I traveled through time, this is unscientific

"Yes, we are mountain people." Old Wu murmured and added this sentence.

"If we can survive down there, who would want to go up there and become a mountain dweller?" Old Wu put away his pipe, stood up, and looked at the villagers who were surrounding him. He said, "Becoming a mountain dweller means giving up everything down there, our identities, our land, our household registration, and the future of our descendants. We gave all of these up and came up here. From ancient times to the present, mountain dwellers have no land, so they don't pay rent, they only pay a head tax. Today, the county wants us to pay rent, what does that mean?"

The villagers below started talking.

"They don't allow us to be mountain people anymore?"

"If we can't even be mountain people anymore, what else can we do?"

"Want to restore our identities?"

"How can such a good thing happen? What are you dreaming about?"

"So there's no way out?"

Old Wu waited until the villagers' discussions died down before continuing, "Anything is possible. But if we pay the rent this time, will the remaining grain be enough to support us until the autumn harvest?"

"Village chief, our family is running out of food now, let alone the autumn harvest. We can't even guarantee the summer harvest." This is the bald man at the end of the village, whom Old Wu doesn't like very much. Zhou Xiaozhou has seen him pass by the school many times and even secretly looked at the school.

"So what do you think? Should we pay the rent or not?" Old Wu asked everyone for their opinions.

"What the hell is that?" This is Li Jinniu.

"After paying this time, do I have to pay rent in the future?" This is Lin Dayou.

"We can't start this. We are not someone who can be manipulated by others. Today the county magistrate says we have to pay this tax, and tomorrow the county magistrate says we have to pay that rent. Who can bear this?" This was Zhao Danniu's mother. She had just come out from under the big tree at the entrance of the village. She was originally walking behind Zhou Xiaozhou and the others, but unexpectedly she took a few steps to the front.

"What Auntie Da Niu said is right. There is no reason for them to come to us every few days to ask for this and that. What have we become? Do they just come and take advantage of us whenever they remember?" Auntie Yu's support came at the right time.

But Uncle Yu beside her pulled her arm and said, "Just be quiet!"

"Then we won't hand it over. But according to what Ma Laowu said just now, they will come again. Who knows what the situation will be like then?" This is what Old Wu is worried about.

They knew what the county meant, which was to ask for more food, and give as much as possible. However, they had no idea how the county was going to prepare the food, nor to what extent.

If their village could avoid paying taxes or pay less if they made a fuss, that would be good. But if they made a fuss and the matter got bigger, the county might kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, and their village would be the chicken.

"Village head, how about we just run away when they come? They won't give us food anyway. When they come, we can just hide in the mountains." Li Dahu made an immature suggestion. He was immediately bombarded.

"You idiot." His father slapped him on the head. Li Jinniu couldn't understand why he gave birth to such a thing. Where to run? All the family's property for several generations is here. He is already a mountain dweller. Where can he run to? How low can he go?

"Run, I can't run anymore." This is Old Man Lin. He probably just got the news and just walked to the open space of the school.

Old Man Lin walked in a hurry, with a little sweat on his forehead. His son Lin Dayou came forward and called him, "Dad, why are you here?"

Old Man Lin's eyes widened and his neck stiffened: "Why can't I come?"

Then he looked at Old Wu and said, "What this idiot said is not right, but it is also a solution."

Old Wu stared at him. He wanted to see what kind of ivory could come out of this dog named Lin's mouth.

"If the county is soft, we will say something nice to them. If they are hard, we will confront them head-on." What Old Man Lin said sounded quite reasonable.

"That's true, but Old Wu, we can't defeat them. What will we do if real swords and guns really come? We only have a hundred or so people?" Old man Li was a little worried.

"Let's do it. We've come this far, there's nothing to be afraid of." Li Jinniu is always so straightforward.

"Go, go, go, what the hell, you are just a fool, you think so simply. And you, Da Hu, are running up the mountain. What should we old people do? We can't run far even if we run. And is this mountain so easy to climb?" Old man Li scolded his son.

It was unknown what Li Jinniu and Li Dahu were thinking of, but Zhou Xiaozhou saw that both of them trembled at the same time.

"This won't work, and that won't work either. Village chief, tell me what to do!" Li Jinniu wanted Old Wu to come up with an idea. He wasn't the type to think, so he could only be arranged by others, and they would definitely do whatever they were told to do.

"Actually, what your uncle Lin said makes sense. So does what Da Hu said. If we can't afford to offend them, we can just hide. That way, next time someone comes up the mountain, we can test the waters, just like we did today. Jinniu, you did a great job today."

Old Wu then thought: "Xiao Liuzi, follow your uncle Liu and be more alert recently, just like today. When you see someone coming, run to find them immediately. Make sure to block them at the entrance of the village and don't let them enter the village to find out everything about our family background."

Old Wu thought about it and then made arrangements: "Young girls and wives should go home and pack up their valuables. If all else fails, we will probably have no choice but to hide in the mountains again."

"Village head, this can't be possible!" Aunt Yu interrupted again, "How long can we hide in the mountains? Besides, the mountains are not peaceful. The wild animals are howling every day. It's scary to hear them."

Aunt Yu's words touched the hearts of the other women.

"Yes, I don't know what's wrong with him lately, he starts to roar at night."

"It sounds scary. Can we not go up the mountain?"

"What do you women know?"

"Can the village chief please ask the gods?"

After these words were spoken, the lively discussion paused for a few seconds.

Zhou Xiaozhou seized on this sentence, mainly because she did not understand it, and the villagers' reactions were also not right.

Old Wu didn't say anything else. He just waved his hand and told everyone to go home.

Zhou Xiaozhou watched from the sidelines. Actually, the villagers had not come up with any plan. They were just taking one step at a time. But today, Zhou Xiaozhou realized that Village Chief Wu really had some style as a village chief. His orderly speech just now stirred people's hearts. Zhou Xiaozhou thought that the village was going to rebel.

But without investigation, there is no right to speak. Zhou Xiaozhou doesn’t know much about this village, just like Zhou Xiaozhou only now knows a little about the mountain people.

What does it mean to have no identity and no land? What does it mean to give up the future of your descendants? What kind of world is on the other side of the tunnel? Zhou Xiaozhou is becoming more and more interested.