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

Soon, the laborers, carrying flatbread, boarded the carts and, led by martial artists such as Ren Xia, returned to the county town.

Cao Shui, who had arrived with the laborers, stayed behind, reluctantly touching the large pancake he had been holding in his arms. Then, he mustered his courage and walked towards Chen Dao: "Mr. Chen."

As Chen Dao watched the laborers leave, he turned around and asked in surprise, "You're one of the laborers who came with us? Why didn't you get on the carriage?"

“Mr. Chen, I plan to stay in Chenjia Village.”

Cao Shui reluctantly looked away from the flatbread and handed it to Chen Dao. The flatbread was dry food for the laborers to eat on the road, and since he wasn't going back, he couldn't accept it.

Chen Dao did not reach out to take it, but looked at Cao Shui with surprise.

Even for the Chinese people, whose transportation was very convenient in their previous lives, leaving their hometown was an extremely difficult thing. In the Xia Kingdom, it was even more difficult.

Unless they truly cannot survive, very few people in the Xia Kingdom are willing to leave their hometown.

Therefore, Chen Dao was particularly surprised when he heard that Cao Shui wanted to stay in Chenjia Village.

"Are you sure?"

Chen Dao asked seriously.

"confirmed."

Cao Shui nodded, his expression incredibly firm.

Seeing this, Chen Dao didn't say anything more. Instead, he patted Cao Shui on the shoulder and said, "Keep the flatbread. You don't need to return it! Work hard and try to settle down in Chenjia Village as soon as possible!"

"Yes!"

Cao Shui stood ramrod straight, watching Chen Dao leave.

Only after Chen Dao's figure disappeared from his sight did Cao Shui look down at the flatbread in his hand, a hint of gratitude flashing in his eyes.

For Chen Dao, these three flatbreads might be just insignificant food, but for him, they were extremely precious rations!

Cao Shui didn't even want to eat it. Instead, he wrapped the flatbread up and stuffed it inside the layer of his clothes at his chest, using his body heat to keep it warm.

Next, Cao Shui entered Chenjia Village, arrived at the food stall, and met Jiang Xiaobai and his two companions who were preparing to have breakfast.

At this moment, Jiang Xiaobai was staring blankly at the steamed bun in his hand, finding it hard to believe that the price of the steamed bun had actually dropped!

Ever since the food stalls appeared in Chenjia Village, Jiang Xiaobai and his two roommates have been eating there.

Most of the time, the food stalls provided steamed buns as the main dish, so Jiang Xiaobai and his two companions were very familiar with the price of steamed buns: two coins per bun!

However, the price of steamed buns has changed today. They have dropped from two coins each to one coin each!

This was undoubtedly a great joy for Jiang Xiaobai and his team, since their biggest expense while working in Chenjia Village was food.

Even though Jiang Xiaobai and the others tried to eat as little as possible, four steamed buns a day were still the bare minimum for survival for teenagers.

Based on the original price of two coins per steamed bun, four steamed buns a day would cost eight coins, and two hundred and forty coins a month.

Jiang Xiaobai and his two companions only earned 400 coins a month, and their food expenses alone accounted for 60% of their monthly income!

Now, the price of steamed buns has dropped, and the price has even been reduced to half of what it used to be!

This means that Jiang Xiaobai and his two friends only need 120 coins to spend on food each month!

In this way, they can save more money, and maybe...

They could buy a house of their own in Chenjia Village, find a matchmaker to arrange a marriage, and marry a wife to have a warm bed?

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiaobai couldn't help but look up at Li Dadan and ask curiously, "Brother Dadan, why did the price of these steamed buns go down?"

Upon hearing this, Li Dadan smiled and said, "Didn't Brother Dao bring back a lot of grain yesterday? Considering that there is enough food in the village, Brother Dao specifically instructed me to lower the price of food so that everyone can have enough to eat!"

"So it was Mr. Chen's request!"

Jiang Xiaobai and the other two were filled with awe. In their hearts, Chen Dao was like a Bodhisattva who saved people from suffering. Therefore, when they heard that it was Chen Dao's request, they immediately understood and their admiration for Chen Dao grew even stronger.

"Mr. Chen is such a good man! He always thinks of us poor people."

"That's right! I met Mr. Chen once, and he is the kindest person I have ever met."

"If it weren't for Mr. Chen, I don't know where I would have died in the middle of nowhere!"

"We should all thank Mr. Chen for the fact that we can now have enough to eat!"

"..."

Many people eating in the food stall also expressed their feelings. Most of them came to Chenjia Village from outside to make a living, and they had great respect for Chen Dao.

Jiang Xiaobai, holding two steamed buns, turned around and saw Cao Shui walking over: "Brother Cao, you're here?"

"Ok!"

Cao Shui smiled and nodded, then sat down at a table with Jiang Xiaobai and the other two. He then took out three large flatbreads from his pocket and handed them to the three of them, saying, "Brother Jiang, it's my treat to dinner!"

"No, no, that won't do!"

Upon seeing the flatbread Cao Shui handed over, Jiang Xiaobai and his two companions waved their hands repeatedly. It wasn't that they disliked the flatbread, but rather that they knew how precious it was.

The flatbreads distributed to the laborers in Chenjia Village were all baked with pure white flour. They were quite large, with a golden-brown crust that looked very tempting.

Judging by their appearance, these flatbreads weigh no less than 1 jin (500 grams), and three of them would weigh 3 jin (1.5 catties). Based on current grain prices, these three flatbreads would be worth at least 40 wen (0.04 yuan). How could Jiang Xiaobai and his two companions possibly accept such a generous gift from Cao Shui?

"Brother Cao, this flatbread is too precious. You keep it for yourself. We'll just eat steamed buns!"

Jin Yin pushed the flatbread back. Although he was poor and had even become a vagrant at one point, he knew the principle of not accepting rewards without merit.

"Yes, Brother Cao, you can keep the flatbread for yourself. We'll be fine with steamed buns!"

Jiang Xiaobai waved the steamed bun in his hand, indicating that he had something to eat.

Seeing this, Cao Shui couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted.

In those days, food was undoubtedly the most precious thing in the eyes of ordinary people, but to his surprise, Jiang Xiaobai and the other two were unwilling to accept his generous gift.

"alright."

Seeing that none of the three were willing to accept the flatbread, Cao Shui rewrapped the two flatbreads, leaving one flatbread for Jiang Xiaobai and the other two to eat together.

After wolfing down their breakfast, the three of them left the food stall and headed towards the furniture shop.

“I had already inquired about it before.”

As they walked, Jiang Xiaobai said to everyone, "Among all the craftsmen's shops in the village, the kindest one is Liu Qiaoshou, the carpenter in this furniture shop. I've heard that Liu the carpenter never holds back when teaching his apprentices, and the food in the furniture shop is also the best. So if we want to learn a craft, going to this furniture shop is the best choice."