Chapter 105 - 106: Dividing the Land
Gaoling Village was exceptionally tranquil under the setting sun, with only the occasional chirp of insects and the sound of the stream that wound around the village.
But to those who had lived through the drought, the sound was incredibly pleasing to the ear.
This place might not be ideal, but this one thing—the sound of flowing water—meant they would never again have to flee their homes because of a drought.
The only thing that made their hearts sink was the sight of the houses at the village entrance, all of which were in a state of decay. The wood was riddled with insects and had faded to a dull gray.
Many of the roofs were like sieves. On some, nothing remained but the rafters, with a few crossbeams visible between them, looking like the ribs of a skeleton.
"This is Gaoling Village. Everyone assigned here, stop. The rest of you, follow me," Li Yong said, giving Gu Wenheng a slight nod before leading the remaining people onward. He had to get them all settled before nightfall, and he was running out of time.
"This place is a total wreck. The weeds are even taller than me," Jin Qianqian lamented, once again dismayed that at five-foot-five, she couldn’t even measure up to a single weed.
"How are we supposed to live like this? Just clearing these weeds will take forever," Hong Xiaoya said, setting her bundle on the ground. "Will we even make it in time for the autumn planting?"
"Probably not," Li Cuicui said, silently calculating the time. "Looks like this year we can only plant some hardier, cold-resistant crops. We’ll just have to get through this for now and worry about the rest later."
"Alright, let’s not just sit here. We need to get familiar with the village before it gets dark so we can draw lots for the land." Gu Sanbu actually felt a sense of relief. As long as he could get everyone settled quickly, the heavy burden on his shoulders would be lifted.
"There’s not a single complete house here." After walking a full circle around the village, everyone’s hearts sank even further. Even the largest building, the ancestral hall, had mostly collapsed.
"It’s better than nothing. At least we don’t have to lay the foundations again. We’ll just have to work a little harder, make some more adobe bricks, and build a temporary shelter. We can fix things up properly later," Gu Sanbu said, turning to Gu Shulin.
"You’re the village head now. Hurry up and register the houses so everyone can draw lots. That way, we’ll all have a definite place to stay."
Gu Shulin found Gu Wenheng and asked him for help, since out of the entire village, only the two of them were literate.
"Seventh Sister-in-law, where do you think we’ll end up? Those houses along the river look pretty good. I wonder if we’ll be that lucky." After going without water for so long, Hong Daya just wanted to be as close to it as possible.
Not only would it be convenient for fetching water, but when it came time to plant crops, they could irrigate their fields before anyone else.
Jin Qianqian replied, "Fifth Sister-in-law, you have good luck. I’m sure you’ll get what you wish for."
"I hope your good words come true. I wonder if we’ll be assigned places near each other. It would be easier to visit." Hong Daya stared ahead nervously, finding that only talking could distract her.
...
’Honestly, I’d rather not live by the water,’ she thought. ’The entrance to the village or the area near the back mountain would be fine.’
As it turned out, Jin Qianqian’s luck held strong. She got exactly what she wanted: the first house at the entrance to the village.
The Gu brothers ended up with houses either in the middle of the village or at the back. It was Li Cuicui who drew the riverside house that Hong Daya had been dreaming of.
"You’re all too spread out. Why don’t you brothers find someone to trade with? What kind of family lives scattered all over the place?" Gu Dashishi demanded, his face dark as he spoke coldly to his sons.
Gu Wenheng replied, "Dad, who would be willing to trade? Besides, we’re all still in the same village. How far apart can we really be?"
Gu Dashishi retorted, "All of you just want to get rid of your mother and me. If the day comes when we can’t even move, will we even be able to find you?"
Gu Wenheng hated it when his father dredged up the same old complaints. He was more difficult to deal with than any of the shrews in their old village. He turned directly to Li Cuicui. "Mom, do you really think we brothers are like that?"
Li Cuicui glanced at her daughters-in-law, who could barely conceal their delight. "I still trust you boys. Let’s just leave it at that."
The silent night sky, combined with their reduced numbers, made everyone feel that the vast, empty village was particularly eerie.
They lit one bonfire after another, but felt no joy in their hearts.
Looking at this village, although its location was much better than their old Kao Mountain Village, it couldn’t erase the sorrow of being forced from their homes.
No one knew who started it, but soon one person’s sobs led to another’s, and the sound of weeping spread throughout the entire village.
Jin Qianqian hugged her knees, overcome with grief. ’Haven’t I also been forced from my home, truly separated from all my friends and family?’ she thought.
Thinking of the friends and family who had taken such good care of her, tears began to stream down her face.
Gu Wenheng stared up at the sky, stubbornly maintaining his composure.
"Go on, cry. Cry it all out. When you’re done, this place will be our new home," Gu Sanbu said, standing and looking at his clansmen and fellow villagers. "We must put down roots here and live our lives well. Only then can we face the ancestors we left behind in our homeland."
...
Jin Qianqian looked at the half-collapsed house, feeling no desire to set foot inside.
Gu Wenheng cut down a slender piece of wood from a corner and started poking and prodding around with it. Unexpectedly, two long serpents slithered out from the weeds by a crumbling wall.
Gu Wenheng wasn’t about to let them slither around freely. He swung the stick and beat them viciously, aiming for the spot seven inches below their heads.
Jin Qianqian curiously poked one with a stick and lifted it for a look. "This kind isn’t venomous. And this one must weigh at least two or three catties, right?"
Gu Wenheng had long since learned that while Jin Qianqian was afraid of small bugs, she had a strange excitement when it came to these large serpents.
"What are you thinking?"
Jin Qianqian said, "Fifth Sister-in-law is the best at cooking these. Why don’t we ask her to prepare them for us?"
Gu Wenheng recalled the few times they had eaten snake meat back when they lived by the river. "Let’s put them aside for now. I’ll search some more. I’m worried they might have made a nest here."
Although Jin Qianqian wasn’t scared, she didn’t want to live alongside these creatures either. She quickly found a long wooden stick of her own and began poking and prodding around just like Gu Wenheng.
"There are quite a few bowls in this kitchen. It seems like a large family must have lived here before." Jin Qianqian carefully stepped over broken porcelain shards and, while she was at it, chopped down a small sapling that had grown waist-high.
Gu Wenheng added, "Looking at these walls, this place must have had close to ten rooms before. It looks like our luck is pretty good. If we clean it up properly, we can enclose a very large courtyard."
"In that case, I’ll probably have to revise the blueprints I drew earlier. The surrounding walls will need to be wider and larger. I want to plant some flowers over here, and use the backyard for a vegetable garden." Jin Qianqian suddenly felt her previous design had some issues and would need more changes.
"Sounds good! But for a courtyard this big, we’ll probably need to get a couple of fierce dogs, especially since we’re right at the village entrance." Planning the house, Gu Wenheng was starting to get interested too.