Amidst the Yang family's wailing and cursing, and the diverse opinions of the displaced people, Jiang Zhi, the local tyrant, led a large group of people away in a grand procession.
Yang Laosan clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at the mother and her two children, who were cowering in the crowd, but dared not approach them.
Jiang Zhi had warned him that people sign contracts and put their signatures voluntarily.
If you dare to step into Xujia Village to cause trouble in the future, I will cut off your right leg if you step in with your left leg, and cut off your left shoulder if you extend your right hand. Don't even think about leaving unscathed.
That Du Baolin is a local from Ba County, so he can hide back in Jincheng. Where can a small family of refugees run off to... Hmph!
Jiang Zhi might have been a little nervous before, but now, with a large number of supporters, she has nothing to fear.
Yang Laosan hasn't even set foot on the ground yet, so he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble even if he had ten times the courage. Moreover, his days ahead won't be easy either.
Magistrate Zhang was the most benevolent, always putting people first, and would not punish or inflict torture on anyone arbitrarily.
But he also prefers hardworking and law-abiding ordinary people. These displaced people who dislike Xujia Village will definitely be forcibly relocated to remote mountain villages, so they can only hope for the best.
Jiang Zhi left, taking dozens of people with her.
She thought that after signing contracts with the Ma and Huang families and buying the Tan mother and daughter and the two older children, she would only have one family of refugees to settle.
Unexpectedly, her blatant act of shamelessness and swindling Yang Laosan did not provoke hatred; instead, two other families wanted to register their household there before she left.
The two households said that since the village chief was protective of his own and did not bully the weak, the villagers' lives would definitely not be difficult, and at least they, as outsiders, would not be bullied if they followed him.
Those who come voluntarily should be accepted, because population equals productivity.
As a result, Jiang Zhi's team grew by more than a dozen people.
The first thing they did upon returning to the city was to register everyone's household at the county government office, and the sales contracts were also filed separately.
Magistrate Zhang was very happy to see that Jiang Zhi had lived up to expectations by taking in so many refugees.
He also comforted the Huang and Xie families, among other displaced people, telling them to treat this place as their hometown and live well, and to let Village Chief Jiang relay any difficulties they might encounter to the county government.
His approachable and kind nature moved the refugees to tears.
He exclaimed that the magistrate of Pingchuan County was a good person who cared about the villagers and even asked how many houses had been renovated in Xujia Village.
Little did they know that Xujia Village, a directly administered village, was an exception. No matter how diligent Magistrate Zhang was in his official duties, he could only take care of the villages around the county seat and could not manage the small village sixty miles away.
Jiang Zhi's second action was to rent a simple teahouse in a remote part of the county town for thirty coins.
There are tables and chairs here, so you can sit down, eat some flatbread, and drink some boiled water.
There's also a place to wash your face and hands, so these people can clean up and rinse themselves off simply.
With so many people hungry and disheveled, it's inconvenient to bring them directly back to the village.
While they were cleaning, Jiang Zhi asked Er Rui to find a doctor to examine these people and see who was sick, so that they wouldn't bring diseases into the village.
Many people in the refugee camp were vomiting and had diarrhea. Jiang Zhi was worried that they might have dysentery, so she planned to observe them for a few more days after returning to the village.
In addition, Jiang Zhi asked Pi to buy several sets of clothes and shoes for Tan and her two daughters, as well as the two older children who had just been bought.
When they left the refugee camp, the Yang family absolutely refused to let them go. The old woman and her sister-in-law even tried to snatch them away, but they were whipped a few times by the camp manager and then behaved themselves.
Naturally, the Tan mother and daughter were not allowed to take any of their clothes.
Jiang Zhi is not rare.
Now that the three of them have signed a life-or-death contract, the five taels of silver are still with Jiang Zhi and haven't been given to her yet. It's good to use the money to buy some daily necessities for the mother and daughters.
Although the two older children had changed their clothes at the camp, they didn't have any spares and needed to buy more.
Worried that Pi wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Tan and her daughter by himself, the two older children went along as well.
The Huang couple also took their child shopping after receiving an advance of 200 cash for a month's wages.
The Ma family had ten taels of silver as a resettlement allowance, so naturally they went on a shopping spree!
These were benefits reserved for slaves who had signed indentures; they were useless for resettling displaced people.
They could only watch these families go shopping, without having to worry about their future at all.
Jiang Zhi arranged for several families to do their own things, and after a few words, everything was in order, and the originally chaotic group of people all had something to do.
Although the refugees received no welfare, Jiang Zhi still asked the teahouse owner to buy them a large basket of cakes.
One pancake for each person is a way of welcoming them to Xujia Village; don't worry about anything else.
Everyone's hunger and thirst were temporarily quenched, and Ma Guan's one-year-old daughter even ate soft brown sugar steamed cake, which made everyone trust the village woman in front of them even more.
Soon a doctor arrived and examined everyone. He found that seven of the refugees had gastrointestinal problems, and two of them had low-grade fevers.
The vast majority of cases were caused by consuming raw water and unclean food while fleeing famine.
Although conditions in the refugee camp were poor, the medicinal soup and congee helped him recover somewhat, and he can now move around with difficulty.
When Xiang Dejin and Wu Hongmao finished their business trip, they heard that Aunt Jiang had already bought servants, so they all rushed over.
Let's all take a look at each other and recognize each other's faces, so we don't not recognize each other when we meet in the future, or be unable to find each other if we need anything.
Ma Guan watched as a group of yamen runners in official uniforms surrounded the master's family, asking them all sorts of questions, and then giving him and the other families a few warnings. He immediately realized that his master, this village chief... was no ordinary person.
Xiang Dejin also brought a basket of apricots, which his wife said were for Qiaoyun, worried that Aunt Jiang might forget to take them.
Errui accepted the thanks.
By the time Mr. Pi returned with his entourage after shopping and had his body checked, it was already dusk.
It's impossible for so many people to stay overnight in the city; they must travel back overnight.
This group includes both the elderly and children, so traveling dozens of miles at night is probably not feasible.
Errui hired two mule carts, not enough for everyone to sit in; they were for the children to ride in, and for the luggage to be carried. Others could take turns going up to rest when they got tired.
Having rested on a mule cart and eaten some flatbread, the group began their journey under the starlight.
Traveling through the mountains at night, wild beasts howled, and will-o'-the-wisps flickered along the winding mountain paths.
It started raining suddenly in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, the hired mule carts were always equipped with tarpaulins for everyone to use.
This kind of night rain doesn't last long; it stops with a rustling gust of wind. This is a climate that the mountain people of Ba County are already used to, and it's something these refugees will have to adapt to in the future.
With so many people, the journey was slow, and the post station was only visible in the distance as dawn broke.
Aunt Jiang's bringing back so many people caused a sensation in Xujia Village, and everyone came to see who they were!
Ma Guan and his men were stunned.
At this moment, the houses in the morning mist are brand new and neat, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys everywhere, the crowing of roosters, and packs of dogs barking wildly at strangers on the ridges of the fields.
"Village Chief Jiang, is every household in Xujia Village living in this new house?" The migrants who came to settle down couldn't believe their eyes, and the fatigue from traveling at night vanished instantly.
Wasn't this the place where a village was wiped out?
Wasn't it said to be a very small village?
And these villagers who came to greet us all had smiles on their faces. Are they happy like this every day?
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