Chapter 32 You Make the Arrangements
The mineral water bottle cap wasn't large; it measured a mere 2.5 centimeters in diameter and just 1 centimeter deep.
But when placed before the little people, it transformed into a colossal pool, nearly nineteen feet in diameter and over five feet deep.
The pool was filled to the brim with modern, refined vegetable oil.
The villagers' noses twitched, instantly recognizing the scent.
“Rapeseed oil.”
“The finest quality rapeseed oil!”
“Heavens, such an enormous pool of it!”
“I’ve only ever seen small oil bottles before.”
“The immortals from the heavens truly do everything on a grand scale.”
Three years ago, before the drought began, they might have cultivated a small patch of rapeseed to press a little oil for special occasions.
But after three years of severe drought, when even staple crops wouldn’t grow, who could possibly afford to plant a cash crop like rapeseed?
Now, seeing this pool of rapeseed oil, vast enough to bathe in, the villagers were utterly overjoyed.
Gao Chuwu was the first to speak, his eyes wide. “Wow, are we going to use this for lamps? I can’t bear it! Let’s just eat it all.”
“Silence!” the Village Chief snapped, instantly berating him. “Didn’t you see the large band of rebels pass by the village last night? All you think about is eating! Our village, under the— *ahem* —under the divine care of the Dao Xuan Tian Zun, no longer lacks food. Now, we must consider how to properly protect ourselves.”
Gao Yiye announced loudly, “The Heavenly Lord has spoken! We shall consume half of this oil, and the other half will be used for lanterns. Every night, we will light a ring of lanterns along the city walls and dispatch sentries to patrol. There must be no laxity. If any bandits are spotted, the sentries will sound the alarm bell, and everyone will take up arms to fiercely defend the city gates, ensuring the rascals cannot gain entry.”
The villagers responded, “As you command!”
Gao Yiye continued, “The Heavenly Lord has commanded that San Shier shall make the arrangements for this rapeseed oil. The rest of you, return to your duties. The city gates still need construction, armor must be forged, and Li Da’s new flintlock rifles require significant effort. There is still much to be done.”
The villagers were quite surprised to hear the rapeseed oil would be managed by San Shier. They had expected the Heavenly Lord, as usual, to have them divide it amongst themselves. Instead, it was entrusted to the Third Strategist? This was truly peculiar.
Curious as they were, none dared to question the divine decree. They obediently dispersed, returning to their tasks.
Meanwhile, San Shier secretly rejoiced. *Heh! The Heavenly Lord noticed my performance! He’s given me a task, and my meteoric rise begins here. First, I’ll help His Venerable Self with small matters, then increasingly larger ones, eventually becoming His right-hand man. That would be absolutely extraordinary, far more influential than being a mere advisor in the county government office!*
“San Shier!”
Li Daoxuan called out.
(From this point, Gao Yiye’s narration is implied.)
San Shier immediately stood obediently, hands clasped, listening for orders. “What are your commands, Heavenly Lord?”
“You should know why I’ve entrusted the oil to you for arrangement, shouldn’t you?”
“I understand, my Lord. The villagers of Gao Family Village are a disorganized lot, each looking after their own, unable to read or count. If they were in charge of managing the oil for the lanterns every night, it would surely be a mess. Within days, mistakes would abound, and some might even steal lamp oil for their own households.”
“Good, as long as you understand,” Li Daoxuan said. “Hmm? You’re not summarizing your sentences with idioms anymore?”
San Shier awkwardly scratched his head. “I used to add an idiom after every sentence to show off my learning to others. But before the Heavenly Lord, my meager knowledge is like a candle flame before the sun and moon, no matter how much I try to pretend, it’s just a...”
“Alright, no need for a lengthy explanation,” Li Daoxuan said, having long seen through his habit of adding idiom summaries. He simply smiled and continued, “Can you tell me what Gao Family Village lacks most?”
“People!” San Shier answered without hesitation. “It lacks people.”
“Excellent! It’s good that you see it clearly.”
Li Daoxuan gently extended a hand, and a small mound of flour appeared before San Shier. “Use this flour to bring some people here.”
San Shier was overjoyed, quickly performing a deep bow into the air. “Rest assured, Heavenly Lord. In these years of great drought, flour is more precious than gold. With this, I am confident I can trick... *ahem* ...lure... *ahem* ...invite many people.”
Li Daoxuan said, “First, tell me, what specific ideas do you have?”
San Shier replied, “Wangjia Village, Zhongjia Village, Zhengjia Village—many villagers from these surrounding areas have joined Wang Er’s rebel army. But there are always those who remain in their villages, unwilling to become bandits. Their lives must be even harder than before. I’ll make a tour of these villages, and with just one sack of flour, I guarantee they’ll all flock to us.”
Li Daoxuan’s lips curved into a slight smile. *Excellent. This man’s thoughts perfectly align with mine. Indeed, having him on my staff truly saves a great deal of trouble.*
He had read many historical accounts with similar analyses: the county government office’s advisor was the pragmatic one, while the magistrate was often idealistic.
The magistrate would typically only brainstorm abstract ideas; once a policy was conceived, he would hand it over to his advisor.
The advisor, on the other hand, was responsible for the ‘executive level,’ meticulously overseeing the completion of all specific tasks.
A single word from the magistrate meant endless running for the advisor.
Therefore, in terms of practical ability, the advisor was actually leagues ahead of the magistrate. Many magistrates, who merely read books without understanding life, were utterly incapable once separated from their advisors.
Li Daoxuan said, “Very well, I leave it to you.”
After speaking, he fell silent. Gao Yiye watched as his face slowly receded into the clouds, seemingly no longer gazing down upon the earth. Only then did she announce, “The Heavenly Lord has returned to the celestial realm.”
San Shier let out a joyous laugh, leaping a foot into the air. “Fantastic! I, San Shier, am now officially the Heavenly Lord’s advisor! Hahahaha, hahahaha!”
He had longed to laugh like that for ages but dared not be disrespectful in the Heavenly Lord’s presence, so he had held back his wild joy. Now that the Heavenly Lord was gone, he could no longer restrain himself. He put his hands on his hips and roared with laughter.
Gao Yiye also breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing from her tense posture. She stretched her limbs and said to Mrs. San, who was standing nearby, “Oh, it’s so exhausting, wearing these heavy clothes and maintaining such a solemn expression!”
Mrs. San looked at her with an envious expression. “I can’t tell you how much I envy you, yet you complain about the work being tiring.”
Gao Yiye quickly replied, “Oh, no, I don’t complain, I don’t! I’m just not quite used to it yet.”
Mrs. San said earnestly, “Miss Yiye, you are the Saintess of Dao Xuan Tian Zun, responsible for conveying His words. The more dignified your demeanor, the more respect others will show to the Heavenly Lord. Never forget this.”
Gao Yiye diligently adopted a dignified posture. “I understand.”
Mrs. San then turned to San Shier. “My dear, these villagers understand nothing. They haven’t even thought to do anything for the Heavenly Lord all this time. Shouldn’t our family take out some of our savings to build a temple for the Heavenly Lord and forge a golden statue?”
San Shier didn’t hesitate for a second. He replied without a moment’s thought, “Build it! We’ll sell everything we own, even if it means smashing our pots and selling our iron, to raise that temple. However, here in Gao Family Village, I fear we might have money but nowhere to spend it...”
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