Chapter 329: The Mold

“Daughter, do you think Magistrate Tian took our words to heart?” Yan Lao’er asked.

Yan Yu thought about it seriously. “He should have. The Magistrate said he would personally go to the Border Army, which shows he’s taking it seriously.”

Yan Lao’er was still worried. “I just can’t set my mind at ease, it’s always on my mind. Crouching Tiger City is good in every other way, but this border town situation is really a headache. Just a single wall separates us from the Northern Rong, how can anyone feel truly secure?”

“What seems like a huge deal to us might be something the people of Crouching Tiger are already used to. Magistrate Tian seems steady, he probably really has things under control. Even if the Northern Rong really attack, the Border Army should be able to hold them off…”

Yan Yu paused, then added, “But Dad, we’re not like the people of Crouching Tiger. We haven’t experienced any of this. Master Lu, the one who built our house, said even just a few Northern Rong charging forward screaming is something our villagers have never seen before. Especially when they have weapons and we’re empty-handed. Just thinking about it makes my heart race.”

“Exactly,” Yan Lao’er agreed with her reasoning. His unease stemmed from this very point. The people of Crouching Tiger feel secure once the border defenses are reinforced, but their own standard for safety needs to be higher. They not only need high walls around the village and watchtowers guarding the perimeter, but they also need weapons in their own hands. In a critical moment, having your own is always better than relying on others.

“Daughter, let’s work a bit harder. We’ll go to Guiyuan Town in Linhai overnight to buy the bamboo.” Yan Lao’er gritted his teeth and made the decision.

Yan Yu naturally supported it wholeheartedly.

The three of them, this family, felt less secure than anyone else in this world.

……

Yan Lao’er returned to the village and first went to find the Village Elders.

Regardless of the situation in Crouching Tiger, it was never wrong for them to make their own thorough preparations.

As expected, people from the same village were most in sync.

The Village Elders took it very seriously.

The wall surrounding the village couldn’t be finished in a short time, so they would focus on the Arrow Towers first.

Forget about two or three days; they would work through the night. Tonight, immediately, right now!

“Quick, quick, quick, call everyone back.”

“Distribute the grain now, allocate it to each household, and hide it well.”

“After distributing the grain, each household sends one able-bodied man to build the Arrow Towers. The rest, hurry and harvest all the vegetables from the fields, get as much as you can!”

“We’ll work through the night, strive to finish early. Everyone, move quickly, get to work!”

Several old men were bustling about, full of energy as they made arrangements.

Yan Lao’er felt extremely comforted.

See, this was the quality of their village!

Yan Yu went home and found her mother.

“Mom, don’t worry. We’re far from the border. If needed, we can run to Yongning. Even if Yongning doesn’t work out, our family still has a way out.”

Li Xuemei nodded. She understood everything clearly.

Their family could certainly run easily. They now had Sanbao, Maomao, the donkey, Gouzhu, and Granny Rong who knew how to take care of people. No matter where they ran to, they could live well.

But they had only enjoyed a few days of stable life; who wanted to run away?

Moreover, what would it mean for just their family to run? They had grown more and more attached to the people of this village. A lively, bustling life was how it should be.

“Time waits for no one. If our village wall were up, we wouldn’t need to go anywhere.” Yan Yu felt some resentment towards the Northern Rong. Couldn’t they let them catch their breath?

Putting down roots here, reclaiming land, building houses, farming, gathering herbs… they had never stopped, busy as spinning tops.

Just as everything was getting better and better, those damned Northern Rong had to come cause trouble.

And they were even buying grain now!

The more they acted unpredictably, the harder it was to guess what they were really planning.

Li Xuemei didn’t hesitate. She took out the last remaining ginseng root from their home.

“Take this to sell. Buy more bamboo.”

To arm an entire village, they couldn’t have too few Bamboo Crossbows.

Bamboo was plentiful in the south but scarce in the north. They needed a lot, so it wouldn’t hurt to bring more silver.

Yan Yu took it.

Buying grain had cost a lot. The Yan family had helped advance some payment, so their funds were indeed a bit tight.

As for ginseng, if they really wanted more, they could just have Maomao go find some again.

“Dad and I plan to take two rafts. Sanbao will stay at home. Mom, if there’s any situation, have Granny Rong hitch the cart and take you all away first. Take our household registration. Go to Yongning, or to Longxing or Fengming.”

Li Xuemei said, “Child, don’t scare yourself. Just like you said, it’s still far from us. The border defenses were just reinforced, the Border Army is all there, and Crouching Tiger City is in between. It shouldn’t come to that.”

Yan Yu couldn’t explain it, she just felt something was off.

When things go against the norm, there must be something sinister afoot.

Maomao jumped onto the kang from a corner and snuggled by Li Xuemei’s feet, its amber-like eyes looking at Yan Yu.

“Maomao, protect my mom.” Yan Yu picked up its little paw and gave it a squeeze.

Maomao meowed, its sharp claws extending as it swiped them through the air.

Yan Yu felt much more at ease.

Father and daughter left the village under cover of night.

Two wooden rafts were stacked together, with the donkey in the water pulling the rope.

The rafts moved absurdly fast.

Yan Yu held Gouzhu, while Yan Lao’er held his daughter and the dog.

Gouzhu stood obediently, not moving a muscle, tongue lolling out. The whole dog, down to every hair, radiated warmth.

The two of them wrapped themselves in a large quilt, blocking the cold wind outside completely.

……

After Village Chief Luo finished overseeing the grain distribution, Li Xuemei came over.

Granny Rong protected her on either side, and Maomao followed her every step.

Daya was also worried, following closely behind.

She kept a constant eye on her second aunt.

As soon as Yan Xiangheng saw her coming, he hurried over too.

Li Xuemei felt a bit embarrassed, but also warmed inside.

The villagers made way for her as she approached.

Everyone was curious why she, in her condition, had come over.

She was undoubtedly the center of attention.

Under everyone’s gaze, Li Xuemei spoke up, “My family has something—a mold for casting iron tools. You pour molten iron into it, and after it cools, it makes nails about a palm’s length long.

My husband found it, originally thinking it would be convenient for making furniture or repairing doors and windows. Just before he left, he told me to ask if anyone in our village could modify this mold to make Iron Arrowheads.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the looks in the villagers’ eyes instantly changed.

“Yan Er is quite the planner!” Village Chief Luo praised, then asked, “Does anyone in our village know this craft?”

Everyone looked at each other, but no one spoke up.

Village Chief Luo grew anxious inside.

“Even knowing the general idea would do.”

Still, no one spoke.

He started calling names: “Qi Wu, come take a look. Can you make this thing or not?”

Under everyone’s gaze, Qi Wu steeled himself and stepped forward. He very seriously examined the item Li Xuemei had brought.

“I can’t make it,” he said in a muffled voice.

A big man like him, his head hung so low it seemed about to snap off.

Village Chief Luo knew his character—if he said he couldn’t do it, he truly couldn’t. He didn’t press him further.

He continued asking the other villagers.

Li Xuemei sighed.

She was just about to take the item back and think of another solution herself, when unexpectedly, a hoarse, aged voice drifted softly from the back of the crowd.

“Can I take a look?”

(End of Chapter)