Chapter 4: Recruiting Farmers

"Where is the farmer? Tell me quickly!"
Li A-san hurriedly replied, "He’s by the jade stone in the courtyard. Please, my lord, go see for yourself!"
Zhan Xiaobai immediately put aside his grand plans and, together with Ah Fei and the Young Hero of Spring and Autumn, rushed out to the courtyard to see the long-awaited farmer.

Sure enough, in the center of the yard stood a plainly dressed farmer with a large wooden frame strapped to his back, as if carrying some tools. He looked around, clicking his tongue in disappointment and shaking his head again and again.

Zhan Xiaobai was quietly surprised—this farmer was different from those he’d seen before. Ordinary farmers always carried hoes. Suppressing his curiosity, he stepped forward and asked politely, "Would you be willing to become a villager here?"

The modest farmer shook his head. "This place is too simple. There's not even a decent tool here. It’s not suitable for me to stay." He turned to leave.

Zhan Xiaobai was taken aback. This was the first time he’d seen a farmer refuse of his own accord.

"Wait, hold on!"
Li A-san hurried to stop him, hobbling forward. "Please wait a moment. Why not let our village chief discuss the specifics with you? As long as you stay, any conditions can be arranged."

The plainly dressed farmer hesitated, then asked, "What benefits can you offer?"

Li A-san replied directly, "On behalf of the chief, I can promise you a private hut of your own."

The farmer considered for a moment, then shook his head. "That’s decent, but not enough. There are too few people here; it’s not suitable for my work. I’d rather go to another village."

Li A-san grew anxious, about to offer more incentives. Zhan Xiaobai quickly pulled him aside and asked, "Why is this farmer so picky? Isn’t a private hut enough? Is he like you, an NPC with a name?"

Li A-san glanced at the farmer and whispered, "My lord, no, though he’s not named, we can’t afford to neglect him. He’s a skilled farmer—a rare find these days."

A skilled farmer—a craftsman. Zhan Xiaobai understood at once. No wonder Li A-san was so determined to keep him.

Having understood, Zhan Xiaobai smiled warmly at the farmer. "Very well. Name your terms—what will it take for you to stay?"

The farmer thought deeply, finally saying, "Exemption from all taxes for three months... and…"

"Deal!" Zhan Xiaobai cut him off before he could finish. The current village tax rate was five percent—hardly any income at all. But a craftsman’s value was immeasurable.

The farmer was left speechless—his trade had already been sealed, though he hadn’t stated all his conditions. In the end, he had to stay, becoming the second NPC villager of Xiaobai Village.

The carpenter alone took up an entire hut (enough for ten people). There was no more housing for other farmers, so no more NPCs could be recruited for now.

The modest farmer began unpacking his toolbox, and only then did Zhan Xiaobai realize he was a carpenter—an apprentice, to be precise, only able to craft basic wooden items. His box was filled with woodworking tools.

Zhan Xiaobai, Ah Fei, the Young Hero of Spring and Autumn, and the carpenter lit torches and worked through the night to build a wooden hut. Even old village chief Li A-san helped. They did not finish until midnight.

"Man, I’m exhausted. Boss, remember to pay me in the future!"
Ah Fei, out of breath, called down after laying the last bundle of straw on the roof.

"Of course, I’ll put it on the books. You’ll get your wages when there’s money."
Zhan Xiaobai laughed, brushing dry grass from his face as he climbed down the ladder. Today had been truly exhausting, but with two special NPCs and four player helpers, things were looking up! As long as the village kept growing, there’d be no problem ruling the region. His only worry now was surviving this early construction phase.

With the carpenter’s housing settled, it wasn’t long before another farmer appeared beside the administrative hall’s jade stone, hoe slung over his shoulder. This farmer looked about, and, swayed by the village chief’s modest offers, volunteered to stay, becoming the third NPC villager.

Zhan Xiaobai sent him to help the carpenter build more huts, hoping to attract more farmers.

Unable to resist sleep any longer, Zhan Xiaobai and his two companions nodded off in the administrative hall. Three hours later, as dawn broke, Zhan Xiaobai awoke, already in top form—no trace of fatigue remained.

He didn’t disturb Ah Fei or the Young Hero of Spring and Autumn, who were sleeping with their heads on wooden pillows, but went alone to the courtyard.

There he found Li A-san directing the carpenter and two farmers in constructing huts. Two had been completed, and they were laying the foundation of the third. The NPC farmers were almost twice as efficient as the players.

Zhan Xiaobai was in high spirits—barely three hours had passed, and his village had gained another farmer and sped up construction.

Li A-san spotted Zhan Xiaobai and hurried over. "My lord, we now have two farmers and one carpenter. The village construction is on track. I believe it won’t be long before many more come to settle. However…"

"However what?" Zhan Xiaobai asked.

Li A-san, worried, replied, "Since they’re working on the huts for the village, you’ll need to pay them wages—ten copper coins per person per day."

Zhan Xiaobai, always focused on expanding the village, had nearly forgotten about wages. Construction required both funds and materials, otherwise progress would stall. He quickly asked, "How much do we have left?"

Li A-san took out an abacus. "The village starts with these resources and funds: one hundred units of wood, one hundred of stone, five hundred catties of grain, five hundred copper coins—a pitiful amount. Each hut costs ten wood, and each of the four wooden village gates requires three more, leaving sixty-one wood. Each farmer consumes one catty of grain per day, now leaving four hundred ninety-six. Daily wages for the workers are two copper coins—after deducting six, we have four hundred ninety-four left. Without income, we’ll soon run short of funds and materials. This will lower morale, and villagers may even leave. I await your orders, my lord."

Zhan Xiaobai’s head spun at the numbers. He didn’t need to calculate to know that this meager store of grain and wood wouldn’t last ten days.

He circled the courtyard, thinking. The village was severely short on supplies, and if they ran out, all their efforts would collapse. They needed to prioritize stockpiling food and wood before growing the population—otherwise, too many mouths would exhaust the grain at once.

Having decided, he ordered, "After the third hut is done, halt all new construction. Then, send all the farmers to cultivate fields. This way, we won’t spend our copper coins, and we’ll increase our food supply."

Li A-san replied, "Once we have three huts, we can house up to twenty-four farmers. I suggest dividing them into three groups: one to cultivate the fields, one to build a lumberyard, and one for the workshop to make tools. All three will bring in income…"

Zhan Xiaobai quickly stopped him. Li A-san was too meticulous—he wanted to report every detail, which was unnecessary.

"You’re the deputy chief. Assign the work as you see fit. Just tell me, what’s our most urgent task?"

Li A-san answered at once, "The most important thing is to build a carpenter’s workshop—it will cost twenty wood. Without it, the carpenter lacks essential tools, and work efficiency is low. Others will also lack tools. Second, we must cultivate the fields within the first five days of the month, or we’ll miss the harvest at month’s end—one harvest per month. Third, the lumberyard, which also costs twenty wood. With it, we’ll have a steady supply of timber."

Zhan Xiaobai immediately decided, "Alright. Stop building huts for now, and start on the carpenter’s workshop at once. It’s dawn—by noon we should finish it. Fields in the afternoon. As for the lumberyard, we don’t have enough manpower yet. Leave it for five days until we do. For now, let’s focus on the most urgent tasks."