A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

After agreeing to meet again before dawn the next day, everyone gradually dispersed.

Chen Mo and Sun Dazhu left together.

Sun Dazhu turned around, and after making sure no one was around, asked doubtfully, "Brother Mo, can these people really be trusted? What if there are Wang family spies among them, then our situation..."

What worried him most was the secret base at Black Wind Ridge.

Sun Dazhu was also unsure how Chen Mo planned to settle the newly arrived villagers.

"Don't worry, if there really are Wang family spies inside, they'll be exposed sooner or later, and we'll deal with them then."

Chen Mo's voice was low and deep.

In chaotic times, people's hearts are unpredictable, and he certainly wouldn't easily trust others.

But the Wang family is powerful, and they need the participation of these villagers to have the confidence to resist.

"deal with?"

Upon hearing those two words, Sun Dazhu felt a sudden, inexplicable shock.

At this moment, the scene of Chen Mo killing Zhou Hu flashed through his mind again.

"Let's go back first, and meet again tomorrow."

Chen Mo and Sun Dazhu parted ways.

dusk.

Sunset West Mountain.

When Chen Mo returned home, Chen Ling'er rushed over anxiously.

"Brother, what happened again?"

There was a hint of worry on her face.

After all, the last village meeting was during the spring plowing season, and Chen Mo suffered quite a bit during that time.

"It's nothing, don't worry, let's go inside and have some food."

Chen Mo gently stroked his sister's forehead.

Chen Ling'er clearly saw through her brother's concealment, but she didn't say anything more, only saying, "Alright then, I'll go cook first."

She closed the yard gate and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Chen Mo walked into the room and saw his father sitting in the middle with a solemn expression.

"Is it the Wang family again?"

Chen Dashan frowned.

Chen Mo nodded, sat down, and poured himself a glass of water.

"They used the government's name to demand that each household hand over 200 catties of grain before the autumn harvest, and they specifically targeted me, demanding that I hand over 300 catties."

He briefly recounted what happened in the ancestral hall.

"This is driving our family to ruin."

Chen Dashan sighed helplessly.

"Father, don't worry, I have a way."

Chen Mo reassured him.

"What method?"

Chen Dashan was still uneasy, worried that Chen Mo might have murderous intentions again.

Although it is a chaotic time, such ruthless killing will inevitably lead to retribution sooner or later.

Chen Mo said, "I have gathered some villagers to reclaim the wasteland together. There should be a good harvest by tomorrow. With more people, the Wang family will have a harder time dealing with us."

"Reclaiming wasteland?"

Hearing these words, Chen Dashan's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

Seeing his son becoming increasingly calm, Chen Dashan was filled with mixed emotions.

"Alright, no matter what, Dad will support you."

Chen Dashan patted Chen Mo's hand.

"Then, Father, I'll go do some errands first."

Chen Mo stood up.

While there was still time, Chen Mo continued to work on making potato noodles.

Summer was approaching, and the large stock of potatoes would be difficult to preserve; he had to store more grain before then.

Gradually, it grew dark.

The night is getting darker.

Chen Mo fell into a deep sleep.

Chen Mo slowly opened his eyes only after the system's voice rang in his ears.

[Daily information has been updated. Please select:]

[1: There are weapons and equipment abandoned by the government troops in the early years in the valley to the north, including twenty swords, eleven suits of armor, and a small number of arrows (buried underground, easy to obtain, but hoarding weapons and armor is extremely risky)].

[Second: Wild fruits in the cold mountains of Southwest China are ripe and edible (the roads are hidden but rugged, with low risk)]

[Three: At the foot of Qingfeng Village, there is a hidden stash of grain by bandits, about forty catties (there may be bandits along the way, so the risk is extremely high)]

Chen Mo was still drowsy, but as soon as he heard the system's notification, he immediately woke up.

Each of these options seems feasible.

Moreover, the third one was a full forty catties of grain.

However, Chen Mo alone is no match for bandits.

This is too risky...

Compared to food and wild fruits, the weapons and equipment were much more attractive.

In these chaotic times, weapons and armor are essential for survival.

With these things, we'll have a better chance of stockpiling food and saving our lives.

However, regardless of the dynasty, possessing weapons and armor was a capital offense punishable by death.

Previously, secretly hiding grain only offended the Wang family and their gentry. If it were discovered that they had hidden weapons and armor, it would likely be a charge of treason.

Since they were already in dire straits, Chen Mo didn't want to think about it anymore.

"Choose option one!"

Let's put this route away for now, and then secretly hide these weapons and armor when we have time later.

Chen Mo wouldn't tell anyone about this.

After all, the more people know, the greater the risk.

After learning the location of the weapons and equipment, Chen Mo couldn't sleep anymore and began to plan his next move.

Time slipped by unnoticed.

Chen Mo got up and pushed open the door, a cool breeze blowing in.

He looked up at the sky, estimating that it was almost dawn, so he grabbed his equipment, gave his father a few instructions in his room, and then went out.

Before dawn, a large number of people had already gathered at the village entrance.

Although Li Laogen's foot injury had not yet healed, he still came to the front of everyone.

Others arrived one after another, making a total of sixteen people including Sun Dazhu and Chen Mo.

Besides hunger and exhaustion, a hint of unease lingered on everyone's faces.

After all, no one knew whether Chen Mo could actually feed them.

Moreover, these people have relatives to take care of at home.

"Is everyone here?"

Chen Mo walked up to the crowd.

"We've all arrived."

Li Laogen nodded.

"Uncle Li, your leg injury hasn't healed yet, and the mountain roads are difficult to walk on. Why don't you rest at home for a while?"

Chen Mo said in a low voice.

Li Laogen smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll just follow behind you. After all, I can help you with some things, Mowazi."

Hearing this, Chen Mo understood what Li Laogen meant.

Li Laogen is highly respected in the village. If any of the villagers disagree with Chen Mo, he can step in in time to calm them down.

Chen Mo nodded slightly, then turned and said, "Let's go."

The group, carrying only the farm tools they had, began their ascent up the mountain.

After walking for about an hour, it was already completely light.

The group followed Chen Mo and circled around for a long time before finally arriving at a valley.

"This place is really hard to find..."

"Is it really possible to farm in the mountains?"

There was a constant murmur of discussion among the crowd.

With the help of others, Li Laogen finally caught up with everyone else.

He squatted down and casually picked up a piece of soil.

The soil here doesn't look very fertile, and the place is so secluded that there's no water source.

Farming in such a place is indeed a difficult problem.

"Chen Mo, is this the kind of place you're talking about, those dozens of acres?"

"These wastelands are everywhere outside the village, why bother coming all this way..."

Others couldn't help but wonder.

Li Laogen stepped forward and asked, "Mowa, what's the next step?"

Chen Mo looked at the suspicious crowd, but remained calm.

"How can we farm without water?"

"Chen Mo, say something."

People were losing patience.