Chapter 223

Initially, the group of women were just chatting casually, without much sense of crisis or tension.

But as the conversation went on, the women began to feel a deep sense of worry.

Li Dani looked at Shuiqing and asked anxiously, “Shui Qing, our village is remote. They wouldn’t really come to our village, would they? Now that the strongest men in the village are away, all that’s left are the old, the weak, and the women and children. What will we do if they come?”

Previously, everyone had only worried about the men who had gone out, but now, hearing Li Dani’s words, they realized that their own situation was not absolutely safe either!

Shuiqing couldn’t be certain. The flood had only recently subsided, and the refugees hadn’t reached the point of desperation yet. Most of them were honest farmers who wouldn’t resort to robbery first. But the fear was that bad individuals might infiltrate, inciting and manipulating the desperate people, turning them into an organized and dangerous mob.

Everyone in the room looked at her as if she were their backbone.

She thought for a moment and said cautiously, “First, when the men return, they shouldn’t go out again.”

The people in the room bit their lips and unanimously shook their heads.

They had children and property at home, which were important, but the men going out to earn money was also crucial. Without money, they couldn’t buy medicine or food, or deal with other needs. Staying in the village and not earning money wasn’t feasible.

Sun Jinhua shouted, “That won’t work!”

Fan Sanzhu chimed in, “My family is relying on my brothers to earn money for food and salt.”

Most people in the village were better off than his family. They didn’t need to earn money, but his family did. He didn’t want anything to hinder their earning opportunities.

Li Tiantian and Zhang Xiaocao, the younger generation, glanced at Fan Sanzhu, holding back their frustration. Everyone was discussing the matter calmly, but he had to be so loud, as if his family’s livelihood was being taken away.

He didn’t even consider that the opportunity to earn money was thanks to Shuiqing and her family. Without them, there wouldn’t be such opportunities!

Ignoring Sun Jinhua and Fan Sanzhu, Shuiqing continued, “Second, we can’t rely entirely on the men who are out. Those of us staying in the village need to contribute too!”

“How can we contribute?” Wang Guifen asked urgently on behalf of everyone.

“The men who went out are the strongest, but we still have many men in the village. It’s not the busy farming season, and there aren’t many mushrooms to gather on the mountains. They don’t have much to do, so why not make mud bricks and build a wall around the village?”

Throughout history, villages and clans built walls or fortresses to protect against bandits and invaders. This way, outsiders couldn’t easily attack, and those inside could defend themselves.

This would be especially beneficial for protecting the elderly, children, and women.

Shuiqing thought this was a great opportunity!

Taking advantage of the current situation to build the wall would be beneficial, especially if there were future conflicts or wars!

It’s tiring, but it’s a one-time effort.

Sun Jinhua, Aunt Zhang, and others remained silent.

Sun Jinhua, with three men in her family, thought it would be too much to have all three go out at once.

Aunt Zhang thought her husband was too lazy to go out and earn money, and without money to build adobe walls, she felt it would be futile.

The two of them kept quiet, while the other women’s eyes shone brightly as they carefully thought it over and realized this was a bitter but sweet solution!

“Nowadays, they’re just idle, so it’s the perfect time to make adobe bricks. Our village has many people, so each family can take a section. I estimate it won’t take more than a month to finish,” said Granny Li with a smile.

Building walls is less troublesome than building houses. The foundation doesn’t need to be too deep, and there’s no need for beams and roofs. Just stack them up to two meters high, much shorter than house walls.

And then insert sharp thorns on top of the walls. Oh, let’s see who dares to climb!

Young wives like Wang Guifen thought that once the walls were built, they wouldn’t have to worry about their children running around. Even if they couldn’t go out, the whole village would be enough for them to play.

“This idea is great, and it’s best to get it done before planting potatoes.”

“Let’s make adobe bricks while we’re on the edge of the village, and the men can go out to deliver potatoes. By the time the walls are built, it won’t delay earning money at home. With safety assured, we’ll also have money!”

“With walls in place, leave entrances front and back, and have patrol teams for peace of mind!”

“Guifen, when you go back later, talk to your father-in-law and let the old village chief allocate which family gets which section.”

Aunt Zhang became anxious when she heard this, and quickly spoke up, “That won’t work for my family of four. What if we get too much?”

Sun Jinhua nodded in agreement. With a large family like hers, they shouldn’t be given too long a section, or they’ll be worked to death.

Aunt Zhang looked around nervously when no one responded, and her eyes fell on Qin Yilin, pulling her into an alliance, “There’s also the Ding family. The couple there can’t make adobe bricks, and Ding Jiajia is just a girl. How can she handle making adobe bricks? Isn’t this making things difficult for them?”

Qin Yilin, sitting quietly: … How come her family has become a shield?

Other families can do it, but not hers, just because Jiajia is a girl?

Heh, not everything in this world has to be done personally!

She looked at Aunt Zhang. In the past, she had only pitied her for marrying a lazy husband without a sense of responsibility for his wife and children. Today, after getting to know her, she realized she wasn’t a good person either.

“My family has no problem. The old village chief will handle the allocation. Whatever section we get, we’ll manage it.”

This statement was confident and full of trust. Wang Guifen found it particularly reassuring.

Aunt Zhang became agitated, “Your family only has a daughter. How can she have the strength to make adobe bricks?”

Mother Hu hated hearing her daughter being discussed. After giving birth to Qing’er, she was injured and didn’t conceive for many years. There were many such remarks around her, which could be said to have deeply affected her and made her aware of her pain.

She hurriedly said, “It’s okay. Isn’t there Wenhua? He’s strong enough to handle two people by himself. He’ll ensure that the Ding family’s work is done quickly and well.”

Qin Yilin didn’t want to ask Hu Wenhua or the other men from the Shuiqing family for help. She had money, so she could hire a few people then. However, Mother Hu was helping her save face, so she couldn’t go against her.

So she just smiled calmly and said, “I’ll ask Hu Mother to let Hu Wenhua help the Ding family.”

Aunt Zhang hadn’t expected Mother Hu to let Hu Wenhua help the Ding family.

Hu Wenhua had a strong, sturdy body, and Aunt Zhang had seen him. Forget about dealing with two people, he could deal with three or four on his own!

But why would Hu Wenhua help the Ding family?

She looked ahead toward Ding Jiajia. The little girl had black hair and fair skin, with rosy cheeks. She was completely different from the slender and dark spring flowers accustomed to farm work, more like a rich young lady.

“That’s Jiajia, right? Haven’t seen her in a long time. She’s grown up. Is it time for her to start avoiding suspicion?”