The final decision was definitely to try their luck. After years of slaughtering pigs, they naturally had some strength and decent skills. Maybe they’ll succeed.
Old man Zhu decided to take his three sons to give it a try.
Besides the Zhu family, there was another family interested in trying, but it wasn’t the men; it was the women.
A woman in her forties, skilled in midwifery with many years of experience, thought it was worth a shot. She’d lost count of how many babies she’d delivered over the years.
In such a large village, Midwife Li thought she could try since she might just fit the requirements.
Even though the mountain was still alright, as the temperature rose, the cave would become stuffy. Who wanted to live in a cave if they could have a house, especially with the chance to enter the inner valley? If they could integrate into Hua Village, it would definitely be better and more reassuring.
The Sun family, while they didn’t have any outstanding skills, had good physical strength and hunting skills. They wanted to try their luck; maybe they could rightfully enter the inner valley and become neighbors with Madame Xiu and the others.
So, the families with intentions quickly ate a simple wild vegetable soup to feel better and couldn’t wait to head to the inner valley entrance in the afternoon.
Originally, Hua Chengtian had not only put up a big gate at the entrance of the valley but also pulled a door around after building the wooden house. It wasn’t planned, just extra protection, as after all, this was a deep mountain.
Unintentionally, he divided the valley into two parts, a case of unintended success.
Now, Old man Hua waited at the entrance with his children, and quite a few Hua Village natives stood aside, watching.
A wooden table was placed outside the entrance, with Hua Yunao, Hua Yunxiang, and Luo Song sitting there. Ink, paper, and inkstones were ready.
Eighteen families had gathered together, over a hundred people!
"Hello, Village Chief, can we register now?" Wei Dapeng was the first to speak. Seeing this, the others quickly followed with greetings; it was essential to be on good terms with the village chief of Hua Village.
"Yes, those with special talents register with my eldest grandson, those needing to loan seeds with my second grandson. However, before that, there’s one thing to clarify—all overcomers must carefully register their household. The head of each household, the number of people, ages, etc. Since everyone has come to our Hua Village, as the village chief, I must be responsible. Understanding every household is necessary. If you can’t accept it, we won’t force you, but the assistance we can provide will be limited. That’s all I have to say. Please consider it yourselves."
After saying this, Old man Hua nodded, signaling them to start.
There was nothing to consider. They were like duckweed, desperate for a place to settle. Hua Village accepting them was a good thing for the homeless; there was no other agenda, just wanting to speed things up.
Immediately, someone shouted, "We will listen to the village chief."
"Yes, we all will," echoed others, including those with past ties to the Hua family, trusting this way because they could survive here, leaving this place meant an uncertain future.
Most importantly, with nearly a thousand strong laborers in Hua Village, staying here provided enough security. They no longer had to worry about being dragged out in the middle of the night to be stored as reserve food, a life of constant fear they didn’t want to live again.
Old man Hua was pleased with their response; no one likes to harbor troublemakers.
Then, without being prompted, everyone lined up for registration.
Clearly, fewer people were on Hua Yunao’s side, but even with just one person, it was busy.
Hua Yunao and Luo Song were busier, their brushes hardly paused. One registered the population, the other recorded the grain amounts bought or loaned by each household.
This was crucial. Only by registering the quantities well could efficiency improve tomorrow, leading to an earlier harvest.
With fewer people on Hua Yunao’s side, it moved faster. Soon, Wei Dapeng and Doctor Sun had finished registering, and it was Zhao Zixin’s turn, the Scholar standing behind Wei Dapeng.
"Name?" Hua Yunao merely glanced up, asking indifferently.
"Zhao Zixin," the Scholar said dazedly, looking at the person in front.
"Zhao Zi..." As he wrote the character for ’Xin,’ Hua Yunao paused abruptly, lifting his head incredulously to look at the person in front.
Long periods of hunger and cold had changed the Scholar entirely, even his voice was hoarse, so Hua Yunao didn’t recognize him immediately.
"Teacher..." Hua Yunao stood up instantly, walked up to the Scholar, "It’s really you, Teacher..."
Hua Yunao looked happily at the Scholar. He thought it would be hard to see his former classmates or teacher after this disaster. His reserved nature couldn’t control his excitement, and he went forward to hug the Scholar.
Hua Yunao’s dramatic reaction immediately drew Hua Yunxiang and Luo Song’s astonished eyes to the one Hua Yunao was holding. Although the person had changed drastically, they could still see the shadow of Teacher Zhao and quickly approached him in surprise.
"Teacher Zhao," they cried, equally excited.
Scholar Zhang (Zhao Zixin) was also very moved. He had recognized his student long ago but hesitated to admit it and didn’t want to seem opportunistic.
"It truly is Teacher Zhao," Old man Hua and Hua Chengtian also came over. Though they hadn’t met often, they recognized their sons’ and grandsons’ teacher.
It was a huge surprise and unexpected to meet again under such circumstances.
Hua Chengtian hurriedly brought over a bench, "Teacher Zhao, please sit."
It was almost an instinctual act of respect for a scholar, for a man of letters.
"No, no," a stirred Scholar Zhao waved his hands, "this is not appropriate, not appropriate. Let’s finish registering first." He patted Hua Yunao and the others on the arm.
Though delighted to see his students, now wasn’t the time for reminiscences.
The Hua family, understanding the curious eyes around, nodded. It was indeed not the time for catching up.
"Alright, once Teacher Zhao is settled, we will visit your place," Old man Hua happily promised.
"You’re too courteous, it’s I who should visit the village chief first," Scholar Zhao bowed.
"Haha, all the same, all the same," Old man Hua turned to his eldest grandson, "Yunao, quickly register Teacher so that once it’s done, you can help him move later."
Hua Yunao nodded eagerly. Though he had many things he wanted to ask, he knew it wasn’t the right time; he performed a student’s salute and then seriously began recording during a back-and-forth exchange.
Hua Yunxiang and Luo Song also rendered a salute, continuing their unfinished tasks.
During the Qi family registration, Auntie Qi and Uncle Qi, along with several uncles, brought two grandsons and nephews, started crying, hoping to evoke sympathy from the children. In the end, Hua Chengtian pulled them aside and said something, quieting the Qi family, whose eyes held traces of silent resentment.
Seeing the Qi family settle down, Hua Yunao and the others sighed with relief. Clearly disliking them, they had to pretend affectionately, playing the emotional card, making them truly tired for their grandparents, but luckily, dad was capable.