After reuniting with Mi Ling and the others, Chen Luo started heading back to the city.

Long Ge and his crew immediately rushed into the vegetable market to see if they could scavenge anything that had been missed.

Chen Luo had taken all the valuable supplies, leaving behind only rotten vegetables, spoiled fruit, and decaying meat. If they wanted it, Chen Luo wouldn't object.

In less than half an hour, Chen Luo returned to the villa district.

The house hadn't been robbed.

Right now, there were still a lot of supplies. Although others knew that Chen Luo had a considerable amount, they weren't sure how many people were guarding it.

While supplies were still plentiful and could be found elsewhere, it wasn't worth risking their lives fighting each other.

Chen Luo called over two girls and had them prepare a room in the villa next to his for Xia's mother to stay in.

Xia Haoran looked at Chen Luo expectantly. Chen Luo smiled and said, "Just wait a moment, I'll arrange for someone to do it now."

Chen Luo went into the villa and said to Ma Yu, who was staying behind, "Sister Yu, make a chicken soup. Use all your skill; you've got to be serious this time."

"Tell me what ingredients and seasonings you need."

Ma Yu nodded, muttering, "Hey, do you think I wasn't serious before?"

Chen Luo chuckled awkwardly, "This time, be even more serious. It's important, hurry up."

Ma Yu said, "A good chicken soup takes at least three hours."

Chen Luo thought for a moment and said, "Also, make some home-style dishes, four meat and four vegetable."

He couldn't just give her chicken soup. Maybe Xia's mother wanted to eat something else.

If he was going to win her over, he had to go all out. What did he lack?

Chen Luo came out of the villa, and everyone was already starting to move the supplies.

There were a lot of supplies this time, and several villas weren't enough to hold them all. The beef and mutton needed to be stored in a good place, with ice-type ability users adding ice at regular intervals every day.

Xia Haoran was very excited. With so much stuff, they really did have a chicken to slaughter for eggs.

Chen Luo thought for a moment and called Shu Yun over. "After moving the items, have people take out three hundred jin each of beef and mutton, skewer them into kebabs, and we'll have a barbecue tonight."

Ability users could eat a lot, especially after being cooped up for so long. With over seventy people, he wasn't worried about not finishing it.

When the news spread, almost everyone went crazy with joy.

Being able to eat barbecue at a time like this was incredibly extravagant.

Chen Luo called Xia Haoran over and went to Xia's mother's room.

When Xia's mother saw Chen Luo, she tried to sit up, but couldn't. She smiled weakly and said, "Thank you, young man, for taking us in."

Xia's mother looked very unwell.

Chen Luo smiled and said, "Auntie, feel free to tell me what you want to eat, and don't hesitate to ask for anything you need."

Xia's mother waved her hand. "I'm old, I don't want to eat anything."

She didn't yet know that Xia Haoran had sold himself for her sake.

Chen Luo didn't say much more, telling Xia Haoran not to do anything and just stay with his mother.

Three hours later, at 12:30, Ma Yu had prepared all the dishes and brought them to Xia's mother.

Eight dishes and a soup were on the table.

Pork with vermicelli, boiled prawns, steamed perch, cabbage with beef, stewed tofu threads, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, yam with wood ear mushrooms, and soft tofu.

And the chicken soup that Xia Haoran had requested.

Everything looked and smelled delicious.

Xia Haoran was stunned, and Xia's mother rubbed her eyes in disbelief, thinking she was hallucinating.

Chen Luo smiled and said, "Auntie, it's time to eat."

Xia Haoran looked at Chen Luo with great gratitude, never expecting Chen Luo to provide such a feast.

Xia's mother couldn't refuse, and with Xia Haoran's help, she enjoyed a wonderful meal.

Chen Luo didn't expect Xia's mother to pass away so quickly.

Before her death, Xia's mother said in a trembling, slow voice, "Young man, I can tell you're a good person. Take good care of my son."

Xia's mother then said to Xia Haoran, "A mother knows her son best. The fact that he's willing to give up something so valuable to show filial piety to me means he values you greatly. Don't let him down."

Xia Haoran gripped Xia's mother's hand tightly.

To Chen Luo's surprise, Xia Haoran didn't show excessive grief over his mother's death.

Xia Haoran whispered, "It's good that she passed away peacefully, without suffering the torment of illness anymore. Continuing to live in this world would only be torture. I was prepared for this."

"Big brother, just watch my performance from now on."

Chen Luo hummed in agreement. He knew Xia Haoran's character. If he were a treacherous person, Chen Luo wouldn't give him a single grain of rice, no matter how powerful he was.

Chen Luo asked, "Burial or cremation?"

After handling Xia's mother's funeral arrangements, Chen Luo assigned Xia Haoran to Fang Yu's group, without giving him any special treatment right away.

With Xia Haoran's abilities and talent, it was only a matter of time before he rose through the ranks.

Giving him special treatment without any merit would make others feel resentful.

*I joined earlier than you, and I've contributed more. Why do you get better treatment than me? What gives?*

Everyone happily skewered the meat, while Chen Luo thought about how he needed to start managing the team more rationally.

The team was getting bigger and bigger, and rules needed to be established as soon as possible.

He couldn't let some people slack off.

He needed to establish a system of rewards and punishments, and a hierarchy to motivate everyone.

Chen Luo copied the hierarchical system of a former life's settlement and quickly finalized it.

The settlement's rank structure was divided into leader, deputy leader, elder, elite member, ordinary member, and new member.

There was also a special position of "Gong Feng" (Venerated Contributor), which only Chen Luo could assign. Su Dazhu and Mi Li were both Gong Feng.

Each rank had different benefits.

Those who had reached Level 3 could be designated as elite members, while everyone else was an ordinary member.

Anyone who joined from now on would, unfortunately, have to start as a new member.

New members would automatically become ordinary members after half a month, or they could be promoted early if they performed meritorious service.

Based on each person's daily performance, they could receive a certain number of points, which could be used to redeem supplies, such as one point for a bottle of cola.

For extra meritorious service, such as helping Chen Luo find a high-level crystal, Chen Luo was willing to give out 10,000 points.

Rankings were based solely on points, not level. As long as you made a significant contribution to the settlement, such as finding a King-level crystal for Chen Luo, what was wrong with giving you the position of deputy leader?

Elite members who also had leadership skills could be divided into team leaders, leading a small team.

Chen Luo gathered everyone together and announced the new system.

"Given the current situation, Shu Yun will lead the women's team, and Fang Yu and Chen Guang will be temporary captains, leading the men's teams respectively."

Su Dazhu was Chen Luo's absolute confidant, but Chen Luo didn't give him a position because Su Dazhu wasn't suitable.

Just like Mi Li, she didn't have a position other than Gong Feng.

Let her lead a team?

Heh.

Mi Ling had leadership talent and was very suitable. Chen Luo wanted to wait until she advanced to Level 4 before appointing her as an elder, to help him manage things officially.

Mi Ling's speed of accumulating points was definitely faster than others.

Had he missed anyone?

Fa Wang was below, very dissatisfied, what about me?

There didn't seem to be any elders yet. He had to work hard to become the first Dog Elder.

……

Two chapters, I'm tired. Please understand. Forcing myself to write will affect the quality. I'll try to update three chapters a day before reaching 300,000 words.