Chapter 256: Stock Up on Grain, Build High Walls!

Hu Er was grinning like a fool, mumbling numbers under his breath as he tried to calculate how much silver he could get.

But even as he dreamed of silver, he reminded himself that while he could take credit for the work, he couldn’t pocket the two taels that belonged to Yan Er’s family. Once the money came in, he’d have to make sure it got to them.

After the officials finished their tasks, Village Chief Luo, following local custom, invited them to stay for a meal.

That was how things had always been done in Qishan.

Whenever officials came to the countryside—no matter the reason, official or personal—hosting them for a meal was a must. If they were there to collect grain taxes, you even had to slip them some silver on the side, just to make sure they didn’t get too rough when measuring the grain…

But to everyone’s surprise, this group of officials didn’t even stay for a bite. They only asked the villagers to send a few people to Yongning City to bring their families back.

Village Chief Luo thanked them profusely.

Once the officials were gone, the villagers looked at each other in confusion.

“Do you think the officials thought our village was too poor and shabby, so they didn’t want to eat here?”

Their houses were indeed a bit rundown.

And since the officials hadn’t gone deeper into the village, all they saw was the mess near the entrance left by the recent skirmish. It certainly didn’t leave a good impression.

Master Lu said, “They probably had other duties and couldn’t afford to waste time.”

Village Chief Luo asked him, “Do officials usually eat in the villages around here? How do you guys normally host them?”

Master Lu thought for a moment. “They come every year during grain collection. We always prepare at least one decent meat dish. And if someone in the village has committed a crime and they come to make an arrest, we make sure to treat them well too…

But that doesn’t happen often. We’re honest folk who just farm our land. Rarely do we get into trouble with the law.

Your village has even less to worry about. Didn’t you say the family who hired us to build houses has someone working as a Household Registrar in Crouching Tiger City? Tsk, that’s a huge advantage. Just think how much you’ll save on meals and gifts alone.”

Village Chief Luo shook his head. “You don’t understand. Even in the past, when officials came to the countryside, they might have gone easy on us for the scholar’s sake, but we still had to follow all the proper customs. Not a single step could be skipped.”

“It’s different now,” Master Lu said with feeling. “I’ve worked in a lot of places and heard stories from outside Guanzhou. Scholars in Guanzhou are held in high regard. If a village has a scholar, the officials are always more respectful.

And your village has two scholars, both working in government offices. That makes all the difference.

Maybe those officials from Yongning City didn’t stay for a meal precisely because of that. They didn’t want word getting back to Crouching Tiger and people gossiping.

After all, they’re not from Crouching Tiger. Why should they eat the food meant for Crouching Tiger’s officials?”

Yan Yu had been listening the whole time.

She thought to herself, Master Lu makes a lot of sense. It actually sounds pretty reasonable.

Our village falls under Crouching Tiger City’s jurisdiction. Those officials from Yongning might’ve just been lending a hand while passing through. Eating a meal here…

We might not think much of it, but Crouching Tiger City might not be so happy about it.

…

Yan Yu begged Uncle Qi Wu to help her cross the river and bring back her family’s raft.

Qi Wu didn’t say a word. He bent down so Yan Yu could climb onto his back.

Once she was on, he carried her across.

Yan Yu was moved to tears.

Uncle Qi Wu must’ve thought her legs were too short to keep up.

They crossed the river via Dashi Bridge and walked along the riverbank until they spotted the raft tied to a tree.

With a few strong pushes, Qi Wu brought the raft back and secured it to the wooden post.

As soon as Yan Yu jumped off, she saw Daya striding toward them, her steps full of energy.

“Xiao Er, Uncle and the others are back!”

“Really?!” Yan Yu’s face lit up with joy.

She turned to Qi Wu. “Uncle Qi Wu, I’m heading back now!”

Qi Wu grinned and nodded. “I’ll follow behind you.”

Yan Yu took off, her little legs pumping. When she reached Daya, the two sisters grabbed each other’s hands and ran home together.

Daya rarely ran like that. Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair had come loose.

Yan Yu’s face was also rosy from the run, her bright eyes sparkling like a New Year’s painting doll.

Qi Wu followed with long strides. From a distance, he could already see a crowd gathered around the big stone in the village center.

When they left, the carts had been empty. Now, every cart was loaded with large jars, crocks, and pots.

There were even the small hoes and sickles that Yan Yu and the other kids had mentioned, tucked neatly into the gaps.

Some familiar-looking sacks were there too. Judging by their shape, they probably contained salt—just like the ones they’d bought last time.

No one had started unloading yet.

As soon as Yan Lao’er and the others got back, they were swarmed by villagers, all talking over each other about the day’s events.

“Good grief, some Northern Rong folks came over the mountains. It was dangerous as hell! We had to hide in cellars, and some of us even crossed the river to take shelter in Yongning City. My parents, my wife, and my kid still aren’t back yet.”

“Officials from Yongning City came too. Questioned us up and down. Thank goodness they’re gone now. I was scared out of my wits…”

“What took you so long to get back? Didn’t you run into the people we sent to report to Crouching Tiger?”

“Oh my heavens, where did Wang Erlang go? Don’t tell me he got lost?”

“No way. Wang Erlang’s got a great sense of direction. He always says once he walks a path, he remembers it.”

“Should we go look for him? Yan Er and the others are already back. Did they take a different route?”

“Yan Er, those six dead bodies are still lying near my house. The officials said someone from Crouching Tiger City would come to collect them? But isn’t Crouching Tiger sealed off? How are they going to send people? Should we take the bodies over there ourselves?”

“Sun Erdan, what were you thinking? Using our village cart to haul those unlucky things? They’re not even our kind, they’re savages.”

“Don’t think of them as people. Just treat them like livestock. We’re getting two taels of silver per head. We’re just delivering them for a reward.”

“Should’ve gotten the silver earlier, really.”

…

Yan Lao’er felt like his head was about to explode.

They’d only been gone half a day—how had so much happened in that short time?

Heavens above!

The Northern Rong actually tried to cross the mountain?

Would they do it again?

And if they did, would they come to their village next?

His daughter found them in the mountains?

His wife shot another one dead?

The Iron Crossbow wasn’t exposed, and they even managed to snatch a bow from those bastards?

The officials from Yongning City didn’t take the weapons with them and left everything behind?

No one even stayed for a meal in the village.

The folks who fled are still hiding out and haven’t been brought back.

There was just too much to process, and Yan Lao’er was completely overwhelmed.

“Uh, I’m gonna head home first and check on things.”

He needed to see his wife and daughter.

Especially his wife.

She was pregnant, and with all this stress and fright, could she even handle it?

“Dad!” Yan Yu called out cheerfully.

Hearing her voice, seeing his daughter bouncing through the crowd toward him, Yan Lao’er nearly burst into tears.

“Xiao Er! Let’s go home, quick!”

The villagers made way for him.

Now that everyone had finished talking, they finally remembered to help unload the cart and carry everything down.

Luo Da and the other cart drivers stood there in a daze.

It took them a long while to snap out of it, waves of fear washing over them.

Once inside the courtyard, Yan Lao’er made a beeline for the room.

Yan Yu darted forward and blocked him.

“Dad, wait. Mom came back and went straight to sleep. With all the noise outside, she still didn’t come out. She’s probably still out cold.”

Yan Lao’er turned to her. “Tell me, how did they even get over the mountain? It’s terrifying. This place isn’t safe at all!”

He looked miserable. “It’s my fault. I picked this spot.”

Yan Yu pulled him into the backyard and patted him with her small hands, trying to comfort her clearly shaken father.

“Dad, it’s the same no matter where we are. Look at Master Lu—just hearing ‘Northern Rong’ had him howling to charge into battle.

Even if we were in Yongning City, what difference would it make? Those people came over the mountains. No one could’ve seen it coming. They still would’ve slipped through.

But here, we’re on guard. They can’t sneak past us. Maomao sniffs them out every time, like clockwork.”

“Is your mother okay?” Yan Lao’er asked.

Yan Yu replied, “She seems fine. Mom’s got a strong heart. Took it better than you did.”

Yan Lao’er said, “You don’t know what it was like, hearing the villagers say they had bows and blades. I was scared to death.

There were only six of them this time, but what if more come next time? How are we supposed to fight back? Hiding in the cellar won’t work. These Northern Rong have been snooping around here long enough to know every household has a cellar. If they pay a little attention, they’ll find them all.

That’s how they found you this time. It’s too dangerous! If Hu Er hadn’t sent over the Iron Crossbow in time, you guys…”

“There’s no ‘if,’ Dad. We’ve learned our lesson. There won’t be a next time,” Yan Yu said seriously. She also felt that hiding in the cellar was unreliable.

They’d nearly been trapped inside.

“Dad, that tunnel in the middle of our cellar really came in handy this time. Remember that old movie? The one about digging tunnels?”

“Tunnel Warfare,” Yan Lao’er muttered. He’d watched that movie more times than he could count.

“Yeah, that one!” Yan Yu nodded eagerly. “Let’s dig tunnels all over the village. If something like this happens again, we can fight them underground!”

Yan Lao’er gave her a look that said, You have no idea what you’re talking about.

“Sweetheart, do you know how hard that would be to actually pull off?”

Yan Yu thought for a moment. “What’s so hard about it? Just connect everyone’s cellars, dig a few hidden chambers to hide people, mark some key junctions, and draw maps with symbols only we can understand. It’ll just take time.”

“Just remembering the routes would kill half the villagers,” Yan Lao’er said bluntly.

“Forget the rest. Take Wang Erlang, the one in the village who’s supposedly good with directions. You heard, right? Village Chief Luo told him to go to Crouching Tiger City to deliver a message. He should’ve run into us on the way, but where is he now? Gone. Reported himself missing.”

“If we dig tunnels all over the village and wait for people to memorize them and learn to use them to ambush the Northern Rong, who knows how many waves of them will have come and gone by then?”

Yan Yu frowned, her little brows scrunching.

She had to admit, her dad made a lot of sense.

That’s the benefit of eating more rice and salt over the years—he thought things through more practically.

“And those tunnels wouldn’t just affect the Northern Rong. They’d also take away our village’s advantage,” Yan Lao’er added.

Yan Yu thought for a moment, then realization dawned.

“Dad, you mean it’d mess up our archery too?”

“Exactly! Don’t even mention your Uncle Hu Da and Uncle Hu Er. Our villagers are decent at shooting from a distance, but close combat? Not a chance. We can’t compare to the locals in Guanzhou. We’ve never trained for that.”

At that moment, Yan Lao’er was starting to think maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea that Guanzhou made people train in the military during the off-season.

If it weren’t for that, Master Lu and the others wouldn’t have charged in without hesitation.

Yan Yu thought for a bit. “Those officials from Yongning didn’t take the weapons. Did they mean to leave them for Crouching Tiger, or… can we just keep them for ourselves?”

Yan Lao’er’s eyes went wide.

Then they heard his daughter speak up again, “Since Northern Rong crossing the border has basically become routine, and over here in Guanzhou it’s practically like the whole population is ready for war, we can’t just fight them empty-handed, right? So where are the weapons coming from? The enemy’s gonna deliver them to us or something?”

Yan Lao’er: …

Well summarized.

“We should use what our village is good at… Let’s build some arrow towers. If we pick the right spots, high ground with a full 360-degree view, we can shoot them down before they even get close.”

She waved her tiny fists fiercely, looking adorably fierce.

Yan Lao’er praised her, “Not bad, I was thinking the same thing. Isn’t there a saying? Stockpile grain, build high walls.”

“Dad! It’s ‘Build high walls, stockpile grain, and bide your time,’” Yan Yu corrected him.

Yan Lao’er waved it off. “Eh, I left out the last part. Same difference.”

“We’ll build the arrow towers, raise the walls, surround the village. Use our cement, make the walls thick. Maybe even dig a moat outside. Wait, no, we already marked out the homesteads. Not enough space…”

Yan Yu thought this plan made a lot of sense. More importantly, just thinking along these lines made her feel super safe staying in the village!

Yan Lao’er mulled it over a bit more in his head.

Then he nodded firmly. “I’ll go talk to Village Chief Luo about it later.”

Just as the father and daughter were about to head back inside, they saw Granny Rong and Daya walking into the backyard.

Daya looked like she wanted to say something but kept hesitating.

Granny Rong, on the other hand, was smiling as she scanned the yard, then headed straight for a hen that was leisurely strolling about.

She bent down slightly and reached out.

In one swift motion, she grabbed the hen by its wings.

The hen struggled a few times, but when it realized it couldn’t break free, it gave up and just clucked indignantly.

The other hen walking nearby flapped its clipped wings in terror.

It couldn’t fly far, but it tried its best…

Desperately fleeing the danger zone.

Yan Lao’er and Yan Yu exchanged a look, both seeing the same question in each other’s eyes.

Why is she catching a chicken?

They got their answer soon enough.

Granny Rong had already boiled the water.

With practiced hands, she made the cut.

Scalded the chicken, plucked the feathers.

Yan Lao’er: …

Yan Yu: …

Winner winner, chicken dinner?

Daya leaned in and whispered, “Aunt Rong said Auntie was frightened and needs chicken soup to calm her nerves.”

Yan Lao’er and Yan Yu stared at each other again, wide-eyed.

Chicken can do that now?

Well… since it’s already dead, might as well eat it.

If Granny Rong says it works, then it works.

Yan Yu started to drool, swallowing again and again.

Her little brain couldn’t help but wonder how Granny Rong was going to cook it.

That was one of their egg-laying hens.

Granny Rong usually took such good care of them. The only rooster in the house, if it wanted to eat more, had to get past both Granny Rong and the hens’ judgmental stares.

Sigh, why not eat the rooster?

She glanced over at the little rooster, now strutting around the vegetable patch, full of energy again.

Hmm… still looks a bit skinny. Granny Rong probably thought it didn’t have enough meat.

Yan Lao’er tiptoed into the house for a peek, then quietly slipped back out.

He left the house.

The supplies they hauled back to the big rock were still waiting for him to sort and assign.

Daya and Er Ya headed into the kitchen.

The older one was there to learn seriously.

The younger one was dying of curiosity.

They watched as Granny Rong pulled out a cloth bundle and carefully unwrapped it layer by layer.

Yan Yu’s eyes went wide as saucers.

Wasn’t that… her dad’s treasured ginseng?

(End of chapter)