Chapter 282

Chapter 282

They stayed in the prefectural city for over half a month.

They found the physician Jin Yu had helped locate; he was highly skilled in treating hemiplegia and stroke-induced paralysis and was quite renowned in the city.

During this time, Zhao Dashan carried Granny Zhu on his back every day for acupuncture treatments, combined with external applications and internal medicine. In just over ten days, Granny Zhu felt a warmth in her lower back and sometimes even a tingling sensation, as if the blocked meridians were slowly opening up, like a dried-up river channel being filled with flowing water, giving a sense of rejuvenation.

These subtle physical changes brought great encouragement and hope to the patient. The physician frankly stated that standing up was impossible, but with consistent acupuncture and combined internal and external treatments, there might be a chance for her to sit up in time.

If she could sit up, a custom wheelchair could be made later, allowing Granny Zhu to dress, eat, and even handle her own toileting and cleaning without requiring constant care from her daughters-in-law and granddaughters. This would not only make daily life more convenient but also greatly preserve an adult's dignity.

The gloom hanging over the Zhu family had completely dissipated.

The deceased were gone, but the living still had hope. Auntie Ma stayed at the clinic every day to look after her mother-in-law during acupuncture, then returned home to diligently apply medicine. Her children were considerate, following the adults to find work, their young shoulders already beginning to bear the family's burdens.

She gradually learned to hide Da Zhuang deep in her heart. She still missed the man who had cherished and protected her to the bone, but after his departure, she began to support the family with her own frail shoulders.

She still had her children and her mother. She had to be strong.

Old Man Zhao secretly made up the membership fee that Zhu Laicai had paid, even adding extra from his own pocket. Famous doctors were hard to find, and even when found, they were difficult to afford. Even with Jin Yu's help, they only had a connection, and the consultation fees and medicine costs were still a significant expense.

They kept this matter hidden from the Zhu family. With Jin Yu's private arrangements, the physician tacitly agreed to this well-meaning lie.

Fortunately, their family was not short of money now. Yu Linlang had not touched the gold in the wooden chest or the money box. Those bracelets and gold hairpins were trinkets she had casually given to maids back then. The only item she truly valued was the longevity lock, but Qing Xuan had given it to Zhao Xiaobao. She already knew about this. In fact, when Jin Yu went to the general's mansion to deliver the note and dark armor, he told her everything, including that his son planned to become a live-in son-in-law to the Zhao family.

She remained silent for a long time after hearing this, offering no opinion.

But immediately afterward, under the pretext of sending gifts to the He residence, she sent Zhao Xiaobao many precious and rare baubles, each one expensive.

Qing Xuan never set foot in the general's mansion. Chen Guangmao remained in the military camp and had not returned. Days continued peacefully, as if someone were secretly caring for that stone. His parents had tacitly accepted his choice, respecting all his decisions.

Having never put any effort at all into their child, they naturally had no right to meddle in his life.

Choosing to step back was the only thing this couple could do for their son.

Some words didn't need to be spoken; mutual understanding was enough.

Old Man Zhao had gained an excellent son-in-law, and a live-in one at that—exactly what he had wanted. He was overjoyed. He wasn't stingy either. Since the general's mansion kept sending gifts to Xiaobao, he privately discussed with his wife that once they settled down, they would quickly plant the fields in the Immortal Land. When the new grain was harvested, they would send some to Jin Yu, who could then pass it on to the general's mansion.

They would say it was grown by Qing Xuan’s own hands, hoping the two generals would personally taste it.

The peaches on the tree had been fully picked a few days ago. The tree would take years to mature and bear fruit again. If the chance ever came up, they would share some with the two generals. On the battlefield, weapons were ruthless. As long as it was said that Qing Xuan had given them, they wouldn't inquire too much.

Peaches, after all, unless eaten while someone was gravely wounded and near death, no matter how delicious, were just fruit. As long as the eater didn't instantly transform from an old woman into a young maiden, even the sharpest person would find it hard to detect anything unusual.

He also thought that since they hadn't opposed their son becoming a live-in son-in-law for his daughter, he wanted to reciprocate their kindness.

Customs were one thing; the more particular a family, the less they could tolerate their son becoming a live-in son-in-law. Historically, this status was associated with being a pushover. A live-in son-in-law had no standing in the wife's family and brought shame to his own. If they could come to terms with this and let it go, it showed that the couple were truly extraordinarily broad-minded, far beyond what most people could manage.

With this major worry resolved, Old Man Zhao lived quite comfortably in the prefectural city.

He would go with the villagers to carry heavy loads, take his daughter shopping and strolling, listen to operas, work as a laborer in the morning, and act like a gentleman in the afternoon—switching roles effortlessly.

During this time, the villagers staying in the high-walled mansion would set out before dawn to find odd jobs. They weren't picky, doing whatever came their way: carrying heavy loads, unloading goods, running errands, even helping with funeral chores like tending fires. As long as they weren't afraid of hard work, they could earn a hundred or more copper coins a day.

They worked during the day and returned to sleep before the curfew in the large mansion, living each day quite fully.

Mòshū had originally planned to provide them with meals and even assigned two servants to cook in the mansion. But Zhao Shanao and the other old men were constantly uneasy; they didn't even dare to enter the rooms. Men, women, old, and young all crowded into corridors, pavilions, rockeries, courtyards—anywhere they could sleep, bedding down on the floor.

No matter what Mòshū said, they didn't dare go inside to sleep, nor did they dare use other people's quilts, worried about dirtying the rooms or damaging anything. The only door in the grand courtyard they ever pushed open was the latrine's.

Thus, every day the women would thoroughly clean the places they slept, especially the latrine. They would haul several buckets of water to scrub it until it was spotless and odorless, ensuring they caused no trouble for Mòshū and brought no shame to Old Zhao's family.

They ate two meals a day, and the money earned from day labor was enough to support their families' food rations. If they were frugal, there was even a surplus.

Old Man Zhao went to the grand courtyard every day. During this time, the group discussed matters and unanimously decided to dissolve the collective. So they divided up the remaining grain and meat.

Now that they no longer needed to flee the famine, there was naturally no need to continue eating from a common pot. Every family began to plan for themselves, all wanting to earn as much money as possible before leaving the prefectural city. If they kept eating from the common pot, making money would become troublesome. Banding together at the right time and splitting apart at the most opportune moment was best for everyone.

No one objected, so the division went smoothly.

Even if some felt their family had gotten the short end of the stick, when they turned to see the innocent, satisfied smiles on the children's faces, they all let out a relieved laugh.

It was already good enough. They had safely reached Yanlin Prefecture, and now had the chance to divide grain and meat, and to earn money. They had to thank the fellow villagers who had never let them down along the way, who had supported each other, offered kind words in the darkest times, reached out a hand when they couldn't take another step, and helped carry burdens when they were weakest.

Because of their constant encouragement, they hadn't collapsed midway but had persevered all the way.

Losing out isn't always a bad thing, but this time they accepted it willingly.

...

He Jinyu went to the government office every few days, and their final destination was finally settled.

Old Man Zhao and the others didn't know that to choose a good place for them, He Jinyu had already rolled up his sleeves and argued several times with the officials in the household registration office who handled the allocation of refugees. It wasn't anything major—the other party hadn't tried to deceive him—but He Jinyu was dissatisfied with every place they proposed.

The household registration officials didn't dare fool him, especially since General Yu had also sent word. They didn't dare cut corners. The places they chose were not remote or poor in their own estimation; they even checked the annual assessments of the local magistrates. And while they were not exceptional, at least they weren't oppressors of the people.

But Young Master He found fault with some places being too far from the prefectural city, others growing wheat instead of rice, still others having no mountains nearby so they'd have to buy firewood daily, and others having rivers too far away, making irrigation laborious during busy farming seasons...

In short, he found fault with everything. He was extremely difficult to deal with!

Every official in the household registration office got a headache just seeing him, but they didn't dare lose their temper. They could only swallow their bitterness and work overtime to find a place that met all his demands, a place perfect in every way.

"Ningqiu County, Lingxi Town, Zhaoxia Village."

That day, a frantic slamming of a desk sounded from the household registration office in the prefectural government.

A middle-aged man in a wrinkled official robe, with disheveled hair, dark circles under his eyes, and unkempt stubble—having not slept well for who knows how many days—grabbed a booklet and burst into laughter.

"Ningqiu County to the prefectural city on horseback takes less than half a day. You can make a round trip in a single day. Lingxi Town has mountains and water, excellent terrain and scenery. The roads are wide and connect all directions, with thriving trade and commerce. Zhaoxia Village is right next to the town—going to the market or sending children to school is just like being at their own doorstep."

"Lingxi Town is also one of the few blessed places in Yanlin Prefecture where both wheat and rice can be grown."

"Zhaoxia Village has a sparse population but a large area. Relocating them there means no worries about housing land. However..."

He clicked his tongue, troubled: "More than half of the land around the village belongs to a landlord named Wu. The new arrivals will need to be allocated land. Without farmland to farm, even the best location is just for show..."

After hesitating, he finally clutched the booklet and sent someone to get He Jinyu.

...

The location was finalized.

The prefectural office sent the documents to the county office, detailing how many people would be relocated, their names, genders, family members, and original household registration information.

Once the county office received the news, they immediately summoned the Village Head, who then informed the village. The village head busied himself with preparations for housing land, quickly resolving any lingering disputes in the village so that no one would cause trouble when official work began. He also had to prepare the villagers mentally.

By the time Old Man Zhao and the others had earned fat wallets in the prefectural city and were full of high spirits every day, He Jinyu, no matter how reluctant to let them go, knew he couldn't delay any longer. He made a decisive call and told them to set off the next day.

"What place? Where's that?"

"We're still together, right?"

"They didn't split us up, did they..."

Everyone was very curious and a bit anxious, afraid of being separated from Old Man Zhao's family. Lately they'd been pestering Da Gen on the down-low to ask Wang Jinyu to make sure they were all settled in the same place, but they had no idea if he'd listened or spoken up for them.

They even thought about slipping him a little gift—no matter how small, it's the thought that counts, right?

That way Wang Jinyu would know they knew how to play the game.

But they all had a clear sense of self-awareness—what little they had to offer wouldn't be a gift—it'd just insult Wang Jinyu. So they just thought about it, never did it, and didn't even let Old Man Zhao in on it.

Now that they'd heard the final destination was set, adults and kids alike were clenching their fists, nervous but excited.

"You'll find out when you get there." He Jinyu, for once, played coy.

The He residence briefly buzzed with activity, then fell quiet again after the Zhao family left.

He Jinyu personally escorted his grandpa's family—he needed to learn the way too, since this road would lead him home.

Everyone had braced for a trip of ten days to two weeks, but it only took two days. They set off in the morning and arrived the next afternoon. This was even with stops for the injured and wounded, dragging the trip out. If they'd really hoofed it and pulled an all-nighter, they could've made it by the next morning.

When the leading minor official halted, Old Man Zhao and the rest were still taking in the scenery. After so long in the prefectural city, the countryside fields had already greened up.

The land was flat and wide—fields stretched out as far as the eye could see.

A river wound down from the distant high mountains. Farmers carried hoes through the fields; children dug for wild vegetables and cut pigweed by the ditches and slopes; women knelt on stone slabs by the creek, washing and beating clothes.

The sound of water rushing, mixed with laughter and chatter, painted a scene of rural life.

Mountains in the distance, water nearby, and fields before their eyes—truly beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers.

"We've arrived," said the leading minor official.

Arrived where? Everyone was still immersed in the landscape. Old Man Zhao was just about drooling with envy, thinking how wonderful it would be to live on such good land with such fine fields.

While he was still feeling envious, he heard Jin Yu say, "Grandpa, do you like this place?"

"Like it? I love it!" Old Man Zhao’s mouth moved faster than his mind.

Such a big crowd, pushing carts and carrying baskets—the villagers had already spotted them. Someone rushed to get the village head, and a bunch of people were heading over.

"This is Zhaoxia Village, in Lingxi Town, Ningqiu County." He Jinyu pointed to the village nestled against the forest. "When I first heard the name, I thought it was wonderful. Your old home was Wanxia Village—Evening Glow—and this is Zhaoxia Village—Morning Glow. Dawn and dusk, a pretty neat coincidence."

"Zhaoxia Village backs onto the forest. It’s not as big as the mountain back home, but it’s a good spot around here. When they allocate you firewood plots later, you won't have to worry about daily firewood."

"The water comes from the high mountains. I asked around—even with the bad drought last year, Lingxi Town never ran out of water. Some harvest loss was unavoidable, but the water supply here is abundant. No fear of drought."

"The water sources are close to the fields, making irrigation easier during busy farming seasons, without too much legwork."

"Most importantly, it's easy to get around. It's close to town—going to market for errands takes less than half a day round trip. It's not far from the prefectural city either. That's my selfish reason—I want to be closer to home so we can see each other easily."

"I also looked up the county records. If you continue along this road for two more days and take a turn, you'll reach a mountain range." He Jinyu even thought about how his uncle and the others might have too much energy or want to add income. They could hunt in the mountains, gather forest products, or find medicinal herbs. Pelts, mushrooms, chestnuts, even wild berries—they could all be sold at his mountain goods shop.

Farm during the season, hunt in your spare time—life should be pretty sweet.

"Ningqiu County also has a garrison. No need to worry about safety—no surprise raids by outsiders on the village." He Jinyu had thought of everything. Even the most troublesome land issue had been resolved: his aunt had traded her manor in the prefectural city for the land from the landlord here. Those fields now belonged to his aunt as private property. Once the village allocated homestead plots, land distribution would follow, along with registration for settled households.

To make this happen, the prefectural officials and his aunt had put in a ton of work—He Jinyu didn't tell anyone, not even his cousin.

The minor official was making the handover with the village head. The villagers stood around at different distances, all eyeing the newcomers curiously.

The village head had told them that a group of refugees from far away would be moving in—people with some connections and influence, who'd even made the bully Landlord Wu cough up his fields to make room.

The village head warned them to get along with these people, not to stir up trouble. As long as the newcomers weren’t bad, they shouldn’t be aggressive or discriminatory.

The villagers of Zhaoxia Village extended goodwill first, grinning at the group.

Old Man Zhao was overwhelmed by the good news. He stood there dumbfounded, staring at Jin Yu with aged eyes, as if unable to believe it.

He Jinyu nodded at him. They had reached their destination—this was where they would live from now on. For three to five generations, their descendants would be native sons and daughters of Zhaoxia Village, Lingxi Town, Ningqiu County, Yanlin Prefecture.

Now they were taking the first step, and every step afterward would pave the way for their descendants.

"Hahaha..."

Old Man Zhao couldn’t stop himself. He threw back his head and roared with laughter, hands on his hips. Once, he had envied the fields of Liuhe Village. Now, he was about to own fields even better!

He, Old Man Zhao, at the end of his life, was about to possess the land he had dreamed of since his youth!

Seeing him laugh so heartily, the villagers’ hearts settled back into their chests. When they turned and saw Wang Jinyu nodding at them too, a group of old men led by Zhao Shanao started weeping first.

They wouldn’t be separated from Da Gen.

Wang Jinyu had found them a perfect place.

They no longer had to wander—they could finally settle down and have a home again.

The suppressed sobs turned into wails. They seemed to cry out all the suffering of the past year, all the fear and exhaustion of the journey. They had been terrified every day, thinking they would die on the road—killed by soldiers, captured for battle, murdered by bandits, drowned in floods, swept away by plague...

They had crossed mountains and rivers, endured countless hardships, until today. Finally, they could truly stop.

They no longer had to keep moving forward.

Laughter and tears mingled. The villagers were moved; the more sentimental ones silently wiped their eyes with their sleeves.

The village head stood aside, holding a booklet. When they had finished venting their sorrow, he stepped forward with a smile and introduced himself: "I’m the village head of Zhaoxia Village. My surname is Lu. From now on, we’re all one village. You can call me Village Head Lu."

The crowd pushed Old Man Zhao forward. He grinned, his tone hearty: "I’m Zhao Dagen. Greetings, folks. Since this is our first meeting, I know you’re all cautious about us. To be honest, we feel the same way being newcomers."

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

Old Man Zhao laughed too. "Rather than hide things and breed suspicion, let’s lay our cards on the table from the start. Don’t be afraid just because we’re refugees. We’re people from two villages who fled together. Look at our children—boys and girls, all well-fed and spirited. Look at our elders—even those with bad legs or limps—we didn’t leave a single one behind. What I mean by this is—I believe you all understand—we’re not cold-blooded people. We have humanity. It’s just that our hometown was devastated, so we came to Yanlin Prefecture. We’re refugees, but we’re also the most honest, simple common folk."

"Don’t be afraid of us. We don’t steal or rob. If any of your chickens or ducks run into our homes, we’ll catch them and return them safely. We won’t secretly kill them for the pot. Time will tell. Let’s give each other a chance—a chance to get along well."

His words carried weight, and many were moved.

Indeed, everyone knew that during a famine, women and the elderly were the easiest to abandon. This group had both young and old; the girls weren’t skin and bones—they were as well-nourished as the boys. The old weren’t left behind—even those with canes had walked every step of the way.

And they had fled as an entire village, two villages together...

The villagers of Zhaoxia Village looked at the honest, harmless faces before them, and couldn’t help but smile. It seemed they really could get along with these new arrivals.

"Come into the village!"

Someone said it first, followed by a chorus of urging.

"Let's go! Don't just stand there on the road. Come on into the village first!"

"Come into the village! Do you have a lot of stuff? Do you need our help?"

"While it's still light out, hurry and pick out your homestead site. Tomorrow we'll divide up the land. Once you have a home and land, you'll feel at ease."

"The village has agreed that you can cut any trees from the back mountain. Build your houses first; we'll talk about the firewood mountain later."

"That's right, that's right. There's a lot to do next. Once the houses are built and the land is divided, you'll need to hurry and start the spring plowing."

The village road was wide, and people from the two villages gradually walked together.

The adults were more reserved, cautiously drawing closer to each other, but the children were already running hand in hand along the country path back to the village.

Laughing joyfully, full of spring spirit, they were heading toward their future home.

Zhao Xiaobao squatted down and picked an early spring wildflower. She held up her hand, her eyes crinkling into crescents, looking at the little boy who had stopped to wait for her.

"Brother Qing Xuan, here, this is for you!"

Qing Xuan walked over and took it.

Zhao Xiaobao said, "Aren't you going to ask Xiaobao why she's giving this to you?"

"Why did Xiaobao give me a flower?"

Zhao Xiaobao looked at the cute little yellow flower in his fingers, clapped her hands, let out a couple of 'hmph' sounds, then trotted off on her short legs toward her parents.

The spring breeze carried her childish words to Qing Xuan's ears—innocent yet earnest.

"Because you are my little husband."

"Xiaobao will always take care of you."

—end—