The Slender Waist-Chapter 94 - 74: The Village Chief’s Wife_2

What was Xiao Cheng going to do?

Feng Yun’s mind conjured up the image of the distinguished and elegant face of Xiao San Lang, dressed in his wedding attire, standing tall before the hall, exuding grace and grandeur...

That was how he looked when he married her.

It’s been a long time since she last saw her husband.

Feng Yun smiled faintly.

The newlywed Xiao Lang wouldn’t be thinking of her.

Were the Jin Ge and Tie Ma here to search for Wen Xingsu’s whereabouts?

That was the most logical explanation.

"My brother and I were captured, ashamed beyond measure, but no matter how they questioned us, we kept our mouths shut..."

"Seeing they could not pry anything from us, they left us in the teahouse, promising us full meals; we didn’t dare to act rashly and pretended to agree... Today, Mr. Ren suddenly said he wanted to send us back to our hometown; we thought he was going to sell us... Unexpectedly, he took us to intercept Wa Chang, to have him bring us back to Changmen..."

Xing Bing nodded, confirming what the two had said.

Feng Yun did not speak.

The Geddon brothers were very anxious.

"Miss, believe us, we truly haven’t said anything..."

"Heaven knows how Mr. Ren found out we were from the village."

"Miss, we really haven’t spoken..."

"I know," Feng Yun said with a slight smile, signaling them to rise, "If you don’t want anyone to know, don’t do it yourself. There is no such thing as an impenetrable wall in this world..."

Besides, that teahouse was originally managed by Lin E’s paramour, and Huan Jiao had sought his assistance as well, having some connections with eunuch Fang. Now that the backer had become Ren Rude, what had transpired needed further investigation.

Without saying much more, Feng Yun sent the Geddon brothers to rest and gave Xing Bing a few instructions before going out to the yard to inspect his purchases from Shiguan County.

On the ox cart, there were only two or three bags of grain and some assorted farming tools.

Xing Bing was quite ashamed, "I searched all over Shiguan County town, but couldn’t find anything else. This year’s harvest was poor in Shiguan County, and a great number of refugees have poured in; the grain was depleted long ago. The government office, apart from reserving enough for farming, consumed all the grain seeds, and the farmers’ homes have none to spare..."

He picked up a small iron hoe that he brought back.

"It’s easy to speak of wooden rakes and harrows, but any iron-made farm tools are extremely expensive. One cannot buy them ready-made with money; one must place orders in advance, trading grain and cloth for them..."

Seeing Feng Yun furrow her brows, Xing Bing sighed, "Bandits are rampant everywhere, trade routes are cut off, and the blacksmiths too lack iron to forge."

Iron implements were always valuable, and during warfare, the Imperial Court strictly regulated them. Originally, Feng Yun wanted to order a batch of knives, spears, bows, and arrows to strengthen the defense for Meiling’s troops, in addition to making farming tools.

It now seemed to be wishful thinking.

The Feng Family had extensive farmland, and if there were a lack of farming tools, they could rely on manpower. But many farmers would truly have nothing but their hands to scratch a living from the soil.

Feng Yun walked around the fields in the afternoon.

The lack of farming tools and seeds was a difficulty for most of the Huaxi Village farmers. She saw firsthand families straining with wooden plows in the fields.

When people saw her come out, they asked if they could borrow oxen, iron plows...

Being the Village Chief is not an easy job.

Pei Jue has posed her a great challenge.

Feng Yun returned to her room, wiped her face, and instructed Xing Bing to notify the villagers.

"Gather under the Great Pagoda Tree outside Changmen Village. The Wa Chang and She Chang should be named and present."

As Alou had been recuperating indoors lately, Xing Bing was treated as if Alou himself, becoming very adept at handling various tasks. He called upon two of his men and promptly set out.

Huaxi Village, as its name implies, has a small creek encircling the village that flows into the Changhe River. Changmen Village occupies a corner by the creek bend, with a wide, flat terrace outside its gates. Below the terrace runs the stream, making it the largest homestead in the entire village. The rest of the village houses are mostly gathered around the manor and the creek, boasting a uniquely beautiful scenery.

In less than half an hour, villagers started to gather under the three great pagoda trees lined up outside the courtyard.

The Wa Chang and village elders came running the fastest.

This was Feng Yun’s first village meeting since she had become the Village Chief.

Several bags of grain had already been laid out under the pagoda trees, along with some scattered farming tools.

In those days, grains were lifesaving.

People usually hid their grains away, so seeing several large bags laid out like this was quite eye-catching.

Children ran around the pagoda trees while the adults quietly waited.

"Village Chief’s wife, what is this about?"

"Is the grain being distributed to us?"

Feng Yun responded to each question, "Just wait until everyone is here, then I will explain."

Even though the title "Village Chief’s wife" was a bit peculiar, it was unique to her. In the lands of Jin and Qi, where else could one find a woman serving as village chief? Only she, Feng Yun.

When everyone had arrived, Xing Bing sounded a gong.

"Quiet!"

The crowd quieted down to listen to the village chief’s wife speak.

Feng Yun wasn’t power-hungry; her speech was brief and to the point.

"The grains are not for eating, they are for sowing."

"The farm tools are collectively owned and will be evenly distributed by household. Those without tools can register with the Wa Chang, who will then report to the village elders. Everyone will take turns using them so that no family is left out."

"There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Buying grains and renting tools both cost money."

"If you have no money, you can put it on the tab and pay later, after the harvest."

"If we don’t have enough farm tools or seeds, we will acquire more. In the future, every household will be able to use iron farming tools."

"With the growing population in Huaxi Village, we need to have a set of village rules. Once I have them written, they will be posted under the Great Pagoda Trees. Those who cannot read can ask the Wa Chang or village elders to explain them."

There was a murmur in the crowd.

Changmen Village had many strange rules, all set by Feng Shi Er Niang.

When people in the village first heard about these, they made fun of them, but later on, they became envious.

In such hard times, the servants of her household could have three meals a day and occasionally taste a bit of meat. With such good fortune, what was following a few rules?

Moreover, Feng Shi Er Niang said she would bring in iron farming tools.

Iron tools were much better than wooden ones, more durable and labor-saving. With iron tools, their hands wouldn’t be so blistered and cracked, and the land could be more deeply cultivated and precisely sown. If you could harvest more grain, you would have enough to eat...

There was an uproar of cheers under the Great Pagoda Tree.

Hearing that Feng Shi Er Niang had also set rules for them made most people happy.

But with more people, there were bound to be one or two troublesome individuals.

"Why should we follow your rules?"

"The land is ours. By saying this, isn’t everyone in the village becoming your tenant? How is that different from before?" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The voice was clearly that of a troublemaker.

Feng Yun looked over and saw an unfamiliar face.