Chapter 906: Celebrations on Both Sides, the Ale Business

"Is there anyone else who wants to perform? If everyone puts on one more, that should be about enough!"

Jier shouted loudly, but to his surprise, the surrounding crowd responded with giggles: "Knight Jier, why don't you perform something for everyone too!"

"That's right, Lord Jier is so capable, he must be able to come up with a performance, won't you give us one?" Someone egged him on, and then the crowd began to jeer and laugh. Jier scratched his head, never expecting that he would also be asked to put on a show.

A small merchant who had previously witnessed the majesty of other Knight Lords, seeing the refugees teasing this young knight, feared Jier might get angry and immediately stepped out to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, Lord Jier has risked much for everyone, and only just found such a good place to settle down safely; he must be very tired."

"Exactly, I heard many houses in the village collapsed during the fighting. The Knight Lord needs everyone to perform for him to relieve his stress, not for you to tease him into performing for you."

Once someone said this, the surrounding crowd realized it was a bit inappropriate and began to sheepishly try to slip away, but Jier waved his hands with a smile: "Oh, it's not as serious as you say. Although the fighting in the village was intense, I didn't expend much. Combat only makes me feel excited and happy; where would the stress come from? Besides, everyone has prepared so many programs, it's no big deal for me to perform one."

Jier said loudly: "I don't know how to dance, so shall we skip the dancing?"

"It's okay, we can teach you, as long as you don't mind that our dancing is crude and not as good as what people in the city dance," a girl shouted enthusiastically.

Jier chuckled: "Dancing is dancing, really, the most important thing is to have fun while doing it."

He then added: "I'm not very good at singing either. Although I've heard a few poems from bards, firstly, I don't have their voices, and secondly, I've long forgotten what those people sang, haha."

"It's okay, we remembered the poems the bards sang every time they came to the village; we can teach you." A young man shouted loudly, and several others indicated they remembered more than one widely circulated poem.

Jier chuckled: "Better not. I just have a loud voice; it won't sound very good when I sing."

Jier finally said: "I do have quite a few skills, though perhaps not many that are suitable for a show. How about this, I'll demonstrate some martial arts for everyone? I won't claim much else, but I consider myself to have some skill in combat and killing enemies. I've specifically sought out people to learn the techniques for using several types of weapons!"

Many young men who loved fighting cheered loudly. Not far away, Weier's eyes lit up. He had joined the refugee team just in time to miss the battle where Jier broke the bandit group's attack. Since then, he had either been muddled or absent during Jier's few displays of action, so he had never seen the true strength of Knight Jier with his own eyes.

Although Weier had not officially become a Knight Rank Warrior at the Swordsman Academy in his hometown, his teachers at the academy were all true Knight Rank powerhouses. While they were not all Knight Lords with their own territories, their strength was the same.

Therefore, his judgment was not poor, and he could see exactly how strong Jier was, and whether it was worth his effort to get close and take action for that purpose.

The program was almost ready when Xueya Site and Mr. Bafuer happened to return from Torito Cunzi, carrying or backing many barrels of ale.

"Jier! Look at what good things we brought back! Haha, we tasted it beforehand, it's really good stuff! I didn't expect this small village to have such brewing techniques."

Xueya Site held a small barrel high, proudly walking through the crowd to show their harvest to everyone in the camp.

"The wine is good, it's just that there isn't much of it. After all, there are many of us, but this amount is at least enough for everyone to have a cup," Mr. Bafuer also carried a small barrel on his back. At this moment, he was panting and, with the help of those around him, set the barrel down, wiping sweat while speaking.

Jier waved his hand: "It's fine, after all, the villagers need to celebrate their victory too. Once we settle down, everyone will have plenty of chances to drink."

The roasted chicken was also about ready, the aroma rich, the skin golden brown, looking very tempting. The bread brought back earlier was now being split by the lumberjacks with small axes into slices.

These bread slices were still quite hard, but fortunately, the cooks from other teams had timely boiled several pots of vegetable bean soup, and combined with the previous pots of bean thick soup, it was absolutely enough to give everyone in the team a bowl of soup plus a large piece of bread to fill their stomachs.

These things might not qualify as a full-fledged feast, but having roasted chicken and ale today was already enough for these refugees who hadn't eaten properly for days.

Seeing that the preparations were almost done, Jier shouted loudly to the entire camp: "Everyone! Gather round! Let's start the celebration!"

"Ooooooh!"

"Oh oh, coming, coming!"

"Are we still patrolling, Lord Jier?" An armed squad guarding the edge of the camp asked loudly. Jier waved at them: "No need, it's midday, there's no danger, everyone come and join in! People from the armed squad, come, all of you come!"

Therefore, from several edges of the camp, the armed squads that had been patrolling also hurried over.

Besides that, unexpectedly, following a few "Lululu..." calls from afar, Sky-Snow Grass, having heard Jier's loud shout, also ran over quickly. From far away, it was excitedly neighing.

After running closer, one could see Tianxuecao's mouth full of grass juice and grass scraps; clearly, it hadn't spent little time eating the lush wild flowers and grass in the valley during this period.

"Haha, almost forgot about you too, Tianxuecao, you are also a member of our team, hurry and join in! Two people, please help unload the luggage, equipment, and the full set of horse armor from Tianxuecao. Look at its mouth full of grass scraps, it must be hungry too. It's fine, it's fine, there's plenty of beans for you to eat today!" Jier fiddled with the horse's ears, pushing away Tianxuecao, which kept nudging and fiddling with him with its head.

After receiving its master's promise, Tianxuecao then held its head high, wagging its tail as it accepted others helping it unload its burden, and then began to eat heartily.

The crowd gradually gathered, and the cooks were busy as bees. The cook who made the roasted fat chicken took the perfectly roasted chickens off the campfire one by one, then took out his personal dagger, *swish swish swish swish*, moving quickly to dismantle a whole fat chicken into meat chunks the size of a palm.

He tried to keep the size of each piece of chicken, especially the parts without bones, consistent, and then used a metal fork to stab the chicken meat into the bowls of the villagers who crowded over.

"Line up, everyone line up! Those who get meat, go get soup afterward, then get a piece of bread," Jier called out loudly.

"Let's eat our fill first, then we'll perform the celebration programs. Everyone gets a share of chicken, bean soup, and bread slices. After eating, use your own bowl to get a bowl of ale from Mr. Bafuer. Don't be in a hurry to drink it all; drinking ale while watching the show is the best way to enjoy it."

Jier directed while urging everyone to line up.

Everyone was in awe of Jier, so upon seeing him approach, they all honestly formed a line, and the queue suddenly stretched out very long.

"The line doesn't have to be a straight line, make a turn, yes, make a few more turns, just like a long snake, coil it up." He directed, and the line for food gradually became orderly.

At this time, Priest Bata'er rode over on his horse, actually bringing the Tusi brothers who used large bows: "It seems I arrived just in time. Jier, these three are people I met on the road. They said they know you; did you call them over?"

As soon as the Tusi brothers entered the camp, they looked left and right. The three of them were very curious about a temporary camp of this scale, especially the young villagers in the center of the camp, who were more numerous than the entire population of Torito Cunzi, and were currently standing in an orderly line to receive chicken, bean soup, and sliced bread. To say nothing else, just the sight of these hundreds of people lining up in an orderly fashion was far more impressive than the chaotic crowd celebrating in Torito Cunzi at this moment.

While Jier was celebrating the refugees' settlement in the camp outside the village, inside Torito Cunzi, the human villagers were also spontaneously celebrating the victory of their resistance against the Dwarfs.

Compared to Jier's side, where food was limited and needed to be collected by headcount, there was much more food and wine in the village, but because it was a spontaneous activity, it appeared chaotic overall.

Overall, the villagers who participated in the complete action from yesterday to today were the proudest, drinking wine while loudly bragging to their friends around them. The villagers who had only temporarily joined this morning were flattering the former while whispering complaints, complaining why they hadn't mustered a little more courage to join the resistance against the Dwarfs earlier, so that the ones showing off right now would be them.

And some villagers who hadn't even participated in the morning's action were now spontaneously walking out of their houses, also holding wine pots and cups, mixing into the celebrating crowd, and loudly praising the victory of the resistance.

Unlike these celebrating masses, four elders who held status and prestige among the humans in the village were busy at this moment, either personally leading people to verify the number of weapons thrown into the large pit with the Dwarfs, or going to mediate fights between villagers who had drunk too much, or leading people with water buckets to patrol the village spontaneously, guarding against fires caused by over-celebrating. After all, the houses where humans lived in the village were built of wood, so fire prevention was always the top priority.

And the last village elder was sitting at a long table set out on the village dirt road, whispering about something with the only Herbalist in the village—Suoye-Zuojigela.

"Are you really leaving?" The elder asked with some regret.

Herbalist Zuojigela nodded. He glanced at his wife and children having fun in the celebration at the other end of the long table, and said heavily: "You know my situation. Before, there was no opportunity; the Dwarfs wouldn't let me out. But now that there is an opportunity, no matter what, I must go home once and find my former family."

"Go home. Then what about your home here?" The elder drank his bitter wine; even though he was old, his tolerance for alcohol was not shallow, and he drank more than half a large wooden cup in one gulp.

The Herbalist did not drink wine; his cup was filled with water, but at this moment, he drank it as if it were wine, downing more than half the cup in one breath: "I don't know, I really don't know. I love them, but I also love my former family just as much. And my previous work, my position in the guild, my property at home—I can't just give them up like that."

"In any case, I must go back once," Herbalist Zuojigela said.

"Will you come back? You have family here in the village, your work, and your status in the village, even a house and property. If you talk about these, the village has them too. So, will you come back?" The elder asked.

The elder added: "You must understand, you have been missing in the outside world for many years; no one can say for sure if, in the hearts of others, you haven't already passed away years ago. If you go out and see some bad situations, what will you do?"

"What do you mean?"

Herbalist Zuojigela's lips trembled slightly. He actually had some bad premonitions in his heart; ever since that young knight from outside approached him yesterday, he had been thinking about these things.

The elder said with a serious face: "It is possible, has your wife remarried someone else? Although you might have some savings at home, in order to maintain life, your wife remarrying after you went missing is a good idea, isn't it?"

"As for the children, how old were your children outside when you accidentally entered the Huitou Forest?" The elder inquired.

Herbalist Zuojigela answered painfully in a low voice: "Not even five years old..."

"I didn't hear clearly, how old?" The old man's hearing was not very good, let alone with the noisy crowd all around—people singing, laughing and cursing, bragging, and having fun—the sounds were chaotic beyond measure.

"Not yet five." The Herbalist repeated it, and this time the elder heard it clearly.

He shook his head: "Then that is troublesome. When a child is still small, they cannot recognize people, and the age at which they begin to recognize people is just about the time you went missing in the outside world. You have been here with us for several years now, haven't you? When you go back, your child will have grown up quite a bit; will he still recognize you?"

"Does he know who you are? Will he accept you? Will he not resent you for having no fatherly love and protection?"

"Please, say no more." The Herbalist Zuojigela let out a pained sound, his fists clenched tight.

He made his decision: "No matter what the situation is, I must go back once. I will leave with that Knight. As for the time to return to Torito Cunzi, sigh, I will strive to return within half a year."

"Half a year is fine. You don't need to worry about things here; without the Dwarf, the village will only get better and better. Everyone will look after your family, and I will also wait for your return. Just one last piece of advice for you."

The elder picked up his wine cup and drank the wine inside in one gulp: "Prepare yourself mentally, and be strong. The result might be very good, it might be very bad; you must be prepared."

"I will, thank you." The Herbalist Zuojigela also drank the clear water in his cup in one gulp, said goodbye to this elder who had always protected him in the village, and found his wife and child on the other side.

His wife saw the look of sorrow on her husband's face, so she pulled on his sleeve and asked in a low voice: "How did it go? What did my grandfather say to you? Are you really going to leave to find your original family?"

"I must go back; this is a promise. Rest assured, no matter what, I will return."

"And this, too, is a promise." The Herbalist Zuojigela said as much.

His wife nestled in his arms, sobbing softly, completely out of place with the merry atmosphere around them.

Everyone in the Yingdi lined up to receive food, and every person was satisfied with today's chicken; the chicken skin was crispy, and the meat beneath the skin was soaked with Grease, but the excess Grease did not make one feel greasy because of the added fruit-flavored sauce.

Of course, for the Refugee who lacked intake of Grease, the Grease on this bit of chicken was far from reaching the level of making them feel greasy; most people only felt a sense of full satisfaction, and they even complained it wasn't enough!

Jier could do nothing about this either, although the Refugee Team could occasionally hunt some animals along the way. But a small amount of animals was simply not enough for everyone to eat; at most, the meat could only be added to the soup, adding some meat bits and the fragrance of meat to pot after pot of thick soup.

Only today could everyone separately receive a piece of chicken roasted to perfection.

The Bread of Torito Cunzi was also quite good; made from finely milled and sifted high-quality wheat flour, the texture of this Bread was excellent, regardless of whether it was fermented or not.

After the Bread was soaked soft in the soup and sent into the mouth to chew, it was full of wheat fragrance, and the feeling of fullness was also top-notch.

And after finishing the meal, having a bowl of ale made the people feel even more pleasantly surprised.

The ale of Torito Cunzi did not have much foam; instead, it had a unique, refreshing fragrance of fruit. Even the female citizens who didn't usually drink much alcohol took small sips and realized this was a good thing!

Everyone got one bowl of ale; some who used to drink often did not move it after getting a bowl, waiting instead to drink it when the performance started later. Others gulped it down in two or three swallows, sighing at the deliciousness of the thing while wanting to beg for more from Mr. Bafuer.

"Go, go, go, one bowl per person. This was agreed upon beforehand; there is only this much, I cannot spare any more for you. Don't crowd around; even if you crowd around, I won't give it to you. If you ask me, some people don't drink, so instead of pestering me here, why not find those who don't drink and trade something with them for their ale?"

Mr. Bafuer was tireless, but being surrounded by these people who wanted more ale, he had no choice but to offer them an idea.

When these guys heard this, their eyes immediately lit up, and they scattered to find those who didn't drink or didn't like to drink.

Weier gave away the ale in his bowl: "I am injured, and the Priest won't let me drink. Let me give this ale to you."

"Thanks!" A middle-aged Merchant who was somewhat familiar with Weier took the Wooden Bowl without ceremony and poured it into his mouth: "Delicious, hiccup!"

This Merchant even let out a burp, and with this burp, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly had an idea.

"Mr. Fentijia, you say this ale is so delicious, could I do this business later to make a comeback?" The middle-aged Merchant immediately asked the old Merchant Fentijia, who was sitting next to Weier.

The old Merchant stroked his beard, picked up his Wooden Bowl, and took a small sip of the specially made ale from Torito Cunzi. He carefully savored this ale with its unique fruit fragrance and shook his head slightly.

"No, it won't work?" The middle-aged Merchant was shocked. Among the small Merchants in their Refugee Team, once they got familiar, they basically all considered the old Merchant Fentijia to be the most successful one in their previous business careers. However, he was old, and although he had been successful in the past, after this incident, there was basically no possibility of him starting over. On the contrary, Mr. Bafuer, because he was in the prime of his life and was busy running around for the Refugee Team, everyone believed he would definitely make a comeback, even if he had failed in business before, he could rise again this time.

But in terms of experience, the old Merchant was still more formidable.

At this moment, seeing the old Merchant shake his head while drinking, the middle-aged Merchant couldn't believe it; such delicious ale would surely sell well if sold elsewhere, right?

"The problem isn't whether the ale is good or not, it's..."

The old Merchant stopped halfway through his sentence.

The middle-aged Merchant was anxious and had to say some nice things, promising to support the young boy Bobo well in the future. The small Merchants in their team basically all knew that the old Merchant Fentijia regarded the little boy Bobo, who was always by his side, as his successor in business.

"Alright. I'll be blunt. You think this ale is good after drinking it and want to rely on selling the ale here to get rich in business later. Then the problem arises: the other stranded Merchants in the same situation as you, they also drank the ale; will they not have the same idea as you?"

The old Merchant shook his head: "The total amount of ale is limited, and the production is also limited. Everyone wants it, so who will end up getting it?"

The middle-aged Merchant was stunned, while the old Merchant glanced from afar at Mr. Bafuer, who was distributing ale not far away. He guessed that when buying the ale earlier, this Bafuer had probably already taken a fancy to this ale business first.

As for the others, they were a step too slow.