Chapter 212: Starting a New Life
"Yiye," Li Daoxuan chuckled, "Tell everyone to share the meal. This is a special reward for the Heavenly Lord Sudden Whim Festival—enjoy yourselves to the fullest."
With his words, the mischievous Gao Yiye could no longer hold back. She was the first to leap forward, intending to take a big bite, but then paused. So many people needed to share; it would be uncivilized to bite directly.
Fortunately, a clever villager immediately handed her a knife.
He had a knife but didn't dare to make the first move himself. For such a grand festival offering, they absolutely had to wait for the Saintess to begin.
Gao Yiye used the knife to slice off a small piece from the enormous beef, popped it into her mouth, and in that instant, her expression was truly priceless.
Cantonese cuisine has the advantage of being broadly adaptable, suiting the palates of most Chinese people, unlike Sichuan cuisine, which can be an overwhelming assault for outsiders.
The moment the flavor of the Cantonese-style braised beef hit her tongue, it was nothing short of extraordinary.
Such rich seasonings, such complex layers of flavor.
Gao Yiye's mouth was packed with a large piece of beef, her cheeks working as she chewed and spoke, her words muffled and indistinct: "So goo... really goo! Ev'ryone... come get your... get your meat... so goo..."
The villagers of Gao Family Village were the first to let out a cheer, snatching up their knives and rushing forward.
Next, the people from Zhengjia Village, Zhongjia Village, and others followed suit, grabbing their knives and joining the fray.
Finally, the three thousand people from Qingjian County also roused themselves from the shock of the "divinely bestowed meat." Who cared what kind of meat it was, or which deity the Heavenly Lord might be? Confusing matters could wait; first, they needed to fill their stomachs. Grab a knife and get to it!
"Hey, hey, newcomers! You've been hungry for a long time, don't eat too much at once, or you'll get stomach aches!" San Shier shouted, stamping his feet amidst the crowd.
"We people of Qingjian County aren't so fragile!"
"Hey, that has nothing to do with where you're from, does it?"
"Don't stuff yourselves! Don't worry, there'll be more next meal."
From Li Daoxuan's perspective, looking down, over four thousand people surrounded an enormous piece of beef, commencing a gluttonous feast. It was like a swarm of ants carrying food, quite a fascinating sight.
Such a grand spectacle was impossible to witness when the population was smaller.
Indeed, the more the village grew and prospered, the more new sights and phenomena he could witness.
These little "pets" in the box truly weren't nurtured for nothing.
The revelry in the box lasted a full half-hour. The sated and satisfied villagers from the Short-term Workers Village were the first to disperse, returning to their work posts. Currently, the most active and hardworking individuals in Gao Family Village were those from the Short-term Workers Village, followed by the labor-reform prisoners, who also hurried back to work diligently, earning performance points to secure early parole and regain their free status. Then, the original forty-two inhabitants of Gao Family Village patted their bellies and leisurely strolled off to aid digestion.
Only the three thousand-plus people from Qingjian County remained. After filling their stomachs, they didn't know what to do, staring at each other, awaiting instructions.
Gao Yiye came back after making a round. Grinning, she stood before Dian Dengzi. "Mr. Zhao, please gather your fellow villagers and take the little train to your 'Valley of Exiles' to settle in first."
"Alright." Dian Dengzi quickly instructed the crowd: "Everyone, up now! See those colorful houses over there? That's called the train station. We'll go there, get on the train, and go to our new homes."
The people of Qingjian County looked over curiously. A train station was something they'd never heard of, but with one glance, they saw an enormous, strange vehicle, like a colossal caterpillar, resting quietly beside the station.
"We're getting on *that*?"
"Is that really a vehicle? It looks like a giant bug, like it's going to eat people."
Dian Dengzi declared loudly: "Don't be afraid! It's a train, not some monster bug. Everyone, come on, come on!"
He led the way towards the little train.
But then, a figure, clad in white, ran faster than all of them, sprinting with all his might towards the little train. It was Bai Yuan, waving his hands as he ran: "I'll drive! I'll drive! Among a gentleman's six arts, the art of 'charioteering' – I am very proficient at it!"
The two train drivers broke out in a sweat. "Mr. Bai, you've only just learned! You can't drive it right away; you still need more practice. This time the train will be full of people; if something went wrong, the casualties would be catastrophic."
Bai Yuan nodded. "Uh... that's true, I suppose. Then I'll just continue observing and learning from inside the locomotive."
The people of Qingjian County lined up to board the train.
With twelve carriages, and each carriage only able to hold a hundred people, the train could transport only twelve hundred people at a time. Its carrying capacity was still somewhat insufficient.
It would take three trips to transport all the Qingjian County residents to the Valley of Exiles.
Taking a little more time for a few extra rounds wouldn't be a big problem.
Fortunately, the one-way trip was only six li; at the train's speed, a single journey would take just a few minutes. The only time-consuming part was boarding and disembarking. Thus, the first batch of twelve hundred people boarded the little train and set off for their new homes.
Whoosh! Chug-chug-chug...
Amidst the delightful sounds, the little train first passed through Gao Family Village's wheat fields.
The passengers on board collectively let out cries of "Wow!" The beautiful wheat fields were on the verge of harvest. The train traveled through the hillsides, with green vibrancy everywhere. It had rained all over this area, and the mountains and fields were covered with wild flowers and grasses.
Some passengers secretly thought: *It looks so easy to dig for wild vegetables here; there are wild vegetables everywhere.*
*Even grass and roots are inexhaustible; absolutely inexhaustible.*
Soon, the train arrived at the Valley of Exiles station. The carriage came to a stop. Dian Dengzi was the first to disembark, then loudly called out, telling the people in the following carriages to get off.
One thousand two hundred people disembarked from the train, one after another. Then, they saw a colorful village filled with brightly painted buildings, nestled quietly in the valley, possessing an otherworldly, utopian beauty.
"Wow, is this our new home?"
"What a beautiful place!"
"Can we really move in here?"
Some people immediately wanted to run into the valley.
Dian Dengzi Zhao Sheng called out loudly: "Don't rush, don't rush! You can't just claim houses yourselves, there'll be fights. Wait until everyone else has arrived; I will consult with the village chiefs to allocate rooms."
The villagers had always obeyed him, so upon hearing him, they all quieted down and sat properly, waiting for the little train to return and bring the second and third batches of people. Once everyone had arrived, they then sat down in groups according to their original villages.
Zhao Sheng sat together with several village chiefs, discussing which village's people would settle in which area of the valley, and then, by designated area, moved into the various colorful large houses in the valley.
This was no simple task. Three thousand people, each with their own opinions, and every family had different circumstances. It took a full half-day of commotion, until sunset, before the people of Qingjian County finally found their respective places of settlement.
Everyone put away the few belongings they carried, walked out their doors, meeting on the streets, and couldn't help but let smiles touch their lips. A new life was about to begin, and it was clear it would be no worse than before—only better.
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