Chapter 102: A Gentle Drizzle
The stars twinkled endlessly above, and a new inspiration struck me. Another chapter, then.
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Solar Car No. 2 was an exceptional creation, designed by Li Daoxuan after he thoroughly absorbed the lessons learned from Solar Car No. 1's development, leading to a complete overhaul of its power and loading systems.
Measuring five centimeters in Li Daoxuan's world, in the Ming Dynasty, it transformed into a ten-meter-long vehicle, roughly the size of a modern-day public bus. It featured a passenger compartment similar to a bus, with solar panels mounted on its roof.
A sunshade, designed to cover the solar panels, was controlled by two long sliding rods, allowing Zheng Daniu inside the compartment to open and close it at will, thus regulating the vehicle's power.
Being significantly larger than the No. 1 car, modifications were considerably easier. A braking function was also added: a small plastic clip that Gao Chuwu could simply stomp with his foot to lock the tires.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu spent several more days learning to operate the vehicle before they could skillfully drive this large machine.
Over twenty villagers from Zhengjia Village boarded Solar Car No. 2, including Zheng Daniu's parents. No one in the vehicle understood why the Heavenly Lord had commanded them to visit Zhengjia Village, but His word was law, and they dared not disobey. Going was simply what they had to do.
“Daniu,” Gao Chuwu said, “I'm ready. You can pull back the sunshade now.”
Ever since their last unfortunate incident, which had resulted in a fatality, the two good-natured friends had certainly received a stern lesson in road safety. Their driving style was now far more cautious. They no longer dared to speed recklessly on the main road, slowly starting Solar Car No. 2 and driving steadily towards Zhengjia Village.
Li Daoxuan watched the bus depart. From outside the Diorama Box, he then tapped the "Zhengjia Village" label, and instantly, the view within the box shifted, jumping to an aerial perspective directly above Zhengjia Village.
He took out a medical nebulizer, aimed it at the sky above Zhengjia Village, and flicked the switch.
The straight-line distance between Gao Family Village and Zhengjia Village was over nine li, roughly four kilometers. Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu maintained a steady speed of around 40 kilometers per hour, driving smoothly and safely, carrying over twenty Zhengjia Village inhabitants towards their homeland...
While still a considerable distance away, a villager standing by the window suddenly shouted, “Ah, everyone, quick, look! Look at our village!”
The villagers quickly pressed themselves against the windows, peering outside.
Their familiar home, the small village where they had been born and raised, which they had left over a month ago. Now, returning, seeing it from afar, it felt both familiar and strangely alien.
The scene was distant, as if shrouded in a fine, continuous rain!
No, it wasn't an illusion. It was genuinely a fine, continuous rain.
Zhengjia Village was actually enveloped in a misty, white drizzle.
In an instant, tears streamed down the villagers' faces.
“Look at the sky!”
Someone shouted, and everyone looked up at the sky. Above Zhengjia Village, a familiar low cloud had appeared—the very same cloud that always manifested whenever the Heavenly Lord revealed Himself—with a dragon's head emerging from its center, spraying mist and rain towards the ground below.
So this was how the fine, continuous rain came to be.
“The Heavenly Lord has invited the Dragon King to Zhengjia Village!”
“The Heavenly Lord is benevolent!”
“My fields, they can be planted now!”
The villagers erupted in joy. “Stop the car! Quick, stop!”
Zheng Daniu pulled closed the sunshade, and the bus came to a halt. A group of villagers scrambled out, sprinting towards the village shrouded in rain and mist ahead, laughing wildly as they ran.
“Oh, come on!” Gao Chuwu exclaimed. “They always call us idiots, but turns out *they’re* the idiots! Why run when you have a car?”
Zheng Daniu landed a sharp thwack on Gao Chuwu’s head, making him cry out, clutch his scalp, and crouch defensively.
It took a moment before he straightened up. “Daniu, why did you hit me?” he whined. “Aren't we good friends?”
“You just called my parents idiots,” Zheng Daniu retorted. “Even if we’re good friends, I still have to hit you for that.”
Gao Chuwu remained silent.
Alright, he accepted the blow; he truly was in the wrong. He could call Zheng Daniu an idiot—friends playfully insulted each other all the time—but insulting someone’s parents? He deserved that punch.
The two shook hands, making peace. They were still good friends.
The villagers of Zhengjia Village sprinted on, running at least a li until they reached their own fields. They dropped to their knees with a thud, grabbing handfuls of the slightly damp soil, and laughed uproariously, looking up at the sky.
While they had been happy enough in Gao Family Village, this moment, undoubtedly, brought them even greater joy.
Tiny specks of light rose from their bodies and merged into the Diorama Box.
When he had initially saved their lives, each person had contributed a mere few hundredths of a Salvation Index point at most. This time, however, just over twenty people instantly added eight points to the box.
Li Daoxuan watched the Salvation Index on the box, which was now approaching 400 points, and fell into deep thought. There were still many unknowns about this index, but he was slowly beginning to grasp its true meaning.
After their initial euphoria, the more than twenty villagers returned to Solar Car No. 2. “Chuwu, Daniu,” they urged, “quickly, take us back to Gao Family Village! We must implore the Heavenly Lord to allow us to return and live in Zhengjia Village.”
“No, I will not allow it.”
When they returned to Gao Family Village and surrounded Gao Yiye, eagerly chattering about their desire to move back to Zhengjia Village, Li Daoxuan immediately rejected their plea.
“I will permit you to return during the day to farm your land,” he declared, “but after your work is done, you must return to Gao Family Village to rest. It is too dangerous to remain in Zhengjia Village for extended periods.”
Li Daoxuan’s words baffled the more than twenty villagers from Zhengjia Village. “Reporting to the Heavenly Lord,” one spoke up, “Wang Er’s rebellion has already ended, and the other rebel forces have all dispersed. The new magistrate is distributing porridge to aid the common people. Chengcheng County is safe now, isn’t it?”
“No,” Li Daoxuan stated, “it's far too early to call it safe.”
Li Daoxuan let out a long sigh. He didn't want to elaborate further.
The villagers exchanged bewildered glances. Gao Yiye lowered her voice. “What I’m about to say is just from me to you, not the Heavenly Lord’s words, alright? You can't see the Heavenly Lord, but I can. When he spoke just now, His esteemed face held a very sorrowful expression. It seemed as though he was sighing for all the common people of the world...”
The villagers stood in stunned silence.
Gao Yiye whispered, “His esteemed self definitely knows something. But that is the Way of Heaven, and it cannot be spoken to us mortals. If the Way of Heaven were revealed to us, I fear we mere mortals would be unable to bear it.”
Her words startled the villagers. But upon closer reflection, the Saintess's words made sense. The Heavenly Lord was a deity! He knew five hundred years into the past, five hundred years into the future, and five hundred years in between. If he said Zhengjia Village was dangerous, then it truly must be dangerous. They should obediently follow the Heavenly Lord's commands.
Everyone immediately straightened their expressions. “We will listen to the Heavenly Lord and not move back,” they declared. “We will go to work during the day, and return immediately to Gao Family Village after finishing our tasks.”
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu grinned widely. “Every day after sunrise,” Gao Chuwu added, “we two will drive you back and forth!”
The villagers thought carefully. That made sense. Waking up early and having the two young lads drive them to Zhengjia Village, where they could all work together in the fields, looking out for each other. Then, after farming, they could all ride back together. There was no real need to move back to Zhengjia Village, after all.
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