After everything was arranged, the village chief waved his hand boldly.
"Distribute the rice. Everyone, eat till you're full."
All forty-two tiny villagers lined up at Gao Yiye's door to receive their share.
Each person received ten grains of rice—each grain as large as a millstone.
Ten grains were enough to feed a family for many days.
But transporting them was another matter entirely: the villagers had to place each grain on the ground and push it along like rolling a giant stone.
Ten trips later, each family finally managed to get all their rice home.
Even after forty-one villagers collected their portions, a huge pile still remained inside Gao Yiye's house—perhaps several dozen grains.
But no one dared complain she received more.
To these uneducated, deeply superstitious villagers, Gao Yiye's status was now equivalent to a "saintess" in other religions.
A saintess was sacred.
Untouchable.
Families began boiling water to cook their meals.
They couldn't cook a whole grain at once—it had to be chiseled apart first.
Just tossing a dozen shards of rice into the pot was enough to feed the entire family to satiety.
But eating pure white rice until full felt extravagantly wasteful.
So, they cooked only half a portion of rice, mixing in wild vegetables, bark, and roots.
That way, one meal of rice became two meals.
Li Daoxuan watched through a magnifying lens, peering through the tiny cottage windows at the chaotic stew they were cooking.
He shook his head helplessly.
I gave you perfectly good rice, and you're cooking… this? How is your body supposed to stay healthy eating that? Aren't you being way too frugal?
Should he add something extra for them?
He considered tossing in a piece of pork.
But after thinking carefully—no.
These villagers had been chronically malnourished for years.
If he suddenly fed them rich, greasy meat, their stomachs might not handle it.
Diarrhea in a weakened state could be fatal.
Forget it.
One step at a time.
Slowly improve their diet.
But to the villagers of Gaojia Village, the food he pitied was already a rare feast.
Laughing happily, they cooked their dinner.
No one bothered eating secretly anymore—everyone had the same food today.
Families simply placed their tables outside the door and ate in the open.
In the past, always sneaking around to eat scraps damaged their relationships.
Now, with the old pre-famine atmosphere restored, the village grew lively again.
"Haven't eaten such good rice in ages," the village chief said, squatting at his doorway and shoveling food into his mouth.
"This divine rice is so fragrant—far better than anything we grew ourselves. Truly a gift from the Heavenly God."
Gao Chuwu was devouring a massive bowl.
Young and big-bodied, he ate far more than others.
While other families finished a dozen rice fragments together, he himself needed a dozen just for one meal.
He gulped down food so fast it looked like he might choke himself to death.
Meanwhile, Gao Yiye sat alone on her doorstep, chewing slowly, taking forever to finish even a single bite.
Tears streamed silently down her face.
"Mother… if only you were still here to taste this."
At the same time, Li Daoxuan was eating his own dinner.
He'd ordered takeout: braised beef rice with carrots, plus delivery fee—29 yuan.
A full bowl of rice topped with tender beef and stewed radish, a side of pickles, and a complimentary 300ml cola.
Compared to what the little people were eating, his dinner was—quite frankly—on a different planet.
He took a bite of beef, glanced at the tiny villagers, and for some reason, his usual mediocre takeout tasted a lot better today.
After dinner, the sky darkened, and the tiny villagers returned to their huts to rest.
The entire diorama reverted to a "non-interactive scene"—nothing interesting to watch.
As for those bored internet users joking about "peeking at little women bathing," that was ridiculous.
The diorama world was clearly suffering a drought.
The river had dried up, the vegetation wilted, and even the well barely contained enough water for drinking.
Bathing?
In their dreams.
None of the villagers bathed.
Some didn't even bother changing clothes before going to bed.
Li Daoxuan finally tore his eyes away from the box and stretched.
Damn thing—stare at it long enough, and an entire day vanished.
He opened his phone, brought up the photo he'd taken earlier (from Chapter 8), and logged into his usual history-and-military forum.
He posted anonymously:
"Everyone, take a look at this photo.
The village is called Gaojia Village.
The girl is Gao Yiye.
The young man is Gao Chuwu.
There are also five constables.
Based on this picture, what can you tell?"
Reply 1: "Those constable outfits look like Ming-dynasty yamen uniforms."
Reply 2: "The names Gao Yiye and Gao Chuwu are also very typical of Ming-era naming styles."
Reply 3: "Same here, looks Ming to me. Too bad we can't tell the exact year."
Reply 4: "This diorama is amazing—super lifelike. Really captures Ming-era constables bullying commoners. Where did you buy it? I want one."
Reply 5: "The little girl Gao Yiye is cute. I want to watch her bathe."
Li Daoxuan:
"Damn idiots—why are you all obsessed with bathing?!"
No point reasoning with these clowns.
He closed the forum.
Still, the replies gave him a rough idea.
Ming Dynasty?
Am I… looking down at the Ming Dynasty?
Impossible… right?
Forget it.
Sleep.
The Next Morning — July 13, 2023, Shuangqing City
7 a.m.
The temperature had already risen to 33°C.
By noon, the sun might actually kill someone.
Li Daoxuan groggily sat up from bed, and his first glance was—of course—toward the diorama box.
It used to sit by the door.
Then he moved it to the living room.
Last night, he moved it next to his bed, right beside his computer, just so he could see it the moment he woke up.
Inside, everything seemed normal.
The tiny villagers were already awake.
Gao Chuwu and several young men were eating breakfast—a full meal, necessary for the task ahead.
They were heading to the county town to "invite" the magistrate's adviser, so they needed strength.
The village chief stood beside them, repeating instructions word by word.
As for the other villagers, they were picking up baskets, preparing to forage for wild vegetables.
Li Daoxuan couldn't help laughing.
These little people really do the same thing every day—search for wild greens, bark, and roots. Not even a tiny bit of variation?
Well… given how hard they struggled just to survive, what else could they do?
Time to feed them for the day.
As long as they had food, their constant fear of starvation would ease, and they'd eventually free their minds to think about more than survival.
He opened his fridge and tore off a single leaf from yesterday's large Napa cabbage.
The leaf was huge—over forty centimeters long, more than ten wide.
Returning to the diorama, he gently placed the leaf before Gao Yiye.
She had just stepped out with her basket to search for wild vegetables when suddenly—
from the sky—a giant hand descended, placing an enormous cabbage leaf before her.
From her perspective, the leaf was thirty zhang long and ten zhang wide…