The person in charge of the farmland was a man named Rong Zhuo, who was about forty years old and exuded a gentle aura.
With limited farming work at the moment, An Ge, considering future development and with a gradual approach to selecting candidates, posted a recruitment notice. Unexpectedly, Hu Jiu, upon seeing Rong Zhuo, strongly suggested that An Ge recruit him first.
"Demon plants are rare to begin with, let alone those with a demon age of ten thousand years. They are extremely rare even in the demon realm."
Remembering Hu Jiu's words, An Ge secretly glanced at Rong Zhuo again. This was a ten-thousand-year-old banyan tree spirit, a giant panda of the demon realm!
Perhaps noticing An Ge's furtive glances, Rong Zhuo met An Ge's gaze and returned her a kind smile.
With Rongzhuo's help, Ange's farming business has, to some extent, broken through the limitations of the system's farmland. As long as the newly reclaimed wasteland is in Rongzhuo's hands, it can become fertile land in just a few days, and the plants are also taken better care of than ordinary people.
Although the maturity cycle of crops is not as long as that of primary farmland, it is still much faster than the normal growth cycle.
As An Ge's right-hand man, Hu Jiu assisted An Ge in managing the inn's operations. It's unclear what method he used, but the newcomers seemed to trust him quite a bit.
As An Ge listened to the reports from the various responsible persons, she gained a clearer understanding of the inn's development.
"The inn is gradually getting on track and the next upgrade is not far away. I will continue to recruit staff to fill basic positions. Everyone, please work hard for a while longer and make the most of your free time to clear land. Uncle Rong, please take care of the planting."
Based on the report, An Ge made concise arrangements for each matter, then decisively said "Meeting adjourned" and left the meeting room first, his back view suggesting a hasty retreat.
Everyone couldn't help but laugh good-naturedly. Other innkeepers wished they could handle everything themselves, but this innkeeper trusted them completely. And it was precisely because of this that everyone quickly developed a strong sense of belonging to the inn.
The weather in Huaixi City turned cold exceptionally early; just a few days into late autumn, the temperature plummeted.
Inside a dilapidated temple outside the city, several beggar children huddled around a fire for warmth. They were about twelve or thirteen years old, and their tattered clothes barely covered their bodies.
"Squeak!" The door of the dilapidated temple was opened, and a cold wind rushed in, making the flames flicker.
The newcomer was also a beggar, about thirteen or fourteen years old. He strode to the fire, took out two steamed buns, and said, "I'm lucky today. The uncle who sells steamed buns had quite a few left after he closed up shop, so I begged for a few. You guys eat them quickly, I've already eaten."
I didn't reach out to the beggars. Xizi swallowed and said, "Brother Chen, why are you in the south of the city again? That's Niu Ben's territory. He's always been domineering and doesn't easily allow others to beg for food there."
Xiao Chen hid his bruised arm behind his back. "I was just lucky, wasn't I? It won't happen again. You guys eat quickly."
The group then took the steamed buns. Xizi divided the buns into five portions, giving one to Xiao Chen and saying, "Brother Chen, you probably haven't eaten yet, let's eat together."
Xiao Chen hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the steamed bun. There weren't many buns for each person, but no one complained, and the group wolfed them down with relish.
"Brother Chen, will we still have such delicious steamed buns to eat in the future?" Xiaoyue, the only girl among the beggars, sucked on her finger, her face full of reminiscence.
"Yes, we will survive this winter," Xiao Chen said confidently.
Their only wish is to survive!
Xiao Chen's eyes flickered. He recalled the rumors he had heard, looked up at the dilapidated statue, and seemed to have made a decision.
He had never believed in gods or Buddhas. He didn't pray to them when his grandfather, with whom he depended on each other, passed away, nor did he complain when he was being hunted by unknown people. Now, he wanted to believe for once.
"Just this once!" Xiao Chen said to himself. If there really are gods and Buddhas in this world, then let them live peacefully.
A group of people were struggling to move forward in the dense forest.
They were dressed in thin clothes, carrying all their belongings, and supported each other along the way.
Looking at the seemingly endless dense forest, some people hesitated and asked with some worry, "Village chief, are we really going to the mountains? I heard that the south has had a bumper harvest in recent years. Why don't we go with them?"
The village chief was an elderly man of about sixty years old. He turned to look at the person who had asked the question and tapped his cane loudly.
“I told you all to think it over before you came, so you wouldn’t harbor resentment later. The people from Shangshui Village haven’t gone far yet, there’s still time to catch up. Anyone else who thinks that way, get out of here!”
The man scoffed, "Village chief, we know you mean well. But you're too cowardly. How many of us are there? It's not like we're facing a refugee crisis. Do you think the people from the Qi King's fiefdom are specifically targeting us? Our family isn't going with you. Anyone else wanting to go south with us? You'd better hurry!"
Immediately, several young people looked at each other and left the group.
The village chief looked at the backs of the dozen or so people and shook his head.
This year's continuous floods forced them to flee the famine because they could no longer survive. He knew all too well that while the South was a prosperous land, not everyone was willing to accept refugees.
If it were just ordinary people, it would be fine; as long as there weren't too many refugees, they would probably turn a blind eye and accept them. But the south was the fiefdom of the King of Qi, and I heard that the entrance fee was 10 copper coins.
The village chief's son was a peddler, well-informed than most. He heard that while natural disasters were rare in the Qi King's fiefdom, man-made calamities were frequent, officials were tyrannical and corrupt, and ordinary people suffered terribly—more terrible than natural disasters.
Having witnessed the corruption of the previous dynasty, he understood all too well the ferocity of oppressive government. These people only knew that Prince Duan's fiefdom was plagued by constant wars and natural disasters, but they did not expect that even at the most critical moment of the war, Prince Duan did not forcibly conscript soldiers, but instead did his best to protect the people.
Moreover, his fiefdom had almost no exorbitant taxes, so even if he had to flee famine, he was unwilling to leave.
The village chief had explained the situation to everyone, but no one believed him, which disheartened him.
Many elderly people in the village share the same idea as the village chief. No one leaves their homes if there are elderly people in them.
The village chief looked at the remaining villagers, sighed, and said, "Let's hurry on our way before it gets dark. I've heard that there are immortals in this dense forest. If we happen to encounter one, we'll be saved."
The moment the mention of immortals was mentioned, the previously somber atmosphere vanished. The village chief's grandson, Huwa, tilted his little face and innocently asked, "Grandpa, are there really immortals?"
The village chief chuckled and said to his grandson, "Of course there is. If you don't believe me, ask your second uncle. This immortal is said to have come to the mortal realm for training. He runs an inn, and many wealthy people in Huaixi City have stayed there. If we encounter him, we can stay near his home. The immortal is benevolent and will surely protect us."
Listening to the conversation between the village chief and his grandson, the villagers were filled with hope for the future.
They packed their belongings and headed into the dense forest.
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