Fang Cheng glanced at the distance. The group of people who had been calling him brothers and swearing to stand by him through thick and thin were now standing there watching from afar, not a single one of them stepping forward. His heart grew cold, but he was also unwilling to give up now.

"Of course you're welcome. I'm sure Sister Meidi told you when she got back. We'll make a fortune together then." Fang Cheng decided to agree for now and think of other ways later.

Dong Ge beckoned Ah Kun over, "It's best if you think this way. My brother has been taken care of by you a lot before, so let him run some errands for you to settle the debt of gratitude."

Ah Kun nodded quickly and smiled at Fang Cheng, saying, "Brother Fang, don't worry. With my personal guidance and introductions, you'll definitely be able to quickly become one of the brothers."

Fang Cheng hadn't expected the other party to associate him with A-Kun in just a few words, but he dared not speak out in anger. His mind was racing, trying to figure out how to get out of his predicament.

Ah Kun looked at Fang Cheng with a hint of schadenfreude. Back then, he had his men keep an eye on him and his cousin for several days. Now, he wanted to let Fang Cheng experience that feeling too.

Dong Ge immediately dispatched all his men to gather information about the area. He and Lao Fang began to take over the group that Fang Cheng had painstakingly won over.

Fang Cheng, unwilling to accept defeat, was relentlessly questioned and revealed everything about his situation.

He knew that he no longer had any advantage this time. Once Dong Ge took control of this area, he would only become a pawn to be discarded.

"If I can't have it, then you shouldn't expect it either." Fang Cheng thought to himself. If he had thought of attacking the city and seizing supplies back then, he wouldn't have given in so easily.

He didn't leave himself no way out; if handled well, he might be able to turn the tide.

But the main problem now is how to shake off this kid who's been following him around. Unexpectedly, in just a few days, the situation has taken a complete turn for the better.

In the days that followed, Fang Cheng pretended to put Dong Ge first in everything, and often addressed the people Dong Ge brought as brothers, acting as if he wanted to integrate into their group.

After a second trip, Si Cheng and his team finally brought everything from the mountain back to the village.

The arrival of a large number of agricultural tools in the village caused everyone to gather in the square, hoping to see if they could be allocated some directly.

My second grandfather and the others learned about Sicheng's plan a couple of days ago. Although they praised his selflessness, they did not approve of the villagers getting something for nothing.

Second Grandfather: "We've said before that we can't always let Acheng make sacrifices for free. Although these things were all cleared from the mountain, you all took back the things you cleared yourself. We can't be hypocritical and let Acheng make sacrifices all by himself, right?"

The people below nodded and agreed, "That's how it should be. The village will make a list, and we'll bring our own goods to exchange for it."

These two trips into the mountains resulted in a bumper harvest, so everyone was generous and understood that it was what they deserved anyway.

Seeing so many people expressing their opinions, the second grandfather felt comforted. "The fact that everyone thinks this way shows that our village is united. Only by being united can we overcome the various difficulties ahead."

Grandpa also took the opportunity to encourage everyone and subtly instill moral values.

Everyone then acted quickly, registering and distributing the tools, and in the blink of an eye, all the farm tools were divided up.

They had heard that two villages outside were very interested in their farm tools. Although they knew the village chief wouldn't easily exchange them, they would feel more at ease if they had the items in their own hands.

As for the ideas of the two villages outside, Si Cheng also had plans. He asked the villages to gather together all the farm tools that were no longer needed at home. He used the village's iron smelting workshop, added some pig iron, and processed it to create some refurbished farm tools.

Due to technical limitations, it's certainly not as user-friendly as before, but something is better than nothing, and I believe they won't mind.

Yunqi watched silently as the villagers carried their belongings into the yard, one after another. These were items exchanged on an equal footing, namely the agricultural tools they had exchanged.

As Yun Zhiming looked at the ever-increasing amount of stuff, he lost all interest in even looking through it. "There's just too much stuff! Our family has really become rich overnight."

"That's right, there's everything you need—food, clothes, and other necessities. Now I'll have to spend a long time organizing everything," said Mother Yun, looking troubled.

Yunqi said, "Originally, Cheng Ge and I were thinking of giving the items away for free, but we didn't expect everyone to be so particular, and the exchange rate seems to be even higher. Our family has really benefited from everyone's good deal."

Yunqi felt genuinely embarrassed at this moment. Back on the mountain, she had enlisted the help of many people to dig out the items, and everyone had also helped them carry the load down the mountain. Suddenly, she felt it was inappropriate for her to carry so many things.

She shared her thoughts with Mr. Yun, who nodded in agreement. "We did exceed the limit, so we can't let them help us for nothing. We'll pack everything up later and give each family a replacement as a token of our gratitude for their transportation."

Yunqi nodded in agreement. This was the only way now; they couldn't let everyone work for nothing and then give them extra things.

While they were busy returning the gifts, Si Cheng and Yun Xun were discussing the batch of crossbows that Ma Tao had ordered to be made.

"It's finished so quickly?" Si Cheng looked up at Yun Xun. "Did you ensure the quality was up to standard?"

Yun Xun said, "There's been less work lately, and everyone's been helping out. We've already done so much, so we've accumulated a lot of experience, and the speed has naturally increased. As for quality, there's no problem at all. My grandpa and the others check here every day, and they'll even pick out the smallest flaw."

Si Cheng said, "Then let's gather all their things together and see if they came on their own, or if we should wait until we change our schedule and bring them over."

After thinking for a moment, Yun Xun shared his observations, "Let's find someone to deliver them. Last time Captain Ma and the others came, they specifically asked about the production date of this batch of bows and arrows. Although they didn't urge us, it seemed rather urgent."

Si Cheng realized that Captain Liu and his men rarely used guns when they went up the mountain, and he understood the importance of these crossbows. "I'll deliver them to them myself. There are still some routes we haven't finished, and we've already received our payment. Let's put this matter to rest."

Yunxun said, "There's another matter. Gaojia Village sent over a large piece of pig iron, wanting us to make some crossbows for them. They offered a pretty good reward, so I agreed."

Si Cheng sat there quietly listening to Yun Xun tell him about what had happened in the village recently. Fortunately, it was just some trivial matter, and he stopped paying attention to it after hearing it.