Chapter 98: Chapter 98: No One’s Following Anymore

After the Qi Family and several other families entered the forest, they found there was no path at all, completely unlike when they had gone up the mountain earlier, where Qi Quanjin and the others had cleared a small path.

However, no one said anything about it.

The men split into two teams, the front team was responsible for clearing the weeds, while the other team guarded the back of the group.

In the middle were the elders, women, and children of the family.

The hand carts were in the center, surrounded by people on all sides.

The elders held onto the hand carts, and the smaller children were placed on top of the carts.

When the women couldn’t push, they took on the responsibility of pulling the carts.

Not far into the forest, someone said, “The villagers are following us.”

Qi Zheng, walking in the back, glanced back and said calmly, “If they want to follow, let them. We just go our own way.”

Someone with a grievance said, “We’re the ones hacking out a path at the front, and they’re enjoying an easy walk.”

Qi Zheng smiled, “It’s only easy for them now.”

The other person looked puzzled, then Qi Zheng turned to Qi Sanlang next to him and said, “Sanlang, tell your fourth uncle and the others not to clear such a wide path. Our hand cart isn’t that wide. Also, have everyone follow the carts from the front and back, and avoid walking on the sides to ease the burden on those in front as much as possible.”

As soon as Qi Sanlang heard this, he quickly nodded and ran toward the front.

Before long, everyone felt the road was getting narrower.

When encountering bumpy areas that were difficult for the cart, everyone gathered to help push and pull.

But they never widened the route.

Altogether these families amounted to about thirty people. Although they moved slowly, they didn’t occupy much space.

The villagers following behind didn’t find it difficult at first, but as the road became narrower, the head of the village chief’s family began to feel the strain first.

“Dad, why is the road getting narrower?”

Ji Hu, pulling at the front, couldn’t resist wiping the sweat from his forehead.

The village chief walked beside the cart, looking at the narrow mountain path ahead that was barely wide enough for a single hand cart, frowning deeply enough to almost squash a fly.

With a narrow path, no one could help from the sides of the cart, relying solely on those in front to pull and those behind to push, the speed instantly dropped.

The families behind the village chief noticed their slowing pace and began questioning what was happening.

One by one, they asked, and the voices grew louder.

The village chief was becoming anxious.

Watching as the people ahead walked farther and farther away, even with a path to guide them, in the deep, dense forest, if they got too far from the Qi Family, if they encountered any danger, calling for help would be futile!

“What are you all shouting about?”

The village chief yelled back behind him and then said to his eldest son, “Dalang, take people to the front and widen the road a bit!”

“Huh?”

Dalang was instantly displeased, “Dad, isn’t the road already here? Why widen it more? We’re not going to use it again after all.”

“What do you know!?”

The village chief was infuriated, “If we don’t widen it, how will we catch up with them?”

Hearing this, Dalang was even more displeased, “Dad, I don’t get it, why do we have to follow them? Look at what kind of road they’re taking, which decent person would leave the flat road and forcefully open a path in the dense forest?”

He had wanted to say this for a long time, but seeing the villagers had no complaints before, he kept silent.

Now that the words had started pouring out, he couldn’t hold back, so he decided to say it all in one breath, “And previously, leaving a perfectly good official road to walk a little path, even crossing mountains when there was no road. With so many people and so many carts, why make it so hard!”

The families following the village chief, after hearing this, couldn’t resist chiming in with a few comments.

In fact, they didn’t like the previous route either, always feeling that the path taken was questionable.

The official road is much easier!

Not only easier, but there are towns and villages along the way, avoiding the situation where everyone was thirsty for several days before.

The village chief, initially angry at his eldest son’s lack of understanding, was now disheartened seeing that all village families held the same attitude, feeling as if all his previous efforts for the village’s benefit had gone to waste.

The whole thing was like a spirit being drained instantly, his back stooped, eyes lost their shine, and finally, he sighed deeply and said, “Let the heads of each household come over.”

When Dalang heard this, he knew his father intended to change the plan to stop following the Qi Family’s lead. He was overjoyed and immediately ran to the back to call people.

The heads of various families quickly gathered near the village chief’s family.

Since the area was full of wild grass, when Dalang went to call people, he didn’t forget to ask his family to clear out the wild grass nearby, which resulted in creating a small clearing.

Seeing that there was energy for clearing the grass here but reluctance for widening the path ahead, the village chief’s heart sank even further.

Forget it, he had done all he could. Since neither his family nor the villagers were willing, there was no point in insisting.

So the decision to change Yongping Village’s route was quickly settled.

They would return to the small stream, stock up on water, and then follow the previous path down the mountain.

Back on the flat ground, they would find the nearest official road and continue the journey.

When everyone heard they wouldn’t have to travel through the dense forest, they were as happy as during a new year celebration, and the speed on their return trip was much faster than before.

The small group from the Qi Family had traveled quite a distance when a young man at the back exclaimed in surprise, “It seems they didn’t keep up, have we lost them?”

“How could they be lost, they probably decided not to follow.”

A companion beside him mocked, “The road is already there, losing it would mean they’ve all gone blind.”

“Alright, it’s good they aren’t following. Sanlang, go tell your fourth uncle that no one’s following behind now.”

Qi Zheng once again instructed his grandson beside him.

Qi Sanlang acknowledged and ran ahead to pass the message.

At that moment, the spot where Qi Quanjin was chopping wild grass had been taken over by others, and he was about to return to his own cart to push when he saw Qi Sanlang running over.

“Sanlang, what does your grandpa have to say?”

Seeing him, Qi Quanjin knew immediately there was a new instruction from his father.

Qi Sanlang grinned, “Fourth Uncle, Grandpa says there’s no one following us from behind.”

“No one’s following already?”

Qi Quanjin was surprised to hear this.

They hadn’t been on the road for long, and he assumed they would meet the villagers again by noon break!

Qi Sanlang nodded, “No one’s following, I’ve looked back, and there hasn’t been anyone for quite a while.”

“Alright, I got it. Tell your grandpa we’ll find an open space ahead and take a break.”

Qi Quanjin sent Qi Sanlang to pass the message once more.

There was no choice, the path was too narrow.

Qi Sanlang was slim, making it easier for him to side-step, but a sturdier man would have to clear a way through the wild grass along the side.

Qi Sanlang darted off to the back of the group again.

By this time, Qi Quanjin also took the handle of their own cart from Qi Dalang.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep