Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 47: Being a Slave Is Your Blessing

"Coming right away!" Qiao Mei patted the dirt off herself and responded. She glanced worriedly at the pile of firewood and called out, "Xi’Er, Chunsheng, grab your baskets and hoes, let’s see what the village chief has to say. There’s a lot of work to do today, so we won’t be heading home later."

The siblings quickly picked up their farming tools and followed their mother to the divine statue square in the village center.

"We were working in the fields, and they insisted we come back. What happened this time?"

"Exactly! It rained so heavily yesterday, the fields are flooded. If we don’t hurry and find a way to tend to the crops, what’s the point of wasting time?"

"We’re just ordinary folks, relying on those fields to eat. The village chief is connected to the major clans, and every year we hand over so much grain, cloth, and game. Their cellars are full, not worried about food or drink, they couldn’t care less about our survival."

"Then why did you glare at me and stop me from speaking when Wan Mingchuan suggested redistributing the land? In the past, we had the divine statue to rely on, but now it’s gone. We need a lot of effort to rebuild it, yet we’re not allowed to speak. How is this fair?"

"Shut up! Do you understand that the He Family has the current High Priest? Riverfront Village was originally established by the three major clans, and they take turns being the High Priest, each family holding a key part of the sacrificial rites. If you follow Wan Mingchuan’s nonsense and get expelled from the village, you won’t even have the opportunity to contribute. When they re-establish the Guardian God statue, do you think they’ll let you back into the village?"

"They’re just treating us like slaves!"

"Consider yourself lucky to work as a slave. Look at the refugees who were rejected by the village and struggling to survive in the wild for years. Just be honest. If so many people can endure it, why can’t you?"

......

On the way, Qiao Mei and her children encountered groups of villagers. Everyone was muttering discontentedly, but no one dared to stand up against it like the destitute Wan Mingchuan. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

"Sigh..." She thought of that heavy pouch of gold coins. If she could take them to town and send her kids to school, they’d have a chance to change their fate.

After all, a few years back, Qiao Mei noticed during the sacrificial ceremony that the High Priest quietly chanted "spells" from a book filled with words. If they could learn to read, perhaps they wouldn’t be forced into labor like workhorses.

By the same token, if the children could become literate, even working in town as a calligrapher or transcriber would be easier than scratching out a living from the land.

The square was already crowded with people.

The village chief, wearing a serious expression, and the elaborately dressed elders of the three major clans sat on the high platform under the divine statue, looking down at the villagers in ragged clothes and haggard faces.

Standing on both sides of the platform were able-bodied men from the three major clans, holding weapons that were very intimidating.

Previously, the three major clans shared equal strength due to their irreplaceable roles in the sacrificial rites. But in recent years, the He Family had thrived and occupied more land, renting it out at high prices to the villagers, and their power grew.

The other two families dwindled in numbers, and with sacrificial ceremonies rarely held throughout the year, the He Family gradually overshadowed them.

As for the secrets of the sacrificial rites, when numbers were on their side, they could use it for leverage and mutual restraint. But now, even if dissatisfied with the distribution of benefits, once the sacrificial ceremonies began, not cooperating could trigger public outrage, putting them in a bind.

Even if the two families wanted to unite, relying on two-thirds of the sacrificial ceremonies couldn’t communicate with the God. Caught in webs of interests, they had no choice but to tacitly acknowledge the He Family’s dominance, as long as they maintained appearances.

Now, with the divine statue destroyed and ancestors’ efforts turning into bubbles, the elders of the three clans could distinguish what truly mattered.

The infighting among the three families was an internal conflict, and at critical moments, they naturally had to unite against outsiders for the long term.

As long as they could quickly gather the first batch of offerings to regain divine protection, and with the He Family also losing a number of young men, they could have an opportunity to renegotiate the distribution of benefits and break the dominance of one family.

So the immediate task was to use Wan Mingchuan’s disappearance to fool the timid and meek outcasts.

Especially since Wan Mingchuan openly demanded land redistribution in front of the entire village, a rebellious seedling that had to be suppressed while he was neither alive nor dead. Otherwise, if the outcasts were truly agitated and fought till the end, it would be troublesome.

"Folks, we are facing immense danger right now!" The village chief, seeing that almost everyone had arrived, stood up and spoke first, applying pressure: "First of all, as everyone knows, our Guardian God statue has been damaged and cannot protect the village. We must quickly perform the sacrificial ceremony to regain the protection!"

Secondly, Wan Mingchuan’s disrespect for the High Priest equals disrespect for the God. He’s been completely abandoned by the divine protection and eaten by the Thousand-Year-Old Rat Spirit! Which means, on the other side of Cat Mountain, there’s a Thousand-Year-Old Rat Spirit capable of transforming into human form and deceiving us, ready to sneak into the village and eat us at any moment!"

Rumors had spread throughout the village by yesterday evening, and with the village chief’s confirmation, the villagers, who still harbored a glimmer of hope, turned ashen.

"I thought it was just nonsense, but it’s true?"

"How can it not be? Haven’t you noticed that Wan Mingchuan is the only one missing?"

"The Lin Family’s two kids were frightened too. Since they returned yesterday, something was off, and they didn’t dare to look people in the eye. Mention the events at Shuiyun Lake yesterday, and their eyes fill with tears. It’s pitiful."

"What do we do? The divine statue can’t protect us anymore, and there’s a Thousand-Year-Old Rat Spirit living in Shuiyun Lake..."

......

The rumors grew more outrageous. Even well-informed folks like Granny Chen heard the strategies discussed in the village.

The crowd grew more restless, as the atmosphere of panic continued to ferment and spread.

The elders of the three major clans sat in the upper seats, watching the scene with satisfaction. As long as the outcasts remained disorganized, each with their own little schemes, they could continue to act as the rulers of Riverfront Village with ease.

"Folks!" The village chief glanced at the elders, coughed twice, signaling for silence, and waited until the buzzing conversations on the square died down. Then he spoke loudly, "To protect everyone’s life safety and to work together to gather materials for the sacrificial ceremony as soon as possible,

the elders have come up with a good plan — from now on, everyone will be divided into five groups according to their fields’ locations, working together in the fields and resting in the caves together, ensuring that no one is left alone to avoid giving the Thousand-Year-Old Rat Spirit a chance!"

Also, all remaining materials in each household must be handed over. From today, someone will be responsible for cooking, providing two meals a day based on headcount, and the remaining food will become offerings for the sacrifice.

This year’s autumn harvest will also be handed over to a designated manager. Everyone should just focus on working in the fields, not worrying about anything else!"

There was a brief silence in the square, then a burst of murmured discussions.

"What does that mean? I didn’t understand."

"It’s a huge blessing! All the village’s food will be pooled into one, and the three major clans’ warehouses are full of food. We can eat till we’re full!"

"Did the Rat Spirit crack your skull open, or did the rain fill your brain? Always thinking of good outcomes. When have you seen the major clans willingly give up their grain? It’d be nice if they didn’t exploit us further!"

"Who cares, anyway my family has nothing, so if I can eat other’s leftovers for free, I’m hitting the jackpot..."

......