A woman in gray glared at him and said, "Kid, you're just bragging. When did Manager Zhou become your relative? I remember you moved here from somewhere just two years ago."
However, Steward Zhou...
Back when Master Zhao was still alive, he was the manager of the farm. He was a kind and honest man, and many of them had worked as laborers under him.
"Why don't we go take a look? If it doesn't work, we can just not go to work. It's an opportunity, so it's never a bad thing to take a look."
"Yes, let's go. Anyway, we're going to starve to death soon if we can't find anything to do. Rather than starve to death like this, we might as well try our luck."
“But if we go, we’ll become robbers. Do you really want to be robbers?” A slightly more composed middle-aged man pointed out the crux of the matter.
"..."
The people fell silent for a moment.
They certainly didn't want to; who would give up being a law-abiding citizen to become a bandit? That could easily lead to execution.
Finally, an old man with gray hair spoke first: "Let's go and see. If what Manager Zhou said is true, then we'll be robbers."
"Don't forget, a couple of days ago, the county officials came again and said that if no one voluntarily went to perform forced labor within ten days, they would forcibly conscript men."
"There's still no news about that batch of laborers..."
A look of sorrow appeared on everyone's faces; those people were probably long gone, their whereabouts unknown.
"Damn it, let's go. Being a robber is better than being a pig or sheep, being driven somewhere and ending up as wandering ghosts. Besides, we're just going to work. If the officials ask, we can just say we don't know anything."
"Anyway, we're just looking for work, how would we know what our employers do in private?"
"Okay, let's go together."
"Let's go, together..."
Local residents walked in small groups toward Chaoyang Villa, some with expectant looks, some with resignation, and others with a look of spectatorship.
From afar, in front of the familiar gate of the manor, they saw Steward Zhou, with a goatee, sitting at the table, with several men in black standing behind him. The men in black had their faces buried under their hoods, making it impossible to see their features, and they looked mysterious.
As they jostle and push their way over, Steward Zhou stroked his beard and smiled, "They've arrived!"
The talkative, dark-faced young man was the most eager. He rushed to the table in a few steps and asked, "Uncle, is it true that you're hiring people here to farm, and they'll get thirty catties of grain a month? I told them, but they didn't believe me."
"Hey, isn't this Gu Heizi?" Zhou Cang patted his shoulder familiarly. "Didn't you say you were going to the capital to visit relatives? What, you didn't leave?"
Gu Heizi is an orphan who moved to the neighborhood two years ago. He only knows his surname is Gu and doesn't even have a given name. Because he is dark-skinned, everyone calls him Gu Heizi. People used to work for him often.
He's hardworking and has a sweet tongue, but he's not very reliable. He stops showing up when he has some money, and you can't find him for days at a time.
"Hey, Uncle, don't mention that." Gu Heizi chuckled and brushed it off: "Why don't you tell me if the villa thing is true? I'll come and do the work, will you take me?"
"You little rascal!" Zhou Cang assumed he had changed his mind again and didn't ask any more questions.
At this moment, the others also gathered around, all staring eagerly at Zhou Cang.
"Yes, Manager Zhou, is it true that you can get thirty catties of grain for working here for a month? You're not lying to us, are you?"
“Of course it’s true.” Zhou Cang smiled and said, “Our leader’s surname is Luo and her given name is Xi. From today onwards, this place will be her Chaoyang Manor.”
"The chief is kind-hearted. He not only doesn't rob or harm the villagers, but he's also willing to spend a lot of money and grain to hire the villagers nearby to do work, bringing you jobs right to your door."
"Our manor has a lot of land and we need a lot of people, so as long as you are hardworking and don't cheat, you can sign up. As long as you pass the boss's inspection, you can come to work at the manor."
"When the time comes, you just need to put your fingerprint on the contract, and you can take away that month's food in advance. I will never lie to you."
"We can receive it in advance?" All the people gasped in astonishment. What a grand gesture!
An old woman's eyes darted around as she asked, "Manager Zhou, aren't you afraid we'll take the things and run away?"
Manager Zhou glanced at her with a smile, said nothing, and simply cupped his hands in greeting to the several men in black standing straight behind him.
Just as everyone was wondering what he meant, one of the men in black made a move.
The old woman who asked the question felt a blur before her eyes, a chill on her scalp, and a strand of hair fluttered down from her forehead.
"My God—"
Terrified, she fell to the ground, trembling: "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!"
The people instantly fell silent.
That's terrifying!
I didn't even see the man in black move, so how did his hair fall out? If it had been a little more to the side, wouldn't his skull have been smashed open?
What a formidable robber!
Immediately, many people began to have second thoughts.
The more composed middle-aged man, however, was unwilling to give up. His face pale, he suppressed his fear and asked in a low voice, "Manager Zhou, if we come to your manor to work, does that mean we've become, do we become, strongmen?"
"That's not necessarily true." Zhou Cang thought for a moment and said, "You're just here to work, not to join the manor. Besides, even if you wanted to join, we might not accept you."
"But how can that be called a strongman?"
He explained with a smile, "We are outlaws, heroes. We know that the villagers are having a hard time, so we brought you food."
The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief, then felt somewhat embarrassed: "Yes, yes, a hero of the greenwood, a hero of the greenwood. I misspoke."
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