Chapter 92: The Road of Development (Part 2)

( ) Chapter 99: The Road of Development (II)

The laborers worked slowly, constructing a little over 200 wooden huts in total. Among these laborers, many were sisters of the same clan; they were grouped into a single family to share household chores together. The names of the members of each family were recorded uniformly by Yan Qiu.

Over a thousand people, in half a day, only erected the frames and roofs of the wooden huts; half of the huts already had floors laid. The laborers crowded into these huts, and a pile of campfires was gathered in front of each house. Several soldiers were assigned from Jing Ji's subordinates to take turns watching the fires according to a schedule, adding firewood while preventing any fire accidents.

The surroundings of the wooden huts were all protected with wooden palisades. Among the other soldiers, aside from those stationed on the stockade walls, the rest took turns patrolling around the camp to protect these people as much as possible.

Late at night, Li Bucai, uneasy about the civilians, stepped out of the settlement, and Head Wolf Lightning approached from one side.

"Don't you need a rest? We've already walked a long way during the day," Li Bucai said.

"For the wolf clan, night is our stage, so you need not worry about me. To be safe, I've already sent all my brothers out into the surrounding forest; any rustle of wind or grass cannot escape their ears. Know that on this continent, the hearing of any other race is insignificant compared to our wolves." As Head Wolf, Lightning's energy remained inexhaustibly beyond human imagination. Seeing Li Bucai about to leave the settlement, he said, "Do you need any assistance?"

That was exactly what Li Bucai needed. He praised and patted the mane on Lightning's neck, saying, "Since you and your brothers, my friends, arrived, I can finally sleep soundly. I will just walk around here; if you wish, you may accompany me and wander together."

Lightning followed behind him. Li Bucai first arrived at the yamen gate to inspect the guards.

"Lord, we haven't rested yet?" Every sixty people stand a shift, each shift lasting two hours, so everyone has sufficient time for sleep, and all of them are full of vigor. Six young women, upon seeing her arrive, offered their respects and said.

"Can't sleep, come out for a walk. How's it going, any abnormal signs?" In the Territory, aside from the Tan family brothers who might launch an attack at any time, tonight's main defensive task was still to guard against Goblins west of Wolong Shanmai.

"Reporting, Lord, everything here is normal."

Li Bucai nodded and said in unison, "It's getting chilly at night; make sure to add another layer of clothing so you don't catch a cold."

"Thank you, Lord, for your concern."

Li Bucai passed them by, circled around the camp to inspect the defenses one by one, then went to the wooden huts on the western side of the settlement. Most of the houses there already had floors laid, and everyone was crowded there for the night.

The laborers arrived with bedding, though most of it was old. Fortunately it wasn't very cold at this time, and with many people packed together they could still fend off the chill. After a day's toil, they had already fallen into deep sleep.

Li Bucai inspected each hut, occasionally helping them tuck the corners of their blankets. When he reached a wooden hut at the far west, a faint sobbing of a girl could be heard. Following the sound, he found that in a seven-person hut, a girl had covered her head with a blanket, which trembled with each sob.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" To avoid waking others, Li Bucai asked in a low voice.

The girl, hearing the voice, lifted her face from the blanket; seeing Li Bucai, she quickly sat up, wiping tears from her face, and tried to pay him respect.

"No need for such courtesy," Li Bucai quickly steadied her, "What's wrong? Do you miss home, or is there something else? If anyone bullies you, tell me; here, such a thing will never be allowed to happen."

The girl shook her head, tearfully saying, "No, everything here is fine. I... I have nothing..."

Another girl from the same family stood up and said, "She injured her foot while fetching water in the evening; a branch accidentally pierced it. She's afraid she won't be able to work tomorrow..."

Li Bucai's terms for these civilians were that as long as they completed the work, they would receive one unit of food each day; if they performed exceptionally, there would be an extra bonus at month's end, up to twenty units of food. She feared that if she couldn't work tomorrow, she wouldn't receive food, and since one unit feeds one person for a day, that would cause the other sisters in the hut to go hungry tomorrow.

By the firelight, Li Bucai hurried to examine her wound. A sharp twig about the thickness of a pinky finger had pierced her sole; she had tried to pull it out but only managed to break off the exposed part, leaving a piece about an inch long still embedded. Her whole foot was swollen like a bun.

Li Bucai quickly lifted her, placed her onto Lightning's back, and carried her back to the main settlement. Arriving in front of Wan'er's house, he knocked lightly on her door; she had already fallen asleep.

"Better not disturb them; wait until dawn tomorrow. I can still endure," she said. When her foot was injured, most people had already gone to sleep; she considered herself a lowly civilian, so she dared not wake anyone.

"With an injury like this, we can't wait; if delayed it will become inflamed."

They of course didn't know what inflammation was, but from his tone they understood that a delay would make it worse. Compared to a foot injury, waking the Lord and other officials in the middle of the night made her even more uneasy. The lights in the house had already been turned on, and footsteps could be heard, so she dared not say anything further.

"Lord," Wan'er opened the door and saw Li Bucai, with a Qingwolf Beast on its back carrying a laborer, "What's the matter? Is she injured?"

"Her foot was pierced by a branch; I didn't want to disturb your rest, hoping to wait until tomorrow. Seeing the wound is serious, a delay would hinder treatment, so I woke you in the middle of the night."

The girl's heart kept racing, and Li Bucai immediately took the situation upon himself, calming her considerably.

"It's nothing. Wan'er hasn't closed her eyes yet; had she known the Lord was still awake, she would have come to accompany him in caring for them. Come in quickly."

As he spoke, Li Bucai carried the girl into the room.

Wan'er voluntarily gave up her own bed and gently placed her onto it.

Wan'er examined the wound carefully and said, "Indeed, the injury is not light, but it's not serious; it will heal easily."

She fetched a small knife meant for treating wounds and said, "The splinter is deep; I need to make a small incision to remove it. It may hurt a bit; try to endure."

The girl nodded and said, "It's fine, I can endure it."

Wan'er immediately sliced a small opening on her sole with the knife; the pain made her sweat profusely, and she clenched her teeth, making no sound—a very resilient girl.

Wan'er worked to minimize the time, alleviating her pain, successfully extracting the splinter, then used Healing Technique to close the wound.

"The wound has healed; it's just deep, so you need a day's rest. By this time tomorrow you'll be able to walk freely."

"Thank you, Lord, and thank you, Sister Wan'er," the girl thanked both, intending to get up and return to her original dwelling.

Li Bucai stopped her, saying, "Your injury hasn't fully recovered yet; stay here for a day's rest, and return once healed."

Wan'er is now a noble, and this is her room, her bed. The girl, a bit overwhelmed by the favor, hurriedly said, "No... no need, I'll just rest back over there."

Wan'er had already sensed her unease and said, "It's fine; the houses over there aren't finished yet, and work will continue tomorrow. You wouldn't get proper rest there, so feel free to stay here; no one will disturb you."

"It's okay; during the day I'll step aside so as not to hinder their work."

Wan'er pretended to threaten, "What, you even dare to ignore the Lord's words?"

"No... nothing..."

Li Bucai smiled, lightly patting her shoulder, and soothed, "Now that you're here, this is your home. Resting in your own home shouldn't require so many worries, so feel at ease and sleep here."

The girl timidly nodded. Li Bucai helped her lie down, tucked the blanket over her, and after she closed her eyes, left the room together with Wan'er.

A thousand people slept outdoors; as their lord, Li Bucai could not safely retreat to the Xinggong for a deep sleep. Accompanied by Wan'er, he continued to patrol outside until dawn before returning to rest.

……