Outside the government office, men, women, and children crowded around the small notice board.
They all wanted to be the first to know about sweet potatoes.
"Get out of the way! Everyone get out of the way!"
The constables pushed aside the crowd to make way before they could squeeze in.
"Those of you in front, why don't you read it aloud!"
Some people who were too slow to react and missed out on a spot stood on tiptoe on the outer edge of the circle, trying to see inside.
However, there were just too many people, and they were getting anxious, so they shouted for the people in front to come out.
Most of the people inside were literate, and they read the notice carefully, not daring to miss a single word.
The joy on everyone's faces was impossible to hide!
Especially those farsighted businessmen who saw the words "priority given to residents of Guangling County" on the public notice.
Originally residents of Guangling County, they were naturally overjoyed.
The families who had just transferred their household registration were also filled with joy and relief.
Aside from the residents of other counties who were neither natives nor had they transferred their household registration, everyone looked worried and distressed.
However, some clever people, upon learning of this, immediately went to the county government office and spent money to transfer their household registration.
This wave of household registration transfers has been going on for a few days.
It wasn't until the magistrates of various counties filed complaints with the prefect of Anqing that Chen Yong apologized with a face full of remorse.
However, he couldn't hide the smugness on his face.
The master said that whoever governs well and provides relief to the people will be treated well in the future.
Chen Yong was incredibly grateful that he had become friends with Zhen Wanwan back then.
Unexpectedly, that person was his master's wife, and now she had brought him such a big surprise.
Because of the department store incident, the county's economy has grown rapidly in the past few months, transforming it into the richest county in Anqing Prefecture.
Not long after, Zhen Wanwan has produced another grain that can yield tens of thousands of tons – sweet potatoes.
Chen Yong decided that after returning home, he would have his wife and Zhen Wanwan spend more time together.
With the support of the government, every single person, including their family, went to the barren mountains to reclaim wasteland.
The mountainous areas, which were originally the least desirable, have now become highly sought-after.
While everyone's attention was focused on sweet potatoes and land reclamation.
A dilapidated house containing only a simple large bed and a chair with a missing corner.
Li Guangzong lay on the bed with his legs crossed, while Li Zhenzhen dutifully washed the clothes.
This laundry washing job was something she had worked hard to get, and it was their only source of income at the moment.
After hanging up today's clothes, Li Zhenzhen went inside to pour herself a glass of water.
But it was already empty.
Looking at Li Guangzong lying idly on the bed, she felt a nameless anger rising within her.
"Little brother! What are you still doing here! Didn't I tell you to go with the others to clear land in the mountains?"
"If you don't go now, where will we get a share of that wasteland? How are we going to grow sweet potatoes then?"
Li Zhenzhen was utterly disappointed in her younger brother, but the education she had been instilled with since childhood was to be good to him.
Despite Li Guangzong's many mistakes during this period, she has always indulged and tolerated him.
They're struggling to afford food right now. If they clear the land and plant sweet potatoes, perhaps the two of them can get through this winter safely.
Li Guangzong was already a young man, and he looked at his third sister with disdain.
The disdain in his eyes stung Li Zhenzhen's eyes, and his words were extremely harsh.
"Useless! You're supposed to be the mother of Gou Dan and Er Niu! I told you to go find my two good nephews, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened, you've made it so that we can't even get enough to eat or wear!"
A hint of hatred flashed in Li Zhenzhen's eyes. Despite her viciousness, she never intended to harm her two sons.
Although her younger brother is the root of her family and her future support and confidence.
But her son was also her lifeblood. How could she possibly listen to Li Guangzong and trick the two of them into coming out to threaten Zhen's family?
After all, Li Guangzong is no longer the coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong; he has become a ruthless man with no moral bottom line.
Li Zhenzhen vaguely remembered the scene that day; they stole the grain and secretly left the crowd.
Everything went smoothly for the first few days, but then all sorts of problems arose.
The family that left with them had all their food stolen.
They then set their sights on the girls. Apart from Li Laogen and Li Guangzong, who were only half-grown boys, the rest of the Li family were girls.
They looked easy to bully, so every other day, someone would invite strong men to come and rob them of their food.
The first time, Li Laogen lost a leg protecting the grain; the second time, he went blind in one eye; the third time, his fourth sister was kidnapped; the fifth time… the sixth time…
Every day, a different tragedy unfolds for their family.
Li Zhenzhen was a smart woman; when she sensed that things were going badly, she secretly hid some food.
That night, she felt the urge to urinate, so she got up and went to the toilet.
Unexpectedly, she encountered something that angered her.
That was because Li Guangzong secretly sold grain to refugees with daughters in order to do that kind of thing.
And we've been observing his actions for quite some time now.
Li Zhenzhen was furious. The grain they had been desperately protecting had been ruined by Li Guangzong.
Even her parents had various large and small wounds on their bodies, which became infected but were incurable.
Seeing that he was about to die, Li Laogen had already spoken up, saying that he would stop eating grain and leave more food for Li Guangzong.
If he dies somewhere, dig a hole for him and bury him there.
Wang was even more ruthless, she made sure her sisters only had one meal a day, and that wasn't even enough to keep them full!
Given this situation, each of them was making plans for Li Guangzong, the only male in the family.
He himself, despite his young age, has gone astray!
Not only did they go astray, but they also gave away the food that the girls risked their lives to protect to others.
This means that during the day, they risked their lives to protect the grain, while at night her younger brother delivered grain to others for free.
If it were just these things, it wouldn't be so bad; men are bound to make mistakes.
But Li Zhenzhen never expected that her younger brother would later make a bet with someone, with the stakes being her and her sisters.
If Li Guangzong loses, he will make them serve those men well.
Because she had been married and had children, and had been constantly on the go, she looked very old.
She deliberately made herself dirty and smelly so that those people would look down on her.
However, the fifth and sixth sisters were not so lucky. At only eight or nine years old, they were played with by a group of beasts.
What's even more outrageous is that Wang and Li Laogen saw it but didn't stop them, and they didn't feel sorry for them at all.
He only kept demanding money from those people.
In the days that followed, they became more brazen, allowing their two younger sisters to be abused in order to extort money from others.
The fifth sister then took the sixth sister and the seven-year-old girl and hanged themselves.
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