Lin Shucheng said to Lu Guangyao, "Brother Lu, could you please take me to Shawan County, or another county? We need to buy a boat. The villagers said that we can only cut down trees in our own forests on the other side of the river, otherwise it will cost one tael of silver to cut down a tree."

Lu Guangyao was stunned. "Isn't this just asking for an exorbitant price? I never expected Chen Dawei to become more and more arrogant every day."

Lu Guangyao was originally from Shawan County, so he knew a lot about the area. He told Lin Shucheng all the gossip he knew. It turned out that Chen Dawei's granddaughter had caught the eye of a nobleman and was taken as his concubine. As a result, Chen Dawei became a tyrant in the area.

Lin Jinyue chimed in with gossip: "Uncle, is that important person you mentioned one of General Gu's subordinates?"

Lu Guangyao nodded. "Isn't that right? Chen Dawei says every day that his daughter has caught the eye of a general, the fifth-rank Ningyuan General. Anyway, no one knows how the Ningyuan General treats his granddaughter, so everyone avoids them."

Lu Guangyao also instructed Lin Shucheng: "Although Chen Dawei's granddaughter is only a concubine, Brother Lin, don't confront her directly. I'll just tell you in secret that I've heard that General Ningyuan is petty and not to be trifled with."

Lin Shucheng understood what he meant. He was saying that shamelessness is invincible, and if you offend him one day, who knows what kind of underhanded tricks he might use.

Lu Guang didn't want to cause them any trouble. He went to the county town and bought another boat, giving them two of the lifeboats from their boat. He also had the men on the boat take a few strong men to the other side of the river to cut down trees, so that they wouldn't have trouble building their thatched huts on the first day.

The people of Linjia Village were moving their belongings out—sacks of grain and bedding piled up in the cabin. They didn't know where to put them, and the ground was a bit damp.

However, they didn't trouble anyone. They took all their clothes, pots and pans off the cart and put their food and bedding on it.

The cured meats were all hung on wooden frames.

Thank goodness it's cured meat, otherwise it would have spoiled in a few days in this weather.

*

The people of Yunhe Village watched from afar as someone peeked out, and some even stood on tiptoe to see.

They started talking all at once:

“I think those people are not simple. Weren’t they supposed to come from the north? The journey has been long and difficult, with high mountains and deep rivers, yet they still have so much silver left.”

"Yes, I went to Shawan Town to sell fish a few days ago and saw several refugees from the north. They were all starving and looked like they were about to die at the city gate."

"Oh my, look what they've brought down! There are over a dozen horses and ten carts! And those sacks of grain, are they?"

"Village chief, maybe we shouldn't go too far, lest we offend someone."

"Those people must be quite familiar with the county magistrate. We can't afford to offend the county magistrate."

Listening to the villagers chattering, Chen Dawei scoffed, "So what if they know the current master? What's there to brag about? Don't be fooled by their abundance of food and meat now; in a few days, they'll be begging us for help."

"Knowing the county magistrate is nothing. The county magistrate is just a seventh-rank official. My grandson-in-law is a fifth-rank military officer, his name is... General Ningyuan. Do you think I'm afraid of them?"

Upon hearing this, the villagers stopped crowding around to watch the spectacle, but they were all secretly wondering about it.

What do you mean by saying your grandson-in-law is a fifth-rank Ningyuan General?

Your granddaughter was someone's concubine. Do you even know what a concubine is? She's not much different in status from a maid, and she's not even as high-ranking as a concubine's son or daughter. She's just a plaything for someone to have fun with.

Would you dare call a general his grandson-in-law?

Everyone saw through it but didn't say anything, because you can't offend such a petty person, lest they trip you up behind your back.

Lin Shucheng and his team also quickly got back on track.

Before the villagers could even begin to curse and grumble, Lin Shucheng had already made clear arrangements for them.

Taking advantage of Lu Guangyao and his men's ability to help, and with plenty of axes still on the boat, everyone who could muster the strength went to the other side to cut bamboo and trees.

Regardless of whether they're useful or not, let's cut them down first. This bridge probably won't be finished anytime soon, and a small boat that can only carry two people is even less of a solution.

The women and children weren't idle either; they couldn't let Lu Yaoguang and the others work for nothing.

Jiang Yun organized the women to set up the tents and the pots, and to wash the clothes and bedding that needed washing.

Then she looked at her son, Lin Xueqing.

Originally, Lin Xueqing was supposed to go up the mountain to chop firewood with everyone, but Lin Jinyue thought he was strong enough to fight ten people at once, so she asked him to stay behind, lest the people from Yunhe Village be blind and their side be unable to fight back.

It just so happens that Jiang Yun assigned him a task: to take the children to the beach to collect seafood and to keep an eye on them so they don't fall into the sea.

Jiang Yun whispered to Lin Jinyue, "I think we're running low on salt. Could you guys boil some more later?"

Lin Xueqing nodded and led Lin Jinyue towards the seaside.

The village chief of Yunhe Village was too stingy to give them any better land, so he specifically chose barren land by the sea. However, this did have one advantage: when the tide went out, they could pick seafood to eat on the beach.

Lin Jinyue and Lin Xueqing both lived inland in their previous lives and rarely had the chance to eat fresh seafood. Now that they have moved to the seaside, they can enjoy seafood to their heart's content.

However, the ideal is beautiful, but the reality is harsh. The beach is nothing like the modern beachcombing videos.

Beachcombing depends not only on the time but also on the location. Lin Jinyue didn't know if they could find anything good on this shore, but there weren't any right now, as the tide hadn't come in yet.

The children only picked up some seashells.

Lin Xueqing led them forward, and they were almost at the territory that Chen Da had marked out for them.

The land, totaling twenty-five mu, was cordoned off with lines. When Chen Dawei was marking the boundary, he even threatened that if anyone dared to cross the line, they shouldn't blame the villagers for being impolite.

The village children didn't care about any of that and tried to rush over, but Lin Xueqing stopped them.

Lin Jinyue walked to the rope, somewhat annoyed: "They won't let us pass? Wait until we're settled, then I'll show them what I'm made of!"

Lin Xueqing: "That village chief is no good. From now on, when my father and I are not around, you should stay away from him."

Lin Jinyue nodded, but since they were newcomers and hadn't settled in yet, they certainly couldn't confront them head-on.

Having endured so much hardship and displacement, Lin Jinyue's wish was simple: to have a stable home and not have to live a life of constant exposure to the elements.

Feeling the salty sea breeze, Lin Jinyue felt completely comfortable.

She didn't care who was targeting her family, nor did she care about the troubles in Yunhe Village. Now that they were settled, all she wanted was to take a nice bath and get a good night's sleep.

As for the rest, we'll make plans for later.