Han Li finally relaxed slightly after realizing I was not scolding her harshly.

But unfortunately for her—

I had not finished speaking yet.

I turned toward her slowly, tilting my head slightly as I rested one arm against the table.

"And before I forget," I said calmly, "since the meat is affecting you so badly already, then tomorrow you can join the farmers."

The entire hall became silent for one second.

Han Li blinked.

"...What?"

A few villagers nearby immediately lowered their heads, clearly trying not to react too quickly.

I continued evenly as if I was discussing something completely reasonable.

"You can help clear weeds, loosen soil, carry water, and separate stones from the farmland," I said. "That way healthy crops can appear faster for you."

Han Li stared at me in complete disbelief.

"Miss Yanyu," she said weakly, "I only made one comment."

"And now one comment earned you one full day of labor," I replied smoothly.

Soft laughter immediately spread through the hall.

Han Mei instantly turned away, covering her mouth with both hands while her shoulders shook slightly from trying not to laugh too openly at her sister’s expression.

Even Liu Muyan lowered her head, clearly hiding amusement.

Han Li looked absolutely wronged now.

"I was not complaining," she muttered quietly.

I raised a brow.

"You looked very concerned about the village diet," I said calmly. "As the village leader, I naturally appreciate citizens who actively care about our food situation."

Several villagers coughed loudly to hide their laughter.

Han Li looked even more helpless.

Beside her, Uncle Han finally sighed while rubbing his forehead.

"Just go tomorrow," he said tiredly. "Consider it exercise."

Han Li turned toward him immediately.

"Father!"

Aunt Han lightly smacked the back of her head this time.

"Stop shouting," she scolded quietly. "At least Miss Yanyu is willing to let you help with something important."

Han Li looked completely betrayed by her entire family.

Meanwhile, Hunter Gu burst into laughter openly while shaking his head.

"Young people really have energy," he said amusedly.

I leaned back slightly in my chair, looking completely calm despite the growing laughter around the hall.

Honestly—

Watching Han Li’s expression had already improved my mood.

Near the entrance, Yan Mo finally lifted his gaze from where he sat beside the wooden pillar.

His eyes rested briefly on Han Li’s devastated face before shifting toward me.

Then calmly—

"She brought it upon herself."

Han Li looked even more horrified.

"You too?!"

Yan Mo remained expressionless.

"You complained in front of the person currently planning the village farming system," he said evenly. "That was unwise."

The hall instantly grew louder with laughter again.

Even Zhao Qian nearly choked on his tea.

Han Li pointed accusingly toward Yan Mo.

"You are all bullying me now."

"No," I corrected calmly. "This is called assigning manpower efficiently."

Han Mei finally lost control completely and burst into loud laughter while Liu Ruyan almost dropped the vegetables she was sorting beside her.

Han Li looked ready to cry from injustice.

The laughter inside the hall slowly settled after a while, though the atmosphere remained far lighter than before as villagers continued eating, talking quietly, and helping pass bowls of stew around the room.

For the first time since arriving at the safe zone, the chief’s hall no longer felt like a shelter filled only with exhausted survivors.

It actually felt alive.

I had just lowered my bowl when footsteps approached from near the entrance.

Carpenter Luo entered the hall together with two younger men who usually worked alongside him repairing damaged buildings around the village.

Their clothes were dusty, and pieces of wood shavings still clung to their sleeves, making it obvious they had only just finished working.

The moment he spotted me, Carpenter Luo walked over immediately before stopping near the table.

"Miss Yanyu," he called respectfully.

I lifted my gaze toward him.

"How many?" I asked directly.

Carpenter Luo immediately understood what I meant.

A faint trace of satisfaction appeared on his tired face.

"We managed to repair 47 houses today," he reported honestly. "The roofs have been reinforced, the walls stabilized, and the damaged floors replaced. They are not perfect yet, but they are safe enough for people to move into."

The moment those words were spoken—

Several villagers nearby immediately looked up with visible excitement.

"47?"

"That many already?"

"We finally do not have to keep sleeping on the floor?"

Even the exhausted atmosphere inside the hall seemed to brighten again.

Sleeping arrangements had become one of the biggest problems since arriving at the safe zone.

Too many people.

Too few usable homes.

Most families had been forced to squeeze together inside the chief’s hall every night, and although nobody openly complained, everyone knew it could not continue forever.

I placed my bowl down slowly before standing up.

"Which houses?" I asked calmly.

Carpenter Luo immediately began listing the repaired locations one after another while one of the younger men beside him unrolled a rough hand-drawn village map onto the nearby table.

I stepped closer and studied it carefully.

The repaired houses were spread across different parts of the village, though most were close enough together to remain within safe distance of the center.

Good.

That would make organizing people easier.

The hall gradually quieted again as villagers watched me carefully.

I studied the map for another moment before finally beginning the assignments.

"Uncle Han’s family will move into the eastern house near the well," I said first. "There are enough rooms there for everyone."

Uncle Han immediately looked surprised before quickly standing... This chief household should only be for me and my family.. Everyone else should be given their individual housing to draw a line in this village.

"Thank you, Miss Yanyu."

I simply nodded before continuing.

"Hunter Gu and the hunting group can take the northern house beside the storage building since you leave early most mornings."

Hunter Gu grinned immediately... Hunter Gu already had a house with his wife but in order to work more efficiently they had to be given a separate house for him and his men.

"That works perfectly."

I continued assigning families one after another carefully, making sure elderly villagers, children, and injured people received the more stable houses first while larger groups were placed in homes with enough space to avoid overcrowding again.

As each family received a place to move into, the atmosphere inside the hall gradually became more emotional.

Some villagers looked relieved.

Others looked stunned.

A few older women even quietly wiped their eyes without saying anything.

Because after everything that had happened—

Having a roof over their heads again no longer felt like something ordinary.

It felt precious.

Eventually, I looked toward the remaining villagers still gathered inside the hall before speaking again.

"The chief’s hall will remain open for anyone without housing yet," I said calmly. "But starting tomorrow, more repair groups will continue restoring the remaining buildings."

Carpenter Luo nodded immediately.

"At our current pace, we should be able to repair several more houses within the next few days."

"That is good," I replied.

Then my gaze swept across the hall quietly.

Compared to before, the number of people who would still need to sleep here tonight had already reduced significantly.

The crowded feeling that had filled the hall since arriving at the safe zone was finally beginning to ease little by little.

And honestly—

That alone already felt like progress.

Nearby, Liu Muyan smiled softly while helping her younger sisters gather their things, clearly relieved they would finally have a proper place to sleep again instead of remaining packed tightly together inside the noisy hall every night.

Even Han Li looked noticeably happier despite her earlier suffering.

Though the moment our eyes met—

I calmly added,

"Do not forget you are still helping at the farmland tomorrow morning."

Her expression instantly collapsed again.

The hall immediately burst into laughter once more.

As families gradually dispersed from the hall, the once crowded space slowly became emptier and calmer.

Eventually, only a smaller group remained behind.

Most of them were either single villagers, guards, hunters, or people still assigned temporary duties near the hall itself.

The firelight flickered softly against the wooden walls as everyone began arranging sleeping spaces for the night. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

I remained standing near the front for a moment before my gaze shifted toward Yan Mo.

He was still sitting near the wooden pillar quietly like before, one arm resting loosely against his raised knee, his expression calm as though none of the evening’s noise had anything to do with him at all.

Honestly—

I was beginning to suspect this man could adapt to absolutely anything without complaint.

I walked toward him directly.

"Han Mei and Han Li’s room is empty now," I said evenly once I stopped nearby. "Take it."

Yan Mo lifted his eyes toward me silently.

I continued before he could reply.

"They moved into their family’s assigned house tonight, so there is no reason for the room to remain unused."

He remained quiet for a second before finally speaking.

"And you?"

"I already have a room," I replied calmly.

That was enough explanation.

I did not wait for his answer after that.

I had already turned around.

"Let’s go...," I said to Liu Muyan and Liu Ruyan beside me.

The two stood grabbing my hands as we happily went inside.

As we walked away from the hall, I could still feel Yan Mo’s gaze lingering briefly behind us before the distance finally swallowed the feeling completely.