“Yiye, have everyone .” Li Daoxuan said with a laugh: “This is a special gift from the Deity for the Deity’s Unexpected Festival, so you should eat it happily.”
Once he said that, the playful girl Gao Yiye could not hold back any longer. She jumped up first, intending to bite it right away, but after thinking it over, she felt a bit embarrassed. With so many people sharing, it was uncivilized to take a bite herself.
Fortunately, a clever villager next to her offered a knife immediately.
He had the knife but did not dare to start first; for such a “major festival ceremony”, one must definitely wait for the Saint Lady to begin.
Gao Yiye cut a small piece from the huge beef using the knife and tossed it into her mouth. At that instant, her facial expression turned utterly stunning.
Cantonese cuisine had an advantage: its strong compatibility matched most Chinese stomachs well, not like Sichuan dishes that might overwhelm out-of-towners.
As this Cantonese beef stew flavor entered her mouth, it was truly amazing.
Such rich seasonings, such deep layers of taste.
Gao Yiye had a big chunk of beef stuffed in her mouth, cheeks bulging as she chewed. She spoke while eating, her words slurred: “Good, really good, everyone… come quickly… share it… good…”
The villagers from Gaojia Village cheered first, grabbing knives to join in…
Then those from Zhengjia Village and Zhuangjia Village also grabbed knives to act…
Finally, the three thousand people from Qingjian County snapped out of their shock over the “meat falling from the sky”. Forget how the meat arrived or who the Deity was; set confusion aside, fill their bellies first, and grab knives to go forward…
“Hey, hey, newcomers, you have starved too long. Do not eat too much at once, or you will get diarrhea,” Thirty-Two shouted, jumping up in the crowd.
“We folks from Qingjian County are not that fragile!”
“Hey, isn’t this unrelated to where people are from?”
“Do not stuff yourselves! Rest assured, there is more food for the next meal.”
From Li Daoxuan’s perspective above, over four thousand people gathered around the massive piece of beef for a grand feast. It looked like a huge swarm of ants carrying food—thoroughly captivating.
This kind of grand spectacle was impossible to see earlier when the population was too small.
Indeed, the more the village developed and expanded, the more novel scenes one could witness.
This boxed world of little ones certainly was not raised in vain.
The revelry inside the box lasted a full half-hour. The well-fed villagers from the Short-term Workers Village dispersed first, returning to their job positions. In Gaojia Village now, those from the Short-term Workers Village worked the hardest. Following them were the labor offenders, who also hurried back to work hard, earning performance points to reduce their sentences and regain freedom sooner. Then the original forty-two villagers of Gaojia Village patted their bellies contentedly and strolled to aid digestion.
Only over three thousand Qingjian County people remained; after filling their stomachs, they had no idea what to do next, staring blankly at each other, awaiting instructions.
Gao Yiye circled back and walked over, standing before Dian Deng Zi Zhao Sheng with a smile: “Mr. Zhao, the Deity has commanded: take your Villagers first on the small train to your Refugee Valley to settle.”
“Okay,” Dian Deng Zi promptly ordered everyone: “Everyone rise! Do you see that colorful building over there? It is called a station; we go there to board it, to our new home.”
The common folk from Qingjian County looked over curiously. Few had ever heard of a station, but at a glance, they saw an enormous strange vehicle, like a giant caterpillar, sitting quietly beside it.
“Is that really a car? It feels like a massive bug, about to eat people.”
Dian Deng Zi shouted loudly: “No need to fear; it is a car, not a strange bug. Everyone come.”
He led the group towards the small train.
Then a figure in white clothes raced ahead faster than they could run, legs pumping as he charged at the small train. It was Bai Yuan, waving while he rushed: “I will drive; I will drive. Among the Six Arts of Gentlemen, ‘driving’ is my specialty.”
The two train drivers broke a sweat: “Mr. Bai, you just learned; you cannot drive right away. You still need practice. This time, the cars are full of people; if an accident happens, casualties could be severe.”
Bai Yuan: “Hmm… that is a point. Then I will continue to observe and learn in the engine.”
The Qingjian County people queued to board the train.
There were twelve carriages; each held only one hundred people, so this small train could transport just twelve hundred at once—its capacity was insufficient.
It would take three trips to carry all Qingjian County residents to the Refugee Valley.
Luckily, the one-way distance was only six li. At train speed, a single trip took mere minutes. Only boarding and exiting took extra time, so several rounds posed no issue.
Thus, the first group of twelve hundred people boarded the small train, starting toward their new home.
Woo! It made a clunking sound…
To that melodious noise, the small train first passed through the wheat field of Gaojia Village.
All passengers on board chorused a “wow” of marvel. The lovely wheat field was soon to be harvested. The train traversed slopes, with greenery filling the journey everywhere. Rain had fallen nearby, covering the mountains with wildflowers and grass.
In their hearts, some passengers thought: Digging wild vegetables here looks easy; wild greens are all over.
There was more grass root than could be eaten—simply endless.
Shortly, the train reached the Refugee Valley station and halted. Dian Deng Zi disembarked first, then shouted loudly for people from the following carriages to get off.
Twelve hundred people jumped off the train one after another. They then beheld a vibrant village filled with brightly colored buildings, nestled quietly in the valley, exuding a beauty like paradise.
“Wow, is this our new home?”
“What a lovely place!”
“Can we truly move in here?”
Some started running toward the valley. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the N0veI.Fiɾe.net
Dian Deng Zi Zhao Sheng yelled loudly: “No hurries at all; wait. You cannot claim houses yourselves—it could lead to fights. After everyone arrives, we will discuss room allocations with the Village Chiefs.”
The villagers always respected him; hearing his words calmed them down. They sat quietly…
…waiting for the small train to return and bring a second and then a third group. Once all were gathered, they sat grouped by their original villages.
Zhao Sheng sat with several Village Chiefs, deciding which village’s people stayed in which area of the valley. Then villagers entered the valley section by section, living in various large colorful houses.
This was no easy task. With three thousand people, noise abounded; each household had unique issues. It lasted half a day before sunset, when Qingjian County residents finally found their dwellings.
Everyone placed their few possessions inside and stepped out. Meeting on the streets, smiles naturally curved their lips. A new life was about to begin; clearly, it would not be worse than before—only better.