"Brother Xiao Dong, she’s not a bad person. I met her when I was chopping wood. She said she wanted to come to Taoyuan Village but couldn’t find the way, so I brought her back."
Tiegen hurriedly explained to the young man blocking his path.
"Tiegen, be quiet. You think everyone’s a good person."
Seeing Tiegen try to explain, the man named Xiaodong grew even angrier.
’What kind of nonsense has this woman fed Tiegen? He’s already defending her after such a short time.’
"Hello, my name is Tang Mo. I’ve heard people talk about Taoyuan Village, and I truly yearn for this way of life. That’s why I came here seeking it out."
Tang Mo adjusted her expression and adopted her most sincere tone.
She was putting to use what she’d just learned from observing Tiegen. It had to be said, with Tiegen as the perfect benchmark, Tang Mo’s performance of sincerity and harmlessness was even more convincing.
Like a Little Fox hiding its tail.
"Why didn’t you go to a base?"
Shen Xiaodong was still suspicious. Bases didn’t just have good benefits; they had more opportunities and more people. They had nothing here. Most people wouldn’t want to stay a single day, so why was someone so eager to join?
"To be honest with you, I’m from Huacheng Base in T City. My attribute value is too low, and I have no one to rely on. I just couldn’t survive there..."
As Tang Mo spoke, she lowered her head, looking aggrieved and as if she were holding something back.
’Perfect.’
She silently praised herself.
There was still too little deceit and backstabbing in the countryside. Seeing a young woman in such a state, even the highly dissatisfied Shen Xiaodong softened his tone.
"Fine, you can come in for now. But I’m telling you, the village is small. Food and lodging are limited. If you want to stay here, you’ll have to pay."
"Okay. I have some food left. How much will be enough? I might be staying for a while."
Tang Mo found Shen Xiaodong’s requirement perfectly reasonable.
If everyone could come here for free shelter, the little Taoyuan Village truly wouldn’t be able to hold so many people.
"I’m not sure about the specifics. I’ll have to go back and ask my dad."
Shen Xiaodong said after a moment’s hesitation. He’d never encountered an outsider who wanted to stay in the village long-term.
"Brother Xiao Dong’s dad is our village chief. Don’t worry, the chief is a very good man. He definitely won’t ask for too much food."
Fearing Tang Mo might be worried, Tiegen quietly circled around to her side to tell her.
"Get over here!"
Shen Xiaodong shot Tiegen a fierce glare and yanked him back.
"Tiegen is my prospective brother-in-law. If you need anything in the future, just come to me. Tiegen, if you keep talking to her, I swear I’ll tell Xiao Tang to ignore you."
Shen Xiaodong, terrified that Tang Mo might take a fancy to the big fellow, hastily issued warnings to both of them.
’Tang Mo found Shen Xiaodong’s worries rather baffling. It seemed like a miracle that Tiegen had found a fiancée in the first place, so why worry about someone stealing her away?’
"No, don’t tell Xiao Tang! I’m begging you."
Tiegen’s eyes drooped like a puppy’s, filled with worry and pleading.
Without another word, he put a great distance between himself and Tang Mo, walking with his head hung low.
’Tang Mo found the scene quite amusing. It was clear Tiegen was very fond of his fiancée. I wonder what kind of girl she is.’
Upon entering Taoyuan Village and taking her first breath of its fresh air, Tang Mo’s expression changed in an instant.
However, with the others nearby, she fought to control herself, temporarily suppressing her reaction.
The village chief’s home was located in the center of the village and was one of its few brick-and-tile houses.
For a brick-and-tile house to have remained so perfectly intact in the current landscape was no easy feat.
Scattered around it were small wooden houses. Though they looked somewhat crude, they were far superior to the tents Tang Mo had seen at Huacheng Base.
The ground within the village was clear of weeds. Newly-sprouted edible plants had been transplanted into fixed locations, giving the area a neat and carefully-tended appearance.
Seeds from the old world could no longer adapt to the current soil, but these new, post-apocalyptic plants were thriving and multiplying. Many of them were also edible for humans.
What amazed Tang Mo most was that the village still had livestock and poultry, including pigs, cattle, chickens, ducks, and geese.
This meant that even during the most difficult first six months of the apocalypse, the people here had managed to save the young of their farm animals, rather than eating them to extinction.
It sounded simple, but it was no easy feat during a time when nothing grew and people were on the verge of starvation.
This had clearly been a collective decision, which made Tang Mo all the more curious about the village chief of Taoyuan Village.
"Dad, we have a stranger in the village."
Pushing open the fence to his yard, Shen Xiaodong shouted toward the house before leading Tiegen and Tang Mo into his family’s main hall.
After Tang Mo had taken a seat, the village chief, Shen Qing, emerged from an inner room.
He was dressed in a long robe, looking like a character out of ancient history, but the attire was surprisingly fitting amidst the green bricks, yellow earth, and wooden structure of the house.
"Hello, Miss. I am Shen Qing, the village chief of Taoyuan Village. May I ask the purpose of your visit?"
Shen Qing looked very much like Shen Xiaodong, but he possessed a settled gentleness and wisdom in his eyes that the younger man lacked.