Chapter 054

Chapter 054

With the help of his in-laws overseeing the logging and air-drying, Xiao Zhen took Tong Sui back to Lingshui Village the next day.

They left in the morning and arrived home before lunch.

The old man had guessed they would return at this time and had instructed Mother He and her daughters to prepare meals for the young couple.

Mother He glanced at Xiao Zhen and wondered, "What kind of task did you have? Just two days gone, and why do I feel like you've gotten even darker?"

Hearing this, Tong Sui also looked at Xiao Zhen. Perhaps because they had been together these past few days, she hadn't noticed any change in his complexion. But considering he had been chopping trees on the mountain and hauling stones under the scorching sun to build a shed, it was normal that he'd gotten tanned.

Xiao Zhen didn't respond to his aunt but noticed Tong Sui's scrutiny, as if assessing how much darker he had become.

The men of the Xiao family were not naturally fair-skinned. They might have been praised for their clear complexion when they were young, but after years of fighting with the imperial army and now busy with spring plowing, their faces and necks had turned the color of ripe wheat.

The farmers in the village were even darker than them, so Xiao Zhen never paid much attention to it until he saw a scholarly gentleman with a face as white as powder at his father-in-law's house.

Seeing Tong Sui lower her eyes to avoid his gaze, Xiao Zhen continued eating.

Mother He: "..."

Xiao Shouyi, catching the old man's glance, chided his wife, "You talk too much. Father assigned him a task; does he need to report to you?"

Mother He muttered, "We're family. Can't I just ask casually?"

No one responded to her.

After the meal, Xiao Zhen followed the old man and Xiao Shouyi to the study.

He first reported on the progress in Taohuagou.

Xiao Mu nodded. "Although Taohuagou is small, we can gather thirty or forty able-bodied men. Since it’s the off-season, they will be happy to help. Has anyone probed deeply about this?"

Xiao Zhen replied, "Everything is fine; no one insisted on knowing more."

Song Zhishi's inquiries were purely out of provocation and wouldn't cause further trouble.

Xiao Mu added, "On our side, I sent Sun Xinghai to Pine Village to retrieve the iron tools left by the refugees. Then I had him deliver them to Master Wang, who will forge the necessary blades for the weapons. These are small items; they should be ready in five or six days."

During Brother Qin's night raid on Pine Village, some people used machetes, while others used stolen axes and hoes. Although there weren’t many, the amount of iron needed for planing knives and saws was minimal, so they could easily gather twenty sets.

Xiao Zhen said, "The wood needs to be dried before use, which is hard to control. Should I bring Master Wang along next time? Once all the weapons are made, we can send him back to town."

Xiao Shouyi agreed, "If we pay him enough, he shouldn’t refuse."

With weapon production running smoothly, Xiao Zhen asked about training: "How many people are willing to train with us morning and evening?"

Both Xiao Mu and Xiao Shouyi laughed. Xiao Shouyi explained, "Sun Xinghai has quite a way with words. He gathered everyone by the pond and told them that the old village headman appeared in his dream, saying that the court would eventually conscript soldiers to reclaim the territories occupied by the false emperors of Xiliang and Dongling. The old village headman advised the Sun family to build a good relationship with the Xiao family, learn more skills, and survive or even achieve greatness on the battlefield. Sun Xinghai then told everyone that since they were all from the same village, they should train together, helping each other on the battlefield."

Could the court really defeat those false emperors?

The villagers didn't believe it and didn't care who ruled; they only cared whether there would be another conscription, sending them to their deaths.

Some villagers had already been practicing martial arts with the Xiao family. The Sun family, always competing with the Xiao family for the top position in the village, preferred learning martial arts from Sun Dian, who had once been a constable in the county. Sun Dian and his brothers occasionally challenged the Xiao family in wrestling matches. Now, even the Sun family wanted to learn from the Xiao family, showing how seriously the old village headman's message was taken.

Thus, the villagers who valued their lives dared not slack off.

Half an hour in the early morning and half an hour at dusk wouldn't interfere with their daytime work in the fields. So they trained!

Tong Sui had heard about this from Liu Chu.

"As soon as dawn breaks, the Sun family beats the gong. Those who want to train gather at our place, led by Grandfather and Uncle, they run to the riverbank and practice spear drills for half an hour. Afterward, they run back, just in time for breakfast. It's the same in the evening. Nothing is delayed, and if other villagers come to learn martial arts during the day, Grandfather and Uncle continue teaching them."

Tong Sui was surprised by how quickly the Xiao family had mobilized the villagers. While Xiao Zhen had just hired the villagers of Taohuagou to chop wood, the old man had already arranged the training sessions.

"Many people came, right?"

"It was the first day yesterday. Grandfather said seven hundred people showed up, mostly those of conscription age. But he also mentioned that many were just curious and would likely slack off or drop out. If we end up with five hundred, it would be good."

Tong Sui shook her head. The old man was right; there would always be lazy people, especially when danger wasn't imminent. But when danger truly came, those who hadn't prepared would regret it, though it would be too late.

Diligence ensured food on the table and increased chances of survival.

---

After chatting, Tong Sui returned to the east wing room.

Between spring plowing and visiting her parents, Tong Sui had been busy. Only now, closing the door and lying down on the bed without worrying about cooking dinner, did she truly relax as she had before spring plowing.

Footsteps approached—it was Xiao Zhen.

Tong Sui sat up and unlocked the door for him.

Recently, Xiao Zhen had been even more exhausted than her. After washing his face, he also lay down on the bed, resting his head on the quilt by the window, stretching his long legs, with his feet slightly hanging over the edge.

This was still because the Xiao family's bed was wider than most. When Xiao Zhen slept in the western room at Tong Sui's house, he had to curl his feet, otherwise, the pillow would have to be placed on the ground.

Tong Sui had measured his legs and noticed him staring at her. She lowered her eyes and asked, "If you're going to rest, shall I pull down the quilt?"

Xiao Zhen: "Are you sleeping?"

Tong Sui nodded.

Xiao Zhen: "Then pull it down. I'll wash my feet."

This man was always meticulous, and Tong Sui was quite pleased. She had seen many villagers with blackened nails, and her two older brothers had only gradually developed the habit of washing their hands due to their mother's nagging. Tong Sui remembered her mother's complaints about her eldest brother: "I was a city girl. I married your uncle because he looked good. If I had known he hated bathing, I wouldn't have married him, even if he looked like Pan An!"

Tong Rong retorted, "Uncle almost bathes every day. How can that be considered hating baths?"

Mother: "It's all because of my upbringing. If you want a beautiful wife, you need to keep yourself clean and tidy."

Tong Rong: "Can I not find one?"

Mother: "Not finding a wife is fine, but do you also not want me and Aman anymore? Stinking all the time, we don't even want to eat at the same table with you."

In her mind, Tong Sui saw her eldest brother's shocked and helpless expression, and she smiled. Back then, everything was still peaceful; how good it was.

Coming back to reality, Tong Sui silently laid out two beds.

Xiao Zhen returned, bare-chested, still carrying a few water droplets.

Tong Sui glanced once before closing her eyes.

Xiao Zhen crawled into her bed.

Tong Sui pushed him away: "I'm sleepy."

Xiao Zhen: "After we finish, you'll sleep even better."

Tong Sui: "…Aren't you afraid someone might come?"

Xiao Zhen: "No one will visit at this hour."

The villagers' main concern was farming, and now that the fields were planted and the seedlings hadn't sprouted yet, the afternoon was getting hot again. Most people would rest at home during this time.

Tong Sui couldn't argue with him.

Xiao Zhen pulled the blanket aside, letting the bright sunlight in, illuminating his young wife, making her look dazzlingly white.

Xiao Zhen looked at his hands, then at her, and suddenly asked, "Second Aunt said I've gotten darker. What do you think?"

Tong Sui: "…"

She didn't want to talk at all.

Xiao Zhen: "Didn't notice, or didn't really look at me?"

Tong Sui had no choice but to mumble, "Didn't notice."

Xiao Zhen: "So I've always been dark, right?"

Tong Sui: "…Not exactly dark, just a common skin tone."

Xiao Zhen: "You girls, do you all prefer fair-skinned men? When Yuhuan fell for Yao Ge Er's father, it was because he was fair and handsome."

Tong Sui: "Being fair doesn't necessarily mean handsome; it depends on whether they're handsome overall."

Xiao Zhen lowered his voice: "In your eyes, which category do I fall into?"

Tong Sui: "…"

When she first married him, she occasionally found her husband's silence cold, but now she realized there were benefits to being quiet.

He was still waiting for an answer. Tong Sui bit her lip and said, "Matchmaker Fang said you're the most handsome man in your village."

Xiao Zhen: "I'm asking what you think."

Tong Sui: "…I think Matchmaker Fang didn't lie to us."

That counted as an answer. Xiao Zhen asked again, "If I were in your village, where would I rank?"

For a brief moment, Tong Sui thought of Song Zhishi.

Why did she like Song Zhishi back then? It was because he was handsome, and his scholar-like politeness gradually won her heart.

Xiao Zhen and Song Zhishi were completely different types of men. If Song Zhishi was a deer that easily appealed to women, Xiao Zhen was a wolf.

Their attractiveness was different too, just like Liu Chu and Lin Ningfang were both beauties, but who was more beautiful depended on the observer's preference. For example, Sun Dian would definitely say Liu Chu was more beautiful, while Xiao Yan would praise Lin Ningfang as the most beautiful woman in the world.

And she, Tong Sui, was married to Xiao Zhen.

"Second," Tong Sui said, her eyelashes fluttering.

Hearing his breath pause for a moment, Tong Sui laughed, "Just a little less handsome than my second brother."

Xiao Zhen: "…"

---

The afternoon was spent in frivolity, and at night, Xiao Zhen didn't bother her further, allowing Tong Sui to have a good night's sleep.

The next day was the first day of the fourth month, the day Tong Sui and Liu Chu were supposed to cook.

As the sisters-in-law carried firewood into the main room, the men of the Xiao family were already waiting at the martial arts training ground to the west, leaving only Xiao Zhen and Xiao Yan to guard the house.

At that moment, the sound of a gong came from the pond, three strikes in total.

This was the first time Tong Sui truly felt the atmosphere of the entire Lingshui Village practicing martial arts. As she prepared breakfast, she listened to the sounds, and soon, villagers started arriving.

Fifteen minutes later, outside the West Court, Xiao Ye's loud voice boomed, "Today, when you go back, tell your neighbors who didn't come that our old man is training everyone like soldiers. Only by doing so can everyone adapt quickly and survive on the battlefield if they are conscripted in the future! Since this is the case, you must act like soldiers. When the gong sounds, you must assemble immediately. Tomorrow will be their last chance. Anyone who doesn't come after that, we won't teach them anymore!"

"Alright, let's go!"

This time, the sound from the west was the footsteps of the men. At first, they were somewhat disorganized, but soon became neat and orderly, heading north.