The first night passed peacefully without incident.
When the shift changed at dawn, a small team from the village went to the back mountain to feed the rabbits some hay, and then returned quietly.
Wang Guifen, who was in charge of logistics, also prepared breakfast early.
Red date and millet porridge paired with roasted potatoes—a bite of fragrant, soft potato followed by a big sip of sweet millet porridge—dispels the chill of the entire night, leaving you feeling comfortable from the inside out.
People outside, separated by a wall, were also awakened by the aroma.
They didn't bring blankets to keep warm, so they slept around the fire. However, the firewood they had gathered was not enough, and no one added more. They relied on shivering to keep warm in the second half of the night.
"It smells so good! What are they eating inside every day? It smells amazing!"
"I don't know. You know, even if other villages don't suffer from floods, they only eat two meals a day. But in this village, they eat lunch, then dinner, then a late-night snack, and then breakfast early in the morning. What kind of conditions are these? Can they even stand eating like that?"
"Yes, I smelled it last night! There was food left over for dinner, and the people inside were even clamoring for a shift change so that the people on the dam could go down and fill their stomachs, afraid they would go hungry."
"It's true what they say, comparisons are odious, and villages are always falling apart. Why didn't my hometown village have so much grain stored up? If we had had grain, I wouldn't be homeless and a vagrant..."
"They actually built a wall; several villages can't compare to that!"
A deathly silence.
Indeed, none of their villages could afford to build walls. Walls are neither edible nor functional, and given the physical strength and time, each family would rather raise their own walls.
The good things always belong to other people.
Magistrate Wu also crawled out of the carriage, his eyes bruised and dark.
His carriage was covered with thick mattresses and warm quilts, but in the past, he would have his concubines or maids warm his feet before going to sleep, and he would have a spacious bed with gold and jade pillows. Last night, he was only in a cramped carriage, so how could it compare? Naturally, he couldn't sleep soundly.
He looked at the group of people who were hanging their heads and looking listless, and shouted loudly, "Master, where are the rations? Hurry up and distribute them!"
When traveling, being well-fed is the most important thing. If there isn't enough food, we must find a way to get it; we absolutely cannot let anyone go hungry!
He then looked at them and said with a gesture of gratitude, "It may be difficult to get two meals a day outside, but don't worry, we will ensure you have three meals a day, and we guarantee you will be well-fed!"
The expected cheers and expressions of gratitude did not erupt, and Magistrate Wu felt a sense of confusion.
The advisor leaned closer and reminded him, "Master, please smell it."
Magistrate Wu took a deep sniff; it smelled wonderful!
They later discovered that the aroma was coming from the village.
"They serve four meals a day inside, and every meal is so delicious. How can anyone live like this?" Officer Wu complained.
Yesterday, during lunchtime inside, the clerk said, "Eat up, eat up, there'll be no next meal if you eat this."
Then, during dinner inside, the advisor said, "What's so strange about eating two meals a day? They eat three meals a day!"
Then there was also a late-night meal, which the advisor scoffed at, saying, "Let's see what happens this morning."
They were still eating inside this morning when the advisor pretended to be dead, as if he were dead as dead as could be.
Magistrate Wu realized that there was fragrant food inside, while his side only had dry rations. No wonder his people weren't excited.
He flicked his sleeve and muttered, "They should be grateful to me for having food, yet they're being picky! They're never satisfied."
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