"No, no, don't worry, village chief. We're already happy to be alive. We have food and drink, and we'll have money in the future. We're so happy we could laugh in our dreams."

"Yeah, anyone who dares to be an ingrate will be drowned in everyone's spittle."

The village chief finally softened his expression. He pointed to the mountain and the riverbank and said, "We need to plan how to plant and what to plant on the mountain and the riverbank this year. Half of the future harvest will be distributed as silver according to the amount of land each family owns, and the other half will go into the valley's income."

The villagers remained bewildered, so Li Lao Er patiently explained, "It means that if each of our families has a total of 400 mu of land, and we earn 800 taels by the end of the year, half of that is 400 taels. Your family has 8 mu of land, so you'll get 8 taels of silver. The remaining 400 taels will be added to the valley's income. Since everyone works together, the amount of work varies. The valley's income will eventually be divided after deducting everyone's wages and capital, and then distributed as dividends."

Some villagers understood, while others did not.

The village chief, growing impatient, shouted, "Just remember this: work hard. I'll record your work every day. At the end of the year, you'll receive a share of the profits from your land, plus wages for your work, and a share from the hot springs in the valley. Let's all work together to build up the village. Whoever works the most will get the most money, and life will be better! Understand?"

"Understood!" Sure enough, the old man waved his pipe, and everyone who didn't understand was suddenly made clear.

The village chief added, "The second son can read and write and do math. He'll be in charge of keeping track of work hours and calculating how much money each family gets. When I get old and can't keep up anymore, I'll hand over the village chief's job to him. Does anyone have any objections?"

"No!" This time, everyone shouted even louder than before.

They were all ordinary farmers, not particularly wise, but never lacking in cleverness.

Whether it's Mr. Wen and Mrs. Cui, or Young Master Ye, they were all recruited by the Li family, and they all benefited from it along the way.

After Li Lao Er became the village chief, they clung even tighter to the Li family. As long as they didn't fall behind, their lives were sure to be good.

Li Lao Er was caught off guard and suddenly became the successor to the village chief. It was quite a surprise. He tried to decline, but everyone quickly dispersed.

Everyone's money bags were turned over; you had one share, I had two, and soon they came to hand over the money.

Li Lao Er quickly took out paper and pen and wrote down the names of each family...

Everyone knows that buying more shares means getting more dividends, but they need to have the money first.

This was still in the mountains and forests; they managed to rob the bandits and gain some unexpected wealth. Otherwise, a family wouldn't even be able to buy a single share.

However, some families had many elderly people and children, but few able-bodied people. They had also stayed behind in the valley during the robbery of the mountain bandits, so they really couldn't muster enough people.

Finally, the village chief made the decision that even half a share could be purchased.

So, excluding the Li family, the village had a total of 24 households, and they managed to pool together 30 shares.

Old Mrs. Li also took out all her savings and gritted her teeth to buy twenty shares.

That's already half enough. Even if Madam Cui and Mr. Wen don't participate in the remaining half, Young Master Ye won't feel too much pressure.

Jiayin has over two hundred taels of silver ingots in her space. She'd like to take them out and use them to buy more shares for her family. How great would it be to just sit back and collect the money?

Unfortunately, with her family all around, Grandma didn't give her the chance and made the decision right away.

She had no choice but to give up, and she hoped even more that Ye Shan and Dong Mei would arrive, as they were the good helpers that Young Master Ye had arranged for her.

Perhaps it was her fervent longing that was sensed by Young Master Ye in Xindu.

The next day, he brought Ye Shan, Dong Mei, and the two thousand catties of grain bestowed by the Emperor.

The valley was filled with the joy of New Year's celebration, because the two thousand catties of grain bestowed by the emperor were actually japonica rice!

If this were replaced with whole grains, it would definitely be enough for everyone to last until the end of summer. By then, when the vegetables are grown, there will be plenty of food all over the mountains and fields, enough to fill our stomachs and prevent us from going hungry.

In fact, how the people below handle a single word from the emperor is a matter of great importance. After all, sorghum is a grain, and millet is a grain, so why insist on giving only polished rice?

But the Marquis of Xinting went to ask for it himself, and brought his personal guards to help transport it. Who would dare to tamper with it? So the two thousand catties of rice were delivered.

The village chief was overjoyed; his chest was practically puffed out to the sky, and he waved his pipe with great vigor.

He urged the villagers to unload the grain and said, "We need to clear land and build valleys for a while, so let's all eat together. Once we're done, we'll distribute the remaining grain. At that time, it's up to each family to feed themselves."

"Listen to Uncle Village Chief!"

"Yes, wherever the village chief tells us to go, we'll do it."

The villagers responded enthusiastically, making the village chief even happier.

Young Master Ye picked up Jiayin and took out a packet of osmanthus candy from his pocket. Jiayin smiled and held it in her hands, drooling with delight.

Old Mrs. Li pulled Young Master Ye to sit down and told him what had happened last night. Young Master Ye then called Ye Shan and Dongmei forward.

“Auntie, I’m going to the north bank of the river to fight again soon. I’m leaving Yeshan and Dongmei here to help out at home and take care of Fu Niu’er. Also, the money I invested, and some things I’ve arranged for the village, they’ll be responsible for delivering them.”

Hearing this, Old Lady Li sensed something was wrong and quickly instructed, "How long are you going to be gone this time? You must come back soon. If there is any danger, your life must be the priority."

Young Master Ye smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Auntie, I know. I'll definitely go and come back as soon as possible."

Grandma Li stopped nagging. Seeing that the sun was almost overhead, she quickly got up and called Tao Hongying to cook so that Young Master Ye could eat his fill before leaving.

Taking advantage of this moment, Young Master Ye gestured for Ye Shan and Dong Mei to step forward and instructed them, "From now on, when I'm not here, you must always protect the safety of the Li family and Fu Niu, especially Fu Niu. Her words are my words. Don't question them, just follow my orders."

Ye Shan and Dong Mei quickly knelt down and respectfully bowed their heads in response.

Jiayin's eyes lit up as she looked at Ye Shan and Dongmei. She turned around and gave Young Master Ye a big kiss, exclaiming, "Uncle Ye is the best!"

Young Master Ye chuckled, wiping the drool from his face. He then wiped Jia Yin's mouth and instructed, "Still be careful, understand?"

"I understand!" Jiayin nodded her little head emphatically, revealing her few bright white teeth.

After finishing his meal, Young Master Ye set off. The villagers saw him off, but before he could return, a young man with a playboy-like appearance arrived with a group of craftsmen.

Needless to say, this is Lord Zhou's brother-in-law.

Everyone finally understood why Lord Zhou had repeatedly explained yesterday: his brother-in-law really didn't seem reliable.

Not only were his clothes brightly colored, but he also walked unsteadily and spoke casually. However, when he looked out over the entire valley, the light in his eyes was dazzling.

Just like mice seeing polished rice, rabbits seeing cabbage, and children seeing osmanthus candy...

If the villagers hadn't seen that look in his eyes, they probably would have chased him away. They really didn't dare entrust the future of their entire village to such a person.