Gu Qingcheng had Yan Xin arrange for ten vigilant hunting team members to descend the mountain, explore various locations, and report back in ten days.
Yan Xin acknowledged the order and immediately presented Gu Qingcheng with a list of ten individuals.
Gu Qingcheng approved the list.
At this point, Yan Xin hesitated and said, "Young Master Gu, should we report this matter to the authorities? And if we mention so many bandits at once, will the officials have any complaints about us?"
Gu Qingcheng pondered for a moment and replied, "Let's not report it for now. If there's an issue, the officials will come to us. However, I suspect they won't have the time for us."
"Why?"
Yan Xin was perplexed as to why the officials wouldn't have the time for them. However, since Young Master Gu had said so, it must be correct, and they should follow his lead.
Gu Qingcheng smiled without explaining. She had noticed that the officials in Wangchun City were stretched thin and unable to manage their jurisdiction. Otherwise, there wouldn't be such rampant banditry.
Were places like Wushan Stockade, such a small bandit den, not supposed to be eradicated upon sight? How could they be allowed to roam freely?
This indicated that the authorities could no longer manage.
Since they couldn't manage, they would turn a blind eye, as long as the bandits didn't harass the larger villages and towns, they would pretend they didn't exist.
Moreover, even though Gu Qingcheng had wiped out these bandit dens, rushing to report it now might even displease the officials.
This was because he would certainly not report such chaos to his superiors. If Gu Qingcheng were to say she had annihilated a bandit den and rescued many women, wouldn't that be slapping him in the face?
Reporting it this way would not only fail to please the officials but would also anger the magistrate.
Indeed, Gu Qingcheng's prediction was correct. Ten days passed, and there was no word from the authorities regarding the matter, nor did any officials come to their door to cause trouble.
Gu Qingcheng then knew that the officials had adopted a laissez-faire attitude, turning a blind eye to the situation.
Gu Qingcheng's resolve grew even stronger.
The Great Zhou Dynasty was nearing its end anyway. If the officials didn't interfere with her actions from now on, they might show her some leniency in the future.
Ten days later, the scouts who had gone down the mountain returned one after another.
Gu Qingcheng instructed Mi Guo to ring the assembly bell, summoning all the squad captains to her hall to hear the scouts' reports and analyze strategies together.
The squad captains, over thirty in number, gradually gathered.
Gu Qingcheng did not rush to discuss bandit suppression. Instead, she first inquired about their recent production status.
All the captains reported that everything was progressing smoothly. Initially, they were eager to boast of their achievements.
Liu Ding proudly declared, "With our intensive cultivation this year, we are sure to achieve a bumper harvest of grain!"
His words sent ripples of excitement through the entire hall, and everyone looked at him with admiration. Liu Ding puffed up with pride.
Wu Sheng, the blacksmith, stated that the blacksmith shop was still overwhelmed with work and hoped Gu Qingcheng could increase the manpower.
Gu Qingcheng mentioned that the blacksmith shop already had ten blacksmiths. In that case, they should recruit more apprentices, as it was easy to recruit people but difficult to find experienced blacksmiths.
She was planning to select more intelligent and capable individuals from the newly arrived villagers to serve as apprentices in various technical positions that required manpower.
Phoenix Village received a dozen or so people daily who voluntarily came up the mountain to seek refuge.
Phoenix Village did not refuse them. Gu Qingcheng secretly tested their loyalty. If they qualified, they could stay.
For those who stayed, she assigned personnel to observe them for a month.
If their performance during the one-month observation period was unsatisfactory, Gu Qingcheng would not allow them to remain. Only those who performed well would have a chance to stay.
Of course, after the observation period, there would be even longer-term observations, and those with ill intentions would be expelled from the village.
As Gu Qingcheng finished speaking, she heard complaints from the construction squad. They said that even though they were working hard to build houses, the number of houses they built still couldn't keep up with the needs of the villagers, and the villagers were quite dissatisfied with them.
However, this was not their fault. They also wanted to build houses quickly, but the population growth rate outpaced their construction speed.
Gu Qingcheng sorted through the issues they raised and said that if manpower was indeed insufficient, all newly arrived villagers would first spend a month chopping wood on the mountain. The construction team was naturally willing to hear this.
Qin Yue then inquired about the fate of the women rescued from the bandit dens.
Qin Yue, who worked at the supply and marketing cooperative, had performed exceptionally well, so Gu Qingcheng appointed her as the head of the Women's Federation.
This group leader oversaw half the day, and all the women in the village could directly report any matters concerning women to Qin Yue, who would then relay them to Gu Qingcheng.
"How should the new women be settled?"
Qin Yue asked Gu Qingcheng.
"Assess their conditions. Have their injuries healed? Also, ask about their intentions. If they are willing, arrange for them to do some work.
I've seen the information collected by Gui Xiang about them. Some are skilled in needlework, and some know how to weave. They are all quite capable. If all else fails, they can go to the nursery to look after children."
"Ah? Is the nursery going to open soon?"
Qin Yue was very excited to hear this.
"Yes, preparations are almost complete. Children under four years old can be looked after in the nursery during the day.
Carpentry team, how are the nursery facilities coming along on your end?"
"Young Master Gu, our end is basically ready. We only need to build twenty sets of tables and chairs, ten cribs, and twenty cradles. If you can assign us more people, we can aim to finish within five days."
"Alright, then I'll assign another twenty people to you. I want the nursery established on the sixth day. Don't disappoint me."
Gu Qingcheng made the decision decisively. It was also a way to instill a sense of urgency in the carpentry team, lest they come up with various excuses to delay again.
"Young Master Gu, who should be appointed as the director of the nursery?" asked Dai Fa.
Each team leader bore significant responsibility and required capable individuals to fill the roles. For something like the nursery, which concerned the children of every household, someone with exceptional ability was even more necessary.
At this point, Qin Yue suggested, "Why not let Zhang Chunhua take the position? She's in her early thirties, her two children are already attending school, and her mother-in-law helps her with childcare, so she has the time to manage the nursery."
Gu Qingcheng also had an impression of Zhang Chunhua.
Zhang Chunhua was one of the few individuals in Phoenix Village with a complete family.
Speaking of which, she was quite fortunate, with her husband, children, and in-laws all present. Therefore, Zhang Chunhua had always lived a relatively comfortable life.
"She can be considered. Let her try it out first, and if it doesn't work, we can change people," Gu Qingcheng said. "Additionally, the rest of the staff can be selected from the newly arrived women, or from villagers who volunteer. However, they must be neat, hygienic, and patient with the children."
Gu Qingcheng outlined a few criteria, and this matter was then concluded.
Next, they discussed the village's animal husbandry.
Uncle Kang said the sheep were reproducing quite rapidly, with over 400 head now. The village wasn't selling them, and with so many sheep...