Peace Order

The winter day brings snow.

This year’s weather is unusual, even in the south, there’s a thin layer of snow. On the streets of Guan Yi City, a thin layer covers the bluestone slabs, and pedestrians walk with a stagger, slipping with each step.

The old shopkeeper of Huichun Hall shook his coarse cloth clothes.

The woolen clothing he wore was windproof and snowproof. With a shake and a swipe of the hand, the thin snow scattered, and the chill couldn’t penetrate his body. The old shopkeeper had never worn such things before.

After Qin collected the old lands of Chen, government-operated trade routes opened in all directions. Wool and leather from the Western Regions and grasslands are continuously transported, and in the most remote city of the Western Regions, the mountain guardians of the Holy Mountain can drink tea from Jiangnan and have herbal medicines from the Central Plains to strengthen their vitality and blood.

Anglers from Jiangnan can wear thick gear, ignoring the winter chill to fish all night. The era seems unchanged, yet seems to have undergone an earth-shattering transformation.

The old shopkeeper stepped out and saw the Mo Mechanism Car on the road.

Like a giant carriage, it operates mechanically. The speed isn’t particularly fast, not as fast as a galloping warhorse, but certainly more comfortable than two legs.

It moves according to a fixed trajectory.

It only travels on main roads and only costs a copper coin to ride.

He was already accustomed to taking out a copper coin, squeezing in, squinting his eyes, listening to people around discussing recent events. After Emperor Qin campaigned against Ying Country, there were no wars on all sides, and the world welcomed an era of peace that had been awaited for over three hundred years.

Peace...

The old shopkeeper thought about these two words.

Sometimes, he didn’t know what these two words represented.

Hearing a burst of crying, the old shopkeeper turned his wooden face and saw inside the crowded Mo Mechanism Car, a young woman angrily said: "You went out to play again?"

"The teacher said you’ve got nine out of ten math problems wrong!"

The stubborn child retorted, "How do you know I was wrong, Mother?"

The woman reached out, pinched the child’s ear, and twisted, annoyed:

"How do I know?!"

"Eight or nine years ago, when Emperor Qin pioneered the education of Mongolian children, I was the top student on that day. Now, your teacher is my classmate from back then, you, you!"

"A simple Nine Palace Eight Shoulder Diagram, and you haven’t memorized it!!!"

These words were filled with urgency and frustration, mingled with a few laughs of exasperation.

The woman appeared to be twenty-three or four at most. At such an age, in this era, women would have married early and had children. Eight or nine years ago, at fourteen or fifteen, entering education for Mongolian children was quite natural for her.

But her words left the old shopkeeper stunned. He didn’t know why, but that phrase—[a simple Nine Palace Eight Shoulder Diagram]—was so overwhelmingly impactful to an elder who experienced past times and current changes.

Over ten years ago, that young pharmacist was noticed by the Xue Family for solving the Nine Palace Diagram at the age of thirteen or fourteen, becoming a small math instructor. But now, a child just seven or eight is expected to naturally master these things.

The sense of time changing flowed like water.

The old shopkeeper was momentarily lost in thought.

"...Peace."

He looked at the bustling street without the luxurious feel of the great city of Chen Country from over ten years ago, yet there seemed to be unspeakable hope. Even if life went on as usual, just chewing over the phrase [the world is at peace, no more wars] brought a subtle, indescribable feeling of emotion.

The old shopkeeper squeezed into the Mo Mechanism Car and reached a small tavern in much less time than before. The tavern’s fat shopkeeper, hair now white, was happily setting up the wine flag. Seeing him coming, he waved the old shopkeeper down.

"Come, have a drink!"

The fat shopkeeper laid out a large spread of wine and meat on the table, even stewed up some lamb. The old shopkeeper was a bit taken aback, asking, "How come you’re so generous today?"

The fat shopkeeper replied, "I don’t even know; it’s just that the taxes have dropped again."

"The costs of lamb and pork are a little less than before; fabric prices and such are much cheaper than prior. But we don’t understand these things, anyway, grain prices have stabilized a lot, not like in Ding Ligong’s days when they often rose unexpectedly. Come on, try my cooking!"

The tavern’s fat shopkeeper beamed with pride, and the old shopkeeper took off his thick outer clothing, hung it beside him, and sat at the table. The tavern keeper still poured him the one-penny wine he always ordered. The old shopkeeper raised his cup and looked outside.

For so long, finally, his wooden face showed a gentle smile.

"Good times indeed."

The fat shopkeeper laughed heartily, saying, "Yes, indeed, come, drink up!"

The two were long past their youth, especially the old shopkeeper, now over seventy. If not for being a doctor and maintaining his health, he probably wouldn’t have such vitality. The fat shopkeeper was also over fifty, with white hair showing.

The fat shopkeeper tidied up, wiped his hands, and sat down.

One street, one tavern, two friends, one table of wine and meat.

The fat shopkeeper said, "Your one-penny wine."

"Come!"

The old shopkeeper of Huichun Hall, fond of but not addicted to drinking, never overindulging, always just having one cup of one-penny wine here, having a hint of alcohol without getting drunk, and the two clinked their glasses.