I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 73 Townhouses
The next day at noon, Luke and his group rushed back to the depths of the forest.

When Mary heard the sound, she hurried out of the house. Seeing that it was Luke and his group, she breathed a sigh of relief and wondered why the master had brought back so many people when he went out to suppress the bandits.

Under Mary's puzzled gaze, Luke and his group walked closer and closer. The villagers of Ward Village behind him looked at the small manor deep in the mountains, and the surprise in their eyes was no less than Mary's.

There is such a village deep in the mountains?

These survivors unconsciously began to compare themselves with Ward Village.
There aren't as many cultivated fields as in Ward Village, that's for sure. After all, there aren't that many people. The bread oven looks quite practical. A water mill? Really rare. The stables, well, it's normal for a noble lord to have war horses.

Jill and the five peasant women looked at everything in front of them curiously. The fact that they were still alive was enough to prove their strength. Seeing the new village at this moment, their hope for the future was rekindled in their hearts.
"Robert, go tell Mary to hurry up and make a pot of porridge. We've been walking all day and everyone is hungry."

"Okay sir."

Robert nodded, ran to his wife who came to greet him, and muttered to the puzzled Mary for a while. Then Mary looked at the peasant women sympathetically, turned around and started to cook oat porridge.

Luc turned around and continued to say to Jill, "Jill, take the peasant woman over to rest. Old Eike, Ryan, you two come with me."

The donkey cart was tied in front of the cabin, and Martin was tied to a wooden stake. Little Charlie came towards him, wagging his tail, smelling his master's scent.

He took Ryan and Old Eck into the house, put the armor back into the second-floor compartment, then sat on a wooden chair, stroking little Charlie's head while saying to Old Eck who was standing there:

"Come on, sit down."

"Lian, get Old Ike a glass of water."

"Thank you, sir."

Old Ek took the water cup and saw Ryan sit down. He also sat aside and waited quietly for Luke to speak.

At this time, old Ek has changed his mentality. Not long ago, he was just an old soldier who was bent on revenge, but since Luke helped him to get revenge and he chose to join Luke, he had to show enough respect to Luke. This was the experience he had gained from years of ups and downs.

"Mary, the meal will be ready in a while. Let's talk about the arrangements for these people."

"I plan to build a row house in front of this house to serve as your residence. There are plenty of trees nearby. Ryan will guide you and we'll try to build the house before winter. In the meantime, you can just set up some simple tents to live in."

Luc didn't expect that the population of the mountain forest would increase by seven people all of a sudden. Now, including Robert's family, there are already eleven people, not including the two children.

There are only two houses, which cannot accommodate all these people in a short time.

We can only build a new one and build Robert's house at the same time.

Old Eike nodded in agreement. Shelter was indeed a big problem. Master Luke thought of this as soon as he arrived at the house, which showed that he was really considering the survival of his people.

After all, most of the lords he met held the view that 'people are like weeds, cut them down and they'll grow back again'.
"The second is food."

Luc tapped the arm of his chair. "To be honest, spring plowing has just ended, and the harvest is good, but it's still a bit difficult to feed so many people. So we have to increase the arable land. Let's keep that black donkey outside for two days, then start cultivating it immediately. We'll try to open up at least two acres of land by the end of September."

"Two acres, my Lord. Is that enough land?"

Old Eike frowned and asked with some concern.

He didn't know that Luc had a secret recipe for fertilizer.

Luc sighed, it seemed like it was time to make up something to explain fertilizer.

"Of course there's no problem. This is God's land. Last year, my master and I grew 300 pounds of grain on just one-fifth of an acre of land!"

Ryan looked up proudly. The idea that this land was blessed by God had been completely ingrained in his mind. Hearing Old Eike's worry, he quickly opened his mouth and shouted.

"Three hundred pounds??"

Old Eike put down his water cup and suddenly thought of something, "Sir, could it be that you grew it with the twenty pounds of grain you traded with me?" Seeing Luke nod, Old Eike couldn't help but be amazed.

"I'll tell you the details later. The most urgent thing is to collect more food. There's plenty of food in the mountains. After the autumn plowing is done, let the women go pick fruits and dig wild vegetables. Ryan, take Robert, Jill, and that Martin outside with you to build the house. Martin, you can make him work harder. It doesn't matter if he dies of exhaustion. Keeping him here is for this purpose, and it can be considered as a punishment for him."

"As for old Eck."

Luc looked at the weathered old man and said, "You have experience as a village chief, so are you interested in being my housekeeper?"

Luke had long seen that Ryan had no management ability, and as the population increased, Luke wanted to promote someone as his deputy to assist him in managing some planning and material inventory matters.

In this regard, old Ek fits the bill perfectly.

First of all, he is loyal and trustworthy. Secondly, he is knowledgeable. Thirdly, he is old and alone, so he will not have too many ambitions.

When Old Eck heard Luc's words, he immediately stood up with gratitude, bowed to Luc and said:
"Thank you for looking up to an old man like me. Don't worry, I will help you manage your estate."

Luc raised his hand and motioned for Old Eike to sit down. "I have one more thing to ask you."

"What is it, my Lord?"

Luc narrowed his eyes. "You've been to Cooper Castle and seen caravans often. Do you have any contact?"

When Luc was trading coarse salt with Old Eck, Old Eck mentioned that when they were short of salt, they would go to Cooper Castle on specific days to exchange it with the cunning merchant.

Those merchants who owned salt were certainly not local merchants from Kubo Castle, but passing caravans.

After paying a large tariff to Baron Berry, people from all the surrounding villages entered the castle to trade.

"Sir, there is no connection, but this caravan passes through Kubo Castle approximately once every six months. I guess they will come again after the autumn plowing."

"Do you want to trade with them?"

Luc didn't reply.

Now that the valley has expanded, Luc has indeed thought about trading with caravans.

The mountains and forests are actually rich in resources, including furs, timber, smoked fish, etc., but the demand for them in Cooper Castle is not very great.

The last time he was able to sell the furs in Cooper Castle was without Baron Berry's knowledge, and he could only do so with the help of the tavern owner. If the amount was too large, he would not be able to hide it from Baron Berry.

But if you can establish a direct relationship with the caravan, you can bypass Baron Berry.

"After the autumn plowing, you will come with me to meet this caravan. And remember, you must go there in the name of Ward Village."

Old Eck showed an understanding look. Yes, Master Luc was a fallen nobleman and perhaps had not yet been officially accepted by Burgundy. It was normal for him to keep a low profile.

When it was time for dinner, Old Eck took the initiative to leave. Luke and Ryan ate bread in the house. After a while, Mary appeared outside the door.

"Master, are you looking for me?"

"Come in, Mary. Nothing has happened these past two days, has it?"

Luc went to suppress the bandits, and it only took him two days, but he still asked about Mary as a routine matter.

Mary shook her head and suddenly thought of something. "Ah, it really is."

"Master, I heard a bear roaring on the other side of the river last night!"

(End of this chapter)