Chapter 18 "Akatsuki", The first ray of light before dawn
"It's Lord Kumokawa!"
"Kumokawa-sama is here!"
Someone with sharp eyes saw Kumokawa holding an umbrella in the distance, and his shouting voice also attracted other people around him.
"Stop, stop what you are doing!"
The old supervisor's eyes suddenly lit up, and he called on everyone to stop and rest for a while, and then ran towards Kumokawa.
"Lord Kumokawa." The old supervisor bared his big white teeth and pointed to the built house behind him. "How do you feel? I am trying my best to follow the design plan you gave me. If you have any problems, please tell me. The old guys and I will make changes as soon as possible!"
The gangster temperament in him has not completely dissipated, but it can also be seen that he respects and appreciates Kumokawa.
"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Wudu." Kumokawa smiled, looked up at the houses in the distance, and a look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
The environment in the Country of Rain is indeed very special and harsh.
But life itself is a miracle.
The extreme and harsh environment creates a special life!
A plant similar to a "banyan tree" with "aerial roots", its branches can absorb more than 30 kilograms of moisture from the air every day.
The sap can replace special coatings to prevent moisture, and can also purify rainwater into domestic water that can be used by humans. It is a building material that is extremely suitable for the environment of the Land of Rain.
The main purpose is to use this kind of material to build the building, leaving high railings to separate the upper and lower floors. The people living upstairs keep the sundries downstairs.
These things will definitely need to be updated in the future. After all, apart from "water supply and drainage", the strongest thing in the Rain Country is actually the steel industry, but for now...
"Not bad, it's really good!"
Kumokawa nodded, looked at the old supervisor in front of him, and said with a smile: "You guys do a good job! After a while, when the house is built and you will stay here, then I will introduce wives to you guys!"
Hearing this, the old supervisor was stunned for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. He suddenly turned his head and looked behind him, and put his hands in front of his mouth like a trumpet: "You old bastards, listen up. If you want to marry a wife, just do it well. Mr. Kumokawa has agreed to our request, work hard and get a wife!"
"Don't blame us. It's you, the old fool, who misses women!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The others laughed.
"Fart!" The old guys' cheers immediately made the old supervisor blush, spitting and yelling: "Stop talking nonsense, Keep working!"
"oh!"
The rest of the people raised their tools and chimed in. Soon they were laughing and joking and getting busy again. It could be seen that they became more enthusiastic. It seemed that they could feel the warmth and noise emanating from them, and they felt that the chill around them had been dispelled.
"...."
The expression on Yahiko's face became complicated, and a look of envy flashed in his eyes, and he whispered: "You have such a charming personality?"
Even though he didn't want to admit defeat, he couldn't help but admire Kumokawa's appeal and affinity here.
"Of course not."
Kumokawa raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "You don't think I rely on just one mouth, do you? I pay them twice the market price!"
He won't not open a warehouse to provide disaster relief like Hanzo, nor would he try to make people work in vain just by talking.
Kumokawa's approach is actually very simple.
--Work-for-relief!
At the beginning of this troubled time, the common people had lost confidence in the nobles and daimyo, and they could no longer simply open warehouses to provide disaster relief, because they did not even believe that the nobles would be kind enough to send food for no reason.
Even if someone is spreading Hanzo's reputation as a virtuous person, those who have been displaced don't want to believe it.
Unless they are useless people who have no skills and are so hungry that they have no way to survive, no one wants to become worthless cannon fodder in the war. They hope to rely on their skills to keep themselves fed.
Those who are willing to become cannon fodder and have to support them before the war begins will only become a burden, and the effort and reward are completely out of proportion.
"Thousands of people with hands and feet can create more value if they can be guided correctly."
With this idea in mind, Kumokawa did not try to gain fame through disaster relief at all.
Anyway, this country is no longer trustworthy from top to bottom, so it is better to establish new rules, and Kumokawa can also mix some personal things in it.
Therefore, he directly let these refugees work and paid them with money and food everyday.
If you can work, you can eat. It's so reasonable!
The work-for-relief method has completely dispelled the worries of the refugees. No matter how many people there are, their wages will be paid once a day and will never be in arrears.
"Twice the wages? One payment per day?" After hearing Kumokawa's simple explanation, Konan was stunned and asked subconsciously, "Brother Kumokawa, do you have so much money?"
As if Kumokawa thought of something funny, he couldn't help but laugh and said: "You might as well ask me where the money went."
Since it is development, of course it cannot be separated from "business"!
As the old saying goes, Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Kumokawa taught them to build their own houses, and when they were finished, the money they received from Kumokawa could be used to buy the houses they built themselves.
If it's not enough, you can move in with just a "down payment" and pay back a certain percentage of the money every month.
As long as you make up the missing money, the house is yours.
In the same way, when you are hungry at work, you always have to eat and drink. Why don't you go to a bar to be cool now that you are rich?
Kumokawa even selected some talented people and taught them new dishes and wine-making methods, which not only promoted business development but also satisfied his own appetite.
After all, the most popular food in the Land of Rain is "bread", and Kumokawa really cannot compliment the level of cooking skills in the entire ninja world.
The dishes he teaches always receive a lot of praise.
If there is a market, there will be people who want to make money, so you will need land for farming and opening a tavern,right?
Commercial land, agricultural land.
I have land here!
Where did the land come from?
Of course he stole it from the bandits...
Phew, of course it was seized!
No money to buy land?
It's okay, I can rent it to you!
30% tax, 20% rent! As long as you rent it for ten years, this land will be yours. From then on, you will only have to pay taxes, not rent!
"..." Yahiko was speechless.
"..." Konan was speechless.
"..." Ayumi was speechless.
The expressions on the faces of the three little ones gradually synchronized, and they looked at Kumokawa with weird eyes, as if they were looking at a living demon.
However, compared to Ayumi and Yahiko, Konan was a little thoughtful.
Kumokawa took the money out of his left pocket, spent it in a circle and returned it to his right pocket. He never left this small town from the beginning to the end.
"Don't look at me like this, I never said I was a good person." Kumokawa shrugged his shoulders and said calmly, "But only when people have perseverance can they have perseverance. For them, it is difficult to have a full meal. Eating enough is the truth."
"I just give them hope and a chance. Those who want to live will naturally hold on to it. Those who cannot hold on will not be qualified to live."
Just like those construction workers, they are all low-level people with no strength.
If the market is good, they will be "construction workers". If the market is not good, they will just become a bandit with a hammer.
They may not know the big truth, but they know who is good to them and who can give them hope of living.
Who can make them no longer numb, no longer painful, no longer crying, no longer hungry….
Therefore, they would stuff Kumokawa with food they were reluctant to eat, or things they considered "treasures", or even put them directly outside his office, then turn around and run away, as if they were afraid of being returned.
Although they may seem rough, this is their way of showing kindness and respect.
Just like what Kumokawa said, as long as you can have enough food and clothing, you will know that etiquette is more important than honor and disgrace.
Facing these extremely clumsy guys, Kumokawa doesn't mind "being in harmony with the light".
Just like this, his image and reputation are rising steadily in the hearts of this group of people. Many people know "Kumokawa-sama" but don't know the meaning of "His Royal Highness."
Your Highness the Daimyo?
What is that?
They believe in "Kumokawa"!
"Brother." Ayumi raised her head slightly and asked coldly, "I haven't seen any police. Who is maintaining order and protecting this small city?"
You can't rely entirely on self-awareness, and you can't rely on him alone. There will always be times when he is not around.
If someone takes advantage of this time to plunder, it feels unreliable to rely solely on the refugees...
"It's just that you can't see it." Kumokawa shook his head and corrected, "It doesn't mean that it doesn't exist."
As the words fell, it was as if some "switch" was turned on, and the "curtain" blocking the eyes of the little kids was opened.
In the dim alleys around you, in those inconspicuous corners, even among the group of workers.
Quietly, figures of various heights, short, fat, and thin, and ordinary faces with unremarkable appearance appeared around Kumokawa in a "silent" way, like people hiding in the shadows coming out.
Everyone standing here seems to be a born assassin.
"I gave them a name."
Looking at the little ones who were still surprised, Kumokawa's eyes turned dark and he chuckled: "Akatsuki." ( Akatsuki means dawn or daybreak)
Now is the transition between night and dawn, but the meager skylight is blocked by the fog, looming as if melting into the rain and mist.
There was only a dim light reflecting the halo of dew at their feet, slightly illuminating the flock of owls behind him whose wings had not yet washed away the night.
That is the first ray of light before dawn.