Section 092: Detailed Rules for Rewards and Punishments

The moment Li Zhan finished speaking, the ranks of the lumberjacks erupted in a clamor of excitement.

"Is this for real? We can actually earn copper coins?"

"Wow, it’s like a dream. Pinch me, quick, let me see if I’m still asleep."

"Haha! I competed with Erniu last time and chopped seventy units of wood in a day. By this calculation, I can earn thirty-two copper coins a day!"

"No more words needed—I’m going to save up to get married. I’ve been missing Xiao Cui so much I can’t even sleep at night."

...

Li Zhan gestured for the lumberjacks to quiet down and continued:

"This adjustment is intended to increase production efficiency while also enriching everyone’s material life. However, to ensure a stable daily supply of resources in the village warehouse and avoid drastic fluctuations, this adjustment comes with a minimum efficiency threshold. For instance, as a lumberjack, you must chop at least fifty units of wood per day. Failure to meet this quota will be treated as an unfinished task; on such days, you will not be entitled to free meals, and each meal will cost one copper coin. Should force majeure occur, such as war or severe weather, this penalty mechanism will be automatically suspended until production returns to normal. That is the basic situation. If you wish to attempt this new system, stand to my right; if you lack confidence in your ability, remain where you are and continue with the old work model."

The restless lumberjacks were stirred by these words and immediately fell silent. They looked at one another, calculating their own capabilities and whether they could meet the daily quota while earning the bonus. After a moment, people began to slowly step out of the original line and move to Li Zhan’s right, followed by more and more lumberjacks joining the new group.

In the end, only a dozen or so lumberjacks remained in the original line. Li Zhan checked their attributes and noticed a common thread: their woodcutting skills were all at the novice level. Since the standard daily yield for a novice is forty-five units, they felt uncertain about meeting the fifty-unit requirement and feared they might end up unable to afford their meals.

Li Zhan smiled faintly; he had anticipated this. Every policy that breaks from convention requires a period of understanding for those who are cautious—as soon as these individuals leveled up their skills to intermediate or saw their companions living more comfortably, it wouldn't be long before they asked to join the new system themselves.

Once the two groups were settled, Li Zhan had Ruoyan record their names. The lumberjacks on the right would begin following the new system, with the game's automatic rewards and penalties applied starting after lunch. The lumberjacks on the left would continue working as they always had.

With the registration complete, Li Zhan dismissed the lumberjacks to their duties and then summoned all the farmers in the village to stand to his left.

The farmers, having been influenced by the excitement of the lumberjacks, were highly agitated. Unsure of what standards the village head would set for them, they strained their ears, afraid to miss a single word. Li Zhan addressed them:

"Regarding the work of the farmers, my adjustments are as follows: starting today, we will implement a contract system. Each person may contract up to three plots of farmland, though you may also choose just one. For each plot, you need only turn in fifty-five units of grain per day (the standard daily yield for a novice farmer is forty; intermediate is forty-five; advanced is fifty). The village will repurchase any surplus grain at a rate of two copper coins per unit. The minimum daily quota for grain, however, is fifty units. In the event of force majeure, the penalty mechanism will be suspended until production returns to normal."

He paused, letting the murmurs of the farmers settle before raising his hand for quiet. He added:

"There is one more thing: the village encourages you to clear and cultivate land outside the village borders. Since the fields within the village center will eventually be cleared to make room for various buildings, expanding outward is a necessary trend for our long-term development. Of course, this is not mandatory; it is simply a call to action. To reward those who respond, the mechanism will differ for those cultivating outside the village: each person may contract up to five plots, and you only need to turn in fifty units of grain per plot. The village will repurchase the surplus at two copper coins per unit. The minimum daily quota for these plots is forty-five units. Furthermore, for every two farmers who cultivate land outside the village, the village will provide a log cabin with a small courtyard as a reward."

"Boom!" It was as if a giant boulder had been thrown into a calm pool, sending waves of excitement through the crowd. The promise of a cabin with a courtyard and the lower grain quotas sent the farmers into a frenzy. This decision to encourage expansion was an impromptu, brilliant stroke by Li Zhan. No other village head had ever considered such a move; they all held the same mentality: wait until the land is needed for construction and then forcibly seize it from the farmers, assuming the farmers wouldn't dare to complain since the land belonged to the village anyway.

However, those village heads overlooked a crucial problem: if farmers voluntarily clear land outside the village, they would blame bad luck if they encountered accidents like wild beast attacks. But if a village head forcibly seized their land, forcing them to move, they would naturally blame the head, which would damage their loyalty. Loyalty is difficult to build but incredibly easy to lose.

It wasn't just the farmers; even the players watching from the sidelines praised Li Zhan’s foresight.

After explaining the rules, Li Zhan gave the farmers their choice: those who wanted to stick to the old ways stayed put; those who wanted to contract fields within the village center stood to his right; those willing to cultivate land outside stood before him.

The result surprised Li Zhan: out of one hundred and twenty-five farmers, not a single one remained in the original spot. Twelve stood to his right, and the remaining one hundred and thirteen stood before him, volunteering to clear land outside. Li Zhan immediately had to order his three builders—the other two were busy with players' cabins—to begin large-scale construction of the cabins with courtyards to solve the housing problem for the pioneers.

Once Ruoyan finished recording the names and the number of plots contracted, Li Zhan had Zheng Jun start re-planning the land immediately, aiming to finish before lunch so that the new system could begin in the afternoon. Most of the novice and intermediate farmers chose to contract two plots, while a few with intermediate or advanced skills opted for three or four (previously, each farmer had worked only one plot).