The officer's face was gloomy as water, saying, "Take her away now, if this happens again, there won't be any mercy."
"Yes, yes, yes, thank you, sir."
The old man kowtowed over and over again, and then hurried away with two villagers leading the woman away.
Lu Qingshan and the others exchanged uncertain looks, still feeling their hairs standing on end, the chill lingering in their hearts.
"A vengeful ghost demanding lives, what a ridiculous talk."
The officer sneered, "I'm not going to hide it from you, a plague occurred in Kaoshan Village not long ago, causing many villagers to die from illness, leaving many houses vacant. But rest assured, the plague has been controlled. You can move in without worries."
"In addition, the fields left behind by the deceased villagers will also be allocated to you for cultivation. After the harvest next year, handing over fifty percent of the yield as tax will suffice."
There are fields to be distributed?
Everyone was overjoyed, and the chill in their hearts dissipated somewhat.
The requirement to hand over fifty percent of the yield as tax was completely overlooked by them.
They were on the verge of starvation now, who would care about fifty percent tax? And in this era of warring, fifty percent tax is genuinely not high.
"Next, there are two announcements."
"First, out of compassion, the family head allows you to borrow food. Each household is entitled to a maximum of three pecks of brown rice and some potato seeds. However, after the harvest next year, an extra fifty percent will be added as interest. You can register one by one if interested."
The officer continued.
There was a stir among the crowd out of excitement.
They could even borrow food and seeds.
With each peck being about 18.75 pounds, three pecks would be over 56 pounds. Coupled with wild vegetables, wild fruits, seed, etc., a family could last several months without any issue.
It was now the eighth day of September, just the season for planting potatoes. Potatoes have a short growing period, generally maturing around two months. If planted now, they can be harvested in November.
As long as they could get over this period, they could survive.
"I'll register…"
"I'll register…"
Each household sent a representative to register.
"Food and seeds will be brought in later, now, for the second announcement."
"The Liu Family needs soldiers to defend our homeland, so we are recruiting a group of young people for training. Those between the ages of fourteen and twenty are eligible. Not only will we provide free food and drink, but we will also teach you the method of Martial Arts Cultivation, and there will be a monthly stipend of three hundred Wen."
The officer continued.
This statement made many people's eyes light up.
Free food and drink, and there would even be three hundred Wen a month.
Due to the war, the price of food was rising year by year. The current price of brown rice was about two Wen, and three hundred Wen would be enough to buy approximately seventy-five pounds of brown rice. Sparsely rationed, it could feed a family of three for two months.
Most importantly, they could learn Martial Arts.
In this world, Martial Arts took precedence. Even more so in this warring era, once one achieved some success in Martial Arts training, one could leap into the ranks of the elites. Who wouldn't be tempted?
Although joining the army was risky, it was better than starving to death.
With one nice surprise after another, the unease brought about by the hysterical village woman was soon completely dispelled.
Immediately, quite a few eligible ones came forward to register.
"Father, Mother, I want to sign up."
Lu Yan said.
After these past fifteen days, along with the memories of his previous life, Lu Yan had a clear understanding. As a lower-class person who lacked the ability to defend himself and take risks, his life was in the hands of the strong. Any slight problem could lead to his demise.
Being born again, he didn't want to live like this. He wanted to cultivate Martial Arts, to become stronger and able to protect himself and his family, rather than being like fish on the butcher's block, subject to others' whims.
But wanting to cultivate Martial Arts wasn't simple. Unless someone discovered his unique talent, his only chance to get in touch with Martial Arts was to spend a significant amount of money to learn at martial arts schools.
But where would he get the money? He would never save enough money for Martial Arts training in his lifetime from farming.
He did not want to miss this opportunity.
Without consulting Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui, he walked straight to the officer. He knew very well that Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui certainly wouldn't let him join the army.
It was already too late for Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui to stop Lu Yan. They just stood there anxiously.
"Your constitution is too weak, your foundation is thin, you don't meet the requirements, step down."
The officer rejected him outright with just one look.
Lu Yan could only step down helplessly, while Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui sighed a breath of relief.
In the end, twelve people fulfilled the requirements and were recorded, waiting to leave with the officer.
About an hour later, carts of food supplies and seeds arrived. Everyone lined up to receive their share of food and seeds.
Then each household was given a wooden tag with a house number written on it. There was a corresponding house number on every house door in the village. According to the numbers, they could find their assigned houses and move in.
The house number that Lu Qingshan received was thirty-six.
They found their designated house, number thirty-six, with their food supplies and seeds.
The house was located at the edge of the village. It was not big, built with mud and covered with straw, including three rooms, a small hall, and a small kitchen.
Some rusty farming tools like hoes, shoulder poles, winnowing fans and others were placed in front of the door. Unfortunately, the original owners of the house were already gone.
Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui immediately started to clean the house while Lu Yan wanted to help but was stopped by the elder two. They advised Lu Yan to rest well since he was still recovering from a severe illness.
By the time they finished cleaning, it was nightfall. Wang Cui gathered some brown rice and made a pot of thick congee.
The family of three gathered around the wooden table, enjoying their meal.
There were rice husks mixed in the brown rice, which made it rough to the taste. In the past, Lu Yan found it hard to swallow, but now he found it incredibly sweet.
With a bowl of brown rice congee calming his stomach, he felt warm all over.
The bewildered despair that had been in the eyes of the elder two during their days of seeking refuge was replaced by hope and expectations for their future lives.
There was a house, there were fields, there were food supplies, and there were seeds. This was their hope.
"Yan, have a good rest early. I will go hunting in the mountains tomorrow morning and get you a rabbit to replenish your body."
Lu Qingshan said.
At night, the moonlight shining in the straw-roofed house, Lu Yan laid on the wooden bed, his thoughts in a jumble, finding it hard to sleep.
Sometimes he thought about the scenes of famine he had seen on their journey, sometimes he thought about the terrifying power of the knight who could kill someone with one spear thrust, and then about the hysterical shouting of the mad village woman from the day...
For some reason, he always had an uneasy feeling, as if the darkness of midnight was getting thicker and thicker.
"This world is full of dangers. I must have the ability to protect myself. What is the book in my mind exactly? Why is there still no response?"
As a transmigrator, Lu Yan wasn't special in any aspect. On the first day of his rebirth, he discovered a book in his mind. If he concentrated, the book would appear. However, despite many attempts, Lu Yan couldn't find any special functions.
After numerous fruitless attempts, Lu Yan had to give up.
Feeling anxious and confused, sleep eventually snuck up on him. Just as he drifted into a hazy sleep, a sharp scream pierced through the small village's quiet night, jolting Lu Yan upright on his bed.