"I think this is a good idea. We can start by settling them all in one place and having someone guard them, not allowing them to leave. We'll give them just the bare minimum of food each day. Observe them for a while; if they seem to be kind and honest people, we'll release them and settle them here. We can ask them if they'd like to buy anything; we can rent it to them temporarily. Once they've saved up enough money, we'll sell it to them. What do you think of this plan, Village Chief?" Jiang Ling said to the village chief after thinking for a moment.
The village chief stroked his chin, agreeing that the idea was quite good, and nodded to Jiang Ling, saying, "Alright, let's do it your way!"
Jiang Ling shook her head, which puzzled the village chief. He frowned slightly and asked, "What's wrong? Is the method not working?"
“No, no, village chief. You have to come with me. After all, you are the head of our village!” Jiang Ling said with a faint smile.
Jiang Ling's words surprised the village chief. Indeed, the village chief himself did not know when it started, but whenever he encountered something, he would like to discuss it with Jiang Ling before making a decision.
The village chief nodded and walked out one after the other with Jiang Ling.
At Jiang Ling's house, Jiang Yaojie breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Jiang Ling return.
He ran to Jiang Ling and whispered, "Mother, they are all very obedient!"
Jiang Ling nodded and then winked at the village chief.
The village chief coughed lightly at the trembling women and said, "Jiang has already told me everything about your situation. Our Lu Family Village's ancestral motto is 'compassion and love.' You've had a tough time, so we've discussed it and decided to allow you to settle here!"
"Really...really? You can't lie to us!" Yue'er's eyes almost popped out of their sockets in surprise when she heard the village chief say these words.
"This is our village chief, Mr. Lu. Don't worry, he won't lie to us! But we have a few requests!" Jiang Ling then blurted out everything she had discussed with the village chief.
The women were stunned and stood there for a long time after hearing this, and then sobbing could be heard from the group of women again.
Jiang Ling was worried that they would keep crying, so she quickly pretended to be serious and said, "What, aren't you going to go find your men and children to reunite with your families?"
These words awakened the women, and after kowtowing to Jiang Ling and the village chief, they quickly left Lu Family Village in twos and threes.
After everyone else had left, only Yue'er gazed sadly into the distance.
Jiang Ling and the village chief exchanged a glance, and the village chief tactfully nodded and left Jiang Ling's house.
"I sympathize with your situation. I would certainly welcome you if you stay, and I wish you all the best if you don't!" Jiang Ling said to Yue'er as she walked to her side.
Yue'er trembled, tears welling up in her eyes again. Looking down at her four-month-old belly, she said dejectedly, "Where can I go? I'm pregnant, and my husband is dead!"
"What's the big deal? My man isn't dead, but it's no different from him. I'm still alive and well now," Jiang Ling comforted Yue'er, patting her shoulder.
Yue'er looked at Jiang Ling with some surprise. She never expected that this woman in front of her would not have a man. Not only that, but she seemed to be living a particularly good life!
Jiang Ling noticed Yue'er's confusion, and then embellished the story of the original owner of the body and told Yue'er about it.
Yue'er was even more surprised after hearing this, and she stared at Jiang Ling for a long time without saying a word.
"You can rest here with me tonight. As for what happens next, you can think about it tomorrow after you've had a good night's sleep and a full meal!"
Yue'er initially wanted to refuse, but seeing the look in Jiang Ling's eyes, she finally nodded in agreement.
The women walked very fast, and about an hour and a half later, a large group of ragged people gathered at the entrance of Lujia Village.
They were all emaciated and dressed in tattered clothes. What was even more frightening was that Jiang Ling did not see any elderly people among this group, and there were very few children.
A chill ran down her spine, Jiang Ling's heart pounded, and she felt a blur before her eyes.
If she hadn't been leaning against the tree, she probably would have fainted by now.
She has now witnessed firsthand the rumors of "two-legged sheep".
The village chief looked at the trembling refugees with a serious expression, and repeated his thoughts, emphasizing once again that if any of these people harbored ill intentions towards the people of Lujia Village, or took any action against them, the consequence would be that everyone would be driven away by the village chief.
The refugees nodded in fear and trepidation, almost kneeling before the village chief to thank him for taking them in.
"Tsk, village chief, don't you know these refugees are bandits who burn, kill, and plunder? You've settled them so close to us, aren't you afraid they'll turn around and kill us?"
Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but there were always some discordant voices, and Lu Youren was picking his nose and questioning.
Seeing Lu Youren's current state, the village chief was so angry that he almost swung his pipe at Lu Youren's face.
After Lu Youren said that, some of the villagers who were wavering immediately started to chime in with their opinions.
After being disturbed by the commotion, the refugees all lowered their heads, looking utterly dejected.
The village chief glared at Lu Youren and snapped, "Shut your mouths, all of you! Didn't you hear what I just said? These people aren't inherently bad! They've just been hit by a flood! Have you been living too good a life? Have you forgotten about the drought a few months ago? Besides, they've already made it clear that if any of us catch them plotting against us, we have the right to kick them out!"
The village chief's words gave the refugees hope again. One of the men, his face covered in dust, tentatively said, "We...we really aren't bad people! I swear, I won't let your village down!"
"Alright, it's getting late. You should stay there for now! I'll think about the house tomorrow!" The village chief didn't want to deal with Lu Youren and didn't want to make things too awkward.
Although he was the village head, he never liked class politics, so he quickly backed down to avoid unnecessary trouble.
The refugees looked at the village chief with gratitude, bowing to everyone as they carefully made their way towards the wasteland.
Almost everyone in Lujia Village stayed up all night, their minds racing with all sorts of plans.
Magistrate Duan heard from someone that refugees had arrived in Lujia Village the previous night, so he sent Zhao Liu to Lujia Village in a hurry early the next morning.
Looking at the harmonious scene in Lujia Village, Magistrate Duan fell into deep self-doubt.
"Oh, greetings... greetings... Your Excellency the County Magistrate!" The village chief, who had just opened the door upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, saw County Magistrate Duan standing there, frowning and deep in thought.
He hurriedly ran up and knelt before Magistrate Duan to greet him.
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