In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 254 Newcomers

"Alright! Alright!"

Li Qiang shouted, silencing the noisy crowd, and said, "I know you all want to go to Chenjia Village to work, but there are only forty spots available, so it's not easy for me to arrange them!"

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned. They naturally knew that there weren't enough spots, which was why they surrounded Li Qiang. After all, the opportunity to work in Chenjia Village was too rare, and no one wanted to miss it.

"Then what do you suggest, village chief?"

A young man asked.

"let me see……"

Li Qiang frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "First of all, the forty people going to Chenjia Village must be women with needlework skills."

"Village chief, what you're saying is as good as saying nothing at all. Which woman in our village doesn't know how to make clothes?"

"Yes! What woman doesn't know a little needlework?"

“There are at least two or three hundred women in our village who know how to sew. How can we possibly divide them up?”

"..."

The crowd started arguing again.

Li Qiang continued, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the people who go to do the work must be quick and efficient, not lazy and ungrateful, lest they ruin the reputation of our village!

Hearing this, everyone nodded.

The treatment offered by Chenjia Village is quite generous. It would be a great loss if some lazy and good-for-nothing villagers were to ruin the reputation of Xiahe Village.

"Don't worry, village chief! My wife is the most hardworking person, giving her a spot is definitely the right thing to do!"

"Bullshit! You're making it sound like my wife isn't hardworking!"

"My sister is good at needlework and hardworking. Village chief, please give my sister a spot!"

"..."

Li Qiang ignored the villagers' incessant chatter and continued, "As for how to allocate these 40 spots, I've already thought it through! Just like last time, we'll draw lots!"

"I know that all the women in our village are excellent, so any woman who knows needlework can come and draw lots!"

"As for those who don't know how to sew, I hope you'll be more considerate and not ruin anything good for our village!"

After saying that, Li Qiang gestured to Li Mu to prepare some paper balls, and soon the drawing of lots began!

"I won!"

A woman unfolded the crumpled paper, looked at the black dots on it, and almost jumped for joy.

"I won too! That's great! Now I can eat steamed buns every day!"

"Hahaha! Me too! Me too! From now on, I can not only eat steamed buns, but also get a salary!"

"I caught it too, hahaha, hahaha!"

"..."

The women who drew lots were overjoyed, their faces beaming with excitement and their smiles exceptionally bright.

Beneath their cheerful laughter were the disappointed looks on the faces of those who hadn't caught anything.

"I didn't win! My family didn't win last time, and we didn't win this time either. Why is my luck so bad!"

"Me too! I'm so incredibly unlucky!"

"Damn it! Why is it so hard for me to get a full meal?!"

"..."

The villagers who failed to secure a spot are undoubtedly frustrated. A job that would provide them with enough to eat and money has vanished right before their eyes, which is undoubtedly a torment for them.

"All right!"

Seeing that everyone had already drawn lots, Li Qiang said, "Those who drew the ink-stained paper ball, come to my place tomorrow to gather. I'll take you to Chenjia Village to start work."

After saying that, Li Qiang looked at the others who were looking dejected and said, "Don't be disappointed if you didn't get a job. Maybe there will be other job opportunities in Chenjia Village in the future."

Soon, the villagers dispersed with varying expressions.

Li Qiang also went back to Chenjia Village to watch the young and strong men working on the road construction.

…………

…………

Early the next morning, Li Qiang led 50 able-bodied men and 40 women who were repairing the road towards Chenjia Village.

Soon after, they arrived at Chen Dao's house.

"Everyone, get in line!"

Li Qiang instructed the forty women who had just arrived in Chenjia Village: "From now on, please follow the rules when eating in Chenjia Village. Line up in an orderly manner and don't bring shame to our village!"

Upon hearing this, both the young and strong, as well as the newly arrived women, spontaneously formed a queue at the back.

Meanwhile, some Chenjia Village residents who were queuing looked at the Xiahe Village residents who were queuing behind them with puzzled expressions.

"Why are there so many more people coming to Xiahe Village? And they're all women?"

"Didn't Xiahe Village only have fifty able-bodied men to repair the road? What's with these extra dozens of women? Can women repair roads too?"

"Why can't women repair roads? We women are experts at carrying sand! But these women probably aren't here to repair roads."

"Not for road construction? Then what are they here for?"

"I heard from Aunt Wu that they seem to have come to help Daoge make clothes."

"Make clothes? Does Daoge'er need clothes to wear?"

"What are you thinking? The clothes they made are definitely not for Daoge'er!"

"Then who should wear it?"

"How should I know!"

"..."

The villagers of Chenjia Village chatted while eating steamed buns, and then went to their respective work locations.

The newly arrived women in Chenjia Village ate steamed buns while waiting for Chen Lian or Chen Dao to come and assign them jobs.

"These steamed buns smell so good!"

"Yes! And they can eat as much as they want. Chenjia Village is living like royalty!"

"That's right! I've been craving Chenjia Village's steamed buns for ages!"

"It's so delicious! The people in Chenjia Village can eat these steamed buns every day, no wonder they work so hard!"

"..."

The women of Xiahe Village either squatted on the ground or sat on the ground, praising the taste of the steamed buns.

This is inevitable.

For people like them who couldn't even get enough to eat, soft and delicious steamed buns made from white flour were naturally exceptionally tasty.

"Sister Lian, you've come."

Li Qiang, who was also enjoying a steamed bun, noticed Chen Lian's arrival. He quickly swallowed the bun in his mouth and stepped forward, saying, "I've brought all the women from our village with me. Should we get them to work now?"

"Not in a hurry."

Chen Lian glanced at the women who were wolfing down their food after seeing her arrive and said, "Let them eat their fill first."

Chen Lian, having experienced hunger herself, naturally understood the hardships these women faced. Therefore, she didn't rush them to start working, but patiently waited for them to finish eating.

Although Chen Lian said there was no rush, the women of Xiahe Village didn't dare to keep her waiting too long. They quickly filled their stomachs and then spoke up.

"Sister Lian, we've eaten our fill. Just tell us what you need us to do!"

"That's right! We'll do anything the girl needs us to do, we'll never slack off!"

"Hey girl, we're all full. Hurry up and give us some work to do, or we won't feel at ease eating like this."

"..."