In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 69 County Magistrate Chen Dao?

In the afternoon, as the sun began to set, villagers excitedly left their homes and headed straight for Chen Dao's house.

Chen Lian also helped He Xuehua out of her house and walked to Chen Dao's house as quickly as possible.

"smell good."

Chen Lian, who was near Chen Dao's house, twitched her nose. The unique aroma of steamed buns that permeated the air filled her lungs, instantly making her feel hungry.

"The village hasn't been lively for a long time."

He Xuehua looked ahead with her cloudy eyes and saw one villager after another queuing up to enter Chen Dao's house to receive steamed buns, their faces full of joy.

The scene of the entire village turning out in such a lively atmosphere left He Xuehua with a somewhat wistful expression.

In good years, Chenjia Village was considered a relatively wealthy village, and lively scenes like this would occasionally appear. However, since the cold disaster and the government's increase in taxes, the village has not been this lively for a very long time.

"Uncle, I've come to collect my steamed buns."

Chen Gou, who was the first to line up and enter Chen Dao's courtyard, said to Chen Da, who was distributing steamed buns to everyone, with a fawning smile on his face.

In the end, Chen Dao entrusted the task of distributing the steamed buns to Chen Da. The villagers wouldn't dare to haggle if Chen Da did it; if Li Ping or He Cuilian were to do it, they might not be able to keep the villagers in check.

"It's Gou Ge'er."

Chen Da glanced at Chen Gou and his impression of him wasn't too bad. Although Chen Gou was a bit scheming, he wasn't a bad person. Therefore, Chen Da didn't refuse Chen Gou and handed him the two steamed buns directly.

"Thank you, uncle. Thank you, uncle."

Chen Gou thanked him repeatedly, holding the two steamed buns close to his chest, the heat emanating from them seeming to bring him a touch of warmth.

After Chen Gou, his family members and other villagers stepped forward to receive the steamed buns. The moment they received the buns, every villager's face beamed with a happy smile.

"I never thought I'd have a day when I could eat steamed buns."

"These steamed buns look delicious."

"Brother Dao is so generous, he actually treated the whole village to such a good meal."

"Yes! In these times, only Brother Dao is willing to give us some food."

"..."

Most of the villagers who received the steamed buns chose to eat them directly on the open ground outside Chen Dao's house, while a few took them home and planned to eat them later.

It's worth mentioning that there were quite a few children in the queue. Chen Dao had said that each person in Chenjia Village would receive two steamed buns, so all the villagers brought their children along, just to get two more steamed buns.

Chen Lian gazed at the long line ahead, her stomach empty, but she patiently waited for the line to move forward.

Finally, a quarter of an hour later, it was Chen Lian's turn to receive the steamed buns.

"Uncle, I've come to get my steamed buns."

Chen Lian looked at Chen Da in front of her and said with a smile.

"It's Xiaolian."

Chen Da glanced at Chen Lian. He naturally recognized Chen Lian. Chenjia Village was such a small place, and Chen Da knew most of the adults except for the children.

Chen Da knew about Chen Lian's family situation, but he didn't intend to give Chen Lian more steamed buns. He simply handed her four steamed buns and said, "Xiao Lian, these are steamed buns for you and your grandma."

"Thank you, uncle."

Chen Lian carefully accepted the four steamed buns and sincerely expressed her gratitude to Chen Da. These four steamed buns might only be a full meal for the villagers who were still able to make ends meet, but for her and her grandmother, they were the hope that would keep them alive and prevent them from starving to death.

Chen Lian held the four steamed buns close to her chest as if they were precious treasures, trying to keep them from getting cold, and then helped her grandmother to a tree to take shelter from the wind.

At that moment, many villagers were enjoying the delicious steamed buns under the tree. When they saw Chen Lian coming over, they all greeted her with smiles.

"Xiao Lian is here?"

A middle-aged woman said warmly, "Grandma He, come sit here with me."

After saying that, the woman stepped forward and helped He Xuehua sit down next to her.

He Xuehua sized up the woman, thought for a moment, and said, "You're Chen Sheng's wife, aren't you?"

"That's my wife."

Sitting not far away, Chen Sheng smiled and said that he was Chen Gou's father, while Liu Jie, the woman who was helping He Xuehua, was Chen Gou's mother.

"Sister Lian, quickly give the steamed buns to Grandma He to try."

Sitting next to Chen Sheng, Chen Gou said, "These steamed buns are delicious, soft and fluffy, perfect for elderly people like Grandma He."

Hearing this, Chen Lian nodded, stuffed a steamed bun into He Xuehua's hand, and said with a smile, "Grandma, eat it while it's still hot."

As she spoke, Chen Lian took out a steamed bun and started eating it herself. She had only eaten breakfast that day, and her stomach was already burning with hunger.

He Xuehua ate the plump steamed bun in her hand little by little. She was old and her teeth were not good, but fortunately, steamed buns were relatively soft, so it didn't take He Xuehua much effort to eat them.

As she savored the sweet taste in her mouth, she remarked, "I always thought Ping-ge was a capable man, but it's a pity he left us too soon. I never imagined his son would be so capable, able to treat the whole village to steamed buns."

He Xuehua's words immediately drew agreement from the people nearby.

"Yes! Daoge'er has really made something of himself. Grandma He, you don't go out much, so you didn't see the sight of Daoge'er coming back from the city every time. Every time, he brings back loads of grain, and it makes our eyes red with envy."

"Brother Dao is really kind-hearted. He actually treated us to such a precious food as steamed buns. I heard that a steamed bun costs five coins in the city."

"So expensive?"

"That's for sure. Grain prices are rising every day, and food is getting more and more expensive."

"Sigh, this cold weather is terrible, I don't know when it will end. My family is almost starving."

“Damn government officials! We’ve paid plenty of land taxes, but now that we’ve suffered a disaster, they don’t care about our lives at all.”

"..."

As they talked, the conversation naturally turned to the devastating cold and the inaction of the government, and their spirits gradually sank.

"Damn it."

Chen Gou took a big bite of his steamed bun and said fiercely, "Those officials in the city don't care about our lives at all. If you ask me, it would be better to let Dao Ge'er be the county magistrate. At least he can give us steamed buns to eat."

"Yes, yes! If the county magistrate were Daoge'er, he certainly wouldn't abandon us to our fate."

"Brother Dao is a very kind-hearted man. If he were the county magistrate, everyone in Taiping County would definitely be able to eat their fill."

"Absolutely! If Brother Dao becomes an official, he'll definitely be the most conscientious official in the whole world!"

"..."