Chapter 293: Taking Uncle on a Tour (Part 1)

Let’s start with home.

“Uncle, look, this is the cellar we dug ourselves. Pretty big, right? This side connects to that one,” Yan Yu said, pointing out the passage that linked the two cellars to Yan Huaiwen.

Yan Huaiwen quickly noticed that the cellar had more than just one passage. He walked over and pushed aside a slanted wooden plank.

It revealed an opening over half a zhang tall.

“Where does this lead?”

Yan Yu hadn’t expected her uncle to discover it so quickly.

“Uncle, you’re amazing. How did you notice that? Was it that obvious?” She leaned over to peer into the pitch-black space and said with a grin, “Hehe, that leads to Granny Qi’s cellar. Our families live next to each other, and the cellars are close too. We opened a passage between them, just in case.”

Yan Huaiwen made no comment. Then, he suddenly asked, “Where did the Northern Rong die?”

Yan Yu’s eyes instinctively flicked in a certain direction.

Yan Huaiwen caught the glance immediately and walked over to take a closer look.

Next to the existing passage, there were signs of freshly packed earth and rebuilt stonework.

He understood at once.

“So, the report recorded by the Yongning City Constables wasn’t accurate. That day, the Northern Rong entered the cellar and died inside the passage. Was it really Hu Er who shot him?”

His calm voice echoed slightly in the cellar, making it sound even more clear and penetrating.

Yan Yu: …

She had only wanted to show off their new, spacious cellar that could store loads of food and even had connecting passages—not just to their own house, but to the Qi family next door.

She hadn’t said anything incriminating, had she? And yet, with just one glance from her, her uncle had pieced everything together?

“Uncle, let me explain…” Yan Yu swallowed nervously.

Yan Huaiwen looked at her calmly. “Go on, I’m listening.”

“That day… the Northern Rong really did die in our cellar.” Yan Yu’s brain had barely started working before it gave up completely. What was the point of hiding anything from Uncle? It wasn’t like she could fool him anyway…

“We were all hiding in the cellar. We didn’t expect that Northern Rong to find us. He had a knife and came crawling through the passage, tapping it with the blade as he moved. The sound echoed, slow and steady, really unsettling. Then… Mother shot him with an arrow.”

She glanced at her uncle cautiously, then hesitated before adding, “That day, Father had taken people to Crouching Tiger. We found out those men had bows and blades, so Mother brought out the iron crossbow and gave it to Second Uncle Hu. But he didn’t end up using it.

The Northern Rong were caught off guard and taken down by our villagers. Second Uncle Hu picked up one of their bows and used it to shoot. No outsiders saw him do it. He quickly returned the iron crossbow afterward.

After Mother shot the arrow, Second Uncle Hu arrived, so he claimed the kill… Our original passage was sealed, and we dug a new one.

Uncle, no one saw our iron crossbow,” Yan Yu emphasized.

Yan Huaiwen closed his eyes briefly and let out a soft sigh.

He reached out and gently patted Xiao Er’s hair bun, then bent down and lifted the little one into his arms.

“Come on, let’s go see the rest.”

He helped her onto the rope ladder.

Xiao Er climbed up nimbly, then poked her head back down, her bright eyes wide and round, looking at him with a hint of nervousness.

Yan Huaiwen tucked the hem of his robe into his belt and climbed out of the cellar. Once out, he let the robe fall back into place and smoothed it down.

Seeing Xiao Er still frowning slightly, he said softly, “It’s fine. No one else knows but me.”

Yan Yu’s face lit up instantly, her eyes curving into a beautiful smile.

“These are our pigs. Madam Rong takes great care of them. When they first arrived, they were small and weak. The villagers all said they wouldn’t survive, but now they’ve grown big and fat, and they eat more and more…”

“Except for this one, which is a sow, the rest are all rams. Madam Rong said she wants to keep the sow for breeding. Once she has lambs, we’ll keep the females for more breeding, and raise the males for meat. If it gets too busy, we can sell them to the villagers. A lot of families are waiting.”

“Yesterday was the Grand Market—it happens once a month. Most of the villagers went. Father set up a stall to sell grilled fish and braised fish. People could pay with copper coins or trade other goods. We also accepted poultry. We brought back quite a few, even five puppies. But the villagers took most of them. These are the ones left. Father said we’ll raise them for meat, like a meat reserve.”

Yan Huaiwen was then taken to see the nesting hens and the vegetable garden in the backyard. The seedlings stretched their tender bodies, their pale green leaves giving off a fresh, joyful feeling.

After touring the back garden, Yan Yu gave a grand introduction to the fire wall.

“Uncle, this fire wall is amazing. Not only does it keep the house warm, it can also be used to make paper.”

She rummaged through her small backpack and pulled out some dull-colored recycled paper.

“This is the paper we made ourselves. It’s our first time, so we’re not very good at it. Some sheets are thin, some are thick.

Father said it’s fine for practicing calligraphy. We use this for everything now.

Hehe, look, Uncle, we scoop the pulp onto this screen, then press it against the fire wall. It doesn’t take long for the paper to dry. Then we peel it off and hang it on a rod to finish drying, and that’s it!”

Yan Yu pointed at the papermaking tools and mimed the process of applying pulp to the wall, full of enthusiasm as she introduced this new invention to her uncle like a child showing off a precious treasure.

Yan Huaiwen, as always, grasped the key point immediately.

After learning that his younger brother had been soaking waste paper in the river for days, he understood the clever trick behind this papermaking method.

It couldn’t compare to store-bought paper, but it was quick and easy to make.

Perfect for home use.

After touring the entire house, Yan Yu led her uncle outside.

“Uncle, look, these are the cement bricks we made. They’re super easy to make. Just mix the slurry, pour it into the mold, and leave it. By the next day, it’s ready to use.”

“Dad said we’re going to build a watchtower here on the big rock, using those cement bricks. Once it’s done, someone can stand up there every day and see really far. That way, we won’t have to worry about the Northern Rong sneaking up on us anymore.”

Yan Yu glanced at her uncle’s expression, then added in a deliberately cheerful tone, “Our village still has six bows left behind by the Northern Rong. Dad also said, if Uncle Hu Da and Second Uncle Hu take turns standing up there, any Northern Rong who shows up—one comes, one dies; two come, both die.”

Yan Huaiwen picked up a cement brick, weighed it in his hand, then tossed it back to the ground.

“A watchtower?” He raised an eyebrow, his tone calm and unreadable.

Yan Yu took a deep breath, then flashed a sweet smile, showing off her tiny rice-grain teeth. “Wanna see it, Uncle? Dad said I drew it myself, and even Grandpa Village Chief said it looked good!”

Yan Huaiwen gave a soft “Mm” and gestured with his eyes for her to show him.

Yan Yu immediately started rummaging through her little backpack and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

The recycled paper was thick and worn, having passed through who knows how many hands. It had long since lost its original shape.

The drawing on it had been erased, redrawn, and scribbled over so many times that if Yan Yu didn’t look at it every day, it would be hard to tell at a glance that it was supposed to be a blueprint for a watchtower.

It was an absolute mess.

There were also notes scribbled in by Master Lu—measurements and parameters that probably only he could decipher.

Circles, crosses, triangles, and a bunch of random lines that might’ve had meaning… or not.

Yan Huaiwen studied it for a while, then pointed to the markings that indicated the locations of four other watchtowers. “So aside from this one, there are others around the village too? Five in total? And these… are walls? You’re planning to enclose the whole village?”

(End of chapter)