Chapter 102: Family Mode

The villagers of Yanhuang Town immediately stepped out from the crowd of onlookers to stand in the square. Not knowing why Li Zhan had suddenly called everyone together, all the villagers looked at their mayor with puzzled expressions.

Seeing that the villagers had gathered, Li Zhan closed the friend function and exchanged a knowing smile with Ruoyan. Earlier, through the friend channel, Li Zhan had already explained the purpose of the assembly to Ruoyan, who, though surprised, wholeheartedly agreed.

Once assembled, the villagers instinctively lined up according to their trades. Farmers and lumberjacks, being the most numerous, formed several rows on the left and right sides. Clothing producers, the third largest group in the town, stood in the center. Other trades such as cotton farmers, fishermen, and stone miners each formed their own lines, arrayed on either side of the clothing workers.

As team leaders for their respective trades, Zhou Min, Zheng Jun, Wang Hui, Tang Feng, and Zhang Chong—the newly appointed leader of the fishermen—stood at the front of their groups, awaiting orders from the two mayors.

Li Zhan’s smile vanished as he adopted a stern expression and said:

“I’ve heard that during your off-hours—after work—you’ve been engaging in quite a bit of romantic activity. Is that true?”

His words struck like a blow to each villager’s heart. The crowd shivered, furtively casting glances at those they fancied before quickly averting their eyes, as if caught in a guilty act.

Since the upgrade to private ownership, the villagers had begun to care more about their quality of life and took greater interest in the opposite sex. (Ahem—nightlife is certainly one way to improve life quality…) After dinner until bedtime, shadows of villagers meeting secretly could often be seen near the dye sheds, cooperative workshops, and market buildings. As the number of couples grew, the limited number of idle nighttime buildings in the town could no longer accommodate them all. Many villagers found various excuses to persuade the gate guards to open the stone gates, sneaking out to the woods beyond the town for clandestine rendezvous.

Each morning, after the guards changed shifts, they would submit a report to Li Zhan detailing which villagers had gone out during the night. At first, Li Zhan would just shake his head and smile wryly, adopting a lenient attitude with only mild restrictions. However, the previous night, several couples had been attacked by gray wolves in the woods. Though the wolves were scared off by the night patrol’s war wolves, the incident gave Li Zhan much to ponder. He felt it was time to address this problem decisively.

Noticing the anxious expressions on many villagers’ faces, Li Zhan found the situation quite amusing and was tempted to tease them. He decided to withhold his true intentions for the moment and “play” with the villagers a bit first. His gaze swept over the crowd, passing over each villager. Those who felt guilty involuntarily shuddered. This included Zhang Chong and Zhou Min.

As the first villagers assigned to Li Zhan by the system, Zhang Chong and Zhou Min’s relationship had a long history, evolving from friendship and admiration to dependence and love. Though they tried to maintain a casual front in public, ever since Zhou Min’s injury, which Zhang Chong had tended to for two days straight, their bond had become clear to all.

Li Zhan watched them blush and look sheepish, suppressing a laugh. Checking their loyalty, both scored a perfect hundred. Pleased, he nodded inwardly, thinking he’d give them a little challenge before rewarding them.

After scanning the crowd, his gaze settled on Zhang Chong and Zhou Min at the front. Without expression, Li Zhan said:

“Zhang Chong, Zhou Min.”

The two shivered in surprise. Zhang Chong didn’t look up but clasped his hands and hastily replied:

“Mayor, there’s nothing going on between us.”

Ruoyan, standing beside Li Zhan, observed this scene closely. She knew he intended to trouble the villagers before announcing his decision. Seeing Zhang Chong’s flustered reaction, she nearly laughed aloud but quickly covered her mouth, forcing a smile.

Feigning confusion, Li Zhan said:

“I never said there was anything wrong with you two. What do you mean by that?”

Zhou Min cast a resentful glance at Zhang Chong. His face turned crimson to the neck, as if wanting to slap himself hard. Faced with the mayor’s question, Zhang Chong stammered:

“Ah... well... um... nothing... really.”

Li Zhan maintained his puzzled look and asked:

“Nothing? But I get the feeling there’s something on your mind. If you have any concerns, just speak up. You two are the first villagers in this town, and I will do my best to accommodate your wishes.”

Zhang Chong had a request he’d been holding back for a long time, hoping Li Zhan would grant it for him and Zhou Min. But seeing Li Zhan’s stern face and with so many villagers watching, he dared not voice it. He only repeated:

“Thank you for your concern, Mayor. Zhang Chong really has nothing to say.”

Zhou Min quickly added:

“Mayor, thank you for your care. We only wish to see the town thrive and have no other requests, truly.”

Li Zhan shook his head regretfully:

“I thought you two were deeply in love and wanted to use this opportunity to help you. But it seems I was mistaken.”

Zhang Chong and Zhou Min were stunned, exchanging a glance of regret. The crowd was equally dumbstruck, eyes wide in disbelief.

Sighing, Li Zhan turned to enter the town hall. After hesitating, Zhang Chong finally mustered his courage and stepped forward, clasping his hands behind Li Zhan’s back:

“Mayor! Please wait!”

Li Zhan turned, puzzled:

“I thought you said there was nothing. Why are you calling me?”

“Ah... um... I can’t bear to see you go...”

Li Zhan nearly burst out laughing. Ruoyan, unable to hold back, let out a clear, melodious laugh and said:

“Alright, Mayor Li, stop teasing and just announce your decision.”

Li Zhan’s stern expression melted into a chuckle:

“Very well. Let’s proceed with the announcement.”

Zhang Chong blinked in confusion and stepped back to his place. Li Zhan and Ruoyan approached him and Zhou Min, then addressed the villagers:

“The reason for this assembly is to ease the pain of longing and create lasting unions. Simply put, Ruoyan and I will act as witnesses. Any couples who like each other and wish to commit for life can register with us. The town will then officially recognize and form their families.”

An uproar of surprised exclamations rose from the crowd.

Registering families requires a fee of five gold coins per household. The official site only vaguely states that forming a family “may result in offspring” but offers no further details. Li Zhan himself had little expectation of benefits; he viewed it as a humane gesture within the game’s logic. Since love and family formation among villagers was inevitable, better to allow it sooner rather than later. The town had ample gold reserves (over three thousand saved), so why not let the villagers enjoy a higher quality of life? (Li Zhan was no novice himself… hehe.)

Ruoyan’s view differed; she saw this as a benevolent act to unite lovers. As for what couples do at night, that was beyond her concern.

After the initial shock, Ruoyan continued:

“For those whose feelings have not yet reached marriage, do not despair. If your love grows stronger, you may register anytime to form a new family.”

The villagers were ecstatic. A five-gold registration fee fully covered by the town—this was beyond their wildest dreams. Their enthusiasm deepened their trust and reliance on Mayor Li and Yanhuang Town. If Li Zhan had observed closely, he would have noticed that the loyalty of the 150 new villagers recently acquired had risen by more than ten points, most above eighty-five, while the support rating among all villagers, previously steady, had increased by two or three points.

But Li Zhan was busy recording the names of couples registering. Under his guidance, couples came together and stepped forward. The male stood with Li Zhan, the female with Ruoyan. After verification, their registrations were officially backed up.

The first registered family was naturally Zhang Chong and Zhou Min, followed by Zheng Jun and a female shop assistant, then Wang Hui and a female clothing worker, Li He and Jin Xue, and so on.

Fifteen families registered in one batch and moved in together that very evening. Zhou Min and Zhang Chong, who had lived separately—she in the quadrangle courtyard and he in a fisherman's wooden house—decided to live together in the courtyard. Many couples in similar situations preferred the quadrangle courtyard for its independent well and gatehouse, which suited families with higher living standards.

However, many farmers still chose to live in wooden houses with small courtyards. Due to their profession, they cherished their garden plots, seeing the blue stone paving in the quadrangles as a waste of valuable land.

With the new family registrations completed, the villagers dispersed to help those moving pack their belongings. Most villagers now had some spare money and an increasing number of personal items such as needles, thread, shoes, socks, and gloves.

Note:

Offspring: The children born to new families go through a toddler stage lasting three days, a childhood stage lasting twelve days, and a youth stage lasting fifteen days. After one month, they become adults.

The loyalty and support of offspring are influenced by their parents. Generally, if the parents have high scores in these areas, so will the children; the opposite is also true.