Chapter 32 1/2

On this late, bright winter day, amidst the chilly wind tinged with frost, oil lamps glowed brightly.

Early in the morning, the village bustled to load grains onto carts bound for the main village road. By the time the faint light appeared, there were already seven or eight grain carts lined up along the village road.

The grain contributed by the village this time amounted to one or two hundred stones. By the time all the grains to be contributed were loaded, the men in the village were sweating.

In previous years, ten people would deliver grain to the city, but this year the manpower has doubled.

The villagers were well aware of the rumors outside; if any grain were lost, not only the village head would be held responsible, but the farmers would also suffer consequences.

Ji Yangzong issued a call, and the strong men voluntarily came to escort the grain.

On the main road, a large group of people gathered to help with the grain delivery, making the cold winter morning unusually lively.

“Almost done, let’s hit the road!”

After Ji Yangzong checked the grain vehicles for any errors, he shouted, climbed onto the leading cart, and led the way.

Following Ji Yangzong’s command, the men in the village boarded the carts one by one, and the procession slowly began to move forward, with Ji Taoyu bringing up the rear on horseback.

The elderly, weak women, and children of the village braved the winter cold to watch the grain carts disappear into the distance.

Nearly half of the year’s hard-earned grains were all here; there was no room for error.

When Ji Taoyu rushed against the wind, she was a step too late; the caravan had already gone far, leaving only the sight of sturdy figures escorting the grain.

The big black horse swished its tail through the morning mist. Despite the unrest outside, having Ji Taoyu escort this year brought a sense of relief.

Ji Taoyu watched the disappearing figures, rubbed her stiff, cold hands, sighed lightly, and instantly turned into a white mist.

She eagerly watched the caravan vanish from sight, regretting getting up so early today.

It was also strange that she slept late last night, disturbed by the wind and dogs barking outside, making it difficult for her to sleep.

After the grain convoy left the village, the road returned to its noisy and bustling state.

“The grain was delivered late this year. Look how cold it is today. We should gather some firewood while it’s not raining today. There’s no way to survive without fire in the depths of winter.”

Women chatted as they tucked their hands into their clothes.

“Hey, how’s the Yu family doing?”

“Who knows? Haven’t seen anyone all day. That woman still refuses to believe anything, going to the doctor every day, but they all shake their heads and leave.”

“Why don’t they go see Doctor Huang? Maybe there’s still a chance to cure it.”

“They’ve lost all sense of shame. How dare they go beg Doctor Huang?”

“Even if they don’t, they’re still a scholarly family. Their days are still good. Forget about them; it’s bad luck to talk about it.”

Ji Taoyu listened to the villagers discussing the Yu family, not paying much attention. Whether it was about Yu Lingxiao’s disability or anything new, there was nothing noteworthy.

Besides, she didn’t want to know about their family affairs.

Today was really cold. Even the cabbage in the depression was covered with a thin layer of frost, but she felt as numb as an eggplant hit by frost.

She grunted and prepared to head back, thinking she might as well go home and sleep for a while longer.

“The morning taxes have been paid, and this year’s autumn harvest is complete. As the year draws to a close, who knows if we’ll have any good news ahead?”

“Surely there should be some matches made. There are plenty of eligible individuals both inside and outside our village.”

“Speaking of which, the other day I saw Miss Yuan at the Moon God Temple in Jinlong Temple.”

“Is she asking for a marriage match for her godson?”

When Ji Taoyu suddenly heard this, her steps involuntarily slowed down.

She huddled in the hood of her cloak, following behind the villagers who were chatting.

“Huo Shu is not young anymore. After spending so many years guarding the border, he should have settled down long ago. No wonder Yuan Huiru is concerned and went to the temple.”

“But this Huo Shu, although he looks fierce, is actually quite reliable. Some time ago, my sister’s family slaughtered livestock and hired Qiao Tuzi. He took Huo Shu along, and he slaughtered the animals as efficiently as Qiao Tuzi.”

“Your sister’s family has four sons and daughters. The fourth son is of marriageable age, isn’t he? Maybe it’s worth mentioning. Although Huo Shu doesn’t seem to have much family property, with his skills, he should have no problem making a living.”

“My sister also asked around a bit but couldn’t get a clear answer.”

“That’s just the girl being shy. If she’s asking around, it definitely means something. You can’t expect the girl to say it herself.”

“It’s been busy at home these days. I’ll go to Zhao’s house when I have some free time.”

“Brother, where are you going?”

Taoyu heard her mother’s voice and suddenly came to her senses, realising she had walked quite far from home.

“Are you going back with them?”

Taoyu’s face flushed slightly, and she quickly turned back, silently returning home with her head down.

Seeing her distracted son, Huang Manjing went straight back into the house, calling out a couple of times as if she hadn’t heard anything.

She carried firewood into the house and looked at the person entering. “This child, frozen silly.”

—

As the convoy traveled on the official road, the only sounds were the wheels turning and the beasts’ breathing.

Since the unrest, there have been fewer people on the road, which is not surprising.

All the men were on high alert, paying attention to any movement on the road. Their nerves stretched tight.

However, the journey was peaceful, and there were no untoward incidents.

Both Ji Yangzong and Huo Shu were clear-headed, knowing that the road wasn’t as chaotic as everyone had imagined, but rather that the incident involving You Lingxiao had scared everyone.

With more haste, the journey of over twenty miles was completed faster, and within two hours, the city gate was in sight.

The men from the village couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief at this sight.

The journey had been calm, but Ji Yangzong was still concerned about something. He glanced at Huo Shu, who was at the end of the caravan, several times. The other villagers thought he was worried about the safety of the grain and remained vigilant, keeping an eye on the surroundings.

When they arrived at the prefectural government office, Ji Yangzong finally perked up.

There were quite a few people gathered at the entrance of the prefectural government office, dressed like farmers, some squatting, some standing, crowding the entrance tightly.

Ji Yangzong looked around in surprise and went to report to the gatekeeper’s office.

“They’ve already said the magistrate is not available! No matter how many times you ask, it’s no use. If you have business, come back another day!”

Before Ji Yangzong could speak, he was shouted at by the gatekeeper. The villagers with him changed their expressions, wanting to step forward to support their leader, but Ji Yangzong quickly pressed his hand to signal that they were fine.

He still spoke respectfully: “We are from Mingxun Village, here today to deliver our taxes and grain.”

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper stood up from the gatehouse and looked outside before turning to Ji Yangzong with a much more amiable tone and saying, “So you’re the village head of Mingxun Village. I thought it was those villagers causing a ruckus again, demanding to see the magistrate.”

Ji Yangzong asked, “What’s the matter? Are there any major cases or something? There seem to be quite a few people outside.”

The gatekeeper shook his head and said, “It’s the people from Fancun Village. The deadline for tax payment has arrived, and the magistrate’s intention is for the people from Fancun Village to make up for the lost grain first. These farmers have come to make trouble.”

Ji Yangzong neither confirmed nor denied. If the government didn’t want to take responsibility and the farmers had already contributed nearly half of their grain as taxes, making them pay more would truly empty their pockets. Naturally, they would come to make trouble.

“Wait here, Village Head. Let me inform them, and I’ll be back soon.”

“Alright.”

Shortly after, the clerk from the household office came out with Mingxun Village’s tax register and checked them one by one.

After confirming that the grain was correct, they were allowed to move the grain into the granary, and then the taxes were checked again.

With no errors on both sides, they signed and stamped the documents.

After finishing up at the prefectural government office, it was neither early nor late, just the lively time when people usually gathered.

Having completed the important task of handing over the autumn harvest, Ji Yangzong was also busy this year.

After bidding farewell to the villagers at the entrance of the prefectural government office, the group disbanded.

“Huo Shu, wait.”

In the blink of an eye, Huo Shu, who had already led his horse quite far away, saw Ji Yangzong catching up and hurried to meet him.

“Do you have something else to do?”

“Are you going back or staying?”

Huo Shu replied, “I’m going to check the shop and will be back in a while.”

Ji Yangzong hesitated for a moment before saying, “Then, um, I’ll come back later; you wait at the butcher’s shop, and I’ll find you after I’m done here.”

Huo Shu’s brow twitched slightly, wanting to ask Ji Yangzong if there was anything else, but he didn’t say anything and just responded, “Okay.”

Seeing that he agreed, Ji Yangzong went to attend to his own business.

Huo Shu led his horse through the streets to the Qiao family’s butcher shop. By this time, the busiest time in the butcher shop had passed, and it was relatively quiet.

He tied his horse outside and prepared to go in to fetch some water for the horse.

As he strode into the shop, he saw Fang He sitting on a stool with a smile on his face, his mouth open. Besides him, a young girl of marriageable age was breaking off a piece of rice cake to feed him.

The girl saw Huo Shu, who had a cold expression, walk in and was startled, dropping the rice cake onto the table.

Sensing that something was wrong, Fang He turned his head and met Huo Shu’s eyes. Perhaps not expecting Huo Shu to return, he hastily stood up, causing the iron hook on the table to clatter.

Subconsciously, he pulled the girl behind him a bit and said, “Huo, Huo ge, why are you here?”

Huo Shu continued walking in without changing his expression. “I’m here to fetch water for the horse.”

“To fetch water… fetch water…”

He stared at the person who had walked to the back, feeling confused.

“Weren’t you the one who said there was no one in the shop today? You scared me!”

The girl, unable to see Huo Shu’s figure, twisted Fang He’s arm hard. “If he tells my dad, it’ll be bad for you!”

“Huo Ge doesn’t know you; he won’t tell Master.”