Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Manager Liu pulled him aside and told him about the difference in treatment between the villagers of Xinâan village and the manor.
âHu Chun, Gu Chengrui, and I came to the conclusion that the manor is not lacking in food at the moment. Thatâs why Mother God didnât give us much.
âSince fish baskets were given here, I think it should have the intention of letting them earn our keep.â
Tian Jingzhong nodded in agreement and said, âThatâs true. The entire country, or even the entire continent, is suffering from disasters one after another. If we only rely on the help of Mother God, where would so much food come from?
âUltimately, weâll still have to rely on ourselves.â
He then looked at the incense in Manager Liuâs hand and asked in surprise, âYou donât lack food; what are you offering incense for?â
âIâm not starving to death, but donât forget the soldiers outside the manor. They consume a lot of food every day. Without supplies, they wonât be able to hold on much longer.â
âI see. As the saying goes, the emperor never lacks hungry soldiers. Since thereâs hope now, we canât let them go hungry.â Tian Jingzhong nodded in agreement.
âWait for me,â he added. âWeâll go together at noon. Iâll gather all the village chiefs to pay our respects.â
âSure, letâs go together.â Manager Liu immediately understood what he wanted to do.
He then went back with Hu Chun to wait for the news.
After Hu Chun learned from Manager Liu about the deeper meaning behind the fish baskets, he returned to find Uncle Hu and said, âUncle, find a few women who know how to hatch eggs and to find those eggs that can be hatched. Weâll raise chickens.
âWhen the chickens grow, we can have meat and eggs.â
âI understand, but the feedâ¦â
âIt might cost some food from us in the early stages, but we can raise earthworms later to feed the chickens. They will grow quickly.â
âAre you sure itâll work?â
âIt should be possible. While working as a bodyguard, I heard people in the mountains feed the chickens this way.â
âThen letâs try with half of the eggs.â Uncle Hu turned around and went back to work.
Conversely, Manager Liu also mentioned raising chickens to the manorâs tenants. As for whether they followed his advice or not, he did not care.
After resting briefly, he called Chang Shun over and went to the military camp. He called a few group leaders together and told them about Tian Jingzhongâs plan. âWhat are you guys thinking? Do you want to go together?â
âWe would like to go, but weâre afraid of embarrassing the Third Prince.â
âWhatâs there to be embarrassed about? If it works, not only will you guys get substantial food, but you can also save a lot of money for the Third Prince.â
âThen letâs try.â
âRemember to be sincere; as long as youâre sincere, itâll work.â
âWe understand. Either we donât go, or weâll have to show our utmost sincerity when we go.â
At noon, Zhou Ying was drying the firewood in the courtyard. Suddenly, she heard the sound of gongs and drums and walked out curiously.
She saw Tian Jingzhong leading a large group of people up the mountains.
She couldnât help but mumble inwardly, âIt seems like Iâll gain a lot of faith today.â
The village chief and the patriarch looked at each other and asked, âWhatâs the meaning of this? Why didnât they call us?â
âI donât know. Thereâs still incense in the ancestral hall, so letâs take them and follow.â The patriarch answered.
âAlright, letâs hurry up.â
After that, the two older men quickly brought a lot of their incense and joined the group to pray for food.
After Tian Jingzhong saw the two of them, he gave them a simple explanation, âBut since youâre here, letâs go together. Donât get your hopes up.â
âYes, no matter the result, we are still offering our prayers. I believe Mother God will remember this.â
âYeah.â Tian Jingzhong then led everyone to set up an incense table outside the Mother God Temple. He placed the offerings and began to worship Mother God..