Chapter Seven I bring you some bad news

  When the boat reached the mouth of the valley where the camp was located, the boatmen refused to go any further. Kong Fan saw that the boatmen were resolute and had no choice but to follow suit, so he fired two shots into the air as a signal. Before long, two responding gunshots came from the direction of the camp, and the flames suddenly grew larger, with a group of people appearing in the light of the fire.

  Kang Fan rowed a boat, taking Mei Xiang back to the camp first. After explaining the situation, he and Zhong Hanqiang took several male students and rowed the boat back to the original place, making several round trips before unloading the things on the boat into the camp. He asked Zhong Hanqiang for lighters and gave one to each of the boatmen, fulfilling his promise. The boatmen were overjoyed and drove the boat back overnight.

  Adolf crept up quietly and knocked Konfan to the ground in an instant.

  Adolf, attention! Kornfan shouted loudly.

  But this time Adolf didn't listen to him, instead using his hot tongue to lick his face, a low humming sound coming from his throat, as if he was crying.

  Kang Fan's eyes moistened...

  When Kang Fan finished telling Zhong Hanqiang about the situation of this expedition, he thought he would be shocked and lost his color, but not. Zhong Hanqiang just nodded, as if all this was within his expectation. On the other side, Mei Xiang was probably doing the same thing, but it was different over there, with a burst of crying and noise!

  Zhong Hanqiang wanted to go and persuade them a couple of times, but was stopped by Kang Fan.

  Let them vent their anger, Old Zhong, Kang Fan said.

  Zhong Hanqiang sighed and said it's really hard for them. He stood up while speaking to sort out the goods that had been transported back.

  Kang Fan glanced over there and saw Mei Xiang waving at him, so he ignored it and followed Zhong Hanqiang.

  He Shuichang's gratitude can be felt from the things he presented: flour includes wheat flour, corn flour, barley flour, soybean flour and potato flour; vegetables include potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, cabbage and onions, ginger, garlic, etc., all of which are cellar-stored winter vegetables. Meat includes live chickens, fresh pork and cured, smoked beef, pork, fish, a real variety. Daily necessities include a ceramic water tank and a large iron pot for cooking, the rest are bowls, chopsticks, ladles, basins and so on. Various seasonings are all available, the most eye-catching being Shanxi's famous aged vinegar and Fen wine.

  We need to find some kelp or sea salt for everyone to eat, the salt here is all rock salt and lacks iodine. Zhong Hanqiang thought of everything.

  "Have you eaten all those salted things you brought?" Kang Fan asked.

  Zhong Hanqiang smiled wryly and finished eating early. The students complained that the food was tasteless due to lack of salt, no matter how much salt was added, I didn't have the heart to be frugal.

  This time I listened to you and it was right, if I didn't bring Mei Xiang along, nothing would have been accomplished. Kang Fan said.

  Zhong Hanqiang smiled meaningfully and didn't say a word.

  Kang Fan and Zhong Hanqiang sat back beside the bonfire, brewed tea, and rested while drinking. Adolph walked to their front, thudded down, and the dust he stirred up fell onto Kang Fan's teacup.

  It's ruined! A good cup of tea. Kong Fan said regretfully.

  Zhong Hanqiang then gave him another cup, sighing: Adolf is really a good dog. First, he can hunt for food by himself and doesn't add any burden to us; second, he's a fairly competent guard who can help us do things that many people can't do sometimes.

  Yes. Kong Fan patted Adolf's head and said, "Adolf, I'll take you to the river tomorrow morning for a bath. Your fur is all matted."

  Zhong Hanqiang sucked his tea and asked: What are you planning? Tell me.

  You go first. said Kang Fan.

  Zhong Hanqiang thought for a moment and said: Since we have experienced the crossing from here, we cannot leave this place. Because none of us have experienced anything like this before, we don't know how to get back home, so the best solution is to wait in place for the next crossing. I think that since it has already happened once, why can't it happen again? Besides, we don't have any other options. Rather than blindly increasing the risk, it's better to wait relatively safely here, because our mission is to protect these students no matter what era they are in.

  Kang Fan nodded in agreement, saying: "I think so too. This place should be built as a base for our long-term survival. Even if we have a better place in the future, this place should not be abandoned. Currently, we need funds the most, and with funds, we can carry out necessary infrastructure construction to make life as comfortable as possible. Old Zhong, I plan to entrust He Shui Chang to help us find a suitable place to open a hospital. The batch of medicines we brought is more precious than gold in this era, although they are ordinary common medicines in our time. Using the income from the hospital, we can purchase equipment and raw materials for students to develop common medicines and daily chemical products, expanding the scale and achieving sustainable construction and development. Therefore, our most urgent task at present is to gradually build this river valley with a good ecological environment into a village suitable for us to live in. I think that from tomorrow on, we should abandon our current situation of sitting idle and start burning bricks, cutting wood, opening up wasteland, building houses, farms, pharmaceutical factories, and chemical plants, fully utilizing the students' intelligence and hard work to create our beautiful life."

  Right, just like this! Zhong Hanqiang exclaimed excitedly.

  The two of them then drew up a detailed work plan, and by the time they had finalized everything, dawn was approaching.

  At dawn, the sun had just jumped out of the eastern mountain, and Mei Xiang rushed over to knock on the door. Kang Fan had only been asleep for a short while and really didn't want to get up. Mei Xiang opened the car door and dragged him down from the vehicle by force.

  Good grief, Granny, you're so annoying... Kang Fan muttered in extreme dissatisfaction.

  Mei Xiang dragged him away without caring, "The classmates are all waiting for you to start the meeting."

  The two arrived at the riverbank, where the students were already lined up and waiting, each one full of energy and vitality, a stark contrast to their despair and pessimism from last night. Seeing this scene, Kang Fan felt relieved. It seemed that Mei Xiang's ideological work had been effective.

  Kang Fan told the students about the plan he and Zhong Hanqiang had discussed last night, assigned specific tasks, and then dismissed them. He called Adolf to take a bath in the river.

  Mei Xiang looked puzzled. Don't you want to give everyone a boost? Why don't you tell your classmates those moving words you said to me on the boat that day?

  Kang Fan laughed, your mouth is more useful than mine. Not needed anymore.

  Mei Xiang's face turned red, she looked around and saw no one was paying attention, then she clenched her fist and punched.

  Kang Fan turned around and ran, calling Adolf as he went. Mei Xiang followed him to the riverbank, laughing and washing Adolf together with Kang Fan. Adolf stood quietly in the river, enjoying the baptism of the two, occasionally stretching his mouth into the water like lightning, picking up a lively fish, which made Mei Xiang scream again and again.

  After breakfast, Kang Fan and Zhong Hanqiang took the male students to cut wood. They planned to build some wooden houses, they couldn't always live in cars, could they? Mei Xiang and the female students made plans for researching and manufacturing medicines and daily chemical products at the campsite, preparing for future work.

  The logging work was arduous, but with everyone's concerted efforts, the progress was rapid. Kang Fan and Zhong Hanqiang rebuilt a wooden raft, took Adolph across the river to the other side, and began the long-planned survey.

  Don't underestimate the abilities of these college students. As long as we can provide them with a suitable platform, 30 brains filled with modern knowledge will definitely have a significant impact on this era, said Kang Fan.

  Zhong Hanqiang nodded, yes, after the initial panic was over and their thinking returned to normal, their intelligence would be fully utilized, with great potential.

  This was their first time on the other side of the river. The terrain here is wider than the campsite, except for the forest at the foot of the mountain, the entire riverbank surrounded by green mountains is a hilly terrain with little ups and downs, dotted with grasslands, shrub clusters and ponds, probably around 4,000 to 5,000 mu. It would be perfect to open up a farm that integrates planting and breeding.

  What a great place! Zhong Hanqiang sighed, it's just unknown whether the local officials will let us stay here for long, if not, we'll have to prepare for battle.

  Kang Fan said: Don't worry, Old Zhong. I've inquired about it, and this place has always been considered an evil place by the locals because according to their ancestors' legend, some strange and terrifying events often occurred here, and no one has set foot here for hundreds of years, not even daring to hide. Besides, this is the territory of Ma Fang Township, which is He Shui Chang's domain.

  Zhong Hanqiang felt relieved, but doesn't our arrival this time prove even more that this is an evil place?

  That's what locals think, said Kang Fan.

  Zhong Hanqiang understood that if they didn't, those boatmen would risk danger and return overnight, not daring to stay for long.

  Two men walked and talked, carefully surveying the terrain. Zhong Hanqiang's family had been farming for generations and was very familiar with building farms. He enthusiastically told Kang Fan about what was suitable for planting here and what was suitable for breeding there, with great enthusiasm.

  I said it's your good fortune to have met me, and this has proven my words, right? Zhong Hanqiang suddenly smiled with satisfaction.

  Kang Fan suddenly remembered the seeds of crops he brought in his car, are you going to plant them?

  Right. Now is exactly the spring plowing season, we must act immediately. Zhong Hanqiang said.

  Kang Fan nodded in agreement, then we'll take action tomorrow. First, let's solve our grain supply problem for this year.

  After catching a few wild rabbits and ducks, and grabbing a few fish, the two of them rowed their boat back to the other shore to prepare for another long journey. They packed some soap, laundry detergent, lighters, flashlights, batteries, canned goods, medicine, and other things onto the wooden raft, and Kang Fan set off downstream. The purpose of this trip was twofold: one was to ask about the hospital; the second was to exchange these items with He's family for daily necessities or silver.

  He came by boat, familiar with the route. He had already found a house in Ningwu County through an intermediary and was just waiting for the money to be settled. He was very satisfied with the new and strange things that were sent over, and immediately dispatched someone to send grain, vegetables, meat, and 200 taels of silver as a deposit, asking Kang Fan to load the remaining items onto the return boat and sell them through an intermediary. Kang Fan didn't want the silver, instead asking He Shui Chang to bring back oxen, farm tools, woodworking tools, piglets, lambs, chicks, etc., which he took back to the camp.

  Great kindness doesn't need to be thanked. This time, I was able to save the little girl's life, and as her brother, I'm deeply grateful. You and your family just stay here and don't worry about being driven away by others. With me here taking care of things, you can rest assured. He Shuichang said.

  What Kang Fan wants is exactly this sentence.

  Zhong Hanqiang planned a large area of arable land on the other side of the river, intending to use it all for planting wheat and corn. These 21st-century grain seeds are far superior to the grain seeds of this generation, and Kang Fan, who is not a farmer and has never planted land, also knows the advantages of these improved grain seeds over the past century. If nothing unexpected happens, the autumn harvest will be a miracle!

  Zhong Hanqiang is a thoughtful person, and he kept the seeds of those fresh vegetables brought by Xiaogong's car and various fruits brought by students. Now, these vegetable seeds can be planted at the same time: tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, beans, potatoes, etc. The seedling work of fruits has also started simultaneously, but it will take several years to wait for these trees to grow and bear fruit, which is really a bit long. As for the breeding of pigs, sheep, chickens, etc., in order to prevent attacks by various carnivores, they can only be raised in the camp. In this way, the area of the camp must be expanded. Therefore, the most urgent thing now is not building houses but establishing a safe and long enough wall first.

  After everyone's concerted efforts, the new wall was finally built. In this way, the camp became a very regular place, and everyone could move freely in the camp without worrying about the visit of wild animals. Next, it was time to build houses and open up wasteland, these tasks were quite arduous, requiring more time and effort, but Kang Fan had to leave the camp for a while.

  Kang Fan and Zhong Hanqiang discussed it and left some daily necessities and medicines for future use, while the rest were all loaded onto a ship to be transported by He Shuichang. As the product development work went smoothly, as long as funds, equipment, and raw materials were available, these things could be produced continuously, so there was no need to worry about the problem of self-use in the future.

  The next step is to consider the construction funds, said Zhong Hanqiang.

  Kang Fan smiled confidently and said, "Don't worry, Old Zhong, it won't take long for me to bring back a mountain of silver for you."