The seven people hadn't expected Gu Qingcheng to say that. They regretted jumping out too soon and wished they had waited until after the meal to voice their concerns. It was a shame to miss out on a meal of rice and braised pork.
As they were just entering the village, it was time to establish rules. These individuals didn't want to be constrained and would likely be troublemakers in the village later on. Gu Qingcheng was very busy and didn't have time to coddle their emotions.
In truth, the most abundant resource at the moment was famine refugees crying out from hunger.
Many people resorted to cannibalism, and some even sold their wives and children for a handful of rice. If these people didn't appreciate their fortune, so be it!
They had been given a chance to survive. If they gave it up themselves, who could they blame?
Just then, Mi Guo announced that the meal was ready.
Gu Qingcheng told everyone to bring their bowls and chopsticks and line up for food.
Each person received a full bowl of white rice, along with a large spoonful of braised pork. For extra gravy, the cook would ladle on another spoonful, soaking the rice. The flavor was simply divine.
Gu Qingcheng watched them bury their heads in their food, a sudden, inexplicable sense of accomplishment filling her. It was incredibly satisfying.
At this moment, the system generously awarded her 100 satisfaction points, with the source listed as: Self-gratification from helping others!
Hmph, what kind of source was that? It made her sound useless, only capable of self-gratification.
Well, she wouldn't argue with the system. As long as satisfaction points were coming in, that was all that mattered.
The new villagers ate their meals while observing some of the cooks boiling water, pouring the snow they had shoveled from the mountain into pots.
Huh? What were they doing?
Were they afraid they wouldn't have enough soup, so they were boiling more water for them to drink?
What surprised them most was that fewer pots were used for cooking than for boiling water. They estimated that the village's large pots weren't enough, and even some smaller pots were being used to boil water.
What was going on?
Seeing the cooks' actions, some people felt a prickle of unease down their spines.
Could this be a sinister village, planning to eat them after they had their fill?
A faint sense of panic began to brew among the crowd, spreading with their hushed whispers.
Mi Guo, standing nearby, overheard two new villagers discussing.
"They wouldn't want to slaughter us and eat our meat so soon, would they?"
"If they want to eat our meat, wouldn't they want to fatten us up a bit?"
"You don't understand. Lean meat is tastier; too much fat can be cloying."
"Huh? Have you eaten it before? How do you know so much?"
"Don't misunderstand, I haven't. I heard it from someone I shared a dilapidated temple with on the road.
He was so enthusiastic when he spoke, his eyes gleaming, spittle flying, and he looked at us intently. I thought he was just telling a fascinating story, so I didn't clap. I even applauded specifically.
However, now that you mention it, I'm sweating bullets. He spoke so vividly, he must have eaten meat he shouldn't have.
When we were together, he had a rather large piece of dried meat in his satchel. Thinking about it now is terrifying. Could that dried meat have been from one of our own kind?"
The two of them fell silent after that. They were speechless for a moment.
The cooks furiously boiled water, while the new villagers secretly speculated and gossiped.
Little did they know, this hot water was indeed prepared for them, not for boiling them, but for bathing.
The bathing process was the same as the day before.
The new villagers applied insect repellent before being allowed into the bathroom to take a hot bath.
After their bath, they understood what true comfort was. This feeling of refreshing cleanliness was as satisfying as a full meal.
Just like last time, after bathing, everyone presented their mahjong tiles to Mi Guo and received a set of brand-new clothes.
Gu Qingcheng's generosity, with food and clothing, and her opulent style, had truly stunned the new villagers.
Seeing how many benefits there were to joining Phoenix Village, even the seven refugees who had voluntarily withdrawn clearly regretted their decision.
They tried to maintain their pride by putting on an air of disdain, but the regret on their faces was undeniable.
A new villager named Pi Long, after receiving his complete set of new clothes, couldn't wait to put them on. He then provocatively teased one of the withdrawn refugees:
"Wu De, you said you didn't want to join the village because there were too many rules. But how come I think having rules is a good thing?
With rules, you won't be able to snatch this new outfit from me!"
Pi Long, who used to be in the mountain camp, had always been robbed by Wu De of his food and drinks. Now, with the village providing benefits, Wu De couldn't enjoy them because he had voluntarily withdrawn. Pi Long couldn't resist provoking him.
Wu De didn't reply. Instead, he saw Gu Qingcheng approaching from a distance and quickly went up to her, bowing and scraping with a fawning expression:
"Young Master Gu, I was wrong when I said I wanted to leave Phoenix Village. I want to stay now. Please, take me in! I promise to abide by the rules of Phoenix Village."
Gu Qingcheng casually activated the loyalty test, and seeing that the person still didn't pass, indicating he didn't genuinely want to stay, she shook her head and said:
"Since you have already made your choice to leave the village, we cannot take you back."
"Young Master Gu, give me a chance. I am very strong and can work. I will never slack off."
Wu De pleaded desperately.
Gu Qingcheng didn't want to waste his time and said directly:
"Your heart isn't in the village. I think you should give up. Perhaps there is a better place for you elsewhere."
Seeing that he couldn't sway Gu Qingcheng, Wu De let out an angry snort, turned, and left resentfully.
Pi Long quickly stepped forward to remind Gu Qingcheng:
"Young Master Gu, that Wu De is not someone to be trifled with. He often robbed us at the foot of the mountain and is a very overbearing person. I heard he even killed someone on his escape route. You must be careful!
When he left just now, I saw resentment on his face, as if he hated you!"
Gu Qingcheng was completely unfazed and said:
"Thank you for the reminder. I will be careful."
"Young Master Gu, you must take this seriously. That person is difficult to deal with and holds grudges."
Gu Qingcheng nodded, indicating she understood.
As the first group of people finished their meals and baths, the next two groups arrived successively.
Upon reaching the mountain, they could immediately have their meal.
Qin Yue's best friend, Qing Ya, and her family, having two young children, walked the slowest.
When their family arrived at Phoenix Village, wearing new clothes and eating fragrant rice, it felt like a dream. Qing Ya's tears welled up again.
The living conditions in Phoenix Village were still very basic, but they heard Gu Qingcheng say that the village was allocated by the government. Their joining Phoenix Village meant they were recognized Phoenix Villagers by the Great Zhou Dynasty. Everyone initially felt a sense of belonging to the village.
From now on, they had a place to rest their heads.
Everyone needs dignity. They could put aside their dignity to survive, but if they could both survive and maintain their dignity, who wouldn't choose the latter?
The new villagers ate, drank, and bathed until past eight in the evening.
Today, another 1/3 of the villagers moved into wooden houses. The temporary shelters were not yet dismantled and could be used by this batch of new villagers for temporary housing.
For those who couldn't be accommodated, they could only gather around fires outdoors for warmth and endure the long night.