Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Worry Not About Scarcity, but About Inequality
Three days later.
[Name: Chen Mo.]
[Age: 17.]
[Cultivation Technique: Purple Sun Transformation Skill (Entry Level 1132.3/3000).]
[Realm: Refining the Viscera (Seventh Grade).]
[Power: 135.]
[Skills: Demon-breaking Saber Technique (Perfection 399983/1000000).]
During these three days, Chen Mo completed the measurement of the fields for Fu Ze Village, Wang Family Manor, Liu Village, and Xiaogao Village, and also cleared up the registration of all the villagers.
In total, there were 813 households, comprising 3326 people.
Among them, 925 were young and middle-aged adults.
There were twelve carpenters, two apprentice blacksmiths, nine hunters who made a living from hunting, besides Hu Qiang’s team of five, there were four other hunters who were recently counted, six literate persons, three butchers, and seven apprentice butchers.
Next, all that was required was to organize this information, register, and document it.
Due to three consecutive sunny days, the matter of Chen Mo being a "Immortal God Reincarnation" was firmly believed by all the villagers.
The previous inclusion of 137 young adults from neighboring counties, once their houses were built, Chen Mo planned to incorporate them all into the patrol team.
In his plan, the patrol team would later evolve into a militia.
Busy in the field as civilians, idle time as soldiers.
Among those two hundred sets of armor, Chen Mo kept one set for himself, one set for Hu Qiang, and gave all remaining sets to the patrol team.
And once the mountain stronghold construction is completed, those idle workers, Chen Mo also planned to incorporate into the patrol team, then divide them into two teams, assigning Zhang and Hu Qiang for management.
...
The sun set in the west.
Fu Ze Village set up three large pots.
Various fish like grass carp and crucian carp, gutted and cut into pieces, were put into the pots.
Then, the women added wild vegetables, mushrooms, and spring bamboo shoots, cleaned from the mountain.
The villagers who went up the mountain to build the stronghold returned, Hu Qiang led the group carrying a deer and a stupid roe deer, along with some wild chickens and rabbits.
The deer and stupid roe were brought into the village’s slaughterhouse, where the butchers cleaned them, then the village women salted, smoked, and stored them in the warehouse, guarded by the patrol team.
As for those wild chickens and rabbits, after plucking and cleaning, they were also cut and evenly distributed into the three large pots.
When the meat was cooked, salt was added for flavor.
"Dinner’s ready, dinner’s ready."
Zhang took a broken iron gong and banged it loudly.
The patrol team, fishing team, and fortress construction team gathered, except for those on duty, along with some family members.
"Make way, porridge is coming." Song Min, holding a wooden ladle, shuffled over with small steps, dimples gracing her rounded face that had gained some weight.
Behind Song Min, Han Anniang, Liu Clan, and two women pushed a cart carrying a large wooden barrel of steaming porridge.
The crowd made way, and as Han Anniang and the others passed by with the cart, they nodded respectfully, calling out:
"Mrs. Han."
"Lady Han."
Some bold ones even directly called her Lady Immortal Master.
The first day, Han Anniang was embarrassed and shy, but after three consecutive days, Han Anniang had gotten used to it.
The crowd lined up, each receiving a bowl of porridge, then came to the three iron pots where Zhang, Han Wu, and Hu Qiang ladled out from the pots into their bowls.
If someone had a good relationship with the trio, they would chuckle quietly during mealtime, saying, "Zhang, give me more fish meat."
At this, Han Wu and Hu Qiang would gaze over.
Zhang cleared his throat and shouted, "Damn it, if you take more, others take more, what about the ones behind?"
"Then give me more soup."
"Get lost."
Under Zhang’s reprimand, the person left sheepishly, then found three friends, squatted down, and chatted while eating with their chopsticks.
Could they eat to their fill?
Definitely not, each only got a bowl, the porridge was thin, it was impossible to feel full.
But there was fat to it, so they wouldn’t be hungry at night after eating.
For those at a "life and death moment," being sheltered and getting a meal was already satisfying.
The smell of meat mingled with wisps of steam spread throughout the village, causing the wives and elderly at home to swallow involuntarily.
A child leaned on the window, watching friends devouring porridge, swallowed and turned to their mother sewing clothes, smacking their lips, "Mother, why do Chen Yan and them have meat to eat, but we don’t?"
Upon hearing this, the child’s mother came to the window, glanced, then closed it, took the child away, saying, "Because their family is part of the fishing team."
"Then Mom, when can Dad join the fishing team?"
"No need to join the fishing team, when it’s your Dad’s turn to guard, Mom can take you and Ah Bao to eat."
"Huh, why? Didn’t Mom say only the fishing team can eat meat?"
"Ah Bao, I’m sorry, Mom didn’t explain clearly. Let me explain again to you now."
"..."
To encourage everyone’s enthusiasm.
Chen Mo decided to provide one meal a day.
By "everyone," he didn’t mean all villagers.
Only those who contributed to the village would qualify to eat.
That included the fishing team, construction team, patrol team, and so on.
And only the person themselves could eat, not their families.
If they wanted their families to join, the fishing team member would have to catch more than three pounds of fish that day, if not or less than three pounds, then only they could eat, their families couldn’t.
If they were patrol team members, only if that person was on duty, guarding, or scouting ahead would their families be eligible to eat.
As for the mountain stronghold construction team, only those who exerted heavy labor would qualify their families.
Then there were hunters, participating butchers, literate people, they and their families could also eat together.
Chen Mo did this mainly out of concern for avoiding issues of envy and unfairness.
If it wasn’t done this way, take the fishing team as an example, if someone caught three pounds of fish while someone else caught none, if they were told that both families could eat, it would be unfair to those who caught fish.
Thinking everyone is the same, why bother fishing, they might slack off the next day, since whether they caught fish or not, both they and their family could eat.
Because of Chen Mo’s decision, the fishing team caught over two hundred pounds of fish every day.
Of course, Chen Mo’s decision had many loopholes.
Take the fishing team as an example again, there were skilled and unskilled ones.
For someone skilled, theoretically catching ten pounds of fish daily, they might easily reach three pounds and slack off or be idle.
Plus, the weight of fish from Dadong Lake varied.
If someone was lucky and caught a ten-pound fish, then what?
And if they caught carp, what then?
Thus, given the current situation, Chen Mo could only strive to maintain relative fairness, unable to assure absolute fairness.
He had no money now, so he had to sustain this temporarily.
...
After everyone lined up and finished eating, Chen Mo joined to eat last, portraying that they ate first, same food as them.