Having learned about the situation in the five villages from Lu Da, Lu Qiqi had a preliminary plan.
Previously, she only led the villagers of Tianxin Village to plant Chinese medicinal herbs, without widely informing the other three villages.
The idea is to spread the word so that the remaining villages can also plant it.
By then, she will have already returned to the veterans' village, so I won't have to go through the trouble of teaching from village to village.
It seems that won't work now. She thought for a moment and said, "Brother Lu, please find all the village chiefs of the four villages. I have something important to tell you."
Lu Da had a high alcohol tolerance; after drinking for a long time, his face didn't turn red at all, and his expression remained clear. He said, "Good."
That night, after dinner, Lu Da summoned the village chiefs of the three villages to the courtyard in Tianxin Village where Lu Qiqi was staying.
Lu Qiqi brewed a pot of tea on a low table in the courtyard and waited for people to arrive.
Things are different now. The three village chiefs are all older than Lu Qiqi, yet they have to bow to her.
In an era where hierarchy was ingrained in people's bones, the three village chiefs had no other thoughts and knelt down to pay their respects to Lu Qiqi.
"This humble subject greets the village head."
Lu Qiqi said, "Village Chief, please rise."
After the three village chiefs got up, Lu Qiqi looked at Lu Da and said, "Why are there only three? Where is the village chief of Tianxin Village?"
Lu Da paused for a moment before saying, "The old village chief has passed away, and Tianxin Village has not yet elected a new village chief."
Having figured out the reason, Lu Qiqi nodded knowingly and said, "In that case, you will temporarily serve as the village chief. If a suitable candidate is found, or if you do not want to do it, we will elect someone else."
"Yes." Lu Da bowed and clasped his hands in a salute to Lu Qiqi.
As the head of the township, Lu Qiqi could replace a village chief with just a word.
What was said unintentionally may have been taken to heart by the listener.
Tian Dalong kept his head down, not daring to look at Lu Qiqi, for fear that if she displeased him, he would be replaced.
Just when he dared not move, his legs were so stiff they were about to cramp.
Then Lu Qiqi said, "Sit down, I have something to discuss with you."
The three of them looked at each other, none of them daring to sit down for a moment.
Lu Da was the first to step forward and sat down on the side closest to Lu Qiqi.
Only after seeing this did the village chiefs of the three villages dare to sit down.
Lu Qiqi poured tea for the four people with a teapot. Except for Lu Da, who remained calm and composed, the other three village chiefs thanked her tremblingly.
Lu Da explained to Lu Qiqi, calming the three village chiefs down, "The three of you need not stand on ceremony. The township head summoned you here to improve five villages, so that the villagers can resume their livelihoods as soon as possible and live a prosperous life again."
The three who had been keeping their heads down and not daring to speak looked up at Lu Qiqi after hearing Lu Da's words, wanting to know if what Lu Da said was true.
Lu Qiqi took a sip of tea and said with a faint smile, "He's right, the reason I called you here is to discuss this matter."
"It's easier said than done," Niu Dahang, the village chief of Tianping Village, finally spoke first.
His tone was filled with bitterness and helplessness.
Lu Qiqi suddenly remembered Lu Da's assessment of Tianping Village: "Flat terrain, large population and abundant land, the poorest village."
At first, she couldn't understand why, in a place with a superior location and a large population, it was the poorest of the five villages.
She didn't understand until she heard Lu Da's explanation.
Originally, Tianping Village was a river, but suddenly the river dried up within a month, and there was no sign of it rising again after three years.
Later, the ancestors of Tianping Village settled down here.
No matter how much mud is filled into the riverbed, it will never change the fact that the ground underneath is sandy.
Sandy land does not retain water, so no matter what crops are planted, the yield is low, and there are even times when the harvest is completely lost.
The villagers not only had to pay taxes, but also had to support their families. There was simply not enough to make ends meet, so they could only get poorer and poorer.
They had considered moving to another place to live, but how could a villager who had never been to a city in his life and couldn't read a single word understand migration, let alone registering his household registration?
They were already poor, and they would probably starve to death on the way, so they could only think about it.
They worked hard every day, year after year, yet they were never able to get enough to eat or wear.
Lu Qiqi noticed the patch on Niu Dahang's shoulder and then his gray hair.
If she remembered correctly, according to Lu Da's description, Niu Dahang is only forty-three years old this year, and his grandson was born just two years ago.
Sure enough, an empty jar ages you prematurely!
Lu Qiqi said, "Village Chief Niu, I've heard about how nothing grows well in Tianping Village."
I have a preliminary plan now, but I will make a decision after I conduct an on-site inspection.
The reason I've called you here today is to have you convey this news to the villagers, to get them informed, so we can work together to find ways to improve our lives.
Niu Dahang lowered his head and remained silent. If there had been a way, their ancestors would have thought of it long ago, and they wouldn't have had to endure so many years of hardship.
As for Lu Qiqi's words, they were just ignorant little girls having wild fantasies.
Seeing Niu Dahang's expression, Lu Qiqi knew that there was no point in saying more before making any changes. It would be better to save her energy and think carefully about how to arrange the villages.
Lu Qiqi said, "There's one more thing. You've just recovered from a serious illness, so it's impossible for you to fully recover immediately. You can only continue taking medication to help your bodies recover."
Niu Dahang's face turned ugly when he heard Lu Qiqi's words.
After the plague, the villagers of Tianping Village, who already had little property, spent all their savings to survive.
Do we have to sell our children to survive now?
"What can we do? Township head, Tianping Village simply can't afford the medicine!"
In his excitement, Niu Dahang blurted out what was on his mind, and everyone's attention turned to him.
He blushed with embarrassment at his own recklessness in speaking out of turn.
Everyone knows that Tianping Village is poor. When he said this, he was essentially pushing Lu Qiqi, the village head, to the forefront to find solutions for Tianping Village.
The only way to solve the poverty in Tianping Village now is probably to use money to cover it up.
If Lu Qiqi were to use her own money to help Tianping Village, then the remaining three villages would naturally also come to Lu Qiqi for help.
Niu Dahang didn't expect that his impulsive words would lead to trouble. He quickly slapped himself and said, "This humble one has misspoke. Please forgive me, Lord."
Lu Qiqi frowned slightly upon seeing Niu Dahang's actions.
She said, “Village Chief Niu, there’s no need to be anxious. Since this is my fiefdom, I will definitely take care of it to the end. But if we keep asking for help, no one will be able to help us. It’s better to rely on ourselves than on others.”
"The imperial court won't keep sending you medicine to treat your illnesses, just like now, leaving this mess for me."
"Therefore, I will not provide you with supplies indefinitely. The life you want can only be created by your own hands."
Niu Dahang's words served as a reminder to Lu Qiqi.
She was afraid that the villagers would become complacent and always expect someone to help them. If this happened once, it would happen again, and she had to nip it in the bud.
We must not allow it to develop, spread, and grow unchecked.
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