The bloody yellow earth covered the bandits' corpses, and the riverside camp seemed to have returned to its former tranquility.
People deliberately avoided the renovated land, focusing all their energy on the final stages of the autumn harvest.
The last vegetables and fruits in the greenhouse were harvested and stored, and the rice fields were completely leveled amidst the roar of harvesters. The golden rice grains covered the silver-gray "Guangxi" ground mats, exuding a dry fragrance under the sun.
That afternoon, everyone was busy bagging the last batch of dried rice and carrying it into the mud-brick houses in the deserted village that were temporarily serving as granaries.
Suddenly! A series of chaotic and heavy footsteps, accompanied by suppressed breathing and the cries of a child, came from the direction of the main road, growing louder as they approached! Everyone froze instantly!
The sacking stopped; the men carrying the sacks froze in place; the women covered their children's mouths in terror! The shadow of the last time the bandits came to their door, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around everyone's heart!
All eyes, filled with uncontrollable fear, were fixed on Jiang Chan at the edge of the camp! The fairy... no, the goddess of death! Was she going to kill again this time?
The footsteps grew closer.
A figure appeared at the corner of the official road.
They weren't vicious bandits. They were a group of... people who were even more miserable.
There were about twenty people, men, women, and children, all dressed in tattered clothes, so ragged that they could barely cover their bodies. They were sallow and emaciated, with sunken eyes, and their exposed skin was covered with dirt and scratches. They walked unsteadily, as if a gust of wind could blow them over.
The leader was a middle-aged man who looked to be around forty years old. He was also extremely thin, but his frame was large enough to support him.
He was leaning on a thick tree branch, his eyes cloudy yet carrying a hint of wariness and bewilderment.
They had clearly also seen the sight on the riverbank: that enormous, transparent "crystal palace" shimmering in the sunlight!
The silver-gray ground was covered with golden rice grains! The campsite was lush and green, clearly well-maintained!
And then there's that group of people who, though tense, are clearly well-fed and relatively well-dressed! This scene is a stark contrast to the desolate wasteland, littered with the corpses of the starving! It's practically a paradise from a myth!
The group of refugees suddenly stopped! Everyone stared wide-eyed at what they were seeing! The children forgot to cry; their dirty little faces were filled with blankness and longing.
The adults, on the other hand, subconsciously swallowed non-existent saliva, their eyes gleaming with a hungry green light, but more than that, they felt a deep shock, bewilderment, and a hint of... fear.
They saw the woman at the edge of the camp, holding a strange "iron rod" and with cold eyes, and they also saw the group of people behind her suddenly tense up and full of hostility.
The owners of this paradise... seemed... not to welcome outsiders. The refugees hesitated, not daring to take another step forward.
The middle-aged man at the head of the group swallowed hard. Finally, he put down the branch he was using as a cane, bowed deeply in Jiang Chan's direction, his back almost breaking, his voice hoarse and dry, filled with a humble plea: "Honorable one... please have mercy... please give... please give me some food... the child... the child is dying..."
The refugees behind him also bowed low, their cries of pleading rising and falling: "Have mercy, sir..."
"Give me something to eat..."
"Save the children..."
They didn't kneel down and kowtow, but bowed deeply, their posture so low as to be almost invisible, yet they still retained the last shred of basic human dignity.
Jiang Chan's sharp gaze swept over the group of refugees. There were more than twenty people, mostly the elderly, women, and children. Although the few men were tall and strong, they were so hungry that they were skin and bones, and their hands, gripping wooden sticks, were trembling.
The children were pitifully thin, their large eyes filled only with a longing for food and an instinctive fear.
Despair, numbness, but not yet completely broken down into beasts. She looked around again. After months of good food and rest, the villagers, who were originally sallow and thin, now all had rosy complexions, plenty of energy, and their eyes had regained their light.
The mountains of vegetables and fruits were piling up unsold, and the rice and wheat grains were piled up even higher... After killing the bandits, she realized that with just a dozen or so people guarding this "paradise," it was like a child carrying a gold brick walking through a bustling city.
We need more manpower and more resources.
But... it must be controllable. This group of people in front of me... seems... worth a try?
“Chen Yan,” Jiang Chan said calmly, withdrawing her gaze, “take a few people to fetch water, cook two large pots of thin porridge, and let it cool to a warm temperature.”
"Old Sun, take a few people to the shed to pick some cabbage and radishes, chop them up and put them in the porridge."
"Yes, young lady!" Chen Yan and Old Man Sun responded immediately. Although they did not understand Jiang Chan's intentions, they did not dare to ask any more questions and quickly led their men to take action.
Upon hearing "cook porridge" and "pick vegetables," the refugees' previously despairing and numb eyes instantly shone with disbelief! Tears welled up uncontrollably!
There really is food?! Are they dreaming?!
Soon, two large iron pots were placed on the fire. Clear water was poured into the pots, and snow-white new rice mixed with a small amount of brown rice was added. Bright green cabbage leaves and chopped radish cubes were added to the boiling rice porridge, and the rich aroma of rice mixed with the fresh fragrance of vegetables filled the air.
The aroma was an irresistible temptation for starving people! The refugees swallowed hard, their bodies moving forward uncontrollably, their eyes fixed on the two large pots with urgency.
"Stop right there!" Jiang Chan shouted coldly. Although she didn't draw her shotgun, her icy gaze instantly froze the restless refugees, as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water!
"The porridge must be cooled to a warm temperature! Anyone who takes another step forward will not receive a single grain of rice!" Her voice carried an undeniable authority.
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