, let’s go up."
People from Songjia Valley had no objections, and naturally, neither did their village chief from another village.
This saved a lot of effort; they didn’t need to take them to another place. Just going up this way was enough.
There was originally no path in the world; each path is trodden by people step by step. The small path in Hua Village was trodden by Hua Village locals one step at a time, and although it has been tidied up, the damage caused by the earthquake is still visible, with uprooted trees scattered haphazardly on the side.
Everyone walked carefully, and after a cup of tea’s time, they appeared in the forest outside Hua Village.
Only after entering the forest did Song Qing realize the meaning of the earlier words from Hua Cheng.
In the forest, twisted and broken fallen trees were everywhere, indeed requiring effort to clear for human habitation. However, it wasn’t without advantages. Most importantly, they didn’t need to bother chopping down trees. They only needed to tidy up, and they would have a large open area that seemed more suitable for habitation.
Having reached the entrance to their village, Old Hua initially intended to take people straight back to the village, but seeing these old, weak, sick, and injured from Songjia Valley, he couldn’t harden his heart.
After putting down Songjia Valley’s belongings, he led a group of villagers to help with cleaning up, greatly moving Song Qing and his people, who kept expressing their gratitude. Those able to move in Songjia Valley also hurried to join in. With help, they all wanted to quickly tidy up, especially so the injured in the village could have a place to shelter against the wind and rain.
With hundreds of men helping, they soon cleared a large area, leveled the ground, and built dozens of shelters. A small shelter could accommodate a family and their belongings and was enough to block the wind, rain, and store their belongings.
With many hands, great power; it took less than an hour to build the shelters and settle the people. All ready, Old Hua was anxious to leave.
Unexpectedly, Song Qing held onto his hand, refusing to let go. This man near the age of sixty looked at him with tearful eyes, giving Old Hua an uneasy feeling with his close gaze.
"Hua Cheng, Song Qing doesn’t know how to express it. You saved our lives. Songjia Valley people will always remember your great favor and virtue." He signaled his son to bring over the food shared by each household, "The kindness of saving lives is greater than the sky. We don’t know how to thank you properly. The amount isn’t much, but it’s the best we can offer. It’s our token of gratitude, Hua Cheng, please accept it."
"This won’t do." Old Hua immediately shook his head. Although Song Qing’s gesture made everyone feel warm inside, at least they knew gratitude and weren’t ungrateful. It was worth the hard effort bringing so many people from Songjia Valley and even organizing a place for them.
Whether or not it becomes a bother to Hua Village, with such a solid wall, there’s no need to worry.
"We accept your gratitude, but keep your food."
"Hua Cheng..."
"Alright, we just escaped death, don’t think too much. Focus on living well with everyone. It’s late, take your people to rest."
"Hua Cheng, this... what can I say. We from Songjia Valley will always remember your great favor and virtue. In the future, whatever you need, we will comply without hesitation. My family, in particular, will follow your lead."
"We are neighbors; facing a calamity, how could we not help each other? But what we can aid in is only this much." Nice words can be spoken by anyone. Though it felt good to hear them, Old Hua didn’t take it to heart. He patted Song Qing’s shoulder, revealing his bottom line, and then left the forest, seeing them off.
This place is only a few hundred meters away from the village entrance, and everyone’s mood was somewhat anxious to get home. A knock on the door was met with a quick response from inside.
Apparently, not only were they eagerly wanting to return, but everyone in the village was worried, too. The main entrance had people on guard again, just to open the door for those returning as quickly as possible.
"Village Chief Uncle, you’re back." A delighted voice from Hua Annai, who eagerly examined everyone. Though a bit dirty and disheveled, seeing everyone safe and sound visibly eased her mind.
"En," Old Hua nodded, "Is everything alright in the village?" He asked again.
"Everything’s okay, everyone was just worried about you, Village Chief Uncle."
"We’re all fine," Old Hua quickly asked, "Has Chengtian’s group returned yet?"
"Not yet." Hua Annai shook her head, peering into the crowd, unable to see her son, "Weren’t they with you?" She couldn’t help but ask in confusion.
"No," Old Hua grew a bit concerned. Both routes were about the same. Their side had been delayed a bit, yet they’ve already returned. How come Chengtian’s group was even slower? Hopefully, they haven’t run into any accidents.
But thinking about how many people there were, and considering Chengtian’s expertise, they shouldn’t run into trouble. Perhaps they were delayed by something, so he instantly felt reassured again.
"Village Chief Uncle, have you seen Hua Dafu?"
"He’s with Chengtian; don’t worry, with Chengtian leading, they have enough people to be safe." Knowing Hua Annai worries about her son, Old Hua added this.
Knowing Chengtian is leading, Hua Annai was instantly relieved, then nodded.
As Old Hua expected, Hua Chengtian’s group indeed encountered some unexpected matters.
It wasn’t trouble caused by others; of course, some tried to take advantage of Hua Village at the time. But Hua Chengtian’s decisive actions scared them so much that, rather than taking advantage, their lives were almost at risk.
Unlike Old Hua who only spoke, Hua Chengtian’s actions weren’t as lenient. They worked hard from far away, diligently rescuing people with great effort, only to find some were not only ungrateful but also scheming to take advantage. Could Hua Chengtian tolerate such people?
If they didn’t know gratitude, there’s no need to save them and bring about animosity. Simply putting them back where they came from, directly took those who were joyously bouncing and tossed them back into the ruins, and picked up a shovel to bury them.
At the time, it scared many people. Hadn’t it been for their village members speaking kindly, those few might have actually been buried alive, begging and kowtowing in terror, instantly behaving themselves.
Then, whenever there was anyone unclear-headed, Hua Chengtian acted that way. They weren’t really unable to survive; food and stuff were unearthed, so why couldn’t they survive. In the mountainous environment during floods, people survived without food. Now with food and resources, survival isn’t impossible; clearly, some just needed a good disciplining.