Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Even if Wuling Mountain were a prime burial site, no one wanted to be buried there.

They still wanted to live long enough to marry off their sons, hold their grandchildren, and if luck was on their side, maybe even see three or four generations under one roof, enjoying the joys of family!

What good burial site could compare to the back mountain of Wanxia Village? If they truly wanted to die, why would they exhaust themselves fleeing, only to grab a hoe and dig a pit in the back mountain for the whole family to lie down in? They didn’t want to die—not at all. Old Lady Li wanted it even less. Offending Old Man Zhao over a nephew who had already passed away and might have been reincarnated? She wasn’t that foolish.

She let out a couple of awkward laughs, no longer daring to mention anything about grain. Elbowing her son, she urged him to hurry to the main road and assemble.

Lv Xiuhong led Big Radish and Little Radish over. Li Dahe frowned and said, “From now on, keep the two children close to Auntie Feng. Don’t wander off even when resting. If anything happens, speak up. Don’t feel like you’re bothering anyone, and don’t shoulder everything yourself. Why be so stubborn? Elder Brother’s right—if it weren’t for you back then, we wouldn’t be where we are now. We’re alive and whole today thanks to your great effort. We said we’d stick together through thick and thin. Don’t let your heart stray, avoiding this and that. Being too distant isn’t good.”

He was also a Li family member, a half-elder to her, so he could say these words.

Auntie Wang had been keeping the mother and her three children by her side all along, but whether out of fear of gossip from Old Zhao’s many able-bodied men or a deliberate attempt to keep distance, she had gradually fallen behind on the road and chosen a spot farther away during rests. The two families couldn’t force anything—everyone had their own thoughts, and what one thought was good, another might not accept.

Being far apart, they couldn’t help but keep an eye out, and that’s how this trouble started.

Lv Xiuhong’s eyes reddened. Such was the life of a widow. Though her heart had turned cold and hard the moment she raised her cleaver against those in the pigsty, those walking on the edge of a cliff still kept a soft spot for those who had been kind to her. She never wanted them to suffer gossip or be dragged through the mud because of her.

“Uncle, I’m sorry for causing you trouble.” She held her two sons’ hands, head bowed, her voice full of guilt.

“Don’t take everything onto yourself. What does this have to do with you? It’s just some gossiping old women. Think of them as old and senile—don’t let their words get to you.” Old Man Zhao waved his hand, about to say more, but when he turned and saw Li Laiyin’s old face, his anger flared. It was always the Li family causing the most trouble, unable to control their own. He walked over, slung an arm around Li Laiyin’s shoulder, and led him away to scold and mock him privately.

“…I didn’t even get a chance to speak before you showed up. I can keep ’em in line! How could I not? I’m not that old yet—they wouldn’t dare disobey me…”

Zhao Sanwang heard the news and came running over in big strides, only catching those last two sentences. He glanced at the two old men walking off arm in arm, sweat dripping down his forehead from anxiety. Looking at the mother and her three children, he asked with concern, “Are you alright? Did anyone bully you?”

Lv Xiuhong instinctively glanced at Li Dahe, her face flushed—whether from embarrassment or the heat, it was hard to tell. She gripped her son’s hand tighter, her lips pressed tight as a clam, only shaking her head.

“You sure?” Zhao Sanwang looked at Big Radish, who pursed his lips and instinctively hid behind his mother, unwilling to talk to him.

Zhao Sanwang scratched his head and said to Li Dahe, who was staring at him, “Uncle, why you staring at me? Get outside—Dashan and the others are ready. We need to go.”

With that, he naturally took the carrying pole leaning against a tree, threaded the ropes, rolled it up, and hoisted the basket Lv Xiuhong had pressed down tightly. He said to the mother and children, “Let’s go. I saved you a good spot, right next to Auntie Wang and Auntie Feng’s families—a spot nobody could steal.” It was the safest position in the whole group. Clearly, if trouble came, Dashan and the others would risk their lives to protect their mothers, sisters, and wives. Unless they all died, the area around Auntie Wang was the safest. He’d fought with a few families to get it.

He spoke naturally and acted naturally, leaving Li Dahe puzzled, his eyes shifting between him and Lv Xiuhong. How had these two, who had no connection, suddenly become so familiar?

Sanwang seemed real attentive to the mother and children.

Lv Xiuhong felt her face burning under his stare. She wanted to grab the carrying pole back, but her steps couldn’t match his, so she could only watch helplessly as her pole was taken, stumbling along with her two sons.

“I can carry it myself…”

“No trouble. Why be so formal? It’s not like I’ve never carried it.”

The main road was crowded and chaotic—people pushing carts, carrying baskets, bumping into each other, shouting back and forth like a damn market.

Zhao Dashan was stern and fair, ignoring the women and old ladies who kept crowding around, wanting to walk next to his mother or his mother-in-law. When he saw Zhao Sanwang bring Lv Xiuhong and her children over, filling the spot deliberately left empty behind his family, he bellowed, “What’s with all the shoving? Who you’re next to doesn’t matter—front, middle, back—it’s all safe. Your men and sons are all outside protecting you, so what are you worried about! Hurry up! If you keep shoving, I’ll kick you out of the group. You want to wait ’til the sun’s blazing and then complain about the heat?”

Pissed and stressed, Zhao Dashan was drenched in sweat, his voice hoarse from yelling as he ran back and forth, dealing with the women and old ladies who kept yelling about not wanting to walk next to someone and demanding a swap.

The men assigned to the outer perimeter were also shouting, each wanting to be closer to their own families. For example, Zhou Datou’s father, because Old Lady Zhou had been making a scene the whole way—hitting and scolding her grandson—many families found her annoying and didn’t want to walk next to her, so she got pushed to the back. Zhou Datou’s father was assigned to the front and kept running back and forth, pleading with Zhao Dashan to let him move to the back.

Of course, that wasn’t possible. If he made an exception for him, everyone would start making demands. Was this a escape or a picnic?

“Get to your spot!” Zhao Dashan snapped. “Learn who’s in front and behind you. From now on, after every rest, follow this arrangement. If you can’t find your spot, you’re out of the line—carry your stuff and go it alone. We won’t bother with you.”

Hearing that they’d be left behind, Zhou Datou’s father was startled and dared not pester further. He quickly picked up his load and went to his assigned spot. Walking alone was like a wolf leaving the pack—a few stray dogs could tear him apart. He was a coward and couldn’t take the scare.

Zhao Xiaobao stood on the cart shaft, one hand shading her eyes like a visor, the other on her hip, watching the chaotic crowd as her brothers ran around organizing everyone. She had good eyes and spotted Shi Erlang being assigned to the front. He looked scared stiff, constantly looking back for his daughter and wife, clearly flustered.

Thinking of the sugarcane she had just planted in the divine field, she thought for a second, then waved her little hand at Qing Xuan, who was lazing on the donkey cart under the shade of its canopy. “Brother Qing Xuan, come here.”

“What?” Qing Xuan glanced at her but didn’t move. He’d already fallen for her trick once, carrying her half the day and wore himself out.

“Tell Big Brother to move Sister Daohua and her folks up front.” She bossed him around like a little landowner. “Sister Daohua’s father looks so helpless and pitiful. Xiaobao can’t be away from her folks either—if she can’t see them, her heart feels empty and she feels like crying. Sister Daohua’s father can’t see her, and he’s about to cry too. He’s wiping his eyes with his sleeve. Tell Big Brother to make an exception and let father and daughter be together.”

Qing Xuan turned and looked at Shi Erlang, who was wiping sweat with his sleeve. It was hot—standing still, sweat poured down in big drops. When a drop fell into his eye, he rubbed it, making his eyes red, as if he had been secretly crying.

“…”

The hired hand didn’t want to move, but the little boss kept urging, “Hurry, hurry! We’re about to leave.”

Qing Xuan could only grab the straw hat off his back, pull it over his head, and go find Zhao Dashan, who was in charge of family reunions.

Shi Daohua was also worried about her father. He looked tough, but he had no spine. That morning, when he heard that men and women would be separated, he was the most scared. Fortunately, her uncle was steady and didn’t listen to his nonsense about leaving the group to go alone. He was even more obedient than the villagers of Wanxia Village, following orders exactly.

Shi Dalang had a clear head and knew this arrangement wasn’t bad.

At least, it wasn’t bad for his wife and children. As for them, as heads of the household, who else would they protect? Especially since their two families had few people and even fewer able-bodied men—only three in total. The older boys were assigned to walk inside with the old men, a very safe spot. He had no complaints.

Zhao Dashan called someone to bring Shi Daohua, her mother, and even her aunt and Er Wa to the front. “Hurry up, don’t dawdle. We’re leaving.”

As they moved to swap spots, Shi Daohua didn’t have time to ask why. She picked up her carrying pole, grabbed her mother, and pushed forward. “Thank you for letting us know. We’ll go to the front right away and won’t delay the journey.”

“Daohua, what’s going on? Did your father kneel and beg them?” her mother muttered.

“That can’t be, right?” Her father’s knees weren’t that soft, were they? Shi Daohua wasn’t confident, having little faith in her father.

But she figured it wasn’t a bad thing. The line was too long; from the back, you couldn’t see the front at all. Whether walking inside or outside, it was best to see your own family at a glance. If you were hungry or thirsty, you could even pass a pancake over.

“Why do they get to go to the front?” Old Lady Zhou, stuck at the very back, watched them being led away. Hearing Daohua’s mother’s words, she immediately jumped up and shouted, “My son can kneel too! San Di, we’re from the same village—give my son a chance!”

Zhao Sandi couldn’t help but laugh. Sometimes he had to admit Old Lady Zhou was a character. He waved his hand and chuckled, “Auntie, what nonsense are you talking? There’s no kneeling involved! That girl’s father and uncle know the way—they have skills. It’s only right to make an exception for them. We’ll be relying on them to guide us.”

Old Lady Zhou backed down, but she still felt uneasy. “With over thirty households, why did mine end up in the back?”

“What’s wrong with the back? Is it unsafe? If something happens, those in the back can run faster—it’s a great spot, and you’re not happy?” Zhao Sandi spouted nonsense. “The middle isn’t good either. If a fight breaks out in the front, they want to run, but there are people blocking them in the back. They can’t even turn around. Only here, in the back, if you hear a sound, you can bolt without anyone stopping you. You can head into the hills or hide in the woods—whatever’s convenient.”

“Really.” He slapped his chest, looking just as smug as his little sister when she showed off. “Others try to pull strings, and I won’t even arrange it.”

Old Lady Zhou was completely fooled. Thinking it over, she realized it made sense and stopped fussing. She slapped her thigh, a hint of embarrassment on her face. “Oh, look at me—I’m being ungrateful. Well, San Di, you folks in the back have it hard, looking out for us. I’ve got some water here—take it and drink!” With a determined heart, she handed him a bamboo tube full of water, figuring that since her family was in the back, Zhao Sandi and the others guarding the rear were protecting them.

For life-risking work, a tube of water was nothing to begrudge!

Zhao Sandi politely declined, but when she insisted, he grinned, unscrewed the stopper, and let her pour the water into his own tube.

Easy come, easy go—he could drink as much as he wanted. At worst, when it was time to refill, he’d let his little sister keep the tube under Zhou Santou’s bucket a bit longer.

Her little hand was like a spring, water bubbling out, filling half a tube in no time.

…

The sun grew a bit harsher, and the group finally began to move forward.

Leaving Jitou Mountain and entering Wuling territory, the mountains were tall and the trees dense. From a distance, a hint of green could be seen—a rare and precious sight in this drought-stricken season of withered yellow and decay.

Shi Dalang said the village road under Wuling Mountain, the one leading to the outside world, was carved out by the villagers' ancestors, hoe by hoe. That's true, but it's also not.

All land under heaven belongs to the king—so how could anyone claim a mountain as their own and charge officials a toll to pass? Sure, these mountain folks lived in a backwater that was a pain to govern, but they were still on the imperial registry, paying taxes every year and doing their corvée labor.

The road was indeed dug by their ancestors' hands, but it was also ordered by the imperial court, or rather, by a former magistrate of Wuling County who decreed corvée labor, with the villagers at the foot of the mountain answering the call to build it.

But over time, as the story got passed down through generations, the whole road-building thing got twisted. The villagers at the foot of Wuling Mountain set an unspoken rule that everyone knew: you had to eat and stay overnight to use the road.

If you dug in your heels and didn't play along, they'd make your life hell. Even if you were tough enough to get past the village road, you'd still run into bandits on the other side.

Bottom line: if you wanted to pass, you'd have to lighten your wallet by a good bit, or else you might as well never have come to Wuling.

Shi Dalang didn't know Wuling all that well—he'd only passed through a few times, always in a rush. Sticking to the rule of "less trouble is better when you're on the road," he'd let the villagers take his donkey or mule, eat when they said to eat, and stay when they said to stay.

Sure, the villagers were a bit pricey, but they were the locals, and the dried food he'd brought wouldn't last forever. Traveling was tiring enough, and having hot food and water made it worth shelling out a little extra for the convenience.

So when the villagers said their ancestors built the road, he'd just smile and nod along.

Wuling was all towering mountains and rolling hills, with just one flat stretch at the bottom that the villagers had claimed for generations. Even if the imperial court wanted to build a road, it wasn't about to go through the trouble of moving the villagers and digging through the mountains.

The old magistrate of Wuling County, who knew the local records and lay of the land, went and scouted the area himself. Feeling sorry for how poor they were, he figured that since Wuling was rich in resources and right next to Xinping and Juanping counties, the villagers could gather mountain goods and sell them outside to make a better living.

Back then, Xinping County had the famous Qingxuan Temple, which was a big deal across several prefectures, drawing nobles and officials from far and wide to get their fortunes told. Just passing through the village—feeding the livestock or crashing for the night—could fatten the villagers' wallets.

If the road wasn't there, how much extra hassle would it be to go around Wuling Mountain? Wealthy families with carriages could manage, but poor folks traveling was no easy task. The magistrate, a real people-person, pushed hard to get this village road built.

Back then, worried the villagers might slack off or not get why it mattered, the county even gave them grain and money for their labor.

What can you say? The magistrate was a good guy, but he never figured his good intentions would backfire and end up raising a bunch of mountain bandits.

After two days of travel, they finally reached the village.

Old Man Zhao and the others stared at the village entrance, all fortified with wood and stone and wrapped in thorny brambles, while the villagers inside, gripping clubs and looking mean, stared right back.

"Pay to enter the village, or give grain if you have no money. No pay, no passage!" the man inside said fiercely, brandishing his club. "You're too many! Back off, all of you back off!"

"To pass through the village, go in groups of ten!" the man banged on the wooden fence, his attitude arrogant and domineering. "Five men and five women, and children count as one each!"

"Pay up if you want to pass, or get the hell out!"

The club banged against the fence, making it shake, the sharp thorns pointed at the outsiders, with dark bloodstains faintly visible on them.

"Donkey carts cost extra!" the man pointed at Old Man Zhao leading the donkey. "They take up space, so they count as two people!"

He was clearly asking for an exorbitant price, his words practiced from countless repetitions.

Dead tired from the trip and hoping for a breather, the crowd totally lost it!

"What? A toll to pass?? And the donkey cart too?? And it costs more than a person??!"

Why the hell!