nucmednet Chapter 193 The reason
Chapter 193 The reason
Li Benfu said this in a hurried tone, and everyone's expression changed except Han Zhibai.
Chen Yuzhen said, "Yes, we can't just leave whenever we want. It's better to plan the route first to avoid taking the wrong route. Let's go and ask around tomorrow morning to see who knows Niutou Mountain well."
Han Zhibai said calmly: "I know some of the situation in Niutou Mountain. I have been there several times before."
The others were not so calm. The two Li brothers kept asking him for details.
Xia Qingyue and Li Benfu were relatively calm.
Although Chen Dawei didn't say anything, the twitching corners of his mouth revealed his inner excitement, and he looked at Han Zhibai with hope in his eyes.
"I know the route very well. I can take you on a detour!" said Han Zhibai.
This time, Xia Qingyue looked at Han Zhibai with surprise and complicated eyes.
On the one hand, he was happy that he knew how to get to Niutou Mountain, which made it much easier to bring back reinforcements.
On the other hand, the journey was steep and dangerous, and she was very worried about his safety.
As soon as Han Zhibai finished speaking, his gentle and smiling eyes fell on Xia Qingyue's face. He nodded firmly at her, "I want to go with everyone!"
Xia Qingyue understood what he meant and pursed her lips slightly.
After the Li family was happy, they gradually calmed down and persuaded Han Zhibai, saying that he could draw a route map, which was already a great help, and there was no need to take risks, they could just follow the route map.
Even though they said this, Han Zhibai still said he wanted to go and he had made up his mind.
Seeing this, Xia Qingyue and the Li family knew his determination and stopped trying to persuade him.
When they had agreed to this, it was already late at night and everything was quiet. They returned to their camp together and prepared to go to sleep. Mosquitoes were buzzing around and everyone had bumps on their bodies that made them scratch and itch.
Xia Qingyue took out the mosquito coils she had brought in the morning and distributed them out, teaching them how to use them and also explaining how to make them.
It was very late, and the way back was long and unsafe, so she and Han Zhibai had no choice but to decide to rest at the base until dawn the next day before going back.
Xia Qingyue and Xiaobai slept in a shed with Chen Yuzhen, Fang's mother and daughter.
Han Zhibai shared a room with the men from the Li family.
Xiaobai clung to Xia Qingyue and soon after lying down he fell asleep and began snoring.
The bed was covered with a hard straw mat. Xia Qingyue, who was used to sleeping on a bed covered with soft dry straw, felt a little uncomfortable. She lay flat on her back in this position, thinking of Heihei who was alone at home, and then of Han Zhibai and the Li family who were about to go on a long journey.
Thousands of thoughts were gushing out like a spring in the mountains. She had no desire to sleep at all, and she didn't fall asleep until people started walking around outside.
After a while, Chen Yuzhen and the others woke up, and Xia Qingyue, exhausted both physically and mentally, got up with them.
Raising her hand and pulling aside the curtain, Xia Qingyue walked out first. The sky was dark and faintly glowing.
From the next shed, Han Zhibai, Li Benfu and others came out one after another.
Han Zhibai and Xia Qingyue looked at each other at the same time. The moment their eyes met, the whole world fell silent. Everything around them seemed to retreat into the night that had not yet dissipated, leaving only the two of them.
They both saw dark circles under each other's eyes, and they both knew that the other had not slept all night and they cared about each other.
The people in the garrison have all gotten up. The displaced life in the mountains has made them accustomed to getting up early and going to bed late. Once they get up, they are busy with their own things, working together to make breakfast and find and chop firewood.
There is strength in numbers, and breakfast is ready quickly.
For breakfast, everyone had a bowl of mushroom soup without any oil and a brown purslane steamed bun as big as an egg.
Xia Qingyue, Han Zhibai and Xiaobai had not eaten for several hours and were extremely hungry. They finished their steamed bread and drank their soup in just a few bites.
Seeing that they had finished eating, Chen Yuzhen and Fang's mother and daughter stood up and took away their bowls, wanting to get more food.
Han Zhibai and Xia Qingyue stood up at the same time to stop them, "Aunt, that's enough."
Eating from a big pot affects everyone. If someone eats more, someone else will eat less, which can easily lead to conflicts.
A middle-aged woman with a dark complexion and a pair of smiling eyes that showed her friendliness and sincerity said, "Children, there is plenty of soup. These mushrooms were picked by Yuzhen, who taught us how to recognize them."
Another woman, who was sitting on the grass, drank a mouthful of soup, wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, and said with a hearty laugh, "Yes, I'll cook another pot after you finish eating. Don't worry!"
The others enthusiastically asked Xia Qingyue and Han Zhibai to eat more, while Chen Yuzhen, Fang's mother and daughter took their empty bowls to get soup.
Unable to refuse the kind invitation, Xia Qingyue, Han Zhibai and Xiaobai each drank two bowls of mushroom soup.
After breakfast, the women and children cleaned up the dishes, and some men went to the nearest stream to fetch water to wash the dishes and pots.
Li Benfu was the leader and counted the number of people participating in the new plan. At the end, he announced a good news in public, that is, Han Zhibai knew the route to Niutou Mountain and was willing to go.
When people heard the good news, they were overjoyed and their faith increased greatly.
At last count, there were 38 people participating in the new plan. Except for Han Zhibai, the other newcomers were older men in their 50s and 60s, who expressed their desire to participate in a firm attitude.
After the headcount was counted and they were ready to pack up their belongings for the journey, Xia Qingyue found Li Benfu and said hello, "Uncle, we want to go back and pack up before coming back."
Li Benfu agreed and let them go, they could handle the situation here.
The two men and the dog left the camp. On the way, Han Zhibai looked nervous and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Xia Qingyue spoke before he did. She stood still and faced him, smiling slightly: "You are so persistent, there must be a reason for it. I respect your choice."
In an instant, his brows relaxed and he looked at her in surprise.
She said, "I think I can guess the reason. It is to bring reinforcements, eliminate the bandits, and restore peace in the mountains."
Han Zhibai knew he couldn't hide it from her, so he nodded in acknowledgement.
"Then I'll wait for you at home!"
She had thought about going with them last night, but then she calmed down and thought carefully about how much help she could bring and whether she would be a hindrance.
Thinking about this, my thoughts suddenly changed.
"Qingyue, can I ask you for a favor after I leave?
I want to leave Xiaobai to you. You can live in the valley. There is no shortage of food and daily necessities in the valley, and there is a forest formation outside for defense."
The main reason was that once he left, he would not be with her, and she was worried that the group of people in the village would find her and put her in danger.
By then, he will be far away on the other side and will know nothing, and even if he knows, it will be too late for him to do anything.
Xia Qingyue didn't think much about it. "Okay, I have poultry and vegetable fields over there. I'll go back every few days."
Han Zhibai was surprised by her ready agreement. He was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled up and he raised his hand to gently stroke her black hair.
"You planted so many crops in the valley. If you leave, they will die if no one takes care of them for a long time. What a waste. And the little black poultry, so many little lives, need someone to take care of them. I will do the logistics support work at home!"
The two men agreed on this matter and quickened their journey.
When they got out of the dense forest, they separated. One went to the tiankeng to pick up Heihei and take care of some things, while the other went to the valley to pack the bags to take away.