Chen Mo stared in disbelief at the grain in his hand and unconsciously pinched his cheek.

"Is this...is this really food?"

He was almost moved to tears of joy, trembling as he touched the grain, then looked at Xu Nian with a hint of doubt.

Having guessed what he was thinking, Xu Nian explained, "We made a bet with the city lord. If I can govern this place better than him within a month, he will grant me one request."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo finally understood the whole story and nodded vigorously.

"Don't worry, just let me know if you need anything. But before that, I'll cook them a meal first!"

At this moment, Chen Mo was like a child who had received candy, excitedly carrying the food into the room.

Seeing this, Xu Nian chuckled and turned to Gu Zhan, saying, "Although this place is dilapidated, it's quite spacious and should be enough for everyone to live in."

Gu Zhan immediately understood Xu Nian's meaning and instructed, "Then you stay here for now, I'll go call everyone over, don't hurt yourself."

Seeing his incessant chatter, Xu Nian gave him a gentle nudge and said with a smile, "Don't worry, go ahead, General Gu!"

After Gu Zhan left, Xu Nian followed Chen Mo inside.

Looking around, Chen Mo was squatting on the ground, fiddling with an old iron pot, but his face was full of joy.

"Brother Chen Mo, what is this?"

Several children, thin and frail, timidly asked questions when they saw Chen Mo returning carrying a large bag.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo smiled warmly, "This is a meal for everyone, we'll be able to eat it in a bit."

Upon hearing this, the children exchanged glances and ran outside excitedly.

"Yay, finally we have food to eat!"

As Xu Nian walked in, she brushed past several dolls, and a pang of sadness welled up inside her.

She also experienced such hardship in her childhood, until she met her master...

"Hey, what brings you in? Sit down and rest for a bit."

Chen Mo also noticed Xu Nian standing to the side and looked around somewhat awkwardly.

Xu Nian waved her hand, "It's okay, you go ahead and cook. I just came to check out the surroundings to make plans for the future."

Chen Mo nodded knowingly and continued to patiently start the fire.

The news that they would be able to eat soon quickly spread among them.

"Really?"

"Brother Chen Mo would never lie!"

As the steaming aroma slowly wafted from the pot, everyone around stared in disbelief.

I never expected there would actually be food to eat!

Everyone spontaneously gathered around, but no one rushed to make a move; instead, they patiently watched Chen Mo's actions.

"Everyone, this was kindly given to us by Miss Xu Nian. She will be in charge of managing this place from now on, so please remember that."

Chen Mo ladled porridge for the people one after another, carefully instructing each one.

Everyone who received the porridge glanced at Xu Nian, their slightly cloudy eyes seeming to clear up considerably.

Everyone sat together, sharing this hard-earned food.

Chen Mo looked on with satisfaction, and his mood improved considerably.

Not long after, a flurry of footsteps could be heard in the distance.

Chen Mo immediately stood up alertly, his expression instantly turning cold.

Seeing this, Xu Nian asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo said very seriously, "It's very likely that the city lord sent someone to demand that we pay taxes."

"Pay taxes?" Xu Nian was stunned.

These people go hungry every day, and even drinking water is a luxury. How can they pay taxes?

[This city lord is absolutely ruthless! I'm speechless! Streamer, keep taking him down!]

[Yeah, I'm speechless. They pay taxes, but they should at least give people food.]

[Did you guys notice? Chen Mo almost instinctively got up; this has happened more than once!]

However, the situation that Chen Mo resented did not occur; the visitors were Gu Zhan and the villagers.

"This is?"

Chen Mo stared blankly at the people in front of him.

Xu Nian got up, walked over to everyone, and explained the current situation in detail.

"Gentlemen, only by defeating the city lord can we continue on our own path and head to the capital. Do you understand?"

Finally, Xu Nian said with a serious expression, "Any objections?"

The villagers looked at each other, and not one of them uttered a single word of rebuttal.

"Whatever the fortune teller says goes!"

A loud shout suddenly erupted from the crowd, followed closely by the villagers: "That's right, we trust your command!"

Xu Nian was very pleased with this, and pointed to the house next to her, saying, "I'm sure everyone is already familiar with building the residences, so I don't need to give any further instructions, right?"

Along the way, they built houses many times, and even those who did not usually do carpentry memorized the process.

"clear!"

So, to Chen Mo and the others' astonishment, the villagers orderly divided themselves into several teams.

Some were specifically responsible for collecting materials, some for construction, and others for logistics.

"Oh, I can't possibly accept this!"

Looking at the scene before him, Chen Mo couldn't help but shed tears of emotion, looking at Xu Nian with excitement.

Although Xu Nian has temporarily taken over this place, she didn't need to do such a thankless and exhausting thing in the first place!

Seeing Chen Mo's excitement, Xu Nian chuckled, "Don't worry, doing this is convenient for everyone. After all, we also need a decent place to live so we can continue with what we're doing next."

In fact, everything Xu Nian did was not entirely for Chen Mo.

In essence, it's just for the convenience of subsequent management.

But in Chen Mo's eyes, this was a heartwarming and unexpected act of kindness.

Immediately, Chen Mo stood up and volunteered, "If there's anything I can help with, please let me know!"

Seeing Chen Mo's unusually determined expression, Xu Nian pondered for a moment.

"In that case, tell me about the current situation here and the problems we face."

Chen Mo is, after all, an indigenous person, and he's been busy running around here, so asking him about these things is naturally the best option.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo nodded in understanding and began to explain at length.

"The first problem is food. It was alright before, there were occasional game in the nearby mountains, but recently the supply has gradually decreased. Some people are even eating tree bark to fill their stomachs..."

Immediately, Xu Nian let out a barely perceptible sigh.

In those times of famine, eating tree bark was not uncommon.

But every time she hears or sees something like that, her heart trembles and she feels deeply saddened.

"Next comes the water source, and the most serious problem—"

After a moment's pause, Chen Mo sighed and spoke.

"The city lord's obstruction."