Half an hour later, Mi Guo opened the pot lid, saw the rice was cooked, and called out:
"Everyone with a token, come and get your porridge."
The famished crowd "boomed" and surged forward.
Gu Qingcheng saw their disarray and asked Qian Wang to maintain order, while she leisurely sat before a stone platform, sipping tea.
Qian Wang, seeking to curry favor with her, had already found people to build a stone chair and platform for her during this time.
Some tasks were best left to others; doing them oneself was tiring and inefficient.
Indeed, Qian Wang sternly stepped forward and shouted:
"Everyone gets a portion. Line up, or you'll be immediately driven away and denied food!"
The chaotic crowd, hearing someone taking charge, immediately became obedient, lining up as directed.
One bowl of thick rice porridge per person, plus a bowl of wolf meat soup, with three to four chunks of meat in it.
The wolf meat was taken from Gu Qingcheng's storage, proving quite useful.
Wolf meat was tough and slightly sour, with a strong gamey odor, but Mi Guo, a master cook, was unfazed.
He used ample spices like ginger and Sichuan peppercorns to remove the gamey taste and employed a special technique to make the tough wolf meat smooth and easy to swallow. After cooking, the flavor of the wolf meat was significantly enhanced, rivaling pork.
Crucially, these people hadn't eaten meat or drunk meat soup in so long that the aroma alone made them feel faint with happiness.
Besides a full bowl of savory porridge, with ingredients like diced cured meat but no wild vegetables, each person also received a bowl of meat soup with large chunks of meat. At that moment, the only sounds at the scene were those of eating and drinking soup, and a comparative silence descended.
No matter what, even if they were to die, they would die full.
Being able to eat a hearty meal of meat and be full, they were content.
Moreover, at this point, they no longer saw Gu Qingcheng as a human trafficker. Her speech, demeanor, and generous actions didn't align with a trafficker's motives.
For a moment, the aroma of meat, rice, and the smacking sounds of eating spread. Mi Guo's cooking skills were superb, and with so many famished people eating heartily, onlookers could smell the food and their mouths watered profusely.
Especially the children, who cried from longing.
"Husband, this morning Qian Wang said he'd hire us to farm. Why didn't you go? If you had, we'd have rice porridge now."
"Go where? That fellow doesn't look like a good person. What if he sold you and the kids?"
The man, gaunt and emaciated, sat on the ground, forcefully suppressing his urge to swallow and replying impatiently.
"But husband, there were other people with children there, and fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls. Weren't they afraid?
Look, our Xiaoqiang is starving. If he could have a bowl of meat soup, I'd die content."
The woman said unwillingly.
When the man heard talk of food, he deflated like a pricked balloon, unable to retort.
He handed the grass roots in his hand to the child and said:
"Xiaoqiang, chew on these. These grass roots are quite sweet, and chewing them will make you less hungry."
"Dad, I don't want them. I want porridge! I want meat!"
The child wailed.
Soon, word spread throughout the refugee settlement that joining Phoenix Village meant meat and rice.
Before this meal was even finished, Gu Qingcheng heard Qian Wang excitedly report:
"Young Master Gu, another 100-plus people want to join our village. Should we accept them?"
"Yes, but we need to screen them first. Call them over."
Over a hundred people lined up.
Gu Qingcheng activated her loyalty test. While these people couldn't be called loyal yet, she could gauge their general disposition.
Most of them passed, as the host could meet their needs, making them trustworthy.
Gu Qingcheng pointed to a young man in his early twenties and asked:
"What's your name?"
"My name is Liu Lai." The man was surprised, wondering why Gu Qingcheng singled him out.
"You're out. We don't take you into our group."
"Ah? Young Master Gu, why not? Don't look at me being thin now. If I can eat a few full meals, I'll be very capable of working!"
The young man became anxious upon hearing this.
"It's not for that reason. If I have to give a reason, it's because you have ill intentions!"
Gu Qingcheng looked at him sharply.
Liu Lai, taken aback by Gu Qingcheng's words, jumped up like a startled cat, exclaiming:
"You, you're framing me!"
"You know what you've done. I don't want you, regardless."
As Gu Qingcheng spoke, she gestured to Qian Wang, who understood. Qian Wang stepped forward, grabbed Liu Lai, and said:
"Our Young Master Gu doesn't want you, so you're not wanted. Stop causing trouble here!"
Liu Lai said indignantly:
"You welcome everyone to join, but is your Phoenix Village just a gimmick? Are you planning to trick everyone and sell them? You people don't seem normal. Would normal people just freely give us good food and drinks?
I say, you fools, don't think that just because they give you a full meal, you should call them father. Let me tell you, if you get tricked into the mountains and become bandits, you'll regret it!"
Liu Lai's instigation caused some people to hesitate.
"Hmph, Liu Lai, do I have to reveal what you've done? If you haven't done those bad things, why are you guilty? Shut your foul mouth and leave Phoenix Village, or I'll have you arrested and handed over to the authorities."
Gu Qingcheng had singled out Liu Lai because he failed the loyalty test.
This person clearly wasn't easy to deal with. Gu Qingcheng's loyalty test was 100% accurate, so she knew Liu Lai was not innocent. Who knew if he had killed or robbed others along the way.
Hearing he would be handed over to the authorities, Liu Lai wilted. He cursed and left in a hurry.
Gu Qingcheng then picked out three more people from the group.
Two of them were dissatisfied but, seeing Liu Lai's situation, quietly left. However, one man in his thirties, more cunning, snorted and threatened:
"Young Master Gu, by gathering so many people, you are forming factions and inciting rebellion!"
This accusation was serious. The refugees, hearing this, began whispering among themselves, their faces showing hesitation and concern.
Gu Qingcheng remained calm:
"The establishment of Phoenix Village has received official approval from the authorities."
Having said that, Gu Qingcheng directly revealed the official document given to her by the clerk, Zeng.
Upon seeing the clear official seal, the wavering morale of the crowd solidified.
The man hadn't expected that Gu Qingcheng, despite being a refugee herself, would hold official documents. He was speechless and could only leave grumbling.
After driving away those who failed the loyalty test, only usable individuals remained.
At this point, someone quickly said:
"Young Master Gu, since we are allowed to join Phoenix Village, could we have a full meal first?"