The girl’s toes curled, wanting to hide in her pants, but her pants only came up a section, her entire ankle was bare, so naturally she couldn’t hide it. She could only blush and lie in front of Zhao Hanzhang: “I am, I am wearing them…”

Zhao Hanzhang also nodded: “She is wearing them.”

The old man finally relaxed.

Soon villagers brought firewood from their woodpiles. They started fires right on the open ground. Some people brought wheat straw and rice straw to spread on the ground as mats for Zhao Hanzhang to sit on.

Zhao Hanzhang knew that although she had been promoting Hu stools and Hu tables for several years, common folk were still accustomed to sitting on the ground. Most importantly, in these times of national reconstruction, many families couldn’t even afford beds, let alone tables and chairs.

She didn’t mind at all and directly grabbed a handful of rice straw, twisted it into a circle, placed it on the ground, and sat down.

Seeing her sitting in the same posture as them, the villagers immediately relaxed a lot and also twisted some straw and sat around the fire.

Zhao Hanzhang also beckoned Zhao Zheng, Zhao Rong, and a few others to sit down together, then had Zeng Yue and the others skin the deer, cut the meat. She said: “Keep two deer. For the others, skin and debone them all. Roast all the deer legs in a while, chop up the rest and make soup.”

Zeng Yue acknowledged and led the guards to the riverside to skin them.

Wei Xian also quickly brought people carrying several cauldrons and clay pots—that’s right, even though Wei Xian’s family was well-off, he still hadn’t been able to buy an iron pot, so his family still used cauldrons and clay pots.

Zhao Hanzhang looked at the set-up cauldrons and clay pots, calculating in her mind. If she could enable each household to have an iron pot within two years, and build brick houses within five years, that would be considered a huge success.

Wei Xian led the villagers into action. Soon they started three more fires nearby, set up the cauldrons and clay pots properly, then poured water into them. He also called out several villagers by name, having them go home to get some cabbage.

The villagers all happily ran home to fetch some.

Zhao Hanzhang withdrew her gaze and continued asking the villagers when they moved here, where they came from, whether they felt cold, what they used to keep warm at home?

She also asked: “How many times have you gone into the mountains this year? Can you hunt game from the mountains?”

The villagers enthusiastically answered, all putting things in a good light, telling Zhao Hanzhang they were doing very well, much better than the year before last.

These people had settled here last summer, fortunately planting one season of grain. The court exempted them from the poll tax. When harvest time came, there were no roaming soldiers or warfare, so they had some grain at home. It was just a pity that before winter they were levied military taxes twice, so they didn’t have much stored grain—only enough to eat until spring.

Someone carefully asked Zhao Hanzhang: “We don’t know if military taxes will be levied again this year?”

Zhao Hanzhang said: “The Xiongnu rebellion has been quelled. Now the Central Plains and areas to the north are all without warfare. No more military taxes will be levied. This year everyone should properly cultivate the land and strive to store more grain.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked past them at their houses and smiled: “Once you have stored grain, establish families and careers, have more children for the country. Perhaps the yamen might even reward you with houses.”

Everyone took Zhao Hanzhang to be joking and also laughed foolishly along.

At this moment they only remembered what Zhao Hanzhang said about there being no military taxes this year.

Zeng Yue and the others also worked quickly. Just as Wei Xian and his people got the fires burning, they had already skinned the deer. He cut off two legs and brought them right over, hanging one leg over Zhao Hanzhang’s fire and giving the other leg to the guards.

Wei Xian immediately brought over the two small cloth bags of grain and asked: “Great General, how should this flour and wheat be prepared?”

Zhao Hanzhang thought for a moment and said: “Clean the wheat thoroughly and put it in the pot to stew with the meat bones. Stew it for a long time—it’s good when it blooms open.”

“As for the flour, use the meat broth to make flour porridge. Have everyone go home and get bowls. Today we’ll eat something hot.”

Wei Xian happily agreed and immediately called on the villagers to go home and get bowls and chopsticks, then bring more things. They couldn’t let the Great General provide all the food—they also had to contribute something. That way they’d eat happily and the meal would be more abundant.

So some people brought wheat from home, some brought rice, and others brought cabbage, pickled vegetables, and so on.

Zhao Hanzhang looked toward Zhao Zheng.

Zhao Zheng immediately went over with a guard. Of those who brought vegetables, he judiciously accepted them. As for grain, he uniformly only took a handful and returned the rest.

The villagers all dispersed and went home. Only Zhao Rong and a few others remained by the fire. Only then did Zhao Hanzhang ask them: “Regarding the questions I asked in the mountains, do you have answers now?”

Zhao Rong and the others withdrew their gazes, their faces flushed red. Zhao Rong stammered: “They all love and respect Third Sister. Is it because Third Sister doesn’t want to disappoint them?”

Zhao Hanzhang sighed upon hearing this and said: “You’ve read books too cleverly and instead haven’t understood the meaning within. Uncle Cheng is right—you still need to study at the Imperial Academy for a few more years.”

“But just reading books isn’t enough. I see your university students’ courses aren’t that tight either. After school reopens, set aside three days each ten-day period to help at the county yamen. Go among the people more often,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “You must not only see the hardships of the common people with your eyes but also with your hearts.”

“Although Zhao Zheng is young, he’s more attentive than any of you.” Only then did she give the answer to that question. “Look at their feet, look at their faces.”

Zhao Rong and the others looked. Looking at feet, they only felt cold. Among the villagers, apart from a dozen or so who had cloth shoes, most others had cloth strips wrapped over straw sandals, and quite a few were completely barefoot.

Bare feet stepping on snowy ground, or in this biting wind—just thinking about it made them feel unbearable.

Could people really not freeze to death like this?

But looking at their faces again, they seemed very enthusiastic. From the time they arrived at this village, the smiles on their faces had never disappeared.

Just now someone had happily told Zhao Hanzhang: “There’s a village over there that was built in late autumn the year before last, just half a year earlier than us, managing to plant one more season of grain. During New Year’s, many families had stored two baskets of grain. This year there are no military taxes, and we also caught up to plant winter wheat. We’ll definitely be able to store two baskets of grain too.”

Zhao Rong also often helped the county yamen with statistical work and knew that two baskets of grain were all unhulled, adding up to only about two hundred jin total. Why were they so happy about this?

“In weather like this, in circumstances like these, people will starve to death, freeze to death,” Zhao Hanzhang said. “Mountains and marshlands may be their only way to obtain a chance at survival. So if we prohibit common people from entering mountains and marshlands to prevent people from falling into traps and dying, what difference is that from choking on food for fear of choking?”

Of course she knew that no matter what regulations were made, people would still die from accidents with traps, but she couldn’t cut off so many people’s paths to survival because of these possible accidents.

“You all heard just now—Lu Si and his group formed teams of five neighbors. Each time they enter the mountains, the game they get is divided among the five neighbors. Twenty households in five neighbors—even if each time they can only divide a thumb-sized piece of meat, they can survive by this.”

“Life itself is already tenuous. Why should we cut off people’s paths to survival?”

Zhao Rong’s face was flushed red, unable to speak.