Chapter 160: Nestled by Mountains and Waters

(T/N: Changed “Tiger Roost City” to “Crouching Tiger City”)

“I’ve never seen such a streamlined government office.” Liang Manshan was truly impressed.

His first impression of the Guanzhou government was excellent.

Though impoverished, the personnel were simple and efficient, all of them practical people who got things done.

Completely different from his hometown, Leshan Prefecture.

No wonder his senior brother decided to move his entire family…

Yan Lao’er, after listening for a while, chimed in, “Crouching Tiger City isn’t small. With so few people, can they really manage everything?”

“Crouching Tiger is a border city. The military households and garrison troops aren’t under Magistrate Tian’s jurisdiction, which already lightens the load significantly. There aren’t many registered commoners here either, which explains the vast tracts of wasteland. It’s not that the land is bad, just that there aren’t enough people,” Liang Manshan explained.

“Second Master has gone to Yongning to request disaster relief funds and grain.

Third Master, I heard, took two squads of constables to Gufeng…”

“Bringing constables? Are they going to arrest people?” Yan Lao’er speculated.

“Not at all,” Liang Manshan said with a strange expression. “They’re recruiting refugees.”

Yan Lao’er froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“We refugees have suddenly become hot commodities? The cities of Guanzhou are fighting over us? Hahaha!”

“The two masters also took some clerks with them, which is why the government office seems so empty. But compared to other places, Crouching Tiger’s yamen really does have very few people.

Still, it doesn’t matter. If they get too busy, they can always hire more clerks,” Liang Manshan said based on his past experience.

Yan Lao’er was curious but didn’t ask, lest he appear ignorant.

After all, he had mingled in scholarly circles before. When it came to such matters, the wisest course was to remain silent.

But while he couldn’t ask, his daughter certainly could.

Yan Yu picked up on her father’s silent cue.

“Uncle Liang, what kind of clerks do you need? Just being able to write is enough?” Yan Yu asked ‘innocently.’

“Not only must they write, but their handwriting must be neat. Xiao’er, you should practice more—maybe one day you’ll be able to earn some copper coins from your uncle,” Liang Manshan joked.

Seeing his niece’s wide-eyed stare, Yan Huaiwen said warmly, “Official affairs must not be leaked, but for minor copying and organizing, if you refine your handwriting, you may help me a little.”

He then turned to his attentive son and added, “Heng’er, if you’re interested, you can start practicing now.”

“I am willing to act as Father’s scribe,” Yan Xiangheng said, voice trembling slightly. He fought to suppress his excitement, reminding himself not to lose composure in front of Liang Tongsheng and his son.

Under his sleeves, his fists clenched tightly.

His father’s recognition was something he treasured deeply.

“Look, there’s the river ahead.” Yan Lao’er pointed forward.

The ox cart wove deftly through the forest.

Soon, the view opened up.

A winding river flowed silently through the mountains.

Under the night sky, starlight cascaded from above.

Gentle ripples brushed past the crescent moon’s reflection, casting a soft glow that outlined the landscape on both banks.

Yan Yu stood up for a better look.

Even Li Xuemei couldn’t resist leaning forward, eager to see the picturesque place her husband had described.

In the distance, the mountains undulated. As they drew closer, the terrain became gentler.

The river narrowed where the mountains hemmed it in. Looking downstream, the river stretched on for a great distance before finally widening at the horizon.

Liang Manshan was the first to praise, “Brother Huai’an, this is truly a wonderful place!”

A scholar’s love for landscapes found great satisfaction in this moment.

Especially under the moonlight, the river resembled a celestial maiden’s jade belt fallen to the mortal world—serene, elegant, and otherworldly.

Yan Lao’er grinned widely.

“There’s a boundary marker on the other side too. That’s Yongning over there,” he said, pointing ahead.

Yan Yu gauged the distance, concluding that her father was right.

If someone could swim, they could easily reach the opposite shore.

“Where’s the bridge you mentioned?” Yan Huaiwen asked.

“We still need to follow the river for a while. Sit tight, we’re heading downstream.” Yan Lao’er urged, and the ox cart rolled forward once more.

The riverbanks were lush with vegetation, the floodplain overgrown with reeds and wild grasses taller than a man.

The cacophony of insect calls rose and fell, interspersed with the croaking of frogs.

Yan Yu watched as an owl swooped into the reeds, then flew off moments later with something in its beak.

She couldn’t help but marvel—this place was teeming with life!

Without needing an introduction, everyone on the cart could tell they had entered the vast forest Yan Lao’er had mentioned.

The untouched woodland was dense and unevenly scattered, with no discernible pattern.

Some trees stood tall and straight, requiring two people to encircle them. Others were mere saplings.

One particularly defiant little sapling stood askew as if declaring, I won’t grow straight—I’ll grow sideways!

“The path we’re on now is land left dry by the receding water,” Yan Huaiwen observed.

Yan Lao’er nodded. “That’s right, Brother. This year’s drought affected Guanzhou too, but if we settle here, we’ll never have to worry about water shortages again.”

Liang Manshan nodded in agreement. “That’s true, very true.”

The ox cart reached the bridge.

Everyone could finally see the stone bridge spanning both banks.

Built at the river’s narrowest point, the bridge was constructed from solid stone blocks, forming a classic arched design.

The bridge deck was wide enough for carriages and horses to pass with ease.

Beneath it, a smooth path extended in both directions.

Two stone boundary markers stood on either side.

Following the road under the bridge, two paths branched off in opposite directions.

Liang Manshan pointed. “This way leads to Crouching Tiger, that way to Gufeng. The bridge marks the division.”

Yan Huaiwen said, “Let’s cross and take a look.”

The ox cart rolled onto the bridge, steady and firm.

On the far side, sure enough, stood Yongning’s stone marker.

“Haha!” Liang Manshan clapped his hands. “Just as expected, Yongning is right across the river.”

Yan Lao’er added, “We can’t go any further. A little ahead is the post station—it wouldn’t be good to be seen.”

Yan Huaiwen said, “This is a fine place. Where exactly is the wasteland you mentioned?”

“Upstream. The land near the mountains is all abandoned. That, plus the area we passed earlier, should be plenty,” Yan Lao’er replied.

“Xu the scribe also acts as a village registrar. I’ve already arranged to borrow the land registry tomorrow. If this land truly has no owner, we’ll claim it,” Yan Huaiwen declared.

Excitement filled the ox cart.

Yan Lao’er, who had studied this area the longest, started envisioning the future. “Being so close to the river makes fetching water easy, but it’d be best to dig a canal to divert water—irrigating the fields will be much simpler that way.

With so much water, do you think we could grow rice?”

Liang Manshan joined in. “Rice sells for more than wheat. If we can only harvest one crop per year, rice is the better option.

We could keep some and sell the rest, using the earnings to buy wheat.”

Yan Lao’er mused, “I wonder if the yamen has enough seeds—especially vegetable seeds. It’s too late to plant grain, but vegetables could still be grown. If we’re quick, we could harvest in two or three months, before the deep cold sets in.”

Liang Manshan calculated, “Each person gets five mu of land, but it’s all wasteland. Clearing it will take effort—we might not have time to plant anything.”

“We’ll need good farming tools,” Yan Lao’er said.

Liang Manshan, not ignorant of farming matters, immediately replied, “That’s right. Tomorrow, I’ll find an opportunity to visit the blacksmith’s shop and check the prices of iron tools.”

—————

Time to start clearing the land—this will be Sanbao’s moment to shine!

Our ox is strong! Hehe! (^▽^)