“Yu Niang, backbone can’t put food on the table. Gou Dan will need to go to school and get married when he grows up. There will be many places where he will need money. Just consider this money as a way to save for Gou Dan.”

Zhang sighed and continued to advise, "Listen to your sister-in-law's advice. While the man still has a conscience, if he gives it to you, just take it. What if he marries another wife and has another child someday? Will he still remember you and Gou Dan?"

"No matter how hard it is, you can't suffer yourself. For Gou Dan's sake, you can accept it without any guilt."

Yu Niang exhaled a breath of stale air, "Yu Niang will listen to her sister-in-law."

“My husband told me that the monthly allowance from the horse farm is quite high.”

The two huddled together and whispered for a long time before going back to rest.

Everyone in the canteen worked according to the scheduled time, and everything was in good order.

After the busy farming season, the Longtan County government issued its first decree, which was to collect corvée labor to repair irrigation canals and roads.

Unlike in the past, the corvée labor collected in Longtan this time is expected to take two months.

Those who previously signed agreements to purchase rice seeds on credit must complete a full month's work.

The county government would allocate an extra sum of money for the repair of irrigation canals, road construction, and expenses for those who registered for corvée labor.

That's right. Those who sign up for corvée labor will receive a monthly wage of one hundred coins. Those who pay rent in lieu of work will receive money in the second month if they continue to work after paying rent in the first month.

In addition, the county government will provide two meals.

The news was spread to all the villages under their jurisdiction by Yunyu, Hu Shao and others, and the enthusiasm of the people was unprecedented.

In the past, when conscripting laborers, every household had to send a male member. If you didn't have money, that was one thing, but food wasn't even provided.

Nowadays, the Longtan County government provides two meals a day and gives one hundred coins.

Is there really such a good thing in the world?

Every village was discussing the reliability of the information regarding the collection of corvée labor in Longtan, and Baisha Village was no exception.

Ah Da squatted in front of his low thatched house, eating his meal with a bowl in his hand. In the summer, the sun set late, and there was still some lingering light in the sky.

He saw the village chief walking over with his hands behind his back. "Uncle Village Chief, time to eat!"

"You've eaten." The village chief waved his hand at him and continued, "Ah Da, where are your parents?"

"I'm at home."

A-Da turned his head and shouted towards the low houses, "Dad, Mom, the village chief is here."

A-Da's parents put down their bowls and hurriedly went out the door. "The village chief is here! Come in and sit down, the rice is just cooked, would you like some?"

"Don't bother, I've already eaten. I just came to say a few words to you and then I'll leave," the village chief said. "What's your family's opinion on the county's conscription of laborers?"

“How can you tell? The village chief knows my family’s situation. We got the rice seeds on credit, and they even provide two meals a day. I’m thinking that all three of us, father and sons, should go. First, it will save some food for the family, and second, we can earn a few hundred coins,” said Uncle Da.

Auntie A chimed in, "Yes, if they weren't selective about hiring women, my wife and I would have gone too."

The village chief caught a glimpse of several young children peeking out of the house out of the corner of his eye, and asked with a hint of doubt, "All of them are going?"

He knew that Lin Yinan and the others had only fled here six months earlier than them. Now, so many people were being conscripted for corvée labor, and in addition to food and drink, they also had to be paid. He felt that this was not quite real.

“Why not go? We have a lot of family members. If we save two meals a day, it will add up to a lot over two months.” Auntie was a shrewd old lady.

"What if they don't have the money?" Although he was elected as the village chief, he still had some doubts.

Because Hu Shao was busy relaying messages, he didn't tell him the specific details.

Uncle A saw what he was thinking. "When we first arrived, people were willing to give us rice seeds on credit. Even if they didn't pay us, it wouldn't have mattered. We still got two meals, right?"

Seeing the family's persistence, the village chief simply gave the cooking job to Aunt Cheng.

The village chief left amidst A-Da's profuse thanks.

Not many people signed up in the first phase; everyone was still observing, and those who went were mostly families who had bought rice seeds on credit.

Fearing the food would be bad, everyone secretly brought their own dry rations.

When it was time to eat, everyone saw dozens of large wooden barrels placed in front of Yunyu and the others.

Hu Shao greeted everyone with a smile, "Today is the first day. Everyone take out your bowls and line up to get your food. Each person gets a bowl of porridge, a spoonful of pickled vegetables, and a chopstickful of stir-fried greens."

The lid of the bucket was opened, and the aroma of white rice porridge wafted out. Everyone sniffed and smelled it again and again.

After the first person finished getting their food, everyone craned their necks to look.

You won't believe it until you see it, and what you find will shock you.

The crowd immediately erupted in uproar.

"This porridge is so thick!"

"My God! This is even better than the food at home!"

"Those green vegetables are so vibrant and green, it must have taken a lot of oil to stir-fry them, right?"

"My family's porridge is so clear you can count the grains of rice, it's so good!"

Those in front of the line could see everything clearly, but those behind could not see it no matter how much they craned their necks.

So someone shouted to the person who got the food, "Hey buddy, come here, let us take a look."

"Hey bro, how's the food?"

"Damn, this food is amazing."

"Thank goodness they came!" someone said with relief.

So, the first few people to get their food walked around the long line with their bowls, and finally squatted under the shade of a tree, broke off a twig to use as chopsticks, and began to eat heartily.

Those behind them were practically drooling at the sight.

In the late afternoon, they also offer a refreshing herbal tea.

It's a mint tea with licorice added, with a sweet and refreshing taste that makes your mind feel much clearer after drinking it.

Brother A and his friends were conscripted to build an irrigation canal. It wasn't far from the village, and they could go home to rest after dinner.

Before even entering the village, we saw the village chief and many villagers guarding the entrance.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!