CHAPTER 856: CHAPTER 855: ALMOST THERE

Once, Su Yuncheng almost made full use of Xie Yufei by throwing him into the Northwest to dig wells.

He chose this place because his uncle was here.

Relatives are real relatives, but they truly can’t be of much help.

First, Second Uncle Su is in Guanzhong;

Second, Second Uncle Su is in the army.

There’s both distance and inconvenience in meddling with matters of the education department.

The only possible help is that if they really got beaten up and could run all the way to Guanzhong, they’d be saved.

Oh right, they could still borrow a couple of cars.

Lin Nianhe was a bit tired, lying back on the bed, she said, "Let me think, let me think."

"Are you still going tomorrow?" Wang Shumei asked her.

"Yes." Lin Nianhe looked at Su Yuncheng and said, "We’ll leave when the cars arrive tomorrow."

"Alright." Su Yuncheng nodded, "The cars should arrive before eight."

"Great."

The meeting ended without a result, and they didn’t come up with a feasible plan.

Building a school on the ground is easy, but building one in the heart is very hard.

That night, Lin Nianhe twisted and turned, unable to sleep.

She felt she had thought through all the worst possibilities, only to find out the next day that reality is always unimaginable.

Su Yuncheng did manage to borrow two cars, but when they were still over twenty miles from the Red Flag Team, the cars couldn’t move any further.

The narrow mountain road couldn’t accommodate vehicles, so after Su Yuncheng got out to check the road, he helplessly told them, "We’ll have to walk."

Walk!

Lin Nianhe poked her head out from the driver’s seat of the second car, her voice a bit shaky: "How much further?"

"According to the map, about twenty-one or twenty-two miles." Su Yuncheng walked over to her and said, "Or we could turn back and borrow a donkey cart."

"It’s almost time for the school to start; we don’t have time to waste." Lin Nianhe frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Let’s go, the five of us adults, we’ll pretend it’s a hike."

They didn’t bring Wang Xiaoxiao along today; they left the little girl to play with the Wen family and Wen Guo.

"Sure."

Su Yuncheng nodded, then said, "Everyone bring three water bottles, two meals of dry food, carry a pack of matches, a pack of salt, and a medical kit. There are straw hats in the car, wear them all, and don’t bring anything that can’t save a life."

"Everyone gets a backpack, pack your things here, don’t leave, I’ll scout the road ahead."

Lin Nianhe watched his back with genuine admiration: "It has to be professional."

Wen Lan packed stuff into her backpack and said, "You guys can put the water and such with me, I’ll carry it for you."

Over there, Xie Yufei walked over holding his camera with a conflicted expression: "Is a camera considered essential? If I bring it, Brother Cheng won’t smash it, will he?"

Lin Nianhe: "Look at your question; of course, he’d have to smash it."

A ten-kilometer mountain trek, the fact that this group of people without hiking experience could complete it would be a blessing already, how dare they increase the burden?

Xie Yufei’s face dropped: "Then what am I going to use for the scenery?"

"You have eyes." Lin Nianhe, who had rare patience with Xie Yufei lately, comforted, "And we’re definitely not coming here for the last time. Next time we come, we’ll get a donkey cart, and you can bring whatever you want."

Xie Yufei hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

He put down the camera, but he still kept the manuscript paper in his backpack.

Lin Nianhe turned her head and saw Wen Lan laden with water bottles, quickly saying: "Sister Lan, each person carries three water bottles for survival, these items can’t all go in one person’s backpack."

"Why?" Sister Lan was puzzled.

"In case we run into something, get separated, or a bag falls down the mountain, it won’t lead to irreparable loss." Lin Nianhe explained, taking the water bottles off her.

Wen Lan clicked her tongue: "Silly girl, can’t you think positively?"

Lin Nianhe was about to collapse: "Do I have any reason to be optimistic right now?"

Wang Shumei said, creating humor amidst hardship: "Luckily, we didn’t bring Xiaoxiao along today, or we’d really have to go back."

"Sigh..."

Everyone sighed deeply.

Their car had actually been loaded with gifts for the villagers, but now none of it could be taken.

Lin Nianhe directly opened a pack of White Rabbit candy and tucked them into everyone’s bags, reminding them: "If you feel dizzy, eat a piece of candy first."

Then she took out several scarves, indicating that everyone should cover their mouths and noses to avoid swallowing a mouthful of yellow sand.

They packed their bags, and Su Yuncheng returned. He took out five sturdy branches about a meter long from the car, which he had taken from the Wen family’s woodshed.

He distributed the branches to them, checked everyone’s backpack and water stash, and said, "I’ll go in front, Xie Yufei at the back, and Wen Lan in the middle. Speak up immediately if there’s any issue."

"If we encounter danger on the way, don’t panic, listen to my command, run where I tell you to immediately, don’t wait for others. I’ll go first and come back last, understood?"

Su Yuncheng was rarely this serious, like a new recruit taking charge of a class of concerned soldiers.

The four who were worried nodded neatly, then quickly lined up.

Seeing them like this, Su Yuncheng’s expression relaxed a bit, a slight smile on his face, "There probably won’t be any danger; this is a path the villagers have to walk every day."

With that, he locked the two cars and led the way onto the sandy road.

In the first hour, they still had the energy to chat a bit or look at the scenery; after all, they were not tired yet.

Starting from the second hour, they fell silent and finally realized the use of the sticks that Su Yuncheng had rummaged through the woodshed for in the morning.

This stuff could save lives.

"Let’s find a shady spot to rest," Lin Nianhe softly called to Su Yuncheng ahead.

Su Yuncheng glanced at the time and nodded slightly, "Alright, five-minute break."

He was deliberately controlling their pace to avoid not reaching the Red Flag Team before nightfall.

Ahead around the bend was a large rock, and they squeezed into its shadow, sat down on the ground, and unscrewed their water bottles to take gulps.

"Drink in small sips." Su Yuncheng warned again, "Remember, there’s no water in the village."

Everyone fell silent, with the urge to spit the water they had just gulped back into the bottle.

"How much further?" Lin Nianhe asked softly.

Su Yuncheng: "Almost there."

After five minutes of rest, the hike continued.

One hour later—

"Brother Yuncheng, how much further?"

"Almost there."

Two hours later—

"How much further?"

"Almost there."

Three hours later—

"How far?"

"Almost there."

Four hours later—

"..."

"Almost there."

"Men’s words, liars’ myths..."

Lin Nianhe could no longer feel her legs; she kept moving forward purely out of habit, and if she didn’t take that step, Wen Lan behind her would step on her.

Just when she felt she was about to pass out, she suddenly heard the sound of wheels rolling over the ground in her ear.

Lin Nianhe swiftly turned her head, almost colliding with Wen Lan.

Wen Lan: "What are you doing?"

Lin Nianhe’s eyes gleamed as she stared at the returning road, confidently saying, "A car!"

"Silly girl, are you so tired you’re hallucinating?"

"There really is one!"

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