In the dense forest of the valley, the large open space next to the wooden fence courtyard was now occupied by a wooden house made of logs and thatch that was sixty feet long, twenty feet wide, and about eight feet high. Entering the wooden house, you could see two rows of thick hay floors. In the middle of the floors was a six-foot-wide aisle. At the end of the aisle, Old Cooper and Scott were discussing in front of a large clay fireplace.
"Old housekeeper, do you think this clay fireplace can withstand fire? It will crack in a few days."
"I added river sand and hay to the clay, and added a small fire It won't crack easily after baking. Even if it does crack, it's better to apply a layer of clay. I guess the master and the others will come back soon, so I have to repair the shack before they come back." As he spoke, Cooper threw another piece of firewood into the fireplace.
"Shack? Old housekeeper, if you call these shacks, then those real shacks will be called pig shacks." Scott really admired the old housekeeper's ability. He built a large, dense wooden house in just over twenty days.
At this time, Camille jumped into the wooden house and said to the two people squatting in front of the big fireplace: "Grandpa and Dad, the housekeeper, lunch has been prepared. Mom asked me to call you."
"Camille, go tell your mother, we will come right away" Scott pinched Camille's little nose and said.
Scott helped Cooper, whose legs were numb after squatting for too long, and asked: "Old housekeeper, you said they have been out for more than thirty days, why haven't they come back yet? It's really worrying."
Cooper patted the scraps of wood on his hands and said to Scott with a smile: "Are you worried about your son? Don't worry, despite his young age, he is very powerful. Ron will be fine if he follows him." After that, he left the wooden house and walked towards the small shed next to Scott's house.
At the edge of the dense forest to the north of the valley hut, the remaining veins on the west side of Mount Poje and the remaining veins on the east side of Mount Rammel meet here, forming a dense forest valley mouth about one mile wide. To the south of the valley mouth is dense forest, and to the north is vast wilderness.
At this time, the dense forest valley entrance ushered in the busiest day in hundreds of years.
A large group of refugees and several armed guards stopped here.
"Sir, is this our station?" Kazak looked incredulous.
“Further in there is the forest, but there is no land in the wasteland outside!” Lawrence kicked the wasteland at his feet. It was so barren that even weeds could not grow tall.
The refugees behind also came forward one after another and stared blankly at the large dense forest in front of them, not knowing what to say for a while.
At said to a group of people beside him: "Everyone rest where you are."
"Bath, take the people to unload all the supplies on the carriage, pull the carriage to the dense forest and hide it, remember to cover it with branches and hay. We will enter the dense forest in a moment. "
"Ron, ride my horse back to the valley cabin, tell the old butler that we are back, and ask him to get ready."
At issued orders one after another to the people around him.
After resting for a while, Art stood on a protruding mound and said loudly to the refugees sitting on the ground: "Go through this dense forest and walk south for half a day, where a new life is waiting for you." After speaking, he jumped off the mound and came to a few of his men.
The stronger man carried food and farm tools on his back and called the other refugees to go to the middle. "
"Basi and Kazak were at the back of the group." After arranging everyone's tasks, Art began to direct the refugees into the dense forest.
….
The afternoon sun penetrated the dense jungle, torn into rays of light by the branches and leaves of spruce and pine, and projected onto the unmelted snowdrifts in the forest.
Matt felt quite comfortable walking among them. There was a long team behind him. They were all full of expectations but also uneasy about where they were going to arrive.
The group of people walked through the dense forest for half an afternoon. When they rounded a low hill, a flat open land appeared in front of everyone - there were four thatched wooden houses in the open area arranged from north to south. On the northernmost side was a yard densely surrounded by a pointed birch fence, which contained two large and small wooden houses, a stable, a sheep pen and a pig shed, like a miniature wooden castle. A wooden house about fifteen feet long and wide was built under the south wall of the yard with a fence as the north wall. There was a long low-roofed wooden house about sixty feet south of the wooden house. On the northeast side of the low-roofed wooden house was a simple kitchen supported by several rods, with a stone stove inside. The entire flat land is surrounded by a half-person-high fence simply made of wood waste. The gentle slope in front of the outer fence is filled with cabbages, radishes, peas and other winter vegetables. There is a trickling stream at the bottom of the gentle slope, and there is a large wheat field a little further south along the stream...
The golden light shines brightly under the setting sun, and everything looks so quiet and peaceful~
Old Cooper and the Scott family are welcoming the return of the northbound team at the wooden gate of the outer fence.
Thirty people stood on the edge of the hill and stared blankly at everything in front of them.
Odo thought that Art's so-called cabin in the woods was just a low and dilapidated hunter's cabin. He sat on the back of the green mule, staring with his mouth open and speechless for a long time. After a while, he turned to Art and asked: "My lord, this is your territory? Are you still a knight lord?"
Art was also shocked. When he left, the Scott family's wooden house had just been half-built, but now it has become a pocket-sized wooden castle village. "Odo, this is my first time seeing it too."
"Huh???"
h "Let's go home first." Art said and was the first to walk over.
The small settlement of wooden houses in the valley is brightly lit with fireworks, and a large bonfire has been raised in the open space in front of the small wooden house. The refugees sit around the fire and smell the smell of the kitchen. There was a burst of meat and wheat aroma, and the children were staring at the bubbling stew in the copper pot around the kitchen, while the adults were talking about the joy and happiness in their hearts.
They are all wanderers who have lost their homes, and today they have found the feeling of home again.
In the single-yard wooden house, Art was spreading his chain mail on his legs and wiping it carefully. Cooper sat on a low stool and reported on the past period: "...Ten days ago, Scott and I went to survey the land. We have identified several plots of land suitable for farming. Master, this is what happened at home. In addition, all the refugees have been accommodated in the newly built wooden houses, which have hay beds and fireplaces, so they don’t have to worry about being cold. I gave my room to Odo and the other two, so that they don’t have to live with the refugees.”
"For food, I asked Scott to take out all the remaining bacon we had and stew a large pot of broth with onions and cabbage. Tonight, every refugee can drink a large bowl of broth and a small piece of bread, which is enough for the porridge."
Matt kept nodding his head: "Cooper, you have thought carefully. In this way, you will call the three Ottos, Ron, Lawrence and the refugee guards to this room in a while, and then ask Emma to bring us some food separately. I want to treat them well. You and Scott will work hard and take care of the refugees outside."
"Okay, sir, I will do it right now. Go arrange it."
"By the way, there is one more thing you have to arrange. Forget it's too late today, tomorrow morning you take the new refugees to take a bath in the stream, and then boil water to iron their clothes and bedding. I don't want them to bring diseases here." Note①
"Sir, the weather is so cold, I'm afraid no one will want to bathe in the stream~"
"I don't care. If you think the stream is too cold, just boil water and take a bath yourself. Anyway, everyone has to wash up, including Otto and you..."
Matt doesn't want this group of refugees to bring large-scale diseases here.
…..
The night is already very deep, but the happy atmosphere continues. Around the huge bonfire, the refugees who had eaten and drank sat together singing and dancing.
In the wooden house with a fence, Art was clinking glasses with everyone at the wooden table and drinking. Emma's large jar of wild fruit mixed with strong ale was almost bottoming out, and everyone was already tipsy.
Odo had a good sleep in Cooper's cabin in the afternoon and was now in good spirits. He raised the wine glass in his hand and burped and said to Lawrence who was sitting next to him: "Brother Lawrence, why don't you join my lord's patrol team? You were very brave that day, and my lord will definitely be willing to recruit you."
Everyone stopped holding their wine glasses and looked at Lawrence.
Lawrence glanced at the people sitting around him, and fixed his gaze on Art: "Sir, I'm afraid I have to disappoint everyone. I am just like a few of them. The reason why I took up arms is just to prevent my wife from getting hurt. Our sons and daughters were raided by bandits. We prefer farm tools and plows to swords and spears."
"But if you need me one day, I will put down the iron plow and give you my life." Lawrence said very sincerely.
Matt raised a glass to Lawrence and several refugees who participated in the escort and said: "Thank you for coming forward. You are all upright men and will become the best farmers in the future."
Everyone raised their glasses and drank the fruit wine in one gulp.
The moon has already reached the treetops, and the dinner party in the nameless valley is coming to an end. Art leads Odo and others out of the wooden house fence and comes to the open space in front of the short house.
The refugees stood up and bowed deeply to Art. Since the war in their hometown, they have been wandering in a foreign land for too long, gasping for their last breath like wild dogs. They expressed their deepest love and gratitude to the patrol officer who brought them to this paradise.
Matt walked to the middle of the crowd, stood by the bonfire, glanced at everyone, and then said loudly: "Everyone, from today on, you are going home! You are no longer homeless refugees, you can live in this wooden castle for generations, you will be free people in this valley."
Matt paused for a moment, pointing. Nanbian added: "Going out of the valley to the south from here, there is a large area of fertile land waiting for you to cultivate, sow, and harvest. As long as you farm hard and be honest, I will ensure that you live a stable life and have food and clothing without worries."
There was a burst of cheers from the crowd. Their greatest desire was for a stable life and fertile land.
"Everyone will continue to repair for a day tomorrow, and my butler Cooper will arrange the rest for everyone."
There was a sound of promise in the crowd.