Under Cheng Xu’s guidance, the craftsmen of Gaojia Village transitioned from haphazardly making equipment to producing it in a planned manner.

Previously, Li Daoxuan would casually give an order and not manage it further; he didn’t want to handle matters too meticulously.

Now, with Cheng Xu present, there was someone to manage the details.

Cheng Xu said, “I need fifty small crossbows.”

As soon as he spoke these words, several carpenters paused their work on furniture, doors, and windows, and began making small crossbows instead.

In the past, all the craftsmen would blindly work on the same items because they had no idea what Gaojia Village truly needed.

But with each additional “management talent” in Gaojia Village, the craftsmen’s goals became clearer.

Once division of labor was involved, the craftsmen needed leadership, so they unanimously chose Li Da as the “artisan master”. However, Li Da was too busy with research to manage it, and he passed the title of “artisan master” to Gao Yiyi.

Gao Yiyi took charge of the artisans’ well and appeared quite majestic.

The festive spirit of the Spring Festival enveloped the entire world, yet it didn’t reach Ground Rabbit.

Ground Rabbit was a forest hero, or rather a thief, something clear just from his name.

Only thieves would take on such a nickname.

A few months earlier, Wang Er had sparked a rebellion, and Ground Rabbit followed suit, rebelling as well. But he had little prestige, and nobody wanted to follow him, so he set out alone, carrying a rusty sword passed down from his grandfather’s generation and two pieces of flatbread. He violently beat up the officials who came to collect taxes in the village and set off on what he called the “broad road of rebellion”.

The first thing he planned to do was to find Wang Er; being an errand boy for the “world-famous” Bai Shui Wang Er would be enough to satisfy his lifelong wish.

However, before he could locate Wang Er, he heard that Wang Er had been captured and beheaded by Inspector Cheng Xu, after which all the rebels in Chengcheng County abruptly quieted down.

This left Ground Rabbit in an awkward spot; having attacked officials, he didn’t dare return home or go to the county town, and he couldn’t join the righteous army. What could he do?

He was forced to forage for wild vegetables, eat grass roots, and steal grain from the Local Gentry to barely survive for months, nearing the brink of starvation.

Yet, as heaven always leaves a way, when Ground Rabbit was starving and dizzy, he suddenly saw, within the dusty haze, a vibrant green village surrounded by flourishing wheat fields that encircled one fortress and two small hamlets.

Ground Rabbit felt as if he had glimpsed hope for survival, and he used his last strength to stagger toward it.

He didn’t know if he could beg for food in this village; if begging failed, he would steal from that enormous fortress.

It looked like a wealthy household, and stealing a little would mean robbing the rich to aid the poor.

As soon as Ground Rabbit entered the village, a sentinel carrying a bow on the fortress wall shouted at him: “Newcomer?”

Ground Rabbit froze: “Huh?”

He looked up; well, it seemed to be a guard from the rich household. Weak and powerless, he couldn’t afford to provoke them, so he feigned compliance: “Here to beg for food.”

The sentinel was Gao Laba, as it was his turn for duty that day. Seeing the newcomer looking disheveled and wretched, he called out loudly: “Go to the fortress gate for food. Clerk Tan is distributing meals.”

Ground Rabbit: “???”

He didn’t quite get it, but in any case, since someone was giving out food, he had to hurry.

He stumbled toward the fortress gate and saw a counter set up there, with a clerk-dressed man directing a group of helpers to arrange tables and chairs at Gaojia Fortress’s entrance, handing out steamed buns made from fine white flour.

They were high-quality steamed buns made from fine white flour, given two per person.

Ground Rabbit was overjoyed and threw himself onto the counter with his last strength: “I… am hungry…”

Clerk Tan looked down at the poor fellow, wondering how long he had been starving, sighed, grabbed three steamed buns, and handed them to him; thought about it, then added one more: “Eat slowly, don’t choke yourself to death.”

Ground Rabbit sat on the ground, hugging the steamed buns and chewing frantically; he took a bite and choked. The assistant nearby quickly offered him a bowl of water. Ground Rabbit tilted his head back and swallowed the water, then he recovered his breath and immediately thanked the person beside him.

Clerk Tan then asked, “Brother, have you come to Gaojia Village to find work?”

Ground Rabbit curiously asked, “Is there work to be done here?”

Hearing this, Clerk Tan realized that he had come by chance and apparently didn’t know the rules of Gaojia Village yet.

In recent days, the population of Gaojia Village was rapidly growing; after all, it was not far from the county town, only about thirty li. That group of people who came seeking food and wanting to become “labor offenders” became short-term workers here; after filling their stomachs, earning money, and going to the county town to buy things, they inevitably spread the news.

Thus, more people learned about Gaojia Village. The refugees begging for food in the county town came to Gaojia Village with a try-it-out attitude.

The population of Gaojia Village increased day by day.

The refugees who just arrived at Gaojia Village often hadn’t had time to find work; without wages, they couldn’t survive. Clerk Tan set up a distributing congee stand at the fortress gate every day, giving them steamed buns.

After eating their fill, the refugees would go to the Short-term Workers Village to stay, waiting for work to be assigned to them.

To put it simply: once you came to Gaojia Village, you wouldn’t starve to death, but if you wanted to earn more than just not starving, you had to work and take jobs, contributing your value.

The Deity tolerated idleness, but the Deity also encouraged striving.

Both must be managed, and both must be managed well.

Taking advantage of Ground Rabbit eating the steamed buns fiercely, Clerk Tan whispered softly beside him and explained the rules to him.

Ground Rabbit silently listened and thought to himself: This wealthy family was indeed a kind-hearted family. He, Ground Rabbit, was a valiant hero who punished evil and upheld justice; he only dealt with bad rich people who were unkind with their wealth; he didn’t mess with kind-hearted families who distributed congee to help citizens; so he wouldn’t steal anything from this family.

But, do short-term labor? Humph, working was impossible, never in this lifetime! Only by joining the righteous army and becoming a fierce general could he barely sustain his life.

After filling his stomach, he would just leave!

Just as Ground Rabbit thought this, he saw a man running out from Gaojia Fortress.

That man was none other than Gao Yiyi, who had just been promoted to artisan master. He ran to the entrance of the Short-term Workers Village, cleared his throat, and shouted loudly, “Carpenters! We urgently need carpenters in the artisans’ well, preferably those who know how to make hand crossbows. The wages are one hundred jin of rice or flour, ten jin of meat, one jin of salt, one jin of sugar, and one jin of oil per month. Those who can’t do carpentry can come as apprentices. Before they learn the skills, no wages, only food; after learning, the wages are the same as their masters.”

With a “boom” sound of shouting, several people rushed out from the Short-term Workers Village.

“I know carpentry!”

“I do too.”

“I’m willing to do it.”

Ground Rabbit rubbed his ears, doubting if he heard correctly; was that long list of things the wages for a carpenter?

Oh my goodness!

Ground Rabbit immediately raised his hand, “Me, me, me! I don’t know carpentry, but I’m willing to be an apprentice.”