Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

The village chief had no interest in dealing with such a person, and the officials immediately arrested Old Master Liu and took him to the county jail.

When Old Master Liu realized he couldn't avoid it, and that if he were really locked up in jail, he would not only have to spend more money but also suffer more, he made up his mind that he had to take out his last bit of money for his funeral.

Everyone was starving; they had all paid in silver. After the officials left, they all broke down in tears, crying, "How are we going to live from now on? Heaven, please open your eyes! Look at us poor people! Show us a way out!"

For several days, the village was in a low mood; no one had a smile on their face, and people didn't greet each other when they went out.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Liu Siyue decided to make her move. She was now a wealthy woman with money, grain, and weapons. If she had the chance to go to the prefectural city, she wouldn't let the prefect get away with it. No matter who you support or who your superiors are, you can't treat ordinary people like dirt.

The common people are their providers; disrespecting those who support them is a sin that will be struck by lightning.

"Ru Xue, go to the village and invite the clan chief and village head over. Tell them I have something to discuss with them."

"Ruyu, go and invite Brother Stone over."

Before long, the clan chief and the village chief arrived one after the other. "Grandpa clan chief, Uncle village chief, you've arrived. Please sit down and have a cup of tea."

"Girl, what do you want from us?"

"Grandpa Chief, don't rush. You all have some tea first, and I'll talk to you all when Brother Stone arrives."

"Okay, then we'll wait."

When Ruyu arrived, Shitou was not at home, so Liu Youtian quickly ran to the field and called him back.

"Ruyu, what does April want?"

"I don't know either, you'll find out when you get there!"

Before Shi Tou even entered the house, he asked, "April, what did you want to see me about? Is there something you need my help with?"

"Come in first, and I'll tell you."

Liu Siyue clapped her hands. "Alright, now that everyone's here, I'll start with the first thing. I hope this is something we can only know about. No one else can tell us, or it will bring us to our deaths."

The people present immediately tensed up and looked at Liu Siyue with serious expressions.

"Don't be too nervous, everyone. Listen to me first. I've heard some bad news. The court is in turmoil. The world may descend into chaos, there may be war, or nothing may happen at all."

Once chaos erupts and war breaks out, we ordinary people will be the most direct victims. At that time, bandits will run rampant, refugees will roam freely, and people will commit murder, arson, robbery, and theft—they will do anything.

For the safety of the villagers of Liujia Village, I want to take some precautions in advance.

"April, tell us what you want us to do, and we'll fully cooperate with you."

The clan chief, a man who had experienced the turmoil of the world and war, deeply believed Liu Siyue's words.

"Girl, whether this is true or false, or whether it will happen or not, it's always good to take precautions. What do you want to do? We'll do whatever you say."

"This is what I'm thinking: we'll enclose the entire road into the village with a wall. The wall should be thick and about seven or eight feet high. We'll leave space for a gate in the middle so that we can install one if needed later, or maybe a spiky stool. We'll see what happens when the time comes."

Inside the gate, a wooden watchtower ten feet high was built, and people were then stationed on it to observe the situation outside.

We'll send people up the mountain to dig up brambles and plant them there to form a bramble wall. We'll make a hidden door in the wall so that villagers can go out through the hidden door if they want to enter the mountain.

This wall of thorns can keep people coming down from the mountain out of the village.

"Your idea is good, but the villagers are starving and don't have the strength for such heavy physical work."

They didn't want to work, so they stayed in bed, trying to save every meal they could. The radishes and cabbages in the fields still had to survive the winter.

To do this, I need to find a reason that can convince everyone, otherwise the villagers will think I'm just making trouble for no reason.

"Uncle Village Chief, you're right. We need to find a suitable reason to do this."

I know that the villagers are having a hard time after paying their taxes, so I plan to help them out. As long as everyone works hard, each person will receive one pound of brown rice per day.

Brown rice was only given to those who did the work; those who didn't work didn't get any.

"Great, that's good news. As long as everyone eats sparingly, we'll definitely be able to get through this winter. I'll go back and gather everyone together to discuss this."

"The village chief said there's no rush, and that we should let the villagers settle their household affairs first before we start working."

"Great! Great!" The village chief rubbed his hands excitedly. He was worried about the village's livelihood, but Liu Siyue's actions solved the problem directly.

"The second thing I want to talk about is about making money."

Upon hearing that it was about making money, Stone immediately straightened his back and perked up his ears.

"If villagers want to make a living, they must find a way to earn money. Farming alone is not enough. After paying taxes, it's hard to say whether the harvested grain will be enough to feed their own families."

"If the weather is good and you can eat brown rice for two meals a day, you can get about 80% full by farming. Don't even think about white rice or noodles."

If the harvest is bad, like this year, people won't have enough to eat, but they still have to pay taxes to the imperial court.

As the village chief, it pains me to see everyone struggling so much. I want to help everyone earn money and improve their lives, but we don't have any income-generating jobs, and we don't know any skills.

"In April, you're always traveling and have a lot of experience. Could you help the village come up with a solution?"

"Uncle Village Chief, this is the second thing I want to talk about today."

I want the villagers to learn how to make charcoal. Our village is nestled against the mountains, so the raw materials are readily available.

"Charcoal making is a good business, but nobody in our village knows how to do it!"

"I'm here for you!"

Although I had never burned charcoal before, I knew how. I wrote down the method for burning charcoal, and the village chief said he would find someone to do it, while I provided guidance.

I plan to transfer ownership of the charcoal-making business to the village collective and divide the profits among the participants.

Decide these things beforehand to avoid any unpleasantness later.

"We must keep things confidential to prevent any traitors from siding with us in the village."

"Don't worry, April. I will make sure to keep the secret to everyone in the village. Anyone who dares to leak village secrets will be kicked out of the village. If they are a member of the Liu clan, they will be expelled from the clan as well."

"Let me first explain the profit sharing from charcoal burning. Then we'll write it down, have everyone sign it, and that'll be settled."

"You said it in April, we'll all listen to you."

"In the charcoal-making business, I will contribute the technology and take a 20% share, while Brother Stone and Brother Mancang will each take a 5% share. Each family will contribute 5 taels of silver as an investment, and the sale of charcoal will be handled by them from now on."

"Brother Stone, are you willing to do this job?"

"Yes, yes, I will definitely work hard and sell all the charcoal we produce."

"Uncle Village Chief, would you like to invest?"

"I'll also take 5 taels of silver, which will be half a share."

"The remaining 65% of the shares, 15% of which are held by the village collective and used for the village's daily expenses, and the remaining 50% are distributed among the participating villagers."

"Uncle Village Chief, Grandpa Clan Chief, Brother Stone, do you think this separation and reunion is appropriate?"

"Perfect, perfect, absolutely perfect. You've thought of everything."

"Charcoal making is a collaborative task. Some people need to fire the kiln, some need to go up the mountain to cut wood, and some need to saw the wood into sections..."

These tasks require specialized personnel; it's impossible for everyone in the village to do them. Those who do the work need to be paid; that's fair.

"Okay, let's discuss it later and see how to decide this. I'll find someone first."