Chapter 102 - 103: County Town
The County Government
"My Lord, Chief Li has returned to report," Steward Mao Li said, quickly standing up as he saw County Magistrate Tian Xiuwen enter.
Tian Xiuwen asked, "So soon? Where is he?"
"He just went to the back hall to freshen up. He’ll be out shortly." He had been travel-worn, his beard caked with dust.
A moment later, Li Yong emerged, looking completely refreshed.
Tian Xiuwen asked, "How did you get back so quickly? Didn’t I tell you to wait for Lord Niu’s orders?"
Li Yong handed the official documents detailing the number of refugees and their assignments to Magistrate Tian with both hands. "Lord Niu assigned the people on the same day. To prevent them from continuing to gather at the city gates, he had us bring them back as soon as possible. Now we’re just waiting for Your Lordship’s command to settle these people, and then our task will be considered complete."
Magistrate Tian casually flipped through the documents. "This is great news for Fu County. We’ve finally injected some new blood and filled up those villages.
They’re all poor common folk. Take some men with you tomorrow and make sure they are all properly settled.
By the way, what are the people who came this time like?"
Although he wanted to add more villages to the county, he would have a major headache if they were the kind of troublemakers who stirred up conflict.
Li Yong replied, "I’ve already looked into it. Although they all come from the same place, these people are honest and were quite united on the road, so they were a group that suffered relatively few losses.
It was through Assistant Magistrate Geng’s mediation that this group was assigned to us. I also observed some of the other, more scattered families along the way, and none of them will be able to cause any trouble."
Magistrate Tian nodded in satisfaction. "I’m always confident in your work, Chief Li. It’s been a long journey for you, so go home and get some proper rest. Once this matter is settled, we’ll have a few good drinks."
Li Yong repeatedly said he wouldn’t dare presume, pledged his loyalty a few more times, and then took his leave.
§
"Why are you two wasting money like this? We could have just found a corner to lean against and get through the night," Li Cuicui said as she was dragged into the inn. Seeing the clean and tidy room, she felt uncomfortable and wanted to back out.
"This room isn’t half bad. Must have cost a pretty penny, eh?" Gu Dashishi said, looking it up and down. He recalled the look the waiter had given him earlier and glanced down at his own patched clothes. "Old woman, where did you put that robe of mine, the one made just two years ago?"
"Over there," Li Cuicui said, gesturing vaguely at a bundle. "You two need to be more careful with your silver. We have to provide everything for ourselves here. Even a ruined home has its value, and there’s so much we need to buy."
Ancient Wen Heng said, "Mother, we know what we’re doing. I’ve already asked the inn’s waiter to bring up two bowls of noodles in a bit. After you eat, you can go out for a walk and see if there’s anything you need to buy."
"Sigh, Seventh, look, your mother and I are getting old. Why don’t we just..." Gu Dashishi was cut off by Li Cuicui before he could finish.
"Go and see what you need to buy. You two didn’t bring much with you, and there’s a lot to prepare. Don’t just stand there. Your father and I know how to manage."
With that, she pushed the two of them out of the room and quickly shut the door.
"You old woman, I wasn’t finished talking! What did you kick them out for?"
Li Cuicui shot him a glare. "As if I don’t know what you’re thinking. Don’t forget what you said in front of the whole village, young and old. You said you’d only have your sons take turns caring for us when we can no longer move.
You used to favor the youngest, and all the brothers knew it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let you get away with such nonsense."
"This Seventh is a bit better off. If we stick with them, at least we won’t have to suffer so much," Gu Dashishi muttered, feeling perfectly justified. "I’m doing this for your own good, too. See? With a filial daughter-in-law, you won’t have to work yourself to the bone all day long."
Li Cuicui retorted, "Since the day I married into the Gu family, when have I ever been idle? Decades have passed like this. I’m already used to it.
Besides, we have the settlement allowance, and with the silver taels we saved up before, we can absolutely support ourselves and start a new home."
"Is that really necessary? The sons have to support us in our old age anyway. I’ve toiled my whole life, it’s time for me to enjoy some peace and comfort."
"Pah!" Li Cuicui spat. "Look at Third Uncle! Did he stop working at his age? Don’t give me that nonsense all day. Hurry up and get our things in order. We’re going out to buy some household goods in a bit."
"..."
Jin Qianqian shrugged. Even if she had a good impression of the old woman, she didn’t want to be saddled with two living Buddhas.
Ancient Wen Heng also shook his head, then took Jin Qianqian’s hand and disappeared from sight outside the door.
§
Setting up a home required so many things. Although there would be markets in the countryside, they couldn’t possibly be as well-stocked as the ones here in the county seat.
"Besides the things we’ve bought bit by bit, I still feel like something’s missing." Jin Qianqian said, holding the seeds she had just purchased while her eyes were drawn to the furniture in the next shop.
"Even if we’re just building a heated brick bed, we at least need a table. It’s just a shame we already have too much stuff. It would be ridiculous to try and carry a table as well," Jin Qianqian sighed. "Getting started is really tough."
Ancient Wen Heng stroked her hair. "Let’s not look at these for now. If it really comes to it, I can make another trip later."
"Oh, it’s you?" Li Yong had just finished eating and drinking in the back room. He spotted Ancient Wen Heng the moment he came out. He remembered the two scholars in their group of refugees—the village chief’s son and this young man before him had both passed the child student examination, so he naturally held them in higher regard.
"Chief Li, is this your family’s shop?" Ancient Wen Heng asked, a little surprised.
Li Yong replied, "My father is an old carpenter who’s been at it his whole life. The old man can’t stand being idle, so he took on a few apprentices to keep the shop running. Are you two looking to buy furniture?"
Ancient Wen Heng said, "We’re just looking for now. After all, we don’t know what kind of house we’ll have. We have to at least get settled in before we can think about these things."
Li Yong nodded. "That’s true. But you should be mentally prepared. Although each household will be given a plot of residential land, the original houses are definitely uninhabitable. They’ll have to be torn down and rebuilt.
All in all, you’ll probably be busy for a very long time.
Winter is coming soon, so if you have some extra money, you should prioritize getting your housing sorted out."
"Thank you for the advice, Chief Li," Ancient Wen Heng said. "There is one more thing I’d like to ask. When will our household registration be processed?"
With household registration, even if the land in the countryside wasn’t ideal, they could consider buying a place to settle in the county seat or a village. They could deal with the other matters slowly after that.
Li Yong replied, "That will probably take some time. However, the stewards at the government office have already started working on it today. Once the household registrations are ready, someone will be sent to deliver them to you.
Why? Are you in a hurry for it?"
Ancient Wen Heng didn’t hide it. "This humble student’s family has a little extra savings. I was hoping to find a house in the county seat, which would allow me to focus on my studies for a while."