In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 594 Zhang Youcai

The others agreed, so the group that entered Liangzhou did not rush to the county town to sell their goods. Instead, they drove their truck to Zhang He's hometown, a village called Zhangwang Village.

As the sun began to set, Zhang He led his team of about thirty people to his hometown.

Looking at the dilapidated and desolate village in front of him, Zhang He's expression became even more complicated.

Zhangwang Village was originally a large village with a population of about 700 people. In Zhang He's childhood memories, Zhangwang Village was very lively. Every afternoon, smoke would rise from the chimneys of every household. Adults would cook at home, while children would play in the village. Zhangwang Village under the setting sun was filled with laughter and joy.

But today's Zhangwang Village is completely different from the Zhangwang Village in Zhang He's memory.

The children who used to play in the village have disappeared, and the smoke that used to rise from every house in the afternoon has vanished. All that can be seen are dilapidated houses, potholed roads, and a desolate environment...

All of this seems to suggest that the village has fallen into extreme decline.

"Brother Zhang."

Looking at the village where there wasn't a single person in sight, one of the men in the group couldn't help but ask, "Is there really no one left in this village?"

"I don't know either."

Zhang He gave a bitter smile. When he fled Liangzhou, Zhangwang Village still had about half its population. Now, almost a year has passed, and he has no idea what the village has become.

"Let's go in and have a look."

Zhang He sighed inwardly and took the lead in stepping into the village.

Others followed suit.

As Zhang He got closer, the village became clearer in his eyes. The dilapidated and long-neglected houses made his expression more complicated.

However, he didn't say anything, he just kept walking forward, hoping to see an acquaintance in the village.

Skinny Monkey and the others remained silent, seemingly worried that their voices would disrupt the tranquil atmosphere of the village.

Throughout the village, only the sound of truck wheels rolling and livestock hooves echoed.

The sound seemed to alert the villagers, and soon a man ran over. When he saw Zhang He and the others, he was startled, stopped, and shouted warily, "Who are you?"

It's no wonder the man reacted so strongly; Zhang He's group was simply too large, numbering over thirty, and all of them were young and strong, making it hard not to suspect their motives.

"Tiezhu? You're Tiezhu?"

Zhang He also stopped and looked at the person who had come, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Who are you? How do you know my name?

The man looked surprised.

Zhang He was still overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Tiezhu, it's me, Zhang He! Don't you remember me?"

"Zhang He?"

The man called Tiezhu thought for a moment, then his eyes widened: "You're Zhang He? Didn't you die on the way to escape famine?"

"..."

Zhang He was speechless. It was no wonder that Tie Zhu thought that way. Very few people who fled the famine ever returned, and some might not even return at all. Therefore, the villagers would inevitably assume that Zhang He had died on the road.

"See what I said."

Zhang Tiezhu seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing, so he slapped himself. Then he looked Zhang He up and down incredulously asked, "Zhang He, how have you changed so much? I remember you were as skinny as a monkey before, how come you're so strong now?"

Zhang He, who has been practicing martial arts for nearly a year, has changed a lot. He used to be extremely thin, but now he is broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, and looks exceptionally strong. This is why Zhang Tiezhu did not recognize Zhang He at first glance.

"Iron pillar."

At this moment, the skinny monkey approached Zhang Tiezhu, pointed at himself, and laughed, "Do you recognize me?"

Hearing the somewhat familiar voice of the skinny monkey, Zhang Tiezhu carefully examined the skinny monkey's face. After a moment, his expression became even more surprised: "You're the skinny monkey?"

"That's right, it's me!"

The skinny monkey proudly admitted his identity.

"This, this, this..."

Looking at the man in front of him who had absolutely no connection to the nickname "Skinny Monkey," Zhang Tiezhu was completely dumbfounded.

The reason why he is called "Skinny Monkey" is because he is very thin and weak, almost like a monkey.

However, the man in front of him showed no signs of being thin, a far cry from the skinny monkey Zhang Tiezhu remembered.

"Tiezhu, what happened?"

"Have thieves attacked our village?"

"Why are there so many people?"

"..."

At this moment, other villagers also heard the commotion and rushed over, looking at Zhang He and the others with wary eyes and full of vigilance.

The fact that more than thirty strong men broke into the village was no small matter. If they had malicious intentions, the village could face annihilation at any moment.

"Who are you?"

Zhang Hao, the village chief of Zhangwang Village, who looked to be around forty years old, stared intently at Zhang He and his group, who were about 20 meters away from him, as if afraid that Zhang He and his group might do something bad.

"Village chief, you're still alive?"

Skinny Monkey looked at Zhang Hao and the familiar faces behind him with a look of surprise. These were all villagers he knew, which undoubtedly made Skinny Monkey and Zhang He very happy.

"What nonsense are you talking about, young man? I'm doing just fine."

Zhang Hao was speechless. He was standing right there, and this young man was saying such things. Wasn't he cursing him to die?

"This young man speaks rudely."

"Who are these people? They all look so strong, are they here to rob our village?"

"It doesn't look like it, but we can't let our guard down."

"..."

The villagers behind Zhang Hao whispered among themselves, some of them holding weapons such as wooden sticks, ready to fight the thieves at any moment.

Fortunately, Zhang He and his group were not robbers.

"I misspoke."

Skinny Monkey slapped himself, took two steps forward, pointed to his face and said, "Village Chief, I am Skinny Monkey, do you remember me?"

Skinny monkey?

A hint of doubt flashed in Zhang Hao's eyes as he carefully examined the skinny monkey's face. Gradually, the skinny monkey's face overlapped with a face in his memory.

Zhang Hao's face also showed surprise at the right moment: "You're Skinny Monkey? Zhang Man's Skinny Monkey Zhang Youcai?"

Zhang Man is the name of the skinny monkey's father, while Zhang Youcai is the skinny monkey's name.

It's hard to imagine that someone nicknamed "Skinny Monkey" is actually named Zhang Youcai.

"That's right, it's me."

The skinny monkey laughed and admitted it.

As soon as he finished speaking, the other villagers who had come to their senses all showed expressions of shock.