"My lord is truly a righteous man. He is worthy of my loyalty."
Zhan Zhao was deeply moved.
Old Zhan also looked on with hope.
Liu Hao pointed toward the vast stretch of barren farmland beside the estate and spoke loudly.
"My family has a modest foundation. This land once belonged to our household fields, but because of the chaos of war, no one has cultivated it for years."
"Since I have taken all of you in, you are now part of my household."
"As long as I have food to eat, none of you will ever go hungry."
Led by Old Zhan, the refugees burst into cheers and immediately knelt down in gratitude.
Liu Hao smiled and continued.
"Next, let me explain the responsibility farming system."
"The idea is simple. These abandoned fields will be divided and assigned to each of you to cultivate."
"When the harvest comes, half of the grain will be returned to the estate."
"The other half will belong to you as your food supply."
"We… we get land to farm?"
The refugees stared in disbelief.
"What? The lord is giving us his land and grain?!"
Their eyes lit up.
But Old Zhan quickly waved his hands in panic.
"This cannot be! Absolutely not!"
"To be taken in by my lord is already the greatest kindness. We should work ourselves to death to repay him. How could we dare covet the lord's land?"
The refugees thought about it and quickly became nervous as well, kneeling again.
Deep down, they longed for land to cultivate.
But they also knew it was unrealistic.
In this feudal farming society, such systems were deeply rooted.
For people at the bottom, having food to eat and land to farm was already the greatest blessing imaginable.
"Listen to me first," Liu Hao said calmly.
"This is only a temporary arrangement. The land will be rented to you under a responsibility contract."
"For example, if the land is assigned to Old Zhan for three years, the harvest will be split fifty-fifty."
"That would ensure you never suffer hunger."
"But the land itself will always remain mine."
In truth, this meant Liu Hao had just gained more than a hundred free laborers to produce grain for him.
Yet Old Zhan and the others were extremely tempted.
They gathered among themselves to discuss it.
To refugees who had suffered through war and disaster, having land to farm and food to eat was practically heaven.
After a long discussion, Old Zhan approached Liu Hao and whispered respectfully.
"My lord… taking half the harvest is too generous."
"I have calculated it. With so much land, even two-tenths would be enough for us to survive."
"Yes, my lord! We don't need half! Just two-tenths is enough!"
The refugees all looked at Liu Hao with hopeful eyes.
Excellent.
These people were not greedy.
Liu Hao nodded with satisfaction.
He waved his hand casually.
"Very well. As Old Zhan suggests."
He had never intended to give them half the harvest anyway.
After a rough estimate, the entire farmland could easily support the refugees even if they kept only two-tenths.
Without him, these people would likely have starved to death by the roadside.
Then Liu Hao continued, throwing out another incentive.
"In that case, it is settled."
"During spring planting and autumn harvest, the estate will provide seeds and farming tools."
"Whichever household produces the most grain in a year will receive a reward."
"One ox."
"Ten bolts of cloth."
"And silver coins."
The crowd exploded with excitement.
"What?! Did I hear that right? There are rewards for farming?!"
"My lord, give me ten acres! I used to be the best farmer in my village!"
"I can start working the fields immediately!"
"Your farming skills are nothing compared to mine!"
Voices rose everywhere as people competed eagerly.
Their enthusiasm reached its peak.
Many of them wished they could grab tools and rush straight into the fields.
Now that Liu Hao had given them his promise, they looked at the weed-covered wasteland as if it were their own homeland.
Their eyes were filled with passion.
"Steward Cao."
"Yes, my lord. What are your orders?"
Watching the refugees cry with joy, Liu Hao asked quietly,
"How much grain does our estate currently have?"
"Please rest assured, my lord," Cao Zhengchun replied.
"With our grain reserves, the estate could survive for many years."
"And supplying these refugees for a few months?"
"That is no problem at all. Even feeding them for two or three years would not be difficult."
Cao Zhengchun answered immediately.
Liu Hao chuckled.
"You'll see. These people won't need to be supported by us for long."
"In less than a year, they will be producing abundant grain for the estate."
Looking at their thin and hungry faces, he added,
"They haven't eaten for days. Let them drink some porridge first."
Liu Hao called over a servant.
"Go check whether the porridge is ready in the kitchen."
The servant quickly ran off.
Old Zhan soon approached again and bowed respectfully.
"My lord… we have not done anything for you yet, and already we are eating your grain. I feel deeply ashamed."
Liu Hao laughed.
"You are one of my people now. Of course I cannot treat you poorly."
"By the way, you used to run a tavern?"
"Yes, my lord."
Old Zhan quickly nodded.
"Then you must know how to keep accounts. Help me manage the land responsibility arrangements."
Liu Hao was desperately short of capable people, so he had no choice but to recruit the old man.
He patted Old Zhan's thin shoulder.
Old Zhan's eyes immediately turned red with emotion as he knelt again.
"I will devote myself wholeheartedly!"
"Zhan Yun, come here."
He called his daughter over.
"My lord has shown our Zhan family immeasurable kindness."
"From now on, you will work in the inner residence kitchen and cook for my lord."
Liu Hao looked at the young woman called Zhan Yun.
Although she wore rough cloth clothes, her face was delicate and beautiful.
Her bright eyes and white teeth gave her a natural charm.
Her slender waist and graceful figure were perfectly balanced.
Her skin was as fair as snow.
She was truly a natural beauty.
"Uh…"
Liu Hao was momentarily speechless.
What was going on here?
Cao Zhengchun chuckled.
"Zhan Yun, hurry and greet your lord."
Zhan Yun's face instantly turned red.
She lowered her head shyly and nervously twisted the edge of her sleeve without speaking.
Old Zhan held her hand and said earnestly,
"My lord, please do not refuse. My daughter may not understand many things, but she has great talent for cooking."
"She will serve you well."
Liu Hao secretly activated his skill to examine her attributes.
Zhan Yun
Strength: 61
Intelligence: 73
Politics: 32
Leadership: 41
Charm: 90
Special Skill: Culinary Talent
Culinary Talent — Zhan Yun has exceptional intuition and understanding of cooking.
Liu Hao's eyes lit up.
Unexpectedly, when Zhan Zhao appeared, he even came with a sister.
With a charm value of ninety, she was definitely a great beauty.
Most importantly, she possessed a rare cooking skill.
Talented people truly appeared everywhere.
Rubbing his hands slightly, Liu Hao asked,
"This matter should still depend on Miss Zhan's own wishes."
After all, everyone loved beauty.
Now that Liu Hao had status and power, he did not mind taking a beautiful maid into his household.
But forcing someone would never lead to true loyalty.
To conquer a woman, one must first win her heart.
Liu Hao spoke gently.
"Miss Zhan Yun… are you willing?"