Chen Xiaojun looked at everyone, took a deep breath, and continued, "I've read the village founding records. When our ancestors first moved here, they had a unified layout for the village."
"With Shaolin Square at the village center as its heart, the village was built in concentric rings.
"The first ring contains the village's main facilities, such as the Garrison Team headquarters, the market, the activity center, the logistics center, and so on.
"The second ring houses the small and medium-sized families, along with some ancillary buildings.
"The third ring consists of the large compounds belonging to the branches of our Chen Clan's main lineage and their followers, as well as some smaller guest courtyards.
"Beyond the third ring lies the Village-Circling Road.
"Outside the Village-Circling Road, in the broader fourth ring at the foot of Jade Peak, Fragrant Snow, and Blueheart Mountains, live the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu.
"The north gate actually lies slightly east of due north. Coming through it, Fragrant Snow Mountain is on your right,
"with the Zhao Family's Bee Garden, the Xia Family's Scenic Garden, and the Zhu Family's Tea Garden, in that order;
"on your left, beneath Jade Peak Mountain, are the Ding Family's Farmland, the Zhu Family's Ranch, and the Qin Family's Tobacco Meadow;
"to the west, by the lake, is the Luo Family's Fishery,
"and to the south, on Blueheart Mountain where the Ancestral Hall stands, near the southeast gate, are the Ma Family's Pasture and the Cheng Family's Bird Park.
"Those nine families aren't just powerful; they also have plenty of people.
"Putting them on the outermost edge made it easier for them to manage their respective industries, but it was also a security measure. It lets them reinforce both gates immediately and defend the three surrounding mountains and Shaolin Lake.