"Uncle Dai, let me introduce you."
Gu Qingcheng explained the whole story.
Dai Fa sized up Qian Wang a few times, feeling that this fellow looked quite honest. If they could settle matters with the government, they would indeed need manpower.
Hiring refugees was easier to control than hiring locals, so Dai Fa nodded and said:
"Okay, then you are welcome to join us."
As for subsequent loyalty, shirking responsibility, and other matters, they would be dealt with later.
As they spoke, the people of Qianjia Village had already dug clean snow blocks from the nearby hills, melted the snow to boil water, and were busy cooking.
The women in Qianjia Village cut the cured meat into cubes and put them in a pot with pickles to cook. A large pot was filled with water to cook porridge. As the soup in the pot boiled, the aroma of the porridge wafted out, making the surrounding refugees involuntarily swallow and frequently look in this direction.
Gu Qingcheng felt that this was also a good advertisement.
Mi Guo had already finished cooking the porridge and called them over to eat.
After the meal, Mi Guo, Gu Qingcheng, and Dai Fa set off together for Wangchun City to gather information.
Mi Guo and Gu Qingcheng did not have household registration documents, but this did not trouble Dai Fa. He had already befriended the guards at the city gate yesterday. Now, he claimed that Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo were his children and they needed to enter the city to buy some things.
Dai Fa secretly slipped the guard twenty copper coins. Seeing that Mi Guo and Gu Qingcheng were not old and did not look like bandits, the guard waved his hand and let them in.
Wangchun City was also a quite bustling small city. The streets were paved with flagstones and were relatively clean. Carriages, ox carts, and merchants shuttled back and forth, making them feel as if they had returned to the bustling Jinsha City of the past.
Dai Fa found a teahouse called Chunfeng and asked them to wait inside while he went to invite the county registrar.
Dai Fa, as expected of a capable businessman, had already made acquaintance with the county registrar yesterday.
In a county, below the county magistrate, besides the deputy magistrate, there was the registrar, so a registrar could still handle matters.
Gu Qingcheng was not in a hurry and, with Mi Guo, habitually entered the teahouse to wait.
There were quite a few types of tea here, including Oolong, green tea, and black tea.
Gu Qingcheng ordered a cup of Biluochun, while Mi Guo chose his favorite Yancha.
The tea snacks here were different from those in the north, mostly consisting of candied fruits and dried fruits. The four types of tea snacks served by the waiter were: a plate of dried tangerine peel with preserved plums, a plate of kumquat candy, a plate of roasted peanuts, and a plate of boiled broad beans.
The two leisurely enjoyed the bustling atmosphere of the teahouse, sipping tea and waiting for Dai Fa to bring the person over.
"Alas, the number of refugees outside the city is increasing, what can be done? Will they rush in to loot our property?"
Just then, a middle-aged tea guest nearby said worriedly.
Teahouses were gathering places for information everywhere. After sitting for a short while, they heard the local people discussing various matters.
"I heard they all fled from the north with great hardship. If we don't let them into the city, it's also inhumane."
"Bah, if you talk about humanity, then don't expect your home to be safe. These people are all desperate criminals, otherwise, how could they have traveled all the way from the north? Who knows how many lives they have on their hands!"
"But it's not a solution to let them linger outside the city. The government should allocate some land for them to live on and fend for themselves."
"I heard that the government plans to do just that."
"Alas, during this period, everyone should close their doors and rest early, and don't wander around at night. Who knows if one or two refugee bandits will run in, and you'll be unlucky if you encounter them."
The tea guests expressed their opinions, discussing animatedly.
Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo personally heard the true feelings of the local people towards the refugees.
Mi Guo asked sadly, "Sister, why do they guard against us like we are thieves and bandits? Why don't they trust us?"
Gu Qingcheng was used to it and comforted him:
"It's understandable. After all, not everyone wants strangers to invade their homes, and these strangers are of mixed quality. Some of them do engage in theft and robbery.
After we establish our new home, we will be law-abiding, and I believe everyone will accept us. Time will tell!"
In fact, most of the people here had no future.
But Mi Guo didn't need to know that now.
Although he knew there would be natural disasters, he had not yet fully grasped the cruelty of natural disasters. However, being comforted by Gu Qingcheng made him feel much better.
The two of them nibbled on sunflower seeds and shelled peanuts. They had been traveling and migrating in the wild all this time, and now, finally having a rare moment of leisure, they finally felt like human beings again.
Just then, Dai Fa, bowing and scraping, accompanied a middle-aged scholar in his thirties up to the teahouse.
Gu Qingcheng saw the arrogant look on the other's face and knew that this must be the county registrar Dai Fa had mentioned. So, he quickly got up to greet him.
"Lord Zeng, this is Young Master Gu. Young Master Gu, this is Lord Zeng of Wangchun City."
Dai Fa quickly introduced them to each other.
County Registrar Zeng did not expect Gu Qingcheng to be so respected by Dai Fa at such a young age, and he was secretly surprised.
However, having been in the martial arts world for so many years, he knew that there were three types of people in the martial arts world that should not be underestimated:
One is women, one is old people, and the other is young people.
Although Gu Qingcheng was young, his demeanor was extraordinary, and his confidence and composure made it easy to overlook "his" age.
For a moment, County Registrar Zeng dared not be presumptuous.
After some pleasantries, the four of them opened a private room for private conversation.
Gu Qingcheng asked the waiter to bring a pot of premium Yunnan Pu'er and reordered four types of dried fruits.
Dai Fa was a successful businessman and had his own social skills. His humility hid the intention of fleecing the other party.
"Lord Zeng, we have briefly discussed the matter of land earlier, but the specific requirements for the land parcels will be determined by our Young Master Gu," Dai Fa said respectfully.
"Alright, then let's hear Young Master Gu's thoughts," County Registrar Zeng said, stroking a few sparse beards on his chin.
Gu Qingcheng then inquired if Wangchun City had any mountainous land above 500 meters in altitude, suitable for habitation and cultivation.
"Oh, interesting. You want to be isolated from the world?"
County Registrar Zeng was surprised. Gu Qingcheng wasn't asking for any prime land, which was not difficult to arrange. His heart immediately relaxed.
If they were just asking for mountainous land, it would be too easy. The Great Zhou Dynasty now even had rewards for reclaiming wasteland!
However, County Registrar Zeng had not yet received any benefits, so he naturally wouldn't reveal these advantageous conditions first.
"Yes, Lord Zeng. You can probably feel that the townspeople have some prejudice against the refugees.
Of course, this is normal. Having lived here for a hundred or even several hundred years, who would want to share their hard-earned home with outsiders?
As outsiders, we also do not wish to gain anything without working for it.
Therefore, we want to start from the mountains, reclaim wasteland, and cultivate the land. Once we have a harvest and can support ourselves, we will gradually build good relationships with the local people and eventually integrate into society."