In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 392 The Life of a Person

As the sun set and darkness fell, Cao Shui and the others, who were well-fed, were settled by Chen He in Xiahe Village.

Although there are some vacant old houses in Chenjia Village, those old houses have been arranged by Chen Dao for the martial artists from the county city, and it is obviously impossible for Cao Shui and others to live in them.

Therefore, Chen He settled Cao Shui and the others in Xiahe Village. Of course, there were not many empty houses in Xiahe Village, and it was impossible to provide each of them with a house. They could only lay blankets in the houses and let them sleep on the floor.

At this moment, Cao Shui lay on the ground, his head resting on his hands, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Beside Cao Shui lay Li Lao Er and a group of laborers. There were nearly 20 laborers lying in this room, all neatly lined up in a row, making it look extremely crowded.

Although the living quarters were a bit cramped, the laborers had no complaints, since their previous living conditions were not necessarily much better than their current ones.

"I'm so full!"

A laborer patted his belly and said with a satisfied expression, "This is the most filling meal I've had in years. I wish I could eat this much every day!"

This statement seemed to open up a conversation among the crowd, and the laborers began to chatter amongst themselves.

"Yes! I've never eaten so much in my life."

"The people of Chenjia Village are really great. I've had a wonderful meal today."

"Guo Laosan, I saw you eating the most just now. You ate half of the chicken on our table by yourself, and ten steamed buns too. How come you didn't die of overeating?"

"Hehe! Who told you to eat so slowly!"

"This Chenjia Village is really rich! I just inquired and found out that each villager can earn 500 wen a month. A family with five members can earn at least 2 taels of silver a month. How can there be such a wealthy village?"

"Two taels of silver, wow! I never dreamed I could earn so much."

"Me too."

"I wish I were a villager from Chenjia Village!"

"..."

The laborers lying on the ground stared at the ceiling, their eyes filled with longing.

Having enough to eat is a very simple thing for Chinese people on Earth, but for the lower classes of Xia Kingdom, it is an extremely luxurious thing.

Therefore, when they learned that the villagers of Chenjia Village ate white flour steamed buns every day and that each household had an income of at least one tael of silver per month, their envy was understandable.

It should be noted that even those who work as laborers in the county town can only earn two or three hundred coins a month after working themselves to the bone, which is incomparable to the income of the villagers in Chenjia Village, not to mention that the villagers in Chenjia Village can buy grain for only half the price of the market price.

"Caoshui".

A familiar laborer turned to look at Cao Shui, who was in a daze, and asked curiously, "Are you really planning to stay in Chenjia Village?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Cao Shui.

"What? Cao Shui, you want to stay in Chenjia Village? What about your family?"

"You're not going to take care of your mother anymore?"

"Cao Shui, if you stay in Chenjia Village, what will happen to your mother and younger siblings?"

"..."

Faced with a barrage of questions from the crowd, Cao Shui said firmly, "I plan to stay in Chenjia Village. As for my elderly mother and younger siblings, I have an adult brother who should be able to take care of them."

Cao Shui was not an only child, or rather, it was rare for a family in the Xia Kingdom to have only one child.

Cao Shui was the eldest son in his family. Besides him, there was his mother, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. Since his father passed away, Cao Shui had taken on the responsibility of taking care of his family. Even though he earned very little working as a laborer in the county town, he would try his best to save some of it and send it home to support his family.

When Cao Shui first wanted to stay in Chenjia Village, he also considered what would happen to his family if he stayed. However, when he thought of his second brother, who was already an adult and very hardworking, he quickly put his mind at ease.

With my second brother around, my mother and the two younger ones will definitely be well taken care of, and he won't need to worry about them.

even……

Cao Shui also had a dream: to stay in Chenjia Village first, and once he was settled, he would bring his mother, younger brother and sister over to enjoy their retirement!

"to be honest……"

Li Lao Er, who was standing next to Cao Shui, suddenly spoke up: "I also want to stay in Chenjia Village."

"Me too, this Chenjia Village is where people live a truly human life!"

"That's right! We ate pig swill every day in the county town. It wasn't until we came to Chenjia Village that we realized what people's lives are like."

"Sigh, I wish I were a villager from Chenjia Village!"

"..."

The crowd sighed with emotion; in truth, they too longed to stay in Chenjia Village.

However, they still had families and concerns in the county town, so they couldn't make up their minds like Cao Shui.

Before long, the laborers, exhausted from a day's work, gradually fell silent and drifted off to sleep with a touch of melancholy.

Cao Shui, who hadn't slept, turned to look at Li Lao Er, only to find that Li Lao Er was also awake. As their eyes met, Cao Shui lowered his voice and said, "Li Lao Er, when you get home, please tell my mother about me staying in Chenjia Village, and tell her not to worry!"

"no problem."

Li Lao Er readily agreed. He was from the same village as Cao Shui, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to inform Cao Shui's mother.

"but……"

Immediately afterward, Li Lao Er frowned and said, "Cao Shui, if you stay in Chenjia Village, will you still be able to get the 200 catties of flour that the prefect promised?"

Hearing this, Li Lao Er frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "The prefect is a good official, he shouldn't be so stingy as to withhold this little bit of grain. Li Lao Er, when you go back, try to see if you can get it for me. If you can, keep 20 catties for yourself and give the rest to my mother. If you can't, then forget it!"

"Also."

Li Lao Er nodded, and soon, the two, who were feeling somewhat tired, slowly drifted off to sleep.

…………

…………

The next day.

The warriors and laborers of the county town got up early and gathered at the village entrance to prepare to return to the county town.

It is worth mentioning that each of the laborers who came here received three large flatbreads distributed by Chenjia Village. Holding the warm flatbreads in their hands, everyone felt warm inside, as if the slight chill of the morning had been dispelled.

"Mr. Chen is such a kind person! We've finished all our work, and he still gives us big pancakes."

"Yes! Mr. Chen is the most generous employer I've ever met. I really want to work for Mr. Chen forever!"

"With this flatbread, we won't go hungry on our way back!"

"Yes! Mr. Chen is so kind to us, no wonder the villagers of Chenjia Village respect him so much!"

"..."

The laborers would tightly wrap the flatbread inside their clothes, feeling warm both physically and mentally, while constantly praising the goodness of Chen Dao.