If you can't make it on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace), you'll end up losing your whol

Chapter 212 Repairing the House, Strolling Around Beishan

After Master He left, the other prisoners also began to choose their rooms.

Although the thatched hut was dilapidated, it still had many advantages over sleeping in the wilderness.

Since Wenwen chose the room furthest to the side, the whole family went over to take a look.

This house does occupy a considerable area, but because it's located on the far side, it's somewhat far from the center of the camp.

But for the Wen family, it was just right. They could make some repairs and fix things up, and stay for a few days first.

Wen Qilin walked around the house a few times, clapped his hands, and said, "Brothers, let's fix it up and make the roof more sturdy so it won't be blown away by the wind."

"Listen to your brother, let's do it together."

The core members of the Wen family, several grown men, pitched in together, relying on their experience in building treehouses along the way. A series of clanging and banging sounds rang out.

The crooked doors and windows were repaired, and the drafty cracks in the walls were filled with wooden planks and branches. Soon, thanks to everyone's efforts, the thatched house was completely transformed inside and out.

During this time, the women of the Wen family were also busy. They tidied up the ground in front of and behind the thatched house, and gathered firewood nearby. They couldn't help with repairing the house, but they were good at tidying it up.

"Wow, this room is nice, it's spacious enough."

"Yes, the room on the far side is bigger. Wen'er has a good eye." Aunt Wei suddenly praised Wenwen.

If there's praise, we should accept it generously: "Thank you for the compliment, Auntie. I'll keep up the good work, hahaha."

"Yes, keep it up! Let's hurry up and cook, the sun is about to set."

A moment later, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of the houses near the thatched hut.

The aroma of food began to waft from the earthen houses next door.

Looking into the distance, a group of people walked over from the foot of the mountain, some carrying baskets and others pushing carts.

These people were clearly criminals returning from mining.

Some people were all smiles, while others were dejected; a variety of expressions were displayed on their faces, and a variety of words were spoken as they approached from afar.

"I've dug enough today. I can earn some extra money in these last few days."

"I'm still a few baskets short of this month's quota, but I should have enough by tomorrow."

"It's alright, there are still a few days until the end of the month. We can just speed things up tomorrow."

"Hey, I found a special kind of ore today. I'll take it to the Xie family's shop tomorrow."

"Hey, I heard that a new Shili Stone Workshop opened in the west of the city. Apparently, they offer higher prices than the other three. Let's finish work early tomorrow and go check it out, compare prices, and then decide."

"Yes, we'll set off early tomorrow to get to work and finish early."

The conversation, which had continued along the way, gradually disappeared in front of the mud-brick houses after passing the thatched huts.

When it was completely dark, the Wen family had finished preparing the meal and brought it to the table, where everyone sat together.

The family was very excited.

This was their first meal after arriving in the northern desert, and it was of great significance.

Wen Yuanqian looked at everyone present, and suddenly burst into tears, "Our family is all safe and sound, thankfully..."

The old man choked up, recalling the moment he set off from Kyoto three months ago, how painful the torment in his heart was. Now, however, the situation was quite different.

"...From now on, our family will...will...will..." She was so excited that she forgot her words.

Wenwen raised the soup bowl in her hand to help her grandfather out of the predicament, saying, "We must reach a higher level."

Unexpectedly, several children beside her shouted out, "...Yes, go upstairs."

Can abbreviations be used so sparingly?!

That's incredibly economical!

"Hahaha......"

The children's chaotic antics instantly eased the family's slightly heavy mood.

After dinner, the family held a meeting, mainly to share their opinions on the current situation.

Wen Qilin: "Father, tomorrow I will go with those people to take a look around the foot of the mountain."

Wen Qiyuan: "Father, I will go with my eldest brother tomorrow."

Wen Chengjian and his brothers said, "Grandfather, let's go together too."

Wenwen raised her hand to vote, "Grandfather, I can't be left out of this kind of thing."

"And us..."

Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Wen Yuanqian was very pleased. "Alright, I'll stay here to watch the house tomorrow. You all go and come back quickly. We can discuss anything else when you get back."

"Okay, I'll follow Grandfather's arrangements."

Having probably reached their destination, despite the biting cold and howling north wind outside, everyone slept soundly that night.

The next day, before dawn, footsteps could be heard outside.

Wen Qilin, Ye Jingchuan, and Wen Wen and their siblings went out and followed the people from the earthen houses towards the foot of the mountain.

They even greeted us on the way, saying, "Brothers, we're new here. Would it be alright if we went with you to the foot of the mountain to take a look?"

A tall, bearded man turned to look at the Wen family and replied cheerfully, "Why not? The mountains to the north were originally reserved for people like us. We can look around as we please. If we have the ability, we can dig up whichever mountain we want. Nobody will stop us."

A slightly shorter man next to the bearded man couldn't help but interject, "Brother, my name is Wang Dali, and this is our leader, Wang Datie. We're a small team. Are you interested in joining us? We have a fixed mine and can take you there."

The main reason was that Wen Qilin and Wen Chengbin looked strong and healthy, clearly skilled miners. Therefore, Wang Dali was very enthusiastic and wanted to win them over, even though it was their first meeting.

Having more capable people in the team means the mission can be completed faster, so why not?

Wen Qilin introduced his family to the group, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he gave the excuse that his family had discussed: "Our family has a lot of people and heavy tasks, so we dare not delay the team's mission."

Wang Dali asked curiously, "How many people are in your family? How many could you possibly go?"

"There are more than 30 people in the family, including elderly people, children and women. Only a few of us men can support them."

"..." Wang Dali was shocked. "How old is the old man? How young is the child?"

"The old man is 60 years old, and the child is only 3 years old."

"...Sigh! My burden is indeed heavy."

Not only Wang Dali, but also those nearby who heard these words were filled with admiration.

Exiled from Kyoto to here, a long journey, many elderly people and children perished along the way, and every family suffered losses. This family managed to save the elderly and children, which means they must have something special, though everyone just keeps quiet about it. This alone deserves everyone's heartfelt admiration.

Wang Datie patted Wen Qilin on the shoulder, "Brother, you have elderly people and children in your family, so many people, why don't you get new resident status? That kind of stable life is suitable for you, and it's secure!"

Wen Qilin scratched his head and said honestly, "I was just thinking that we men have strength and don't want to be controlled by others!"

Unexpectedly, the people next to Wang Dali strongly agreed, "Yes, that's what we think too. If we suffer a little more, we can dig by ourselves, and we'll be freer without being controlled by others."

"Yes, that makes sense."

Wang Datie patted Wen Qilin on the shoulder again and enthusiastically suggested, "Come on, let's go for a stroll in Beishan."