Chapter 060

Chapter 060

When the couple arrived at Taohuagou on their donkeys, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and most of the villagers were still asleep.

Despite its remoteness and poverty, Taohuagou was picturesque with clear waters and green mountains. The villagers could relax once they finished their work in the fields, enjoying a good night's sleep without worrying about getting up early.

Tong Sui and Xiao Zhen slowed down to a gentle trot on their donkeys, but even so, the clopping hooves sounded unusually loud in this sleepy village that had yet to awaken.

At that moment, smoke began to rise from the Song family’s roof.

Tong Sui smiled. "My mother is up."

Xiao Zhen said, "The things we need to do are our responsibility, but it’s my in-laws who have been busy. Otherwise, my mother wouldn’t have to get up so early."

Tong Sui thought that being in-laws was a form of kinship. When relatives encounter legitimate matters where help is needed, as long as it’s within their means, they would likely be willing to assist.

Of course, everyone seeks mutual support; if one party only takes without giving back, such a relationship cannot last.

Tong Sui spoke some polite words to her husband, telling him not to feel guilty.

However, when she dismounted and saw her parents come out to greet her, despite their cheerful expressions, the fatigue and exhaustion from days of hard work were clearly visible on their faces. Tong Sui found it difficult to maintain her earlier light-hearted mood. Having just spoken politely to Xiao Zhen, she hesitated to ask her parents why they looked so tired.

She didn’t ask, but her parents, Tong Youyu and Zhou Qing, noticed the concern in her eyes, and Xiao Zhen also saw it.

Zhou Qing held her daughter’s hand and explained with a smile, "Don’t worry about us. It might seem like your father and I have been chopping wood for five or six days, but it’s really nothing. We just need to keep the fire going to dry the wood. Picking up and adding firewood isn’t that tiring; we just need to watch it day and night. Your father, your second brother, and I took turns, each watching for half the night. Your second brother is fine, but we’re older, so we look more tired."

Tong Youyu added, "Master Wang told us to stop the fire yesterday evening, so we got a full night’s sleep."

Xiao Zhen responded, "Father-in-law and Mother-in-law, you don’t need to say these things to make us feel better. From the start of cutting the trees, you’ve been busy and worried. As your son-in-law, I am responsible for causing you all this trouble. I will continue to burden you for a while longer, but I swear before heaven and the mountain gods here that I will treat you both as if you were my own parents. If I show any disrespect, may I be struck by lightning."

After saying this, he ignored their attempts to support him and knelt down to bow his head.

"Oh, what are you doing so early in the morning? Get up quickly!"

Zhou Qing and her husband helped their son-in-law to his feet, feeling both amused and touched.

Song Lan and his son, as well as Tong Gui and Tong Shan, along with Master Wang and his son, who lived in the same courtyard, woke up due to the commotion outside and witnessed Xiao Zhen kneeling to his in-laws.

Song Zhishi sneered, "Putting on a show."

Song Lan glanced at his son.

After exchanging greetings, Tong Sui helped her mother prepare breakfast, bringing in two jars of wine, a stack of window paper, and several pounds of pork from the donkey.

Tong Gui told Tong Shan to go back to sleep and then followed Xiao Zhen and the others to the neighboring courtyard.

Master Wang looked at the long object wrapped in thick cloth in Xiao Zhen’s left hand. "The wood is ready to use whenever you need it. What exactly are you planning to do?"

Xiao Zhen glanced at the Song family and unwrapped the cloth, revealing three wooden spears bound together.

The Xiao family had several such wooden spears, which were used in the martial arts training ground. The spearheads were merely shaped like iron ones but were not sharp to prevent accidental injuries during practice. In recent days, the elder had locked himself in the Xiao family’s ancestral hall, working tirelessly to sharpen the spear tips into the required shape and then showing them to Master Wang as samples.

Song Lan and Song Zhishi showed surprise, though they already understood the situation.

Master Wang took one of the spears and tested the tip, feeling uneasy. "Why are you making these?"

Making dozens of spears could be justified for the Xiao family’s training ground, but hundreds of such weapons could cause trouble if reported to the authorities.

Xiao Zhen recounted the story of the patriarch’s dream involving the old headman of the Sun family and assured Master Wang, "Rest assured, these spears will be kept by our village’s headman, Sun, and won’t be distributed to the villagers except when the imperial court needs to recruit soldiers to suppress the rebels in the south. Only then will the headman distribute them to the able-bodied men of our village to serve the state."

Master Wang, the Song family, and the Tong uncles: ...

What a convincing explanation. Even if reported to the authorities, corrupt officials like County Magistrate Liu couldn’t accuse Lingshui Village of wrongdoing, as these were merely wooden spears, not under official regulation. The government allows households to possess small amounts of knives; why not wooden spears?

Xiao Zhen looked at the still hesitant Master Wang and said, "These trees, over twenty years old, were cut down by the entire village of Taohuagou. The women also enthusiastically helped, and you personally dried them. Can you bear to let these good logs go to waste and the villagers’ efforts be in vain?"

Master Wang: ...

Having stayed in Taohuagou for a few days, he saw the villagers gather daily to watch the proceedings and heard from them about their collective effort to cut and strip the trees. He knew the Xiao family had paid the villagers for their labor.

If he quit now, the villagers would still have their pay, but the Xiao family would lose much of their effort and money.

What was the Xiao family?

They were a benevolent household that diligently taught martial arts to nearby villagers and a righteous family that saved Pine Village with only five members.

Master Wang could return his payment, but he couldn’t bear to see the Xiao family’s goodwill towards the villagers go to waste because of him.

He sighed. "I can do it, but if something happens in the future..."

Xiao Zhen replied, "If that day comes, I will say you did it under duress."

Master Wang shook his head with a bitter smile.

Master Wang’s son said, "Second Uncle, with so much wood, we can make seven hundred and eighty spears. How long will it take just the two of us?"

Xiao Zhen turned to his father-in-law and uncle.

Tong Gui said, "I understand. I’ll go talk to the headman and have him sound the gong again!"

He ran off quickly.

Xiao Zhen bowed to Master Wang again. "The villagers are skilled at felling trees, but they will need your guidance for sawing and shaping the wood. Grandfather hopes to finish these spears before the wheat harvest begins."

Master Wang replied, "With enough helpers, it should be possible."

---

After breakfast, the men, women, and children of Taohuagou gathered at the Tong family’s place once again.

Tong Gui first selected some strong men to move the lumber from the four rooms out and place it in the backyards of the Tong and Song families.

Master Wang, Xiao Zhen, and others were tallying their tools. Including those provided by the Xiao family, those Master Wang brought himself, and those held by the villagers, they had a total of thirty-one saws.

For such thick logs, two people would need to work together to saw them.

Taohuagou had about fifty households, and everyone wanted to earn money. Gathering sixty able-bodied men to operate the saws wasn’t too difficult.

Tong Youyu and his nephew were responsible for selecting the men, while Xiao Zhen discussed the steps for making the guns with Master Wang, checking if they had all the necessary materials.

Song Lan watched for a while, then took Song Zhishi to tidy up and head to the private school; the children of Taohuagou still needed to continue their studies.

Song Zhishi: "Father, is it worth it for the Xiao and Sun families to pay so much for making guns just because of an old village chief’s dream? Even if the government does conscript soldiers in the future, the military will provide weapons and training. What use are those wooden guns?"

Song Lan: "I also have a question for you. Disciples taught by the same teacher—some pass the imperial exams, while others never even become scholars. Why is that?"

Song Zhishi: "…Difference in talent?"

Song Lan: "Then among those who pass the imperial exams, some become renowned ministers in history, while others live mediocre lives. Why is that?"

Song Zhishi fell silent. Those who passed the imperial exams wouldn’t lack talent, but the path of governance was too complex. Achieving results depended not only on one’s ability but also on opportunities. Some might offend their superiors upon entering the bureaucracy and face suppression, while others might be talented but never receive the emperor’s favor.

He shared these thoughts with his father.

Song Lan pointed to his head: "No matter how things change, the key is whether a person is smart enough."

Song Zhishi found his father’s words very reasonable.

As he pondered this, he suddenly realized: "Father, you haven’t answered my question yet."

Song Lan smiled: "If you’re smart enough, you can figure it out yourself. Otherwise, there’s no point in asking; just watch what the smart people do."

Song Zhishi: "..."

---

When all the lumber from the four rooms of the Tong family was moved out and the men were working in the backyard, Tong Sui accompanied her mother to clean the house.

They swept the floors and beds, hung the windows to ventilate and dissipate the smoke smell, and wiped the cabinets clean outside before moving them back inside together.

Xiao Zhen noticed and called Tong Gui over to help move all the cabinets back.

Zhou Qing: "That’s enough; go back to your work. There’s no more heavy lifting here."

Xiao Zhen looked at the windows of the four rooms.

Zhou Qing smiled: "We’ll take care of the window paper. Go back to the backyard quickly; don’t try to slack off."

There was a pile of lumber waiting to be sawed in the backyard.

Xiao Zhen then returned with Tong Gui.

Tong Sui prepared the paste, and the two of them took off their shoes and stood on the bed. One held the large ceramic bowl to apply paste to the window frames, while the other pasted the new window paper.

It was indeed a simple task.

Zhou Qing still praised her son-in-law: "He’s really considerate. I didn’t even think about the window paper when Master Wang mentioned it, but he did."

Tong Sui muttered: "If he hadn’t thought of it, he’d be heartless."

The villagers came to help because they were paid, but her parents didn’t expect anything from the Xiao family.

After a busy day, they hadn’t finished sawing the lumber, let alone reached the step of quenching.

The couple decided to stay overnight.

Lying in bed, Tong Sui said to the man beside her: "Go back by yourself tomorrow morning. I’ll return after the guns are done."

She had things to learn and wanted to stay home to help her parents. There was nothing urgent at the Xiao residence; at most, Liu Chu would have to cook by herself, which would be a bit harder for her.

But for Tong Sui, her parents were even busier.

Last time, she suggested staying at her parents’ house, but it was just a suggestion, not a firm decision. This time, her tone left no room for Xiao Zhen to refuse.

Xiao Zhen held her hand, squeezing it for a moment, and said: "Alright, stay here with peace of mind. You don’t need to worry about the other side."