As soon as the old man spoke, everyone in the village immediately shut their mouths.

At the beginning of the Si hour, the sky was bright.

As previously agreed, each household must provide at least two laborers, with the remaining members volunteering. Each additional villager will receive a one-cent reward for each day of work.

At first, the villagers were grumbling and somewhat unwilling.

Later I found it really delicious.

Sixty or seventy adults and children, almost the entire family, came up the mountain in a large group, carrying tools.

The bamboo was being cut and split, and Jiufeng Mountain suddenly became lively.

During this time, Chen Xian found Chen Gui and whispered an instruction to him.

Chen Gui was somewhat surprised. "Yes, I'll have Qingshan prepare it."

At this moment, Chen Gui couldn't help but look at Chen Xian with higher regard, for Chen Xian had been able to foresee something that even he hadn't expected.

This bastard, he gives off such complicated feelings.

Someone on the mountainside exclaimed in surprise.

"Such clear mountain spring water, gurgling...so refreshing and sweet."

They immediately began cutting down the bamboo.

As Chen Gui aged, his strength gradually weakened. After cutting down a bamboo stalk, he stopped to rest for a while and quietly watched the busy crowd.

Strangely enough, although everyone was not very enthusiastic at first, when he announced that each family would receive one coin for the extra labor they provided, the group of guys started yelling excitedly.

Even a penny is still money.

Anyway, the kids are just idling at home.

It was a bit painful to think about, as the village didn't have much money left.

Zhang Daguang's team would encounter bends in the mountains where the two mangosteens weren't tied securely, causing them to leak due to their elasticity.

With great effort, they twisted the bamboo over, and then—whoosh!

Peng!

The rope couldn't withstand the force and burst open.

“Uncle Gui, look, this is your idea. If the mountain roads were all straight, everyone would just have to work hard and tie them up.”

"Now you see, if the mountain road has eighteen bends, how do I bend the bamboo pole?"

People over there started to chime in.

"Ah, right, right, isn't this just pure torture? It's too much trouble."

Granny Jia muttered under her breath.

"I think he's just senile."

They had been working for more than two hours without realizing it. By then, the villagers were sore all over, tired and thirsty.

The moment the complaints started, everyone's negative emotions reached their peak.

They weren't simply targeting the old village head's suggestion.

There was also a hint of disgust at the fact that their hard work had been in vain.

Chen Gui, with a cold expression, scanned the crowd.

Without uttering a single word, he gazed out towards the mountain path.

Someone on the mountain road called out, "Dad, I'm here, I'm here."

Chen Qingshan came up carrying a wrapped tung oil torch, and gave a cold smile.

He instructed a few people to light torches, and then used the torches to roast the mangosteens that needed to bend.

Zhang Daguang was initially indignant and somewhat sarcastic, but later he showed confusion, and then, feeling somewhat ashamed, he silently picked up an axe and went to chop bamboo.

I feel like I'm being clown-like.

A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

"Uncle Gui is really smart."

"Yes, how come I didn't realize that this is the method that bamboo weavers often use when weaving baskets?"

So the crowd began to work obediently, taking their sickles, machetes, and ropes and continuing their work.

It continued until noon.

The village lacked enthusiasm, and the villagers sat on the ground, with a cool mountain breeze blowing in their ears and a deep blue sky and white clouds overhead. The men lay shirtless on the grass, their faces covered with straw hats, pretending to sleep.

"If only I could have a hot vegetable pancake from home right now."

What does it taste like?

The aroma of wheat continuously filled everyone's nostrils.

But then they saw Cuihua carrying a bowl and chopsticks on the mountain path, walking up to the Chen family.

"Dad, dinner's ready."

Cuihua prepared lunch at home as Chen Xian instructed: steamed flatbread, cucumber salad, and steamed eggplant.

There was a bowl of garlic sauce next to it.

Chen Xian had already made plans when he came.

The laborers must have their meals prepared every day, otherwise their bodies simply cannot withstand it.

Moreover, this was in ancient times, when there was no way to afford heavy oil and salt; people could only indulge in a little luxury and eat refined flour.

The Chen family members handed out pancakes one by one. Chen Dazhu quietly walked up to Cuihua, tore the pancake in half, and gave it to her.

Cuihua said in a low voice, "Dazhu, you eat, I've already eaten at home."

Dazhu needs to work on the mountain all day; without some good noodles, his body simply can't keep up.

"I don't believe it," Chen Dazhu insisted.

Chen Erzhu appeared out of nowhere and whispered something to the two of them.

"Sister-in-law, I don't believe it either."

It startled the two of them.

Chen Sanniu and Si Niu joined in the fun, saying, "We don't believe it either."

Chen Xian, with his hands behind his back, coughed a few times and said, "I don't believe your father either."

The eldest couple blushed and lowered their heads, wishing they could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Eldest daughter-in-law, we need to be fair in our family."

Cuihua shrank back, her voice a little hoarse, "Yes, Father."

Su Liniang held the cake in her rough fingers, a thought suddenly occurring to her.

"Cuihua, you've worked hard."

As he spoke, he tore the pancake in half.

Su Shuangshuang opened her mouth, biting into a pancake, and muttered, "Sister, the way you do things makes me feel like...an idiot."

Chen Xian said seriously, "Alright, I've never liked sentimental scenes. One pancake for each person, no need to be stingy, half a pancake for each person."

"With three more laborers in our family, we can earn three copper coins a day, so we don't have to worry about food."

Cuihua brought the food, and the other women began to bring their meals one after another.

However, they only gave out wild vegetable pancakes and rice porridge.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!