Chapter 213: Don't You Dare Mess Around
Li Daoxuan sat by the box, watching the newly arrived villagers bustling about in the Valley of Exiles. There was simply too much to do in a new place; though they had houses, they lacked everything else.
Their first priority was food. They had to find stones and dig clay to build makeshift stoves, gather firewood, and procure all sorts of pots, bowls, and plates.
So many things needed to be prepared, but these common folk were completely destitute. Obtaining these household necessities would be no easy feat.
He needed to quickly provide them with jobs, ideally "same-day pay" positions, so they could earn income swiftly and convert it into daily essentials, thereby getting their lives back on track.
Li Daoxuan switched his perspective back to Gao Family Village and saw San Shier, Bai Yuan, Gao Yiye, Tan Liwen, and others sitting on the third-floor balcony of the watchtower, chatting.
Bai Yuan: "Now that this matter is settled, I shall return to Bai Family Fortress."
San Shier clasped his hands and bowed: "Sir Bai, you've worked tirelessly."
Bai Yuan chuckled: "Serving the Heavenly Lord is my honor. How could I call it tiresome?"
He bowed to everyone and, leaving Gao Family Village, set off towards Bai Family Fortress.
Tan Liwen: "Sir, this batch of arrivals from Qingjian County, over three thousand of them, is quite a large number. We must quickly provide them with work, or there might be trouble. However, I truly don't know what kind of work to arrange for them in such a short time."
San Shier frowned: "They are all outsiders, and I'm honestly a bit..."
Li Daoxuan spoke up: "Don't treat them as outsiders. Have you forgotten? To Gao Family Village, you were once an outsider too."
Gao Yiye heard his voice and immediately perked up, relaying his words.
Upon hearing this, San Shier's face flushed slightly: "That's right! How could I start treating the newcomers as outsiders? In truth, apart from the original forty-two villagers of Gao Family Village, everyone here could be considered an outsider. I really was being a bit... well."
He quickly bowed towards the sky: "Heavenly Lord, I didn't mean it that way. I merely worried that with such a large number of newcomers, and limited initial contact, we couldn't afford to be careless. I feared that rashly accepting outsiders might lead to some... *cough*..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but Li Daoxuan understood: he was worried about them causing trouble.
Such a thought was not surprising.
Not to mention in the late Ming era, even in later generations, when minds had been greatly liberated and the legal system was relatively sound, people still harbored some vigilance and discrimination towards "outsiders." They always worried that newcomers would disrupt the local harmony.
This was evident on a large scale in developed nations excluding immigrants from less developed countries, on a medium scale in developed cities discriminating against migrant workers from smaller cities, and even on a small scale within communities, where original residents excluded renters. This mentality, at present, no one had the ability to completely smooth over.
Because the issue of outsiders increasing crime rates was indeed a reality that had to be faced. There would always be a few bad apples spoiling the barrel, lowering the reputation of "outsiders."
Li Daoxuan could only try his best to guide them, using his divine powers to alleviate the "original residents'" anxieties and wariness towards the new arrivals.
"Don't worry," Li Daoxuan said with a slight smile. "It's understandable for a thousand of you to feel fearful and worried when facing three thousand newcomers. But don't forget, I am always watching from above. Not to mention three thousand newcomers, even if three *million* arrived, what would there be to fear?"
Hearing this, San Shier's spirits lifted: "That's right! With the Heavenly Lord protecting us, no matter how many newcomers arrive, we have no reason to feel uneasy."
Tan Liwen's spirits also soared: "Indeed, we have a deity three feet above our heads watching over us. What is there to fear from three thousand people? Honestly."
Li Daoxuan: "Tomorrow, go to the Valley of Exiles and recruit workers. We need all sorts of trades. More blacksmiths are needed because our Gao Family Village Ordnance Bureau has started producing gunpowder, and we need to begin manufacturing firearms, which requires more blacksmiths. More firearms will then require more gunpowder, so the ordnance bureau also needs to enlist more apprentice workers. The growing population needs more pots, bowls, and plates, so more potters and carpenters are also needed..."
San Shier immediately caught on: "All trades and industries must recruit from the Valley of Exiles. Let their people and our people live and work together. Before long, they will become Gao Family Village people."
"Yes! Integration, absorption, and assimilation," Li Daoxuan praised inwardly. "The greatest skill of our Chinese nation is its immense assimilative power. No matter how formidable the outsiders, once they enter our land, they will be assimilated by us, eventually becoming 'captives' of Chinese civilization, joining one of our fifty-six ethnic groups."
"The Mongols invaded and became the Mongolian ethnic group; the Manchus invaded and became the Manchu ethnic group."
"No matter how ferocious you were, like devils or wolves, in the end, you had to learn Chinese culture with us and become staunch supporters of our dynasty."
"Gao Family Village should possess this ability too!"
"Assimilate the wild 'little people' into our own 'little people' – isn't that the solution?"
"And the most crucial aspect of assimilation is 'culture.' Gao Family Village must possess its own charm, allowing the new 'little people' to experience a different atmosphere and different joys here. They will then actively transform themselves into Gao Family Village people."
In reality, Gao Family Village was indeed happier and more fortunate than the outside world. Every newcomer, upon arrival, would inevitably be won over by the life here and desire to integrate.
This was Gao Family Village's greatest confidence now.
"Don't be afraid. Boldly disperse them and mix them among your own people."
Li Daoxuan dropped this final sentence, then fell silent, even closing the lid, so Gao Yiye could no longer see him.
San Shier watched the low clouds in the sky gradually disperse, knowing the Heavenly Lord had departed. He made a deep bow towards the last wisps of clouds, stating earnestly: "I shall not fail in my mission."
Gao Yiye blinked her eyes, then let out a cheerful giggle: "The Heavenly Lord has gone, surely to another immortal's abode."
*I haven't gone anywhere!*
Li Daoxuan chuckled: *I'm still watching you through the glass, and I can hear your voice. The lid isn't soundproof, you know.*
Gao Yiye continued to giggle: "Manager San, I have something I'd like your bookstore to print for the villagers to read."
San Shier saw her expression and knew immediately: "Wasn't this ordered by the Heavenly Lord?"
"No!" Gao Yiye giggled, her small face full of mischief. "I drew it myself, and I just finished. It's a really exciting comic book story. I've been hiding from the Heavenly Lord while drawing it, and it was so much work."
Hearing "hiding from the Heavenly Lord," San Shier's expression became serious: "Saintess, please don't mess around."
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