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

Chen Lian stared wide-eyed at the distinct grains of sorghum in the bag, unable to suppress a look of shock.

Not only Chen Lian, but also the four women including Wu Yun stared blankly at the sorghum in the bag, their expressions shocked!

"Feeding chickens and ducks with sorghum, Daoge'er's family is rolling in money!"

"That's right. My family can't even afford sorghum."

"No wonder these chickens and ducks are so healthy; they eat sorghum every day."

"..."

Looking at the sorghum in the bag, everyone couldn't help but sigh. In this year's harvest, even people can't afford sorghum, yet Chen Dao's family is feeding their chickens and ducks with it...

At this moment, the five people gained a profound understanding of the Chen family's wealth.

After a brief moment of surprise, the five people immediately got to work, pouring the grain from the bags into the pre-placed feeding troughs, letting the chickens and ducks peck at it.

Seeing that the group hadn't been attacked by the chickens or the two local dogs, Chen Dao felt relieved and said to them, "After the chickens and ducks finish eating, you can start cleaning up the droppings..."

Chen Dao had only spoken halfway when Ding Xiaohua walked over carrying a rice bucket and said, "Brother Dao, this is the breakfast you asked me to bring."

"Thank you for your trouble, Sister Ding."

"What's the trouble?"

Ding Xiaohua waved her hand, put down the rice bucket, and returned to the kitchen to keep busy.

Chen Dao then waved to Chen Lian and the others, saying, "Don't be busy yet, come and eat!"

Upon hearing that it was time to eat, Chen Lian and the others' eyes lit up, and they hurriedly came to the rice bucket. Smelling the aroma of the food wafting from the bucket, they couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

Chen Dao took in everyone's behavior, then lifted the cloth covering the rice bucket, revealing plump steamed buns inside.

"It's a steamed bun!"

As the cloth was lifted, the unique aroma of steamed buns wafted out, and Chen Lian and the others couldn't help but feel... even hungrier.

"Let's eat!"

Chen Dao grabbed a steamed bun and handed it to Chen Lian. Chen Lian seemed afraid of getting the white and tender bun dirty, so she wiped her hands on her pants before taking the bun and taking a bite.

As the steamed bun entered her mouth, its unique wheat aroma filled her mouth. With each chew, a sweet flavor burst forth, and a look of satisfaction appeared on Chen Lian's face.

Wu Yun and the others couldn't wait to stuff the steamed buns into their mouths, chewing and exclaiming in admiration.

"This steamed bun tastes even better than white rice!"

"You bet! It smells amazing."

"If I could eat steamed buns every day, I'd feel like I'd die happy!"

"..."

Looking at their exaggerated expressions and remarks, Chen Dao couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. Just eating a steamed bun was enough to make them act so dramatically; it wasn't hard to imagine how poorly they usually ate.

Chen Dao grabbed two steamed buns, ate them quickly, and then quietly waited for everyone to finish eating.

Perhaps they were starving, or perhaps they hadn't eaten such delicious food as steamed buns in a long time, but Chen Lian and her five women had quite a large appetite. On average, each of them ate five steamed buns, and they managed to finish all the steamed buns in the rice bucket.

Only then, realizing that the steamed buns in the wooden bucket were almost gone, did Wu Yun blush and say, "Brother Dao, have we eaten too much?"

The others looked at Chen Dao somewhat embarrassedly. Putting themselves in her shoes, they would definitely not be happy if they hired someone to help with chores at their homes, especially if that person had such a large appetite.

"not much!"

Chen Dao said with a smile, "You guys are far inferior to Cheng Ge'er. Cheng Ge'er can eat 10 steamed buns and drink two bowls of egg drop soup by himself."

After saying that, Chen Dao continued, "Alright, let's get to work after we finish eating. Clean up all the chicken and duck droppings in the backyard."

After saying that, Chen Dao picked up the wooden bucket and left the backyard. He wasn't worried about Chen Lian and the others stealing chickens and ducks. With Xiao Hei around, Chen Lian and the others wouldn't be able to steal anything.

"Brother Dao is really a... good person."

Chen Lian stared at Chen Dao's retreating figure, and couldn't help but sigh. Chen Dao not only provided them with such precious food as steamed buns, but also didn't mind that they ate too much...

At this moment, Chen Lian made up her mind that she must work hard and never let Chen Dao down.

"No wonder everyone in the village envied Chen Cheng and his family before."

Wu Yun also said, "These steamed buns are so delicious, Chen Cheng and the others can eat them every day, how can they not be envious?"

When Chen Cheng and his group were working at Chen Dao's house, they were the envy of everyone. But now... they themselves have become the envy of others.

Eating steamed buns every meal and receiving an ounce of silver every month—if the other villagers knew about this, wouldn't they all be envious?

"We must work hard."

Qian Yu said firmly, "Brother Dao gives us such good food and a tael of silver every month. If we don't work hard, we'll be letting Brother Dao down!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Such a well-paid job was one that others would fight tooth and nail for, so they had to cherish it.

So the five women quickly got to work, picking up brooms from the backyard and starting to clean up the chicken and duck droppings, which they wouldn't throw away.

In the era before chemical fertilizers, manure, a natural fertilizer, was extremely valuable to farmers. Chen Lian and others had all farmed before, so they naturally knew this.

Therefore, they collected the chicken and duck manure together and waited for it to ferment before using it to fertilize the fields.

"Xiaolian."

While cleaning up the chicken and duck droppings, Wu Yun said, "Didn't Brother Dao say that we need to remember the number of chickens and ducks and the number of eggs they lay each day? We're getting old and our minds aren't as sharp as they used to be, so how about we leave this to you from now on?"

Hearing this, the other three women also looked at Chen Lian. They were illiterate, and counting was too difficult for them. They could only place their hopes on the youngest, Chen Lian.

"no problem."

Chen Lian then agreed: "From now on, I'll take care of this. You all just need to do other chores."

"That's good!"

Wu Yun and the others laughed and continued cleaning up the chicken and duck droppings.

While they were busy, as the sun rose higher, the entire Chenjia Village seemed to awaken. Every household opened their doors, and people walked out in twos and threes, carrying farm tools, their faces beaming with joy, chatting with familiar villagers as they went.

"What do you think Brother Dao will provide for us today? Will it be steamed buns?"

"Steamed buns might be a bit difficult to get! But knowing Dao Ge'er's personality, we'll definitely be able to eat our fill. I've already asked Chen Si and the others, and they've never gone hungry when they've been helping Dao Ge'er with his work."

"Brother Dao is a good person. He not only helps us pay our taxes, but also gives us jobs that allow us to have enough to eat."

"Yes!"

"..."