Top-notch Little Horseman

"Everyone, hurry up and get this area sorted out. Everyone, settle in here first," the Smoker said, taking a drag on his pipe.

Ye Chen glanced around, then turned to Qin Mengyao and said, "Yaoyao, you live in the main room, you should go in first."

Qin Mengyao nodded slightly, picked up her bundle and walked into the main room. A moment later, the sound of a broom sweeping the floor could be heard from inside.

The horsemen who came with Ye Chen immediately began weeding.

They cut the grass with sickles, advancing clump by clump, and soon cleared the yard.

There was almost nothing left in the desolate pass except for a rusty hoe with a sturdy wooden handle and an iron pot.

There was a rusted hole the size of a thumb in the bottom of the pot, along with a ceramic oil lamp, half a hemp rope, a broken wooden comb, and a chipped rough porcelain bowl.

The fallen courtyard gate was propped up, supported by stones, and the wood fungus on the gate panel was scraped off with a machete.

Although the door still creaks when closed, at least it closes.

The monkey took the iron pot to the spring, used a stone to grind off the rust from the bottom of the pot, and then mixed yellow mud to paste on the small hole.

Qin Mengyao used a wooden hairpin to tie up her hair, rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, and swept the floor of the main room clean.

She laid out bedding on the kang (a heated brick bed), and leveled the three-legged table with stones.

On the windowsill sat a chipped, rough porcelain bowl, half-filled with spring water, with two stalks of foxtail grass picked from the courtyard wall.

She finally managed to make it look like a home.

Ye Chen used three large stones to build a simple stove in the yard and placed an iron pot on it.

Qin Mengyao poured out most of a bowl of flour, and after the water boiled, she gently poured it into the pot.

She slowly stirred it with a cleaned twig, cooking it into a pot of white porridge.

Sprinkle a little coarse salt on top, and the aroma of the flour gradually fills the air.

The tobacco man directed the horse herders to get busy washing the dishes with spring water.

Ye Chen brought plenty of food with him to Huangchen Pass. They didn't dare to eat too much in the horse camp, but here they could eat as much as they wanted.

Eleven people sat around the stove, drinking the white porridge.

Instead of making noodles from the white flour, Qin Mengyao cooked a pot of white flour porridge.

It must be said that Qin Mengyao's cooking skills are quite good; this pot of food she cooked was very delicious.

Of course, the main flavor was the aroma of meat, so Qin Mengyao sprinkled some dried meat on top.

A sense of unease crept across the horizon, and dusk descended upon the desolate pass.

The wind on the official road picked up and howled as it blew through the gap in the courtyard wall.

The first wolf howl came from afar, long and mournful.

"Aww!..."

Then came the second sound, and then the third sound, one after another.

The monkey paused slightly in the hand holding the bowl, then continued drinking.

The other horsemen also showed a hint of fear on their faces, after all, that was the howl of a wolf!

Qin Mengyao's delicate body trembled as she leaned against Ye Chen.

"There are probably a lot of wolves here..." Smoker took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled a smoke ring.

"It's alright, wolves are afraid of fire. As long as we light a fire, the wolves won't dare to come near us."

The monkey took a deep breath, smacked its teeth clean, put down the bowl, and looked at Ye Chen.

"Captain, there's a problem we need to solve. Although we brought a lot of good food and enough rations to last for a month or two, we still need to address this issue."

"What should we do after we finish eating? This land can't grow rice!"

Ye Chen nodded slightly and looked at everyone, saying, "That's right, we can't just sit around and do nothing. We still need to find some food tomorrow."

The monkey chuckled and said, "Captain, I used to be a hunter. I can hunt, set traps and snares."

"I'll go up the mountain first thing tomorrow morning; maybe I'll find some goods!"

Ye Chen nodded slightly, then turned to Qin Mengyao and said, "Tomorrow we'll go out and search around to see if we can find anything to eat."

"When you are at home, keep the gate closed and the fire in the stove burning."

Ye Chen looked at her and instructed her, "If anything seems amiss with the pile of dry grass by the gap in the courtyard wall, light it. Once the smoke rises, I'll come back when I see it."

"Okay." Qin Mengyao nodded gently.

……

Silent all night.

The next day arrived quickly, and Ye Chen and the others got up early.

The ten men, equipped with the gear provided by Ye Chen, were ready to set off.

Ye Chen called Qin Mengyao into the yard and pointed to the pile of dry hay, saying, "If anything happens, light a fire and go inside. Seal the door shut, and we'll be back as soon as possible."

Qin Mengyao nodded emphatically and said, "Yes, I've got it."

Ye Chen waved his hand and led the nine people out of the courtyard.

"Today, our mission is to search and gather information, but don't cause any trouble," Ye Chen said to his nine men.

"Understood!" the nine replied in unison.

"Xiao Fei, stay in this area and keep a close eye on the house. You absolutely cannot let anything happen to the house," Ye Chen said, looking at a handsome young man who was about 1.8 meters tall.

"Captain, I understand. I'll take care of your wife." Xiao Fei nodded gently.

Ye Chen thought for a moment, then looked at everyone and said, "We still need to pair up so we can look out for each other. A-Qiang, you're in a pair with Xiao Fei, and Smoker is in a pair with me."

"Let's get going! No matter what happens, you have to come back for dinner tonight."

Ye Chen turned around and walked forward with Smoker.

They left the courtyard but did not take the main road. Instead, they went around to the hillside behind Huangchen Pass.

Ye Chen grabbed onto the brambles and withered grass, climbing step by step to the top of the slope.

He stood on high ground and looked around; the location of Huangchen Pass was better than he had imagined.

The earthen cliff behind it serves as a natural barrier, while the official road in front winds its way to the northwest.

To the left of Huangchen Pass are rolling hills, and to the right, earthen cliffs extend towards Qinghe County.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and looked towards a valley.

In Liangguang County, about eight miles from Huangchen Pass, you can faintly see a few wisps of white smoke.

This is not beacon smoke, but cooking smoke from a stove.

This place is inhabited!

Ye Chen gave the cigarette ghost a look, then came down from the top of the slope and walked towards the valley.

The two walked for about half an hour, and traces of human cultivation could be seen on both sides of the road.

Terraced fields were built on the slope, but the crops all died of drought.

All that could be seen were cracked clods of earth and scorched yellow straw.

Even the ditches have dried up.

There is a village here, with about a dozen households.

The house was made of rammed earth, with stone slabs pressing down on the roof.

The village gave me a lifeless feeling, and Ye Chen walked lightly into the village entrance.

"Woof woof!..."

A skinny yellow dog with clearly visible ribs stood up from under the courtyard wall, its fur bristling as it barked at Ye Chen.

Then came the second and the third, and soon five skinny dogs came out.

The barks of these skinny dogs were weak and feeble.

The door of the first house opened a crack, and a dirty...

The child peeked out.

His cheekbones were high and prominent, and his eyes were sunken. Instead of curiosity, his eyes were filled with fear.

Ye Chen wanted to go forward and ask questions, but to his surprise... the door slammed shut with a "bang!"

Then came the second household, the third household... the entire department was completely locked up.

Ye Chen stopped and spread his hands at his sides to indicate that he had no weapon.

As for the weapons behind him, these people had no idea what they were, and he wouldn't reveal them unless absolutely necessary.

After a while, the door of the first house opened again, and an elderly man who looked to be about sixty years old came out.