Crossing into the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to Become a Foreman

"Taoist, your powers reach the mysteries of heaven, so you are naturally extraordinary. May I ask... once this temple is built, what name will you give it? That way, people near and far will know of it."

A name?

Qing He Miao was taken aback. He had originally planned to build it first and worry about that later.

After all, anyone who had debated politics on Tianya knew that disaster relief absolutely could not consist of just handing out grain.

It also needed a certain degree of organization to get people moving.

Providing work as relief could save a lot of trouble.

Qing He Miao thought for a moment, and a name that had left a deep impression on him was the first to come to mind.

He raised a hand and patted the half of a corridor pillar still standing beside him, covering his hand in dust, then said offhandedly:

"It's called the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Temple."

Huang Liu swept his gaze around. The cold wind brushed over the withered grass, and the silhouettes of distant mountains were hazy. Surely moonlight would spill over these ruins at night as well...

"Wind, spirit, moon, shadow... wind and spirit, moon and shadow. A fine name! Its imagery is deep and far-reaching!"

He immediately clapped his hands in praise, then took the opportunity to probe:

"To have chosen such an elegant and unworldly name, your esteemed master must surely be a great and virtuous master of profound Taoist arts, whose learning encompasses heaven and humanity. Might I ask his name?"

Qing He Miao knew it was time to reveal a little something.

"My master... he was just an ordinary man. His Taoist name was Crooked Gourd Taoist.

"He had no great abilities. He was merely quick on his feet, so he went to more places and picked up a broader assortment of knowledge."

Sorry, Master Chai.

A hint of what seemed to be reminiscence appeared on his face, and he said with a smile:

"Look at this outfit of mine. I got it when I followed my master to Khitan. It truly was a bitterly cold place. My master and I parted in a hurry, and I haven't even had time to change out of it since I got back."

As he spoke, he tugged at his padded jacket. He had deliberately chosen a dark one with the simplest style, but it still looked completely out of place in this era.

"Oh—! So that's how it is!"

Huang Liu drew out the words as if he had just understood, taking the opportunity to give Qing He Miao's clothes a few more looks.

He seemed to accept the explanation.

Then he asked kindly:

"Since you've come back from Khitan, Taoist, the journey must have been difficult. Did you not run into Lord Liu's troops? Things haven't been peaceful over there lately."

The name "Lord Liu" had appeared again.

Qing He Miao was thoughtful, but he continued along the same lines in his reply:

"Lord Liu's troops? Perhaps it was because I was alone and carried no possessions of value, so I deliberately avoided the official roads and main thoroughfares, choosing only rarely traveled paths through the mountains and forests. Perhaps that was why I never ran into them."

"Taoist, your good fortune reaches the heavens."

Huang Liu followed Qing He Miao's lead, though it was unclear what thoughts were turning in his mind.

Qing He Miao delayed no longer and began recruiting workers.

He returned to the traces he had made with [Cream] yesterday, cleared his throat, and said:

"I found a place for quiet cultivation in the mountains to the west, and I need hands to clear and repair it. I'm hiring workers today, on the following terms: anyone strong and able to work will receive one sheng of unpolished rice for a full day's labor! Two meals a day, which I will provide: rice porridge and pickled vegetables."

Chapter 34: Crossing into the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to Become a Foreman

Qing He Miao had set his wages after making a special trip to an internet café to look up information.

During the relatively stable periods of the Tang dynasty, this daily wage would definitely have been lower than that of an ordinary laborer.

And wages were often paid in currency.

But this was the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and he had not really come here to work on a construction site.

For people on the verge of starving to death, this rate was already barely enough to keep them alive.

As for those who wanted to make money, they had better stay away.

That would screen them out nicely.

After all, he was only fourteen for the time being in this life, and he was indebted to his parents in this life.

Since he had no plans to leave his family, the restrictions on him were considerable.

He did not have much spare grain himself.

The disaster victims watching were stunned when they heard him, scarcely daring to believe their ears.

These terms were practically a pie falling from the sky!

Being able to stay alive was good enough.

But they did not act at once. Instead, many instinctively looked at Huang Liu, who had come back with Qing He Miao and was standing beside him.

Qing He Miao felt a little awkward and followed their lead, looking at Huang Liu with a blank expression.

"What are you all looking at me for?! You filthy lot have fallen on hard times, your eyes are green with hunger, and all you want is a bite to eat and a way to stay alive, isn't that right?"

Thoughts raced through Huang Liu's mind. Acting as though it had nothing to do with him, he shouted at the disaster victims:

"Now the Taoist master has shown great mercy and pointed you toward a clear path. Why aren't you hurrying to kowtow and thank him? Are you waiting to starve to death and become corpses by the roadside?!"

And sure enough, after that shout, someone hesitantly took the first step forward.

Immediately afterward, as though it were catching, more people surged toward Qing He Miao.

In just a moment, a great, densely packed crowd had swarmed around him. Men and women, young and old were all there, in a noisy, chaotic mass.

The situation was getting a little out of hand, and people were still squeezing forward.

Seeing this, Huang Liu said no more and simply stood off to the side.

He wanted to see how Qing He Miao would react, then step in to help at the right moment.

To his surprise, Qing He Miao's face darkened, and he lightly stamped his right foot!

"Swish!"

With a simple, muffled thud, dirt and broken stones burst up from beneath his foot, and a round pit the width of a bowl and about a foot deep appeared in an instant!

This display was not as shocking as yesterday's long trench, but it showed effortless mastery and incomparable precision.

It reminded everyone once more that the "Taoist master" before them was no ordinary man.

Immediately afterward, Qing He Miao's temper also took a turn for the worse, and he spoke in a tone that brooked no argument:

"Line up! Anyone who wants work and food, get in line one behind the other! Anyone who shoves or scrambles goes to the back!"

Whenever anyone tried to squeeze forward, or played deaf and dumb in an attempt to stay near the front, he gave them a cold glance and sent them to the end of the line.

Quite a few people did settle down, with their whole families in tow, the elderly and children following them with hopeful eyes.

After initially bringing the situation under control, Qing He Miao pulled a specially chosen scratch notebook from his clothes.

It was the kind from an earlier era, with rough, yellowed paper.

Even schools no longer used them; they were sold only in little shops in rural villages.

He also produced a pencil, which would look like a strange hard-tipped pen to people in this world.

He turned to a blank page and began asking the people in line their names one by one.

"What's your name?"

"Zhao... Zhao Youfu..."

"Age?"

"Th... thirty."

"Who else is in your family?"

"I'm the only one left..."

He kept his questions simple, quickly writing down the crooked names and brief notes in the scratch notebook.

After registering each person, he deliberately tore half a page from the notebook unevenly and handed it over:

"Keep this safe. Use it to claim your rice tonight."

This crude, primitive "work badge" system was simple, yet at this moment it seemed especially official and binding, and the starving people put their slips away with the utmost care.

After registering about twenty or thirty people, Qing He Miao was finally done for the time being. He turned to Huang Liu and said:

"Steward Huang, sorry to trouble you with something. Could you take these people up the mountain first and have them wait at the ruined temple? I have a few things to do and will be there shortly."

Having witnessed Qing He Miao's orderly handling of everything, Huang Liu could not help growing more serious.

He cupped his hands in admiration.

"Rest assured, Taoist. Leave this small matter to me."

With that, he turned to the twenty or thirty people who had been selected. The smile vanished from his face, and he began sternly shouting orders at them, hitting and cursing them at every turn.

But it had to be said, he was extremely efficient.

The disaster victims were more docile before him than they had been before Qing He Miao.

Like a flock of sheep being driven along, the group obediently followed Huang Liu and his burly subordinates in a winding procession toward the ruined temple on the western mountain.

Qing He Miao found a deserted corner and sent all his stand-ins out to make a quick reconnaissance of the area, confirming that no one was following him and nothing was amiss.

Only then did he will himself back to his own world.

He bent down and, relying on the physical abilities he had gained from cultivating Qi, hoisted two bags of rice weighing nearly a hundred jin onto his shoulders, one in each hand. He entered the instance again and hurried toward the ruined temple.

After running a couple of steps, he felt rather stupid.

He sent the rice back again and went alone to the foot of the mountain below the ruined temple before fetching it once more.

When Qing He Miao appeared in the open space before the ruined temple with the bags of rice on his shoulders,

Huang Liu had already brought the disaster victims to order and made them wait obediently at the edge of the ruins.

When Qing He Miao appeared carrying the bulging bags, everyone vaguely guessed what they contained.

Qing He Miao wasted no words. He found a level spot, put the bags down, gathered Qi in his finger, and gently sliced one open.

Gleaming white rice was revealed.

Everyone's eyes went wide. The air itself seemed to freeze, and the sound of heavy, uncontrollable breathing gradually spread.

Even Huang Liu, who had been watching with folded arms, could not help swallowing, his gaze full of complicated feelings as he looked at the bag of rice.

Rice!

Gleaming white rice!