As for the village chief's statement about establishing a guard team?

That's exactly what should be done!

If someone caused trouble that day, wouldn't their Shuxia Village be utterly humiliated, especially in front of the county magistrate!

The young people in the village hurriedly signed up, hoping that being in the guard team might even give them a chance to impress the county magistrate.

Some people are also worried about what will happen if they choose the guard team but are unable to sign up.

"Don't worry, there are two days to register, you can go anytime."

Li Xuming roughly explained the arrangements for the day, and no one questioned the recruitment anymore. Now everyone believed that it was authorized by the county magistrate.

The number of people to be recruited, whether male or female, was decided by the county magistrate. As for the reasons, the magistrates had their own logic, and it was none of their business to make a fuss.

For no apparent reason, the county magistrate was burdened with a huge burden.

After resolving the issues in his own village, Li Xuming immediately sought out the village head and invited the village heads from several nearby villages as well.

The county magistrate is going to be there in person, so the village head and several village chiefs will definitely have to cooperate fully. If they are unwilling to cooperate with such a grand event, then they will not be included.

In short, we must not start strong but finish weak; we must make the magistrate feel at home and maximize his benefits.

Li Xuming plans to have several villages unite to hold a gathering.

Of course, the location was in Shuxia Village. Shuxia Village is sparsely populated and the workshop was also located there. Most importantly, the Li family were from Shuxia Village, so the gathering was naturally to be held in Shuxia Village.

Upon hearing Li Xuming's plan, the village chiefs all smiled and nodded repeatedly.

This kid knows how to get things done; he even included several villages in such a good opportunity.

When they heard that the gathering would be held in Shuxia Village, they started to be unhappy about it.

“Nephew, it’s not appropriate to hold the gathering in Shuxia Village. Our Datian Village is the largest village in the area, so it would be more reasonable to hold it in our village.”

"The magistrate has come from Shuxia Village."

Li Xuming remained calm and rejected the proposal with a single sentence.

“Nephew, there are only a few households in Shuxia Village. It would be better to hold the event in Datian Village, where it will be more lively.”

"The magistrate has come from Shuxia Village."

"...My dear nephew"

"The magistrate has come from Shuxia Village."

The village chief of Datian Village was speechless, and the other village chiefs present were also somewhat at a loss for words. You're asking us villages to work for nothing, without giving them any benefits!

"Village chiefs, don't play dumb. This gathering together is all good and no bad."

"Even without you all, our village could manage on our own. Wasn't it because I was thinking of everyone that I brought this up together?"

"Village chiefs, think it through. This is a chance to make yourselves famous in front of the county magistrate. If the county magistrate remembers you, you might just be on your way to the top. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Besides, with the magistrate's arrival, wealthy merchants and clans from the city will surely flock here. The villagers can bring out their skills and earn some profit; even if they don't buy, others who just come to watch the spectacle might.

"I've said what I needed to say. You can think about it. I'm busy, so I'll be going now."

Li Xuming bowed to the village chief again, but the village chief waved his hand, telling him that he didn't need to be so polite.

If the village chiefs were idiots, they would jump off even if someone carried them. Anyway, as the village chief, he would definitely have to attend that day.

Moreover, his family's children should also go to Shuxia Village to help out. Hmm, I'll make the arrangements when I get home.

"Hey, wait a minute."

Sun Youcai called out to Li Xuming.

He had dealt with the Li family before and knew that he had to go along with it now. Otherwise, if Shuxia Village really did it on its own, they could only watch helplessly, as they had no ability to take it from them.

“Village Chief Li is right. Our Futian Village agrees.”

Once Futian Village spoke up, and considering the village chief's attitude, there was nothing they couldn't understand. The village chiefs of the other villages didn't dare to act arrogantly anymore; they figured that was enough, lest things really fall apart.

The people in charge of recruitment were Yuan, the wife of Li Shida from the fourth branch, and Li Shijie from the seventh branch.

Yuan was in charge of recruiting female workers, while Li Shijie was in charge of recruiting male workers.

When the person was chosen, everyone was puzzled: why was it Yuan Shi?

Not only were the people puzzled, but all four branches of the family were also puzzled, and Yuan herself was extremely puzzled.

So Yuan went to find Li Xuming. Li Xuming knew her purpose and looked very serious.

“Aunt Yuan, you used to be the housekeeper in Nanze, so I trust you a lot when it comes to choosing people.”

"This is a selection of women, we can't let Seventh Uncle make the selection, can we?"

That makes a lot of sense, but—

“Yunniang is definitely no slouch in this area either, so why don’t you let Yunniang or your mother choose the person?”

“Aunt Yuan, you don’t know, my mother doesn’t like to get involved, and Yunniang is also busy with her own affairs, so I can only ask you to do this for me.”

"Oh, so Yunniang couldn't find the time, so she contacted me?"

Madam Yuan was somewhat displeased; she couldn't be chosen only after all the others had been selected.

"How could that be, Aunt Yuan? You were the first person I thought of. You are, after all, an elder. How could Yunniang possibly be as capable as you in managing the situation?"

These words truly struck a chord with the Yuan family.

Of course! According to seniority, besides Pan Jinhua, who else in the Li family can hold the reins better than her?

Thinking about the excitement in the village these past few days, which was indeed a great opportunity to show off, Yuan was even more delighted. Among the four households and a whole house of people, who could have a job as important and prestigious as hers?

Thinking of this, Yuan agreed to the task and hurriedly went home.

I need to quickly make a new outfit. Clothes make the man, and for such a joyous occasion, I must dress up nicely.

Li Xuming's decision to put Yuan in charge of recruiting female workers was also made after careful consideration.

First, Yuan had a bad temper.

Yuan used to be very domineering in Nanze, and she was very competitive. It was only because she was exiled and had to rely on Pan Jinhua that she had to suppress her temper.

Secondly, it's about making the best use of everyone's talents. The female workers also need someone to manage them, so once she's recruited more people, she can take over the management of the female workers in the workshop.

Every member of the Li family is always busy.

Li Qingyao is currently leading Wang Jiao and Li Qingtong, twins, to draw up the terrain in the village. They have also been assigned the task of planning the village of Shuxia, and the villagers' buildings will have to be constructed according to the blueprints they have drawn.

The villagers had already agreed to this; as long as it was for the good of Shuxia Village, no one disagreed.

These days, a few people wander around the village every day.

I'm thinking about how to best develop Shuxia Village.

Liu Yun was indeed busy; she was working with Yan Min on the hairpin project.

This is a good opportunity to let the velvet hairpin make its debut in front of the ladies and young women in the county.

A thorough cleaning was conducted, including street cleaning.

These days, Shuxia Village is like it's celebrating the New Year. The village's security team has also started taking office and has begun to learn from the Li family's children to do morning and evening exercises.

After all, this is a big deal. With so many people involved, petty theft is bound to happen. Stealing is a minor matter, but if it damages the reputation of Shuxia Village, that would be a serious problem. They bear a heavy responsibility.