The next morning, everyone did their part and built the house.
Chief Liu and several elders are discussing the next steps.
"Now that the haunting has been resolved, we need to quickly build the house."
"But it's already the end of July, the time for autumn planting!"
"Yes, I don't know when the imperial government's disaster relief grain will be distributed. If it doesn't arrive, how are we going to survive the winter?"
Yes, a new problem has arisen.
"Chief, we've been on this journey and don't have much money left. We might be able to scrape together enough to buy a homestead, but what about the food?"
An elder of the clan also sighed, "I wonder if it's cold here in winter? Food is indeed important."
Clan leader Liu stroked his beard and said, "We have to buy the homestead first, no matter what. The government gave us the land directly because of Mr. Li's favor. This is not in accordance with the rules. Besides, there will be more and more disaster victims in the future. Only with the homestead can we feel at ease."
Everyone looked at each other and forgot about it.
Chief Liu continued, "While the weather is good, we should start clearing the land and making adobe bricks. We have 36 households in total, so we must finish building our houses as soon as possible. We can't sleep in the open air all the time."
An elder slapped his forehead and whispered, "Although this place is barren, it's quite flat and there's plenty of water. We need to move quickly. We don't know if there will be other disaster victims here in the future. We should try to reclaim as much land as possible!"
"That's right, but we have limited manpower. I suggest we open up the wasteland together and then distribute it according to the able-bodied laborers in the family. This way, the process will be faster."
So, the women were responsible for clearing the land, the men were responsible for making adobe bricks, the children were responsible for collecting firewood, the old women were responsible for cooking, and the old men were responsible for picking up stones.
When Li Hongyuan arrived, he saw everyone busy working and felt a little excited.
"Dad, you see, I told you they're different from the peasants you call them. They give people a positive and optimistic feeling!"
Master Li glared at him and said, "Shut up! You're bringing up something irrelevant! I said that before because I wanted you to study hard. The four classes of people are scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans. If you can't study, do you have to farm?"
Li Hongyuan: Aren’t you lying?
"Uncle Tang..." he shouted loudly.
Master Li's mouth twitched, but he did not stop him. This kid usually behaved very well and didn't like to talk. It seemed that he had really pushed him too hard before.
Old Man Tang looked up in confusion and found a carriage parked at the entrance of the village.
He quickly stepped forward and bowed: "The master is here!"
Master Li waved his hand and looked at the ground, which was covered with black burn marks and the air was filled with a pungent burnt smell.
"This...is this on fire?"
Old Man Tang scratched his head embarrassedly: "My Lord, this place is all thatched, and the houses are in such a dilapidated state that they cannot be repaired. So we burned them all down. This will save us some time."
Master Li laughed in silence. Saving time? Perhaps he had other motives?
"Uh...has anything strange happened in the past few days?"
He had been here for three years and had heard of the tragic situations that had occurred before.
Old Man Tang slapped his thigh, "There is... that ghost... we caught it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Master Li staggered, his eyes widening, "What did you say?"
Is it so scary?
Can you catch this ghost just by saying so?
Heavenly Bodhisattva, I am a little curious and scared, what should I do?
"Sir, come over and take a look and you will know!"
Master Li and his son followed behind him with some fear.
Li Hongyuan muttered quietly, "The villagers didn't notice any Taoist priests among them? What does this ghost look like? Will it be like in the picture book, with a green face and fangs?"
Master Li, who was already a little frightened, turned around and glared at him angrily.
"I actually think I've pushed you too hard. I think you'd be like a jerk if you weren't disciplined for three days. Have you even learned to read a picture book?"
Li Hongyuan: I am speechless?
But the two of them followed Old Man Tang to a small pit by the river and were stunned.
"Look, sir, the ghost is right here."
Master Li swallowed and pointed at the pit, "Did you seal the ghost into this pit?"
Old Man Tang looked like he wanted to laugh but didn't dare. He pointed at the pit and said, "Sir, you'll understand if you see for yourself!"
Master Li bravely tried to step forward, but his son stopped him, "Dad, I'll go!"
He was a little touched. The child really grew up.
No! Perhaps this ordeal had made him wiser!
No! I can't be too nice to him from now on! He needs to grow up!
Li Hongyuan staggered forward, suppressing his fear and glancing at the pit. It was pitch black and he couldn't see anything clearly. After taking another look, his pupils dilated instantly.
He pointed at the pit and stammered, "This...this...this..."
Master Li hurriedly knocked his hand away and asked, "Are you scared silly?"
He also stepped forward to take a look, then squatted down to look at it for a while, becoming even more confused, "Brother, this..."
Old man Tang tried to clear her up and told her everything, but he deliberately didn't mention the matter of the female ghost. His daughter had repeatedly warned him not to reveal the matter of the female ghost to anyone.
Master Li laughed heartily, "So that's how it is, hahaha..."
I was so happy: I thought I had harmed them, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It is really cause for celebration.
I couldn't help but pat Old Man Tang on the shoulder. "Brother, those who survive a great disaster will surely have good fortune in the future. I was talking about you. I never thought that you would turn a disaster into a blessing! Xiangyang Village used to be a good village, with convenient water sources and flat terrain. This is a great bargain for you!"
Old Man Tang grinned, "It's all thanks to you, sir, otherwise we would probably still be waiting outside the city!"
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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