Early the next morning, Huo Chenan went to his fiefdom. Before the farmers went to work in the fields, he asked the village head to gather all the people in the village.
At this time, Huo Chenan stood on a huge rock, holding a loudspeaker made of a rolled account book. He looked at the more than 100 people below, thinking that these people were the cornerstone of his business.
He cleared his throat and said loudly: "Hello everyone, my name is Huo Chenan, a newly promoted Jiangning County man, and from now on I will be your new boss."
Seeing that he was dressed like a servant, everyone showed a suspicious expression, and began to talk about it.
"Quiet, quiet." Huo Chenan shouted.
But it didn't work, the farmers below were still whispering.
Huo Chenan was furious, and he shouted loudly: "I am Shudao Mountain."
The air suddenly became quiet, and the villagers stopped talking and looked at Huo Chenan with confusion. What did he say just now? What is Shudao Mountain?
Seeing that the villagers were all looking at him, Huo Chenan adjusted his mood and continued, "As for my identity, you can go to the village head to verify it later. What I am going to say next concerns each of you, so listen carefully.
First, I will give you food, one stone per person, and you can get it today."
Boom, the crowd exploded again.
"I'm the one who helped Shudaoshan." With the experience of the last time, Huo Chenan directly used the killer weapon. The villagers also knew that their new boss must have something to announce, so they also cooperated and stopped talking.
Seeing that the crowd was quiet again, Huo Chenan said, "I won't give you food if you keep making a fuss."
The farmers below became anxious when they heard it, but they didn't dare to make a sound when they thought of their new boss's words.
Huo Chenan looked at the hungry eyes of the farmers below the stage and knew that the time was almost right. He continued, "I will not only give you food today, but I will give you food every once in a while."
The farmers below the stage were very happy when they heard it, but they still didn't dare to make a sound.
"Who among you can read and write?" Huo Chenan asked.
But none of the farmers dared to move. Huo Chenan was speechless. He didn't know whether these farmers were illiterate or dared not to make a sound, so he continued: "Those who can write, please stand up. Each of you will be given two stones of grain. You will be responsible for registering the distribution of grain today."
Hearing this, four farmers, including the head of the village, stood up.
The illiterate farmers in the crowd were instantly envious.
Huo Chenan smiled in his heart, "Since ancient times, true feelings cannot be retained, only routines can win people's hearts."
He continued: "Don't be envious, the second thing is that I plan to open a village school, all villagers can come to study, and anyone who has achieved success in learning will be given two stones of grain as a scholar in the future."
Boom, the farmers below could no longer suppress their excitement and burst out. But this time they did not whisper to each other, but threw their questions to Huo Chenan.
"Master, where is the village school? I'll be the first to sign up!"
"Master, are you telling the truth?"
"Master, can my young children also get food?"
Everyone was talking at once, and the scene became chaotic again.
Huo Chenan's face turned serious, and he said loudly: "I'll go to Shudaoshan."
Everyone was quiet.
Huo Chenan said with a gloomy face: "The person I pointed to speak. You."
Huo Chenan pointed to a person, and the person said excitedly: "Master, can the elderly and children in the family get food?"
"From the elderly to infants, everyone in this village can get food."
After listening to Huo Chenan's explanation, everyone became more excited, and many people raised their hands to indicate that they had questions.
Huo Chenan pointed to another person, who asked excitedly, "Master, where is the village school?"
"I plan to build a village school outside the farm. I will be responsible for the stone and wood. All farmers who participate in the construction can get more grain. The head of the village will lead the people who can read to record and distribute according to everyone's contribution, for example: how many bricks, how many feet of wall."
Then, Huo Chenan pointed to another person and asked, "Master, does the village school charge fees?"
Everyone became nervous when they heard this. They were all poor families, how could they have the money to study.
Huo Chenan said directly: "The people of the Wang family, Li family, Su family, and our Huo family in Qixia Mountain are all free."
Everyone was grateful when they heard this. They thought that those masters either bullied the people or built ancestral halls when they took office. Our master is good. Not only does he not bully the people, but he also distributes grain to the people and builds schools. Many people wondered whether he should build a ancestral hall for Huo Chenan.
The head of the village took the lead in applauding, and then the applause became louder.
Huo Chenan raised his hands and pressed them down, signaling everyone to be quiet.
He then said: "There is a third thing. Anyone with a skill will be registered, such as carpenters, ironworkers, and craftsmen like bamboo craftsmen."
He paused and continued: "Women who can weave and embroider also need to register. Anyone with a skill will also receive two shi."
Wow, thunderous applause.
Huo Chenan had no choice but to press his hands again and said: "The last thing, this village accepts foreign immigrants. Anyone who is willing to settle in this village will enjoy the same treatment as the villagers of this village from the second year. We must also adopt a policy of absorbing foreign refugees."
Wow, this time it was not applause, but an uproar.
Someone simply asked loudly, "What if there are too many people and not enough food to share?" Huo Chenan sneered and said, "Look at how much wasteland there is in our village that has not been cultivated. With more people, our village will produce more food, and we will be able to share more with everyone." Everyone was excited when they heard this, and their resistance to the refugees was not so strong. The basic effect of the first collective meeting of storytelling has been achieved. Huo Chenan has successfully established his prestige, and the things he wants to implement have also been implemented. The biggest problem at present is the lack of labor. The food in the granary can support about half a year, but it is not a solution to always have only outflows and no inflows, so he still has to find a way to increase revenue. After this, Huo Chenan went to find Mr. Wang to tell him about his arrangements. Mr. Wang generously said that he could find him if he was short of people or money, and he would be responsible for fooling old man Li. Huo Chenan's forehead was black, and it turned out that it was old man Li who paid in the end. Thinking of Old Man Li, Huo Chenan couldn't help but think of the drinks he promised the two of them yesterday, so he said goodbye and left, driving his carriage to Jinling City to ask Qin Wushuang for some drinks.