Chapter 33: These People Are Tame and Sincere

The morning of the departure was still bone-chillingly cold, yet the sky was graced by a rare, bright sun.

Holding little Yi in his arms, Lady Bu smiled and said, "Our Yun-ge is truly a lucky charm. After days of gloomy, overcast weather, the sun has come out the moment you stepped out the door. It’s a sign that this trip will be full of joy and that your return will be smooth and untroubled."

Hearing Lady Bu’s words, Li Fu subconsciously glanced up at the sunlight overhead.

Since the beginning of winter, Long County had seen nothing but snow or gray skies; the sun was almost never to be seen. Having served as an official here for several years, he was well-acquainted with the local climate.

Yet, it was undeniably true: the moment Yun-ge set out, the clouds began to clear.

Although it was the sunlight of winter—pale and cold to the touch—the dissipation of the overcast clouds brought a newfound crispness to the air.

"The weather is indeed fine, but you must be careful on the road. Remember to listen to Uncle Jiang. Don't go running off just because you think you’re clever, do you hear me?" Li Fu repeatedly exhorted Yun-ge.

Though Yun-ge was bright and precocious, Li Fu could not help but feel uneasy about his first trip away from home. It was a pity his own vacation time had run out, or he would have liked to accompany him.

Yun-ge nodded obediently and waved at the man Li Fu had called Uncle Jiang.

Uncle Jiang, whose full name was Jiang Guang, was a man in his thirties, taciturn and reserved. He was the chief bodyguard who had followed Elder Li on his travels across the country for years. Not only was he highly skilled in martial arts, but, most importantly, he was fiercely loyal.

His ancestry, in particular, was quite notable.

Jiang Guang’s surname was Jiang, of the Qing clan, and his ancestral home was Zhaoge in Luojing—or, in modern terms, Hebi in Henan. There was a famous historical figure from that region named Jing Ke, also known as Qing Ke. In Jiang Guang’s own words, his ancestors hailed from the same village as Jing Ke. He claimed this proved that everyone in their village was a person of great righteousness, willing to follow in the footsteps of their forebears. Thus, his primary rule for navigating society since leaving the village was to value loyalty and righteousness above all else.

This principle had earned the high approval of Elder Li. Just yesterday, he had introduced the eight guards to Yun-ge, all of whom Yun-ge was instructed to address as "Uncle."

After lecturing Yun-ge and drumming instructions into his ears for the better part of the day, Li Fu finally finished, watching with a smile as Yun-ge hopped into the carriage.

Except for Yun-ge and Gouzi, who were still small and would ride in the carriage, everyone else traveled on horseback.

In the Central Plains, even a packhorse cost an outrageous sum, but here, near the grasslands, it was easier to acquire horses—despite the constant threat of raids by nomadic tribes.

All eight guards and the two group leaders were adept at riding, and even Deng Qiang, who had come along for the excursion, was skilled in archery and horsemanship.

He was not particularly talented in his studies, but having spent his life in trade, his riding skills were truly exceptional.

Yun-ge leaned against the carriage window, watching Deng Qiang’s self-assured manner with envy. He wanted to ride, too, but given his current short stature, he decided it was better to save his energy.

As they traveled through the county, Yun-ge did not see much of interest. The two group leaders, armed with iron rulers, led the way, while the guards behind carried broadswords, looking formidable. The local commoners caught sight of them from afar and scurried away, preferring to avoid any risk of being struck down by mistake.

This continued until they cleared the gates of Long County. Suddenly, a vast expanse of wilderness, shrouded in cold, thin mist, rushed to meet them, delivering a powerful visual impact to Yun-ge.

As far as the eye could see, the land appeared desolate, with only the faintest traces of human existence.

A carriage path had been constructed outside the city, and Yun-ge’s carriage followed it. Of course, the path was hardly ideal, and the ride remained bumpy and jarring.

After about ten minutes, Yun-ge was surprised to find a sprawling "refugee camp" nestled just outside the borders of Long County.

That was the only way Yun-ge could describe it.

Though the surrounding space was vast, the dwellings were huddled tightly together, mostly constructed simply from stone and yellow mud, and were universally low and cramped.

A tall adult would have to stoop just to enter one.

"Is that Young Master Li?"

As Yun-ge leaned out to look, he heard someone calling him from a distance with a hearty, resonant voice.

"It really is Young Master Li! Are you going out with Magistrate Li today? You must be careful on the road." Before Yun-ge could spot the speaker, the voice drifted over to him from afar.

"Uncle Jiang, stop for a moment." Yun-ge hurriedly asked the carriage to halt.

Upon seeing the carriage stop, the man was momentarily taken aback before running over. As he drew closer, Yun-ge finally saw him clearly: a middle-aged man with a simple, honest face.

He stopped five or six paces from the carriage. Although he was a sturdy middle-aged man, he kept his head slightly bowed when looking at Yun-ge, his expression filled with humility.

"And you are?"

The man immediately replied, "My name is Leader Lu. Back when the Li household was serving porridge, you had the Magistrate select people to help count the crowd, and I was one of them."

Mentioning this, although Leader Lu did not dare to show the same exuberant pride he might have shown to others, a faint sense of honor was evident to anyone listening.

At the time, Young Master Li had chosen eight people first, and he had been among them.

He had never felt so important in his entire life.

Yun-ge hadn't paid much attention to the individuals back then; he only remembered a young lad and a scholar among the eight because they were unique. Aside from that, he had no recollection.

Leader Lu continued to chatter on: "Young Master Li, I have to thank you. The Magistrate said it was all your idea to have us form teams to clear the streets of the county and repair the collapsed houses. You gave us a meal every day and even paid us ten copper coins.

"I’m the team leader, so I get two extra coins. Thanks to you and the Magistrate, I’ve been able to settle my wife and children outside Long County.

"Look, that whole area is where we built our homes. They’re a bit small, but we plastered them thick with yellow mud, so the cold wind can’t blow in, and we have enough to eat every day.

"Everyone says we made the right choice fleeing here; otherwise, how would we have met the Magistrate and you, Young Master Li? When spring comes, we’ll use our saved copper coins to buy seeds and open up the wasteland. After paying the taxes, we should still have some left over. That’s how we’ll get through the year. When next winter comes, Young Master Li, will you still ask the Magistrate to have us clean the streets?"

Leader Lu said a great deal, but his main purpose was that final question.

If they could keep working next year, Leader Lu felt his life had hope. Even if, after taxes, they were left with just enough grain to barely fill their bellies, they wouldn't starve during the winter.

Plus, there were the copper coins they were saving. Next year, they wouldn't have to spend those coins on food; he could save a portion of the post-tax harvest as seed grain, and year by year, he could accumulate a little more. By the time his son grew up, he, too, could start saving money in the winter.

As the years passed, their lives would improve. And the most crucial factor in all of this was the Magistrate continuing to give them work.

When Leader Lu didn't hear a reply from Yun-ge, he couldn't help but nervously wring his hands.

Slowly, he began to panic.

Actually, twelve copper coins weren't necessary—five would do, even five would be enough to save quite a bit, and they’d still get fed.

Leader Lu grew even more anxious.

He thought perhaps Young Master Li found him too greedy. The Magistrate was a rare, upright official willing to give them a way to survive, and here he was, asking for more favors for next year.

In the middle of the winter, a thin layer of sweat broke out on Leader Lu’s forehead. He felt he should apologize to the young master, and his legs, which had been standing straight, began to bow.

"Of course you can." Yun-ge finally snapped out of his thoughts.

In truth, he had been pondering something else.

When he first saw this refugee area, he knew it must have been built by victims of the disaster outside the city.

Yun-ge had been worried about the refugees before, but the busyness of the New Year had pushed it to the back of his mind. After the festivities, he had asked Li Fu about it. Li Fu was, of course, aware of the destruction that an influx of refugees could bring to Long County.

He had told Yun-ge not to worry, saying that, firstly, he had already begun to control the number of refugees entering the county, and secondly, for some unknown reason, the hundreds of refugees who had been arriving daily had significantly dwindled. Li Fu didn't know why, but since it was a good thing for Long County, he didn't bother to investigate.

With fewer new arrivals, the first group had settled down outside the city walls.

Yun-ge had expected the environment to be wretched and the refugees to be bitter and complaining. Yet, judging by Leader Lu’s demeanor, it was the exact opposite. They were content; there was even an air of expectation and happiness on their faces.

Yun-ge had seen these refugees when the porridge was being served.

At that time, they had been full of pain, distortion, even flashes of human malice and numbness.

But now, after just a simple meal—and having spent the last while clearing snow, repairing houses, and likely doing other heavy labor—this Leader Lu, despite wearing thin clothes, shivering in the wind, and having hands covered in frostbitten cracks, was actually happy. It was the kind of happiness that comes from seeing hope.

This pure, unadulterated joy left Yun-ge feeling somewhat at a loss.

Yun-ge looked at his own soft, fair hands. He didn't know if he would be so easily satisfied if he lived here. He suspected he would be angry and unhappy, certainly not humbly grateful like Leader Lu.

That was why Yun-ge had been so distracted.

These people showed him the cruelty and horror of despair, yet they also showed him the resilience and purity of human nature.

These people... these people...

But Leader Lu didn't care what Yun-ge was thinking; he had only heard the words "of course you can."

His worries dissipated with the wind, replaced by a surge of warmth rising from his heels to the top of his head. He knew it—the Magistrate was a truly great official, and Young Master Li was a kind-hearted soul.

Because of Yun-ge’s promise, he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

Yun-ge sighed softly and looked past Leader Lu. Their group was quite an eye-catching sight; many people had already poked their heads out from the low, cramped refugee huts.

It was truly strange—they all seemed filled with such submissiveness and expectation, devoid of any resentment or anger.

He was still such a small, small child, yet this large crowd of refugees looked at him with both awe and gratitude.

Just then, Yun-ge saw more people approaching.

They were walking rather slowly.

Before long, Yun-ge saw who they were.

An old man and a scholar.

The old man had some knowledge of accounting, and the scholar, who had been somewhat evasive and embarrassed when receiving porridge that day, looked much more grounded now.