Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 1047: Chapter 958: Official of the First Rank 19

The people in the village didn’t want to take advantage, but now faced with the major event of the harvest festival, the villagers remembered Fang Keixin’s excellent cooking skills. Since the harvest festival was a village-wide matter, everyone unapologetically asked Fang Keixin to take charge of cooking the offerings and food for the harvest festival.

Regarding this, Fang Keixin didn’t have much of a reaction. In fact, in her previous life, Fang Keixin also held the cooking spoon, and at that time Fang Keixin was quite pleased, as the harvest festival was a significant event in the village and not just any woman could have a hand in it.

A young girl like Fang Keixin, who wasn’t even of age, being given the opportunity to take charge of cooking was a sign of recognition. At that time, Fang Keixin was extremely proud, but this time it was different.

Murong Shuangshuang’s achievements far exceeded Fang Keixin’s. While Fang Keixin was still struggling to make money, Murong Shuangshuang had already gained the village’s recognition due to her excellent martial arts.

Murong Shuangshuang, being highly capable, was able to support her family early on, allowing her family to live without worries of food and clothing. Now, Murong Shuangshuang was respected by the entire village, and her prestige had subtly surpassed that of the village chief and village elders, almost deifying her in the villagers’ hearts. In comparison to Murong Shuangshuang’s achievements, Fang Keixin’s success was insignificant.

No matter her willingness, as she hadn’t left Yu Family Village yet, Fang Keixin didn’t dare to appear unsociable and reluctantly agreed to take charge of cooking.

However, upon seeing Murong Shuangshuang being exceptionally invited by the village chief and elders to participate in the ceremony on the altar, watching Murong Shuangshuang standing confidently on the high stage, Fang Keixin couldn’t help but feel envious.

Ancient people’s mindset regarding gender differences was deeply rooted. Fang Keixin always felt this ancient thinking was unbreakable, but Murong Shuangshuang broke it. This ancient person was more impressive than her modern self, achieving a status only men could have.

Undeniably, Fang Keixin always held a prejudice against ancient women, often thinking of them as lacking their own thoughts, reliant on men for survival, unable to live without them.

Thus, she always looked down on Murong Shuangshuang, an ancient woman. When Murong Shuangshuang started learning martial arts, Fang Keixin thought it was a waste for an ancient person like her to learn martial arts, merely burying her skills.

No matter how advanced the martial arts became, she would still have to marry, manage the household, and raise children. What great accomplishments could she achieve? If she learned such advanced martial arts, she would definitely make a great career out of it.

Fang Keixin completely forgot that even among genuine ancient people, there were many strong women, both in the folk and the court. There were regent empress dowagers throughout the dynasties, even a famous Empress. Not all ancient women lived as dependents of men.

Unfortunately, filled with jealousy towards Murong Shuangshuang and disdain for ancient women, Fang Keixin couldn’t think of these things. Perhaps she didn’t want to think about it. She always prided herself on her modern identity, believing she stood on the shoulders of giants, with a broad perspective, inherently looking down on ancient people who knew not if the earth was round or flat.

During a harvest festival, the entire Yu Family Village, from young to old, was mad with joy, eating chicken, duck, fish, and meat heartily for a day. Even though they hadn’t lacked meat in recent times, some were moved to tears by eating such large portions of meat. The older people were okay since life wasn’t so hard when they were young, and they had eaten some meat.

The young men and women in their teens and twenties were most pitiful, for life had been tough from the moment they were born, and as they grew, life only became harder. From eating meat during the New Year to not eating it at all throughout the year.

Now, such scenes of heartily eating meat might not have been experienced even by those older. Every bite of meat and every full meal reminded the villagers that it was all because of Murong Shuangshuang’s contributions.

Day by day, the villagers grew more respectful and trusting of Murong Shuangshuang. After the harvest festival, Murong Shuangshuang began building a breeding farm. To avoid burdening the villagers, she didn’t mention that the farm was intended to increase everyone’s meat supply.

Murong Shuangshuang directly paid the villagers to help build the farm. She planned to finish building before winter arrived. The location chosen for the farm was quite secluded, in an out-of-the-way mountain cove, not far from the village as a precaution against government troops to avoid additional taxes.

The wages Murong Shuangshuang paid were generous. The villagers initially didn’t plan to accept money since helping each other build houses was normal in the village, requiring only meals in return.

Murong Shuangshuang provided excellent meals for the construction, satisfying the villagers enough that they felt guilty taking money. Still, Murong Shuangshuang insisted, stating that the farm was different from a house, and she paid wages.

Being paid and receiving meals, with meat at every meal, motivated the villagers, who quickly completed the farm. Next, they would wait for spring to raise piglets and young chickens and ducks.

With the farm built, the following task was the most crucial and anticipated training for all villagers. Throughout winter, Murong Shuangshuang meticulously planned training, involving every villager without exception.

Even the elderly needed physical exercises, not seeking significant skills but at least being able to run and endure long-distance journeys. In chaotic times, displacement was common; without physical strength, fleeing was impossible.

With ample meat supply, everyone trained energetically. With no farming in winter and no tax pressure, villagers didn’t need to struggle with temporary work like in past winters to supplement their families.

Youth made up most of the village, with few elderly due to generally low life expectancy in this era. There were quite a few children, but they were all roughly raised.

Murong Shuangshuang’s training was for both genders. Women, even if not sent to battle, needed the ability to retaliate and protect themselves against strong enemies.

During winter training, they encountered a band of robbers. This time it wasn’t well-trained mountain bandits but refugees forced by the government to band together.

These refugees were ragged and emaciated, holding bricks, stones, and sticks, with a few possessing chipped, dull knives.

Through Murong Shuangshuang’s meticulous training, the villagers of Yu Family Village were essentially a militia, easily subduing these ragtag intruders.

However, unlike the last time against the mountain bandits, where people killed without psychological burden, this time facing the refugees, although subduing them, their hearts were uncomfortably heavy.

It was akin to the feeling of shared fate; though they might not have much sympathy for the refugees, seeing them taken away by the government, eyes filled with hopelessness, left them distressed.