ebookland Chapter 221 The Temptation of the Valley, a Painstaking Effort
Chapter 221 The Temptation of the Valley, a Painstaking Effort
The group watched from the doorway as Ye Jingchuan mounted his horse, cracked his whip, and galloped off in an instant.
Watching the departing figure, Uncle Ye turned back to Wen Qilin and said, "Brothers, are you really not going to consider my suggestion?"
Uncle Ye had previously suggested in the thatched hut that the Wen family move to Mobei City, and that they could buy the ore they needed to hand over each month from other villagers.
In fact, this phenomenon is quite common in Mobei City. As the saying goes, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Some criminals have family members supporting them. Otherwise, how could life here be so polarized, with the poor being extremely poor and the rich getting richer?
The Tang, Meng, and Xie families were originally criminals, but after several generations, they shed their criminal past and transformed into the three major powers of Mobei City.
Wen Qilin refused without hesitation, "Brother Ye, now is not the time. The Wen family will not live in thatched huts forever. Trust us."
"Alright, I respect your decision. If you need any help, just let me know. We're family, no need for formalities."
"Brother Ye, I need your help right now."
"what?"
"Where is the best place to buy tools, for mining and logging?"
Uncle Ye slapped his forehead. "Hey, look at my memory. Come on, I'll take you there."
The group came out of the Ye family compound.
Uncle Ye led everyone through two or three streets and came to a street that specialized in selling tools.
Wen Qilin's goal was clear: they weren't there to shop. After buying the tools, they had to rush back because there was a lot of work to do. They were also planning to go to the valley to cut bamboo to build a house today, so time was really tight.
The group entered a shop that specialized in selling tools. "Shopkeeper, what are the prices of these tools?"
The shopkeeper, with his sharp eyes, spotted Uncle Ye in the queue. "Everyone brought by Doctor Ye gets a 20% discount, and there are even better deals for bulk orders."
"Hehehe, thank you, shopkeeper."
Being near an iron ore mine, iron tools are very cheap here; this is the principle behind the saying "those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water."
Wen Qilin stopped being polite and started selecting items from the store.
During this time, Wen Chengjian and the others also selected some.
Wenwen didn't choose anything; everything she could think of, and even things she couldn't, had already been chosen by her family. She didn't need to worry about such matters.
The Wen family was very efficient; everything was done in less than half an hour.
Wen Qilin glanced at the sky; it was just past midnight. “Brother Ye, let’s go to Shili Stone Archway and see if the villagers want to go back together.”
"Alright, let's go." Uncle Ye drove the carriage all the way to Shitoufang.
Just then, the villagers had also finished their business.
Uncle Wei asked, "What's wrong? Are you going back?"
"Well, we still have a lot of things to do at home, so we'll head back now."
Uncle Wei called to the villagers, "Get in the car, I'll take you all back."
The villagers were truly fortunate to have the Wen family's support. On this trip to sell ore, they actually enjoyed a car service that picked them up and dropped them off. When they got back, they could brag to their neighbors for days.
The journey was smooth, and we returned to camp before noon.
The villagers, clutching their warm silver coins, hurried home.
Uncle Ye and Uncle Wei unloaded a lot of food from the car, enough to feed everyone for a long time.
No further words of thanks were needed. Wen Yuanqian knew that Ye Jiawei's shop was very busy, so he didn't stay long. He believed that frequent visits between relatives would deepen their relationship, and there would be plenty of time in the future.
Watching the carriage drive away, everyone went into the thatched hut.
Wen Yuanqian looked at the closed door, completely bewildered. "Boss, where's Xiao Chuan?"
Wen Qilin turned his head and said perfunctorily, "Dad, Xiao Chuan has gone to take care of something. He'll be back in a while."
A while?
Wen Yuanqian looked at his grandsons who had gone out today, and finally fixed his gaze on Wenwen.
The old man's gaze seemed to say, "You'd better tell the truth."
Wenwen glanced at her second aunt who was busy at work, then turned her gaze back to Wen Yuanqian, blinked, and turned to leave.
Before Wen Yuanqian could react, he heard Wenwen's voice in his ear, "Grandfather, Uncle Ye has gone to Medicine King Valley. He'll be back in a while, so don't worry." It turned out that Wenwen was using telepathy to reply to him.
Wen Yuanqian understood immediately. He looked through the tools in the room and changed the subject, "Boss, are we going over there again later?"
"Go." Wen Qilin inspected the tools and instructed Wen Chengjian and the others, "Dalang, each of you take some tools inside, and leave a few pickaxes, shovels, etc. outside."
After the family had lunch, the question of who should go and who shouldn't became a big one.
It's unrealistic and impossible for everyone to go.
The journey is long, and carrying it on my back or in my arms takes a lot of time to go back and forth.
Besides, they're going there to work, not to play. They'll move the treehouse over together once it's built.
As soon as this reason was given, everyone objected.
The first to raise objections were Yao Changhao and Zhou Fuzi.
Yao Changhao: "Brother, that reason is far-fetched, I don't agree."
Master Zhou: “Brother-in-law is right. This reason doesn’t hold water. Look, if we’re going to build a house, the whole family has to work together. It’s the most efficient way. Just the few of you will take forever to cut tree branches, and you’ll have to rush back before dark. It’s time-consuming, and the family will worry. If the whole family is together, we don’t have to rush back at night. We can even stay nearby. That’s fine, isn’t it? Wouldn’t that be more efficient?”
Wen Qilin, Wen Wen, and Wen Chengjian and their brothers...
The brother-in-law/aunt's husband's words make a lot of sense, and they don't know how to refute them.
The room fell silent for a moment, each person arguing their own point of view and refusing to give in.
Unexpectedly, Wen Qiyuan said casually, "If you take too big a step, won't you tear your crotch?"
It’s so shocking that it won’t stop until you die!
Wen Yuanqian scolded, "Second brother, what are you saying? How old are you? You still don't know what's important."
"No, Father, please listen to me first, don't be angry."
"Okay, go ahead and tell me, but watch your words, don't set a bad example for the children."
"Hehehe..." A rude remark eased the tense atmosphere in the room.
Wen Qiyuan explained slowly, “Father, this is what I’m thinking. First, we’ll build a shack at the foot of the mountain and stay there for one night. Then, early the next morning, the whole family will go up the mountain to claim a spot—no, I mean, to mark out a territory. This territory will be far from everyone’s sight. Then we’ll slowly expand. When the time is right, our family will go to the bottom of the cliff and live permanently in the valley. Every month, as the date for delivering the ore approaches, my brothers and I will go out and stay in the shack for a few days. After we finish delivering, we’ll go back. Isn’t this the best way to do both things? Father, what do you think? Eldest brother, what do you think? Dalang, you guys, and Wen’er, is Second Uncle right?”
Wow, one sentence dragged a whole bunch of people into it.
Wen Qiyuan went to great lengths to see the valley for himself.
To be honest, as soon as the Wen family heard about this valley, they couldn't wait to pack their bags and head there immediately, even if it meant crossing mountains and rivers.
Besides, it's warm like spring in the valley, but here the wind howls coldly. Only a fool wouldn't want to go!