Chapter 340: Revelation

“Huai’an, look! This is the grain collected by Crouching Tiger this year!”

On a raised stone platform with pine planks laid across it, sacks of grain were being reweighed, repackaged, and sealed before being stacked on both sides.

Only a few people stood guard outside the granary.

But the inside held more than met the eye. Aside from the laborers, several squads of Border Army soldiers patrolled the area, casting sharp, watchful eyes over both the workers and the grain.

When the magistrate arrived, the soldiers acted as if they hadn’t seen him at all. They simply carried on with their tasks, not giving him the slightest acknowledgment.

It was Yan Lao’er, however, who found himself under the cutting scrutiny of those steely gazes more than a few times…

“These are the elite troops under Banner Commander Xue! Ha! If not for my connections, I wouldn’t have been able to borrow them,” Magistrate Tian said proudly.

Yan Lao’er didn’t see it the same way.

He had followed Liang Manshan through the countryside collecting grain. It wasn’t like his mind was constantly preoccupied with how to buy or move grain—sometimes they’d shoot the breeze and chat.

From what he knew, the granaries in several Border Towns also served as backup storage for the Border Army.

If war broke out and the army grew short on food, they would pull grain directly from government stores.

So this had nothing to do with the magistrate’s clout. The grain was simply too important to risk.

“Take a guess—how much grain do you think is here?” Magistrate Tian beamed. Ever since he stepped into the granary, he had worn that same bright smile.

Yan Lao’er counted from top to bottom, then right to left. The stacks were symmetrically arranged. So double the number, each sack probably held the standard one hundred jin, which meant…

He quickly reported a number.

Magistrate Tian: …

Yan Lao’er asked earnestly, “Did I guess right?”

If not for the inappropriateness of the setting, the Granary Guards behind him would have rushed up to cheerfully smack him on the back, shouting in amazement, “Brother, you’ve got skills! Quick, how’d you figure that out?”

The number Yan Lao’er gave matched exactly the amount they had prepared to send to the Prefectural City—precisely the amount already bagged.

But Magistrate Tian wasn’t so easily fooled. He chuckled and said, “Looks like you haven’t let your math skills go to waste, Huai’an.”

It was a light teasing before he got serious.

“This time every year, I feel both joy and unease.

The joy comes from seeing the people of Crouching Tiger reap the rewards of a year’s hard work. The unease comes from our duty to deliver grain to the Prefectural City. Frankly, the feeling isn’t all that different from a farmer paying taxes…”

Yan Lao’er had a flash of insight. “Does the Prefectural City also inspect and weigh the grain?”

Magistrate Tian looked at him approvingly and nodded. “Indeed, in exactly the same way—if not even more thoroughly.”

Yan Lao’er: …

Got it. It was like peeling an onion—layer after layer.

When the yamen officials go to the countryside to collect grain, they bring along scales and measuring scoops.

If the household knows how to grease the wheels, and the grain looks good, the officials happily weigh it with the scale.

If the grain is subpar, or if the officials are in a bad mood, they’ll switch to the scoop.

Yan Lao’er had seen it happen twice. On both occasions, the Headman of the Zao Unit deliberately changed into a heavier pair of shoes. He stomped onto the platform with a thud-thud-thud-thud, kicking the sacks four times. Grains piled high began to visibly sink, with kernels spilling out in every direction.

With every kick, the villagers’ faces grew darker, until by the end they looked like they were about to cry.

His daughter couldn’t bear to watch. She carefully picked up each grain that had fallen, blew off the dust, tucked it away, and then quietly sneaked it back to that family.

It was only because she was young and sweet-tongued that Headman Wan and the others were still willing to show the Yan family a sliver of courtesy.

According to the village elders, when the Fast Runners came to collect grain in the past, they’d usually deliver three kicks at most. But those men were professionals at this, and even three kicks from them were harsher than these four today.

The old man was wearing a mournful expression, muttering over and over, “They didn’t have those boots last year… last year those boots weren’t part of it…”

And so he learned something new: even the boots had significance.

Seems that last year the Zao Unit was still inexperienced, but they’d improved this year.

Truly, the longer you’re in a line of work, the better you get at it.

Unfortunately, for farming families, that was hardly a good thing.

Who would’ve thought that all these underhanded tricks used on others would eventually land right back on them?

For a moment, Yan Lao’er didn’t know how to feel.

What a tangled mess!

“So, will the Prefectural City still be sending shipments to the Capital? Will they inspect them?” Yan Lao’er blurted out.

Magistrate Tian chuckled and said, “Huai’an, have you forgotten? Guanzhou is Prince Ying’s enfeoffed territory^[1]. Once our grain and taxes reach the Prefectural City, that’s the end of it.”

Right. For them, the Prefectural City was the top of the mountain. That was the limit.

“Every year, all the cities try to get there first. The earlier you arrive, the less you lose in transfer fees^[2],” Magistrate Tian explained slowly. “Even Gufeng, despite its hardships, doesn’t want to fall behind for this very reason.”

“This year, when we send grain to the Prefectural City, I’m not in a rush to compete over who gets there first,” he added slyly, a twinkle in his eye. “Can you guess why?”

Yan Lao’er: How should I know…

His expression said everything, and Magistrate Tian broke into laughter. “It was thanks to Huai’an’s insight that I came up with a brilliant idea!”

Yan Lao’er was completely confused.

What insight? When did I give insight?

…

Master Lu’s accounting books were a mess—jumbled and hard to sort through.

But that didn’t stump Yan Yu. It just meant spending more time on it.

Her father said that Master Lu might leave earlier than planned and told her to be ready. So she squeezed in time to settle the books in advance, to avoid scrambling last-minute and looking unprofessional.

After a full day of hard work, Xiao’an Village had turned all their bamboo into bamboo crossbows.

With everyone working together, progress was incredibly fast.

Torches lit up the village center, casting a bright glow across the area.

Not a single villager stayed home. Young or old, everyone came out to watch the spectacle.

There were none of those pompous speeches. The Village Elders were refreshingly down-to-earth. Once the targets were set up, they went straight to shouting, “Begin!”

Yan Yu looked like a general commanding an army, standing at the center issuing orders. Based on the opponent, she decided who would take the field.

The Young Scouts had a group discussion. The bamboo crossbows they received wouldn’t be kept individually, but rather distributed as shared equipment.

Yan Yu had already hinted earlier that in the future, patrol duty atop the Arrow Tower would belong to the Young Scouts.

So despite their small sizes, the kids were brimming with confidence.

Just one glance at the Arrow Tower, picturing themselves high above the village, standing tall and proud, made their battle spirit soar!

At the start of the contest, the men of the village were full of enthusiasm. But after losing several matches in a row, the excitement began to fade and everyone gradually calmed down.

Only then did they realize, belatedly, that these kids actually had some real skills.

As the atmosphere cooled, Yan Yu eased up at just the right moment, allowing the final score to settle at an even split.

The Village Elders held a discussion and decided to distribute things according to that fifty-fifty ratio.

Once this decision reached everyone’s ears…

The children broke out into cheers that came one after the other.

The firelight lit up every face, reflecting in their dark eyes that sparkled like stars.

The next morning, Master Lu came by.

He was a decent man. Though he didn’t want to abandon a job he’d already taken on, he was clearly worried about his family at home. So he told Yan Yu he wanted to take an advance on his wages, bring some money back to his family, and then return to finish the work.

Yan Yu gave him the silver.

Master Lu borrowed a mule cart from the Qi Family and brought a fellow worker back with him.

Before leaving, he informed her that the village’s five Arrow Towers would be ready to hold people after one more day of drying.

Still, at the beginning, they shouldn’t be overcrowded. For adults, two or three on a tower would be safe; for children, maybe seven or eight.

(End of Chapter)