The pine forest was quite different now. Through gaps in the trees, one could clearly see a sizeable courtyard built in a sunlit area, enclosed by wooden fences, looking neat and orderly.
Fu Xinci had heard from her grandfather that once the old soldiers knew this courtyard was built for them, they had moved in collectively out of joy.
Even though the houses weren't finished at the beginning, they lived in makeshift shelters alongside the craftsmen.
When working, even if their bodies had many inconveniences, they put in their full effort, just wishing for the houses to be completed sooner.
In the hearts of these old soldiers, this was a place to shelter them from wind and rain for the rest of their lives, and they regarded it as home.
Every time Grandpa Meng saw these children, his heart ached indescribably.
He learned about their situation from Qi Yuanshan, and his heartache deepened.
These children not only suffered permanent physical disabilities but also had no blood relatives to support them.
They were truly pitiable. Grandpa Meng's heart ached every time he thought about it.
He had been secretly considering something these past few days.
He was thinking of finding a matchmaker in town to look for unmarried young women, or… young… who would be willing to marry these children and give them a real home.
However, this matter was difficult to speak of and even more difficult to accomplish.
No decent young woman wanted to marry someone who was disabled. The answers were almost always the same.
"We can't afford to lose face. Those who know will think we are kind-hearted, but those who don't will think something is wrong with our daughters."
In this day and age, reputation was crucial. If one lost their reputation, unless they went far away, they would be drowned in spit.
…
The Base Commander looked at the Lord of Qilin City, unsure of what to say.
After about five or six minutes of silence, he finally asked with a hint of reluctant hesitation, "What is this about?"
The Lord of Qilin City didn't beat around the bush and directly stated their purpose.
"As you know, our resources are scarce, and coupled with the recent abnormal weather, our place is no longer suitable for survival. I had no choice but to lead the people of Qilin City to seek refuge in Long City."
The Base Commander really wanted to say: "Did you ask for our permission before coming?" But what came out was, "The matter of Long City accepting people is not something I can decide alone."
The Lord of Qilin City didn't want to make things difficult for him and said directly, "Now, besides Long City, everyone else in the north can only wait for death. To survive, I estimate everyone will eventually come to seek refuge in Long City."
Base Commander: You've said it all, what can I say?
Lord of Qilin City: This is the reality, I'm just stating facts.
Although he said this, the Lord of Qilin City was much better at handling people than his sister.
After speaking with the Base Commander, he walked directly to the Dragon Ascent team members and said familiarly, "This is a welcome gift we are giving to Little Fu. Would you like to help her receive it first?"
"A welcome gift? What welcome gift?" Xiao Ai, along with the other girls, was not intimidated. If something was to be given to Xinci, they had to vet it first.
"Yes. You have to pass our inspection first. If we don't like something, don't even bother taking it to Xinci," Pang Dun'er stood behind them with quite an imposing presence.
The Lord of Qilin City envied their friendship. In this doomsday, they could still support each other and get to where they were today, which made many living people envious and jealous.
With a wave of his hand, he took out several large leather suitcases from his space ring.
Xu Jiacan: "These suitcases look pretty good, but I wonder what's inside?"
Yang Xinjie was also very curious. Xiao Ai pursed her lips, meaning they all understood. She wanted to see.
How could the Lord of Qilin City not satisfy these little firecrackers? He personally opened a few of the suitcases.
When the Captain saw the whole pieces of jade rough in the suitcases, his emotions surged.
He had only one thought in his mind: if Xinci could get more such jade rough, her space might be upgraded.
But when he saw the exquisitely carved jade ornaments in the next few suitcases, he almost swore. What a waste of resources.
The Lord of Qilin City's eyes were fixed on the Dragon Ascent Captain. Seeing his gaze shift from sparkling with greed to utter disappointment, he approached in confusion and asked, "Hey, brother, what's lacking? Can you tell us?"
The Captain didn't want to beat around the bush. He directly pointed to the other suitcases and told them, "It would be even better if they were all rough stones."
"Why?" the Lord of Qilin City asked, puzzled.
"I think Xinci prefers purely natural things. Those ornaments have too much craftsmanship and too little spirit."
"This is a mess. If I had known, I would have had them bring all rough stones."
The Lord of Qilin City's face was full of regret. Their Qilin City was famous for producing such things.
His original intention was to bring more rough stones. They had several artisans in their team, and if Fu Xiaoniu liked something, they could carve it.
But at the crucial moment, he listened to his wife and sister's suggestions. These exquisitely carved jade ornaments might be more appealing to Fu Xiaoniu.
He quite liked them himself. After listening to their suggestions, he felt they made sense, so he left behind several boxes of rough stones.
This last box was his own insistence.
Alas, he regretted it now, so much so that his intestines were turning green.
He now wished he could grow a pair of wings and fly back to carry all the rough stones they had left in the city.
The Base Commander also knew that no amount of words would help. The Lord of Qilin City had already arrived with his people in Long City. It was impossible to turn them away, and it might even develop into a war.
Although he was not afraid, he didn't want anyone to be injured or killed. Alas, life was too difficult in this doomsday.
At this critical juncture, everyone had to stick together for warmth. He urged the Dragon Ascent Captain to put away these items.
"Since it's a gift from the Lord of Qilin City to Little Fu, Dragon Ascent, you help Little Fu receive it."
"Okay."
After all that talk, this was the Captain's favorite sentence. No matter what, Xinci couldn't suffer a loss.
After putting away the jade rough and jade ornaments, Xiao Ai leaned close to the Captain and whispered, "Captain, with these things plus what we've saved, will it be enough?"
"It's a long shot. If these few suitcases were all rough stones, I think it would be faster."
"Ah? Why were their hands so greedy? Why did they carve all the good rough stones?"
"I guess these were carved before the doomsday. They might not have the energy for it now."
Uncle Sun and Uncle Xu were also artisans and understood their peers best.
Fortunately, they were luckier than those jade carving artisans. The weapons they crafted nowadays were quite sought after, and at least Xinci liked them.