The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 158: Evil

Shen Lie and Sang Luo were discussing leaving the valley to see if Shopkeeper Xu had left any messages. Outside Qiyang County, a ragged group of soldiers was fleeing towards the county city.

Inside a grand mansion donated by a wealthy man in Qiyang County, the leader of the ragged soldiers was brought into the temporary command post of the city’s main general by the city guards.

In the night, the atmosphere was extremely tense. The guide and the wounded men behind him dared not even breathe heavily.

…

In the study, there was a crash as porcelain shattered. A young officer surnamed Chen’s face was grim, his gaze sharp and menacing as he stared at his subordinate kneeling half-bowed before him. “Say it again, where is the grain and fodder?”

The subordinate dared not lift his head, his voice trembling along with the half-cut plume on his head. “It was, it was plundered halfway.”

“How did you manage to come back alive then?”

“You useless fool!” With this rebuke came another dull thud as the kneeling man was kicked over, but he dared not utter another sound.

“Guards! Prepare five hundred elite soldiers, we’re leaving the city!”

Qiyang County was thrown into turmoil as soldiers carrying torches rushed out into the night. Before long, they returned empty-handed.

In the courtyard behind the county office, County Magistrate Wei received the message from the gate guards and his expression turned extremely ugly.

“The troops haven’t moved, but the supplies have already been stolen?!”

Thinking about the official decree, he couldn’t continue. Massive emergency mobilization wasn’t just happening in his county; it seemed that no one had been prepared in time.

Thinking of the two granaries behind the county office, just as he was about to send someone to find the county magistrate to discuss, before he could even speak, a servant hurried in and whispered, “General Chen has arrived.”

Wei County Magistrate gritted his teeth. Indeed, they had set their sights on his place.

Fuming with anger, though he had to put on a smiling face to greet them.

…

No one knew what the two county officials discussed in the middle of the night, who compromised, or who yielded.

Early the next morning, while it was still dark, the central area of the rich district of Qiyang County was already bustling. General Chen, clad in armor, led his guards to visit each wealthy household—one by one—to collect provisions.

The house where Shopkeeper Xu lived was small but well-located, right in this area. He went out to see what was happening and ended up watching for more than an hour.

The military was requisitioning supplies from the wealthy.

Those who cooperated honestly and donated enough to satisfy the general had an easy time: they went in smiling and came out smiling. Of course, soldiers followed them out carrying provisions.

For those who were reluctant or donated too little, sorry was not an option. Not only were their mansions turned upside down, even walls and floors were tapped. Hidden rooms and secret compartments were thoroughly searched, yielding even more provisions.

For those whose main residences yielded nothing, soldiers were dispatched to search their other properties. The once prosperous wealthy families were now ashen-faced, wailing, and some even collapsed in shock.

The soldiers paid no heed.

When Shopkeeper Xu heard that every wall and floorboard had been thoroughly inspected, he broke into a cold sweat thinking of the secret tunnel his eldest son and Uncle Xu had dug out just last night.

Luckily, their targets were only the major households in the county. The poor and destitute families, clustered together in shabby corners, were far beyond their scrutiny.

Shopkeeper Xu returned home, and breakfast was already prepared early. Wei Lingzhen, had kept it warm on the stove and brought it out only when she saw him return.

It was a bowl of plain porridge, truly plain. Except for his impoverished childhood, Shopkeeper Xu hadn’t experienced such simple days in many years. This was even more true for Wei Lingzhen, who despite her origins as a servant girl, had been raised better than the daughters of small households.

He squeezed his wife’s hand and said, “I’m sorry you had to endure this hardship with me.”

“What are you talking about? In times like these, what does it matter to you? Compared to those people in the shanties outside, we’re much better off. Besides, you’ve been doing very well.”

Even the old lady and their children, along with her brother and nephew, had made arrangements. They had transported grain several times to the outskirts of Shenzhou and even to the mountains. They had hidden grain outside the county as well. With grain prices soaring and grain stores closing their doors to save stock, this was incredibly difficult to accomplish.

As a mere shopkeeper, Shopkeeper Xu had already spent their family savings over the years. How much could they leave in the city? They had even sold off half to buy the mansion with the secret tunnel.

All of this was for survival.

Shopkeeper Xu began to drink his porridge, and only after he finished did Wei Lingzhen ask what had happened outside.

He briefly explained the situation, saying, “They’ve requisitioned grain from the major households. The county granaries are likely under control too. With over a thousand soldiers to feed, the demand for grain will be high. These new arrivals in the city are in trouble. Though County Magistrate Wei may not act directly, if the refugees are pushed too far, he’ll join forces with the major households to stabilize the situation. Now, the county granaries and those of the major households have already been plundered by the commanding general. I don’t think he’s someone easy to deal with; he only cares about his soldiers, not the lives of the people. With fifteen hundred soldiers, any unrest among the refugees will be suppressed. This county is likely to become more chaotic than I initially thought.”

Wei Lingzhen trembled. This chaos… those villagers who hadn’t eaten or drunk anything wouldn’t dare to confront the city’s soldiers directly, but ordinary county residents wouldn’t be safe.

She was somewhat panicked. “Can we leave?”

Shopkeeper Xu nodded. “Yes, tonight I’ll sneak out to help. Bring some food with us. You and Wen Hong will come with me.”

With the current situation in the county, he couldn’t bear to have his wife and children out of his sight.

In any case, before the chaos escalated, he would take his wife and children out of Qiyang County.

…

In Yun Valley, Sang Luo prepared some dry rations for Shen Lie. Along with Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, Wei Qinghe also volunteered to accompany them.

Wei Qinghe, who didn’t dare to go out hunting, heard that Shen Lie and Chen Dashan were going to the cave where they had agreed to exchange letters with his brother-in-law. He volunteered to join them.

There was no other reason than that his parents, sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews were all still outside. Everyone in the family was worried, whether they had relatives or not. Since Shen Lie and Chen Dashan couldn’t read, Wei Qinghe volunteered to come along. “If my brother-in-law has left a letter, you won’t have to make two more trips back and forth to see it.”

This was also why Shen Lie and Chen Dashan were willing to take Wei Qinghe with them.

Sang Luo made a book for Shen Lie, who cherished it greatly since receiving it. He spent more time each day learning to read and write. Sang Luo usually stayed in the cave, often giving pointers. Shen Lie wasn’t stupid and made good progress.

But the time was too short. Half a month’s worth of literacy was not enough for him to read a letter on his own.

The news of the three leaving spread to every household, and everyone came to see them off.

They were doing well in the valley, but inside, everyone worried about the situation outside. Those with families fretted for them, while those without still longed for homes they couldn’t return to.

Lu Erlang and Shi Dalang asked if they should accompany them. Shen Lie shook his head, saying, “Uncle Lu, Uncle Shi, stay in the valley. Keep watch halfway up the mountain each day. Until we return, nobody should leave the valley. I’ll use some smaller rocks to cover the entrance more discreetly. It’s mainly to prevent anyone from intruding and moving around inside. If you need to push from the inside, you can still get out.”

Zhou Cunzheng was attentive, asking, “Will this journey take long?”

Shen Lie shook his head. “I don’t know. Normally, it’s about ten days round trip. But with more refugees in the mountains now, we’ll have to take a longer route to avoid trouble. Getting in and out won’t be as easy as before. Also, according to the letter I received from Shopkeeper Xu last time, refugees coming from the north might arrive soon. So, it’s hard to calculate the timing. If we return late, everyone shouldn’t worry too much. Dashan and I have been living like this for years; we can handle whatever comes.”

He glanced at Sang Luo as he said the last sentence.

Sang Luo nodded.

This time, Mrs. Xu still entrusted Shen Lie with a letter, written by Xu Wenbo. It was short, advising that if things got chaotic outside, they shouldn’t just stay at Dongfu Building. Nothing was more important than people. It urged them to return early to Shezhou to reunite with their wives and children.

Shen Lie and his companions left Yun Valley, disguising the entrance halfway up the mountain again, before setting off on their journey out of the mountains.

—

In Qiyang County, the confiscation from the wealthy was still ongoing. Less than Shili outside the county, a troop of nearly a thousand people, hauling supplies, was heading towards Qiyang County.

As they passed through villages, they searched thoroughly. One man with disheveled hair muttered angrily after searching, “The court’s thieves have cleared out every village. They took everything and left us with nothing! Even the wealthy have fled.”

Another person chuckled, “They’re afraid the commoners will side with us. What’s to fear? They’re probably just hiding in the county. Once we storm the city, we’ll save time instead of going village by village. What do you say, Third Master?”

The man addressed as Third Master rode on a newly confiscated horse from yesterday. “No rush. The military provisions we took yesterday will keep us fed for a long time. Let them enjoy their stay in the county. Once everyone is inside the county, this afternoon when Second Master and the others arrive with more people, we’ll surround the city gates front and back. Can they escape then? Eventually, everything will fall into our hands. It’ll be easier that way.”

He chuckled again, adding, “With this job done, I say we shouldn’t rush to leave. Since we captured fifteen hundred soldiers yesterday, we have their armor and weapons. Kill the officials, plunder the wealthy, take control of the neighboring counties. We should learn from others and have me, Second Master, titled as a king or at least a general or marquis, right?”

The words amused the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Masters standing nearby. One of them rubbed his hands together and laughed, “Hey, we better move quickly this time. I don’t care about you guys, but once I get into the city, I’m heading straight for those rich folks’ houses. Don’t want to repeat last time where we just eyed each house one by one. If we’re too slow, those delicate ladies they keep will all end up hanged. What a bad omen.”

He licked his lips and continued, “Speaking of which, those fair-skinned ones, I’ve never had such a good time in my life.”

Someone chuckled upon hearing this, “You used to be a dirt-digger. Just marrying a wife was good enough for you. What were you expecting in terms of ‘good times’? Delicate, well-born women are either born that way or raised in such conditions. If a rare beauty appears, those big household dogs would snatch her up at thirteen or fourteen. When would it be our turn?”

The hand-rubber laughed again, “That’s why it feels good to turn the tables on this damn court. These days are like paradise. Did we ever dare dream of this before?”

He turned and loudly asked the large group behind him, “Brothers, don’t you agree?”

The dozens of people nearby heard clearly and laughed along, including some who had recently joined.

Those farther away didn’t hear clearly and asked what the laughter was about. Once they understood the topic of conversation, they grinned and began discussing how enjoyable it was to plunder the county they had just raided.

All these people had weather-beaten faces and calloused hands. Many had been desperate peasants scraping by in the fields just a month or even ten days ago.

Who could reconcile these two sides of their lives? If someone familiar saw this scene, who would dare say the before and after were the same person?

Rape and pillage—these men had flipped their minds upside down and fastened their heads to their belts. At each stop, they most eagerly awaited the final reward.

Evil intentions needed release, and pressure needed venting. Clearly, they had suffered hardships themselves, but once they raised the butcher’s knife, they spared no expense in inflicting on others what they had once feared and dreaded tenfold or more.

—

On the afternoon of May 1st, the most destitute group of people—those with only a few liters of soybeans and rice bran left, along with a handful of vegetables pulled early from the ground—gathered in front of the county office, begging the magistrate to open the granary and distribute relief grain.

Many from the Shili village were among them. Most were truly at their wits’ end, though some were slightly better off, like the Wang family, who had just sold a daughter and had a bag of rice and soybeans.

Who wouldn’t want relief grain?

As soon as a young man stepped forward, everyone rushed forward. At this moment, most villagers were crowding toward the county office, packing the streets outside and nearby with a dense mass of people.

Shen San and Mrs. Li were also among this crowd. The third house of the Shen family had run out of grain. If not for Shen Jin hiding a few liters of soybeans, some dried vegetables, and a bag of dried meat, they wouldn’t have been any different from the others.

But even with this slight advantage, what good did it do? With no wild vegetables to dig up and six mouths to feed, even if they ate sparingly, they could only last a week or two longer than the others.

Mrs. Li now considered this food a lifeline. She feared that if relief grain were distributed, one less person meant one less ration. Yet, if too many people came out, the grain might be stolen. Wild vegetables were hard to carry, so she had Shen Jin and a few children guard them in their shack, while she and Shen San each hugged a torn sack with their food, not daring to let go for a moment.

Neither of them were particularly capable people. The area outside the county office was packed so tightly that they couldn’t squeeze into the inner circle but had to stand on the outer street, squeezed against the wall.

The County Magistrate Wei, along with his officials, was trapped inside the county office, unable to come out. In private, they cursed the general, Chen, and urged the bailiffs repeatedly, “General Chen hasn’t arrived yet? He took away the grain. Isn’t he responsible for dispersing these people? What will we do if they break into the county office?”

The bailiffs grimaced, “There are too many people. It’s difficult to come in and out. He probably won’t be here so soon.”

Before they could finish speaking, suddenly, they heard distant drumming. Everyone in the county office was startled and looked toward the direction of the drumming. After hearing the rhythm clearly, their faces changed.

“Enemy attack!”

“It’s an enemy attack!”

At the same moment, drums also sounded at the city gates.

The County Magistrate Wei’s legs nearly gave out, and he almost collapsed.

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”

From inside the county office to outside, from the city gates inward, voices shouting “enemy attack” kept rising. Those who had previously held good positions to demand the opening of the granary for relief were now thrown into disarray.

“Where is the drumming coming from? Why are they beating the drums?”

“Enemy attack, what enemy attack?”

“Bandits are coming!”

Suddenly, the crowd surged like a tidal wave—pushing, shoving, and chaotic!

Mrs. Li and Shen San were squeezed against the wall, struggling to catch their breath. Shen San yelled loudly, “Stop pushing! Stop pushing, I’m being crushed!”

He pushed forward with all his might, trying to break free from the crushing mass of people.

His bundle was knocked loose from his hands. He bent down to pick it up, but in the next moment, he was pushed forward by the crowd, shouting, “My food! My food is dropped! Stop pushing!”

His voice was drowned out in the chaos, but some attentive ears caught it.

Everyone carried their precious grain. What a perfect opportunity.

In the chaos, within moments, someone screamed from the crowd, “What are you doing, let go, they’re stealing food, someone is stealing food!”

This scream woke up countless others. Some clutched their bundles tighter, while others, emboldened by fear, joined the clamor of cries over stolen food.

Mrs. Li was pressed against the wall, her face buried, when she heard someone was stealing food. The bundle containing the dried meat was tightly squeezed between her body and the wall. Despite her efforts, a rough hand reached for her bundle.

Mrs. Li screamed in shock. Instinctively, she tried to turn around, but a rough hand firmly pressed against her head. In the next instant, her bundle was snatched away from her grasp.

With a scream, Mrs. Li finally pushed the hand away from her face. In that brief moment of relief, another person pushed forward, leaving her unable to turn around or even see who had stolen her food. Crushed and helpless, she could only cry out in despair.

There were dozens of cries like this at once, and no one could even protect themselves, whether it was from Li, Liu, Wang, Qin, or Yang.