Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Xie Chengyan began assigning tasks according to the smaller squads Xiao Che had created.

Their first priority was housing.

Black Pine Valley could not possibly accommodate more than two thousand people.

Some residents would therefore have to live outside the valley.

Cutting down trees and constructing wooden houses was unavoidable.

Fortunately, Jin Bao had the map in her mind and personally selected a suitable building site for everyone.

The location was also close to Black Pine Valley.

Lightning had struck it before, burning down a large swath of forest. Only young trees had grown back, and the residents could cut all of them down in less than a day and use the wood as fuel.

With Jin Bao’s help, felling trees was an extremely simple task.

Xie Chengyan personally left the valley and planned the layout of the homes.

Every house faced south, with rows of small courtyards extending from east to west.

Each home contained three bays, with additional space left in the courtyard. Anyone who wished to build a kitchen or side room could cut timber and construct it themselves.

Building wooden houses outside the valley was much faster than excavating caves inside.

Xie Chengyan divided the residents into several groups, each with its own responsibilities.

There was a logging team, a transport team, and a construction team devoted to building houses.

Another team consisted of carpenters responsible for making furniture.

Many hands made light work. With Jin Bao using her ability to help raise the roof beams, they completed more than half the homes in less than a month.

The houses were assigned first to the elderly, infirm, women, children, and residents with entire families to support.

Construction was finally nearing completion, so they no longer needed to devote so many people to the wooden houses.

At last, Xie Chengyan placed mining on the agenda.

He drafted a comprehensive system for distributing labor and supplies throughout the valley.

He adopted a points system.

Silver did not circulate here. They did not need money, and everything depended on exchange.

For example, someone who caught a rabbit could eat it or turn it over to Xiao Jingmo in exchange for points. Those points could then be spent at the valley market.

As the population increased over the past month, everyone’s needs grew as well. Xiao Jingmo and Xie Chengyan discussed establishing a market along the stream in the valley.

To their surprise, business boomed within two days of its opening.

They kept the market and held it once every three days.

Most points, however, came from labor.

The valley needed workers in a great many areas.

People could chop firewood, mine ore, help build houses, or assist in making paper.

Specialized skills were even better.

With the refugees joining them, they had now constructed a loom and woven their first bolt of hemp cloth.

Thanks to Lin Fengchun, the valley had also begun using Xuan paper.

Everything was moving onto the right track.

On the eighth day of the second lunar month, construction of every house was completed.

Xiao Che officially named the newly developed area New Life Village.

Old Han became the head of New Life Village.

The village held fifteen hundred residents.

They had built three hundred households. Row after orderly row of small courtyards climbed with the terrain like a flight of steps, creating a pleasing sight.

Xiao Jingmo installed bulletin boards at the entrance to New Life Village and at the entrance to Black Pine Valley.

Whenever an announcement needed to be made, someone would post it on the boards.

The day after the village was completed, a notice appeared.

Anyone willing to work in the mine should register at Black Pine Valley. Miners would receive fifty points per person each day, along with lunch. Starting today, the Valley Master would no longer distribute grain for free.

One notice contained two major announcements, immediately causing a considerable uproar in New Life Village.

Ever since entering Black Pine Forest, Xiao Che had provided all their food and drink. They had grown accustomed to living without fear of hunger. Now that they were suddenly told the Valley Master would stop providing free grain, panic swept through them.

They knew nothing about their surroundings and could not find their way out of the forest. Even if they wanted to grow their own grain, they had to wait for spring, when the snow and ice melted, before clearing land. But this was a forest. Any fields they cleared would need years of cultivation before the soil became productive.

For the next several years, farming could not possibly sustain them.

If they wanted full stomachs, they had no choice but to earn points.

Mining now offered an excellent opportunity to do so.

For young and able-bodied men, that posed no problem. But the elderly, infirm, women, and children would face a much harder time.

Once the notice appeared, some people cried, some cursed, and others rejoiced. Whatever their reaction, the area in front of the bulletin board became packed.

“They promised we wouldn’t go hungry if we came to the valley. It hasn’t even been two months, and already they don’t want to take care of us anymore. Everyone, grab your weapons! Let’s go demand an explanation from the Valley Master.”
A thin, shifty-eyed man in the crowd spoke around a pine needle clenched between his teeth. When he finished, he spat the needle onto the ground and stomped on it.

Most of the crowd did not respond. Only a very small number agreed with him.

“That’s right. They promised we wouldn’t lack food, but now they want us to perform backbreaking labor in the mine. That man Xiao clearly had ulterior motives. He took us in because he wanted us to mine for him. We’ve all been deceived.”

“Exactly! Everyone, arm yourselves and demand an explanation. Who knows what they’ll force us to do next? We must stand together. There aren’t that many of them, so what do we have to fear?”

Old Han watched coldly from outside the crowd. The men shouted for a long time without provoking much response. Most people did not join in, though some began to hesitate.

“Wouldn’t that be wrong? Whatever else happened, we didn’t starve or freeze to death. The Valley Master fulfilled every promise he made. As long as we work diligently in the future, he still won’t let us go hungry.”

“I believe the Valley Master. Even if we were outside the forest now, we would still be hungry. In the dead of winter, there is no work to be found, and we might not even survive until spring. Now the Valley Master is giving me the chance to earn food with my own hands. That lets me eat with a clear conscience.”

Many people agreed this time.

“Let’s register now. What if all the places are filled before we arrive? Don’t forget there are several hundred people inside the valley too.”

Everyone panicked at those words. The younger men immediately ran toward the valley.

Before long, half the crowd had dispersed.

Most refugees in this group were young and able-bodied. Otherwise, they would never have survived long enough to encounter Xiao Che.

Only after half the people left did Old Han step forward and knock the troublemakers flat in the snow with several heavy punches.

“You ungrateful bastards! The Valley Master kindly saved you and built you homes for free, and this is how you repay him? You’re the snake that bit the farmer. You eat your master’s food while trying to smash his cooking pot. People like you should be dragged away and fed to the Snow Mastiffs, but even the dogs would probably find you too filthy to eat.”

After cursing until he was out of breath, Old Han used the rope he carried to tie the men in a line, then half dragged and half hauled them into Black Pine Valley.

The men were frightened now and begged without end.

“Village Head, we were wrong! Spare us this once. We’ll all work in the mine. We swear we’ll never stir up trouble again.”

Old Han knew men like these were the most cunning. The moment they were caught, they begged for mercy, only to start causing trouble again as soon as they left his sight. New Life Village had just been established, and he needed to assert his authority. These men were perfect examples.

But although he was village head, he did not have the power to execute villagers directly. He had to report the matter to the Valley Master.

They would wait for the Valley Master’s judgment.

By then, nearly a thousand people had gradually gathered inside Black Pine Valley, all asking about the two announcements on the notice.

The proposals had actually come from Xie Chengyan, so he came out to explain when everyone began asking questions.

“Valley Master, why are you stopping our food supply? I’m so old and have a grandson to care for. I can’t work in the mine. How is an old woman like me supposed to survive?”

An elderly woman held her grandson’s hand, her face filled with anxiety.

Had she survived the journey only to die here in the forest?

She had finally received a house and barely settled down. Was she about to live without enough food again?

She could not accept that. She might die, but her grandson was still so young. What would happen to him?

Xie Chengyan lightly clapped his hands in the air.

He stood on a newly constructed platform in the valley and calmly surveyed the anxious faces below.

“Everyone, please remain calm. A notice regarding the elderly, infirm, women, and children will be posted soon. Your Valley Master promised that he would not let you starve, and he will keep that promise. You may all rest assured.”

The crowd instantly quieted and listened to Xie Chengyan.

“Now I will explain the implementation of our points exchange system. I believe you have all learned how points work over the past few days. Some people have already earned many points through their labor and purchased the things they need at the market.

“Previously, grain rations were distributed according to the number of people in each household. Starting today, everyone must work to earn points.

“Points can be exchanged for grain at a rate of twenty points per jin. Since this is the issue that concerns you most, I am announcing it publicly now.

“The prices of salt, oil, and other necessities essential to survival will be posted on the bulletin board later. Remember to check it.”
The crowd erupted when Xie Chengyan finished.

“Twenty points for one jin of grain? If I work in the mine for a day, I can earn two and a half jin! How could I possibly eat all that by myself? I never imagined I’d have surplus grain one day. I need to register immediately.”

The mining registration area stood beside the platform, and a long line had already formed.

Those who had been hesitating stopped and immediately joined the queue to register.

At that moment, Old Han dragged the men onto the platform and handed them to Xie Chengyan.

He recounted everything that had happened.

Xie Chengyan nodded, then cleared his throat again.

“Everyone, there is one more matter I have not explained clearly.

“You received free grain before because your Valley Master is kind.

“At the time, none of you had a settled home. The Valley Master provided grain for two months so everyone could catch their breath.

“You all know our grain supplies are dwindling. If no one works, we will eventually exhaust everything we have.

“Some people have grown lazy after being supported for so long. They tried to incite the crowd to riot and have violated two of our valley’s rules.

“According to valley law, these men will be placed in the village head’s custody, expelled from New Life Village, and left to fend for themselves.”

At those words, anyone still harboring improper thoughts immediately abandoned them.

Outside the forest, someone expelled from a village might still find a way to survive. Here in Black Pine Forest, losing the village’s protection was no different from a death sentence.

The men on the platform collapsed like puddles of mud and were dragged away by Old Han.

No one dared plead for them.

Even while everyone had been building homes, those men had repeatedly shirked their duties and cheated at work, yet they were always the first to appear at mealtimes.

Everyone had noticed. Some had long been dissatisfied with them, and their expulsion was nothing more than the punishment they deserved.

Once the troublemakers were dealt with, order returned to the valley.

At the same time, more than a dozen recruitment notices appeared on the bulletin boards at the valley entrance and in New Life Village.

The Lin Family Xuan Paper Workshop established by Lin Fengchun was hiring twenty strong women and twenty healthy women, with no age restriction. Depending on the job, wages ranged from thirty to sixty points per day.

The Zhao Family Weaving Workshop was hiring thirty women, with preference given to those who knew how to weave. The pay was thirty points per day, with additional rewards for exceeding quotas and no upper limit.

Madam Lu’s clinic was hiring thirty apprentices. There were no wages, but three meals would be provided each day.

The Pei Family Fur Shop was hiring any number of embroiderers for thirty points per day, mainly to sew and process furs.

…

The many recruitment notices exploded like thunder among the women.

Those who could not read listened as the village head read the notices one by one. The moment they heard of a position they qualified for, they rushed to register.

Those with strength offered their labor, those with skills applied their expertise, and those with talent became apprentices.

All the villagers felt everything was developing with vibrant momentum.

The next day, mining officially began.

But Xie Chengyan also needed to leave Black Pine Valley for a while.

He had to find a blacksmith who knew how to smelt and forge iron.

Given his connections, the task would not be difficult.

Xiao Che had Ye Qi escort him out.

Every day, Jin Bao raced wildly through the forest with her little squirrel, soon covering nearly half the woods.

No one knew what she saw or where she went each day, and Xiao Che could not be bothered to control her.

Inside Black Pine Forest, Jin Bao had no natural enemies. She was the queen of the forest.

As long as she returned on time each day to eat and sleep, nothing else mattered.

One day, Jin Bao returned dragging a fish larger than herself.

The sight stunned Xiao Che and Xiao Jingmo.

Only then did Xiao Che remember Jin Bao mentioning a huge lake in the forest filled with fish.

Xiao Che had never seen such an enormous fish. It had to weigh at least forty jin.

“Daughter, where did you get this fish?”

Jin Bao pointed in one direction.

“From the water. Baby went to the lake today and made the water grass wrap around this fish and bring it up. Baby wants grilled fish.”

As she spoke, Jin Bao extended her little pink tongue and lightly licked her lips.

Xiao Che patiently lifted Jin Bao into his arms.

“Daughter, are there many fish in that lake?”

Jin Bao nodded. “Lots! Baby can’t even count them all.”

Xiao Che rubbed his forehead. He might as well not have asked. Jin Bao could count only to one hundred, and they had taught her that much gradually over the journey.

It seemed he needed to find a chance to inspect the lake. The valley’s grain would not last another month. If they failed to find another source of food, they would have to leave the valley and acquire grain again.