The Little Lucky Girl

The uncle also happily took out his pipe, but was afraid that the smoke would bother Lord Tao, so he just took a puff of the empty pipe and said, "When we build houses for those villagers, our village will also help. We can settle them down as soon as possible, and we will have the hope of becoming a town sooner, right?"

Village chief Guo nodded vigorously. Wow, the houses in the town are worth dozens of taels. If they become townspeople, it would be like picking up a pile of silver for free.

When the village becomes a town and becomes famous, more merchants will come here and a market will be formed, and life will be better for everyone.

Several old men suddenly felt full of strength and rushed to help the yamen runners with their work, which frightened the yamen runners so much that they speeded up their movements. Lord Tao was still standing nearby, and this opportunity to show off could not be snatched away from them.

Everyone worked together and the process became much faster. As a result, before the villagers arrived, the pots on their side were already boiling.

The team, which had been walking in the forest for more than an hour without stopping, could no longer hold on. Old Man Shi was just about to discuss with Feng Liang about letting everyone take a break when they smelled a faint fragrance.

"Da Lang, am I feeling dizzy from hunger? Why do I smell rice porridge?"

Shi Dalang sniffed, he also smelled it, thinking of what his father said that they would wait for them at the foot of the mountain every day, Shi Dalang became happy, "Uncle, I guess my father and the others know that we are coming soon, and they have prepared food to welcome us."

When Old Man Shi thought of his cousin whom he hadn't seen for decades, his heart warmed. He trembled and called out, "Everyone, work harder. Our relatives have prepared dinner and are waiting for us."

The words were not spoken loudly, but the effect was surprisingly good. Some people who were originally so tired that they sat on the ground to rest, struggled to move forward after hearing these words, and even started to jog as they walked.

When the team rushed out of the woods, Old Man Shi could see clearly that there was a row of officials holding knives standing in front of them.

He was startled and hurriedly stopped the crowd with the elders, asking everyone to straighten their clothes and line up before going on. When meeting an official for the first time, you must leave a good impression and never bump into him.

Feng Liang had already walked up to Magistrate Tao and reported the situation in a low voice.

Hearing this, Magistrate Tao sighed inwardly. He looked at the villagers who looked pale and uneasy, stepped forward and said loudly, "I am Magistrate Tao Qian of Yuqing County. Thank you for your hard work in coming all the way here, fellow villagers."

Old Man Shi led everyone in performing the salute. They were supposed to bow, but someone knelt down first, and the people next to them followed suit, and finally everyone knelt down on the ground.

Magistrate Tao hurriedly stopped the elderly people in the front. He saw that the elderly people's eyes were full of fatigue, and the children and young people couldn't help staring at him... The big pot behind him blocked his mouth. Whatever he wanted to say, it was the most important thing in the world. He waved his hand and said, "Fellow villagers, we are all home now. If you have anything to say, you can talk after you have eaten."

The lids of several large pots were opened, and a rich aroma wafted out. Everyone's eyes widened in amazement. They had not had a proper meal for many days.

The food had been eaten up long ago, but fortunately it was autumn now and we could still pick up some mushrooms, wild vegetables and fruits in the woods to fill our stomachs. Otherwise, we would not have made it to the mountain.

When the porridge was served into the bowls, the villagers almost cried because there was no sand or rice bran in the porridge and it smelled like good rice.

I don't know how much I put into the pot, it was so thick that it looked like rice oil.

Even they themselves couldn't bear to eat like this. The yamen runners didn't lie. Their master was really a good person.

Zheng Huan and the other two had already started working. They were scattered everywhere to record the situation of the villagers. Ming Youyou wanted to follow them, but she was slow at writing and couldn't write small characters. Master He disliked her wasting paper and let her go and play.

Ming Youyou took a spoon from Chef Zhang and planned to help the yamen runners serve porridge to everyone.

The spoon was very big, and one spoonful could fill a bowl of water. However, Ming Youyou didn't have enough strength, and the water started shaking after she scooped it up. The young man who was waiting in front of her with the bowl in hand looked at her with eyes wide open, feeling very aggrieved. Ming Youyou felt embarrassed and added another half spoonful, which calmed the young man down.

So she couldn't continue her job of serving porridge, and Ming Youyou had to carry her big spoon to the pot of medicine. The villagers had been sleeping in the open for more than half a month, and their stomachs had some problems. The medicine was to help regulate their bodies and also help them adapt to the local climate and soil.

The prescription was made by her grandfather. The combination was precise and the effect was remarkable. Apart from being unpalatable, there was nothing wrong with it. Ming Youyou felt that no one would mind if some of the medicine was spilled when serving.

The villagers were already satisfied when they drank the thick porridge, and they were even more grateful when they heard that they could also get medicine soup.

You know, medicine is more expensive than food. They have never received such treatment in their entire lives.

When everyone saw Magistrate Tao again, they couldn't help but bow down to him, and this time their hearts were much more sincere than the first time.

Seeing that everyone had eaten their fill, Magistrate Tao called together representatives from each household and told them about the county government's arrangements.

The villagers will be assigned to the vicinity of Dafeng Village and Xiaguan Village. The two villages will be responsible for their food and accommodation in the near future, and the government will provide subsidies depending on the situation.

According to regulations, male adults were allocated land nearby. The county government sent people to help open up the land and exempted taxes for the first two years.

Land is the root of farmers. Old Man Shi and his companions were already quietly studying the ground beneath their feet before they had even eaten their porridge.

Because this piece of land is close to Daqing Mountain, there are a lot of fallen leaves accumulated on the ground over the years, and the soil is very fertile. It is estimated that the land will mature in one year, and they have made a profit in two years.

The old men were very satisfied, but they were also worried: "It will take several months to harvest the crops. I am not afraid of being laughed at by the adults. Now everyone is penniless. I really don't know how we can survive this period of time."

Magistrate Tao has already made plans. "Don't worry, old man. The county has found jobs for everyone. You will get paid every day. It is enough for everyone to support their families and get through the difficult times."

At present, houses for more than 500 people need to be built. After they are completed, the road between Xiaguan and Dafeng villages will be opened. By then, a batch of houses and stalls will be built in the core area. These will take more than half a year to complete.

Each laborer could receive ten to twenty cents a day, depending on the type of work he did, which was enough to support a family of three.

Women and children can also help with cooking, or take on jobs from Jinxiufang such as pasting paper boxes and cleaning raw materials. If they are diligent, they can earn their own food.

After hearing County Magistrate Tao's arrangement, everyone called him "the great Lord" and almost knelt down again. Seeing that the old people's eyes were red and they were about to cry, Lord Tao smiled and changed the subject:

"The people from Dafeng Village have been waiting nearby. Please bring your families to meet them."