The Whole Village Thrives After Adopting a Lucky Girl

Being a low-ranked army officer, he was well aware of the misconduct in the camp.

Usually, superiors oppress subordinates, who, in turn, bully those beneath them.

Anyone with a bit of skill or a wicked heart would inevitably seek ways to make a fortune.

Even bandits would not dare raid this area within dozens of miles because those in the camp were the real bandits.

Fortunately, they only plundered wealth and did not bring much harm to the impoverished locals around them.

It’s not that a hare doesn’t eat the grass by its burrow, but that there’s simply no grass around the burrow.

After their meal, old man Wu led Zhou Wuchang around the village, surprisingly accompanied by Yingbao.

They strolled around, talking about how to make a living.

Zhou Wuchang suddenly asked Yingbao, “Apprentice, how do you think this village should develop?”

Yingbao blinked, unaware of why her master was asking her this question.

She was just a seven-and-a-half-year-old girl, how could she shoulder such a responsibility?

Seeing his apprentice seemingly puzzled, Zhou Wuchang added, “I’ve been to Dongchen Village before, where people live even better than those in the county town. The villagers here say that their ability to build their big houses and not worry about food and clothing is all thanks to you.”

Yingbao: …

She suddenly questioned the true purpose of her master bringing her here for training.

Zhou Wuchang sighed and continued, “If you, my apprentice, can think of any brilliant ideas, let me know. I will thank you on behalf of the villagers.”

Yingbao tugged at her face, nodded and said, “Okay.”

Old man Wu didn’t understand what the master and apprentice were talking about and was still unhappily chatting about the events of the past few years with Zhou Wuchang.

The poverty of every household in the village was infuriating. The Imperial Court not only refused to reduce taxes, but it also forcefully levied money and food time and time again.

The local officials did not care about the lives and deaths of the people. The sole purpose of their survival was to cultivate crops and coin for the privileged officials, providing them with free labor and soldiers.

In comparison to the prosperity of the cities and the Capital City, the villagers in remote areas could barely feed themselves or cover their bodies with clothes.

To escape death by hunger or cold, people sold their children. Those who feared that having too many children would lead to extra tax, they would drown their newborns or directly abandon them in the wild.

The more Wu old man spoke, the sadder he became, repeatedly wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

Zhou Wuchang stayed silent, his expression growing grimmer.

Seeing this, Yingbao tried her best to examine the surroundings, thinking about how to help these people make a living.

This place lacked water sources and it seemed there were no paddy fields here. From Wu Weng’s words, the locals only grew millet, and even the wheat was scarce.

Should they also grow golden ears then?

But now the frost had fallen, and the weather was getting colder, and it might snow soon.

Yingbao scratched her head, unable to think of any way such a poor place could generate income.

At that moment, Cuihua came over with a basket, in which lay a light yellow cloth.

Seeing Yingbao staring at her, Cuihua felt somewhat embarrassed and subconsciously protected what was in the basket with her arms.

But Yingbao still saw it clearly. It was the cotton cloth she had told her second senior brother to throw away last night.

Yingbao turned her face away, pretending to look into the distance.

She heard her master ask Wu Weng, “Have you not cleaned up the pond you use for daily chores yet?”

“We cleaned it last year. Now that pond is twice as big as it was before,” replied Wu Weng.

Zhou Wuchang nodded.

He had some ties with this village because he had been stationed here for several years. The villagers had fought against the Jurchen with him, and he had also stayed in Wu Weng’s house recovering from injuries for several months afterward.

Wu Weng continued to speak, recalling the drought that occurred from last year to this summer: “Thank goodness for the Mountain God Cave here, or else people from the surrounding villages would have run out. Ah, we didn’t have rain for half a year, and everyone’s pond ran dry. It was only in June that we finally had some rain and the pond was filled up again.”

Upon hearing the word ‘immortal’, Yingbao’s eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, “Grandpa Wu, what is this Immortal Cave?”

“It’s a cave on Stone Spring Mountain. My grandfather told me that it’s a life-giving spring bestowed by the immortals in heaven, and it’s been called that since the older generations,” Wu Weng said proudly.

Yingbao thought for a while, then asked, “Who owns that cave?”

Wu Weng laughed, “Nobody. Who would want a mountain where not even a single tree grows?”

Once the land is bought, taxes must be paid, regardless of whether it is mountainous or sandy land. If you buy it, you can be sure you will have to pay tax to the government every year.

So even if the government gave it away for free, nobody would dare to accept it.

Yingbao pulled at her master’s wide sleeves and whispered, “Master, I figured out a way to help the villagers make money.”

“Oh?” Zhou Wuchang was also curious about what his young apprentice would come up with: “What should they do?”

Yingbao smirked, “Since there’s an Immortal Cave here with a spring bestowed by the immortals, why not let the villagers buy that cave and start selling the Immortal Water exclusively to the people in the cities, charging one coin for a carrier load.”

Zhou Wuchang was taken aback, shaking his head, “Who would be foolish enough to pay one coin for a carrier load of water?”

Even in the Prefecture City, mountain spring water brought into the city costs only five to ten coins per carrier load. At its most expensive, the price didn’t exceed twenty coins. His little apprentice asked for one whole coin for a load as soon as she opened her mouth. This deal definitely wouldn’t turn a profit unless those buying the water were mad.

“We will know if it works when we try.” Yingbao was very optimistic about this business.

If this didn’t work, she could plant some flowers in that cave herself to create a miracle. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about the wealthy city folks not coming to buy the water.

Hehe, who knows, this village might become famous from then on, turning into another wealthy village.

The current priority was to buy this mountain, concoct a story, and make the people from several surrounding villages the protectors of the Immortal Cave so that others would not dare touch it lightly.

In this way, even if some nobles were to snatch the stone spring, they would have to treat these villagers well.

Zhou Wuchang considered for a while before finally nodding, “Alright, since you’re so sure, let’s let the villagers give it a try. However, they don’t need to buy the cave. It could lead to disputes. I’ll buy it instead. Then I’ll build a Taoist temple there.”

Old man Wu, having impaired hearing, couldn’t make out what the master and apprentice were saying. He could only look at them curiously.

Following that, the master and apprentice specifically went to the Stone Spring Mountain to scout, deciding where to build the Taoist temple.

Afterward, they went to Lizheng to discuss purchasing the mountain where the spring was located.

Lizheng, being an old acquaintance of Zhou Wuchang, promptly led them to the County Government to estimate the price.

Eventually, Zhou Wuchang spent over four hundred taels of silver and bought the entire Stone Spring Mountain, including the surrounding sandy land.

Zhang Min was shocked by his master’s move and repeatedly asked him, “Master, are we going to cultivate Taoism here?”

“I am merely building a place to stay. If you wish to stay and cultivate Taoism, you can,” Zhou Wuchang replied.

Zhang Min: “I don’t want to stay.” This is not a pleasant place. There’s nothing to eat or drink, not even a fruit tree.