Fine grain, are you sure?

"John Falstaff, are you saying that as long as we help the mayor build the city walls, we can drink this refreshing white porridge and eat this pickled vegetable with oil and salt?" a passerby who knew John asked.

John Falstaff nodded without hesitation and said, "Of course, and the mayor also said that as long as you work, you can have as much porridge as you want!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding people's eyes lit up with excitement. What is fine grain? These townspeople had hardly seen, let alone eaten, fine grain before. Even the wealthy families in town, during times of peace and good harvest, mostly ate coarse grain mixed with husks.

Soon, someone skeptically asked, "John, you're just making this up. Even if the mayor is kind, would he really give us fine grain?"

"A pound of fine grain around here can be exchanged for four or five pounds of coarse grain, and even then, it's hard to find!"

"If you don't believe it, don't spoil it for others who might want to eat fine grain and pickles," John Falstaff said, not bothering to argue further, and he went on to spread the word elsewhere.

To complete the task Magnus Valorion had given him, John Falstaff spent the entire afternoon running around every possible corner of the town. By the end of the day, John was parched and his throat felt like it was on fire.

As the sun was setting, he looked at the bowl of thick white porridge in his hand, feeling that he had completed his task, and eagerly headed back to his dilapidated home. Just as he expected, his wife, who usually looked down on his idle lifestyle, greeted him with a bright smile when she saw the bowl of white rice porridge and pickles he was carrying.

That evening, John's wife added some coarse grain to the rice porridge and pickles and cooked it together. With the oil and salt from the pickles, she found the stew delicious, like heavenly nectar.

Meanwhile, in a run-down house in Green River Town, fifteen-year-old Michael Harris lived with his widowed sister-in-law, Emily Johnson, and his five-year-old nephew.

At night, Emily Johnson looked at the dwindling food supply at home and couldn't help but cry. Since her husband was killed by the Altai Tribe half a year ago, Emily had to care for her five-year-old son and her young brother-in-law.

Now, after half a year, the family's food reserves were almost gone. With the seasons changing, there was no food or vegetables, and Emily had no idea how to feed the three of them.

That afternoon, she heard that idle John Falstaff said the mayor was recruiting people to repair the city walls and offering fine grain porridge and salted pickles for lunch. Naturally, Emily didn't believe it.

In these chaotic times, even coarse grain was incredibly precious, let alone the more valuable fine grain. But now, with no other option, Emily decided to gamble, even if John was helping the mayor deceive people. She just hoped the mayor wouldn't skimp on the laborers' food.

So, she decided to send her brother-in-law, Michael Harris, to the mayor to work on the city walls the next day. After boiling a pot of water and making a thin rice soup, she informed Michael of her decision.

Michael Harris had heard from his brother, David Harris, about labor conscription. David had said, "Conscription labor is brutal. You don't get enough to eat and are frequently beaten and scolded."

Today, Michael's neighbor, James Miller, who had gone to help repair the southern city wall in the morning, returned with whip marks, proving David's words true. If possible, Michael didn't want to do conscription labor.

In fact, the reason the town's walls were so easily breached was that the conscripted laborers weren't fed well, leaving them too weak to complete the project properly. This ultimately led to the tragedy when the Altai Tribe invaded.

After drinking a bowl of watery rice soup, Michael knew that if he didn't go to work, he wouldn't be able to save his share of food, and the three of them would soon starve.

Michael put down the empty bowl and said firmly, "Alright, sister-in-law, I'll go work for the mayor tomorrow."

Seeing her young brother-in-law so sensible, Emily Johnson shed a tear of sorrow.

The next morning, Michael Harris arrived at the southern gate with an empty stomach and a weary expression. There he saw many familiar faces, including his neighbor, James Miller, who had been whipped the day before.

When James Miller saw Michael, he greeted him enthusiastically. Michael, with an empty stomach, only nodded slightly in response. However, he couldn't understand why James Miller, who had been whipped the day before, was so happy to be here again.

When Magnus Valorion arrived and saw that there were twice as many people as the previous day, already over four hundred, John Falstaff, accompanied by his wife, walked up to Magnus as if seeking recognition. He knelt down and said, "My lord, I did not fail you. Yesterday, I ran all over the town spreading the word that the mayor was feeding fine grain to the laborers, and that's why so many people are here to help rebuild the city walls today."

"Your humble servant dares to ask if my wife can also help and if you would accept her."

Magnus Valorion planned not only to restore the city walls to their original state but also to reinforce and heighten them. Yesterday's workforce of over two hundred seemed large, but most were disabled and previously starved, making their work slow and ineffective. Today, with so many more people willing to help, he would even enlist a dog if it could assist in the labor.

Magnus nodded slightly and said to the kneeling John Falstaff and his wife, "No matter if they are men or women, anyone who helps rebuild the city walls will be rewarded. Now join the others in line."

John and his wife thanked Magnus profusely before excitedly joining the crowd.

Here, John's wife, Emily Johnson, ran into Sarah Williams, a widow carrying her three or four-year-old child.

When Sarah saw John and Emily, she greeted them and inquired, "John, is what you said yesterday really true? I don't expect fine grain, but just enough food to fill my stomach. We can't even keep the pot boiling at home!"