The Disappearing Villagers

In this smallholder economy, much like the feudal era of his previous life, an able-bodied adult was simply too important to a family.

The reason Chen Xuan's former family had fallen into such dire straits was that his former father and eldest brother had been taken away for conscription and corvée labor.

Before that, Chen Xuan's family had actually been doing fairly well. At the very least, they ranked near the upper middle of the village; otherwise, they would not have had Xiao Shitou.

Yet even so, once his former father and eldest brother were taken away, the family's fortunes immediately went from bad to worse.

Things had been manageable when his eldest brother left, but after his former father was taken away, the entire family had nearly collapsed. If not for his second uncle's care, they might not have lasted until Chen Xuan transmigrated over.

And now, there were fourteen able-bodied young men.

That meant fourteen families.

Those families were undoubtedly panicking.

Yet clearly, panic was of no use to them.

The back mountain remained deathly quiet, without the slightest movement. Like a terrifying beast about to choose someone to devour, it made everyone's hearts tremble.

Amid the unease and worry of one family after another, the night gradually passed.

As the morning sunlight spilled down, a new day arrived once more.

Yet those villagers who had not slept all night still did not see their family members return.

What followed only drove them further into despair.

The first day had been like this.

The second day was the same.

Then came the third day.

For three whole days, those fourteen people seemed to have vanished completely into the back mountain, leaving behind no trace whatsoever.

Even when the villagers asked acquaintances to search the back mountain, they found no sign of them.

A crowd gathered at the village entrance, waiting anxiously.

Uneasy thoughts spread ever more fiercely through every household.

"How long have they been up there?"

Someone asked in a low voice.

"Four shichen, perhaps!"

Someone answered, equally uneasy.

Amid their anxiety, figures emerged one after another from the woods.

The faces of family after family in the crowd brightened with joy, but before that joy could spread, it froze the moment the figures stepped out one by one.

Their relatives were not among them.

The people leaving the forest were merely the villagers who had gone up the mountain to search.

"Brother Shan Hu, how was it? Did you find my child?"

An old woman spoke hopefully, her entire body trembling.

"Yes, Brother Shan Hu, did you find my man?"

"Brother Shan Hu!"

"Uncle Shan Hu!"

Voices rose one after another. Following the old woman's plea, families all around them began speaking as well.

The middle-aged man leading them could not help but shake his head.

Looking at those hopeful gazes, he hesitated slightly before finally explaining in a low voice.

"We searched two or three li around the area, but we didn't see Zhang Shan or the others. Maybe they went deeper into the Deep Forest. We didn't dare go there."

The middle-aged man, Shan Hu, explained the situation.

"This, this..."

"What are we supposed to do?"

"My husband!"

Hearing Shan Hu's explanation did not comfort them. Instead, it made them even more anxious.

They had found nothing within two or three li.

And it had already been three days.

The last shred of hope in everyone's heart was about to shatter.

But at that moment—

Seeing the crowd's panic, Shan Hu hesitated before speaking.

"Everyone, we only dared to go two or three li in, but Er Gou can hunt wild boar. He must have gone deeper into the forest before. You can go ask him. If Er Gou agrees, perhaps there's still a chance of finding them."

Shan Hu spoke.

His words instantly lit up everyone's eyes.

"That's right, Er Gou!"

"Yes, there's still Er Gou!"

One family member after another finally came to their senses.

They all knew Er Gou had not gone up the mountain this time.

Shan Hu and the others did not dare enter deeper into the forest, but perhaps Er Gou would.

At this moment, they were like drowning people clutching at the last straw.

Some even turned around and sprinted toward Chen Xuan's home.

At Chen Xuan's home.

Evening.

Chen Xuan was still teaching Chen Er Zhuang archery.

He subconsciously looked up and immediately saw a huge crowd heading his way.

His movements could not help but stop.

"Second Zhuang Brother, practice again later!"

Chen Xuan called out, looking rather puzzled.

"Oh!"

"Alright, alright!"

Chen Er Zhuang was stunned for a moment, but he quickly nodded in agreement.

Just as Chen Er Zhuang stopped to put away the bow and arrow, the huge crowd had already arrived at Chen Xuan's door.

Since the courtyard gate was not closed, they walked straight in.

"Er Gou, please save my family!"

"Yes, Er Gou, Third Aunt used to dote on you the most!"

"Er Gou, can you help us?"

Voices rang out one after another, instantly making the little courtyard exceptionally noisy.

"Everyone, quiet down. What happened?"

"Let one person speak, or I can't hear anything clearly!"

The chaotic clamor, with some people even kneeling, left Chen Xuan bewildered. Unable to endure it any longer, he hurriedly stopped them, raising his voice somewhat.

"Everyone, quiet down!"

Hearing Chen Xuan's words, Shan Hu quickly spoke up.

With him speaking, the crowd gradually quieted down.

"Uncle Shan Hu, what happened?"

Chen Xuan looked at Shan Hu and asked doubtfully.

"It's like this. Zhang Shan and the others took people up the mountain to hunt three days ago, didn't they? They still haven't returned. We went up the mountain to look for them too, but there was no sign of them within two or three li."

Shan Hu gave a bitter laugh and explained the situation.

"Three days?"

Chen Xuan raised his brows, which then slowly furrowed.

This was not like the ancient times of his previous life. In this era, hunters rarely stayed overnight in the wilderness. They generally went in the morning and returned at night. Even if they had no choice but to spend the night on the mountain, it would be no more than one night. Yet it had now been three days.

That was not good news.

"Yes, three days. Er Gou, aren't your hunting skills the best in the village? Everyone was wondering if you could help go up the mountain and take a look!"

Shan Hu spoke cautiously.

"As for that..."

Chen Xuan fell into thought.

Seeing Chen Xuan fall silent in thought, the crowd seemed ready to erupt again, but Shan Hu suppressed them.

Under one anxious, tense, and worried gaze after another—

After a moment, Chen Xuan raised his head again.

"How about this? Uncle Shan Hu, it's too late today, and going up the mountain would be too dangerous. I'll go take a look tomorrow. It's already been three days, so one more day won't make a difference!"

After considering it for a moment, Chen Xuan agreed. It was not a major matter for him.

His agreement made some in the crowd breathe a sigh of relief, while others instinctively wanted to speak again.

But Shan Hu glared them back.

"Good!"

"Then I'll thank Er Gou on their behalf!"

"We won't disturb your family any longer!"

Shan Hu said with a smile, then called for the crowd to leave.