"Village Chief, how can we, the old, weak, sick, and disabled, travel?" an elder quavered.
Village Chief Gu sighed and said, "There's no other way. We must go, whether we walk fast or slow. If the river water breaches the dam, it will be even more dangerous."
Upon hearing Village Chief Gu, everyone had no choice but to abandon their illusions.
However, Gu Chaobei's family pulled the village chief aside and made a suggestion, which he accepted.
Village Chief Gu then announced that 40 strong young men from the village would be selected to clear the path ahead with their machetes, removing thorny bushes and small branches to create a more manageable road.
Of course, these 40 young men would not work for free; the community would provide them with a meal of thick porridge.
Upon hearing about the thick porridge, the chosen young men naturally had no objections.
Some villagers who were not selected expressed dissatisfaction, questioning why they couldn't participate in clearing the path, as they were neither old nor weak.
Clearing the path meant a meal of porridge, equivalent to saving one person's food expenses, thus indirectly increasing household income. Everyone wanted such a beneficial opportunity.
Prompted by Gu Chaobei, Village Chief Gu had already prepared a response. He calmly stated, "Alright, then we will rotate. But no slacking off. The rotating teams must maintain the same speed as the previous ones; this will be the standard. Be clear-headed, and passive resistance will harm your own wives and children. The weather is getting colder, and it's already so cold in early September. Unusual weather suggests unusual events. We must reach Jinsha City quickly to rest and recover, thereby increasing our chances of survival."
Village Chief Gu's words were serious and served as a warning to those who intended to slack off in the group. His words made the villagers more vigilant. While clearing the path offered a meal, it ultimately meant creating a path to survival for their own families. Once this principle was clarified, those working were indeed less likely to be lazy.
Therefore, when they began working, their progress along the road was quite satisfactory.
Gu Chaobei was also selected as one of the members clearing the path. He worked as diligently as ever. Regardless, he had much more strength than the villagers who were struggling to get enough to eat, and he was full of vigor. Moreover, after eating the dark chocolate, his strength surged, so he spared no effort, charging at the very front. Cutting small trees and splitting thick vines were effortless for him. With Gu Chaobei's participation, nothing was difficult, and the group advanced smoothly.
Gu Qingcheng did not try to dissuade her father from conserving his strength. Indeed, at such a time, helping others was helping oneself. Only by working together could they find a way to survive. Even though Gu Qingcheng's family had various measures for cold protection, if extreme cold descended rapidly, their chances of survival in the wilderness during the adaptation period would be lower than in a town.
Along the way, as they carved out a path and advanced their journey of escape, there were still some gains to be made, such as wild chicken eggs and the capture of turtledoves. Gu Qingcheng, with her excellent archery skills, hunted over a dozen wild animals, yielding a bountiful harvest. Gu Qingcheng was not stingy; after discussing with her parents, she donated all the hunted prey to the community. Combined with the wild animals others happened to catch, it meant that everyone could have a bowl of meat broth.
After the sudden natural disaster of the previous night, everyone was filled with unease. Now, being able to have meat broth contributed by the Gu family greatly relieved their hearts. The numerous wild animals, including rabbits and chickens, totaled about 30, so everyone in the village could share a few pieces of meat.
In the evening, they found a relatively open clearing to camp. Village Chief Gu assigned the women to prepare the wild game. Four large cauldrons were set up by the community, boiling water enthusiastically, waiting for the game to be prepared and cooked. The children were very excited to hear that there would be meat tonight, and the natural disaster of yesterday seemed like a dream, not a hardship. If there hadn't been a natural disaster, they wouldn't have had the chance to eat meat. Seeing the children's happy smiles, Gu Qingcheng felt a surge of pride, which was immensely satisfying! At this moment, she received 5 satisfaction points from the system, sourced from: bursting with pride! The children played with the wild chicken feathers plucked by the adults, tucking them into their hair and joking with their companions. If they hadn't been in the primeval forest, it would have been a scene of peaceful everyday life. It seemed that human resilience was quite strong; in just a short afternoon, they had regained their vitality.
The Gu old man's family, although aware that there would be meat broth, was not happy. Especially since they knew that many of the wild chickens and rabbits were hunted by Gu Qingcheng, they were astonished. "This little slut, I never would have guessed, she learned hunting skills from her father?" Liu Cui mused. "Yes, if we had known that father and daughter were such good hunters, we shouldn't have let them separate. Otherwise, all these wild chickens and rabbits would be ours. We could make them into spicy rabbit heads, air-dried wild chicken, roasted rabbit meat, and dry rations, eating them endlessly!" Zhang Manzhi drooled. "Heh, back then you looked down on them, thinking they only knew how to eat. And now? You can't even reach them!" Gu Mi said sarcastically. They were all of the younger generation, so why was Gu Qingcheng, a mere girl, suddenly praised so highly? He was not convinced!
The Gu old man's family did not doubt why Gu old six had suddenly become so capable. This was because Gu old six had always possessed hunting skills. However, the mountain behind their small village was only considered foothills, with sparse trees and shallow grass, and no wild game appeared. Normally, catching a wild chicken or rabbit once in a while was already rare. Due to the small number of game caught, they did not consider Gu old six's hunting skills to be particularly special. But now, they were in a primeval forest, lush with trees and grass, rich in wild game. Gu old six, who knew how to hunt, was like a fish in water, easily capturing large amounts of prey.
Gu old man certainly would not admit that he had misjudged his son and overlooked old six's abilities. Although he didn't say it, he secretly regretted it. If they hadn't split the family, and if he hadn't greedily accepted those 60 catties of meat yesterday, he could have ordered old six to send all his catches home. Now that the family was split, Gu old six could do as he pleased, and he couldn't interfere. If he wanted to fall out and interfere, Village Chief Gu would not allow it, as he had acted as the mediator for their family division. However, Gu old man was unwilling to give up, so he gave Gu grandmother a look. Gu grandmother understood and, hiding with Gu old man, they whispered for a good while. After their discussion, Gu grandmother turned to Gu Xiaohua, Zhang Manzhi's second daughter, and said, "Xiaohua, go find Qingcheng and ask her for a wild rabbit. If she doesn't give you one, tell her you're starving to death and insist she give it to you." Gu Xiaohua was a year older than Gu Qingcheng, and they were considered peers in the family.