On the twenty-second of the twelfth lunar month, Bai Sheng gave everyone a holiday, except for the bandits undergoing labor reform.
They had killed too many people and needed to be thoroughly disciplined.
A few days prior, a bandit had attempted to escape. However, after only two or three li from Red Tree Slope, his body began to rot. His flesh, when gently picked at, would flake off in pieces, more crumbly than tofu dregs.
The bandit was terrified and, to save his life, mustered his last bit of strength to run back, shedding flesh as he went.
Upon returning to Red Tree Slope, some of his bones were already visible.
Bai Sheng instructed Granny Wu to withhold the antidote for now and then gathered all the bandits for a live demonstration, asking the escapee to share his experience.
The escapee lay on the ground, on the verge of death, murmuring incoherently because his tongue had already rotted.
However, the fear radiating from his single intact eye was clearly visible to everyone.
Bai Sheng glanced at the trembling bandits and said with a smile to Granny Wu, "Master, you can give him the antidote now."
Granny Wu then smiled and fed him an antidote pill.
After swallowing it, the rotten areas visibly began to heal.
Witnessing this, the other bandits completely abandoned any thoughts of escape. They reasoned that dying from exhaustion was better than rotting to death, as it would at least be a less unsightly end.
The supervision of these bandits was assigned to Father of Xiao Ma and Father of Gou Dan. Both carried long whips while working, and anyone caught slacking off would receive an immediate lash.
Father of Xiao Ma and Father of Gou Dan had previously worked in the mines, only to be whipped by others. Now, as former serfs turned masters, they were fully exercising their authority as overseers, feeling a sense of fulfillment that their lives had reached a pinnacle.
For any recalcitrant bandits, they would simply cut off their meals for a few days, after which they would become as docile as cats.
Of course, diligent workers who did not shirk their duties also received corresponding rewards, such as increased food portions or slightly lighter labor.
These gestures were enough to move them deeply, making them realize how simple happiness was—merely being able to eat their fill.
Over the years, they had plundered and killed, dreaming of dominating the desert and believing this would lead to a happy life. Oh, how wrong they were! What kind of "happy life" was it, constantly living in fear? There was no sense of happiness. Unlike now, where they had nothing to worry about, only the simple, endless cycle of working, eating, and sleeping.
Finally, after a day's work and a satisfying meal, they experienced happiness.
This kind of life, it seemed, wasn't too bad.
As for the women captured by the bandits, only a very few were willing to form families with their respective bandits. Most did not wish to have any further connection with the bandits and chose to live alone with their children.
In the bandit lair, the bandits had viewed them merely as private property, confined like cats and dogs. Whenever they felt the urge to vent their primal desires, they would grab any woman at random. Consequently, many women did not even know who the father of their child was.
Now, at Red Tree Slope, they had food, drink, and shelter. They could bathe daily, and if they behaved well, they could become residents of Red Tree Slope. Moreover, they would receive good pay for their work in the future, enough to support themselves and their children.
After several years of darkness in the bandit lair, a glimmer of light now seemed to shine into their hearts.
The holiday period extended from the twenty-second of the twelfth lunar month to the sixteenth of the first lunar month. Given the extended duration, in addition to settling wages, Bai Sheng gave each worker half a bag of grain to ensure they had a good New Year. During the holiday period, each family could collect half a bucket of water daily.
As for the residents of Red Tree Slope who worked for Bai Sheng, in addition to the New Year gifts, each person received an extra rabbit and a chicken.
Except for a very few individuals, almost all the workers were deeply grateful to their employer and his wife.
Those few exceptions included Old Woman Chen.
Although Old Woman Chen did not dare to speak ill of them to their faces, she cursed Lu Ye and Bai Sheng thoroughly behind their backs, accusing them of disrespecting the elderly and lacking humanity. She felt that with their wealth, the gifts they received were mere alms for beggars.
Lu Xing was very displeased with his grandmother's attitude. He initially thought about persuading her, but then decided against it. Her behavior had persisted for decades, and if she could change, she would have done so long ago.
Fortunately, their family had already broken free from her control.
Initially, Lu Dahai and Xu Shi's proposal to divide the family was met with strong opposition from Old Woman Chen. Lu Dahai, fearing his mother's tantrums, almost compromised.
However, Lu Xing and Lu Yang, and even Xu Shi, were resolute. They informed Old Woman Chen that if she did not agree, they would sever ties with her. After all, the Lu clan in Huangsha Village was struggling to survive, and they could not interfere in their family affairs.
Old Woman Chen did not expect her two grandsons and eldest daughter-in-law to be so firm. She had no other recourse but to agree. With a division of the family, she would still receive annual filial piety payments. If they severed ties, she would lose both people and wealth.
The day after the family division, the brothers Lu Xing and Lu Yang moved their families to Red Tree Slope.
Feng Pingyuan allocated them land to build houses and provided them with bamboo and wood on loan.
With hope in their hearts, the family began building their homes, bit by bit.
On the twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month.
Lu Ye made another trip to Xinghua Street in the county town, transporting a large quantity of grain, filling almost all the rooms.
Lu Ye gave Wen Zhimuo a key, instructing him that if the grain store ran out of supplies, he should come to Xinghua Street to collect more and to keep an eye on the house.
When Wen Zhimuo heard that Bai Sheng was pregnant, and with quadruplets, his gaze towards Lu Ye was filled with admiration.
"Well done, Brother Lu. Four at once, truly incredible. You are a model for us men."
Lu Ye smiled modestly. "Not at all, just a small demonstration. I await your 'five at once,' Brother Wen." He could only be surpassed by one.
Wen Zhimuo chuckled sheepishly. He didn't even have a wife yet, so he had no opportunity for even one, let alone multiple.
However, he didn't seem to have much anticipation for marriage and children. The girls he had met were beautiful, but they were too demure and couldn't interact naturally, falling far short of Sister Bai Sheng.
And those soft, pale little meat-balls, squirming and crying, just the thought of them made his scalp tingle.
Ugh, no thank.
After bidding farewell to Wen Zhimuo, Lu Ye delivered several carts of grain, vegetables, and fruits, along with some wild game, to the Ye Sheng Gate.
Looking at the fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits, the disciples were filled with admiration for their sect leader.
During this drought, simply being able to eat was a divine gift. For their sect leader to procure such fresh and rare vegetables and fruits was as if he were a celestial being descended to earth!
Bai Sheng's belly was growing larger, and Lu Ye, concerned, finished his tasks and, with Heng Heng, flashed into the space.
Lu Ye had brought out all the wild game he had stockpiled in the space upon his return, pretending they were "bought" in the county town. After all, it was the New Year, and they needed to eat well.
Tian Guihua and Liu Shi were responsible for cooking. Ma San was very attached to his wife and voluntarily went to the kitchen to help. Liu Shi then asked him to skin and clean all the wild game their master had bought.
Having free labor readily available, why wouldn't she use it!