Chapter 8 New Life Village C. Before dawn, the sound of roosters crowing could be heard continuously. Chen Wu, who was curled up in the quilt, opened his eyes reluctantly and curled up in the quilt. The warmth brought by the thick quilt made him very attached to it. Every time he woke up, he felt a dreamlike and unreal feeling. I recall that more than a month ago, I was still a refugee with no food or clothes, wandering around aimlessly every day like a walking corpse. I could only survive by digging grass roots and gnawing on tree bark, and I almost starved to death many times. There were seven people in the family, but in the end only I, the youngest, managed to survive thanks to the protection of my family. To this day, he still finds it hard to forget the tragic sight of his family members dying one after another in front of him. However, after coming here, not only can they have enough food and clothing, but they also have 20 acres of fertile land to cultivate. Whenever he thought of this, he couldn't stop the tears from his eyes. He was grateful for his happy life now, but also regretted his family's misfortune. If he had met the county magistrate earlier, he wouldn't have... After silently remembering his deceased relatives and praying for the great County Magistrate Tianze, Chen Wu got out of bed swiftly. Following the village chief's request, he carefully folded the quilt into a tofu shape, picked up a brand new thick cotton coat from the table beside him and put it on.
His body, which had previously been as thin as a corpse, had finally recovered a little during this period and could barely hold up this cotton coat. After brushing off his thick and warm cotton coat, Chen Wu straightened his back unconsciously and walked towards the kitchen. I opened the big pottery jar in the corner. Although it looked a little ugly, it was very durable. It was full of golden millet, which gave off a faint fragrance. Chen Wu buried his head in the tank intoxicatedly and took a deep breath. In his opinion, this is the most tempting taste in the world. These are all his food, full of security. Carefully holding a handful of millet, hesitating for a moment, Chen Wu gritted his teeth and took out another handful. With a distressed look on his face, he went to the chicken coop in the yard, fed the three hens, and added some water. After taking out four eggs from the chicken coop, Chen Wu showed a satisfied smile on his face. Although the village chief encourages everyone to raise more chickens and ducks, most villagers just raise them in the wild, after all, it costs almost nothing. However, he resolutely chose to keep it in captivity and feed it with precious millet, just because he wanted to become a guard under Magistrate Tianze! He had this idea since the moment he was rescued by Magistrate Tazawa and his troops. After seeing the extremely generous treatment in the escort team, this idea became even stronger. Unfortunately, due to long-term lack of food, his physique was too thin and weak, and he did not meet the standards for recruiting guards for County Magistrate Tianze, so he was rejected. But he did not lose heart. Captain Gao once told him that he had a good skeleton foundation and as long as he ate more eggs and meat, it would not be difficult for him to join the army once he was strong enough. It was precisely because of Captain Gao's words that he gritted his teeth and raised three hens, just so that he could eat eggs every day and occasionally taste some meat. Carefully carrying four eggs, Chen Wu walked towards the cafeteria. By this time, the sky had brightened, and I met many neighbors along the way. Most of the people in the village were refugees from nearby hometowns, and their accents were similar. In addition, I learned Mandarin from the village teacher every day, so the communication between us was relatively smooth. Although everyone had known each other for a short time, they got along quite well because the village often organized activities and people gathered together to chat. "Morning, Uncle Zhang, have you eaten?" Chen Wu saw his next-door neighbor coming towards him from the direction of the cafeteria and took the initiative to greet him. "I just finished eating. Today's porridge is well cooked, and there is some bacon. You should go quickly, or it will be gone if you are late." "okay."
Upon hearing this, Chen Wu couldn't help but quicken his pace and trotted to the cafeteria. Nearly half of the dozen or so square tables in the cafeteria were already occupied, and there were seven or eight people queuing at the food window. Chen Wu hurried to the back of the team. Smelling the rich aroma of porridge and meat, his stomach growled and he kept swallowing his saliva. Fortunately, it was his turn soon. The lady who served the food gave Chen Wu a full bowl of porridge, and put a thumb-sized piece of bacon in the pot beside him. "Each person gets a piece of meat, but there is no limit on the amount of porridge. You can get more after you finish it." Chen Wu scratched his head and handed over four eggs somewhat embarrassedly. "Aunt Ji, could you please help me cook it?" He was alone, and although the village provided free hot water, he didn't want to go through the trouble just for four eggs, so he wanted to ask Aunt Ji for help. "It's no problem." Aunt Ji said with a smile. She skillfully wrapped the eggs in a small net and put them in a pot of hot water. "Just come and get it when you're done." "Thank you Aunt Ji!" Chen Wu said gratefully. "What are you thanking me for? Just work hard. If you can join Captain Gao's team, we can all benefit from you." Everyone in the village knew that Chen Wu wanted to join the army. Not only him, but many young men had similar ideas. Finding a square table with a few familiar people sitting around, Chen Wu began to eat hurriedly. After taking a mouthful of the fragrant rice porridge and then a small bite of the delicious bacon, Chen Wu felt extremely satisfied. After drinking three full bowls of soup and eating two boiled eggs, Chen Wu left contentedly with the remaining eggs in his pocket. When he arrived at the sheepfold not far from the village, Old Man Li, who was on night watch, saw him coming and greeted him hurriedly. "Chen boy, here." Chen Wu walked over. "Uncle Li, I'll lead the sheep." Old man Li opened the door of one of the sheep pens, and 50 sheep came out one by one obediently. Handing Chen Wu a shepherd's whip, Old Man Li said, "It's still the same piece of land. Remember not to lose the sheep. Mark them all." "Uncle Li, the grass on my grassland has been almost eaten up. Can we change the land? Otherwise, I'm afraid the sheep won't have enough to eat." Chen Wu said. Hearing this, Old Man Li tapped Chen Wu on the forehead and said, "You silly boy, this is the order from County Magistrate Tian, do you understand? Everyone's area cannot be changed." "County Magistrate Tian is so wise, how could he not know this?" "Did you know it rained last night? Go to your patch of grass and you'll understand." Seeing the mysterious look on Old Man Li's face, Chen Wu rubbed his slightly painful forehead and said, "Got it."
"By the way, have you thought carefully about adopting sheep that I told you about before? It's more cost-effective for me to raise sheep myself than for you to raise them for me." Chen Wu shook his head: "Forget it, Uncle Li, I still want to join the army. I don't have time to raise sheep myself, but if I have time, I can help herd the sheep." Seeing Chen Wu's stubborn look, Old Man Li sighed: "Okay, you kid, try harder and don't embarrass our village." "Uncle Li, don't worry. I can do it." Chen Wu said solemnly. Looking at Chen Wu's thin back as he drove the sheep away, Old Man Li sighed and glanced at the sheepfold nearby: "Leave two sheep for this kid to supplement. This will be considered an advance payment of his wages." Chen Wu, who was herding the sheep, did not dare to be careless at all. He had just learned how to raise sheep and was not very proficient yet. He had to be careful in managing these 50 sheep. Leading the flock of sheep smoothly to the pasture allocated to him, Chen Wu was stunned by the scene in front of him. its not right! He had just let the sheep out here yesterday, and by then the grass nearby had been mostly eaten up. And now... Looking at the lush grasslands that came into view, most of the grass was taller than his knees, and Chen Wu was filled with disbelief. I picked up a piece of grass, looked at it, put it in my mouth and chewed it. It was so fresh and tender, as if it had just grown. miracle! This is another miracle brought by County Magistrate Tianze! Not caring about the sheep that ran into the pasture to feast on the food, Chen Wu knelt down respectfully on the ground and began to pray silently in the direction of Changxing Pass. Chen Wu is not an isolated case. The people on the island all live the life they have always dreamed of, and they are full of gratitude and respect for Tian Ze who brought them all this. Tian Ze, on the other hand, happily watched the wisp of spiritual energy that the dragon-patterned jade pendant produced almost every day. Longevity is in sight! Great avenues are expected! (End of this chapter)
