Chapter 154: The Refugee Crisis

For the next three days, Xu Mo kept the soap workshop operating at a very high level of productivity.
This resulted in a constantly growing inventory in the warehouse, and gradually, the storage space became insufficient.
With no other choice, Xu Mo had a few more storehouses built, which finally resolved the storage issue.
As summer arrived, the weather grew increasingly hot.
On this particular afternoon, Xu Mo was lying on a recliner, leisurely enjoying the cool shade under a large tree outside the courtyard.
At that moment, Chen Miaoyi walked out of the house.
With a cattail leaf fan in one hand and a small stool in the other, she quickly made her way to Xu Mo's side.
"Husband, are you hot? Let me fan you."
With that, Chen Miaoyi set down the small stool beside the recliner and thoughtfully began fanning Xu Mo.
Xu Mo immediately felt a cool breeze brush against his face, refreshing his entire being.
"How comfortable, my wife," Xu Mo said with a smile.
Chen Miaoyi nodded with a gentle smile and continued fanning him.
While enjoying the cooling breeze, Xu Mo chatted idly with Chen Miaoyi.
During their conversation, he told her a few jokes, even sneaking in a couple of mildly off-color ones. Not only did this make Chen Miaoyi giggle merrily, but it also brought a blush of shyness to her face.
Just as the couple was enjoying their private time, Niu San suddenly came running from a distance.
"Master, this is bad! A large group of refugees has gathered at the entrance of the village. It looks like they intend to attack our village!" Niu San shouted from afar.
Extremely shocked, Xu Mo stood up immediately. "What?"
Chen Miaoyi was equally startled and stood up right away, her expression turning nervous.
Niu San said, "Master, you'd better go take a look!"
Xu Mo immediately said to Chen Miaoyi, "Wife, stay safely inside the house. Call Huihui to stay with you and don't wander around!"
"Also, go tell the eldest uncle and the others to have the men stop what they're doing and come to the village entrance immediately!"
"Understood, husband," Chen Miaoyi replied sensibly.
Following that, Xu Mo shouted toward Qin Mutou's house in the distance, "Mutou! Mutou?"
Qin Mutou quickly ran out of the house and asked, "Master, what is it?"
Xu Mo shouted loudly to Qin Mutou, "Refugees are going to attack our village! Go get the jar-bombs and meet me at the village entrance... Hurry!"
With that, Xu Mo took Niu San and rushed toward the village entrance.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Qin Mutou immediately ran toward the cellar behind the house.
Chen Miaoyi also hurried off toward the soap workshop.
Along the way to the village entrance, Xu Mo could clearly feel the tension in the atmosphere throughout the village.
Old people could be seen everywhere leading children back into their homes, while others clutched firewood choppers, hoes, and rakes, hurrying toward the village entrance in groups of twos and threes.
Xu Mo asked Niu San, "Where are your eldest and second brothers?"
Niu San replied, "Master, they and the delivery team brothers are already at the village entrance."
"When did those refugees arrive?" Xu Mo asked again.
Niu San said, "About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea."
"So long? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Xu Mo frowned.
Niu San said, "Eldest brother said we have the bamboo spear formation. If we could scare the refugees away, there would be no need to disturb you, Master."
Xu Mo was somewhat speechless and shook his head, saying, "This Niu Da..."
A moment later, Xu Mo and Niu San arrived at the village entrance.
By this time, a large crowd had already gathered at the entrance, and even from afar, Xu Mo could sense that the atmosphere was taut with tension.
Drawing closer, Xu Mo saw that the dozens of members from the delivery team had formed a long, single-file snake formation. Much like the circular formation, it was divided into front and rear ranks.
Under Niu Da's leadership, everyone pointed their sharp spearheads outward toward the refugees outside the village, moving in unison with an imposing momentum.
It was worth noting that these bamboo spears had been thoroughly soaked in tung oil, making them much tougher and sharper than ordinary raw bamboo spears.
Standing behind and on both flanks of the delivery team were numerous villagers—mostly men, alongside a few robust farmwomen—who gripped shoulder poles and various farm implements while glaring fiercely ahead.
Two watchtowers stood at the village entrance, and the hunters had already climbed up them, their bows and arrows drawn and aimed at the opposing side.
"Young Master Xu, you're here!"
Catching sight of Xu Mo, the village chief turned around and hurried over with an anxious expression.
Xu Mo quickly asked, "Village Chief, what's the situation now?"
The village chief said urgently, "Young Master Xu, those people demanded grain from our village. We already agreed to give it, but they complained it was too little and threatened that if we didn't satisfy their demands, they would simply loot the place!"
As they spoke, Xu Mo and the village chief kept moving, taking their places right behind the bamboo spear formation.
Looking ahead, Xu Mo was instantly startled: "Holy shit, why are there so many people?"
More than a dozen yards ahead, refugees filled the area—men, women, old, and young, even small children—forming a dense, overwhelming crowd.
Xu Mo made a quick visual estimation and figured there were no fewer than two hundred people, and the scariest part was that the number of refugees was still growing.
Seeing Xu Mo arrive, Niu Da immediately walked over and said, "Master, don't worry! We will defend the village to the death!"
With that, Niu Da let out a booming shout: "Defend the village to the death!"
The next moment, the team members and villagers shouted in unison: "Defend the village to the death! Defend the village to the death..."
Although the voices weren't entirely synchronized, the momentum was remarkably strong.
Highly satisfied with everyone's morale, Xu Mo then asked Niu Da, "Captain Niu, who is their leader?"
Niu Da immediately pointed to a tall, burly man in the crowd ahead.
"That fellow..." Niu Da said in a deep voice, "It's him. He complained that the grain we offered was too little and even threatened to take it by force!"
At that moment, Xu Mo noticed several piles of grain bags stacked on the ground nearby, numbering over twenty in total.
Right then, a voice rang out from among the refugees.
"Hey, your time to think it over is up!"
"I'll ask one last time: are you going to give it or not?"
"If you don't, we'll take matters into our own hands!"
The speaker was none other than that tall, burly man.
As soon as he finished speaking, the tall man incited the surrounding refugees to howl and shout, their momentum matching Xu Mo's side entirely.
At this moment, Qin Mutou came running over carrying a basket of jar-bombs: "Master, the jar-bombs are here!"
Seeing this ultimate weapon arrive, Xu Mo instantly felt his confidence soar.
The next moment, Xu Mo traded places with Niu Da.
Raising his voice, Xu Mo shouted across to the opposite side: "Listen up! This is all the grain you're getting! If you want it, take it and leave immediately; otherwise, don't blame us for being unceremonious!"
Xu Mo had no intention of spoiling these people. He had manufactured the jar-bombs specifically for a day like this, and now he finally had the chance to put them to use.
The tall man frowned inwardly and thought: *Damn it, we outnumber you by so much, yet you still dare to talk big. Do you not know how the word 'death' is written?*
Still, hoping to subdue the enemy without a fight, the tall man temporarily suppressed his anger and shouted aloud, "With so many of us, how could this tiny bit of grain possibly be enough?"
"Everyone says Gushan Village is rolling in wealth, but I never expected you to be so stingy!"
As soon as his voice fell, someone behind the tall man yelled out, "Eldest brother, stop wasting your breath on them! Let's charge in together and loot the bastards!"
"Right! Loot the bastards!"
"Let's just take it by force, brother! Stop talking!"
A large portion of the refugees immediately echoed and chimed in, growing restless and eager for action.
Realizing the situation was turning critical, Xu Mo immediately said to Qin Mutou, "Mutou, quickly bring over a torch! I'm going to let them taste the power of the jar-bombs!"