Chapter 276: A Good Official

“Huaiwen and your younger brother seem to be very close,” Magistrate Tian remarked with a sigh.

Now that Crouching Tiger City was under lockdown, Yan Huaiwen and Liang Manshan, the newly appointed Household Registrars, had quickly grown familiar with their colleagues.

From what he had observed, Yan Huaiwen was a man who knew how to adapt, upheld integrity, cared little for wealth, and valued promises above all.

If fortune favored him in the civil exams, he would surely become a fine minister.

As for his younger brother, his emotions were written all over his face, making him easy to read.

Warm-hearted, honest, kind, sociable, and skilled in arithmetic…

He did care a little about money.

But he adhered strictly to the principle that a gentleman loves wealth but acquires it with integrity, which was rare and commendable.

He devoted himself wholeheartedly to the affairs of Crouching Tiger City. Even if part of that was due to brotherly affection, his sense of righteousness and chivalry could not be overlooked.

The Yan family upheld a tradition of upright conduct. They were people one could rely on in great matters.

In hindsight, Magistrate Tian considered himself lucky. On a whim, he had decided to keep Yan Huaiwen in Crouching Tiger City.

Next year was the year of the Provincial Examination. At most, he could only keep him until April or May.

A thought stirred in Magistrate Tian’s heart.

“Mid-Autumn is just around the corner. Huaiwen, Manshan, you two should return home and spend the holiday with your families. Come back to resume your duties three days after the festival. That won’t be too late.”

“After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Crouching Tiger should return to normal. Since Huaiwen’s household has two young ones of suitable age, they might as well be enrolled in the county school. The County Examination early next year will be hosted by our county. As for the Prefectural Exam..”

“The Education Commissioner of the Prefectural City and I were classmates. We still exchange letters frequently. I have a fair understanding of his literary preferences.”

Yan Huaiwen understood the implication.

Magistrate Tian was just shy of saying it outright: if Tian You and Heng’er were to enter the county school, their path to scholarly success would be within reach.

Originally, there had only been one spot, and he had intended it for Tian You.

But if both could go, then letting them see the world beyond their village would be even better.

There was much to learn from Magistrate Tian—not just in scholarship, but in conduct and navigating the world.

To gain even a fraction of his insight would be a great benefit.

“Also, regarding those six Northern Rong individuals, I will personally speak with Commander Xue on the matter.

Xiao’an Village was among the first to register under Crouching Tiger. They fear no Northern Rong, and their courage and resolve are admirable. Brave men should be duly rewarded, so as not to let their passion and loyalty go to waste.”

Yan Huaiwen was moved. Magistrate Tian was one of the rare few he had met in both his lives who could truly be called a “good official.”

This “good” had nothing to do with praise or flattery. It was a measure in his own heart.

He knew how to govern, had real ability, and genuinely cared for the people.

He handled matters with finesse and was unbound by convention.

When he stepped forward, he could shield the heavens. When he stepped back, his sharpness was hidden beneath the surface.

Now that he knew Magistrate Tian might face danger, he could not sit idly by.

In these chaotic times, he would protect this good official at all costs.

…

Yan Yu hadn’t followed her father to Crouching Tiger.

She had to inspect the plot of land by her family’s woods.

Truthfully, she just wanted to see how many concrete bricks the Young Scouts had stockpiled.

“Fengnian, report the accounts!” Yan Xiao Er barked with authority.

Liang Fengnian fumbled a bit, but since she had given him a heads-up beforehand, he wasn’t completely unprepared.

He started off slowly and a little quietly, but after Yan Yu shouted, “Louder!” he took a deep breath, projected from his dantian, and not only raised his voice but also spoke much more fluently.

Among all the village teams, the Young Scouts kept the most meticulous records.

Liang Fengnian not only read out the daily accumulation of concrete bricks but also listed each child’s assigned tasks and working hours.

Once he finished, Yan Yu got straight to the point.

“Thanks for all your hard work while I was away! Based on our current stockpile of concrete bricks, I’ve done the math. If we use them to build a wall, it’s only enough for a small section. We’re nowhere near being able to surround the entire village.”

“So I propose we start with a watchtower.”

She came prepared.

Unfolding a large, slightly thick sheet of paper she had made herself, she called over Big Gouzi to bring the simple wooden frame. She carefully pinned the paper to the frame with needles.

This way, everyone could see it more clearly and understand better.

“Some of you might be wondering, what’s a watchtower?”

With one hand behind her back and the other pointing at the paper, Yan Yu answered her own question, “This is a watchtower!”

“As shown in the diagram, a watchtower is several adults tall. From up high, you can see far into the distance. If enemies approach, we’ll be able to spot them early and alert the village.”

“Standing up there gives you a clear, unobstructed view. It’s the perfect place to shoot arrows from.”

“If we train our archery well, and someone reaches the level of Uncle Hu Da or Second Uncle Hu, then we’ll be unstoppable. No enemy would make it to the base of the tower alive.”

“One person could hold off ten, even a hundred enemies!”

“That’s the power of a watchtower!”

The children’s eyes lit up as they stared at the drawing of the tower, utterly captivated, not blinking once.

“Can we all fit in one watchtower? Can we build more? If we don’t have enough bricks, we’ll just make more!”

“Yan Xiao Er, how do we get to be on the watchtower? Is it based on how many Work Points we earn?”

“No way! I heard clearly what Xiao Er said just now. It’s based on archery skills. Whoever shoots best gets to go up, right, Xiao Er?”

Yan Yu replied, “Even though we made the bricks, the materials weren’t ours.

And we don’t know how to build a watchtower. We’ll need to find someone who does.”

“It’s not right for us Young Scouts to pay for this. The village should cover the cost.”

“The watchtower and that cement brick wall I mentioned to surround the village are both for protecting our home.”

“Guanzhou is way too close to Northern Rong. Who knows when those Northern Rong might cross the mountains again? We need to be prepared.”

“Exactly! Why should us kids be the ones paying? Let the adults handle it.”

“No, no, it should be Grandpa Luo and the others. They just sold our mule and donkey, they’ve got money now!”

“Yeah! They said we could keep feeding them, then suddenly sold them without even telling us. I wasted a whole trip that day,” said the second son of the Wang family, now named Da Hu by his father, looking a little aggrieved.

The people ahead of him in line had each taken home several baskets of manure.

Why was there none left when it was his turn?

Yan Yu quickly stepped in to change the subject.

Her family had been the first to buy a donkey, and the rest had just followed suit…

“Not many people can stand on the watchtower at once. Once it’s built, we can take turns going up there to play for a bit. But if we want to shoot arrows from up there, we’ll need to train hard. Otherwise, even if we’re on the tower, we’ll just embarrass the Young Scouts.”

“Where are we building it? In the middle of the village?” one of the kids asked.

“There should be one in the center, and one on each side of the village.”

Yan Yu pulled out a charcoal pencil she always carried and quickly sketched the outline of Xiao’an Village on a piece of paper, marking four small dots around its edges.

The kids started chattering again. “We definitely need one on the mountain side. What about near the river? Should we build one there too?”

“There’s still a lot of open space by the big rock. Maybe we can make that one bigger?”

“One, two, three, four… that’s five of them. That’s a lot.”

“I think we should start with the one in the center of the village, by the big rock,” Yan Yu said softly.

The children quieted down to hear what she would say next.

“If we build the brick wall first, four watchtowers would be enough. But right now, we don’t have enough cement bricks. If enemies happen to come during this time, which direction do you think they’d come from?”

All the kids answered, “From the north, the mountain side!” The six Northern Rong from before had come down from the mountains too.

“Northern Rong usually ride horses. They rarely take mountain paths,” Yan Yu explained, helping the kids understand the terrain around them.

(End of chapter)