"Maybe we should go back to the village. Weren't the Rebel Soldiers all burned to death? Perhaps they have already passed by."
"Why go so far into the mountains? I think we could just hide in the cave where we rested the first night. There's absolutely no need to go deep into the mountains."
"Yesterday it was that several-hundred-pound White-Haired Pig, and today it's this several-hundred-pound giant snake. Clearly, there are massive ferocious beasts in these woods; we'll all become their fodder."
However, some villagers countered this view:
"The Rebel Soldiers Zhou Lin and the others encountered were cannibals. Between being killed and eaten by rebels or being bitten to death and eaten by a tiger or a Bear, I choose the latter. At least I won't be boiled; it'll be quicker."
"Sigh, no matter what, we can't escape the word 'death'."
"The heavens won't let people live."
For a time, panic spread among the people, and their traveling speed slowed significantly.
Such low morale was not conducive to unity. Supported by his son, the old Village Chief stood on a large rock and shouted to the group behind him:
"Now that we've entered the mountains, it's only natural that we might encounter wild beasts. Knowing there's a giant snake nearby isn't a bad thing.
Everyone is now on guard. There are so many of us, and we have knives and axes in our hands—are we still afraid of a single snake?
Look at how strong, fat, and long this snake is; it must weigh one or two hundred pounds, right?
If we kill it, how much meat would that provide? Every family would surely get a good share, wouldn't they?
We lack food since entering the mountains. In my view, this giant snake isn't a threat; rather, it's a gift from the Mountain God Grandfather to our Tianjia Village.
I've heard that snake meat soup is delicious. This old man isn't afraid of it coming; I'm only afraid it won't come!"
With the Village Chief's shouting, everyone came to their senses:
"That's right, there are so many of us. If each of us takes a bite, we can bite it to death."
"Hehe, the Village Chief is right. Where is that giant snake? Why hasn't it shown up yet?"
"Oh my, who was just saying they wanted to go back to the village? When the giant snake finds us later, you coward better not wet your pants!"
"You Old Sixth Tian! Who are you calling a coward? Who's going to wet their pants?"
In an instant, the tense atmosphere in the group relaxed.
Someone even suggested that the hung-up giant snake shouldn't be wasted—could it be eaten?
Snake meat was certainly edible. The Village Chief walked over with his cane to inspect it and said the section around the cut couldn't be kept, but the rest was just dried out and still edible.
Suddenly, many people were overjoyed:
"Such a big snake! Look how firm the meat is. It'll definitely be fragrant if roasted."
The old Village Chief sent two men to take down the severed giant snake. They cut off a rotten section and discarded it, then rubbed the rest with salt to cure it before having the two men tie it with vines and carry it along.
Qin Sang looked at the half-side of a pig and the long strip of giant snake being carried in the group, feeling an odd sense of humor.
Because Qin Sang had suggested not resting and reaching their destination today, everyone ate fried flour noodles along the way.
When night fell, Hunter Xu at the front lit a torch, and the rest followed the group closely to avoid falling behind.
At the very rear were the Patrol Team members holding long sabers. Fortunately, since they couldn't move fast at night, any movement could be promptly detected and supported.
As Qin Sang expected, the giant snake did not plan to intercept them halfway.
Although there was no sign of the giant snake, Qin Sang's intuition told her that it was peering at their group from the shadows.
At midnight, they finally reached their destination. Torches were lit everywhere. Unless one bypassed the narrow opening by the riverbed, the torches lit within this mountain hollow could not be discovered at all.
The villagers had walked all day and could finally catch their breath. Each family sat together, not wanting to move a muscle, only their eyes darting around as they began to size up this resting place:
"Eh, why is this mountain hollow so flat?"
"If someone hadn't been leading the way just now, we definitely wouldn't have found this place. It seems like there's only one entrance and exit all around."
"Not to mention, there's a reason Da Zhuangs Mother and the others insisted on bringing us here. Haven't you noticed the ground is very clean? There are few grass roots or trees; it's even flatter and cleaner than the land we cleared in the village."
At this point, those who had gone into the mountains to scout that time, such as Da Huas Father and Zhou Lin, kindly began to explain:
"Da Zhuangs Mother said this place was originally supposed to be a pond. Because of the drought, the pond dried up, so the terrain is relatively flat and clean."
"Once everyone has rested, we just need to dig a trench to drain the water out, and we won't be flooded."
"We also went to see the waterfall over there. There's a deep pool there. If it rains, that deep pool can serve as our well."
The villagers were discussing the pros and cons of this destination. Of course, for them, its concealment was beyond reproach.
With this advantage, any other shortcomings were acceptable.
Qin Sang suggested that everyone gather some firewood and burn the area where they intended to sleep. This would remove dampness while smoking out many insects and ants.
This was the bottom of a pond after all, and the sun-dried, cracked mud had many fissures. If they didn't burn it, centipedes might crawl up in the middle of the night.
Now that they were here, fires couldn't be seen from the outside, so they could light campfires with peace of mind, as long as they were careful not to cause a fire.
Everyone was still thinking about the giant snake. Although they were exhausted, they still had little desire to sleep. Qin Sang simply had them start digging latrines, arranging the issue of waste before anything else.
She took out paper and pen to draw a simple map of the area and found the Village Chief to discuss how to arrange everyone.
After all that fuss, it was almost dawn before everyone spread out their mats to rest.
They hadn't slept for even four hours before they couldn't stay asleep anymore; the sun was too intense.
Qin Sang's family had a tent. The girls sleeping inside hadn't stirred yet, but Qin Sang got up first.
Everyone had already gathered in the clearing, and the Village Chief was taking a head count.
The Village Chief's intention last night was to wait until everyone's sheds were built before considering digging trenches, but Qin Sang had a different view. She suggested the men build the sheds while the women start digging the trenches.
After all, women couldn't contribute much to building sheds, and tools were limited. Rather than being idle, it was better to give everyone work so they could all eat meat.
"Village Chief, it might not necessarily rain, right?"
"Exactly, digging trenches is so much work. If we go back to the village later, won't we have done all that for nothing?"
"We won't be staying long anyway. In my opinion, there's no need to even build sheds."
The people were resistant to working. The Village Chief raised his hand to quiet them and calmly announced:
"Don't think we only need to hide for two or three days before we can return to the village. I experienced Rebel Soldiers twenty years ago; the commoners revolted, and it was chaotic for two or three years.
Instead of hoping that the heavens won't rain and that the Rebel Soldiers will leave on their own, we should rely on ourselves.
It doesn't matter if we do unnecessary work. Only by staying alive will we have a chance to return home. If we don't build sheds or dig trenches, one rainstorm and we'll all die. If you're dead, you have nothing.
Furthermore, Da Zhuangs Mother said that everyone is working hard. Those willing to dig trenches and build houses can get one tael of meat and half a catty of water a day."
If you want a Horse to run, you have to let the Horse eat its fill. Qin Sang understood this principle, and so did the Village Chief.
Sure enough, hearing this news, everyone became restless:
"Fine, if it's digging trenches, then we'll dig. My family has three people who can dig."
"Tidying this place up is better than anything else."
"Village Chief, give the order quickly! You're speaking so slowly, it's delaying things!"
In an instant, this mountain hollow became a massive construction site.