ebookland Chapter 323 Sharpen your sword and keep it from chopping wood
Chapter 323 Sharpen your sword and keep it from chopping wood
“Village chiefs, tomorrow we will go up the mountain to cut wood and build a few houses for our families.”
What?
Build a house?
Everyone who heard this looked at him with puzzled expressions.
The current issue we are facing is being drafted into the army. The most important thing is to quickly learn skills, train, and strive to survive on the battlefield. What does this have to do with building houses?
Besides, it's already lucky that we came back alive. Why bother building a house? Isn't that just making a useless thing?
Therefore, many people expressed their opinions.
"Village Chief Wen? We're perfectly fine living in these shacks; there's no need to waste time building any houses."
"Yes, village chief, once we start training, we'll be out early and back late every day. This place will just be a place to take a nap, it won't be of much use."
"Demolishing and rebuilding would be time-consuming and laborious, and not worth it."
"..."
Even the elderly people who came to greet their family members offered words of advice.
“Village Chief Wen, we are old and can’t help with the training. Living in a shack is fine, there’s no need to build any houses.”
"Village Chief, to be honest, let's save that energy for training. As long as everyone comes back alive from the battlefield, that's enough."
"..."
Hearing these sincere and simple words, Wen Qilin was speechless for a moment. Their wish was really simple: to come back alive. However, Wen Qilin's thoughts were not just that. He wanted more than that. He not only wanted everyone to come back alive, but he also wanted to give everyone hope for living and living well.
Although reality is harsh, things will change eventually if we take it slow.
The group moved forward silently.
However, Wang Datie did not object. He noticed Wen Qilin's furrowed brows and leaned over to ask, "Brother Wen, do you have some considerations? We've been in the mine for so many years, and our vision and knowledge are not as good as yours. If you have any thoughts, just say them. Otherwise, no one will understand. After all... you understand."
After saying that, he gave Wen Qilin a meaningful look.
They looked at each other and understood each other's meaning.
Wen Qilin walked to an open space in the center of the shack, stepped onto a large stone block, towering over everyone, and said loudly, "Everyone, quiet down and listen to what I have to say. Let me speak first."
"Yes, our immediate priority is to come back alive from the battlefield. This is the ultimate and most important goal."
"To achieve this goal, we must train hard. This effort cannot be accomplished in a day or two, but may take a month or two, or even half a year or a year. This is a long time span."
"Once we start training, we might not be able to take care of our elderly parents and children at home for the sake of the team. If a storm comes and blows away the roof of our shack, and our elderly parents and children get sick, we might lose our homes before we even get to the battlefield. What's the point of going to the battlefield then? There's no one to share the spoils of victory with, so what's the point of fighting?"
"As the saying goes, only when the rear is stable can those who charge forward at the front feel at ease and give their all. Without the support from the rear, those at the front cannot hold out for long. Think about it, doesn't that make sense?"
"Besides, who says that getting old means you can't help? If you want to master kung fu, you need to eat well to have the strength. If you're weak and limp all day, what can you develop? Cotton fist? Do martial artists not need clothes besides eating? There are plenty of aunties, grandmas, and young women here who can sew and mend clothes. How can they not be of help?"
“I suggest that everyone’s meals will need the help of the elderly in their families in the future. There are other matters as well. We will discuss them with the village chiefs later and then explain them to everyone in detail. So, I still insist on building houses for everyone tomorrow. When we have time later, the houses at the camp in front will also need to be rebuilt. That will be our first line of defense, and this will be our second line of defense. Once everyone gets into training and things are on track, not just anyone can interfere in Beishan.”
"Also, our training isn't just for men. Women with courage and strength can do it too. Don't underestimate your sisters, aunts, or sisters-in-law. There's a saying that goes, 'Women hold up half the sky.'"
Wen Qilin glanced at the whispering crowd below and finally said firmly, "In short, sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. A stable rear is the support for fighting on the front lines."
As soon as Wen Qilin finished speaking, silence fell over the area in front of the shack.
However, the silence lasted only a few moments before Wang Datie led the applause and shouted, "The village chief is right, I support him!"
Snapped!Snapped!Snapped--
A round of applause rang out in front of the shack, along with shouts from the crowd.
"support--"
“We old men also support it.”
"Auntie, we can help too, that's great..."
Seeds of hope were sown across the land that night, and the villagers' enthusiasm was fully ignited.
Everyone had a good dream that night.
The next day, after discussion among the village chiefs, the group split into several teams. One team led the way into the mountains to cut down trees, another started dismantling the shacks, another cleaned the ground, and there were also uncles and aunts in charge of logistics. Everyone participated and carried out their assigned tasks in an orderly manner.
Time flies, and a few days later, dozens of treehouses of all sizes appeared neatly and orderly at the foot of the mountain.
As everyone gazed at the treehouses rising from the ground, tears welled in their eyes. Generation after generation in the northern desert, decades had passed, and no one had ever thought of building these fussy treehouses. They always thought of taking it one day at a time and never had any expectations or hopes for the future. Now, as they were about to be sent to the army, they had new expectations for the future. All of this stemmed from the expectations and hopes that Village Chief Wen had brought to everyone.
At this moment, everyone was engrossed in wonderful fantasies from these brand-new treehouses, their minds active and unrestrained.
On this day, Master Qian heard about the commotion and made a special trip over.
Unexpectedly, the carriage was stopped by several elderly people as soon as it turned into the North Mountain camp.
“Master Qian, there’s a house under construction ahead, and the ground is uneven, so the carriage can’t get through.”
Master Qian lifted the carriage curtain to take a look.
Good heavens, the exit of the North Mountain camp was littered with stones, rocks, and branches, a complete mess, with nowhere to even step.
Master Qian was displeased. "What are you doing? Call your village chief out."
"Hey, hey, please wait a moment, sir." After saying that, an old man turned around and went back to find someone.
After a while, Master Qian saw several village chiefs coming over.
"What's going on here? What are you doing? Did you even report the renovations to the authorities? Did you get Lord Hu's permission? This is just reckless! You should be using that time to organize people for drills instead of building anything else. Who's in charge of all this here?"
Wen Qilin stepped forward and said, "It's me."