Chapter 80: The Arrivals ◇

◎ What if my mother and sister-in-law, so beautiful, were taken away? ◎

After the autumn harvest, there was little work left in the fields. Many villagers, young and old, came to apply for jobs. Yu Lian selected some strong men and had them follow Zhu Ying to explore the newly acquired mountain, mapping out its terrain.

If they had gone alone, they would never have ventured deep into the mountains, fearing encounters with ferocious beasts that could cost them their lives. But with the skilled martial artist, Zhu Ying, leading the way, they felt fearless. On their descent, they even dragged back a whole litter of wild boars, creating quite a spectacle.

Upon returning, they began to boast:

"I thought there would be fierce beasts lurking in those mountains, so we dared not go before. But turns out, it was nothing but a bunch of brainless fattened pigs waiting to be slaughtered!"

"Pah! Waiting to be slaughtered? If not for Hero Zhu Ying's swift swordplay, do you think you'd still be alive to tell the tale? Forget about a litter of boars, even one would have been enough to make you run for your life."

"Ha-ha, Hero Zhu Ying is truly remarkable! We didn't even see him move much, and yet the entire litter fell. So majestic!"

The men who accompanied Zhu Ying on the mountain praised him endlessly, utterly impressed. They admired the long sword in his hand with envious eyes. After all, which man hasn't fantasized about being a powerful hero, leaping from rooftops, killing without shedding blood?

This was Zhu Ying's first close encounter with the villagers, and he had already gained a group of devoted fans. He felt quite proud, thinking that his chances of staying in the village openly had increased. If he had known that his martial arts skills could be so useful, he would have come out earlier. A litter of wild boars was all it took to win over the villagers.

According to the custom, once a mountain is claimed, everything on it, be it livestock or crops, belongs to the new owner – in this case, the Yu Lian family. Half of the collected silver was handed over to the government as tax, while the other half was stored in the village's communal fund. The money was spent wisely and fairly, so the villagers had no objections.

Therefore, the entire litter of fat pigs became the property of the Yu Lian family. Yu Lian instructed Butcher Zhang to slaughter one as a reward for the villagers and laborers. The rest were processed into cured meats to prepare for the winter.

Zhu Ying also directed the villagers to harvest all edible wild fruits on the mountain, carrying them down in baskets for the female workers at the workshop to turn into fruit preserves.

The temporary canning factory was set up in the northern part of the Yu Lian family's courtyard. The wall was knocked down, and a makeshift shed was erected with a large boiler stove. If the canning business took off, a larger workshop would be constructed.

At this moment, the Yu Lian household was bustling with activity. In the northern workshop shed, the women were busy making fruit preserves. One group washed the fruits and placed them in baskets, cutting the larger ones into pieces and leaving the smaller ones whole. Another group boiled the cleaned fruits to make a sugary syrup, while a third group filled pre-prepared ceramic jars with the syrupy fruits, sealing the lids with wax before steaming them to kill bacteria and ensure preservation. Thus, the fruit preserves were completed.

The three children spent their days around the canning stove, their mouths watering and eyes shining with anticipation. The aunts, softened by their longing, occasionally tried to sneak them a taste, but after being caught by Yu Lian a couple of times, they refrained. The children were left to salivate uncontrollably.

As Yu Lian put it, indulging in sweets occasionally was fine, but constant consumption could ruin their teeth. Zhu Ying playfully teased that the three youngsters were gluttonous mice sneaking oil, while their sister-in-law was the cat chasing them, causing the children to feel dejected.

The village aunts and wives were all efficient workers; those who were lazy were not welcomed by Yu Lian. In just a few days, all the harvested fruits were canned. A rough count revealed approximately two or three hundred jars.

When the house was initially built, Yu Lian, heeding Second Master's advice, had constructed a large cellar. It was perfect for storing the canned goods.

On the other side of the courtyard, rows of wooden frames were erected, with ropes tied to them on both sides. Hanging from these ropes were cured wild boar meat, emitting a savory aroma that tantalized the taste buds of children of all ages, who spent their days loitering in Yu Lian's courtyard. On one side was sweet syrup, and on the other, smoked meat, driving them to the brink of obsession.

Fortunately, the owner was not a miser. Each day, there would always be some leftover syrup in the large pot, which they would share with the children when the jars ran out. As for the meat, after two meals of wild boar, they still craved smoked meat? Dream on!

The twins, who had turned laziness into an art form, saw this swarm of children drooling in their yard daily and put them to work, making them feed the pigs, chickens, ducks, and even walk the geese. Meanwhile, they hid away to play.

Little Guo'er found it hard to comprehend. She asked her brothers, "Why are you doing this? Aren't you being mean?"

The twins replied with a sense of righteousness, "How is that mean? We're not doing it for free."

"What kind of reward?"

"They're craving meat and syrup, aren't they? We told them they'd get a slice of cured meat or a taste of syrup for each job they do."

"But the cured meat isn't ready yet, and Sister Syrup won't let us touch it. What can Second Brother and Third Brother give them? Isn't that cheating?"

The twins grinned. "Not at all. When it's ready, we'll save our rations to give them their rewards."

Little Guo'er counted the children working in the courtyard—there were at least twenty of them.

Her eyes widened. "You still have to come over?"

The twins finally realized their mistake. It wasn't just a piece of meat and a sip of sweet soup per person – it was multiplied by the number of heads. They instantly felt faint, recalling their sister-in-law's "cruelty." They rushed over to chase the working children out of the courtyard.

"No more playing!"

"..."

Yu Lian didn't give the three youngsters any chance to continue playing. She sought Zhu Ying for a conversation, asking how he had been adapting since living here for some time.

Zhu Ying nodded profusely, afraid that the young mistress might misunderstand and think he was unhappy, leading her to ask him to leave.

Yu Lian then inquired about his future plans. Did he genuinely intend to live in this village permanently?

Zhu Ying nodded again.

"Well then, to establish stability, you need a job and a legitimate identity. As a newcomer without land or property, how about staying in my house first and becoming a martial arts tutor for the three children? Once you have an income, save some silver to buy a plot of land from the village chief and build a house. That would be a solid foundation."

Zhu Ying listened with tears welling up in his eyes. He felt that the young mistress truly cared for him and treated people exceptionally well. As an outsider, she had meticulously planned for his future, considering every aspect, providing him with both shelter and work. Could there be a better young mistress than her?

He rubbed his eyes, his dark face gleaming with bright, determined eyes. "Mist... Your kindness to me will be eternally ingrained in my memory. I promise to work diligently and teach both young masters and miss their martial arts skills."

Yu Lian nodded with a smile.

From that day on, the three children embarked on a busy journey of ceaseless learning. On one hand, they had a scholarly tutor teaching them culture, while on the other, a master warrior instructed them in martial arts. They also had to assist their grandmother in feeding pigs, chickens, and taking the geese for walks, keeping them occupied and joyfully exhausted.

The twins were initially thrilled, but their master warrior started by teaching them the basics - horse stance, insisting they practice this for at least a month before proceeding to anything else. Moreover, they would have to start each day with an hour-long horse stance before any further martial arts training.

After two days of genuinely practicing the horse stance without any shortcuts, the thought of doing it daily left the twins feeling bleak and hopeless about their future. Right then and there, they loudly protested, declaring they no longer wished to learn martial arts.

"What we aspire to learn is the ethereal agility of flying through the skies, the swordsmanship capable of slaying wild boars, not this tedious and exhausting horse-stance! What's the point in squatting like this? No fun, no fun, I'm done with it!"

Hua Zhan listened with continuous head-shaking, his eyes ablaze with anger as he scowled at his sons. Deep down, he was well aware of the character these two possessed. Back in their days at the Marquis's residence, he had indeed engaged distinguished masters to teach them martial arts, yet these two lads detested the hardship and were prone to laziness and trickery. Their efforts were sporadic, akin to fishing for three days and drying nets for two—they never truly grasped the rigors inherent in learning martial arts.

Back then, the marquisate was at the height of its glory. The eldest son had surpassed his father's achievements, while the two younger sons, with the support of their elder siblings, were free to indulge in playfulness without causing too much concern. After attempting to discipline them a few times to no avail, their father eventually let them be.

Such a reaction is utterly unsurprising.

But Zhu Ying had her ways. After a few days, she managed to cajole the two boys into diligently practicing their horse-stance.

During the family meal, taking advantage of the two boys' playful nature after they finished eating and ran outside to catch ants, Yu Lian inquired curiously about the method in question.

Zhu Ying smiled and said, "I told them that there's a band of bandits nearby who have a habit of abducting beautiful women to be their lady consorts. Once taken, they never return."

Yu Lian was perplexed. "Even if it's true, they usually target women, not children. How could it frighten him?"

"Hua Yan and Hua Xing were terrified, wondering what would happen if my mother and my sister-in-law, so beautiful, were to be taken away?"

Yu Lian froze upon hearing this, a tender feeling stirring within her heart. The whole family also paused in their meal, turning to look towards the door. The voices of the two boys in the courtyard, though as quiet as the whisper of an ant, still penetrated clearly into the room. Their words evoked a myriad of emotions within the family; the matriarch, in particular, felt a deep sense of gratification. She commented that despite her grandson still appearing playful and mischievous, he had indeed grown up and matured, now capable of protecting others.

---

Hardly two days later, Hua Sanduo returned in his carriage, laden with canned wild fruits from the mountains.

Initially, his trip was to gather information on fruit tree saplings. After consulting with seasoned merchants, he learned that it was not the right season for planting; with the weather turning cooler, any saplings planted now would likely perish once winter arrived. Heeding Yu Lian's advice, he opted to purchase the fruits first. It being peak harvest season, fruits were abundant and inexpensive. A string of ox carts followed behind him, brimming with their precious cargo.

Hua Sanduo directed the cart drivers to unload the fruits at the workshop, while he himself invited someone down from the carriage.

The man was peculiar, carrying two large bundles that seemed to weigh heavily on him. He was well-dressed, yet also held a potted plant of an unknown species in his arms, which appeared to be quite a burden.

Hua Sanduo invited someone into the courtyard, and upon entering, the guest immediately addressed the host as "Master." The person standing nearby assumed that the reference was to the head of the household, possibly the former East Yuan Marquis?

To their surprise, a young woman emerged, her beauty rivaling that of a national treasure, exuding an elegant demeanor.

The guest was slightly taken aback. Could this be the Sixth Miss from the residence of the Wei Duke?

Apologies for the absence; I've been attending to some matters. Updates will resume now.