After receiving Lu Tu's order, both sides completely relaxed and there was no longer any hesitation.
The men were enthusiastic, and the women were uninhibited, even taking the initiative to pinch one man's arm or poke another man's chest muscles.
This caused quite a few laughs, and Lu Tu couldn't help but chuckle as he watched from the high platform of the training ground.
When the time for two incense sticks to burn was up, Lü Tu gestured for everyone to stop.
At this point, half of them had chosen their preferred partners, and some were not only holding hands, but several were already embracing each other.
However, there was still a situation where there were too many suitors and not enough men and women. Handsome men and beautiful women both had many suitors.
The people below looked to Lü Tu for help: "Sir, I was the one who took Liu Mei's hand first, but they're trying to take it from me!"
"You're shameless! Does Liu Mei even know who you are, yet you call her so affectionately? We've already secretly pledged our lives to each other!"
Competition for mates is all too common in nature, and the situation once became extremely tense.
Lu Tu shouted, "Stop it, all of you! No fighting is allowed in the village!"
The men's faces turned red, and they snorted angrily before turning their heads away.
"Then please, sir, think of a solution for us! Or a martial arts contest would be fine; whoever wins will be Liu Mei's husband!"
The suggestion received support from many people present, and even Xiao Zhong, who was standing next to Lü Tu, nodded secretly: "My lord, it's acceptable."
Lu Tu, however, didn't take it seriously. A martial arts contest to find a husband? What would be the point of holding this matchmaking event then? What he wanted was internal harmony.
"Shut up, everyone! Do you think you're animals? In my Lu Tu's hands, martial arts contests for marriage won't work!"
Lu Tu looked at the girl named Liu Mei: "We should also respect Liu Mei's own thoughts. Liu Mei, if you take a fancy to someone, just go and hold their hand. With me here, no one will dare to cause you any trouble!"
Liu Mei's mouth dropped open in surprise. Not only her, but all the other women present were also shocked. Although they were usually very unrestrained, in their conventional thinking, they had never seen anyone respect their wishes.
At this moment, Liu Mei gave Lü Tu a deep look, then mustered her courage and went to a somewhat frail man, taking his hand in hers.
Lu Tu had noticed the man long ago. He was thinner and weaker than the others, and looked like a scholar, so he was pushed to the back by the other big and burly men.
The others immediately objected, indignantly saying, "I object! How can this skinny kid protect Sister Liu? No way! I challenge you to a duel!"
"Better than your mother's head! Others are in love, what right do you, a shorty, have to object?" Lu Tu almost jumped up and down on the stage.
Upon hearing this, Liu Mei and the man were so moved that they immediately knelt before Lü Tu, saying, "Thank you, sir, for making this decision for me, allowing me to marry Brother Lin."
They've already started calling each other "Brother Lin," so it's clear the two of them were already having an affair.
The man cupped his hands and said, "My name is Lin Zehong. Thank you, sir, for betrothing Sister Liu to me."
Lu Tu waved his hand: "No need to thank me. It was Liu Mei who chose you herself. By the way, do you have any official rank?"
Lin Zehong shook his head: "I am stupid and dull. Although I have studied poetry and books for ten years, I have failed to pass the imperial examination."
Lu Tu shook his head in disappointment: "Then you really are a bit stupid. Let alone becoming a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination), it shouldn't be too difficult to become a Tongsheng (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination)."
These words were like a sword piercing Lin Zehong's heart, but he knew his own worth and dared not show the slightest displeasure.
"Can you read?"
"Of course."
Lu Tu waved his hand and said, "Then you can go to the village school and teach the children to read and write. You don't need to work anymore. Just listen to Dong Yi."
"Thank you, sir!" The two men kowtowed repeatedly. They knew that Lu Tu had arranged a job for them to protect them, so that he wouldn't have to work with these brutes every day anymore.
Lu Tu had no choice but to do this. There weren't many literate people in the village right now, so even though Lin Zehong didn't have any official rank, he had to step in.
The rest was easy. Regardless of gender, if there were multiple people choosing one, Lü Tu let them decide for themselves.
Those who were not selected then paired up on their own. After all, they were only there to satisfy their physical needs, and it would be even better if they could support each other in the future. So everything went very smoothly.
Of all the people who came to find partners, more than 30 single men remained. They squatted in the distance, looking gloomy and filled with envy.
Lu Tu took the initiative to come to them, and the bachelors quickly stood up and greeted him: "Sir."
"What's wrong? Are you upset about not getting a wife?"
"No, no, we wouldn't dare to hold any resentment."
Lu Tu nodded: "Don't be discouraged. I will make arrangements for the next time the refugees come. I believe it won't be long before you can all get married. But if you dare to do anything out of jealousy, don't blame me for being impolite!"
After saying that, Lü Tu let out a cold snort and reprimanded everyone.
"Yes, sir."
After doing all this, it got dark, and Lü Tu went home and fell asleep immediately.
Ten days passed peacefully. One morning, Lu Tu had just finished practicing a set of the Black Dragon Eighteen Fists when Liu Hu excitedly ran over: "Brother, Mr. Xiao fired the first batch of blue bricks last night. Please come and take a look!"
Lu Tu's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Let's go!"
A few days ago, Xiao Zhong had already completed the construction of the brick kiln, laying slabs of crushed stone at the bottom and around the sides, and then had people put thousands of clay pieces into the kiln through molds for firing.
After seven days, it is finally ready to cool and be taken out of the oven today, and Lü Tu is naturally extremely excited.
Upon arriving at the brick kiln in Luzhuang Village, the slave soldiers were continuously fetching buckets of water from a nearby well to cool the blue bricks inside the kiln.
Upon seeing Lü Tu arrive, Xiao Zhong stepped forward, staring at a pair of dark-rimmed eyes: "My lord, you've arrived."
"how's it going?"
"According to my estimate, it will take at least three more days to cool down. I overlooked an important issue before, which is that the brick kilns I saw in Sichuan used water to cool them down. But Sichuan has abundant groundwater, and if we continue to use this method, the water won't last long."
Lu Tu nodded: "It's alright. We can use water to pour on the first batch, and then we can just wait for it to cool down naturally. It's just a matter of building a few more brick kilns. Anyway, we have plenty of stones here."
"Isn't the master in a hurry to use it?"
"We're in a hurry, but there's nothing we can do. We can't keep using water forever. If the groundwater runs out, we'll have to divert water from the lake? What if there's a severe drought this year?"
Xiao Zhong looked around at the surrounding land: "After these bricks are fired, I will use them to continue building brick kilns. I have roughly calculated that our village will need at least 100,000 bricks for construction!"
Lu Tu smiled wickedly: "How can that be? My goal is 500,000 horses! I want to build an indestructible fortress!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
