Chapter 39 Giving Up Is Out of the Question
The villagers were overjoyed, quickly rushing to the village center to divide the meat.
In the past, the Village Chief would surely have presided, and the villagers would have haphazardly scrambled to divide it themselves. After they were done, any leftovers would simply be dumped at Gao Yiye's house before they scattered, a completely disorderly scene. Some might even have secretly taken an extra portion.
But ever since San Shier arrived at Gao Family Village, the once disorganized, leaderless, and scattered community had slowly begun to develop a proper structure.
The villagers no longer divided things chaotically; instead, their eyes were fixed expectantly on Gao Yiye and San Shier.
Gao Yiye stood by, "holding the fort," maintaining order as the Saintess. She could always remind the villagers that the Heavenly Lord was watching them, preventing any restless individuals from causing trouble.
San Shier, meanwhile, oversaw the specific tasks, gesturing as he directed: “Gao Chuwu, you cut the meat with the knife, and get a scale to weigh it...”
“Gao Laba, two taels of pork,” San Shier announced, then wrote Gao Laba's name on a piece of paper, ticking it off to show he had received his share.
“Wang Ergou, received.”
“Zhong Datou, received.”
“Gao Sanwa, received.”
...
After over a hundred people had lined up and received their shares, San Shier finally allocated portions to Gao Chuwu, Gao Yiye, and his own family, allowing the "management" to take their shares last, demonstrating their "integrity and selfless conduct."
Once everyone had been served, it was finally the turn of the two sculptors.
The two men had long been waiting impatiently. Seeing everyone else receive their share while they alone had nothing, they felt quite wronged, wondering why the Saintess and the strategist had kept them until last.
Gao Yiye beckoned to them, and the two immediately scurried over. “Lady Saintess, do you have any instructions?”
Gao Yiye replied, “The Heavenly Lord has instructed that all the remaining pork be bestowed upon you both.”
The two sculptors froze simultaneously, their eyes wide with disbelief. They turned to look at the remaining meat. Although over a hundred people had each cut away two taels, there were still two washbasins’ worth left—at least several dozen catties.
Gao Chuwu grinned, then with a single chop, he split the enormous loin into two halves. “Here, the rest is half for each of you.”
The two sculptors stammered, “This... so much? All for us? Everyone else... only two taels.”
Gao Yiye explained, “The Heavenly Lord said he is extremely pleased with the statue of the Victorious Fighting Buddha you carved. This meat is your special divine reward.”
The two sculptors were ecstatic, prostrating themselves and vigorously kowtowing several times. “Many thanks, Heavenly Lord! Many thanks!”
San Shier, nearby, lowered his voice and said sternly, “From now on, you two must redouble your efforts and serve the Heavenly Lord diligently.”
The two sculptors eagerly agreed, “Absolutely, absolutely! We humble servants will certainly serve well.”
In the past, when they were hired by the wealthy to repair temples and sculpt Buddha images, they would receive some rewards, but it was usually just a few full meals or a handful of copper coins. Never had they had the chance to receive such a massive piece of pork.
Even if they couldn’t finish all the meat, trading it with other villagers would still constitute immense wealth.
In years of natural disaster, nothing held its value better than food.
But... fresh pork wouldn't last more than two days.
The two men looked awkward. “Could we... perhaps...”
San Shier smiled. “Here, take these two bags of salt to cure the meat.”
The two were delighted. They quickly thanked Master San, then grabbed the salt bags, hoisted their shares of pork, and ran towards their temporary shelters, shouting, “Wife, Big Boy, Little Boy, we’re rich! Haha! We’re rich!”
Before long, the two piled up pine branches in the open space behind the village and began smoking the cured meat. That aroma, as everyone understood, filled the air, making everyone nearby envious.
The other villagers craned their necks, secretly wondering, "When will I be able to perform a meritorious deed for the Heavenly Lord and receive such an extraordinary reward?"
Such is human nature!
When people had nothing, they longed only for a mouthful of food. But once fed, they yearned for more than their neighbors, and this psychological drive would constantly push them to strive for more.
Of course, there were also those content to simply coast along.
For example, Zheng Daniu, from Zheng Family Village, felt no envy for the two sculptors smoking their meat. He had not only eaten his fill but also enjoyed two taels of pork. Patting his bulging belly, he was in an excellent mood. "I'm full anyway," he thought. "Why are those guys still working themselves to death? What's the point of climbing so hard? Isn't it better to just lie down and rest?"
However...
That "Happy Fat Water" he drank last time was truly wonderful, and he really wanted another sip. Alas, it was all gone now.
Darn it, giving up wasn't an option after all. He desperately wanted a reward from the Heavenly Lord, he desperately wanted more Happy Water.
With a swift, powerful flip, Zheng Daniu sprang to his feet. Hoisting his axe, he rushed out of Gao Family Village. Taking advantage of the sun's last remaining rays illuminating the mountains, he charged into the forest, searching frantically. Before long, he genuinely found a sturdy, good tree.
Zheng Daniu swung his large axe, *thwack, thwack, thwack*. Full of energy from his meal, it didn't take him long to fell a large tree. He then chopped off the best section, a thick trunk roughly two meters long. It was too heavy to carry, so he dragged, rolled, and pried it, finally managing to get it down the mountain.
Pushing the trunk, he excitedly rushed up to Gao Yiye. “Lady Saintess, Lady Saintess, look! I brought this back from the mountain. This will definitely be perfect for carving the next divine statue. See, this is useful, isn't it?”
Gao Yiye had no idea if it was useful, but she tilted her head, listened to the voice from the heavens, and a smile bloomed on her face. “Zheng Daniu, you are excellent! The Heavenly Lord has praised you.”
Gao Yiye continued, “The Heavenly Lord says he can reward you with some...”
Zheng Daniu quickly interrupted, “I... Your humble servant... Your humble servant dares to make an impertinent request.”
Gao Yiye blinked. “?”
Zheng Daniu blurted out, “Your humble servant doesn’t want meat. I just... I just... want one sip... just one more sip of Happy Fat Water. One sip is enough.”
Gao Yiye paused, then chuckled. “The Heavenly Lord says, 'No problem.' Do you have a washbasin at home? Go fetch it quickly!”
Zheng Daniu, who had come from Zheng Family Village, had arrived with absolutely nothing. But within a couple of days, he had carved himself a wooden basin. Hearing this, he rushed home, brought his washbasin, and placed it on the ground.
To Li Daoxuan's eyes, Zheng Daniu's washbasin was only 3 millimeters in diameter—pathetically small. He could only use a needle to draw a tiny bit from his Coke bottle, then gently press the plunger, letting a single drop fall...
That single drop filled Zheng Daniu's washbasin to the brim, with some overflowing.
Zheng Daniu cried out, “It’s overflowing... it’s spilling out, there’s too much! Oh, no... the extra Happy Water is seeping into the ground... Heavens... it’s seeping into the earth...”
San Shier, standing nearby, bellowed, “You have a whole washbasin full! What does it matter if a little spills? Stop your whining and get out of here!”
Li Daoxuan secretly chuckled to himself, then confirmed two things:
1. There was a forest not far from the village's periphery, though unfortunately, it was just outside his field of view.
2. In the future, when distributing items to the villagers, he could have them bring their own containers. This would conserve resources, preventing him from causing massive waste every time he made a gift.
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