Chapter 0003: Neighborhood

Li Qiu and Song Fei exchanged a glance and immediately burst into laughter, while Zheng Qing, not understanding the situation, scratched his head in confusion. Li Qiu patted his shoulder and, looking at the bewildered Li Jinchen, teased, "Old Zheng, oh Old Zheng, you really are thinking about your brother-in-law even before your own wife has moved in. Isn't your life a bit too ahead of its time?"

When it comes to the topic of women, a group of older gentlemen seems to always find common ground

Li Jincheng was taken aback, "Dalang? Why do I have a sense of déjà vu of Wu Dalang?" However, considering the customary way people addressed each other at this time, Li Jincheng had no choice; after all, he was the eldest in the Li family. He nodded and said, "Yes, thank you for your concern, Mother-in-law, I am fine."

In fact, as a standard recluse of later generations, Li Jincheng had little interest in sports, especially not in navigating through the deep mountains and forests without any steps. However, he knew he had no choice. As the clearly designated next leader of the entire village, if he wished to save even just the people of this village in chaotic times, he needed to understand what the surrounding environment was like.

Brother Li, you are finally alright!" Several young people, who were just carrying hoes, suddenly excitedly waved at Li Jincheng as they reached the door.

Song Fei immediately glared at Zheng Qing and said, "What do you want to do!"

Li Qiu immediately stuck out his tongue, not daring to say much. Li Jinchen has always been a person of his word, and Li Qiu certainly did not want that hoe to truly fall on his neck

The old woman waved her hand and said, "Da Lang, you have no idea how worried the villagers have been about you these days. Not to mention the few who are usually close to you, just the young women in the village who care about you must have been unable to sleep soundly these past few days!"

Zheng Qing hesitantly said: "Chen Ge, it is evident that Chen Ge has not yet recovered. Why are you so anxious to make him exert himself? Are you trying to harm him? Logically, we should catch a pheasant and stew it for Chen Ge to eat"

"Dalang, are you able to get out of bed and walk now?" Upon seeing Li Jincheng come out, the old woman in the neighboring courtyard immediately smiled and said

Li Jincheng recognized that the few people before him were those with whom he had the closest relationships, based on the memories he had retained. The tall figure on the left was Zheng Qing from the east end of the village, the slightly smaller one in the middle was Li Qiu from the yard behind Li Jincheng's house, and the short and sturdy man on the right, who was holding two hoes, was Song Fei from the west side of the village. These four individuals were also among the most outstanding of the younger generation in the village; otherwise, the heads of their families would not have allowed them to associate with one another.

"Brother Lian, you are not supporting me at all!" Li Lian'er stamped her foot and ran back as if flying

Li Jincheng, somewhat helpless, grabbed the flailing but powerless shoulder pole and said: "Alright, Lian'er, those little rascals are just messing around with you, there's no need to take it to heart"

Subconsciously directing his gaze towards the bamboo forest, Li Jincheng had already made up his mind. When one has nothing at hand to utilize, the outside world becomes the only option, and most of the time, the bamboo forest serves as an excellent place for concealment and ambush.

Li Jincheng was tidying up his tools, such as the hoe and machete. Although Li was elderly and served as the clan leader, rarely concerned himself with the laborious farming tasks, he had previously been a diligent and capable young man. Therefore, the machete used for clearing paths and the hoe used for digging bamboo shoots at home were all sharpened, and he noticed that Song Fei and the others had similar tools.

On that day, when Li Jincheng fell down the hillside, it was those three who rushed forward first to rescue him. In the past few days, they have been coming to visit every day, but they did not expect to see Li Jincheng's figure today before even entering the house, and hurriedly greeted him

In this scenario, which is less about time travel and more akin to a survival game in a post-apocalyptic world, he, as the future leader of the village, must carefully consider how to ensure the survival of so many people amidst the raging flames of war below the mountain

Li Jincheng clapped his hands and said, "Alright, stop messing around. I have been lying in bed for so many days that I am almost developing a problem from it. It would be better to go along with you for a while and stretch my muscles and bones."

After all, the relationships among the three families in the village need to be passed down from generation to generation, especially concerning the future leaders of these three families

I said I wouldn't move for three days, and it feels like this hoe has become heavier!" Li Jincheng also shouted back, "It's time to find someone to test whether it's sharp or not!

Li Jincheng does not harbor ill intentions towards others, but that does not mean he lacks a sense of caution towards them

What did you say, Chen Ge? shouted Li Qiu, who had the sharpest ears.

It can be inferred that the tools in the village are mostly of this kind, more inclined towards road construction and farming, rather than... murder

A group of big men looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter

Zheng Qing hurriedly pushed him. As the most outstanding person of the Zheng family in this generation, he had made a marriage pact with Li Lian'er from the Li family when they were young. However, since both were still young, their families did not rush to arrange the marriage. Whenever Li Lian'er saw her future husband, who was robust and always preferred to act rather than speak, she would blush and run away.

"Li, what are you talking about!" Suddenly, Li Lian'er, who had been hiding behind the door and eavesdropping, jumped out and grabbed a nearby carrying pole, ready to strike. However, her slender arms and wrists were unable to swing the pole, causing her delicate little face to turn bright red.

Seeing the surprise on the faces of Song Fei and the others, Li Jincheng raised an eyebrow and said, "However, we must agree on this: I can only walk for now, so when it comes to leading the way, I will only be responsible for pointing in the right direction. At critical moments, you might still have to lend me a hand."

"Grandma..." Li Jincheng's face was instantly filled with dark lines, as if he could see the blazing fire of gossip burning in the old lady's eyes. However, since she was an elder, he had no way to explain. Moreover, even if there was a girl he admired, it was still a romantic debt that Li Jincheng had incurred in the past. Such debts of romance are always compounded the more one tries to erase them.

As one gazes into the distance, there lies an endless expanse of vast mountains; however, even within these mountains, various dangers are concealed. Not to mention those unknown perils, just the recently emerged bandits from the two mountain peaks have instilled fear in the villagers, leaving them anxious until now, yet they have been unable to devise a way to eliminate this threat swiftly.

Regarding this cousin who is quite similar to a macaque, Li Jincheng could only shake his head helplessly, while Zheng Qing and Song Fei nodded in agreement, clearly also in support of Li Qiu's idea

I am just a miserable and useless man. " Li Jincheng said while carrying a basket on his back, facing away from Song Fei and the others, " with tears streaming down his face.

"Chen Ge, come with us to the mountain over there to dig up some spring bamboo shoots. If we are lucky enough to encounter a mountain chicken or something, we can have a nice feast!" Song Fei said with a chuckle, clearly already a bit impatient. "You are most familiar with the path on the opposite mountain, so with you leading the way, the family can rest assured."

Even if one cannot save the lives of an entire village, one must at least preserve one's own life

Got it!" Li Qiudong immediately shook his wrists and ankles, "As long as you, Brother Chen, give the order, the three of us will carry you like those county officials, just as you wish for comfort while going up and down the mountain.