"Just as Brother Fang said, a row of earthen houses has been built, and there is a lot of land."
"Was this really built in just a few months?"
"That's amazing!"
"What's that? It's all green, they've planted crops there?"
...
The workers were all talking about it, feeling that the valley was beautiful no matter how they looked at it, as if they had seen a fairyland.
Meanwhile, the villagers were also observing the workers drifting down the river.
Many people saw Jiang Tangtang deliver the message that day, and she had previously mentioned to the villagers that she was going to rescue Fang Dayong. Everyone guessed the identities of the group of people in front of them.
The villagers sighed as they looked at the dark-skinned, tattered, and emaciated man, who was as thin as a bamboo pole.
"Those damned bastards are no good at all. How could they torture people like this?"
"That's right. I thought we were the worst off, but I didn't expect there were people who were even worse off than us."
"We have a Valley Master back then. If it weren't for Lord Lu and the Valley Master finding this blessed land, allowing us to live and work in peace, where would we be today?"
"Yes, yes, we have to thank Valley Master and Lord Lu for this."
...
The villagers, reflecting on the miners' plight and their own, felt even more grateful to Jiang Tangtang.
Tian Guizhi vowed in her heart that she would always be grateful to Jiang Tangtang for her kindness. She would erect a longevity tablet for her and teach her descendants to always be grateful to Jiang Tangtang.
At this moment, she did not excitedly step forward to recognize Fang Dayong as people expected.
Instead, he grabbed a thin bamboo stick and ran up to Fang Dayong, whipping him as he did so, yelling, "I'll teach you to be heartless! You secretly followed someone and ran away, causing the Valley Master to have to rescue you. You bastard, if you don't want to live, just hang yourself with a hair and don't drag everyone down with you. Let's see if you dare to do it again!"
Fang Dayong did not dodge; he stood there, letting Tian Guizhi whip him. The pain of the bamboo sticks striking his flesh actually made him feel at ease.
When Tian Guizhi was tired of beating him, he knelt on the ground and said, "Mother, I was wrong. I will never do such a foolish thing again. Your son is unfilial. You raised me for so long, but I didn't let you enjoy life. Instead, I made you worry about me all the time."
Tian Guizhi, who had been holding back her tears, finally burst into tears.
"Sister Tian, don't cry anymore. If you ask me, this is actually a blessing in disguise for you. Your Dayong seems much more sensible than before when he came back this time."
"That's right. Without these experiences, he might still be the same as before."
Just as the villagers advised, Fang Dayong's experience this time has allowed him to mature rapidly.
I am also truly grateful to and admire Jiang Tangtang and Lu Shiyan.
Therefore, upon seeing Jiang Tangtang emerge from the crowd, he stood up, walked to her, and knelt down, saying, "Thank you for saving my life, Valley Master. From now on, my life belongs to you, Valley Master. Please arrange whatever you need."
The workers who came with Fang Dayong exclaimed upon seeing Jiang Tangtang, "This is the Valley Master? She really looks like a fairy."
"Could it really be a deity descended to earth to save us from this predicament?"
"Definitely. If it weren't for her and her husband rescuing us today, we'd still be suffering in the mines!"
...
As everyone spoke, they all knelt down before Jiang Tangtang, saying that Jiang Tangtang and Lu Shiyan were their second parents, and that they would be at her beck and call from now on, and that their lives belonged to Jiang Tangtang.
Looking at the mass of people kneeling on the ground, Jiang Tangtang felt her eyes welling up with tears.
Ordinary people in this era are truly suffering. If someone shows them even a little kindness, they would be willing to risk their lives to thank that person.
For the first time, she hoped that Lu Shiyan could act quickly, end this chaotic world sooner, and allow the people to live a peaceful life as soon as possible.
She couldn't offer much help in the struggle for power, so all she could do was ensure his safety and allow him to focus on other matters.
She helped Fang Dayong up and then said to everyone, "Everyone, get up first. Come back to the house with me and we'll discuss the arrangements for our future."
These people set off at midnight yesterday and have been on the run for so long, they definitely haven't had time to eat. We need to get them something to eat first.
As they walked, Jiang Tangtang made arrangements, telling Su to go back and get some grain to cook porridge.
Porridge alone is definitely not enough to fill you up; it would be best to also have some steamed buns or pancakes.
Su knew that even if they ate all the food in the house, her son and daughter-in-law would have a way to get more, so she didn't ask any more questions and just called on people to help her.
The women in the village felt sorry for these people, so they temporarily put aside their work and joined Su in helping to prepare food.
While Su was preparing food, Jiang Tangtang asked the workers about their wishes.
Whether they go to the mountains to work as miners or stay in the valleys to farm, the resettlement policies are pretty much the same.
When these workers arrived, they had nothing but a tattered piece of clothing on their backs.
Both food and accommodation issues need to be addressed.
Like the resettled villagers, everyone can borrow grain from her first, then build their own houses, and repay the grain later.
The only difference is that miners in the mountains receive wages from the very first day a house is built. The houses built in the mountains don't belong to them, but to the mine.
The houses in the village belong to them, of course. They decide how to build them. The borrowed grain is interest-free; they simply repay the amount after the harvest.
Having just escaped from the mines, many people, just as Jiang Tangtang had predicted, were not enthusiastic about going to the mountains to work as miners, and preferred to settle down in the village.
On the contrary, the villagers were very interested in going to work in the mountains. They all asked Jiang Tangtang about it.
Jiang Tangtang went to work in the mountains, just like when she hired someone to sew clothes last time. There were copper coins and grain available for everyone to choose from.
Working in the mountains pays more than sewing clothes. If you want copper coins, it's eighty coins a day; if you want grain, it's five catties of coarse grain.
The price of eighty coins a day made many villagers' eyes widen. Back in Dawan Village, if they went out to work, they would be paid thirty coins a day, which was considered a high price.
But ordinary workers only earn ten or twenty coins a day. Now, eighty coins a day is an astronomical price.
However, the villagers only sighed and ultimately felt that five kilograms of coarse grains were more appealing.
The villagers decided to take coarse grains without much thought and then asked about working in the mountains.
Seeing the villagers eagerly signing up and vying to work in the mountains, many workers who were originally reluctant to work in the mountains also began to hesitate.
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