The village chief, Little Gu, found it quite imaginable. They had experienced similar hardships on their journey fleeing famine.
But that these people would listen to Qingcheng and follow her up the mountain was unlike the somewhat introverted girl he knew.
When they had traveled for another hour and a half, reaching the mountain pass, and saw the tall stone walls, Chief Little Gu almost believed they had become outlaws, for only bandit strongholds had such imposing stone fortifications.
After passing through the pass and arriving at the village, they saw neat wooden houses, children playing, and villagers bustling about. Everyone had a rosy complexion, looked well-nourished, and appeared at peace. It was truly unbelievable.
"Chief Dai, this is a true paradise. Is Qingcheng really that capable? To transform such a barren mountain ravine into this in just half a year?"
A villager murmured in disbelief.
Along the way, Dai Fa had told them some of the past events of Phoenix Village, hence the question.
It wasn't the first time Dai Fa had seen outsiders react with such shock to Phoenix Village. He felt a sense of satisfaction and nodded, saying,
"Yes, thanks to Young Master Gu. He provided the funds, labor, and supplies, allowing us to slowly establish ourselves. Now the village has everything. Look, that's our village banner."
Following Dai Fa's gesture, Chief Little Gu saw the phoenix banner fluttering in the wind, carrying an unspeakable aura of dominance.
Chief Little Gu was deeply moved. Phoenix Village was so good, and Qingcheng had such influence. Finally, they had a place to settle.
"Chief Little Gu, this is our communal canteen. This is the person in charge, Hehua. She will arrange everything for you. Please eat first. After eating, we'll need you to undergo deworming and a bath, and then we'll assign housing.
Since you are villagers from Taoyuan Village, a batch of newly built houses will be provided for your use first. However, it's unlikely each family will get their own. You'll have to share rooms, with men and women separated, and try to fill each room as much as possible."
Dai Fa explained briefly.
"To have food and shelter, we Taoyuan villagers have truly arrived in paradise!" Chief Little Gu exclaimed excitedly.
"Heh heh, if you need anything, or if there's any neglect in hospitality, please don't hesitate to tell me," Dai Fa said.
"It's already very good. Thank you."
Chief Little Gu recalled the scenes of being rejected by larger villages and then looked at Phoenix Village, meticulously built by Gu Qingcheng, shining brightly, its aura no less imposing than older villages. And because of Gu Qingcheng, they were being accepted into such a place.
Before meeting Gu Qingcheng, Chief Little Gu had only hoped for a place to live, let alone any demands or conditions.
They were told they would be fed and given free housing, which was beyond his imagination.
He had initially thought that being accepted into Phoenix Village and being allowed to build a makeshift shelter in a corner of the village would be enough, but to his surprise, everything was arranged better than he had ever imagined.
"Young Master Gu said that if you came, you should first settle in, recuperate, and he'll discuss things further upon his return."
Dai Fa knew that people who had been fleeing famine for a long time were physically depleted, almost to the point of exhaustion or depletion of vital energy.
Therefore, they couldn't push them too hard immediately.
For villagers who arrived on the mountain later, Phoenix Village's policy was to let them rest for five to seven days, and then assign them tasks based on their condition.
Chief Little Gu and the villagers ate the plain noodles made by Hehua. The noodles were generously filled with various delicious meatballs and fish balls, and each person also received a poached egg. The bowl of plain noodles was incredibly delicious.
They could afford such a bowl of noodles in their hometowns before, but after fleeing the famine, opportunities to eat such fragrant noodles were rare.
Everyone ate so heartily that they couldn't even lift their heads.
The remaining people from Taoyuan Village were those who were strong and healthy before. There were 31 men and only 10 women, all of whom had decent physical conditions in the past.
However, after the hardships of famine, they were now all as thin as skeletons. Compared to the native villagers of Phoenix Village, they couldn't help but feel ashamed.
Hehua was very hospitable towards them. Knowing they were fellow villagers of Young Master Gu, she put all her energy into serving them.
In addition to making a large bowl of noodles filled with ingredients for each person, she also fried a pancake for everyone.
They were not meat pies because she was afraid they couldn't handle the richness of the meat fat at their current state.
This was also Hehua's experience from hosting disaster victims before.
Many disaster victims suffered from diarrhea after eating meat pies because their digestive systems had been deprived of oil and fat for too long.
Hehua only used some peanut oil to fry the pancakes, making them golden brown on both sides.
The villagers of Taoyuan Village were so moved that tears welled up in their eyes!
This was the life they deserved, a normal life. They had to stay here!
Chief Little Gu understood their expressions and smiled, saying,
"Since Qingcheng took the initiative to find us, we must also abide by the rules here and not tarnish her reputation. Let's strive to stay in Phoenix Village."
The villagers of Taoyuan Village felt a sense of relief.
After Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo had finished discussing the two matters they were concerned about, they quickly descended the mountain the next day and embarked on their journey back to fetch their parents.
As they descended, they passed through Wangchun City and found it in a state of utter devastation. Only buildings above the third floor had their rooftops visible above the water.
In those days, buildings above three stories were rare, meaning over 99% of the houses were submerged.
The water level had not receded, and bodies, both human and animal, floated on the surface. The bloated and pale corpses, along with the unpleasant odor emanating from the water, made Mi Guo feel nauseous.
Gu Qingcheng observed that no one was attending to these bodies and shook her head, saying,
"The situation is dire. With no one to handle the bodies, the government has abandoned them. A plague is likely to follow."
"Will our Phoenix Village be affected?" Mi Guo asked worriedly.
"It's hard to say." Gu Qingcheng then spotted a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy standing by the river, collecting driftwood.
She walked over and called out to him,
"Young man, could you come here for a moment?"
"What is it?"
Seeing Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo dressed neatly, the boy dared not neglect them and approached.
"What is it?"
Seeing Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo dressed neatly, the boy dared not neglect them and approached.
Gu Qingcheng noticed he was quite agile, but his face clearly showed exhaustion. She took out two steamed buns from paper bags and said,
"Here are two buns and a bottle of water. Will you deliver a letter to Phoenix Village for me? If you deliver it, you'll be rewarded with one tael of silver."
"Really? Is there such a good thing?"