Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was deep autumn.
As the autumn winds began to blow, turning the leaves yellow and scattering them across the countryside paths, the distant mountains were painted with vibrant red maples.
In the forests and fields, various animals became more active, as this was the season for them to store food. The amount they managed to gather would determine their chances of survival through the coming winter.
Humans, following the ancient law of harvesting in autumn and storing for winter, were no different.
In Shuishui Village, after the villagers finished the intense work of the autumn harvest, they immediately began planting winter wheat.
Once all the labor for the year was finally completed, they had time to tally up their harvest.
Thanks to Lingxian Sect's support, the villagers of Shuishui had done well over the past two years, with almost every household bringing in a good income.
The farmers, relying on their fields, had turned much of their earnings into land deeds—something that gave them peace of mind.
In past years, there had been many tenant farmers in Shuishui Village, who made a living by farming other people's land. Most became tenant farmers because they had too little land or none at all, making it hard to survive.
Tenant farmers in this era not only had to pay taxes to the imperial court but also had to give a portion of their harvest to the landowner. Even though they toiled from dawn to dusk, what little they had left was often just enough to feed themselves. In times of famine or disaster, they faced even greater hardship.
So, when their income increased over the past two years, the first thought of many villagers was to buy land.
Now, most villagers owned enough land to farm for themselves, with extra to spare. Tenant farming had almost disappeared in Shuishui Village.
The few households still renting land were saving money with all their might, waiting until they had enough to buy land of their own.
As a result, Shuishui Village now had an abundance of land, much of which was rented out to people from neighboring villages. This was a boon for tenant farmers from nearby who were eager to rent more land, as their options had been limited.
With the winter wheat planted, and the autumn harvest weighed, dried, and stored—some for taxes, some for the granaries—the villagers of Shuishui were ready to welcome a piece of news that had them bursting with excitement.
Something they had never imagined before was about to happen.
Shuishui Village was going to be developed into Shuishui Town!
This news had been hinted at by the village chief and the elders during discussions with the heads of various families over the past year.
At the time, nothing was set in stone, so the villagers had been cautiously optimistic. The idea of a village becoming a town was almost too good to believe. Not even their ancestors had experienced such a thing.
However, despite how far-fetched it seemed, the changes in the village over the past few years had made them hopeful.
Then, just yesterday, the long-awaited announcement came.
Early in the morning, all the heads of the households were gathered by the village chief at the threshing grounds.
In front of everyone, the village chief solemnly confirmed the news.
The moment the long-anticipated announcement became reality, everyone was overjoyed! The village chief also explained Lingxian Sect's financial support and the loans involved, and how the decision had been approved by all the family elders.
The villagers of Shuishui had no objections to this.
In this era, landlords willing to lend money were already seen as kind-hearted. But the fact that Lingxian Sect had directly contributed funds made them even more grateful.
Once Shuishui Village became Shuishui Town, every villager would rise in status, becoming town residents!
Just think of the prestige! From then on, any woman marrying into Shuishui would be marrying into a town—a high-status match!
For the villagers who used to boast about their village's scenic location by the stream and its proximity to the northern mountains, this transformation was incredibly tempting.
It would give them even more to brag about.
Imagine it—being from the only village that became a town! They could show off about this for years to come.
While Lingxian Sect's presence had already made the villagers proud, it had been more of a distant connection. But this time, they were the central characters in the story!
So, in recent days, the villagers had been walking with a spring in their step.
The chill of the autumn wind lifting the edges of their clothing seemed to highlight their elegant, carefree demeanor.
This news, of course, also reached the ears of the nobles and officials who had settled in Shuishui Village over the past few years.
Just a few days later, Village Chief Du received a round of donations.
The total amount almost matched the contribution from Lingxian Sect itself.
With the additional funds, Shuishui Village's construction budget could now be raised even higher.
Once Shuishui Town was built, it would undoubtedly become the most impressive town under the jurisdiction of the prefecture.
It was a time of celebration.
Village Chief Du sat in his wicker chair at home, beckoning to his son, Changsheng, who was chopping wood in the courtyard.
"Changsheng, something just came to mind. That shed we built on the west side of the village—make sure to rebuild it. When winter comes, that old shed won't hold up. It's still too tough to endure the cold in there."
The shed on the west side had been built a couple of years ago when Shuishui Village's population began to grow, and more and more people in desperate situations started showing up—elderly folks and children with nowhere else to go.
These people came from villages that had no land or food, or were outcasts in the towns, driven away by stronger beggars.
When they arrived in Shuishui, they didn't beg for food or money, simply keeping to themselves. If any kind-hearted person noticed them, they might give them some money or food, allowing them to barely survive.
At the time, some villagers couldn't bear to see them in such a state, so they asked the village chief if they could set up a simple shed in a remote part of the village for them.
The old and the young, with little to their name and no place to call home, were indeed pitiful to look at.
With the village chief's approval, a few villagers built a simple shed for them on an empty patch of land on the west side of the village. It wasn't much, but it offered them some shelter.
Had this been three years ago, when most of the villagers themselves were struggling to make ends meet, no one would have had the heart to show pity for these beggars.
But now that life had improved, people were more willing to extend a helping hand.
The beggars were deeply grateful to the villagers and often helped out where they could.
As more people learned about the situation, the village organized efforts to improve the shed, making it larger and sturdier. They built mud-brick walls around it, turning it into a sort of half-house, which had served the beggars ever since.
The seven or eight elderly and children who lived there cherished it greatly, often helping to strengthen the walls with stones they collected.