Chapter 72: Shaman

Gaocun Town, the hill behind the Earth God Temple.

"A shaman is not a messenger of the gods; a shaman is the wise one who guides the mountain folk to stand up."

Xiao E watched the mountain folk kneeling devoutly before the old grandmother's grave, yet her mind recalled the teachings the old woman had given her in life.

Those mountain folk were not natives of Gaocun Town, but slaves once captured by the Guifang State.

The words E Tu spoke before leaving spread from one to ten, then ten to a hundred, and soon all the slaves knew them.

Thus, these slaves, their hope rekindled, began heading south, arriving one after another near Gaocun Town.

"Which batch is this?"

She had never expected her single remark to draw so many mountain folk.

At this moment, E Tu stood helpless, staring at the mountain folk, having lost all the ease she possessed when she departed.

In this present age, the sudden influx of so many mountain folk brought not productivity, but one visible threat after another.

No food, no houses, and not even a clear count of how many mountain folk had arrived...

If the most basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and transport for these people could not be met, endless chaos and disaster awaited Gaocun Town, and indeed this entire region.

"This is already the sixteenth batch..."

Hearing this, Xiao E, who had been counting, immediately spoke with a sorrowful expression.

This was merely the number of people who had come to the old grandmother's grave to pay respects.

As for how many had not yet come, or were still on the road, only heaven knew.

"I went to Bu Kui'er and asked; he told us to first record the names of those who have already arrived here."

"In his words, 'register and create a roster,' recording in advance each mountain folk's areas of skill and preference..."

"Then, according to each mountain folk's area of skill, assign them corresponding posts."

"Building houses, reclaiming land, storing grain, hunting..."

"In any case, even if we make them dig holes by day and fill them by night, they absolutely must not be allowed to remain idle."

When speaking to this point, E Tu's tone paused slightly.

"Only by letting the mountain folk see hope while simultaneously exhausting their surplus time and energy can we accelerate their integration here."

As a candidate shaman carefully cultivated by the old grandmother, Xiao E naturally understood the purpose of this approach at once.

Only by truly participating in construction would those mountain folk, who had originally come here merely to flee disaster, choose to integrate here from the bottom of their hearts.

"Then what about food? What shall be done about food?"

Given the old grandmother's and Xiao E's prestige in Gaocun Town, arranging for some townsfolk to manage those mountain folk was no difficult matter.

Provided that too many outsiders did not flood in all at once.

Xiao E was confident she could make them develop a sense of identity with Gaocun Town, then gradually become members of this town.

Moreover, before E Tu returned, Li Li Boyang had taught him some basic management common sense.

Such as splitting groups, having earlier arrivals manage later arrivals, selecting outstanding advanced individuals, and so on...

However, all of the above was possible only under the condition that basic material supplies were sufficient.

Xiao E realized after communicating with the town head.

Even after three years of abundant harvests, Gaocun Town did not have enough grain to feed those additional mountain folk.

Furthermore, this era had no tax system; Gaocun Town was not a primitive communist system, and that grain was everyone's private property.

To get everyone to bring out their surplus grain to supply those outsiders of unknown origin.

Even with the old grandmother's authority standing before them, it was not an easy matter.

"Do not worry about the food problem..."

"They were called by me; I will take responsibility for solving this problem."

E Tu's words made Xiao E feel greatly surprised, and her expression instantly became complex and low.

"What do you intend to do?"

Xiao E could be chosen by the old grandmother as the new shaman; her intelligence and ability were beyond question, so she immediately grasped E Tu's implied meaning.

"To do something I had already intended to do; the food is merely a problem solved along the way."

At the same time, Lijia Village.

Just as Gaocun Town was accepting those additional mountain folk.

Similar situations were occurring in all villages within hundreds of li; Lijia Village was naturally no exception.

Indeed, because of the words E Tu spoke before leaving, the number of mountain folk choosing to come to Lijia Village to seek protection was exceptionally high.

In merely a few days, dozens of mountain folk had already arrived at Lijia Village, leaving the village elder, who served as head of the village, with an exceptionally heavy headache.

"Our grain, though more than other villages, is not so abundant that we can feed so many people."

Deliberately pulling Li Li Boyang to the ancestral temple hall, the village elder looked at the representatives of each household and spoke.

Regarding Li Li Boyang's appearance, no one in the village felt any surprise.

Three years were enough for the villagers to grow accustomed to Li Li Boyang's conduct.

Regarding this miraculous "Son of the Mountain God," everyone believed he would become a "Chosen Priest" like the old grandmother.

Therefore, even though Li Li Boyang's biological age was only three, it did not hinder everyone from regarding him as a decision-maker, and indeed a future leader.

"Then what shall we do?"

"Shall we go to other villages to purchase some grain?"

"Otherwise, let us simply drive away those outsiders!"

"We have all experienced famine; we know what terrible things those who have fainted from hunger will do."

The villagers murmured quietly, their eyes occasionally sweeping over Old Village Head, Li Yu, and Li Li Boyang.

After all, everyone knew that in this small village, only Old Village Head, Li Yu, and Li Li Boyang were truly capable of making decisions.

"Let us form a genuine 'Production Brigade'!"

After a brief silence, Old Village Head voiced a proposal that had long been rejected by everyone.

"Enroll those outsiders into the Production Brigade, then we lead them in hunting, clearing wasteland, plowing fields, and harvesting..."

"After all, it is only early July; there is still half a year before winter."

Pausing slightly in his tone, Old Village Head glanced around once more and spoke in an uncompromising voice.

"Furthermore, we can attempt an early harvest, then plant a second crop of rice before August."

At these words, the scene instantly erupted in uproar, and the villagers stared at one another in stunned confrontation.

For Li Li Boyang, who came from the twenty-first century, rice yielding two harvests a year, or even three, was merely common knowledge.

But for these mountain folk living in a primitive, barbaric society.

The fact that grain could be harvested early in July was already an incredible feat; let alone planting a second crop of rice in the latter half of the year.

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(End of Chapter)