Chapter 64: Tree Bark and Grass Roots, Zhao Gang's Transformation

At this moment, Yang Keli frowned and said, "Can tree bark and grass roots really be eaten? Won't they be poisonous?"

"People in ancient times ate Guanyin clay, let alone tree bark and grass roots. As long as they are properly processed, they are edible," Chen Fan replied.

Chen Fan had browsed the forum for a while and found that quite a few people had tried the methods described in the posts. Although the taste was mediocre, it could indeed temporarily relieve hunger.

Right at that moment, Chen Fan spotted a post titled: "What can we do after the bitter winter passes?"

The title looked completely unremarkable and clearly destined to flop!

Still, Chen Fan clicked on it to check the content, which consisted of a single image.

In the picture, a bearded man had crafted a makeshift fish fork with his bare hands and was standing in the freezing lake water trying to spear fish.

Looking at the surrounding environment, the snow was sparse and lingering only in patches.

Chen Fan studied the image, pondering to himself: It seems the bearded man is in the south, while I should be closer to the north.

Xu Xinjie, standing nearby, also saw the picture and said, "Brother Fan, there are rivers around our area too. Although they are still frozen, we could dig a hole and go ice fishing."

"Alright. There are fishing rods and spider silk in the warehouse. You and Li Chengdong go and see if you can catch anything."

Chen Fan wasn't sure if the fish in the bitter winter would swim around like in Minecraft, but for now, the fish in this world would be hiding at the bottom of the water.

"Got it, Brother Fan."

With that, Xu Xinjie packed up his gear and headed toward the river with Li Chengdong.

Just as Chen Fan was about to assign tasks to Ram and the others for the day, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.

Frowning slightly with a hint of confusion, he walked out of the house.

To his surprise, a group of survivors were stepping out of their homes one after another, their faces lighting up with joy as they looked at the sunlight outside.

These were all survivors who had gathered near Chen Fan’s house. Chen Fan recognized them one by one, and a wave of relief washed over him.

Fortunately, they had all survived the bitter winter. Though their faces looked a bit haggard, not a single person had perished.

Bathed in the long-lost sunlight, everyone reacted differently. Some couldn't hold back and burst into tears, while others cheered in celebration of being alive.

"Wuwuwu, I honestly thought I’d never get to see this brilliant sunlight again in this lifetime."

"Aha! I'm actually still alive. Days with sunshine are simply wonderful. Come here, give me a kiss!"

"Get lost, I'm not gay."

"What are you guys howling about here? Why aren't you hurrying up to find food? Do you want to starve to death?"

A voice suddenly rang out, breaking the lively yet tender atmosphere.

Everyone turned back to see the bespectacled teenager. His friend chuckled and teased, "Right, right, Bai Qiu is right."

Bai Qiu shot that person a glance and turned back. In an instant, his eyes lit up.

His frail body walked with difficulty through the snow, but his gaze shone with excitement and reverence.

"Big Boss!" Bai Qiu waved his arms, a radiant smile on his face. "Thank you for taking care of us during the bitter winter. If it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't have made it through this long winter."

Prompted by Bai Qiu's shout, dozens of people around all whipped their heads around simultaneously.

Upon seeing Chen Fan, gratitude and respect welled up in their eyes.

Only Zhao Gang wore a slightly odd expression, while beside him, Zhao Xiaoqian looked ecstatic, grabbing his arm and pulling him straight toward Chen Fan without a word.

Chen Fan looked at the crowd, pondering how to legitimately recruit them as his subordinates next.

At that moment, Zhao Xiaoqian had already dragged Zhao Gang right in front of Chen Fan.

As her gaze inadvertently swept past Xu Xinjie standing next to Chen Fan, a faint blush crept onto her cheeks, adding a touch of bashfulness to her features.

Regaining her composure, Zhao Xiaoqian raised her chin slightly and said, "Brother Chen Fan, what should we do next? Everyone is listening to you!"

Her eyes were filled with trust and anticipation, while Zhao Gang stood nearby, hesitating with words on the tip of his tongue, seemingly harboring different thoughts.

"Right, right! If Big Boss Chen Fan hadn't reminded us to replant the saplings earlier, we might not even be here."

"Ain't that the truth? I even secretly came up and luckily planted a few trees near my house, which is why I didn't freeze to death."

"My luck was good back then too. After chopping down a few trees, two apples dropped, and that tided me over for another day."

"Holy crap, no way Du Xiao, even drops happened to you?"

...

Watching the chattering crowd, the corners of Chen Fan's mouth curved upward slightly as he pressed his hands down. "Alright, everyone, listen to me first."

"Just go about your business. The only requirement is that after you chop down a tree, remember to replant the sapling."

At this point, Li Mengyao spoke up timidly, "Um, Big Boss, can you sell me some bread first? My hunger bar is down to 3 points. I'll pay you back as soon as I go chop some logs later."

She had no choice; she was truly too weak from hunger to walk, let alone engage in strenuous activity.

At this time, Yang Keli softly suggested, "Chen Fan, why don't you set up a loan service? After all, everyone has had a hard time."

Chen Fan looked at her in astonishment. You're a hardcore player to actually think of a loan service, though this might actually work.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Times are tough for everyone. My bread is 10 logs or 1 gold coin each, which is cheaper than the public shop."

"I can sell it to you first, and you can pay me back once you've chopped the logs."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd cheered and fell over themselves with gratitude toward Chen Fan.

Meanwhile, Zhao Gang narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of an imperceptible sneer curling the corner of his mouth, filled with resentment toward Chen Fan in his heart.

Before the bitter winter, he used to charge 32 logs or 15 gold coins each, and now he's selling them this cheap just because the public shop lowered its prices and he's following suit.

The reason Zhao Gang hated Chen Fan so much was because Chen Fan had only invited Li Chengdong.

Clearly, he was also one of the people who helped rescue Chen Fan's brother, so why wouldn't he invite him and his sister?

At that moment, Zhao Gang secretly clenched his fists, staring intently at Chen Fan with burning eyes, plotting in his mind how to trip Chen Fan up and make him taste what it felt like to be targeted.

Chen Fan remained completely oblivious to this and continued selling bread. Those with logs paid logs first, and for those without, he added them as friends and simply sent a debt record message.

Having resolved the food issue, Chen Fan sent Thor to the skeleton spawner, Rem to manage the farm, and ordered Ram to rebuild the sundry store.

Afterward, Chen Fan headed to the warehouse and set off with food toward Wang Fugui's village. It was time to fulfill the promise he made earlier.

By the way, he wanted to ask about the location of the "Nine-Layered Demon Tower," as he had asked Ram and the others before, but they all said they couldn't remember.

Before long, Chen Fan arrived at Wang Fugui's village, where the houses covered in snow looked like little white mounds.

Quite a few villagers were already using stone shovels to clear the snow off the roads. At that moment, a villager spotted the two of them and rushed over joyfully.

"Lord Chen, Lord Yang, you're here. You're looking for the village chief, right? Come, please follow me."

Chen Fan nodded and followed the villager toward Wang Fugui's house.

Upon entering the village, villagers greeted Chen Fan one by one.

Chen Fan smiled and nodded in return, noticing that although the snow here was deep, the paths cleared by the villagers were already taking shape.

They followed the villager to the village chief's residence, where Wang Fugui was already waiting at the door.

Entering the house, Wang Fugui warmly greeted them while pouring plain boiled water for the two of them. "Lord Chen, traveling through this snowy weather must have been difficult, right?"