Chapter 277

Chapter 277

After two days of travel, they arrived at Pingsha County.

They stayed in Pingsha County for one night. Early the next morning, the group passed through a bustling morning market, weaving between prosperous rows of shops. Their curious gazes kept falling on the faces of foreigners with deep-set eyes, high noses, and distinctly exotic features.

They hadn't expected that Pingsha County would have foreigners. The locals weren't afraid of the soldiers in uniform either; they treated them like ordinary common folk—no reverence, just normalcy.

Like he could read their minds, Chen Er, chewing on a flatbread, said, “There are even more foreigners in the main city. Most are merchants who've traveled a long way, trading with us in silk, porcelain, and tea. The people from beyond the pass are a mixed bunch—Persians, Turks, Tibetans… you'll learn soon enough. The ones who are good at business and easy to deal with are mostly Persians. They like to wear brocade caps and turbans on their heads, easy to recognize. Their goods include glass beads, jewelry, spices, and medicinal herbs—all sorts of things. Regular folks love doing business with them because they pay up quick.”

“The ones who frequently invade and cause trouble are the Turks. They're fierce and skilled riders, a bunch of savage bastards who act like bandits—snatch our stuff and run, and we can't even catch them. They're the ones we're constantly fighting. They kidnap women, kill kids, steal grain and money, committing every evil deed. Regular folks hate the Turks the most.”

“The Tibetans have been making small moves in recent years, but for now it's still relatively peaceful. Their warhorses are good—the general's got his eye on them.”

“There are even more foreigners in the towns at the passes, countless half-breed kids. Even in the military camps, there are Han women and girls with blood from both sides in their veins. Though not particularly welcomed, it's not considered unusual in the borderlands. Don't freak out when you see foreigners in the prefecture. The ones who can come into the city for business have all obtained official documents—they're legitimate. As long as they don't cause trouble, just treat them like ordinary people.”

“The government even has rules to protect their safety. If our own people try to bully them, they'll get caught and thrown in jail.”

“As for the traveling merchants you mentioned, that mountain road from Liangjun Prefecture to Yanlin Prefecture—if I'm not mistaken, it leads to Suyuan Village.” Thinking about how they got lost in the mountains and still stumbled into Yanlin Prefecture by accident, Chen Er didn't know if they were lucky or unlucky. “Suyuan Village is in Yiyang County, which is in a completely different direction from Pingsha County. The merchants from Liangjun Prefecture were probably heading to the pass to do business. Yiyang County is closer to that area, so Suyuan Village is likely a transit point where they have a place to stay.”

Exiting the city was quick. They followed a line of Persian merchants' carriages out of the city gates.

A massive procession: at least twenty or thirty carriages were loaded to the brim. The escorts guarding the goods were all tall and burly, with rugged features—real men from inside the border.

These past few days had opened these country bumpkins' eyes. They used to think the borderlands were supposed to be nothing but bloody battles, rivers of blood, and eternal hatred between them and the foreigners—where they'd meet with hoes in hand for a fight to the death.

Turns out they could actually do business with foreigners?

And make money off them?

If foreigners could come to their territory for business, wouldn't they also go to the other side to trade? So they weren't always at each other's throats. The merchants who traveled thousands of miles to the border weren't out of their minds—they could really make a fortune.

In Yanlin Prefecture, opportunities abounded. During the slack farming season, people could go to the city for work without worry about not finding anything to do.

With so many merchants coming and going every day, the capable could become escorts, and the less capable could help load and unload goods. Last night, they had taken the trouble to notice that the laborers who helped carry goods were paid on the spot. The Persians really did pay up quick!

Oh my heavens, did they just fall into a pot of gold or something?

The folks from Wanxia Village were pumped. Unlike the folks from Liuhe Village, their village was remote. During harvest, okay, but in the slow season, the men would go to town to look for work and always be outcompeted—because they had to cross mountains and valleys. By the time they arrived exhausted, the jobs were already taken.

Towns were small, and there were plenty of laborers. Not like in the borderlands, where merchants from not only the Central Plains but also beyond the passes gathered. Ambitious men in Yanlin Prefecture joined the army; the rest could work as escorts. As for the dirty, hard jobs—even when merchants got to an inn, they had to stand at the door and shout a couple of times before laborers would come running.

That's like free money for picking it up!

Young and old were clutching their chests. If Pingsha County was this lively, the main city would be even more so.

They used to worry about making a living; now they didn't. Once they settled, the men would go to work in the city, save up some silver, work hard for a couple of years, and then things would gradually smooth out.

Old Zhao felt the same way. He wasn't as worried—his family didn't lack for food—but having a way out was better than having none. Yanlin Prefecture gathered merchants from all over, and the variety of food was staggering. A clever lady could set up a noodle stand in town and make a living.

They weren't stuck in that backwoods anymore for the rest of their lives.

If hard work could bring a way out, then they would never have to worry about starving again.

After leaving Pingsha County, they traveled another five days before finally reaching the main city.

Looking at the scene before them, even Sun Xuyang, the schoolboy, dropped his jaw. He forgot everything he'd ever learned, leaving only: man, that gate... those soldiers were fierce...

At the wide city gates—left, right, and center—stood two soldiers each, wearing armor and holding spears. Beside them were people exiting the city on one side and entering on the other.

On the city walls, soldiers were watching from the towers nonstop.

As Old Man Zhao and his group slowly approached, a patrol of about twenty soldiers, with heavy swords at their waists, marched right past them in perfect unison, staring straight ahead.

It was busy but orderly. Carriages and horses flowed like a tide, and foreign faces were all over the place.

Not far from the city gates, a row of medical tents was set up, each guarded by soldiers. Crowds of ragged refugees gathered there. Wealth and poverty stood merely a few dozen yards apart, but the contrast didn't feel as jarring as it had outside the city gates of Fengchuan Prefecture.

Perhaps because back then they'd been chased off like flies, with passersby covering their noses in disgust.

Now, these refugees were being taken in, given shelter. Hope was in their eyes; their tense minds relaxed. They seemed less hostile; they just looked honest and obedient.

The packed medical tents didn't feel hopeless; they were pretty lively actually.

Right across, there were charity tents, and a lot of refugees were holding flatbreads in their hands.

They had probably just fled here, like Old Man Zhao's group, and hadn't been properly settled yet. They were getting checked out, then watched for a few days to make sure they weren't sick. Then they'd be taken to temporary spots, where they'd work for food, and wait patiently for the government to assign them somewhere.

“They'll usually get sent to places with fewer people and worse land. The counties around the main city are in high demand—every spot's taken. Everyone has relatives whose lives are hard, and people with connections already called dibs.” Chen Er said this quite matter-of-factly. “Don't worry, with Master Jin Yu around, he'll put in a word with the yamen, and they'll definitely pick a good place for you.”

Hearing this, everyone turned in unison to look at Old Man Zhao. Zhao Shanao anxiously poked him in the lower back. Old Man Zhao's face darkened; he reached back and smacked his hand away.

Zhao Shanao shut up, but kept sighing, still worried.

Good or not was one thing—he didn't want to be separated from Da Gen's family! No matter how good the place, without Da Gen, he wouldn't be comfortable, his heart wouldn't be at ease.

“Grandpa! Grandma!”

Suddenly, a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar—more familiar than unfamiliar—joyful shout came from the direction of the medical tents.

That voice!

Old Man Zhao's body jolted. The old couple quickly turned to look. A young boy, dressed in fine silk brocade, fair-skinned and refined, was jumping up and down, waving frantically at them.

Seeing them look back, recognizing the familiar elders, the familiar uncles and aunts, the familiar five brothers, the familiar little aunt…

He Jinyu's eyes welled up. He left his guards in the dust, completely unlike a pampered young master, more like a wild mountain monkey. As he ran, he yelled without stopping, “Grandpa! Grandma! Uncle! Aunt! Second Uncle! Second Aunt! Third Uncle! Third Aunt! Xiao Wu! Gu Zi! Fengzi! A Deng! Xi'er! Little Aunt…”

He choked on the wind, coughing a bit, his legs churning so fast they turned into blurs. Zhao Xiaowu and his brothers, who had sprinted toward him the moment they spotted him, called out each other's names in joy. The joy of seeing each other again, the worry about Grandpa's family trapped in danger—all dissolved at the sight of these weary yet vivid faces before him, finally putting his heart at ease.

Xi'er rushed over like a gust of wind. Amid the guards' hesitation—should they stop him or not?—He Jinyu opened his arms and caught his younger brother as he leaped onto him. The impact sent him stumbling back several steps before he steadied himself.

Xi'er wrapped his arms and legs tightly around him, joy filling his heart. First, he carefully examined his face—rosy lips, good color, no sign of suffering. Then he suddenly threw his head back and wailed, “Brother, Jinyu bro, we've been through so much! We've had it so hard! We suffered so many hardships on this trip. Wuwu, I missed you so much. Second Uncle got hurt—badly hurt. He almost died.”

“We missed you so much. How's life in the borderlands? We were so worried that your uncle and aunt wouldn't treat you well. How's your training? Has anyone bullied you here? You promised us—if you can't win, run first, remember the guy's face, and we'll come help you get revenge.”

“Grandpa kept a tiger's tooth for you—said it wards off evil. Grandma wanted to sew you a pouch, but we didn't have good cloth at home. Wuwu…”

He Jinyu looked at his grandpa and grandma staggering over, listening to Xi'er's endless chatter. His eyes turned red, tears streaming down his face.

Grandpa had lost weight; Grandma looked haggard too. The old couple kept wiping their tears, smiling at him.

“You've grown taller,” Old Man Zhao said.

“Better looking too,” Wang added.

He Jinyu wiped his tears on Xi'er's clothes, not even having time to talk with his brothers, and said in a choked voice, “Grandpa, Grandma, it's such a relief that you're all right. When I heard about what happened back home, I couldn't eat or sleep, terrified something had happened to you.” He then bent his knees to kneel and kowtow to them. Old Man Zhao grabbed his arm and pulled him up in fright.

“What are you doing!” Old Man Zhao yanked Xi'er, who was still clinging to him, off and tossed him aside. “This isn't like in our village. Even if it were, we don't do this on ordinary days—we only kowtow on New Year's or festivals. The New Year's already passed this year—you'll have to wait until next year!”

"Your grandfather is right," Wang said, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe Jin Yu's tears. "Grandfather and grandmother know your heart. Be good, and don't do this again in the future. Your status is different now; you can't kowtow to us anymore."

If outsiders saw it, she worried someone might mock Jin Yu for kneeling to two farmers. She could shamelessly be close to Jin Yu, but after all, their statuses were different now; some things had to be avoided. She didn't want to cause trouble for the child.

"Jin Yu will always have only one identity in front of grandfather and grandmother," He Jinyu said, panicking at her words. "Grandmother, do you not want to acknowledge me as your grandson anymore?"

"Nonsense. As long as Jin Yu is willing, our door is always open to you. You are our child; of course Grandmother acknowledges you." Seeing him on the verge of tears, Wang's heart melted into a puddle; she couldn't say anything else.

He Jinyu immediately broke into a smile, took her rough hand and stroked it. "Then Grandmother, don't be so formal with me. Hearing that makes Jin Yu sad."

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore, Grandmother won't say anymore." Wang hugged him affectionately, feeling that no matter how she looked at him, he was precious. After being away from home for so long, the child hadn't grown distant from them at all.

Zhao Xiaobao couldn't outrun her nephews, nor even her parents; she lagged at the back. Seeing her nephew Jin Yu talking intimately with her parents, she originally wanted to wait until they were done, but seeing them chatting nonstop, she grew impatient and reached out her little hand to tug at the jade pendant on He Jinyu's waist: "Nephew Jin Yu, don't you miss me, your aunt?"

Feeling the tug at his waist, He Jinyu lowered his eyelashes and looked at the little girl’s tense little face before him. He bent down slightly and called obediently, "Aunt, your nephew often misses home and thinks of your kindness to me. Aunt, have you been well?"

"Your aunt has been very well, thank you for thinking of me." Zhao Xiaobao withdrew her little hand that had been tugging the jade pendant and put it behind her back. "Your aunt didn't suffer much on the way riding in the donkey cart. Father, mother, elder brothers, sisters-in-law, nephews, and Brother Qingxuan have all treated me well. I ate well and never went hungry."

Looking at her chubby little face, He Jinyu fully believed the last sentence.

After grandfather, grandmother, and aunt finished speaking, Zhao Xiaowu and the other boys immediately squeezed in, hugging He Jinyu. The brothers laughed and chatted, with no end to their talk.

Zhao Dashan and Zhu Shi and others watched from the side, their smiles never fading.

After seeing Jin Yu, the tension they’d felt since leaving home finally eased.

Their feet truly touched the ground.

"You all keep chatting; I'll head into the city first," Chen Er's voice came from afar as the reunited family was catching up.

"Thank you very much, Uncle Chen Er," He Jinyu cupped his hands toward him. "Thank you for your care in escorting Grandfather and the others safely to the city. Mo Shu went to line up at Wang's Pastry Shop in Spring Rain Alley early this morning. Auntie likes the candied fruit from that shop; I've instructed him to buy plenty so that Auntie can enjoy herself."

"Are you thanking me or taking revenge on me?!" Chen Er jumped in anger upon hearing this. "Your aunt gets a toothache whenever she eats candied fruit. When it hurts, she just keeps pinching my arm. She's happy, but I'm the one suffering!"

"If I had known, I wouldn't have sent someone to inform you. You repay kindness with enmity..."

He Jinyu pretended not to hear his complaints, smiling as he watched them take off their waist tokens and hand them to the city guard. After the inspection passed, they entered the city directly.

He then led the group toward the medical tent. "I've already arranged everything in advance. Medical Officer Song is highly skilled; he will conduct the physical examinations for you."

"After the examinations, we'll go directly into the city." He had been preparing ever since Chen Er sent someone back to inform him. "I have a house outside the prefect’s office. Grandfather, Grandmother, you will stay with me. The rooms are all ready."

"I've rented two large courtyards on Front Street, not far away. Fellow villagers, go there for the time being and make do."

As he spoke, one of the guards had already lifted the tent curtain. Inside, an old medical officer with graying hair was sitting idly in a chair, staring blankly.

Upon seeing He Jinyu, he immediately fumed and scolded, "How many people is this? And you had to clear out the tent..."