AWB Chapter 713 Patrolling the River
Chapter 713 Patrolling the River
Bai Wanwan frowned:
"That's not necessarily true. I can arrange for you to enter a brothel and teach you some music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Is there anyone among you who can do this? For example, can you play the piano, sing a song, or recognize a few words or draw a few strokes?"
Suddenly someone in the crowd spoke, his voice trembling a little:
“Many of us here were originally the families of criminals who were exiled here.
In fact, most people know some music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but now they are old and not as good-looking as before, who would appreciate them?"
Bai Wanwan listened and said:
"If you want to live a decent life, tell me.
If you still want to make a living in a brothel, tell me and I will make other arrangements."
But none of these people responded. They were all thinking that they knew too few skills and might not be able to survive if they really went out. It would be better for them to stick to the old ways.
Bai Wanwan could see that these women really knew a lot.
Some can play the pipa, some can play the guzheng, and many of them were once daughters of wealthy families, never expecting to end up in this situation.
She sighed and said to them:
“I plan to open a brothel in town, and I’ll arrange for you to live there.
But you can’t do it like this now. The clothes you wear are too tattered and your hands are full of calluses. You need to take care of yourself first and get these things back in order.”
After a pause, she continued:
"You guys take a break first, I'll take care of the rest.
But let me be clear, from now on you will be effectively selling yourself to me. Is that okay with you?"
The women lowered their heads for a while before one of the older women whispered, "As long as we can survive, I have no problem with that."
The others nodded as well, their faces expressionless, as if they had already accepted their fate.
Zhiwei whispered, "Miss, would it be inappropriate for us to open a brothel?"
Bai Wanwan looked at her and said:
“It’s not a bad thing, we have strong enough resources.
Moreover, if brothels were not opened, these women would have a miserable fate, left helpless.
What's more, we are all prostitutes, we sell our art but not our bodies."
Zhiwei sighed. Her girl was really different from other girls.
Bai Wanwan didn't explain anything anymore. Zhiwei didn't understand, but she knew that these brothels were intelligence centers, and she was building her own intelligence system.
Milk candy and milk tea are indeed very powerful. They can find out a lot of information that others cannot, but this kind of information is extremely limited.
Only after something happens can you inquire about it, and the information you get is only short-range.
For example, when she was in the capital, she could understand every move in the capital, but once she left the capital, it was difficult for her to understand.
So what she wanted to build was an intelligence center of her own, which could be composed of restaurants, inns, brothels, and gambling houses.
This is what she has always wanted to do. Since this place has been bought, it cannot be left empty. She directly arranged for the victims to live here.
Many of these disaster victims live along the river. Digging the river every day is hard work, and now they have a place to shelter from the wind and rain, which is also very good.
These large warehouses can accommodate tens of thousands of people. Now it is autumn and it is very cold to sleep at night.
Bai Wanwan also went to inspect the river at night. In a few days, he had dug out a very large river.
Bai Wanwan asked these people how they were eating, but they all gathered around and said, "Master Bai, we can eat our fill every day here. Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid we would have starved to death."
"That's right! I didn't expect that at such a young age, you could actually keep us well fed and watered. From now on, we'll do whatever you ask us to do."
"You are the Bodhisattva Guanyin who saves people from suffering. If it weren't for you, my children and I would have starved to death." A woman was carrying a child on her back and holding two children in her hands.
Bai Wanwan looked at her three children and said:
“I am not a Bodhisattva, and my help to you is only temporary. Later, when the land is distributed, you will still have to work hard.
Don't worry, you and your children will not go hungry.
We are about to start sowing seeds now.”
Someone said, "What's the point of farming? We plant so much land every year, but in the end, a flood will wipe it all out."
"Isn't it? County Magistrate, please stop tormenting us. We know you're doing this for our own good, but it's impossible for you to leave us any food."
Everyone was filled with despair. Bai Wanwan looked at them and said, "Aren't we building a dam here now? And there will be two very large reservoirs..."
Everyone shook their heads and said, "These are of no use to us. We don't have any grain, and we just want to have something to eat."
"Yes, I'm willing to do anything as long as I have something to eat, but farming is a dead end, so I won't do it anyway."
In recent years, floods have been too frequent, causing the people who stayed behind to lose confidence.
Bai Wanwan sighed and said:
"How about this! I'll take over all the land, and then you guys will work for me. If you can't cultivate the land,
I also guarantee that you will have food. If you grow crops, you will take four parts and I will take six parts. How about that?
Everyone nodded. Bai Wanwan also knew that forcing them would be useless.
What's more, even Bai Wanwan herself didn't know whether this reservoir could hold back the flood?
If it cannot be stopped, it will be a heavy loss for these ordinary people.
The best solution Bai Wanwan can think of now is to directly reclaim the wasteland on the mountain. There are quite a lot of mountains here.
This at least ensures that when the next flood comes, some crops will remain.
Most of the men are digging the reservoir here, and now the only labor available is women.
However, these women obeyed the instructions very well. Bai Wanwan took them directly to a mountain and said, "You guys should slowly clean up the wasteland here. We will provide oxen and tools."
Then I saw Bai Wanwan's men taking out a lot of farming tools and two oxen.
The terrain on this mountain is very good. With cows, the land can be plowed quickly. Don't underestimate women. They work not much slower than men.
Some older people also began to help with the work, and in just two days, they cleared a large area of wasteland.
Bai Wanwan began to select seeds and plant them on this barren land. It was definitely impossible to grow rice and wheat on this mountain. Not only was the soil thin, but the terrain was also uneven and could not retain water.
But not everything can be grown in the mountains. Sweet potatoes and potatoes are quite suitable. They are not afraid of drought when buried in the soil, and the vines and leaves can climb all over the slopes. They can be harvested as food and ground into powder to make steamed cornbread and vermicelli.