Chapter 184

Yueqian wasn’t joking. When she brought Yapo along, she instructed her people to follow her continuously. Their pace was neither slow nor fast. The beautiful lady led the way past the plantations set on elegant wooden rails. Yapo had caught glimpses of the greenery earlier but couldn’t get close enough to see it clearly. The surrounding area offered no places to hide; it was a vast, open space with workers patrolling it.

Since Yueqian didn’t want to share the secrets of cultivation with Yapo, she led him through to showcase how much more fertile Red Earth City had become, and it worked!

"How... how is all this possible? What kind of cultivation is this? How did these vegetables grow like this? This shouldn’t be possible, right?" The young man exclaimed, his curiosity making him blurt out all the questions. When he looked at the furen of Red Earth City again, he froze.

The beautiful smile on her lips made Yapo feel as though he had fallen into a trap, but Yueqian didn’t reveal that the trap had already been sprung. She simply continued to set more traps.

"As you can see, those working here are people of Red Earth City who couldn’t afford to pay after receiving treatment. There are still a few people missing in this section, but it’s not a significant shortage. So, I’ll have you work in the areas where there are still gaps."

This was true. Yueqian mentioned that there was indeed a shortage of people. The hospital they just visited also lacked staff. Ideally, there should be an equal number of staff during the day and night, but there were too few people. Hence, the night shifts had significantly fewer staff, making care quite difficult. The night shifts included evening hours, and most patients would seek treatment either early in the morning or late in the evening, as it was now.

The agriculture sector faced an even greater shortage of workers, much like the hospital. There were many job openings for permanent staff of the Governor. Because the salary was relatively high, many people wanted these jobs. However, the number of applicants was still not enough for Red Earth City, which was in the process of developing.

Yueqian led the young Yapo to one of the work units. The people in this unit were relatively robust, although there were still three or four young women among them.

"Governor’s furen," a man’s voice called out upon seeing Yueqian. The beautiful woman nodded in response, and the other party hurried over without hesitation.

In recent days, everyone knew that the Governor had a different attitude compared to others. He treated men and women with equal respect. Especially this Governor’s furen, who was exceptionally well cared for. Additionally, many had witnessed the capabilities of the Governor’s furen, leading them to adjust their attitudes accordingly.

It seemed that if they clung to their old ways of thinking, many good ideas, like those of the Governor’s furen, would never be revealed, and their lives would remain impoverished until they starved to death.

Given the example set and the significant attitude of the Governor, when the head leads, the tail follows. Therefore, many households gradually changed their perspectives and valued their wives more.

During this period, women could also take on various jobs from the Governor’s manor. Both men and women could earn about the same amount of money, reducing the need to be overly deferential in this regard. Ultimately, they could converse and exchange ideas like friends. When a family had someone to share their thoughts with, the burden of life’s responsibilities didn’t fall on just one person.

The happiness of the people in Red Earth City became more evident, increasing daily. As everyone was happy, their work productivity improved significantly. Even though some households remained traditional and slow to adapt, it was believed that everything would change soon.

"Governor’s Furen, what brings you here? Is there anything we can assist you with?" The man, who seemed to be the head of this small unit, approached and asked Yueqian with respect. However, the beautiful woman merely waved her hand dismissively.

"It’s nothing much. The patients in the hospital couldn’t afford their treatment, so I brought them here to help with the work. I also wanted to check if there were any issues," Yueqian looked around. Her gaze revealed unmistakable satisfaction, which others noticed, making them smile with delight.

"Oh, understood, Governor’s furen. This young man seems capable; he should be good with a sickle. I’ll have him handle the upper weeds so the others can use weeding tools to clear the grass more easily," the unit head said, grabbing Yapo’s arm and patting it affectionately.

Yapo seemed to understand what his job was. He looked at more than 20 workers in front of him. They were cutting and clearing weeds, with a large stone roller being pushed back and forth behind them. Even though he didn’t understand what it was, it looked like they were making a "path," wasn’t it?

"Hmm, good," Yueqian didn’t interfere with the planning of the other party.

She inspected their work. Although this group had only 20-30 people per day, they worked very well. In no time, they had managed to create such a large road.

This was the first road she had marked for them to build, which would connect to various villages. Yueqian had bought a large amount of land in each village. Many villagers did not have money to buy land, and they didn’t care about it initially. The main reason was that whatever they planted didn’t generate any income, so they sold it all back to the Governor. This was why no one had enough money to buy that land now.Yueqian wasn’t worried about lacking money. She used her own funds first to transform these lands into communal agricultural areas for the villages. At the very least, they would have food to eat in the village. These roads would provide future convenience. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The young woman also planned to station soldiers in each village. These soldiers would take turns working, traveling by large horse-drawn wagons. They already had horses, and building the wagons wouldn’t be difficult. The soldiers would stay in the villages overnight and return to the city in the morning.

During this time, it would also serve as a welfare benefit, allowing villagers to travel to the city for trade or other business. Anyone could ride the soldiers’ wagons without charge, and in the evening, new soldiers would be stationed, allowing villagers to return to their homes with them again.

Thus, these roads would be used every day. Building these roads was beneficial for the villagers themselves. In the future, Yueqian believed that many people wouldn’t need to rely on the soldiers’ wagons. They would have enough money to buy their own and wouldn’t have to wait anymore.

This was just the initial welfare to help them get back on their feet. But soon, the city would become a developed one, and they wouldn’t need government assistance anymore.

Buying land and distributing sources of income to various villages, Yueqian deliberately aimed to bring prosperity to all sectors. She couldn’t bear to see, in the future, the citizens of Red Earth City flocking to the city center, abandoning their remote villages in search of money. It would be like life in the past, where people from the provinces had to go to the capital to earn a living, further widening the development gap between the city and the villages.

Good development shouldn’t be concentrated in one place. Otherwise, the use of resources wouldn’t be efficient over the same period. This seemed to be the right decision, as Yueqian bought large amounts of land and used it for growing food. As a result, villagers in Red Earth City could return to work in their original villages after receiving treatment.

With money, they planned to do as Governor’s furen did. Taking care of the crops wasn’t hard. There was no need to plow the soil, just water the plants, protect them from pests, prune, and apply fertilizers and medicines. Although they still relied on the Governor’s furen’s shop for fertilizers and medicines, since she sold them at reasonable prices compared to the yield, who wouldn’t want to enhance their capabilities?

Yapo didn’t know all of Yueqian’s plans. He was just confused and focused on his own work. The task he received wasn’t too difficult. Moreover, he took the opportunity to ask about Red Earth City while working.

"Big Brother, I just arrived in Red Earth City. Why has the city changed so much?"

"Oh, are you from another city? No wonder you dress so strangely. But now you’ve become a citizen of Red Earth City like us, right? You’re quite lucky. Many people have requested to move to Red Earth City. Initially, they moved to survive because their Governors refused to trade with Red Earth City. They wanted to steal the medicine Governor’s furen made without offering anything in return. Since the deal didn’t go through, the villagers didn’t get the medicine they needed and had to move here."

"Living here is like being in heaven. Before, I cursed the gods a lot and wanted to move too. But the ancestral graves are still here, and I’m afraid that if I die, the ancestors will curse me. So, I’m staying to take care of their tombs until there’s no other option. By then, I hope the ancestors in the afterlife will understand."

"Who would have thought that Governor Mu and his furen would appear? At that time, it was like a blessing from the gods for the patient people of Red Earth City. As original residents, they received many benefits, excellent welfare, medicine before anyone else, and jobs first. Those who had moved away couldn’t return quickly. Now they have to petition the capital to regain the right to move back to Red Earth City."

"As for your question about why Red Earth City has changed so much, it’s all thanks to Governor Mu and his furen. Governor Mu has a keen eye and is adept at city planning. So, he devised plans to protect Red Earth City from various tribes. I heard that a large wooden fence has been built and many soldiers are guarding us against tribal invasions."

At this point, Yapo raised an eyebrow.

"Tribal invasions? ...Um, you mean, invading the people of Red Earth City?"

"Oh, of course. We’ve suffered many casualties because of those tribes. Some even steal animals from our traps." Although Yapo wanted to argue, he wasn’t in a position to do so, so he kept quiet.

"But there’s no need to worry. That’s all in the past. From now on, we’ll know our territory and can make a living more easily without the constant danger we used to face. Speaking of which... perhaps the people of Red Earth City might not need to venture into the forest anymore. There are many jobs that pay well now. The harder you work, the more you earn. Unlike going into the forest, where you never know if you’ll return with anything each day."

"You’re currently a patient working off your treatment costs, right? In the future, once you’ve worked off your debt, you can take on other jobs. Like us, we took on road construction work. I earned a large sum and gathered people I knew to share the money. If we work quickly, we can take on another road project. After finishing all the roads, I plan to take care of a vegetable plot until harvest, like many others are doing."

"Working for the Governor pays well, and the yields are good too. I’m planning to save up and buy land to replicate the vegetable plots the Governor has established."

"But I don’t plan to be a farmer. I want to be a carpenter. After seeing all the things the Governor has accomplished, I realized how wonderful carpentry can be. I can’t believe I never thought of it before."

"Ah, I want to join the volunteer soldiers. They even get days off."

"I want to work in the hospital. I heard they need men to carry patients on stretchers for treatment."Upon hearing one person talk about their dreams, the others around them began to share their plans as well. The expressions on their faces were lively and full of dreams, something Yapo had never seen before, not even among his own Kuya tribe...