OBS Chapter 151 Abandoned Village
Chapter 151 Abandoned Village
In comparison, the terrain outside the forest was lower. Before leaving the forest, Meng Fuqing and Yan He rode their horses to the edge of the forest and looked down. In the distance, they could see the vast Cangxia Plain.
Nearby, the Canglan River, which appears exceptionally tranquil and gentle in winter, meanders across the endless wilderness.
To set foot on the Cangxia Plain, they had to cross the Canglan River.
In winter, when the river freezes over, the concern isn't whether people can cross, but whether their vehicles can get through.
Outside the forest, as far as the eye could see, there was no sign of any living person except for their group.
Before the sun set, the convoy continued along a narrow path overgrown with weeds. At the end of the path, it turned onto a relatively flat and wide road. After driving for a while, they saw several houses in the distance.
Du Zhong sent his men to investigate the village.
If no one is in the village, they won't have to sleep outdoors tonight, and everyone can get a good rest.
The dense fog lasting two days meant that even those dressed lightly would get their clothes soaked, and many in the group caught colds.
If it weren't for Doctor Zheng accompanying us along the way, and the abundance of medicinal herbs, who knows how many people would have succumbed to the cold.
Before long, the scouts returned and learned that the village was deserted, with only occasional skeletons to be seen, and no living people to be found.
After enduring wind and rain for so many days, the group was quite content as long as they had a roof over their heads for shelter. Without further hesitation, they immediately headed towards the deserted village.
Upon arriving at the village entrance, the group had not forgotten the news Qiu Yuan had brought back—an epidemic was raging across the Cangxia Plain.
Although we don't know how long the village has been abandoned, it's best to make plans early just in case.
After discussing it with Meng Fuqing and the others, Zheng Yi felt that the place was desolate and uninhabited, so it would be better to rest for two days to allow those who had caught a cold or were injured to recuperate.
Upon arriving at the village entrance, most people remained where they were, while Meng Fuqing and Zheng Yi led some others to deal with the corpses in the village.
The group stopped at the village entrance, completely unaware that a pair of eyes were silently watching the convoy from the house closest to the village entrance, whose walls had collapsed by nearly half.
On the other side, Meng Fuqing had Hu Zi lead his men to a vacant lot far from the village and dig a deep pit that was large enough.
People who die in winter decompose more slowly and are easier to deal with. You can simply move the body onto an empty cart with a cloth over it, then use the cart to transport it to an open space, throw it into a deep pit, sprinkle sulfur on top of the body, and bury it.
As for the cart used to transport the corpses, it should be burned. The cleaned house should be fumigated several times with mugwort or sulfur before it is safe to live in.
Having witnessed countless unpredictable human natures along the way, supernatural beings and ghosts are hardly frightening.
There aren't many rooms; you can barely squeeze in and sleep.
Since they were going to stay there for two days, they didn't care about the trouble. They used tarpaulin to cover the dilapidated windows and tied up bundles of dry grass to tidy up the house.
The men went to cut grass and gather firewood, while the women spread dry grass in places where people could sleep, tidied up their belongings, and then went to start a fire to cook.
Everything else is fine, but there's one thing that's causing me trouble—water.
As soon as someone entered the village, they lay down by the well at the village entrance and looked inside. The well water had not dried up, but only the bottom of the well remained.
Many people find it strange.
This place is relatively close to the Canglan River, so it's not surprising that the water supply hasn't completely dried up. What's strange is that if there's still water, why have all the villagers left?
Some people found it strange and dared not drink the water from the well.
Yao Shanyun found Shan Qiyu and asked, "Did you ask Qingqing if the water in the village well is drinkable?"
Shan Qiyu felt both helpless and proud. She felt helpless because it seemed to have become a common occurrence to ask Qingqing about things, and proud because Qingqing was her daughter.
"Qingqing is still talking to the village chief and the others. We'll ask her when she gets back."
At the same time, Meng Fuqing and Meng Bochang were also discussing whether the well water was safe to drink.
They deliberately drew some water and found that the well water was very murky, smelling only of mud, without any fishy or foul odor.
With one hand behind her back, she manipulated the vines to drop into the well to check for human or animal remains or limbs, but found nothing.
“Use charcoal or alum to clean the water, then boil it after clarification. It should be safe to eat.”
Well water is filtered through the earth, making it cleaner than surface water, and the absence of remains in the water eliminates the last potential hazard.
Upon hearing this news, Meng Bochang smiled and said, "With your words, I feel much more at ease."
Meng Fuqing: "Grandpa Village Chief, my eyes haven't been blessed. I don't even know if I'll make a mistake."
"It's alright, it's alright." Meng Bochang waved his hand and walked towards the village. "If anything goes wrong, Grandpa Village Chief will cover for you."
Meng Fuqing smiled slightly, but as she passed the house that was mostly collapsed, she paused, suppressed her smile, and glanced at the window.
If she wasn't mistaken, she felt as if a gaze had been fixed on the two of them in the room just now. She quickly withdrew her gaze and quietly caught up with Meng Bochang.
"Grandpa Village Chief, please tell the villagers this good news and tell my mother that I'll be back later."
Without waiting for Meng Bochang's reply, Meng Fuqing turned and left.
"You silly child!" Meng Bochang scolded, unable to resist reminding him, "Be careful, don't go too far."
Meng Fuqing waved to him, went around to the back of the collapsed house, and after checking that no one was around, she stretched out her tendrils to check if anyone was inside.
The house, which had been uninhabited for a long time, was covered in dust, and there were no traces of human activity inside. However, when Meng Fuqing saw a large vat next to the bed, he noticed something amiss: there were faint fingerprints on the lid of the vat.
Is there someone in the tank?
No, that's not right.
If someone had been hiding here for a short period of time, there should have been no traces left in the house. Meng Fuqing could only think that there might be something else under the jar.
The number of enemies and their weapons were unknown, as was the situation below. To avoid alerting them, Meng Fuqing withdrew the vines and did nothing, returning to his resting place.
It was already dark, and people in the courtyard were using torches for light to purify and boil water.
Because there were so many people, to avoid inconvenience, the men slept together, and the women and children slept together.
The women greeted Meng Fuqing as they saw him.
Meng Fuqing nodded slightly, stood in the courtyard and looked around, and found a wooden lid covering something in the southeast corner of the courtyard.
She kicked open the lid, revealing a dark hole underneath, which must have been the family's cellar.
Having made up his mind, Meng Fuqing called Yan He over, and the two of them walked out of the bustling courtyard together.
The woman behind her was watching her back and talking quietly.
"Madam Shan, how did you raise your daughter? She knows more than those men, and she's far more capable than ordinary people!"
Before Shan Qiyu could answer, Yao Shanyun spoke first, "Our village's Shan Niangzi is literate. She taught her child a couple of characters every day during their escape from disaster. As Qingqing grew older, she learned even more characters and could even read books."
Although Qingqing's father, who died young, never even passed the imperial examinations, he bought a lot of books. The more books he read, the more knowledge he gained!