Discussions

Zhang Xuezhou felt somewhat guilty, but no one in Zhang Household Village had any complaints about Zhang Xuezhou.

The fact that they risked their lives to send the people of Zhang Household Village out of Huainan, a place with such tight security, was already a tremendous help, and no one would ask Zhang Xuezhou for more.

Many people are worried that Zhang Xuezhou might face retaliation afterward, or that he might be forced to work in the mines.

Many people were delighted to see Zhang Xuezhou appear Chang'an City.

The group followed Zhang Xuezhou out of Huainan in the darkness, and many of them were seeing him for the first time.

The crackling flames illuminated a group of bronze-colored faces, reflecting the joy and happiness on each one.

Some fish, hung with straw ropes, were not scaled but wrapped in wood ash and thrown into the fire. Two small animals were skinned, gutted, and had their meat chopped into pieces and thrown into a large earthenware jar.

The washed wild vegetables, roots and all, were stuffed into the earthenware jar. When Xu Yuan brought over a bag and added a spoonful of millet, the dinner for everyone was basically ready.

It takes boiling five pots of this kind of earthenware pot to barely sustain the food supply for everyone.

The amount of food distributed to everyone was not much, but no one was discouraged; on the contrary, their eyes were bright and alert.

The people of Zhang Household Village had often suffered from hunger in the past, sometimes even to the point of crying. They would cry themselves into a stupor and fall asleep, only to wake up and continue crying from hunger. The current situation was dire, but the people of Zhang Household Village were skilled hunters, and Xu Yuan could distinguish various wild herbs and vegetables. So far, no one had starved to death.

"We have limited physical strength and lack tools. We've only cultivated a little over fifty acres of land so far. Once this batch of grain is harvested, there's a very high chance we can make porridge to get through the winter," Xu Yuan said in a low voice.

"Here you go!"

Zhang Xuezhou patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder.

Xu Yuan's arrangements were excellent.

If we return to the essence of the agricultural sect of cultivators, this school of thought hopes that people can have enough to eat and wear, and Xu Yuan is putting these hopes into practice one by one.

Xu Yuan did not return to Chang'an City to get money to solve the problem, but he used his knowledge to help many people get through these past few months.

Zhang Xuezhou felt fortunate to have met such a friend, and he had always treated Xu Yuan well, which led to the outcome he had achieved today.

"We can solve the problem of food and drink, but we need to find a way to get some fabric to make clothes so that we won't be too cold when it snows in winter," Xu Yuan said.

"You've thought this through; this is easy to discuss!"

Zhang Xuezhou bought grain and pigs, but he hadn't really considered things like clothing and shoes.

The people were dressed in tattered clothes, and while they could manage to get by with a handful of dry grass at night when it was freezing, it would undoubtedly be extremely difficult once the winter snow covered the ground.

Xu Ji's desire to migrate south was not without reason.

Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are the most basic necessities for survival. If Xu Ji and Xu Yuan could solve such a major problem with their own hands, the Great Han Dynasty wouldn't have had so many people going hungry and cold every year.

"We should buy a large cooking pot or earthenware pot, because these small earthenware pots aren't enough. Some people don't eat until very late, and we need some containers. Right now, everyone either eats with their hands or uses containers that others have already used. Plus, drinking water is inconvenient. I think storing water in an earthenware pot for a while before drinking it can reduce the chances of getting sick!"

"That makes sense!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded repeatedly, indicating that he would do these things tomorrow.

"Luckily, there aren't any one- or two-year-old children in our village, otherwise this would have been really difficult!"

"It used to happen, but some things just happened!"

Children used to be born in Zhang Household Village, but due to the quarantine measures in Huainan that prevent couples from living together, they haven't been able to have children in recent years.

After going back and forth, Zhang Household Village almost had no newborns left.

Once some women have passed their prime reproductive years, they may find it impossible to conceive even if they want to.

Now, all we can do is hope that the younger generation of men and women will be able to continue the lineage once they have enough to eat and wear.

Zhang Xuezhou believed that once the people of Zhang Household Village had stable food and housing, even if they were willing to have children, the village would only have a dozen or so young children.

In reality, the people of Zhang Household Village were imprisoned by the Huainan Kingdom, and their village was almost destroyed. Now, when they are gathered together, they are just embers.

"You also need to be mentally prepared. The main hunters in your village are mostly between fifty and sixty years old. The older they get, the less work they can do," Xu Yuan whispered in my ear. "My personal suggestion is to cultivate more land, try to cultivate a thousand acres, that way at least we won't starve!"

"Disaster!"

The voices of Xu Yuan and Zhang Xuezhou could be heard by ordinary people, but Xu Ji, as a cultivator, could hear them clearly.

Listening to their discussion, he felt that it would be very difficult to make a good living by working hard in the fields.

Xu Yuan's calculation of a thousand acres of wasteland was the maximum amount of land that the people of Zhang Household Village could cultivate, but this calculation assumed the best possible outcome.

A single drought, flood, or insect infestation can destroy all of this, making it highly unreliable to rely on the weather for farming.

He couldn't help but join in, whispering a few words of discussion.

Only through debate and discussion can things take the right turn. The back-and-forth debate between the two led Zhang Xuezhou to completely give up on farming to support people. Even if he wanted to do it, Zhang Xuezhou could not place all his hopes on farming.

"Let's see if we can get involved in any businesses that need a lot of manpower, and try to buy low and sell high to make some money!"

"It takes a lot of capital to operate with so many people, and business requires a very keen eye. This is going to be difficult!"

"We'll think about it carefully and discuss it thoroughly when the time comes!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded softly.

He had considered many options, Rong Tianding had also considered quite a few.

But imagination and actual execution are two different things.

For the people of Zhang Household Village, who were skilled hunters, even farming was difficult to do well. They needed Xu Yuan to guide them step by step to figure out how to grow millet well.

It would be nearly impossible to get these people into business, and their advanced age also severely limits their job opportunities.

Zhang Xuezhou could only observe as he walked.

He had just returned to Chang'an City, and since he lacked understanding of businesses and other industries suitable for multiple people, he was even less able to make a conclusion now.

He even considered taking over the bankrupt cloth shop and dye house because of Sang Hongyang's business practices, but Xu Yuan's words reminded him that Zhang Xuezhou and others were young and adaptable and could do all sorts of things, but that did not mean that others could learn from them.

Moreover, these people are quite old, making it almost impossible for them to change professions.

The people of Zhang Household Village spent most of their lives hunting. In Huainan, most of them could only do hard work mining ore. Only a small number of them were engaged in minting coins, forging, and weaving. These related industries were monopolized in various places, and even if someone was good at blacksmithing, it was difficult for them to get involved.

He could not accept the idea of the people of Zhang Household Village dying in poverty and hunger, which would have drawn them to Chang'an City.

However, if Zhang Xuezhou were to support over a hundred people, he currently lacks the necessary financial resources.

"Chang'an City, right under the emperor's nose, only the emperor himself can help them change their fate!"

"The emperor?"

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't solve the problem, but there were others in Chang'an City who could.

There are no jobs that need elderly people, starting your own business is unrealistic, and self-reliance is equally difficult.

Xu Ji reluctantly mentioned a possibility in a low voice.

For the cultivators of the Agricultural Sect, they rarely came to Chang'an City and disliked the ever-changing imperial court.

However, if we were to find a problem solver who surpasses even the cultivators of the Agricultural Sect, only the emperor of Chang'an City would be qualified, and only Zhang Xuezhou, who is close to the emperor, could find a suitable solution.