Chapter 20: Wanying Village

Magistrate Wu glanced at the two nervous men before him, feeling a bit embarrassed. He rubbed his nose and called for a yamen officer.

“Take the others to settle in Wanying Village outside the city first. Scholar Xu, come with me to the clerical office.”

Xu Yaozu gave the village chief a brief instruction before following Magistrate Wu outside. The yamen officer, maintaining a polite demeanor, led the village chief out of the county office.

Meanwhile, the people waiting anxiously outside were growing increasingly uneasy.

“Da Ya, do you think something happened to your father and the village chief?”

Madam Wang, feeling uncertain, turned to Xu Nian for reassurance. After the long journey, the Xu family had already come to regard Xu Nian as someone capable of making important decisions.

“Let’s wait a little longer…” Xu Nian had just spoken when she spotted the village chief returning, following behind the yamen officer.

The Xu family members were alarmed when they saw that Xu Yaozu was not with him. Sensing their misunderstanding, the village chief quickly relayed Xu Yaozu’s message, reassuring them that everything had gone smoothly.

With their worries eased, the group finally felt a sense of relief. Without further discussion, the village chief followed the yamen officer to the designated resettlement area.

The officer rode beside the village chief’s cart, offering a brief introduction to Wanying Village along the way.

The village was home to injured veterans who had been discharged from the army, along with their families. There were also widows of fallen soldiers living there.

The current village chief of Wanying Village was named Zhu Sanniu, a former soldier who had retired from the battlefield. The yamen officer made a point to add, “The people of Wanying Village may look fierce, but they are not bad people.”

As they traveled farther from the county town, Xu Nian observed that the land became increasingly desolate and empty.

The village chief, too, studied the snow-covered fields, silently contemplating how well crops might grow in such conditions.

Noticing his gaze, the officer sighed and said, “Beijiang has vast lands, but much of it remains barren. His Highness has issued a decree: those who cultivate wastelands are exempt from taxes for three years, and only pay half the taxes for the following two years.

However, since most of the people here are wounded soldiers and widows, many fields remain uncultivated. Even the common folk of Beijiang are reluctant to open up land due to the low crop yields.”

Realizing he might have spoken too much, the officer fell silent after finishing his explanation.

Initially pleased by such generous policies, the village chief now grew pensive.

Since the Xu family’s donkey cart followed closely behind the village chief, Xu Nian overheard everything. A thought struck her—had fate brought her to the Sheng Dynasty and then led her all the way here just to grow crops?

After about half an hour of travel, the group finally arrived at Wanying Village. Looking up, they saw rows of earthen brick houses neatly arranged in the settlement.

The officer led them to a courtyard.

“This is the village chief’s home. I’ll go inside and notify him.”

After the officer left, the village chief turned to the others and instructed, “From now on, this will be our home. Be mindful of how you address me—I am no longer a village chief.

Though the land here is said to be difficult to cultivate, as long as we work hard and improve the soil, our lives here won’t be any worse than they were in Dahe Village.”

“That’s right! Once we reclaim the land, it’ll be ours, just like getting free farmland!”

Xu Youliang grinned. Back in Dahe Village, even a single mu of low-grade farmland cost several taels of silver.

Xu Nian took out her silver and counted it.

“Grandpa Wang, I still have 57 taels of silver here. That means each of the six families can have 9.5 taels. With this money, we can gradually build our new lives.”

She handed the silver to her second uncle to distribute among the families.

The former village chief, Old Man Wang, did not refuse but made sure to emphasize, “Once we settle into our homes, each family must write an IOU to the Xu family.

Xu girl, I have another matter to discuss with you—can the money for the mules also be considered a loan? I figured having livestock would make clearing land much easier.”

Xu Nian had no objections but still turned to her father for approval. Seeing him nod, she smiled and said, “Of course, Grandpa Wang.”

In the end, the group decided to keep the mule carts for future farming. Just as they finalized their plans, the yamen officer returned with Village Chief Zhu.

Zhu Sanniu looked to be around the same age as Xu Yaozu, but he had a robust and imposing build. Upon closer inspection, one could see that his left sleeve was empty, indicating a missing arm. A long, menacing scar ran down his face, starting from his brow. His appearance was indeed intimidating.

Xiao Liuzi was a bit frightened by the fierce-looking man and kept burrowing into Xu Nian’s arms.

Xu Nian patted Xiao Liuzi’s back and whispered, “Don’t be afraid. That’s a medal of honor he earned after defeating bad people—not just anyone can have one.”

Curious, Xiao Liuzi looked up again, thinking to himself that becoming a hero seemed to mean becoming ugly. But he still declared firmly, “I want to be a hero and earn a medal too!”

The clear, childish voice caught the attention of everyone around. Xu Nian smiled awkwardly and said, “Work hard, then.”

Zhu Sanniu, however, burst into hearty laughter. Having served as a scout in the army, his hearing was exceptionally sharp, and he had caught the entire conversation between the siblings. Hmm, this little boy was to his liking.

Zhu Sanniu walked up to the cart and ruffled Xiao Liuzi’s hair.

“You want to be a hero? Come back and talk when you’ve grown all your hair.”

With that one sentence, all the women on the cart blushed with embarrassment. Xu Nian lowered her head, struggling to hold back her laughter.

Zhu Sanniu was used to speaking this way. Besides, women in Beijiang were generally more open-minded and would sometimes joke along with the rough men. But seeing so many women blushing at once, even Zhu Sanniu felt a bit awkward and rubbed his nose uncomfortably.

“I’ll take you all to settle in first,” he said, striding off in large steps.

The six carts entered the village in a grand procession, naturally drawing the attention of the villagers. Many people stood at their doorways, wrapped in thick coats, hands tucked inside their sleeves, curiously watching the newcomers.

“Old Zhu, who’s visiting your family?” a one-eared old man called out in a loud voice.

Zhu Sanniu shouted back, “They’re refugees being resettled in our village—they came from the south!”

“Huh? Oh! Let me know if you need a hand!”

Zhu Sanniu waved dismissively. Along the way, more people asked questions, and some even followed behind the carts.

There were many empty houses in Wanying Village. Seeing them, Xu Nian felt a sharp pang in her heart. In ancient times, houses were rarely abandoned unless the owners had fled due to disaster—just like them—or if the family line had completely died out with no descendants to inherit the home.

Before, she had only heard a brief introduction from Xu Yaozu about how Prince Zhenbei had defended the borders for decades, ensuring peace. Now, she truly understood the cost of that so-called “peace” and how many bones lay buried here forever.

Since the houses were scattered, each family was assigned a home in different parts of the village.

The Xu family’s house was located in the central area of the village. Upon hearing the commotion, their neighbors stepped outside to take a look.

Village Chief Zhu introduced them. The household to the left was the Zhao family, which consisted only of an elderly grandmother and her young grandson. The house on the right belonged to another Zhu family, relatives of the village chief. Zhu Sanniu’s cousin had gone to war alongside him, and both had been wounded and resettled in Wanying Village.

The neighbors were warm and welcoming, eagerly helping the Xu family move their belongings into the courtyard.