Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Two days later.

In the dim light of early morning, a group of people, carrying grain on their shoulders, backs, or poles, were making their way to Shilin Town.

For the sake of safety, after two days of discussion, they ultimately decided to go to the more distant Shilin Town. Tongjiang Town was out of the question. Qinghe Town was possible, but the risk of running into acquaintances was high. Only Shilin Town was safest, though it was a two-day walk away. People wouldn't even look for marriage matches in that direction—it was considered marrying far away.

Quite a few people went to Shilin Town this time. Besides Zhao Quan and Zhao Yong, several other households from the village joined. Grain exchange was a consideration for every household after the autumn harvest each year. The furthest most villagers had ever been was Tongjiang Town; many hadn't even been to Qinghe Town, let alone Shilin Town. They didn't even know which direction it was in. Everyone could only rely on the Zhao family, after all, they had even been to the prefectural city.

They were the real deal—men you could count on.

The most reliable Zhao Dashan stayed home to recuperate from his injury. This time, the leaders were the brothers Zhao Ertian and Zhao Sandi. On the surface, they were carrying their own family's grain, but in reality, it was the grain of Li Dahe and a few other families. However, no one else knew about this. Zhao Ertian didn't mind doing this work for others for free; his mother had arranged it well. Their family needed to exchange grain every year. If they didn't this year, it might raise suspicions, since on the surface, they had only harvested two thousand *jin* of grain this year—how could that be enough to eat?

They still had to exchange.

They took the mountain path Old Man Zhao had used on his return. This route was discovered by Zhao Dashan while patrolling the mountains. It bypassed the village entrance, crossed two more mountains, and came down onto the road to Luoshi Village.

Zhao Ertian and the others had never been to Shilin Town, but Old Man Zhao had. In his youth, he had gone there for corvée labor to repair roads. Before they left, he gave them the gist of the route to his two sons. It was actually quite easy to find. They would take the road at the three-way fork: one direction led to Tongjiang Town, another to Qinghe Town, and the remaining one went straight to Shilin Town. Walk for two days, pass through a stone forest, and when they saw a low city gate, that was Shilin Town.

Zhao Sandi knew this route like the back of his hand. Every time he took his wife back to her parents' home, they walked it. Descending from the mountain, they took a small path and then entered the mountains again. No one in the group was familiar with this mountain, but Zhao Sandi had been led by Sun Shi a few times and recognized the way. After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn halfway, they descended again, passed by a large curved field, and entered the mountains once more.

This time, they walked for an hour. When they emerged, they were on the main road connecting Qinghe Town to both Tongjiang Town and Shilin Town.

Walking this section, they kept their heads mostly down, their steps hurried without a moment's pause.

Reaching the three-way fork, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and joined the procession of people from Shilin Town who had queued overnight and were among the first to finish paying their grain tax. Zhao Sandi, being naturally sociable, chatted with people along the way. When others learned they were from Qinghe Town and going to Shilin Town to exchange grain, they were quite surprised.

"Why come all the way to our Shilin Town? Don't you have grain shops in Qinghe Town?" The speaker was a young man. An old man walked beside him, likely his father—the son was talkative, the father taciturn.

"Heh, times are tough this year. There's not much work in the fields right now. Staying home is just staying home. Might as well walk to a few more towns to look around. Even if we can exchange for half a *dou* more, it's not a loss. For us peasants, the cheapest things are our strength and our feet." Zhao Sandi wore a simple, honest smile, and his words made sense. The people from Shilin Town walking on the main road all nodded in agreement.

"Well, you've come to the right place. There's a big grain merchant in our Shilin Town. We lack many things, but never grain."

The young man also laughed. "That's true. Grain shop prices vary every year. A few years back, in our town, one *dou* could be exchanged for four *dou*. Though the taste wasn't great—old and broken—the quantity was high. When we folks in the countryside got wind of it, we rushed to exchange."

Then he curled his lip. "But Tongjiang Town, I went and asked yesterday. This year, it's only one *dou* for two and a half *dou*. And it's supposed to be a big town, looking lively and prosperous. The merchants are shrewd, never taking a loss... Two and a half *dou*? I might as well sell new grain and buy stored grain. A business involving silver, the shop assistants would have to smile at me. Not like now, where they look down their noses, picky and disdainful, utterly impatient."

"Right, I went and asked too. They even complained I was blocking the way. Ah, Tongjiang Town just happened to produce a high official. The people there are full of themselves, their words are truly unpleasant to hear!"

"Unpleasant or not, I've never heard of Tongjiang Town's grain shops giving people bad grain. But our Shilin Town had that issue last year. A household in the next village over exchanged for a sack of damp, spoiled grain. They only found out after taking it home—it was moldy, completely inedible..."

"Ah? How come I didn't hear about that?"

"Where are you from?"

"Cat Ridge."

"No wonder. Your place is remote, what news could you hear?"

The journey was lively with conversation. Though they didn't know each other, they had common topics. Just discussing grain exchange filled most of the day.

Those who came to pay the grain tax at the very tail end usually lived in the remote corners of Shilin Town. Indeed, no one dropped out along the way; their homes all seemed quite far.

Zhao Sandi kept to himself, and the others remained silent the whole way.

From Li Dahe's family, Li Mancang came along this time. He followed closely behind Zhao Ertian, not leaving his side for a moment. First, he didn't know the way; second, it was his first long trip, and he felt nervous. Forget striking up conversations, even breathing in front of strangers felt like something he had to consciously control. He envied Zhao Sandi's ability to chat with anyone. No wonder villagers said the Dashan brothers were promising. Staying in the village every day, you couldn't feel it, but once you left, you realized the gap.

In the afternoon, the sun was strong. Even wearing straw hats, they felt hot and drowsy, so they could only talk to distract themselves.

"I reckon they'll be packing up in a couple of days. Today, there are even fewer official guards than yesterday. Another year of lining their pockets, eh." The young man who first spoke to Zhao Sandi sighed. "When will the county assign us to report to Lukou Town for taxes? That's closer to us; my home is just over a mountain ridge. Coming to Tongjiang Town requires leaving two days early, walking before dawn, returning in pitch darkness, eating and sleeping on the road. In previous years, we feared bandits; this year, we fear refugees. It's truly terrifying, tiring, and worrisome."

"Yeah, Lukou Town is also close to the county seat. I really don't know what the officials are thinking. Though our Shilin Town isn't as wealthy as Tongjiang Town, it's larger and has more people. No matter how you allocate it, we should be assigned to Lukou Town. What's the point of being assigned to Tongjiang Town?"

Hearing this, the people from Shilin Town also grumbled and cursed. This issue had been raised years ago. There were even scholars who went to the county seat to submit petitions to the magistrate, but there had been no follow-up. They could finish the business right at their doorstep, yet they had to go farther away. The officials just had to say the word, and the common people had to run their legs off, exhausted and not daring to complain to their faces. It was utterly frustrating.

A light flashed in Zhao Sandi's eyes. Pretending to be casual, he said, "We met quite a few people carrying grain to Tongjiang Town along the way. They'll probably be collecting for a few more days. You might have encountered the officials during a shift change. Collecting grain is a big deal; every year, it's guarded like against thieves. How could there be fewer people?" He even joked playfully, "It's only this season you see so many officials on duty. Even going to the county yamen might not have this many people. Ah, grain truly is of utmost importance."

"Exactly, people rely on this to live," someone beside him chimed in with a sigh.

The young man glanced at him, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, ask them. We queued all night, even taking turns to relieve ourselves, never leaving our spot for a moment. We saw it with our own eyes—today, there were indeed many fewer officials. The guards were withdrawn, leaving only one clerk, one guard, and one official to 'kick the *hu*.' Hey, I even felt that official was somewhat absent-minded, very perfunctory. This year's wastage was less than last year's. Look, this is the grain my family prepared for wastage. This time, it was returned untouched. We can eat for a few more meals." He lifted a sack of grain from his basket and shook it at Zhao Sandi.

Others also laughed and agreed. Their wastage was less this year too. Who would have thought coming late had this benefit? They all decided to come at this time next year as well.

Zhao Sandi and his second brother exchanged a glance. Their father and younger sister had brought back over ten thousand *jin* of grain. They didn't believe the officials would miss such a great opportunity to line their pockets. They were probably all at the big granary by now?

Maybe they were busy catching thieves everywhere.

When they rested at night, they found a secluded corner. Having had the experience last time of being forced to take a child during night watch by fellow travelers, Zhao Ertian repeatedly warned everyone this time: stay far away from people, don't respond or engage in conversation. Playing deaf and dumb while traveling could avoid a lot of trouble. Li Mancang and the others nodded repeatedly, saying he was right and they would definitely obey.

Thus, they walked for a full two days and one night before reaching Shilin Town.

They arrived at Shilin Town in the evening. By that time, the city gates were already closed. They simply found a spot on the main road to rest, enduring the night there.

The next day, as soon as dawn broke and the gates of Shilin Town opened, many peasant men like them, carrying grain and having left before dawn, crowded in behind them and squeezed into the city.

There wasn't much difference between towns. Shilin Town was like Qinghe Town—not wealthy itself but bordering a wealthy neighboring town. The county never remembered them for any good things. Over the years, the wealthy towns grew wealthier, and the poor towns only grew poorer.

Lukou Town was close to the county seat, so naturally, the county favored it with any benefits. Like Tongjiang Town, it was bustling and lively, with many traveling merchants.

However, Shilin Town had its own advantage: a large population and decent terrain. The grain tax paid each year looked impressive on the ledgers. Of course, the common people didn't know this and didn't care. They had more farmland to cultivate, and the grain shops were larger than those in Tongjiang Town and Qingping Town. This was also why the people of Shilin Town weren't hostile when they learned they had come from afar to exchange grain—they simply didn't lack it.

The big grain merchant Wang from the prefectural city, his ancestors were from Shilin Town. They made their fortune here. The two largest grain shops in town belonged to the Wang family. Not only did people from Qinghe Town come from afar, but even people from Lukou Town came every year to exchange grain. There were many; it was commonplace.

Following the crowd into the city, they didn't even need to ask. They just followed the other commoners carrying grain.

Upon arriving, Zhao Sandi witnessed what a big grain merchant meant. They were truly generous! Four shops were combined into one large grain shop. Sacks of grain piled high occupied one room. Hulled, snow-white rice was heaped in storerooms partitioned with wooden planks. Millet, beans, coarse and fine flour... In the most remote corner, a space was even set aside for selling soy sauce, vinegar, and oil. The variety was quite complete, covering most of the items needed for a kitchen.

"So lively!" Wu Dazhu and the others exclaimed repeatedly, then immediately shrank their necks, not daring to appear too inexperienced, afraid of being looked down upon.

"Yeah, so lively. Even bigger than the grain shops in the prefectural city." Even Zhao Sandi, who had seen the world, clicked his tongue. In the prefectural city, land was worth its weight in gold. Who knew how expensive a single shop was? Merchants there probably wished one shop could serve three purposes. How could they do something like this?

The town gates had just opened. They thought they were among the earliest, but the grain shop was already packed with customers. At a glance, there were at least seven or eight shop assistants. Women carrying grain sacks and soy sauce jars almost blocked the entrance.

And there were even more country folk like them carrying grain, with more arriving all the time. Zhao Sandi, sharp-eyed, noticed many people queuing at the entrance near the piled grain sacks. A table was set up there, with an old man sitting on a chair keeping accounts. Two assistants were busy moving grain back and forth beside him.

"Come on, let's go queue over there." Zhao Sandi quickly led everyone over.

Seeing this, Li Mancang and the others hurried to follow.

In just that short moment, four or five more people lined up behind them. Women and children had come early to queue and hold spots, while the men carrying grain lagged far behind. The exchange ahead proceeded quickly. The people of Shilin Town had a bit of an accent, but it was mostly understandable. Zhao Sandi pricked up his ears and listened for a while, then inquired with the man in front of him. He learned that this year was the same as last: one *dou* for three *dou*.

This amount hardly changed. The year of one *dou* for four *dou* was probably when they cleared out the granaries, pulling out the bottom-of-the-barrel grain. That's why that household in the neighboring village got moldy, spoiled grain. Such matters should be checked on the spot; otherwise, you could only accept your bad luck. Making a fuss was useless. These grain shops kept thugs. Offending the shopkeeper and being barred from exchanging grain in the future would be the real hardship with no one to tell.

The rules were set, so the exchange was quick. Soon, it was the turn of the man in front of Zhao Sandi.

He and his family members beside him carried over five sacks of grain. The shop assistant opened each sack to inspect, thrusting his hand into the rice, grabbing a handful, then picking a grain and tossing it into his mouth. This was done for every sack. If it passed inspection, he signaled to the assistants moving grain. If it failed, he shook his head at the man and set aside the sack that contained a small amount of old grain.

"Four sacks passed inspection," the assistant reported to the old man after the check.

The old man nodded and made a note in the ledger, then handed a wooden token carved with twelve notches to the man.

The man’s face flushed slightly, but he said nothing. He thanked the old man, had his family collect the rejected bag of grain, and took the wooden token next door.

As soon as he left, it was Zhao Ertian’s turn. He followed the man’s example, hefting his grain bags in front of the clerk inspecting the grain.

The clerk repeated the same procedure and, after checking, told the old man, “Two bags pass.”

“Hmm.” The old man took a sip of tea, set down his cup upon hearing this, picked up a brush, and began recording the account.

Once finished, he handed Zhao Sandi a wooden token carved with six marks. Zhao Sandi, keenly observant, thanked him without needing any prompting, immediately stepped aside, and took the token to wait for the clerks to handle the grain.

Li Mancang, next in line, did the same—first moving the grain, waiting for inspection, getting the okay, then taking the token to the other side to wait.

One *dou* exchanged for three *dou*, one bag for three bags, one hundred *jin* for three hundred *jin*. In previous years, it would have taken several trips to exchange everything. Before setting out, the brothers had agreed that this trip would only cover the grain for two families. Carrying three hundred *jin* each on the return trip was plenty; any more would be exhausting, given the long distance.

They also didn’t dare bring Xiaobao along, as too many people might give them away.

Li Mancang and the others would likely make another trip. After exchanging the remaining grain, they’d leave the rest untouched, saving some of the new grain to sell in town. Country people didn’t have many ways to make a living—after the autumn harvest, they’d exchange some grain, sell some, take on odd jobs, carry heavy loads at the docks, or help wealthy families build houses. These were their only means.

But this year was full of uncertainties. Once the grain tax was collected, they’d probably start conscripting soldiers. They didn’t dare sell the new grain, and the stored grain had to be exchanged quickly over the next few days. Right now, they were essentially racing against the authorities, trying to finish before they completed their collections.

The six bags of stored grain were soon brought over. Zhao Sandi opened each bag and inspected them carefully. To put it simply, they had a smell—a strong, musty smell of age—but they were edible. The taste might not be great, but when you’re eating stored grain, what does taste matter? As long as it fills your stomach, that’s enough. There’s no room to be picky.

“It’ll do,” Zhao Ertian said after checking, nodding in agreement.

“Whether it’ll do or not, this is all we have. Sigh, as long as it’s not spoiled grain, the grain shop won’t exchange it anyway,” Zhao Sandi clicked his tongue twice. It was neither good nor bad, just average—not last year’s stock, probably from the year before.

“Having it is already good enough. What’s there to complain about?” Zhao Ertian shot him a glare. Life had gotten better lately, and now he was starting to nitpick. In previous years, they’d eaten grain like this, and even worse. Now, with Xiaobao and having tasted the grain from the three acres of the “immortal land,” even stored grain was beneath Lao San’s standards.

The brothers sealed the bags again. Each carried three bags, though the weight distribution was uneven and tricky to manage. Still, they could help Wu Dazhu and the others by taking one extra bag, as the others had brought more grain than they had.

Shouldering their carrying poles, they moved aside to avoid blocking the way and waited in a nearby alley.

The group’s exchange went smoothly. They had brought dry rations with them and didn’t linger in town. Shouldering their grain, they left the town early.

The return journey took another two days. They hurried along, taking mountain paths and small trails, hiding and avoiding conversation with others. Fortunately, nothing went wrong.

Back on the main road leading to Qinghe Town, they encountered other travelers who seemed to walk hurriedly, reluctant to engage with anyone. There was a tense, almost restrained feeling about them, as if bound by invisible ropes.

Zhao Sandi felt suspicious but couldn’t bring himself to stop anyone and ask if something had happened.

Returning to the village, they rested at home for a day. With the same group and following the same route, everyone went back to Shilin Town to exchange more grain.

Meanwhile, the entrance to the Changping County government office was crowded with people.

Several scholars finished reading the notice aloud, and the crowd erupted into chaos. The people panicked, turning into a boiling pot of confusion.

“What? Conscription?!”