Chapter 334 – The Day Before School Starts

Yan Yu was right.

Yan Lao’er had to leave first thing in the morning.

Magistrate Tian had said they’d move in the next day, and official classes would begin the day after.

That same day, Yan Lao’er had rushed overnight to Guiyuan Town in Linhai Prefecture. By the time he returned today, it was already dark. There was no time to settle in now, so he would have to leave early tomorrow to avoid missing the start of classes.

Once he realized that, it all felt incredibly tight.

Still worried about two other matters, Yan Lao’er asked his daughter to head home and pack for him.

Yan Yu readily agreed.

She was full of excitement.

Her father had always been the one to take her to school, but this time, she was the one sending him off.

How refreshing!

Yan Lao’er went to find Master Lu first.

He spoke earnestly. “Brother Lu, you and I have always gotten along, so I won’t beat around the bush. I’m sure you’ve heard something by now. The Northern Rong are sneaking their way into our side again, and this time they’re craftier than ever. Pretending to be grain merchants, they’re going around the villages buying up grain.

The real concern is whether they’re identifying where every household’s cellar is hidden!

I remember you telling me that back in the past, when the Northern Rong invaded, folks managed to survive by hiding in their cellars. But now and going forward… can we still rely on that trick?

Brother Lu, you’d better have someone run home and give your family a heads-up. Maybe it’s nothing, but it’s always better to be prepared.

If you want to finish early and head home, I won’t say a word.

Magistrate Tian has been generous to us, and I’ll be heading to Crouching Tiger City with my nephew tomorrow to study at the County School. Even though I won’t be home, my Xiao Er will still be here. She’s bright and sharp with numbers – won’t mess anything up for you…”

Master Lu instinctively said, “But the work’s still not done.”

He was talking about the Qi Family’s house, and a few other odd jobs around the village.

“If you’re willing to stay and keep working, I’d be glad. But if you’re truly uneasy, how about this – bring the missus and the others over to stay in our village for the winter. Doesn’t matter where you spend the cold season, right? Don’t worry about lodging, we’ll squeeze in and make it work…”

The more Yan Lao’er spoke, the better he liked the idea.

“If the ladies come over, they could even lend a hand with the workload. We’ll pay them the usual wage. In our village, if nothing else, there’s always work to do…”

Master Lu quickly waved him off. Bringing his whole family over just to work – Yan Lao’er really dared to dream big.

“I’ll think it over. You go on with your business. I’m not worried about the wages. Your Xiao Er, I know she’s sharp with the books.”

After talking to Master Lu, Yan Lao’er went to find the old man working over at the Qi Family’s courtyard.

Old Man Kang.

He stood at the gate for a moment, then walked in lightly.

Sensing someone approaching, Old Man Kang looked up and saw it was Yan Lao’er from next door – the younger brother of the scholar, and the only one in the village at that.

There’d been quite a stir outside earlier, all because he and his boy had hauled back a load of bamboo.

Impressive, really.

Bamboo was rare up north, and who knew where they had managed to barter for it.

And bold, too.

They’d dared to travel by boat in the dark, just the two of them.

“Old Master Kang.”

Yan Lao’er grabbed a piece of timber and plopped down on it.

Old Man Kang chuckled, “No need for that. Just call me Old Man Kang.”

Yan Lao’er glanced at the mold in his hand and said, “I heard the old man once asked if fixing this mold had any special meaning. Our village came from a background of fleeing from famine, dirt poor, nothing to our name. But even scraping together what little we have, we could probably muster a few taels of silver…”

Old Man Kang carefully set the mold aside and interrupted him. “People like us have no use for silver.”

Yan Lao’er waited quietly, expecting more.

“Folks like us, having fallen this far, only have two paths left.”

“One is a general pardon^[1], where we could return to our original homes.

The other, if we serve out our years of hard labor, is to pay a redemption fee and register as residents of Guanzhou.”

“The current crown prince hasn’t been established yet, so a general pardon… well, it’s unlikely to come anytime soon. As for the hard labor, my household has already served two years. We only have one more to go. I want to ask if we could settle in Xiao’an Village next year. Do you think that’s possible?”

He fixed Yan Lao’er with a piercing gaze.

Before Yan Lao’er could answer, he went on, “I know people like us make others uneasy, but I swear on my life, my eldest son wasn’t the mastermind. At most, he was an accomplice. He lacked the strength to hold fast to his principles, went with the tide, and made a terrible mistake. He’s already paid dearly for it. Our whole family was exiled here, and we’ve never once cried injustice.”

“I can read a little. I could teach the children.”

“My eldest boy has a mild temperament, but he’s careful and patient, willing to work hard. He’s not good at making decisions, but he could still serve as a clerical assistant^[2].”

“My second son… he’s strong and solid, good with manual work.”

“He also likes tinkering with wood and metal. If the village ever needs something built, simple or complicated… he can do it.”

“All of my kids are decent. They’re not troublemakers.”

“We just want a quiet place to live, raise our family, and grow old in peace.”

Yan Lao’er listened to the end, then after a moment said, “I can’t give you an answer right now. This is something I need to discuss with my elder brother and the Village Elders.”

Old Man Kang nodded immediately. “I understand. It’s just that winter is coming fast, and my household is full of the elderly and weak. We don’t even have a place to stay…”

“I’ll handle it.”

…

“I feel like there was more to his words.” Yan Yu tilted her head, deep in thought after hearing her father’s account.

Yan Lao’er had just finished bathing and was lying on the heated bed, letting his hair dry out flat.

“Me too,” he said. “The more I think about it, the more I think it has something to do with the Iron Arrowhead.”

Yan Yu’s mind turned quickly, and she gave a little “Oh!” of realization. “Our iron arrowheads aren’t easy to forge. He probably feels like he’s already boarded our pirate ship and can’t get off, so he figured, why not just stay on and join the crew.”

Li Xuemei gave her a sharp look. “Watch your mouth. We’re not bandits. What do you mean, join the crew?”

“But we didn’t make arrowheads. We made nails,” Yan Yu said with a sly grin.

Yan Lao’er chuckled. “Exactly. We made nails. If they look a little strange, is that our fault? These ‘iron nails’ we’ve made, they’re not just used casually. I’ve already asked around. There won’t be trouble in Guanzhou. That old man’s from the south, and he wouldn’t have had a chance to learn the customs around here while working at a quarry. He probably doesn’t know that things are different in Guanzhou – there’s a lot of private weaponry around here.”

“But that old man is clearly not ordinary,” Yan Lao’er said, turning onto his side. “The way he talks… he’s got a whole system. Said he can read a bit, but I’m guessing he’s far more educated than he lets on.”

“And those two sons of his sound like solid kids too.”

Li Xuemei said, “They’re eyeing your big brother. Want their daughter’s uncle to become an advisor.”

“If he used to be an official, then working as a legal advisor shouldn’t be a problem,” said Yan Yu. “I’m more curious about his second son. Can he really tinker with all kinds of gadgets? It’s a shame he didn’t come this time. I wanted to see for myself.”

“Dad, if you get a chance, ask around. If it’s true, we should let them settle in our village.”

Yan Lao’er pushed Maomao aside to clear his line of sight.

Maomao opened her eyes briefly, then slowly closed them again, letting him push her as he pleased.

“You’re deciding too fast. Can just anyone settle in our village? Don’t we need to test them first?” said Yan Lao’er.

“What’s there to be afraid of? It’s not like someone useless can turn the world upside down,” Yan Yu retorted. “They made mistakes and got punished. We can’t just write them off forever. Uncle said it himself, most of the people exiled over the years lost out in political struggles^[3]. Otherwise, why would Uncle allow them to work in the village?”

“As long as they live honestly and quietly, we’ll treat them like normal folks. But if they stir up trouble, we won’t go easy on them,” Yan Yu declared boldly. “If they cross the line, we’ll kick them out. No discussion!”

Yan Lao’er thought it over and agreed. As soon as he relaxed, his eyelids started to droop.

He really was worn out. He wanted to chat more with his wife and daughter, but his eyes refused to stay open.

His snoring started up again.

Yan Yu rolled her father over with practiced ease.

The noise stopped.

Mother and daughter both chuckled quietly, eyes crinkling with amusement.

Li Xuemei whispered, “You packed so much food for your dad. Can he even finish it all? It’ll spoil if it sits too long.”

“He’ll finish it, no problem. With this much, I’ll still need to make regular trips to Crouching Tiger to deliver more.”

Her dad had a plan to win over the big boss!

He wanted to use gourmet food to tip the scales in his future teacher’s mind.

Yan Yu had to admit, when she first heard the idea, she’d been completely stunned!

Her dad was a real talent!

(End of chapter)