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

Chapter 213 A Full Meal

Chapter 213 A Full Meal "Zhang He is quite an extraordinary person!"

Wang Ling said meaningfully, "The incident of the refugees storming the county town that I told you about before was orchestrated by him. I just didn't expect that he would still be alive!"

Wang Ling actually arrived outside the county town not much earlier than Liu Qiaoshou. He had heard about Zhang He from other refugees. According to what he knew, many refugees who rushed into the town that night were killed or injured. After all, the chaos that the refugees created in the town could be described as a rebellion, so the government officials naturally did not show any mercy.

Unexpectedly, Zhang He, the instigator, is still alive and seems to have become the magistrate's confidant.

"Zhang He actually did something so big?"

Liu Qiaoshou was stunned. What surprised him even more was that Zhang He, who had committed such a rebellion, was still alive.

And judging from his appearance, he's doing quite well, having become the head constable in the county town!

"I'm sure you're all curious as to why I want to see you?"

After introducing himself, Xu Zhiwen looked at everyone and asked.

"Yes! What do you want with us, Magistrate? Are you letting us into the city to find a way to make a living?"

"Please, Magistrate, let us into the city! My children haven't had a proper meal in days!"

"Your Excellency, please give us a full meal!"

"..."

Many of the refugees pleaded, as many of them had not had a full meal in a long time and were constantly hungry.

Anyone who has ever been hungry knows that the burning sensation of hunger is truly unbearable.

"No need to rush, I'm here to give you a full meal!"

Faced with the crowd's pleas, Xu Zhiwen continued, "I hereby announce that all refugees outside the city will be able to have a full meal after registering their names!"

As soon as Xu Zhiwen finished speaking, a burning light immediately shone in the eyes of the many refugees!

"Your Excellency, are you telling the truth?"

"Will we really be able to get enough to eat?"

"Are you trying to fool us?"

"..."

Every single one of the refugees stared wide-eyed at Xu Zhiwen, as if afraid he was lying.

Why would I lie to you?

Xu Zhiwen shook his head and chuckled, saying, "Of course, this meal isn't free. I need you to put in some effort to cultivate the farmland for me!"

In the past few days, Xu Zhiwen has completed the inventory of the abandoned land belonging to the Yuan family, the Zhu family, and some other families in Taiping County. This land, in total, amounts to no less than ten thousand mu. Once this land is cultivated, crops can be planted next year, and then…

The entire Taiping County was then free from worries about food shortages.

As for where these refugees' food came from... it naturally came from the Yuan family. After eliminating the Yuan family, Xu Zhiwen obtained a large amount of grain. This grain might be difficult to solve the food shortage problem in Taiping County, but it was not a problem to provide these refugees with two meals a day and give them the strength to work.

"We're not afraid of hard work. As long as we get something to eat, we're willing to put in our best effort!"

"Me too! Me too! County Magistrate, I'm willing to work!"

"We're not afraid to work hard, as long as you, magistrate, are willing to give us food!"

"..."

Almost without thinking, everyone agreed to Xu Zhiwen's request. For these refugees, as long as they could have enough to eat, they would probably not hesitate to do anything, let alone work hard or even sell their bodies.

Not to mention... the county magistrate made them do farm work. It's no exaggeration to say that more than 90% of these refugees were farmers before, so farm work was no challenge for them at all.

"very good!"

Hearing everyone's response, Xu Zhiwen nodded, then changed the subject and said, "Of course, if you don't want to do farm work, there are other places to go!"

Xu Zhiwen pointed to Chen Dao and continued, "This young friend Chen wants to recruit some craftsmen to help him. If there are any craftsmen who know some skills, they can also work for young friend Chen."

Upon hearing this, the refugees all looked at Chen Dao's still somewhat immature face, filled with suspicion.

"This kid looks so young, can he really handle anything?"

"I'd rather work for the county magistrate; this kid doesn't seem very reliable!"

"I think so too."

"..."

Most of the refugees instinctively felt a little distrustful when they saw how young Chen Dao was, but Liu Qiaoshou squinted and carefully examined Chen Dao, seemingly lost in thought.

Just then, Chen Dao walked up to Xu Zhiwen and said, "My promise is the same as the county magistrate's. As long as a craftsman has skills and is willing to work for me, I can guarantee that he can eat his fill every day. If he does a good job, he might even get paid!"

"I can testify on behalf of young friend Chen."

Xu Zhiwen replied, "What Young Friend Chen says is absolutely true."

Seeing Xu Zhiwen vouch for Chen Dao, the crowd couldn't help but trust him more. This is how the people of Xia Kingdom are: they hate the government and corrupt officials, yet they also tend to trust the government. It's an extremely awkward mentality.

"Although this kid surnamed Chen can provide us with enough to eat, I'd still rather work for the county magistrate."

"Me too."

"I still feel more secure working for the county magistrate."

"..."

Although Xu Zhiwen's guarantee convinced everyone of Chen Dao's abilities, ultimately, the refugees still preferred to work for the government, after all...

Xu Zhiwen's identity as county magistrate naturally made him more credible than Chen Dao's youthful face.

"Skilled hands".

Wang Ling poked Liu Qiaoshou with his index finger and asked in a low voice, "I plan to work for the government. What about you?"

Liu Qiaoshou remained silent, hesitating in his heart. To be honest, he would rather do craftsmanship than farm work, since he had spent most of his life as a craftsman and had more experience in that area.

But Chen Dao looked too young, which made him very hesitant, unsure whether he should trust Chen Dao.

"I plan to think about it some more."

Liu Qiaoshou gave an ambiguous answer.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhiwen, who was standing at the front of the group, said, "Alright! Government officials will come to register you in a little while. Just tell them your names and whether you want to do farm work or craftsmanship!"

After saying that, Xu Zhiwen said half-jokingly, "Alright! Someone will come to distribute porridge later, so I won't stay any longer. You should all go back first! Otherwise, I'll have to worry about you storming the county town at any time!"

After saying that, Xu Zhiwen turned around and led Chen Dao and the others into the city.

Meanwhile, the refugees who had gathered outside the city dispersed with joyful faces, happily returning to their own huts to tell their families the good news.

"Honey, I'm home!"

Liu Qiaoshou returned to his shed with a joyful expression and called out to his wife inside.