Because they took a detour, the journey was twice as long, and by the time the two returned to Dashui Village, it was already 6 PM.

After discussing it with Qi Zhao, Jiang Wanwan decided to go to Anhuai County next door the next day.

After all, it's too late to get there now; the city gates of Anhuai County must have already been closed.

Before it got completely dark, Jiang Wanwan decided to go to the village chief to discuss village safety.

Dashui Village is located in a remote area with poor transportation, but precisely because of this, it is surrounded by mountains, forming a natural protective barrier.

The refugees did not find Dashui Village so easily.

However, as time went on and the number of refugees increased, it was only a matter of time before Dashui Village was discovered.

Therefore, establishing protective walls and patrol teams is of utmost urgency.

After hearing Jiang Wanwan's suggestion, the village chief agreed without hesitation.

So he had his eldest daughter-in-law, Zhang Guilan, strike a gong to summon everyone in the village to his courtyard to discuss matters together.

"Quiet down, everyone. I have something to announce. Society is not peaceful right now. Due to the locust plague, food prices have risen across the board. Poor people can't afford to buy food, and officials don't care about the lives of ordinary people, which has led to many refugees."

Those refugees wandered around, and whenever they saw someone alone, they would rush up to kill and rob them.

Although our village isn't rich in food, it's still better than other villages. And because two people from each family work at Wan Yatou's mosquito coil workshop, every household earns thirty copper coins a day. In about another month, the potatoes we planted will be ready for harvest, so our village should be able to get through the rest of the year without any problem.

To protect our village and the grain of every household, and to prevent outsiders from stealing it, Wan Yatou suggested that each household in the village send two able-bodied men, divided into two teams, one patrolling at night and the other during the day, alternating shifts and taking turns to rest.

"This is a good suggestion, my family agrees."

"My family agrees!"

"My family can support three people!"

......

The villagers were terrified when they heard that the world was in such chaos.

They worried that the refugees would find Dashui Village and steal their grain. If their grain was stolen, they would have no way to survive, so they agreed to the village chief's suggestion without hesitation.

Even the usually mischievous children and teenagers were clamoring to join the patrol team.

Considering that children and teenagers have a lot of energy, Jiang Wanwan also selected some clever children to help with patrols during the day.

Soon, after some discussion, the patrol team arrangement was settled.

Since the people entering the mosquito coil workshop were all women, the young and middle-aged men in the village, having nothing else to do, quickly finalized the list of each household.

Because Jiang Wanwan's family also manages the mosquito coil shop, they don't have enough manpower to join the patrol team, which the villagers of Dashui Village understand very well.

The villagers decided that Jiang Wanwan's family didn't need to contribute any personnel. The Jiang family only needed to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the mosquito coil business. Only when the mosquito coil business grew and prospered could they also get a share of the profits.

After the patrol team finished their discussion, Jiang He, Jiang Xun, and Jiang Jiang carried two sacks and a basket into the village chief's yard.

The villagers were very curious about what was in the sacks, so they couldn't help but ask, "Wan'er, what's in these sacks?"