Chapter 134
Outside Liangcheng, in Bai Village.
The night was cool and quiet, with only the occasional chirping of insects and the distant barking of dogs. The people in the village were still fast asleep. Perhaps disturbed by the noises or simply hungry, a baby began to cry. Fortunately, the mother wasn’t in deep sleep. She instinctively patted the baby, then realized what had happened and softly sang a lullaby while feeding the child.
The surroundings grew quiet again, but the mother couldn’t sleep. After she fed the baby and got him back to sleep, she glanced out the window. The first light of morning was beginning to break. It was a new day.
Before long, there was some noise outside as a man turned over in bed and mumbled a few words. The woman heard him and hurried to nudge him awake. “Get up, get up. You’ve got something important to do today.”
The man groggily sat up, hearing her words. “Oh, right, today’s important. What time is it?”
He listened intently for a moment and then said, “Ah, the guards are already here?”
Bai Village was not far from the training base of the Guard Camp, and the guards would pass by the village every morning for their morning run, a daily routine. The villagers had gotten used to it—when they heard the sound of the guards running, they knew it was time to get up and start working.
The woman had already gotten dressed quickly and glanced at the child still in bed before getting up. “I’ll go cook. You should bring two more sets of clothes. If you end up staying there, you won’t need to come back.”
The man shook his head. “No need to bring clothes. I heard that once you get in, they’ll give you new clothes. Two sets, enough for the whole year, and they’re new.”
The woman nodded. “Alright, suit yourself.”
While they were talking, someone in the courtyard called out loudly, “Fugui, Fugui, get up! If you’re late, you’ll miss the opportunity. Guiying, I heard the baby cry, did you feed him?”
Chen Fugui quickly responded, “Yes, yes! I’m getting up!”
He Guiying had already opened the door and stepped outside. “Mother! The baby’s full and asleep again. I’m going to cook now.”
Chen Zhoushi waved her hand. “Breakfast is already prepared. Help Fugui get ready; he’s going for military recruitment, so he needs to look sharp. And you, after breakfast, go to work early.”
“Okay! I’ll leave the baby to you, Mother,” He Guiying said, nodding repeatedly.
Their life had changed since Duan Wang arrived. Things were much better now. Many workshops had been set up outside Liangcheng, hiring villagers to work.
The people of Bai Village had always lived the hard life, working the fields from dawn to dusk. They had never heard of making money through labor. If everyone left to work in the workshops, who would tend to the crops? Without a good harvest, the entire family would starve.
Some villagers, seeing no other option, decided to take a chance. They thought, “What do we have to lose? It’s worth a try.”
After working for a month, they received rice as payment from the workshop. The master said this was their salary for the month. With this, they could easily feed themselves and even save some money.
More and more people joined the workshops, and gradually, they found a balance between fieldwork and factory work.
In the past, it was always the men who worked in the workshops. However, as time went on, during the busy farming seasons, the men had to divide their time between farm work and working in the workshops, which left them struggling to keep up. As more and more workshops were established, there simply weren’t enough men to meet the demand, so many workshops began to hire women.
At first, the women had their reservations. After all, it wasn’t proper for women to be out in public like that, exposing themselves to the world. But the promotion was so effective that it couldn’t be ignored. They were told that women could also hold up half the sky, that as long as they worked hard, they too could earn a living and make money just like men.
These words stirred many hearts. Some gritted their teeth and decided to throw aside all prejudices. If they could support themselves, why should they care about what others said?
Once there was one, there would be a second. Naturally, some supported it, while others opposed. He Guiying had never imagined that she could earn money. Such things were supposed to be men’s responsibilities.
However, in their village, the widow Bai boldly took the first step and started working at a workshop not far from the village. After the first month, she earned quite a bit, which made most of the villagers envious and jealous.
As a result, gossip never stopped in the village. But seeing the widow Bai’s life improving day by day and her growing confidence, the villagers couldn’t help but watch. Eventually, she even renovated her house and married a young man from the neighboring village. Now, the couple both worked in the workshop, and their life was flourishing.
At that point, the villagers finally stopped talking. Many young women and wives had their minds changed. If they could be like the widow Bai, their status at home would be elevated. It was something they had never even dared to think of before. Now, with an example set, they no longer feared anything.
He Guiying was one of those who had her mind changed. At first, she didn’t dare to bring it up, but later, when many people from the village went to the workshop, she became anxious. She heard that the workshop had a limit on the number of workers, and once the positions were filled, there would be no more opportunities to join.
She made up her mind and began hinting at Chen Fugui about the possibility of going to work. Chen Fugui was an honest man and didn’t think it was a big deal. Many people from the village had gone, and if his wife wanted to go, that was fine. If he wasn’t responsible for his family’s land, he would have gone to work at the workshop himself.
At breakfast, the topic came up, and the first to oppose was his mother-in-law, Chen Zhou. She said that a woman’s place was to take care of her husband and children at home, managing household affairs. Why should she be out there showing her face? A woman should behave like a woman.
He Guiying was unwilling to accept this and argued a few words. The breakfast ended on an unpleasant note.
In the end, He Guiying insisted on going. Chen Zhou gave her a cold shoulder.
A month later, He Guiying brought back a month’s wages, and when calculated, it turned out to be better than working the fields. At this point, Chen Zhou stopped saying much and even took the initiative to help take care of their grandson. She also made it clear that He Guiying was no longer expected to handle household chores. It seemed that she had forgiven He Guiying for her decision to act on her own.
With this income, their family’s situation gradually improved. Last year, there were reports from above that the Duan Wang’s residence had introduced something called “watermelon,” and Duan Wang had ordered land to be set aside for its cultivation. Their village, Bai Village, was included in the plan. Though no one knew what watermelon was, special people were sent down to guide the villagers on how to plant it.
At first, some people were reluctant. After all, it couldn’t be eaten as a meal—why bother planting it? But since Duan Wang had given the order, the farmers who grew watermelon would receive tax reductions and even a grain subsidy for a season. When it was all calculated, it seemed like there was no loss, so they went ahead and planted it.
Now, every household in Bai Village was planting watermelon under the guidance of the officials. It turned out to be much simpler than other crops, and the work in the fields was much lighter. Chen Fugui’s eldest son had grown into a young man and could help with the fieldwork. His father, old Mr. Chen, was still healthy and had spent his whole life working the fields, a master at it.
Chen Fugui had originally thought about joining the workshop, but recently, news came that Duan Wang had issued an order to recruit soldiers in Liangzhou, with clear terms and benefits.
Ordinary citizens hadn’t really considered the idea of becoming soldiers. In the Great Yan, only military households had the right to serve, and everyone knew this. The order from Duan Wang seemed strange. Why would he privately recruit soldiers? If the court found out, it could mean a death sentence.
But just as everyone thought Duan Wang might have ulterior motives, the imperial decree came down. In order to expand the military, the court allowed Liangzhou to recruit civilians to become soldiers, thus expanding the army to protect the nation and its people.
At this, Liangzhou almost erupted. The people there had long suffered from the raids of barbarian invaders, and they hated them so much that they wanted to devour them alive. However, their status had always prevented them from seeking revenge. Now, with the recruitment order, many young men from the border areas were eager to join the army, protect their country, defend their homes, and slaughter the invaders.
Not to mention that the terms for joining were very favorable: in addition to a sum of money to settle their families, there was also a monthly stipend. Moreover, once they successfully enlisted, their family’s agricultural taxes would be fully waived.
Just for that last point, many young men couldn’t wait to prepare.
Chen Fugui’s family lived not far from the Guard Camp training base. He was well aware of the skills of the guards, who had wiped out bandits completely, even defeating invading barbarians. Everyone praised them.
Chen Fugui admired and envied them. Now, with this opportunity, he definitely didn’t want to miss it. After discussing with his family, he decided to go to the recruitment station in the southern part of the city that day, which led to the earlier scene.
He Guiying had already turned back, planning to pack some things for Chen Fugui, but he stopped her hand. “Don’t bother,” he said. “I’ve already checked. There’s nothing to bring. If I get recruited, the army will provide everything—food, clothing, and everything else. There’s nothing to worry about.”
When He Guiying heard this, she was momentarily unsure of what to do. With the departure imminent, especially with her husband going to the army—going to war meant facing battles, with swords and blades everywhere. What if something were to happen…
She didn’t dare to think deeply about it. Sniffing her nose, she said, “When you’re out, be careful of everything.”
Chen Fugui understood her thoughts and patted her head, smiling as he said, “Don’t worry! This is a good thing. If I really get selected, not only will I earn a lot of silver, but I’ll also learn a lot of skills. In the future, when I’m on the battlefield, I’ll be able to kill the barbarian invaders cleanly and solve the hidden dangers for our Liangzhou. That’s also a great thing to protect the home and honor the country. When our children grow up, we’ll make sure they know that their father is a hero.”
He Guiying forced a smile, “I’ll trust you. You must come back safely in a few years.”
Chen Fugui nodded, “Mhm! I understand. In the future, I’ll be someone with abilities, like the guards. You’ve seen them; they train every day, and each one of them is top-notch.”
He Guiying chuckled and poked his forehead with her finger, “Just you? You don’t even know if you’ll be selected. How can you compare yourself to those guards? Aren’t you ashamed?”
Chen Fugui scratched his head and grinned foolishly, “I’ll definitely get selected. I meet all the recruitment requirements.”
“Alright, alright. Mother’s already made breakfast. Hurry and come out to eat, or you’ll be late.”
“From now on, the burden will fall on you at home. We have the elderly and young children to take care of, and the eldest son hasn’t grown up yet. You’ll not only have to work outside to earn food but also take care of the family. I feel bad for you.”
“We’re a family, there’s no need to say all this. It’s my duty, don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything at home. Life’s already much better than before. If we can keep living like this, it’s our blessing.”
“Yes!” Chen Fugui sighed, “But I believe, with Duan Wang in Liangzhou, the lives of the people will only improve.”
All these changes were brought by Duan Wang. Ever since Duan Wang came to Liangzhou, every order he issued had been a tangible benefit for the people.
In just a few years, the bandits had completely disappeared. Now, the workshops that had risen were supporting countless people, and these were visible, concrete changes.
For generations, their ancestors had lived in this place, enduring war and poverty that had made Liangzhou barren and lifeless. But these changes gave the region new vitality, like fresh sprouts, and it would certainly flourish in the future.
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