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

Chapter 804 The Light of Devotion

"Yes! If it weren't for Chenjia Village and Mr. Chen, we don't know where we would have starved to death!"

Luo Laogen's wife chimed in, saying that she and Luo Laogen were both refugees who had fled famine from Liangzhou. They met in Chenjia Village and became a couple.

It can be said that Chenjia Village saved them from starvation and allowed them to live the good life they have today. Therefore, they are filled with infinite gratitude towards Chenjia Village and Chendao.

Now settled in Chenjia Village, Luo Laogen and his wife only want to contribute their share to the village. If possible, they hope to have one or two more children to continue the Luo Laogen bloodline, who has lost all his relatives...

This is the simplest wish in their hearts, and it is foreseeable that as long as Chenjia Village does not fall, and as long as Chenjia Village can continue to be led by the wise Mr. Chen, their wish will eventually be fulfilled.

"We are so lucky to live in Chenjia Village!"

"Yes! Chenjia Village is getting better and better!"

"We couldn't even afford steamed buns before, but now we can eat as many as we want, and there's even meat to eat. It's fucking wonderful!"

"Thank you, Mr. Chen, for making our lives so good!"

"Thank you Chenjia Village, thank you Mr. Chen!"

"..."

It's clear that Luo Laogen and his wife weren't the only ones filled with gratitude for Chenjia Village; almost everyone who lived there felt the same way.

As they enjoyed their delicious New Year's Eve dinner, they spoke fondly of Chenjia Village and Mr. Chen, their faces radiating piety.

…………

…………

Silent all night.

As the sun rose again, firecrackers once more echoed through Chenjia Village.

Villagers came out of their homes to visit relatives and friends, exchanging joyful greetings.

The children, on the other hand, would invite their playmates to join in the fun and games.

Everyone had a relaxed and joyful smile on their face, and the entire Chenjia Village was filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

While the entire Chenjia Village was celebrating the Spring Festival, Yongliang County remained as deserted as ever.

With the arrival of the Spring Festival, the weather in Liangzhou is no longer so cold, but this has not brought much improvement to the lives of the people in Yongliang County.

They remain poor, and even during the Spring Festival, very few families can afford a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner...

Most people in Yongliang County can only eat an extra bowl of wheat porridge on New Year's Eve. As for having meat and vegetables like the villagers of Chenjia Village, that's impossible.

Of course, the people of Yongliang County have mostly gotten used to this kind of life. After all, before Yang Zheng's rebellion, many of them couldn't even afford a bowl of wheat porridge. Now that they can eat wheat porridge, what more could they ask for?

In short, the people of Yongliang County are currently in a state of neither having enough to eat nor starving. Life is tough, but they can get through it if they persevere.

This is the living condition of the vast majority of people in Yongliang County: poor, but at least able to survive.

For the people of Chenjia Village, the Spring Festival is a rare time of relaxation and joy, but for the people of Yongliang County, it is not much different from any other year.

While every household in Chenjia Village was putting up Spring Festival couplets and setting off firecrackers, there was absolutely no festive atmosphere in the entire Yongliang County.

The people in the county still had work to do, and those who didn't had to stay at home to avoid the cold, trying to minimize energy consumption and save food.

"The weather has finally warmed up a bit; I reckon we can start planting soon!"

As dawn broke, Wu Laoshi, a farmer in Yongliang County, opened his door and looked outside. The bright sunshine outside eased his mind considerably.

The heavy snow that had lasted for months has finally stopped, and the temperature has risen a bit. Although it is still a bit cold, the weather will surely warm up completely soon, and then we can start planting.

For Wu Laoshi, farming was of paramount importance, because only by farming could he earn an income and support his large family.

"It's a pity my family doesn't have much land!"

Thinking of this, Wu Laoshi couldn't help but sigh. Last year, the Yongliang County government distributed a considerable amount of land to the people of Yongliang County. Wu Laoshi had thought he would also receive some, but unfortunately...

When the Yongliang County government allocated land, it gave priority to landless people. People like him who still had land at home could not get the land allocated by the government.

Wu Laoshi had no complaints about this, because he had seen firsthand how miserable the lives of those landless people were; they either became beggars, or vagrants, or starved to death...

It is reasonable for the government to prioritize allocating land to these people.

but……

Wu Laoshi heard that the government still had a lot of land, and wondered if they would distribute it to the people in the city.

Wu Laoshi couldn't help but think greedily.

Meanwhile, Wu Laoshi's wife had prepared breakfast and shouted, "Come and eat, everyone!"

"I'm coming!"

When it comes to meals, children are always the most enthusiastic. The five elders and their three children rushed from their rooms to the kitchen and sat down in their designated spots.

Wu Laoshi also closed the door to keep out the cold wind blowing in from outside, and then sat down with his wife and three children to have breakfast.

Breakfast at Wu Laoshi's house wasn't lavish; the only staple food was wheat porridge. However, neither the adults nor the children showed any sign of disgust; instead, they ate the wheat porridge in large mouthfuls.

"Old Shi!"

During the meal, Wu Laoshi's wife asked, "It's the New Year, should we go buy some meat to eat? There are quite a few merchants from Chenjia Village in the county now, and the price of meat is still relatively cheap."

The people of Yongliang County are not without the concept of celebrating the New Year; it's just that their family circumstances do not allow them to do so.

Although Wu Laoshi's family wasn't wealthy, they still had some savings. So his wife thought of buying some meat so that the children could have a good meal and the family could have some festive spirit.

"Not buying!"

Wu Laoshi rejected his wife's suggestion almost without thinking: "We don't have much money saved up. What if we run out of food if we buy meat?"

Old Wu didn't mean he didn't want his children to eat meat, but he knew very well that in this day and age, saving money to sell grain was the best choice.

after all……

The weather is unpredictable, and as a farmer who depends on the heavens for his livelihood, he couldn't guarantee that the crops he planted after the spring would yield a bountiful harvest.

Therefore, the family's savings must be kept in case of emergencies.

"All right!"

Seeing that Wu Laoshi's wife refused, she had no choice but to give up, ignoring the children's longing eyes, and continued to eat the wheat rice in her bowl, bite by bite.

"Boom boom boom!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door.