Chapter Thirty-Three: Prestige

Li Erniu was taken aback for a moment, then slapped his forehead. “I completely forgot about that!”

“From now on, you all can live in Little Fishing Village. The waves and winds by the sea are fierce, and the terrain steep—how could it be as safe as it is here?” Qin Zhen said with a smile. “It just so happens that we’re building houses in the village. In a bit, I’ll tidy up some empty rooms for you to move into right away.”

How could the villagers of Xiaoyan have any objections? In fact, they wished for nothing more than to stay in Little Fishing Village—so lively and bustling, with friendly and pleasant villagers, and even steamed buns and rice porridge to eat! They loved it here.

“I’ll go back and bring everyone from our village over right now!” Li Erniu declared, turning to hurry back.

But Qin Zhen called him back. “Hold on a moment, there’s something else I need you to do.”

“Qin, my great benefactor, just say the word—I’ll handle it for sure!” Li Erniu pounded his chest, feeling so indebted that even if Qin Zhen told him to take on Scar Brother, he’d grab a weapon without hesitation!

“I need you to notify all the surrounding villages. Tell them Little Fishing Village is hiring. Anyone willing to work will get meals and even wages. Space is limited, so first come, first served.”

Qin Zhen thought for a moment, then added, “We need both men and women, but priority goes to young adults. If they have families, they can bring them along—meals and lodging are all provided.”

Li Erniu was dumbfounded. “Benefactor Qin, what are you planning? Wouldn’t this bring all the neighboring villagers here?”

There was no need to guess how desperate those impoverished villagers would be once they heard this news.

“That’s exactly what I want,” Qin Zhen replied with a faint smile.

How can you develop without people? Little Fishing Village wasn’t lacking money—it was lacking people! If there were two thousand villagers, they could easily form a security team of a couple hundred. Scar Brother wouldn’t be a threat, nor would the mountain bandits. With so many people, there’d be no need to worry about defending themselves.

People are the greatest productive force.

“But with more people, isn’t there a risk of trouble? Aren’t you worried it’ll be easy to invite them but hard to send them away?” Li Erniu ventured.

“It’s fine,” Qin Zhen replied with complete confidence.

Although Little Fishing Village didn’t yet have the strength to contend with bandits, handling ordinary villagers was more than manageable. Besides, Qin Zhen had his ways of keeping them in line.

Seeing Qin Zhen so resolute, Li Erniu couldn’t argue further and agreed.

“Brother Liu, take some men to Deepwater Bay. Chop down the trees and clear a patch of land. Put up walls. From now on, that place will be ours,” Qin Zhen instructed.

Liu Quan nodded solemnly and took his men to carry out the task.

Deepwater Bay was a crucial part of Qin Zhen’s development plan—a source of abundant fish that must be firmly under control.

The days that followed were eventful and lively.

“Have you heard? The Little Fishing Village to the south is hiring. As long as you’re willing to work, you’ll get fed! Do a good job and you’ll even get paid!”

“Is that true? Really?”

“You know the bear-slaying hero, Qin Zhen? He’s from Little Fishing Village! Would he lie?”

“Husband, there’s nothing left to cook at home. We’ve dug up all the wild vegetables. If we don’t do something soon, we’ll go hungry… Should we go and see?”

Word spread quickly, and people from nearby villages came to see for themselves. Once they experienced the warmth and hospitality of Little Fishing Village, many decided to stay and give it a try.

In ancient times, information traveled slowly. Even though Qin Zhen was eager to spread the word, only a handful of villages got the message immediately. But it didn’t matter—word of mouth would carry it in time.

During this period, Qin Zhen took in several groups of refugees fleeing from the west. He inquired about the situation on Mount Hat and learned that several gangs of bandits were fighting for control, resulting in chaos and bloodshed.

For Qin Zhen, this was good news. Internal strife meant the bandits had no energy to move east or take notice of Little Fishing Village. For now, he didn’t have to worry about waking up to find the village surrounded by bandits.

But no one knew how long the bandit infighting would last—a few days, perhaps a few months?

Clearly, time was running short for Qin Zhen.

Day by day, more people were drawn to Little Fishing Village. The textile machines became increasingly precious. Even though Uncle Li had sped up production, the work was delicate and couldn’t be rushed.

This meant that each day’s textile work slots were highly coveted. Many who couldn’t get a spot and still wanted work were assigned by Qin Zhen to the old village chief, to clear fields or chop wood.

Even though it was manual labor with no pay—just meals—and daily spots were limited, people fought tooth and nail for the chance.

As a result, each dawn saw crowds gathered outside the village, queueing up in hope of being chosen for a day’s labor.

The roads in Little Fishing Village grew broader, new houses sprang up, and the territory expanded. More and more people chose to settle there, and the permanent population soared from just over a hundred to more than three hundred.

“Line up in an orderly fashion!” Chen Shu stood atop the watchtower, surveying the long line below.

With more people came more trouble. This was when the village security team proved its worth.

“Anyone who stirs up trouble or shirks work, get out! From now on, don’t bother coming back to Little Fishing Village!”

On Qin Zhen’s orders, the security team had grown to fifty men—all family men who had settled in the village with their wives and children. Honest and reliable, with their families living in the village, they naturally felt a stake in its success. Qin Zhen could trust them.

Everything was developing just as Qin Zhen had planned.

That day, Qin Zhen stretched lazily, gazing at the brand-new fishing net woven from thousand-fathom silk. He smiled in satisfaction.

“Will this thing work? The fish in the sea are really strong!” Li Han asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

“Don’t worry. This net could hold a wild boar from the mountains—no fish is getting away!” Qin Zhen laughed. “Go get Li Erniu and assemble the fishing team. Let’s go haul in a big catch!”

At the village entrance, the assembled villagers stood in neat lines, with Li Erniu and Shanhai at the front.

Li Erniu was no longer the shabby, grimy man he once was—now he looked lively and healthy, his complexion glowing.

Seeing Qin Zhen, Li Erniu called out cheerfully, “Benefactor Qin, you’re finally taking us out to sea! We’ve been idle so long we’re getting sick from boredom!”

They’d heard about the fishing team’s benefits. A single outing could earn a man at least one hundred copper coins—a lot more than working in the textile mill! And since the workshop didn’t hire men, all the men in the village were eager to join Qin Zhen at sea and earn some extra for their families.

Looking at all the expectant faces, Qin Zhen waved his arm grandly.

“Grab your gear, everyone—we’re going fishing for a big haul!”