She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

"Second Grand Uncle, you want to take a boat? That's quite difficult. I need to think about it carefully," Shen Man replied.

"Haha, I was just joking," Master Sun chuckled.

When he saw Shen Man making a megaphone for the village head, he wondered if she, with so many ingenious ideas in her head, might also know how to build a boat. If there were a boat, one could go directly from Qinghe to the prefectural city, which would be much faster than a carriage.

Shen Man nodded thoughtfully. In fact, in her previous life, she had seen a simple boat-making method on a science program. The materials were also quite simple, just wood.

“However, building a ship takes a lot of time and effort. I’ll give it a try when I have some free time at the end of the year,” Shen Man said.

Master Sun hurriedly said, "Alright, alright, it doesn't matter if we can't make it."

Although he said that, the anticipation in his eyes was so obvious. Shen Man secretly kept this in mind, planning to draw up the design of the wooden boat when she had some free time.

After returning to the village, everyone began to discuss how to deal with Sun Ergou.

Some people felt that since the bandits had been released, Sun Ergou should be given another chance, after all, he was still a member of Xiaoyao Village.

Some people believe that Sun Ergou's repeated collusion with outsiders to harm the villagers is an unforgivable crime, and he should be expelled from the village and never allowed to return.

The argument went on and on, and no one could convince anyone else.

At this moment, the village head stepped forward and spoke up, "Sun Ergou's actions have indeed brought great danger to the village. If it weren't for the capable young people in the village's self-defense force who subdued those bandits early on, some financial losses would have been inevitable. Moreover, this is not his first offense. If we continue to keep him in the village, who knows what else he might do."

"Village head, do you mean to kick him out again? What if he goes outside and finds more people to deal with us? Wouldn't that cause endless trouble in the future?"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" the village head asked, shrugging.

"Execute him according to the clan's rules!"

Grandpa Sun's voice wasn't loud, but it drew everyone's attention.

In truth, Shen Man wholeheartedly agreed with Grandpa Sun's decision. Keeping someone like Sun Ergou around would only bring trouble to the village.

"We really can't let him get away with this anymore!" someone echoed.

“But…a life for a life, there will be retribution!” Some people looked timid.

After a moment's thought, the village head said, "We don't need to do it ourselves. We can tie him up and hand him over to the authorities. We can give the officers more money so they won't let him out again."

The suggestion was approved by most people, so everyone sprang into action, binding Sun Ergou tightly and preparing to hand him over to the authorities.

"Why are you treating me like this? You can let those bandits go, but why can't you let me go?" Sun Ergou questioned the villagers sharply.

“Those bandits haven’t robbed our village in all these years. If it weren’t for you, they might never have come!” someone shouted.

"I was forced into this situation!" Sun Ergou cried out.

"If you were truly forced into this situation, why didn't you stop after making the first mistake?" the village headman said sternly. "You have repeatedly harmed our fellow villagers; how can we forgive you!"

Ignoring Sun Ergou's explanations, the crowd lifted him up and headed towards the village entrance.

"If only we had known then what we know now." Along the way, the villagers shook their heads and sighed.

After Sun Ergou was sent away, the village returned to peace. Because of what he had done, this time no one sympathized with him.

Ten days passed quickly, and on the morning of April 26th, Meng Zhuo rode his horse to Xiaoyao Village and found Shen Man.

“Girl, I have settled all the brothers below. There are still forty brothers and their families left in the village. They are all former members of the Meng family army.”

“Okay. I’ve asked the village for a piece of land to be your new home. But you’ll have to build the house yourself, and you can use any of the wood from the mountains. Come on, I’ll take you to see it now,” Shen Man said to Meng Zhuo.

When Meng Zhuo heard that Shen Man had found a place for them to stay, he was very happy and immediately followed Shen Man to the wasteland next to the jujube grove.

"This area will be your territory from now on, but it can no longer be called Fierce Tiger Village. Let's change it to Dragon Tiger Village, meaning a place where tigers and dragons hide. This jujube grove next to it belongs to my family."

Shen Man pointed to the wasteland and introduced the surrounding environment to Meng Zhuo. Meng Zhuo looked at the land and nodded in satisfaction.

"Thank you, young lady. We will definitely settle down here and take good care of these jujube trees for you," Meng Zhuo said gratefully.

"Don't mention it. We're neighbors now, so feel free to ask if you need any help," Shen Man replied with a smile.

“Young lady, you have given us a chance to start anew. You are my great benefactor. From now on, I will be at your service!”

"Okay, I won't stand on ceremony with you," Shen Man said directly without any pretense.

"Young lady, you have a good temperament, truly a heroine among women!" Meng Zhuo praised Shen Man, then pleaded with her, "We are new here and not familiar with the village. Could you please help us introduce the village to us, such as its rules and customs, so that we can adapt as quickly as possible?"

Shen Man readily agreed, “Of course. The people in our village are very simple and honest. Everyone helps each other and lives in harmony. There aren’t many rules in the village, just to respect elders, care for the young, and be honest and trustworthy. Also, we hold some celebrations during festivals, and you can participate in them.”

Meng Zhuo listened attentively, nodding occasionally to show that he understood.

"By the way, if you need help when you're building your house, you can ask the villagers for assistance. Everyone is very helpful," Shen Man added.

"Thank you so much, young lady," Meng Zhuo said sincerely. "We will definitely follow the rules and get along well with everyone."

After chatting for a while, Meng Zhuo said goodbye to Shen Man and went back to prepare for building the house.

Shen Man watched his departing figure, secretly looking forward to the days to come.

That afternoon, Meng Zhuo brought his men over and began building the house. Some of them cut down trees, while others dug soil, working enthusiastically.

Shen Man was also busy. She helped Meng Zhuo plan the layout of the house and found some craftsmen from the village to guide them in building a more sturdy house.

With everyone's joint efforts, Longhu Village gradually began to resemble a village. Wooden houses sprang up, and farmland was reclaimed around it.

Once the houses were built, Shen Man began assigning them tasks. The men were responsible for some of the heavy and tiring work in the village, while the women, except for those who had to take care of the children, all went to work in the silkworm rearing room.

After finishing their work each day, they could receive their wages.

In this way, they no longer have to worry about making a living.

Children of school age were all sent to the school in Xiaoyao Village to study and learn to read and write with the other children in the village.

And so, the people of Longhu Village lived a peaceful and prosperous life.