Chapter 294: Taking Uncle on a Tour (Part 2)

Yan Yu was completely stunned.

Her uncle’s brain must be the culmination of heaven’s finest craftsmanship and the distilled brilliance of generations of the Yan family.

All he had to go on were the positions of the four watchtowers—just four triangles—and a line representing the wall. Nothing else was drawn. And he figured it out?

“Yeah! Dad said we’ll enclose the area later. The village grandpas all say it’s a good idea, safer that way. Hehe!” Yan Yu pushed all the credit onto her father, and even generously roped in the village elders to help share the responsibility.

Yan Huaiwen then asked about the specific size and design of the watchtowers.

Yan Yu shook her head without hesitation. She had no idea.

“That’s all stuff Dad discussed with Master Lu. Here, and here—those parts were drawn by Master Lu.”

So Yan Huaiwen took Yan Yu to the Qi family’s house to consult Master Lu in person.

At first, Master Lu was a bit nervous. Yan Lao’er was easy to get along with, and the whole village was honest and kind. But this scholar—he’d heard of him for a long time.

He never expected that their first conversation would be the scholar politely asking him for advice.

Master Lu said, “I wouldn’t dare call it advice, Registrar Yan. I just followed the diagrams and requirements your younger brother gave me. These watchtowers are pretty similar to the ones on the border—just taller. The base is solid, the stairs are inside, and the outer structure is square on all sides…

It’s not too difficult. I plan to build a wooden frame first, then lay cement bricks inside and out. When it’s time to seal it up, we’ll pour in mortar and slurry. The benefit of this method is that it’s sturdy and less likely to crack…”

Master Lu spoke confidently, clearly well-prepared when it came to the watchtowers.

He’d grown up in Border Town, and his family had been building homes for generations. He knew exactly how city defenses were constructed and what materials to use.

After thanking him, Yan Huaiwen exchanged a few words with the Qi family matriarch before taking his leave.

Outside the Qi family’s gate, he asked, “Have we paid Master Lu and his crew for the house construction?”

Yan Yu shook her head. “Not yet. All the village accounts are on our tab—there’s the guy who built the stove, the one who plastered the latrine, the one who tiled the roof…”

Master Lu had basically taken on all the construction work in the village.

As the villagers started earning more, more and more people sought out Master Lu and his team. They were busy day and night.

Right now, they worked on the Qi family’s house during the day and did smaller jobs at night. All three meals were provided by the Yan family.

Seeing how hard they worked, Yan Lao’er even told Granny Rong to prepare extra dry rations at lunch or dinner so they could have something to eat during their night shifts.

So despite working around the clock, Master Lu and his men weren’t worn out. In fact, they looked more energized than when they first arrived.

Afraid her uncle might think her father was stingy, Yan Yu quickly added, “Master Lu said there was no rush, but Dad thought it wasn’t right to leave it unpaid, so he gave them twenty taels for now. The rest will be settled later.”

She handled all the household accounts, big and small. When it came to money, there was nothing she didn’t know.

Yan Huaiwen knew his family well.

He also knew Tian You was lazy and had handed off all the bookkeeping to his daughter.

That’s why he asked.

In a calm voice, Yan Huaiwen said, “Master Lu and his crew have worked hard. It’s not right to let them worry about wages. Since the house is finished, we should pay them. As for the other villagers’ jobs, once completed, they should be paid the same way.

If it’s too much trouble to settle each one individually, then set a schedule—every five days, or every ten. Either works.”

Yan Yu giggled and answered brightly, “Got it, Uncle!”

It was totally her dad’s fault. He acted like Master Lu might run off if they paid him too soon, dragging it out again and again just to avoid settling the bill.

But Master Lu was a loyal guy. A few words from her dad, and he didn’t even go home. He just threw himself into building up Xiao’an Village like it was his own.

Since they were already talking about the watchtowers, Yan Yu led Yan Huaiwen toward the plot of land near the woods.

“Uncle, this land is for planting trees. Dad said fruit trees would be good. That way, we’ll have fruit to eat every year, and the extras can be made into syrup or dried fruit. Remember that apricot jerky I brought you? That came from a seed we planted from the pit.

We didn’t buy too many saplings—they’re expensive, several dozen coins each. It’s better to buy the fruit, eat it, and plant the seeds.

Look, all these little seedlings have already sprouted!”

After checking out the fruit trees, Yan Huaiwen naturally didn’t miss the training ground that had been “ravaged” by the Young Scouts.

He looked at Xiao Er, waiting for her to explain.

Yan Yu beamed brightly. “Uncle, look at this first. We caught this rabbit and have been raising it for a while. It’s about to have babies…”

“And these—these are cement bricks the village kids collected. Dad and I went out for a bit, and when we came back, we were shocked. We didn’t expect they’d gathered so many…”

Her uncle’s gaze was sharp and unwavering. Yan Yu finally got to the point.

“This is our Young Scouts’ training ground!”

She took a deep breath, stood tall, and drew strength from her dantian.

Her voice grew louder and firmer.

“We’re not just a bunch of kids who play around. We’re little warriors who’ve been through real battles!

The Northern Rong can climb mountains, and maybe even swim. We need to train ourselves—to run fast, jump high, hide, dodge, climb trees… Later, we’ll learn to drive carts, ride donkeys, and swim…”

Yan Yu clenched her little fists.

She declared it loud and proud.

Right now, she wasn’t Old Yan’s niece. She was the leader of the Young Scouts.

She had to let Old Yan see and understand all their efforts.

They didn’t deserve to be underestimated just because of their age.

Yan Huaiwen’s gaze drifted toward the prominent archery targets in the distance.

Yan Yu’s heart began to pound.

The rhythm of the beat: anxiety.

“The village has bows now. We’ve made a few small ones to practice with,” she said, her gaze steady and serious. “Uncle, we have to train. Otherwise, when we finally touch a real bow, our hands will be unfamiliar, and we won’t be able to shoot straight.”

Not everyone is born with a talent for archery, but when it comes to any skill, nothing beats practice.

Familiarity breeds mastery.

Countless people have risen above their lack of talent simply by relying on that one word—practice.

“Xiao Er, it was the Young Scouts who spotted traces of the Northern Rong in the mountains, right?” Yan Huaiwen suddenly asked.

Yan Yu nodded slowly.

“If you had weapons in hand—bamboo crossbows—what would you have done?” he pressed.

Yan Yu could feel the weight behind the question.

Her mind raced, thoughts tumbling over each other. She didn’t answer right away.

Yan Huaiwen didn’t rush her, simply waited in silence.

“They had bows. I heard the Northern Rong are skilled in mounted archery. We… wouldn’t have had the upper hand in the forest. We’d still have come down to report it,” Yan Yu answered truthfully. “It’s better to set up an ambush in the village…”

“But if we had tall walls around the village, with arrow towers at every corner, that would be different. We could shoot from above. Even if we’re not as accurate as Uncle Hu or Second Uncle Hu, we’ve got the numbers. We could still take them down.”

“Bamboo crossbows…” Yan Huaiwen’s eyes flickered, his voice as light as drifting smoke. “But there’s no bamboo here…”

“There is, there is!” Yan Yu’s ears were sharp, and her clear voice carried a note of excitement. “Father and I found some in Guiyuan Town near Linhai! It’s not expensive—we can afford it!”

Yan Huaiwen gave her a long, thoughtful look before withdrawing his gaze. He murmured, “Hard to hide…”

“Easy to hide, Uncle! We’ll dig a cellar beneath the arrow tower and stash all the bamboo crossbows there. Once the walls are up, no one will be able to see what we’re doing inside the village. Then we can train all we want!

If outsiders show up, the lookout in the arrow tower can give a shout, and we’ll hide everything right away. No one will ever know…”

Yan Yu rattled off her plan in one breath, then tilted her head, eyes full of curiosity as she looked at her uncle.

Something seemed… off.

(End of Chapter)