Chapter 063

Chapter 063

Lingshui Village, Xiao Family.

After dinner, the old man instructed the two children to return to their rooms first. Then, with a stern expression, he addressed the adults from both courtyards: "Old Second and the others will be driving back in the second half of the night. You all just sleep; even if you hear any commotion, don't get up. Anyone who dares to leave their room and look around will be punished—twenty lashes for the men, three nights kneeling in the ancestral hall for the women."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ye and Xiao Yan recalled their childhood mischiefs and the beatings they received from their grandfather. Although He Shi and Xiao Yuchan had never kneeled in the ancestral hall, they felt the sharp gaze of the old man and knew he was warning them specifically.

Everyone quickly agreed.

In the eastern courtyard, only Liu Chu, her daughter, and Xiao Ye were present. Liu Chu wouldn't inquire about matters from her brother-in-law, and Xiao Ye had nothing much to discuss with his gentle eldest sister-in-law. They went to their respective rooms to sleep.

The western courtyard was more lively.

He Shi pestered her husband, asking, "What's going on? Why must Old Second come back so late at night? There must be a secret. Tell me, or I'll feel like ants are crawling all over me."

Xiao Shouyi, with his eyes closed, replied, "I know, but I can't tell you. No matter how much you beg, I won't say a word. Go to sleep now. And Yuchan, stop eavesdropping by the door; go back inside."

Xiao Yuchan, who was pressed against the door, remained silent.

In the side room, Xiao Yan had no one to ask and lay on his back, staring out the window, feeling frustrated: "Grandfather is really something. I understand why he values Second Brother, but why does he always send Fifth Younger Brother when Second Brother needs help? Am I not more reliable than Fifth Younger Brother?"

Lin Ningfang, lying on her side facing away from him, said calmly, "When you intercepted the refugees in Pine Village, you all went together."

Xiao Yan: "That was different. That didn't require secrecy. Whenever something needs to be kept secret, it's always Fifth Younger Brother who goes."

Lin Ningfang: "If you want to know, you can ask Fifth Younger Brother privately."

Xiao Yan: "He wouldn't tell me. He may be silly, but he keeps his mouth shut."

Lin Ningfang: "So Grandfather and Second Brother haven't made a mistake in choosing him."

Xiao Yan: "… I can keep secrets too. The problem is that they don't trust me."

Lin Ningfang paused for a moment before asking, "How did my background become known in the village?"

Xiao Yan: "… You never told me not to talk about it. Besides, I only told Mother and the others; I never bragged about it outside. Mother spends her days with the other wives in the village. When they asked about your background, she wanted to show off having a capable daughter-in-law and thought there was nothing to hide, so she told them."

Lin Ningfang: "Sleep."

Xiao Yan moved closer and held her shoulder, "You didn't want it to spread?"

Lin Ningfang remained silent.

Xiao Yan: "I didn't know. If you had told me earlier, I wouldn't have told anyone."

No matter how he explained, Lin Ningfang seemed to have fallen asleep, leaving Xiao Yan worried about upsetting his wife instead of thinking about the secret between his brother and Fifth Younger Brother.

In the central courtyard, the old man slept soundly. Upon waking, he checked the sky, estimating that his grandsons would soon arrive. He dressed and opened the doors of the main hall on both sides, as well as the ancestral hall. Then, he went to the back yard to open the gate, standing there with his hands behind his back, waiting.

Xiao Shouyi came to accompany him.

Xiao Mu: "You don't need to be here. Go back and watch your wife. Don't let them peek through the cracks."

Xiao Shouyi reluctantly returned.

About two hours later, two mule-drawn carts entered the back yard of the Xiao family.

Xiao Zhen, Tong Gui, and Xiao She jumped down and began unloading the guns from the mule cart.

Xiao Mu, holding Master Wang's hand, whispered, "Thank you for your efforts. We in Lingshui Village make these things only for self-defense, with no other intentions. Please keep this a secret to prevent any malicious individuals from using it against our village."

Master Wang: "Rest assured. My son and I were merely visiting relatives; we know nothing."

Because of trust, some words didn't need to be said.

Xiao Zhen led the mules and invited Master Wang and his son to board the cart. He would escort them back to town immediately.

Xiao Mu saw them off, then closed the gate and instructed Xiao She to guide Tong Gui to store the guns in the ancestral hall. He stopped Tong Sui, who wanted to help, saying, "Go back to sleep. We don't need your help here."

Tong Sui nodded.

There were seven hundred fifteen guns in total. The three strong men made over twenty trips to move them all.

The sky was still pitch black.

Some leftover pancakes from dinner remained. Xiao Mu asked Tong Sui to fetch eggs from the west room and cook an egg drop soup: "Break five eggs."

Tong Sui smiled at her brother; usually, breaking two eggs for soup was considered a celebration.

Tong Gui, overhearing, advised the old man, "Don't treat me like a guest. Actually, I'm not hungry; I could leave right away."

Xiao Mu gestured for him to sit at the low table, "No rush. Let's have a good chat. Last time you came was for Aman's wedding, and there were many relatives around; I didn't have time to talk with you."

Xiao She sat nearby, simply as company.

Cooking the egg drop soup was simple. Tong Sui placed the pancakes along the edge of the pot, heating both sides before serving them on a plate.

Then, she ladled the egg drop soup into large bowls, which Xiao She carried over.

Xiao Mu called to Tong Sui, "Get yourself a bowl and join us. Just leave some for Second Brother."

Tong Sui smiled and sat down.

While eating the pancakes and drinking the soup, Xiao Mu asked Tong Gui, "Second Brother said he left fifty-four guns for your village. Is that enough?"

Tong Gui: "Enough, one per household is just right. The wooden one at home can be used by my uncle, and I'll use the iron-tipped spear you gave me."

Xiao Mu: "An inch longer means an inch stronger. Spears are sharp weapons; having them isn't enough—you need to know how to use them. I heard from the second son that you've been learning spear techniques well. Teach the villagers during their free time after farming. Then, if something happens in the future, these spears won't have been made in vain."

Tong Gui: "Don't worry, Second Master has already told me. As long as they're willing to learn, I'm happy to teach them."

Xiao She suddenly yawned loudly.

Xiao Mu looked at his grandson: "Go to sleep after eating. Remember, don't say a word about what you heard or saw since you left yesterday until tonight."

Xiao She: "Got it, I won't even tell my mother."

Tong Gui finished eating quickly and asked the old man to go back to his room, saying his sister could see him off.

The old man cooperated and went back to his room.

Tong Sui escorted her brother out of the Xiao family's back door.

Tong Gui looked around the vast Lingshui Village, unable to hide his concern as he looked at his sister: "Are you keeping something from me?"

Tong Sui spoke lightly: "Nothing. If there were any issues, would I be laughing and joking every day when I'm at home?"

Tong Gui indeed couldn't find any evidence.

Tong Sui stepped forward and hugged him: "Go on, get some good rest when you get home. We'll visit again when we have time."

Tong Gui patted his sister's head and got into the carriage, leaving.

---

Tong Sui returned to the east wing, washed her hands and face, and went to bed. She was later awakened by the familiar sound of the gong.

Today was an even-numbered day, so it was the West Court's turn to cook. Tong Sui turned over and found that Xiao Zhen had returned at some point and was preparing to join the morning exercises.

"You can keep sleeping. It doesn't matter if you skip breakfast. I'll come back and sleep more after I finish," Xiao Zhen said, already standing up.

Tong Sui admired his perseverance.

With no interruptions, she slept until nearly noon. Xiao Zhen was indeed lying in the adjacent bed.

Tong Sui awkwardly said: "Won't Second Aunt tease us?"

In broad daylight, a married couple sleeping together in the house would make anyone think otherwise.

Xiao Zhen: "Fifth Younger Brother is also sleeping. They should know it's for a good reason."

With Xiao She accompanying them, Tong Sui felt relieved.

The couple went to the central courtyard, where the womenfolk like Lady He all looked at Tong Sui. Fortunately, with the old man present, no one commented on their late sleep.

Once Tong Sui sat down, Liu Chu showed concern: "Uncle Tong's leg is fully healed now?"

Tong Sui: "...Yes, recently, it must have been hard on the eldest sister-in-law at home."

The sisters-in-law exchanged polite words and moved on to another topic.

Xiao Ye said: "I heard that the village head was summoned by the magistrate again. It must be about the summer tax collection."

The summer tax mainly involves wheat, along with other miscellaneous taxes. Those who can pay in silver do so, while others exchange wheat instead.

Xiao Mu: "Last year, they collected three-tenths of the wheat per mu, which already left many families struggling. No one knows if this year it will increase or decrease."

Lady He: "In the past few years, the government claimed insufficient military funds and asked the people to contribute. Now that there's no war, shouldn't the taxes be reduced?"

No one knew.

By mid-afternoon, Sun Xinghai returned from the county town on his donkey, sweating profusely. After drinking some water, he gathered the villagers by the pond to convey the government's message.

Since it concerned the summer tax, both men and women came to listen, leaving only the elderly and children to watch the homes.

Sun Xinghai first read aloud the official notice regarding the summer tax collection, then summarized it simply: "The government says there are two rebels in the south that need to be suppressed. Many places have suffered disasters from last year to this year, leaving the national treasury empty. Therefore, this year's summer tax will be increased by one-tenth compared to previous years. In summary, except for new settlers exempt from taxes, each mu of land will yield four dou of wheat."

The villagers were shocked!

One shi equals ten dou, and a mu of land typically yields just over one shi of wheat. The government was demanding almost half?

Some cursed, some cried, and Sun Xinghai seemed to become the magistrate, unfairly bearing the brunt of their anger.

He was used to it and waited until the villagers had vented enough before saying helplessly: "Those who can afford it should prepare money, those who have grain should prepare grain. The county officials will come on the tenth day of the fifth month to collect. Those who fail to pay will have their male family members taken away for forced labor."

Another wave of curses followed.

Knowing what they needed to know, Tong Sui and the others silently returned to the Xiao family.

The Xiao family planted twenty mu of wheat last autumn. Whether paying in full silver or wheat, the Xiao family could afford it.

But whether it was silver or grain, it was the result of the family's hard work and sweat. For the government to take so much at once was no different from outright robbery.

No one could smile anymore.

Tong Sui felt an even heavier burden on her heart. Would the Prison Dragon Ridge Gang come? If they did, would it be before or after the government's grain collection?

On one side was the government, on the other, the gang. These two opposing forces, who should be enemies, now became wolves and tigers, both eyeing the honest farmers working their fields.