Thinking of the many twists and turns in Yunying's marriage and how she had finally made it this far, Yunying's mother said nothing more.

The second batch of refugees from Shigong City numbered nearly four thousand.

After a long and arduous journey south, the refugees were mostly young adults; five hundred people registered or enlisted in the army.

Having gained experience from their first visit, Lin Yiheng and his team were quite adept at handling the task. They first registered the households, issued new household registrations, and then assigned villages.

Most of the people who come to Longtan are those who refuse to submit to being sold into slavery. They do not easily compromise with fate, nor will they bow down to life.

Regardless of what conditions Longtan offers, their primary consideration is the freedom of the whole family and the tax exemption policy for the first two years.

After settling the second batch of refugees, Lin Yinan received a letter from Yun Zhenchuan in Nanzhou Prefecture.

The letter stated that a force of over ten thousand men from the Southern Prefecture would be arriving in Longtan soon, and that they should prepare to receive them.

As for the source of the refugees, they were all persuaded and lobbied by people sent by Yu Xunmei, the eldest daughter of the Yu family.

Lin Yinan added another mark against Yu Xunmei in her mind. Although Yu Xunmei had given her so many people, her vindictive nature was indeed unpleasant.

Nevertheless, Lin Yinan still convened a meeting with Yun Ye, Lin Yiheng, Pan Qingfeng, and others to ensure everyone was prepared and wouldn't panic.

"Anan, the villagers are asking when they can move into the new houses after they're built, and how they'll be allocated the space?" Lin Yiheng asked.

Lin Yinan originally wanted to wait for Yun Mo and Yun Er to return, but given the current situation, it seems she can't wait for them.

"Make some number plates, and once they're ready, let everyone draw lots to decide who gets them."

"If they are not satisfied with the house they drew, can they exchange it privately?" Lin Yuanzhi asked.

He had heard his mother mention the women in the village more than once, and she would say such things to him, intentionally or unintentionally.

Lin Yinan pondered for a moment and said, "If both parties agree, then there's no problem. But we can only switch once. Once the rooms are assigned, the house deeds will be issued."

"Brother Aheng, when will the lottery number plates be made?" asked a young man who had just been promoted in the village.

Lin Yiheng looked at Lin Fu beside him; he would take charge of this matter.

Lin Fu received a look from his young master, cleared his throat and said, "We have the materials. If we want to do it, it will be quick. We can finish it in an afternoon."

"Ah Fu, then I'll leave it to you." Lin Yuanzhi looked at Lin Fu.

The weather was too hot, and the dormitory was too stuffy. They couldn't wait to move into their new house.

The first batch of rice planted in the field has ripened. Lin Shuo asked his younger sister, "Anan, when are we going to harvest the rice?"

Food is a major issue and should naturally be the top priority.

Without hesitation, Lin Yinan said, "Since we can harvest, let's start harvesting tomorrow."

The group discussed some routine matters before dispersing after a long time.

After the meeting, Lin Yuanzhi, Lin Tiezhuang, and the young men from the village spent an hour helping Lin Fu make the lottery number plates.

Before dinner, Lin Yuanzhi came to report to Lin Yinan that the lottery number plates had been made and asked if they could draw lots for the new house while everyone was at dinner.

It's currently the busy farming season, and Lin Yinan thought that after harvesting the rice, they would have to plow the land and transplant the seedlings. It would probably be two or three months before they could relax again. So, this time was a good opportunity to give everyone a boost of morale.

"Call everyone together after dinner."

The canteen was packed with people, all looking expectantly at Lin Yinan on the makeshift stage.

Outside the canteen, there was a huge crowd. Although the second and third phases of the houses were not yet completed, they were all looking inside with excitement.

Lin Yinan took out a speaker she had stockpiled from her space in advance and turned the volume up to the maximum.

"After overcoming numerous hardships, starting today, we will finally take root in Longtan County. Without further ado, the clan chief of Linjia Village will now preside over the lottery ceremony."

The clan chief took the megaphone from Lin Yinan with trembling hands, coughed lightly, and was immediately startled by the loud noise coming from the megaphone, which made everyone burst into laughter.

As he was about to speak, everyone inside and outside the dining hall fell silent.

The clan chief exclaimed excitedly, "As relatives of the City Lord, we have followed her all the way from the north to the south. So far, all of the City Lord's decisions have been very wise and correct. From now on, our Lin Family Village will certainly follow all of the City Lord's instructions..."

The clan chief's impassioned speech brought the entire lottery event to a climax.

Apart from Lin Yinan's maternal family and the Yun family, everyone else sent a representative from their family to draw lots.

Everyone was satisfied with the houses they drew; only a handful of families wanted to change houses.

Once you win a house, you can move in after you've furnished it during the off-season.

As for the houses of the guards, the Yun brothers and Lin Yinan specially chose a good location not far from the hillside to build them, allowing them to move in half a month earlier than the villagers, and the houses were fully furnished.

Lin Yinan naturally wanted to give these bodyguards who had risked their lives for her to the utmost treatment in order to do justice to their sacrifices.

The more than 1,000 mu of rice behind the county government office has entered the ripening period and the harvest has begun. The plump grains of rice shine with the joy of a bountiful harvest under the sun.

The workers harvested rice in temperatures of 30 to 40 degrees Celsius without feeling tired at all.

After harvesting one acre of rice, Ding Gui and Chen San were shocked to see the several burlap sacks tightly tied together.

"Chen San, I think this dried weighs at least two hundred jin." Ding Gui's dark face was full of joy.

"Definitely."

This was the first time the two had ever seen such a high-yield rice field.

"The City Lord is truly an amazing woman; there is no failure when using her methods," Ding Gui exclaimed.

Chen San's tanned eyebrows gradually relaxed, his eyes sparkled, and his resolve to follow Lin Yinan to the death grew stronger.

As the two were talking, the others became agitated, with some even dropping their sickles and kneeling in the field to worship the heavens.

"Thank God for protecting us!"

In stark contrast to the joy of a bountiful harvest at Longtan, the Yu family study in Nanzhou Prefecture was experiencing a violent storm.

"Bang!" A beautiful blue and white porcelain teacup fell to the ground and shattered instantly.

Seeing the broken teacup beside her, Yu Xunmei, who was kneeling on the ground, shrank back, lowered her head, and her eyes were gloomy, flashing with hatred.

"Tens of thousands of refugees were released without a second thought. Why don't you think before you act?"

The Yu family patriarch was filled with rage. Those who had fled south to escape the famine were all able-bodied young men. If they were all recruited, their strength would not be underestimated.

“Keeping these refugees around will only waste food. What’s the point?” Yu Xunmei said stubbornly.

Upon hearing this, Yu's father trembled with anger, pointing his finger at her, "Look at your brother! He's only a year older than you, but he's so much better than you in words and deeds!"

“Amei! You’re not a child anymore, it’s time to be sensible! You should think more about your brother when you do things.”

“You’ve raised and taught my brother since he was little, but you’ve neglected me, saying that I’m a girl and will get married sooner or later, and that my brother knows how to do things, but you’ve never taught me anything. Now you’re accusing me of being ignorant. I may be ignorant, but did you teach me anything?”

Yu Xunmei felt so wronged that tears welled up in her eyes, but she hesitated to let them fall.