Stepmother in charge: Making a fortune through farming and raising her children to fight back

Qinjia Village.

The wind is cold and biting. It is now the twelfth month and the weather is getting even colder.

Yun Zhenzhen has become more and more proficient in the work in the tavern recently, and it is more than enough to leave it to Qin Li and a few assistants. Yun Zhenzhen took this opportunity to take a break and stayed at home instead of going to the town.

She stood on the main road at the entrance of the village, watching the progress of their road construction, and couldn't help but smile and nod.

Dozens of young and middle-aged people started working together, and a flat road was built that runs through the village. It has now begun to extend outside the village. I believe that a wide road will appear soon.

She was thinking about arranging these people to do other things after the road was completed, when the village chief brought the latest news from the city.

"Just now, the county magistrate called a meeting with the heads of several of our villages. He said that we had received an order from above to resettle the refugees locally. There are over a thousand people assigned to our county town. I don't know how to accommodate so many homeless people, but the thought of such a large number of refugees living near us makes me feel uneasy."

When Old Lady Qin heard this, she hurried over. "Oh my God! So many people are going to be resettled in our county! They've all come here to escape famine. I'm worried some of them might get desperate and do anything. What if they cause trouble?"

Yun Zhenzhen's mind was also racing. There were more than a thousand people, divided equally among dozens of surrounding villages. On average, each village would get thirty or forty people. A few dozen people were not a lot, but it was not a small number either. If there really were people with bad intentions, they would definitely cause trouble. After all, not every village was equipped with patrol teams like theirs.

"It seems the refugees have no choice but to be resettled locally. If they were sent back to their place of origin, they would have to flee for several more months, which would carry even greater risks." Yun Zhenzhen pondered, "We can't let them continue north, nor can we let them go back. So, resettling them locally is the best solution right now."

The village chief also understood this and said silently: "Will our village assign us extra people? I think the sixty or seventy people in the village now are quite good. They are well managed and work very hard. It would not be a problem if they lived in our village."

Yun Zhenzhen couldn't help but laugh: "You're right, but if we divide it equally, then we have to give half of it out, otherwise some villages won't be able to accept the refugees."

"No... that's not good." The village chief was a little anxious. "I see that they have been working very well in the village recently. We are quite used to getting along with each other. If they are assigned to other villages, who will manage the remaining wasteland? Wouldn't that be a waste? It's better for them to stay here. If there is any other work in the future, we will have no shortage of manpower. When spring comes, we can ask them to help with the spring plowing. If our village develops other businesses, we don't have to worry about a shortage of manpower..."

Just now, the old man was complaining that the more than a thousand people living nearby were not peaceful, but now he wishes these people could stay in the village.

The village chief was still thinking about future plans when he saw County Magistrate Lu's carriage slowly stop at the village entrance.

When the village chief saw the carriage sign, he shuddered. "Niece Yun, this gentleman must be here to discuss the resettlement of refugees. Come with me."

Yun Zhenzhen nodded and went to greet them with a few people around her.

Since they had just left their location, the refugees not far away gathered together and started chatting.

"Did I hear correctly just now? The village chief seemed to say that he would give refugees like us a place to settle down. Is that true? Does that mean we don't have to flee from famine anymore?"

"We've been on the run for so many months, and no village can accommodate so many people. Can we really settle down here this time?"

"If we can really settle down here, I think Qinjia Village is pretty good for us now. The village chief is kind and doesn't criticize us. There are also the Ruyi'an people here who are very generous to us. I am willing to stay here even if I have to work all the time."

"I want to stay, but didn't you hear her say that a village can only accommodate 30 or 40 refugees? We have more than double the quota..."

"what is it now……"

A group of people looked at each other, then threw away the tools in their hands and rushed to the place where they left.

Aunt Zhao, who was behind him, had just come out of the house and saw a group of people suddenly going crazy. She shouted, "What are you doing? Where are you going? You are all like crazy and have no manners at all. I just heard that the county magistrate is over there. If you disturb the magistrate by making such a fuss, you will be killed on the spot..."

Hearing this, the refugees were frightened and their steps became quiet instantly.

In those days, all civilians were afraid of the government. When they saw soldiers, they were like mice seeing a cat.

So those dozens of people all stopped, bent their bodies, and quietly moved towards the adults.

As soon as Lu Yunfeng got off the carriage, he saw this funny scene.

This Qinjia Village is really interesting, and even the people who live here are interesting...

"Sir, I'm a refugee from the south. I'm only able to survive thanks to the Qinjia Village chief and his men taking me in. If I can settle down here, I'd like to stay in Qinjia Village. Is that okay?"

"Sir, we have been here for a long time. I hope you can help us."

A group of refugees knelt on the ground and kowtowed frantically.

Seeing this, the village chief also bent down and said, "A few days ago, the higher-ups bestowed over a thousand acres of wasteland upon us. This is enough land for these refugees to divide and build houses. I, the common people, and the entire Qinjia Village are willing to help you."

Lu Yunfeng looked at the people in front of him with some surprise.

On his way here, he didn't know how to bring up this request, but he didn't expect them to take it on their own initiative.

At a time when everyone was avoiding refugees, Qinjia Village was willing to take them in. Such a righteous act was always beyond his imagination.

"Village Chief Qin, I came here to discuss this matter. Since you have already discussed it, then I will do as you say."

"Village Chief Qin, your entire Qinjia Village has the great cause of caring about the country and the people."

Lu Yunfeng's brief comment was extremely valuable, but the village chief who was bending down below felt inexplicably guilty.

He actually felt that the village lacked labor, and was planning for future development. If he hired outsiders, it would cost at least twenty coins a day, but these refugees only needed two meals and a few copper coins to get by. With such cheap and obedient labor, it was hard to refuse...