Chapter 390: Omens

Yan Lao’er knit his brows and said, “Wolves hold grudges. If any escaped, we really should track them down. It’s best to kill them all. If you want to go… it’s not out of the question, but you need more people. It’s best to bring your Qi family uncles along.”

Ever since his daughter gained her great strength, her courage had grown along with it. Having killed Northern Rong soldiers before, he could no longer ignore the changes in her.

As parents, he and his wife were gradually accepting and adapting to this.

“Uncle Qi and the others…” Yan Yu thought of something, her expression becoming solemn. “Dad, Granny Rong told Mom the other day that the charcoal and firewood we’ve stockpiled isn’t enough.”

Yan Lao’er was shocked. “What did she say exactly?”

Yan Yu replied, “Mom said Granny Rong didn’t count the charcoal Uncle Qi and the others stored in the forest. She only counted the piles in the small shed in our yard. Moreover, she estimated based on the current household population. At the time, only Mom, Big Sis Daya, and Qing’er were home. With two rooms plus the kitchen, and charcoal being slow-burning by nature, logically it shouldn’t be off by much even if it wasn’t enough. But Granny Rong said it’s far from sufficient.”

“The piles in the small shed were put there with the help of Qi Si and Qi Wu. There’s quite a lot,” Yan Lao’er said.

Yan Yu nodded.

Her family couldn’t stand the cold, so they had started lighting the heated brick beds early. Fourth Uncle Qi and Qi Wu were very honest men; they had hauled several cartloads back and forth for her family.

“If that’s still far from enough, then just how cold is this winter going to be?” Yan Lao’er asked the question that Yan Yu had been pondering in her heart.

“Dad, did you buy that piece of forest land to the south?” Yan Yu suddenly asked.

“Bought it. The deed is here. Take it back and have your mother keep it safe.” Yan Lao’er took out two land deeds^[1], pointing to the one underneath. “This one belongs to the Qi family. Give it to Grandma Qi. And here, this is the remaining silver.”

Yan Yu took a quick look and recognized Uncle Liang’s handwriting. She tucked the deeds into her robes, keeping them close to her body.

She also counted the silver and noted the amount.

It was less than she had expected to spend, and Yan Yu looked delighted.

Yan Lao’er said, “With Dashi Bridge as the boundary, all the way to the village, it’s all land for our two families. I had Manshan help us split it down the middle. It was written somewhat randomly; either deed is essentially the same.”

“Is Fengnian adjusting well at the County School?” Yan Yu asked.

Liang Manshan had brought Liang Fengnian to the Government Office a few days ago, and he had also entered the County School to study, becoming classmates with Yan Lao’er and Yan Xiangheng.

At the mention of this, Yan Lao’er sighed. “He’s doing great. What kind of kids are these? Your big brother is one, and Fengnian is another. According to your Grandmaster, they’re both excellent prospects for scholarship. Your big brother has higher natural talent; he learns everything quickly and understands well. Fengnian, hiss, don’t look at how young he is, he’s truly hardworking. He’s the type who makes up for lack of natural brilliance with sheer diligence.”

Yan Yu noticed her father was burning wood, so she asked, “Dad, did the charcoal we brought before all run out?”

“I gave some to your Uncle Liang. This building at the Government Office really doesn’t hold heat. It’s especially cold at night. Your Grandmaster’s room and my room don’t have heated beds, so the stoves have to be lit all night. When we get up in the morning, the chill is heavy. There’s also a stove in the place where your Grandmaster works. These past few days, I’ve been going over early to light it…”

Yan Lao’er grew thoughtful. “Now that you mention it, the weather is a bit strange. It’s only just entered the ninth month^[2], so why is it this cold?”

Yan Yu looked at her father, and her father looked at her.

Both of their hearts skipped a beat.

“Daughter, what are you thinking?” Yan Lao’er spoke first.

Yan Yu said, “The same thing you are.”

“Don’t say it out loud. Good things don’t always come true, but bad omens often do^[3],” Yan Lao’er said warily.

Yan Yu was speechless. “Does what I say really have that much power?”

“Just don’t say it. Let’s wait and see, maybe it’s not that,” Yan Lao’er said, clutching at a bit of hope.

“Regardless, storing more charcoal can’t be a mistake.” Yan Yu had actually felt a sense of forewarning when she heard her mother say Granny Rong thought the charcoal supply was insufficient.

In the world she lived in, the danger level was moderate. Furthermore, Granny Rong was a domestic service robot; her settings were all geared toward better serving the family. What to do when it gets cold? Make cotton clothes, store charcoal for the winter, stockpile food…

That’s right, these were all things Granny Rong had been doing. Granny Rong had finished their family’s cotton clothes long ago. Besides clothes, there were cotton shoes, cotton hats, cotton gloves…

There was also plenty to eat. The vegetables piled in the cellar were enough for them to eat their fill all winter.

Thinking about it this way, everything lined up.

…

Magistrate Tian came back for lunch at noon and saw Yan Yu.

Yan Yu performed her greetings with proper decorum. Although Yan Lao’er had not yet had a formal apprenticeship ceremony, the status of master and disciple was already settled; all that was missing was the ritual.

Magistrate Tian gave her a meeting gift with a smile – a painting done by his own hand.

It depicted the autumn scenery of Xiao’an Village. The mountains were tall and sturdy, the farmland was laid out like scales, a few wisps of cooking smoke rose from the village dwellings, and the river was the finishing touch. With just a few strokes, he captured extreme tenderness and beauty, harmonizing the stillness of the mountains with the movement of the water. The varying shades of ink highlighted the lushness and abundance of autumn.

Yan Yu liked it very much and decided she would have it framed and hung in her parents’ room.

Magistrate Tian asked about her trip to Guiyuan, and Yan Yu answered each question.

“We went to Gufeng first to deliver medicine. Only after getting the silver did we go to Guiyuan… The village rafts all went, and there were quite a few people. We looked out for each other, and the whole trip was quite smooth. The grain prices in the grain stores in Guiyuan Town had risen a bit since the last time we went. Fortunately, we collected grain directly from the villages. The price we negotiated last time held, and the owner of the bamboo shop was very honest and didn’t raise his prices. We had some surplus silver left, so we asked around the nearby villages and bought some more.”

What Yan Yu didn’t mention was that there wasn’t much profit in transporting medicine from the herbal medicine shop in Guiyuan Town, but she bought it anyway and made another delivery to Gufeng on the return trip.

Her uncle wouldn’t let them get close anymore. They only unloaded the goods by the river. Even the silver for the medicine was only allowed to be taken after someone watched them wash it thoroughly.

She hadn’t been at ease and had asked a few more questions.

Only then did she learn that it wasn’t that the situation had worsened, but that more people in Gufeng were falling ill, so they had to adopt stricter control regulations.

It was the same for their medicine deliveries as it was for the various villages within Gufeng’s borders delivering their grain taxes to the city; everything was done at designated locations far from the main city.

Once the grain tax was set and the townships were notified, they would transport the grain themselves, have it weighed, and be issued tax receipts.

Despite such complications, although Gufeng wasn’t the first to finish, the Prefectural City didn’t make things difficult for them considering the plague had not yet receded. The grain was accepted into the granaries as recorded, without extra levies.

Hearing that the grain of all the cities had been fully stored in the warehouses, Magistrate Tian knit his brows tightly and remained silent for a long time.

“Teacher?”

“Tianyou, come with me to the Prefectural City,” Magistrate Tian said.

Yan Er asked, “Teacher, we don’t need to pay this year’s grain tax, do we?”

Magistrate Tian shook his head and looked at the child, who was also full of confusion.

“Would Xiao Er like to go to the Prefectural City with Grandmaster for a look around?”

That would be great, of course!

She had already planned to go to the Prefectural City tomorrow to look at shops. Since they were going the same way, they might as well go together; one day wouldn’t make a difference.

Besides, even if she found a good one and had the silver on her, she couldn’t buy it herself. Her father would still have to step in to negotiate so it could be registered under her parents’ names.

(End of Chapter)