Tang Wen was unaware that he had become a benchmark for others.
He and several Commanders were waiting for the team to assemble and prepare to leave Peach Blossom Village with their harvest, aside from the grain.
Standing side by side with Zhou Bing under the peach tree, they gazed at the buds on the branches, anticipating the peaches that would be ready to eat in a few months.
Peach Blossom Village had many fruit trees, thanks to its unique geographical location.
The villagers lived much better lives than most people outside, even those in the outer city of the camp.
Unfortunately, they were not strong enough to protect this small paradise.
"When we grow old, we can move here to live," Zhou Bing said, standing on tiptoe to catch a whiff of the blossoms.
Footsteps approached.
Everyone turned to see the Old Village Chief leading a group of women toward them.
"Honorable sirs, our village is now mostly women, unable to tend the fields. This humble old man wishes to ask for your mercy to take them in, as servants or maids, just so they can have food to survive and raise their children."
This situation was quite normal in this era, and no one found it surprising.
The Commanders looked over the group of women.
Hmm, after cleaning up, their appearances were passable.
Among them, one or two were even quite attractive.
Commander Qian Dong commented, "Not bad. With a bit of dressing up, they could all enter the Pleasure House."
Hearing this, everyone looked at him in surprise.
You, a thick-browed, big-eyed Guard, are into this too?
"Honorable sirs, there's no reason you can go, and we Guards can't, right?"
"Hahaha, you can, you can, of course, you can."
They chuckled and laughed, the kind of laughter that all men understand.
Many of the village women, being experienced, blushed and lowered their heads, but no one was angry, and no one walked away.
The Old Village Chief also smiled, though his smile carried a hint of bitterness.
Tang Wen did not join in. He noticed two village beauties.
One was still young, looking about thirteen or fourteen years old.
Thanks to the previous abundance of food in Peach Blossom Village, she had developed quite well.
But being so young, she was still just a sprout with a slight figure.
Tang Wen shifted his gaze from her delicate little face to another woman with a married woman's hairstyle.
This one was good.
"Which one do you fancy?" Zhou Bing asked calmly.
The other Commanders stopped talking and looked at them, some winking at Tang Wen, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
Tang Wen ignored them and smiled, "You decide."
Zhou Bing nodded and pointed out the two village beauties Tang Wen had noticed.
The Old Village Chief quickly introduced them: the thirteen or fourteen-year-old was called Xiao Liu, and the slightly older one, who had been married once, was called Taohua.
"Hey, hey, hey, Commander Zhou, isn't this inappropriate?"
"Yeah, how can you pick two at once!"
The other Commanders were not pleased. They weren't blind; who wouldn't want a beauty!
Zhou Bing placed her hand on Tang Wen's shoulder and said calmly, "We are a family. If you want, we can have a match. We won't bully you; two against one will do."
Uh!
The Commanders were instantly silenced.
It was the first time they had seen someone so matter-of-factly suggest a two-against-one fight.
Tang Wen and Zhou Bing were newly promoted Martial Masters, third-class Martial Masters.
Any one of the Commanders present was not afraid of them in a one-on-one fight.
But if the two of them teamed up, it was better to just give up.
Beauty loves handsome men. The two village belles had their eyes fixed on Tang Wen, but when Zhou Bing selected them, they hesitated.
However, upon hearing Zhou Bing say that they were all one family, they obediently walked over and stood behind Tang Wen.
Zhou Bing didn't mind: "I'll pick another one, someone who can cook."
Instantly, a group of women raised their hands.
The Old Village Chief pointed to a woman with a young girl: "Her, Cuilian, she cooks very well."
"Alright, she's the one."
"I... I have a child," said Cuilian, who was also quite attractive and had a fuller figure.
"Hmm, bring your child along. She can learn to read and practice martial arts at the camp," Zhou Bing waved her hand dismissively.
"Ah?" Cuilian was struck by immense surprise, unable to believe her ears.
The Old Village Chief quickly glared at her: "You're lucky, hurry up! Follow Lord Tang Wen, and you'll enjoy endless blessings in the future!"
Cuilian immediately pulled her adorable daughter and, under the envious gazes of the other women, stood behind Taohua and Xiao Liu.
"That's enough!" Zhou Bing had made her selections.
The women of Peach Blossom Village were filled with disappointment.
Why didn't she pick a few more?
Commander Qian Dong couldn't help but comment: "Commander Zhou, you're really good to Commander Tang, picking the three most beautiful women in the village! Aren't you worried?"
Zhou Bing, who usually had a cold expression, gently shook her head, curved her lips, and smiled softly at Tang Wen.
Like ice melting and snow thawing, as if spring flowers were blooming for the first time.
Qian Dong was stunned, and the other commanders fell into collective silence.
After a while, Qian Dong looked at Tang Wen with envy and muttered softly, "Alright! You really don't have to worry."
If the beauty of the village belles was at the level of Mutated Beasts, far surpassing ordinary beasts.
Then Zhou Bing's beauty was at the level of the Silver Wolf King!
Within hundreds of miles, there was no match for her.
Zhou Bing wasn't worried, but Tang Wen was.
This girl, my partner, just picked three beautiful maids and a little girl for me in one go. What's she thinking? Waiting online, quite urgent.
After the other commanders also made their selections, the number of single women and widows in Peach Blossom Village was directly halved.
A bunch of unscrupulous guys, Tang Wen thought as he looked at his colleagues, feeling a sense of moral superiority.
Outside the mountain pass, more than a dozen carts pulled by mountain ponies were loaded with various spoils, ready to depart.
Zhou Bing arranged the four women in one cart.
She and Tang Wen rode side by side on horseback.
On the way, the four women, who had never left the village, were curious about everything.
Their eyes darted around, unable to take it all in.
Without any incidents, they returned to the camp.
Zhou Bing stretched and pulled Tang Wen aside, saying, "With them taking care of the household chores, Tang Tang and I can focus on practicing martial arts."
"Mm, mm, taking care of chores, focusing on martial arts!"
Tang Wen turned to look at the four—no, three women who were quite alluring, and nodded sincerely.
Women can make my spear techniques faster!
When Tang Tang finished her training at the martial arts school and hurriedly prepared to go home to make a batch of Meat Buns to sell.
As soon as she opened the door, she suddenly saw her brother, Zhou Bing, and the newly added group of two adults, one child, and one toddler.
"Sister!"
"Tang Tang."
"Mm, Xiao Wen, Sister Bing," Tang Tang looked at the four women with slight confusion.
After the three greeted each other, she pulled the two aside and asked, "Who are they?"
"Our maids," Zhou Bing said.
"Maids?" Tang Tang was somewhat puzzled.
What kind of family are we?
You're keeping maids?
Don't maids eat Foxtail millet?
Tang Wen nodded: "Maids."
Then, he quickly recounted to his sister the tragic fates of these four women.
Including how their homeland was occupied, the men were killed, their parents and brothers were slaughtered, and they were nearly sold into slavery.
In short, their situation was as miserable as it could be. If their family didn't take them in, they would starve to death outside.
Tang Tang's sympathy was stirred, and she asked in a complex tone: "Alright then, um, how many pounds of rice do they need to eat each day?"
Zhou Bing: "..."
Tang Wen smacked his lips: "Sis, you can teach them how to make Meat Buns."
The young lady's eyes lit up: "That's right! That way, when I come back from the martial arts school, I won't have to make them myself anymore. I can just take them out to sell, and more importantly, I can make more."
She would have to buy meat, stew it, practice martial arts, and sell Meat Buns, busy as a spinning top every day.
"You can also have them sell the Meat Buns," Tang Wen reminded her.
Tang Tang quickly shook her head: "The money should still go into my own pocket."
"Uh, suit yourself. Don't overwork yourself."
"Mm-hmm."
Tang Tang arranged for the four women to stay in the courtyard next door, which belonged to Tang Wen.
The two courtyards were now connected by a round archway, and the cellar, or rather the basement, in the neighboring courtyard had already been dug.
To prevent leaks during rain, the entrance was opened in the main hall.
After settling the four women, the group went down to the basement for a tour.
The area was vast, with each floor covering half an acre, or about one hundred and sixty to seventy square meters.
There we
re three levels in total.
Tang Tang: "It's enough to store a hundred thousand pounds of Foxtail millet."
Zhou Bing: "It's quite cool in here. When the weather gets hot, we can come and stay."
Tang Wen smiled: "Now that the basement is built, it's time to make ice."
Make ice?
But it's already spring!
(End of Chapter)