Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable-Chapter 1046 - 957: Official of the First Rank 18

If it were before the mountain bandit incident, when Murong Shuangshuang proposed training everyone, the villagers would surely have been unwilling. But now, when Murong Shuangshuang suggested training, not a single person in Yu Family Village objected.

Of course, Murong Shuangshuang wouldn’t just have people train without regard for the crops in the fields. She arranged for the villagers to be divided into two groups, with one group working and the other training, alternating every day. This way, neither training nor fieldwork would be neglected.

As everyone trained with peace of mind, Murong Shuangshuang began to ponder the meat supply issue for everyone. Relying solely on hunting wasn’t a sustainable solution. Even with abundant game in the mountains, there would come a day when relying continually on wild animals for sustenance would deplete the resources.

Hunting wasn’t a long-term strategy. The only stable and eco-friendly way to obtain meat was through livestock farming. Previously, Murong Shuangshuang hadn’t ventured into livestock farming primarily because large-scale farming in ancient times was too difficult.

Without various vaccines, rampant ancient chicken and pig plagues were rampant, and every household raised just a few pigs and a dozen chickens and ducks to avoid disaster. Large-scale farming almost inevitably led to outbreaks of poultry and swine plagues. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Murong Shuangshuang, now practicing martial arts and learning medicine from Murong Ting, had surpassed him in medical knowledge publicly. She could openly research and develop remedies to prevent plagues among livestock like chickens, ducks, and pigs, which gave her the confidence to consider livestock farming.

However, the villagers were unlikely to agree to large-scale farming of livestock because years of experience had shown them the risks associated with it. Even if they trusted Murong Shuangshuang, they’d be reluctant to follow her in livestock farming.

Now Murong Shuangshuang was wealthy. The three pieces of jade carving had already been delivered to their respective owners, and she had enough money in hand to set up a large-scale farm, willing to assume the risk.

With the autumn harvest approaching, if wild boars came down the mountain to ravage the crops, they could provide meat for the villagers throughout the winter. This year, there were no taxes on the autumn harvest, ensuring that every household had ample grain reserves.

Everyone could eat heartily then, with plenty to eat and drink, and even meat, which would be a perfect time to train everyone during the winter. By the time winter ended, spring would be the ideal opportunity to establish the farm.

The autumn harvest soon arrived. It was the time when villagers were the most exhausted yet also felt the most despair, bringing in the abundant grain from the field without being sure if they could feed the whole family through the harsh winter after paying taxes.

To put it bluntly, each winter saw elderly and children succumb to hunger and cold. In the villagers’ eyes, winter was dark, filled with death and despair. If even a bountiful harvest couldn’t bring the farmers joy, it was utterly disheartening, and the farmers had grown numb to it.

But this year was different. This year’s autumn harvest was filled with laughter and boundless joy as the golden grains of rice and wheat were harvested and piled in heaps.

In everyone’s eyes, there was not the usual reluctance but rather profound joy, for these grains would eventually fill their family granaries and become future provisions.

After prolonged hunger, none of the villagers wanted to sell the grain. They intended to stockpile it, keeping all of it for their own use except for essential expenditures for daily necessities.

Especially this year, every household had horses. With plenty of timber by the mountains and skilled carpenters in the village, families came seeking help to custom-make horse-drawn carts.

Of course, no one expected the carpenters to work for free. Now, with no tax pressure driving people to despair, everyone became generous. From their yards, they catch one of their money-earning old hens and carry a basket of eggs as a payment for the cart-making effort.

The carpenters, specially exempted from training by Murong Shuangshuang, focused on crafting the carts for everyone, managing to finish just in time at the end of the harvest. The carts were simple flat carts due to time constraints, leaving no room for intricate designs.

With horses and carts for hauling grain, this year’s autumn harvest was incredibly effortless. Thinking about how the strong labor of the horses would aid during the strenuous planting season next year, everyone was full of enthusiasm.

Particularly this year, with wild boars descending the mountain to ravage the crops, what once was mercilessly hated by the villagers became boars slain by Murong Shuangshuang. Even after dealing with the boar herds, Murong Shuangshuang was surprised when a dozen wild boars still dared to run amok at the mountain’s base, now caught to add to the village’s meat supply.

Carloads of grain were hauled home, and since the start of the harvest, people’s mouths hadn’t closed. Now, with no shortage of food and drink, and plenty of meat, the village chief discussed with the village elders and Murong Shuangshuang whether to hold a harvest festival.

When it came to the harvest festival, the chief and the elders were mixed with emotions. During their childhood, though life wasn’t easy, it was better than now. In those days, if the harvest was particularly good, the village would hold a harvest festival after the autumn season.

For the festival, a sacrificial platform was constructed, and the village chief and elders led the village men in worshiping the heavens and earth, thanking the gods for the favorable weather and plentiful food, while the women took charge of preparing food and handling festival chores purely as laborers.

In Murong Shuangshuang’s view, the harvest festival was little more than a grand gathering of food and drink, which she wasn’t particularly interested in. However, after such prolonged hardship, the villagers longed for something that affirmed their newfound hope wasn’t illusory, so Murong Shuangshuang didn’t object.

With Murong Shuangshuang not opposing, the village chief and elders were tempted. After the autumn harvest, preparations for the harvest festival swiftly ensued, with a platform erected in the village center for the ceremonies.

The platform was made of earth, molded into bricks and dried to form. It took villagers seven days to complete it. On the day of the ceremony, Fang Keixin took charge of preparing the sacrificial offerings for the heavens and earth.

Since her arrival, Fang Keixin never gave up her desire to make money. In her previous life, in modern times, she was a gourmet, skilled at cooking and consistently involved in the food business.

Now, Fang Keixin made a fair sum from her culinary ventures, amassing nearly a hundred taels of silver, planning to wait until she had enough to acquire a shop and move her family to live in the town.

This small village maintained close neighborly ties, and everyone knew about Fang Keixin’s food profits, especially since she was quite ostentatious, spending on eating, drinking, and clothing, while her family also had an outspoken grandmother who often quarreled until the whole village was aware.