Entering her own residence, Gu Qingcheng secured the courtyard gate tightly and the main gate of the house even more so.
Having passed through Zhanchun Town and encountered corpse magnetism in the water, though they felt perfectly fine, it was best to stay indoors and isolate themselves from the villagers.
Hu Lanfang felt an immediate sense of familiarity upon arriving at the small courtyard; it was neatly arranged and warm.
Gu Qingcheng retrieved the furniture from her home on Ya Mountain from the storage cabinet and placed it in her parents' bedroom. As the furniture was ready-made, the master bedroom was soon furnished.
Were it not for the difference in room size and atmosphere, it would have been indistinguishable from their home on Ya Mountain.
The familiar furniture brought a familiar feeling. Hu Lanfang and Gu Chaobei, who had been on edge the entire journey, were exhausted and, upon seeing the familiar beds, just wanted to sleep.
They had taken a good bath in the bathroom before heading up the mountain, so now they simply wiped their faces and limbs with a washcloth before retiring to bed.
Gu Qingcheng, however, was busier. She asked Fu Dadi to inform Dai Fa that she had returned to the village but would be self-isolating at home for seven days, instructing Dai Fa not to look for her, assuring him that she was well.
Fu Dadi faithfully relayed the message to Dai Fa.
Upon hearing that Gu Qingcheng had returned safely and brought her parents with her, Dai Fa's worries subsided.
Seeing Gu Qingcheng's intention to self-isolate at home, Dai Fa considered it only natural.
Gu Qingcheng's status was too precious; as an elder of the village, how could she mingle with everyone in the quarantine area?
The living conditions in the quarantine area were, frankly, quite poor, with only makeshift shelters making sleeping and eating uncomfortable.
Given Gu Qingcheng's transcendent position in the village, self-isolating at home was already a considerable comfort.
Having received the news, Dai Fa trusted Gu Qingcheng's arrangements and was not in a hurry to see her.
Unbeknownst to Gu Qingcheng, Phoenix Village had just weathered a disaster before her return.
Time turned back ten days.
Due to the endless repercussions of the floods downstream, the number of refugees seeking shelter in Phoenix Village had been steadily increasing.
Phoenix Village had also heard reports of people falling ill and dying by the roadside downstream. Although they hadn't stopped accepting refugees, the quarantine regulations became increasingly stringent.
When the refugees heard that Phoenix Village on the mountain was still accepting people and that the locals lived in peace and contentment, they flocked to the mountain, and soon the quarantine area was completely full.
Sometimes, over a hundred people would arrive in a single day, leaving Phoenix Village unable to build shelters fast enough, forcing some refugees to sleep on the ground.
Fortunately, those fleeing disaster usually carried their bedding. The temperature had already risen above twenty-five degrees Celsius, and although it dropped at night, it remained around seventeen or eighteen degrees, making it bearable with bedding.
At its peak, the lower half of the valley was densely packed with people, causing Dai Fa a headache.
Initially, order was maintained, with the village distributing medicine and food and drink in an organized manner. However, as the crowd grew too large, they began distributing rice for the refugees to cook for themselves outdoors.
Otherwise, Hehua and the few women from the communal kitchen couldn't possibly manage.
Therefore, Dai Fa finally decided to distribute rice directly to the refugees for them to cook, thus resolving the crisis of insufficient cooking staff.
However, Dai Fa hesitated for a long time before making this decision. When Gu Qingcheng was present, rice was distributed only to legitimate Phoenix Village villagers, who would eventually earn back the cost through diligent labor.
As a businessman, he was adept at calculating costs, but if the rice was given to outside refugees who did not become part of Phoenix Village, it would be a loss.
In those times, only grains and oils were truly reliable.
Just as Dai Fa was hesitating, Fu Dadi reported news that some of the incoming refugees had secretly formed an alliance, planning to take advantage of an opportunity to conquer Phoenix Village and establish it as a bandit base.
Dai Fa was enraged upon hearing this and asked Fu Dadi if he knew who was involved in planning this matter.
Fu Dadi stated that it was a refugee named Liu Xin, who had informants among the other refugees, though there was no concrete evidence yet.
Dai Fa then instructed Fu Dadi to prepare in secret, while he himself made arrangements with Yan Xin, maintaining an outward appearance of laxity but a state of readiness to counter any surprise attack.
Yan Xin, while deploying personnel, cursed Liu Xin as an ungrateful wretch, ungrateful for the village's hospitality and good food, and yet acting this way.
Although Dai Fa also felt it was a loss, Gu Qingcheng had instructed before her departure that the policy of accepting refugees would not change, and he could only follow her lead.
Therefore, even with the emergence of Liu Xin among the refugees, eliminating him would suffice.
As more people fell ill in the quarantine area, the refugees' minds began to stir, leading to other thoughts.
Liu Xin was originally a minor landlord from Zhanchun Town downstream. His land and shops had been flooded, and his family had perished. He resented the government's inaction and was jealous of Phoenix Village's superior advantages and abundant resources, wishing to become a mountain overlord.
Since the government had vanished anyway, and he had no family or other concerns, why not go for it?
As a minor landlord, he had received an education, studied military texts, understood some strategy, and was skilled at manipulating people. He had actually garnered a group of followers willing to obey him.
Furthermore, some people were discontented with the conditions in the quarantine period. They felt they were clean and healthy individuals and questioned why they were prevented from entering the village, forced to sleep outdoors, and treated in this manner by the people of Phoenix Village.
There were also refugees from larger villages downstream who had previously looked down upon the displaced people of Phoenix Village. Now, these displaced people had occupied their mountain land, built a village, and were looking down on them!
They felt deeply belittled and insulted. Thus, when Liu Xin incited them, they readily agreed. Approximately a hundred people gathered around Liu Xin, awaiting his command.
Believing their plan was unknown to others, they launched a surprise attack on a dark, windy night, exploiting the fact that the night guards at Phoenix Village and the pass were asleep. They intended to attack Phoenix Village.
They threw ropes with stones into the stone walls of the pass. Once the ropes were lodged in the wall cracks, they attempted to climb over the stone wall using the ropes to breach the pass.
However, as soon as the operation began, and before anyone had climbed the wall, a sudden gong sound rang out. Hundreds of people appeared on the pass, raining arrows down on them from above.
More than half of these newly riled refugees were immediately lost.
The leader, Liu Xin, was struck in the chest by an arrow and died instantly.
With their leaders dead, the remaining people, in a panic, abandoned the attack and surrendered, begging for mercy.
Dai Fa and Yan Xin, standing on the pass, appeared composed and in control, as if they had foreseen everything.
Dai Fa stroked his beard and calmly, eloquently, uttered words that struck fear into the hearts of these rebels.