"Major General, look at them!" Wang Sanhu pointed at the energetic state of Lin Rui and his group and was surprised. He said that except for the military camp, he had never seen people with such energetic figures and spirits anywhere else.
Xing Lie came here today to inspect the conditions of the disaster victims and check whether there was any fraud in the porridge used for disaster relief. When Lin Rui and his group came over in a mighty procession, he couldn't help but notice it.
The snow on the roads in Baituo Town was cleared away by the well-organized Xing family army. The ox carts of Lin Rui and others also drove in. The children in thick coats and wrapped in thermal blankets looked around curiously.
The person in charge of household registration in the Xingjia Army gave a wooden sign to the more than 30 members of the Lin family, meaning farming people.
Lin Changxi and Lin Changfa were overjoyed. Farming was a good idea. It was better for them to pick up hoes and rakes and work in the fields than to fight with foreigners with knives and guns, which would cost them their lives.
Before parting, Lin Rui gave half of the grain to the Fang family as a return of the grain from the thirty members of the Lin family. Even though they were still facing a food shortage in the new place, Xiao Cui and her husband were reluctant to refuse. After saying thank you, they put the grain on their own ox cart and said goodbye to Lin Rui.
In this way, the creditor of all the debts of the Lin family except Lin Rui's family becomes Lin Rui. Lin Changfa, Lin Changshou and others also plan to pay them back slowly. This seems to be what it means that "too much debt is not a burden".
Even though the Gao family was reluctant, they had to return the thermal blanket to Lin Rui. His children's lives were saved entirely by this blanket. Unexpectedly, the blanket, which looked plain, was so warm and lived up to its name.
Finally, the only people who had traveled with them were from the Lin family. Everyone looked at Lin Rui eagerly, waiting for him to make arrangements.
Lin Rui was not only under tremendous pressure, but also fortunately, he had escaped the war and famine, but now he could not escape farming.
The victims who fled to Baituo Town and were reorganized by the Xing family army began to farm, and were divided into different places according to population, and built houses in residential areas.
Wang Sanhu couldn't help scratching his head as he watched Lin's group leave: "Major General, they actually went to farm!"
In Wang Sanhu's view, people who can have enough food to eat during a famine are very powerful, but it seems so fantastic that such a powerful person has to go to the countryside to farm.
Xing Lie smiled and said, "There's nothing wrong with farming. We'll have to rely on them for food in the Xing Family Army camp. Let's go back. The military advisors have arranged everything well here. I feel like I'm useless now. It's better to go back to training and protect the people's safety."
When it was getting dark, Lin Rui and others finally followed the leader to the place where they were reclaiming land. It was very good, in line with the characteristics of land reclamation. It was completely deserted and there was not even a ghost to be seen.
The common people who came with Lin Rui couldn't help but ask: "Sir, we must have a place to rest, this..."
The leader was easy to talk to. He said in a gentle voice, "As you all know, Huangmoguan has received a large influx of disaster victims, and we are completely unable to accommodate them. We have already divided the wasteland here. Follow the wooden signs in your hands to find land to build houses. You are not allowed to go beyond the marked lines, otherwise they will be demolished. You must not occupy public roads."
Everyone looked at the place he pointed to, it was still barren, but everyone understood what he meant, it meant being self-sufficient!
You have to cultivate wasteland by yourself and build houses by yourself. You start with a piece of land and build houses by yourself.
"Seeds and farm tools will be delivered tomorrow. The Xing family army will lend you three months' worth of food. You can receive five pounds of food each month to fill your stomachs. You must return it in silver or grain when the harvest comes. If you are unable to return the money due to passive resistance, you will be offered as debt repayment at the market price and follow the Xing family army to the battlefield to kill the enemy. You will be released when you pay off the silver you are owed." The leader said with a smile.
These words scared everyone. Swords and knives on the battlefield have no eyes. Even if you go there alive, you may not come back alive. It is not as safe as farming.
He nodded immediately and promised to do a good job.
The leader was satisfied and led his men away.
While the others were still gathered there discussing the matter, Lin Rui led his tribesmen to find their place. The disaster victims assigned to Baituo Town were deliberately separated from their families by officials, as they were afraid that they would form groups and cause trouble, making it difficult to manage.
But farmers in the countryside are usually so tired that they can't even straighten their backs. How can they have the energy to cause trouble? They don't even get enough sleep.
Everyone had no objection to the divided land. They all stayed on their own plots of land, planning to get stones and wood from somewhere tomorrow to build a simple house to live in. When life got better and they could make money, they would slowly build a thatched hut.
As for brick and tile houses, I couldn't even think about it. What status and wealth did that require? In the past, only the village chief's courtyard was more magnificent, but everyone lived in the same thatched house.
Brick and tile houses are where rich officials and landlords live. They don't have the blessing to do that.
It started snowing again in Huangmoguan at night. Every family lit a fire and built a simple shed to rest temporarily.
Many people looked at Lin Rui and his group with envy. Both the shelter and the fire were much larger than those of other disaster victims. The aroma of cooking porridge wafted far away, making people who could only cook relief food swallow their saliva.
They didn't dare to act rashly. The Xing family army was able to hold Huangmo Pass for so long not because of mercy, but because of various strict laws and regulations. Anyone who violated the military rules would be punished.
A wealthy family who had entered Baixing Town and had some disagreement with the soldiers was stripped of his pants in the street, pressed on a bench and beaten ten times with a stick. Since then, no one dared to risk their life to challenge the authority of the Xing family army.
Now, no matter how good the Lin family's food was, no one dared to think of robbing them. They had arrived at Huangmo Pass, not on the road fleeing famine. It was no time to rob or kill anyone they wanted.
Fortunately, otherwise who knows who would suffer.
The last person who dared to do this was Boss Lei, and now no one knows where his skull is.
Cao'er and Ermao, mother and son, had now completely integrated into the Lin clan. She and Feng Zhenniang were close, and anyone could guess Cao'er's subtle intentions. Only by staying close to the Lin clan could they survive. Among them, the clan leader, Lin Rui, was the most capable, possessing a wealth of resources and a knack for combining kindness and authority. They had relied on him for their survival along the way.
It’s just a pity that Da Niu, who has such a keen eye, gave such a blessing to her and her brother.
The next morning, everyone was taken by the agricultural officials to the wasteland that needed to be reclaimed. Lin Rui couldn't help but feel dizzy. There were so many wastelands!
Lin Changxi happily said to his mother, "Mother Zhen, our family is lucky. We were allocated 30 mu of land for reclamation. The Changfa and Changshou families have two mu less than us!"
Thirty acres! He wanted to faint even more.
What's the difference between 28 acres and 30 acres? It's just two acres! They planted two more acres, not two less. What's there to be gloating about?
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