Chapter 195: Travel Permit

Yan Huaiwen’s first task upon arriving at the government office was to issue a travel permit.

**“This document certifies that Yan Huaian, a resident of Xiao’an Village under the jurisdiction of Crouching Tiger City in this prefecture, aged twenty-three, standing at five feet six inches, beardless, with an oval face, slightly tanned complexion, and no scars, is traveling from Crouching Tiger City to Yongning and Gufeng to visit relatives and friends while carrying local products. His household consists of his elder brother, Yan Huaiwen, his wife, Madam Li, and three children.

If he lacks the required conscription permit or if the document’s details do not match his appearance, any innkeepers, neighbors, or officials encountering him are to escort him to the nearest government office for verification and, if necessary, return him to his registered place of residence for investigation. This permit must be returned to the issuing office upon the traveler’s return. The travel duration is limited to three months. This document is hereby approved and sealed by the county magistrate.”**

After writing the date from two days prior and verifying its accuracy, he immediately sought the magistrate’s seal.

Master Tian was approachable and maintained a consistent schedule at the government office, making it easy for his subordinates to find him during designated hours.

Yan Huaiwen met with the magistrate without difficulty, stated his purpose, and respectfully presented the handwritten travel permit with both hands.

Master Tian merely glanced at it and nodded to himself.

Both Household Clerk Yan and Household Clerk Liang handled official matters with remarkable efficiency. In particular, Household Clerk Yan was no less competent than seasoned clerks who had been in service for years.

This travel permit was written with strict adherence to the official template used by the imperial court. However, in practice, lower administrative offices often simplified such documents, as their clerks were reluctant to spend too much effort on them.

The magistrate did not question why the date was set to two days prior. Since the permit was issued by Household Clerk Yan for his own younger brother, there was no need for excessive scrutiny. It was a minor matter, and efficiency was more important.

Master Tian readily affixed his seal.

Yan Huaiwen took the travel permit back, and Liang Manshan curiously glanced over.

Seeing what it was, he exclaimed, “Ah! I’ve been so busy these past days that I completely forgot about this. It’s true—since Brother Huaian frequently travels, having this travel permit will make things much more convenient.”

Yan Huaiwen replied, “Tianyou mentioned that there are disaster victims in Gufeng suffering from an epidemic. As a result, Yongning has tightened its entry inspections. Though no confirmed cases have surfaced among the refugees yet, we must still be cautious. The two of us should take our time and conduct thorough checks. It would be disastrous if a sick person slipped through our inspections.”

He handed over one of the cloth masks that his eldest daughter had hurriedly sewn for him that morning.

“This is called a ‘face mask.’ Worn over the mouth and nose, it helps prevent disease from entering the body.”

Liang Manshan tried it on, feeling slightly suffocated, but since it offered protection, he decided to keep it on.

He spoke in a muffled voice, “Brother Huaiwen, you’re very thoughtful.”

Yan Huaiwen replied calmly, “It wasn’t my idea. Tianyou mentioned it, and my daughter made a rough version, just in case.”

Both men put on their masks.

This attracted the curiosity of the surrounding constables, who found various excuses to come closer and take a look.

Liang Manshan was more sociable than Yan Huaiwen and had gotten to know the constables over the past few days. When one of them inquired about the masks during lunch, he explained their purpose truthfully.

After some discussion, a few constables decided to have their families make similar masks for them.

As Household Clerk Liang wisely put it: It’s better to be overly cautious than to regret it later.

—

After the foundation was laid, construction on the Yan family’s new house progressed rapidly.

Yan Lao’er (Yan the Second) had another discussion with Master Lu regarding the placement of the toilet.

Master Lu was baffled by the Yan family’s decision to place the latrine so close to the house.

He stared in shock for a long time, unable to speak.

Finally, he firmly shook his head.

After a friendly negotiation, they settled on placing the toilet next to the pigsty, with both sharing the same drainage system connected to a large pit behind them.

Master Lu repeatedly confirmed the plan, asking again and again.

Eventually, Yan Lao’er became exasperated and admitted, “Brother Lu, to be honest, my family has our own formula for mortar. It might not be as good as yours, but it should be sufficient for leveling the ground, sealing the drainage, and covering the waste pit.

That’s why I plan to plaster not only the yard but also the pigsty, the latrine, and even the courtyard walls in the future.”

Master Lu was dumbfounded.

He stammered, “W-What? Are you serious?”

His first thought was that his secret mortar formula had been leaked.

But that didn’t make sense—he had ground two of the key ingredients into a fine powder, making them impossible to identify just by appearance.

Noticing his disbelief, Yan Lao’er had no choice but to list a few of his materials.

Master Lu: …

That actually sounds better than my formula.

He came to this conclusion because Yan Lao’er had mentioned more ingredients than he himself used.

Of course, the true test would be in the final product.

Master Lu had confidence in his own formula. Many households had their own recipes, but his buildings were sturdier and more durable. The key was in the precise proportions.

Since Yan Lao’er had his own formula, Master Lu made no further objections. He simply followed the plan, leaving space where necessary and making small improvements, such as sloping the pigsty floor and properly digging and bricking the latrine pit.

Meanwhile, the Qi brothers worked quickly on their farmland. By the end of the day, they had turned over all their soil and, like the Yan family, used water from the river to moisten it.

By dusk, they scattered vegetable seeds, completing the planting process.

With that done, their first priority was to head over to the Yan family’s fields to help clear the land near the mountains.

The village children had already picked up most of the stones, and by late afternoon, the three brothers—along with the capable Madam Rong—had gathered the remaining weeds into piles.

They set the dried grass on fire, and Yan Xiangheng used his ox to plow the ash into the soil.

The Qi brothers then helped transport several more cartloads of river water.

Before nightfall, they had fully prepared the last of the Yan family’s fields.

Yan Yu stretched and knocked on her lower back.

At this moment, she had only one thought:

Give me a bed—I need to lie down!

The final field would be seeded in the morning.

With that, the fieldwork was complete.

The rest was now up to Nanny Rong.

—

Yan Lao’er delivered 300 pounds of charcoal to the brickworks and received 8.4 taels of silver in return.

The transaction was exact, down to the last coin.

On his way back, he checked out a few other brickworks and managed to secure additional orders—2,000 red bricks and another 100 pounds of charcoal.

This further strengthened his resolve to expand his customer base.

Once the fieldwork was done, he planned to head to Yongning.

Why focus on Yongning first?

Heh—because Yongning paid the best prices.

Once the market there was saturated, he would turn to Crouching Tiger City. As for Gufeng… well, that would have to wait until last.

The plague was spreading there, and he had no intention of walking into trouble.

Upon returning to the village, he found that the household tasks had been completed a day ahead of schedule.

Yan Yu, the little informant, ran over to report to him.

Hearing that his good friends had helped, Yan Lao’er gritted his teeth and insisted that the three of them stay for dinner.

Yan Yu, standing nearby, grew increasingly anxious, mentally calculating whether they had enough meat and vegetables.

Li Xuemei pulled Nanny Rong aside and bluntly warned her, “Those three have huge appetites. They eat a lot…”

Nanny Rong nodded, indicating she understood.

Then, she wrote on the ground: “Your Majesty, rest assured, I will make proper arrangements.”

Li Xuemei quickly erased the words with her foot.