106 Hand in hand, let's embark on the journey to a well-off life together

Qishan was already accustomed to Shen Lang's mercurial way of thinking: "Choosing a name? What moniker does Shen Lang fancy?"

Shen Tang's expression was grave: "Village of Villains?"

The entire village, inside and out, harbored not a single virtuous soul.

A village of villains, aptly named indeed.

Qishan: "..."

"No, no, this name will surely deter newcomers. At first hearing, one might mistake it for some illicit pyramid scheme organization. How about 'Renewal Village'? No, that won't do either; it lacks a certain rectitude. What about 'Hand in Hand Towards Prosperity Village'?"

Qishan: "..."

He indeed couldn't harbor much hope for Shen Lang.

With a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Shen Lang, whichever you prefer."

In any case, it wouldn't be needed in the future.

Shen "Indecisive" Tang: "..."

She entrusted the decision to the heavens.

Casually grabbing a handful of weeds, she buried her head and counted a total of nine, then decisively settled on the third one—

Hand in hand towards prosperity!

It must be fate!

She brushed off the grass stains from her clothes and returned to that vacant lot. Less than thirty percent of the people were present, all able-bodied adults. Gong Shuwu patrolled with his hands behind his back, surveying the crowd.

Shen Tang always felt that something was amiss.

Was Gong Shuwu planning to arrange for their reform through labor? A fresh start? Then where were the others? Where did they go?

"Where are Yuanliang and the others?"

"Mr. Qi just sent a few people down the mountain for procurement."

Shen Tang was curious, "Procurement?"

"Yes, Mr. Chu found that the food supply in the eastern kitchen was insufficient for three days. Since Master Zhai is also going down the mountain to meet his elder brother, Mr. Qi took on this task and went down the mountain. He'll return early tomorrow morning."

Of course, the most important thing was to receive their suppliers.

"What is Mr. Gong up to?"

If it was labor reform, Shen Tang would prefer to send them to build houses or cultivate land to become self-sufficient. Each time they went down the mountain for procurement, it was a lavish expenditure. Once Sibao County went to war, soaring prices would make it unsustainable, even with mountains of gold and silver.

Gong Shuwu recalled the instructions of the two masters and didn't speak too directly, afraid of alarming Shen Tang: "In these unsafe times, if one desires a stable life, one must not lack martial strength. These young and able-bodied individuals may lack in talent, but with sufficient training, they can be of some use."

"So that's the reason. It seems Yuanliang and the others have thought it through."

Surely there were more than just this group of bandits in the mountains.

In this dangerous world where battles were waged everywhere, to establish a well-off village, mere farming was insufficient to ensure the village's prosperity. It was necessary to cultivate a certain armed force to guarantee stability in the village's surroundings and avoid being plundered by other covetous villages.

"Oh yes, where have the elderly and weak gone?"

"Mr. Chu has arranged other tasks for them."

It wasn't easy either—cleaning, chopping wood, felling trees, moving rocks.

"And where is Miss Lin?"

Gong Shuwu replied, "She should still be in the eastern kitchen."

Shen Tang detoured to the eastern kitchen.

From afar, she saw Chu Yao and Lin Feng, each sitting on a mat, poring over account books. Lin Feng shook her head from time to time, furrowing her brows, occasionally taking out an old abacus and skillfully manipulating the beads...

Shen Tang: "???"

Unaccountably, a sense of shame surged in her heart. She felt like she had become a idle wanderer with nothing to do.

Even Lin Feng had tasks assigned to her, managing a dozen or so captive women—some elderly, some just the right age, and some even younger than her—making them do chores like washing, cooking, and sewing.

Shen Tang: "..."

Strictly speaking, was Lin Feng akin to child labor??

The key was, she showed no signs of timidity.

Upon second thought, it seemed only natural.

Although the Lin family of Lingzhou was not a high-ranking household, it was still a respectable and wealthy family. Including the industries of the manor, there were over two hundred servants alone. In such a household, if not for that unfortunate incident, Lin Feng would have been looking for a suitable family to marry into at thirteen, betrothed at fifteen, and become a matriarch in another family.

According to the domestic education for women of this era, Lin Feng could have been brought up by the Lin family's mistress at the age of five or six to learn household chores, even if it was just superficial knowledge, managing a dozen people would be enough.

It was for this reason that Chu Yao had Lin Feng help. Upon closer contact, he found that this girl was extremely quick-witted and learned everything very quickly.

Inwardly, he couldn't help but lament.

Lament what?

Lament that Lin Feng wasn't a boy.

A woman couldn't establish her own domain, naturally lacking in literary and martial courage.

After the discussion was more or less concluded, Chu Yao finally remembered the gaze of Shen Tang, who was looking eagerly at Lin Feng, and put away the account books.

"Wulang, do you need Lin Missy for something?"

"Of course, I need to borrow Miss Lin for a moment."

Chu Yao's face darkened, even though he knew Shen Tang had no such intentions: "Wulang, choose your words carefully, do not offend."

Lin Feng, initially puzzled by Chu Yao's dark expression, only understood his meaning upon hearing his words, and embarrassedly covered half of her face with the book.

Shen Tang: "..."

(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

Get a grip, how old is Lin Feng, for heaven's sake?

"...Alright, alright, I'll be careful, I'll be careful. We can't delay any longer, it'll be dark soon..."

Shen Tang hurriedly dragged Lin Feng away, feeling as if her backside was on fire.

The burial site chosen by the Lin family guards wasn't high, with a river below flowing swiftly. Some of the bodies fell onto the riverbank and were devoured by beasts attracted by the scent of blood; some fell into the river and drifted away with the current.

Some were luckier, hanging on vines and branches growing on the mountainside, preserved intact. Shen Tang climbed up to retrieve them.

Those bodies, unrecognizable in appearance, could only be identified by their owners' clothing. Less than six out of ten bodies were found.

Watching the silently weeping young girls, Shen Tang wanted to comfort them but didn't know where to begin. At times like this, anything said would be feeble and powerless, so she could only dryly say, "First, settle your grandmothers. Later, I'll take you downstream to look... if they see you like this, they won't rest easy."

Lin Feng didn't react much, crying even harder.

Shen Tang suddenly felt overwhelmed; such an adorable, sensible, and beautiful child crying in front of her, she really couldn't bear it!

Looking at the peacefully sleeping old lady, Shen Tang made a decision: "If the old lady is still close by, heed the words of a junior—henceforth, I will treat Lin Feng as a younger sister. I dare not promise a life free of worry, but as long as I'm alive, she will be too!"

--------------

"Master, look—"

A drab gray carriage was parked by the river, not far away a campfire burned, with an old man grilling fish.

Hearing the commotion, he stood up and walked over, following the direction indicated by his disciple's small hand, he saw several bodies floating in the river. He covered his disciple's eyes with his hand, sighing, "Ah Yan, don't look."

Ah Yan looked up at him, "No, there's a living person."

The old man: "A living person?"

Ah Yan said, "There's one still alive."

The old man and the youth splashed into the water, pulling up the man who still had a breath left. After a thorough examination, they finally understood why this man had survived against all odds. His heart was noticeably askew, avoiding vital organs with the wound that pierced his chest.

He had numerous other injuries—fractured ribs, arms, and legs, not to mention how long he had been drifting in the water. Despite losing a lot of blood, he still clung to life, all thanks to his robust constitution!