That night was crazy.
Without Nangong Huiyu's involvement, Lü Tu became biased and instead rewarded Song Yuxi's magnanimity handsomely.
The three of them had a deep conversation that lasted until dawn before it gradually came to an end.
For the first time, Lu Tu slept until late morning due to overwork.
Looking down at the two of them, he found that Song Yuxi had actually woken up, while Nangong Huiyu, a martial arts master, was still asleep.
It seems that Song Yuxi has gradually gotten used to this intensity after spending time with Lü Tu these past few days.
"Husband, I'll cook for you."
Lu Tu did not refuse, and leaned down to leave a kiss on Song Yuxi's forehead, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, my wife. I'll go check if there's anything wrong."
He is by no means someone who would become complacent because of a life of pleasure. After all, there was an elder in history who shared the same surname as him, but unfortunately lost in the struggle for supremacy because of his obsession with wine and women.
Upon arriving at the warehouse, they found only Liu Yang and Liu Hu waiting there.
Upon seeing Lü Tu, the two men quickly reported, "Brother, there's no problem with the two of us guarding this place closely. I've sent the other brothers to the Niu Mang Mountain pass."
Lu Tu was very satisfied with their decision-making; this was exactly the effect he wanted—to cultivate the independent decision-making ability of Liu Yang, Nie Yun, and others.
He firmly believes that talented people are not born talented; they must be placed in key positions to hone their skills and develop their abilities to be truly capable.
Otherwise, how could Liu Bang in his previous life have had so many capable people and generals in Pei County alone?
This is because Liu Bang was good at recognizing and appointing people, and he was adept at delegating the power he held.
Many people understand this principle, but putting it into practice is another matter. Delegating power is certainly a good thing, but there is a fatal problem: how can you trust your subordinates?
Whether you can trust someone depends on whether that person poses a threat to you. If they pose no threat, then you can trust them completely.
At present, no one around Lü Tu has appeared who can pose a threat to him.
No, there is still one, and that is Nangong Huiyu, but he has already been completely taken down by Lü Tu, and the process of taking him down was exceptionally smooth.
Thinking of this, Lu Tu patted them on the shoulders with satisfaction and praised them, "Well done. Go find your sister-in-law later and each of you will receive 20 taels of silver."
For the past few days, Song Yuxi has been acting as the financial cashier.
Looking across the entire village, apart from Song Yuxi, almost no one was literate, and she was the only one who could do accounting, which gave Lu Tu a big headache, as her level of education was simply too low.
As the eldest daughter of a great general, Song Yuxi not only had to learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting from a young age, but also had to learn accounting.
After all, in her original life trajectory, after marriage, she would be responsible for managing the entire backyard, not only disciplining her children and servants, but also controlling daily expenses. It must be said that Song Yuxi herself is extremely intelligent, and entrusting these matters to her would completely reassure Lü Tu.
"Thank you so much, brother!"
Lu Tu nodded: "Go and inform the villagers that every household should come here to collect their grain. It will be calculated per person: 2 jin of millet and 1 jin of wheat flour per person!"
"I'll go right away!" Liu Hu was overjoyed to hear this. Being able to follow a big brother like Lü Tu was not only a blessing for him, but also for many villagers.
The news spread quickly, and the villagers in both villages were thrilled. They received food every few days, and they were extremely grateful to Lü Tu.
You should know that in other villages, even if they have more arable land, their lives are far worse than those in Kuishan and Songshan villages.
Before long, a long line formed outside the warehouse. Upon seeing Lü Tu, they all knelt down and respectfully said, "Thank you for the grain, sir!"
Lu Tu was initially quite averse to the habit of kneeling so readily, but then he thought that now was not the time to erase their class consciousness.
Moreover, class consciousness is not necessarily a bad thing. In this almost primitive social atmosphere, having this class consciousness may actually make it easier for him to manage and control the village.
Lu Tu's moral character wasn't that high; he was already grateful that the villagers under his rule had enough to eat and wear.
Lu Tu nodded: "Listen up, everyone. This grain isn't for nothing. Spring is just around the corner, and every household will have to send people to cultivate more land so that we won't go hungry next year!"
"Yes, sir!"
The work-for-relief approach will still be adopted. Food will be provided, but not for no reason. After all, people fear power but not morality. They must be made to understand that only by giving can they receive something in return.
Otherwise, the classic case of "a little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment" might reappear.
Lu Tu and Song Yuxi personally distributed food to everyone, and each person accepted it with great gratitude, saying auspicious words to please Lu Tu.
Who doesn't like to hear something pleasant? Especially since the Spring Festival is just around the corner, and people from Dayu care the most about these traditions. If someone insults your ancestors for eighteen generations at this time, it's like making a mortal enemy.
While Lü Tu was busy with his work, Nangong Huiyu came out of the house. She had been awake for a while, but the noise outside, especially the things that happened last night, made her feel a little embarrassed to see Lü Tu.
She stood at her doorstep, looking towards the warehouse. She saw that all the villagers had happy smiles on their faces, and their gratitude towards Lü Tu was genuine.
She could see this. As the Holy Maiden of the White Lotus Sect, she had witnessed a lot of evil in human nature since childhood and knew the inherent flaws of people. In her original worldview, the only way to deal with these refugees was to use deception and suppression to make them submit.
But what she saw before her completely overturned her understanding. She had never seen a situation in the Great Yu Dynasty where the people truly loved and respected someone.
Even when certain local powerful families occasionally opened their granaries to distribute grain, the villagers' faces only showed ashen expressions; they did not show this kind of heartfelt gratitude and reverence.
She took a deep look at Lu Tu's busy back and suddenly felt that this tall and imposing man was really different from other men. He seemed to have a unique and inexplicable charm.
Lu Tu was busy, but there were too many villagers, nearly 500 people, and it was almost lunchtime, so everyone was waiting for the rice to be cooked.
At this moment, a soft, delicate hand reached out to him, took the rice ladle, and said gently, "Husband, let me help you."
When Lü Tu looked up, he saw Nangong Huiyu looking at him with a blushing face. As soon as they made eye contact, she turned her head away shyly.
Lu Tu didn't hesitate and handed the ladle to her, letting her and Song Yuxi distribute the grain together.
At this moment, the little girl Chen Huahua came up to Nangong Huiyu, lifted the hem of her dress, and said sweetly, "Sister, you are so pretty. Are you also Brother Lü Tu's wife?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com