"Young Master Gu, from now on, if you tell me to go east, I won't dare to go west. For our Phoenix Village, I'll brave fire and water without hesitation. I only hope my children can eat their fill in the future, unlike me who endured hunger and starvation."
Qing Yang was one of the luckier ones among them; his wife and children were present, which fueled his drive.
Gu Qingcheng smiled faintly and said,
"Since you all understand the general direction of life, work hard towards it.
Tomorrow, we'll start by building houses and arranging your living quarters. Don't worry about food. Tomorrow, Mayor Dai and I will go down the mountain to purchase daily necessities. From now on, the communal mess hall will have a collective extra meal every three days."
"Young Master Gu, you've helped us so much. What can we give you in return?"
Not everyone was foolish; a squad leader, who understood the ways of the world, posed this question.
Gu Qingcheng thought for a moment and said,
"This land is now all registered under my name. I will bear all the initial investment and expenses.
In the future, one-third of the produce from this land will be given to me, for ten years."
The villagers had expected Gu Qingcheng to impose harsh conditions. To their surprise, it was only one-third of the produce, and the lease period was not long, only ten years, which they could easily endure.
They recalled that when they were tenant farmers in their hometown, in addition to land rent, they also had to pay taxes to the Great Zhou Dynasty. If they calculated it, they had to hand over two-thirds of their annual harvest.
Now, only needing to pay one-third meant their income would essentially double compared to before. They immediately saw hope for their lives.
"No problem. Young Master Gu, you are too kind," someone said emotionally.
Gu Qingcheng continued, "Currently, we only have about two hundred people, so our scale is still very small. I believe more and more people will flock to us in the future.
And everyone need not worry about their cultivated land being encroached upon. I've surveyed the mountain slopes with an altitude between 500 and 700 meters. The mountain range is continuous and can accommodate at least over a hundred thousand people. We are currently only developing a small portion of it."
Gu Qingcheng revealed a glimpse of the future scale, which almost frightened the villagers to death.
Over a hundred thousand people?
Was it possible?
Mi Guo, listening from the side, also twitched the corner of his mouth. His sister's ambition was truly vast.
However, if there were indeed a great flood as his sister predicted, then places not submerged by water would become refuges. A hundred thousand people was not only possible but likely more.
"Young Master Gu is wise."
The squad leaders' imaginations weren't that expansive, and they could only muster this phrase.
Gu Qingcheng asked the squad leaders to return and rest early, as they had to get up and work tomorrow.
Dai Fa, though having many doubts, didn't rush to ask Gu Qingcheng and also went back to rest. Tomorrow was a big day, and he was older, needing sufficient rest.
Before sleeping, Gu Qingcheng still laid out the bedding in the triangular lean-to for Mi Guo. After he climbed into his covers, she placed a rubber hot water bottle filled with hot water for him.
Mi Guo hugged the hot water bottle and said contentedly,
"Sister, although I've experienced fleeing famine this time, it's actually more comfortable than living at uncle's place."
"Sleep early!"
Gu Qingcheng flicked his forehead gently with her finger, closed the door of his lean-to, and then lay down in her own triangular shelter.
Having been exhausted all day, likely the stimulating effect of the vigor pills had worn off. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
The next morning, when Gu Qingcheng woke up, she lingered in bed for a while.
The lean-to was built from freshly cut grass and branches, exuding a strong scent of grass and wood, which was very pleasant.
She quietly listened to the sounds around her: children running and cheering, adults washing pots and bowls, the crackling of firewood. A desolate mountain valley was now filled with human life, which felt good.
Having reached their future destination, Gu Qingcheng felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
But the thought of going down the mountain to purchase supplies meant she couldn't continue lying there, so she got up with a roll.
Mi Guo was already awake. He had dug snow and boiled a pot of hot water, waiting for Gu Qingcheng to wash up.
Gu Qingcheng yawned and after a thorough wash, finally felt refreshed.
She had already told Mi Guo last night not to bother making breakfast, as they had ready-made food.
After washing up, she took two cups of hot soy milk from the storage cabinet and two flatbreads, all warm, just as they were when first stored. She handed these two food items to Mi Guo.
The flatbreads were made by Mi Guo on Ya Shan, fully utilizing the principle that anything could be rolled:
Beef strips, diced cured pork, shredded lettuce, tomatoes. They were fresh and delicious. After eating one large roll, they were still not full, so they had another one.
After eating heartily, they contentedly finished their hot soy milk and prepared to set off.
Dai Fa passed by their lean-to at this moment and seeing the siblings, said,
"Young Lady Gu, I'll take a few men down the mountain to purchase supplies."
"Good, especially buy more iron tools like sickles, axes, and saws. If you can recruit more people, do so." Gu Qingcheng instructed.
"What about you? Are you bringing anyone with you?" Dai Fa asked.
"No need, my brother and I are enough. If we find suitable items, buy more; otherwise, buy less," Gu Qingcheng waved her hand. "We need a lot of people to build the shelters today, so we won't bring many people."
"Alright."
Dai Fa and seven seemingly sturdy men headed down the mountain.
In those times, finding a strong man was difficult; everyone was thin and gaunt from hunger.
Gu Qingcheng did not immediately follow their footsteps down the mountain. She had some small tasks to attend to and didn't want to be with Dai Fa and the others.
Taking advantage of this time, she took out her brush and ink and began to sketch and write.
Mi Guo knew she was handling important matters and went to the mountain gully to gather firewood.
All the villagers went out to work, and the children were also sent to gather grass. In short, anyone who could move was not idle.
Mi Guo saw that the capable women had found wild bamboo growing on the mountain, cut a lot of it, bundled it, and carried it back to the village.
Some stayed behind to weave bamboo fences, which would be useful when building wooden houses later.
Some villagers dragged cut timber from the mountain back to the village and piled it up. Some were leveling the ground in the village, and others were clearing grass from the surroundings. The entire village was full of vitality.
In this type of southern mountain range, the main tree species were pine, cypress, and poplar. Among these trees grew low-lying thorns and shrubs.
The flat land they were living on now, though relatively level, was also covered in thorns. They had barely cleared a space yesterday, and today they had to continue tidying it up.
Everyone had eaten, had energy, and worked diligently, making rapid progress.
Creating a good living environment for two hundred people would certainly not be completed in one or two days.
However, time was not yet pressing, and Gu Qingcheng was not in a hurry. She was confident that within three months, there would be earth-shattering changes here. Once her parents were brought over, they would be able to live in comfortable wooden houses.