Chapter Seven, as one grows older, one tends to enjoy discussing the past

Bending down to wield the hoe, or driving the precious plow oxen, sweating profusely. When in a good mood, one also dances with the hoe, all of which are tactics of battle and killing.

Xu Family Town remains the same Xu Family Town. Xu Zhong, who had not slept all night, was still watching under the ancient tree at the entrance of the town as one man after another set out with their hoes to work. Occasionally, a few cows would pass by; these cows were indeed precious commodities, with several families sharing one. This is a testament to the prosperity of Xu Family Town. In an ordinary village, if one were not wealthy, there would be no need to consider such livestock to help plow the fields.

Xu Jie trudged forward, as some memories inevitably brought sadness. It was not so much the sorrow for the father he had never met, but rather the deep sadness for his grandmother, who had wept incessantly in those days.

Xu Youjin entered the city to prepare some New Year goods, buying some food, wine, red lanterns, and red paper for writing couplets. Naturally, it was Xu Xiucai himself who took up the brush to write the couplets. A few years ago, he still needed to hire a scholar in the city to write the New Year couplets, but now Xu Xiucai found this small task more than manageable. Last year during the New Year, Xu Xiucai single-handedly wrote all the couplets for every household in the town, and his handwriting was truly beautiful, yet he did not charge any money. However, it left Xu Xiucai quite exhausted. Last year during the New Year, Xu Xiucai single-handedly wrote all the couplets for every household in the town, and his handwriting was truly beautiful, yet he did not charge any money. However, it left Xu Xiucai quite exhausted

Indeed, indeed, the old man heard it with his own ears. However, the master said it is still early, stating that the young master is destined to be a high-ranking official and should marry the daughter of a prominent family, so it is still too early.

Although Xu Youjin, who is missing a front tooth, is somewhat older, he still pulls the cart with remarkable speed. As a rural farmer, he may lack other possessions, but he possesses great strength. Xu Jie and Yun Shuhuan often come to lend a hand, yet this toothless old man always smiles and insists that he does not need any help

Xu Xiucai took the water pouch, glanced at Yun Shuhuan, drank a few sips, and then returned it to Yun Shuhuan, simply saying: "You should drink some too"

Yun Shuhuan seemed to sense something, took down the water pouch from his waist, and handed it to Xu Jie, saying lightly: "Have some water"

This time, Scholar Xu indeed believed it and replied, "Second Uncle is right, it is still early, still early."

As the New Year approaches, the small courtyard has become uninhabited. Upon returning to the courtyard, Xu Jie took a stick of ink and headed straight to the teahouse, where they would likely have a simple lunch.

Old Xu chuckled and said, "What Jie'er said is true, it really wasn't in vain, haha..."

Scholar Xu, upon hearing the words of Eighth Uncle Xu, laughed and said: "Eighth Uncle, how can you say it was just a simple beating? Did we not earn a few bags of salt? That is enough to cover the earnings from your several acres of land for many years."

In the past, during the floods in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the court's method of disaster relief was to recruit soldiers. This not only stabilized the situation and prevented any uprisings, but also inadvertently expanded the border defense forces by more than 200,000 troops. Had it not been for this situation that led to the expansion of the army, the outcome of the battle against the Shiwei to the south would have been uncertain.

Yun Shuhuan did not respond, but simply tightened the water pouch and secured it to his waist again

Although there have been some border conflicts in Dahua, there has not been a real war for seventy or eighty years. Unexpectedly, just two years after the men from Xujiazhen went out to serve in the military, the Shiwey people launched a large-scale southward advance, igniting a great battle. This was something that no one had anticipated; the temporary measure of enlisting soldiers for food turned into a tragedy.

According to the old man, it is already late. Many families marry and have children at the age of fourteen or fifteen, and it was considered late for a family to have a son back then. It was also because the family was poor; after giving birth to you, a flood occurred. At that time, Xujiatun was truly miserable, with every household lacking even a morsel of food to sustain themselves. If it were not for the court recruiting soldiers to guard the borders, there would have been no way to survive, and one would have had to go out begging or even resort to banditry in the mountains. Xu Youjin clearly remembers these events; the idea of becoming bandits was not a mere fabrication, as there were indeed people who proposed such a notion back then. If it were not for the court recruiting soldiers to guard the borders, there would have been no way to survive, and one would have had to go out begging or even resort to banditry in the mountains. Xu Youjin clearly remembers these events; the idea of becoming bandits was not a mere fabrication, as there were indeed people who proposed such a notion back then.

The Xu family has several decent shops in the city, and behind the shops, there is a small courtyard, which is where Xu Jie usually resides, making it convenient for attending school at the county academy. The Yun siblings also accompany Xu Jie to school in the city and assist him with his daily life.

Yun Shuhuan did not refuse, he picked up the water and looked at the mouth of the water pouch that Scholar Xu had just drunk from, hesitated slightly, and then took a few sips.

Xu Jie, accompanied by Yun Shuhuan, found themselves idly passing time in the city. In the tea houses and taverns throughout the city, many engaged in storytelling or singing, which became the sole means of whiling away the hours

However, Xu Jie suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Considering his second uncle's martial arts skills, he no longer cared about a little bit of strength. He decided to get a iron crutch, which could also serve as a weapon in case of a fight, achieving two purposes with one action

As for the ink sticks, they are used for grinding ink. During the year-end season, countless couplets inevitably require a great deal of ink. In the countryside, there is no shortage of paper, brushes, and inkstones at home

The border army originally consisted of only over 200,000 troops, but that year it was expanded to over 500,000. Even with more than 500,000 border troops, facing the elite cavalry of 80,000 Shiwey people, it was barely a tragic victory. At one point, the situation became stalemated, and the court was deeply concerned about the impending defeat in a major battle. The capital, Bianzhou, is not far from the border town; once the Great Wall is breached, it leads directly to the plains, allowing for an unimpeded advance with no defenses to hold. The people in the capital were in a state of panic, and even some high-ranking officials had already arranged for their families to head south.

Xu Jie looked at Yun Shuhuan's actions with a puzzled expression and said, "Young man Yun, I see that you are becoming increasingly strange."

For over two hundred years, Xujiacun has been a quiet and peaceful farming town, never provoking any trouble from the outside, paying its taxes to the court on time, and maintaining good relations with all neighboring villages and towns. Such ordinary towns are numerous in the Great Hua Dynasty, with at least eight thousand if not ten thousand.

Xu Xiucai brought Yun Shuhuan into the city, as there were other matters to attend to. Yun Shuhuan's knife was broken, so it needed to be reforged. Another matter was to craft an iron cane for Xu Zhong; the wooden cane used previously could be made by the carpenters in the town, so there was no need to go into the city for that.

Xu Laoba, accompanied by several individuals, stepped forward to assist in moving the corpses and the salt cargo. Meanwhile, the boatman of the woman in white, while helping to carry the items, wore an extremely grim expression, frequently glancing back at Xu Jie, likely contemplating the need to clearly identify this person's face. After all, grievances have their origins and debts have their owners; one cannot afford to lose track of the person later. As for the farmers assisting him in moving the items, he did not regard them with much importance.

"Young Master, early this morning, I heard Old Eight joking with the Master at the town entrance, saying he wanted to find a marriage match for you. Old Eight also mentioned that since the Master is unwilling to take a wife, you, Young Master, should marry a wife yourself and quickly have a chubby little boy, as that would be more secure," the gap-toothed old man said with a grin, seemingly also envisioning the prospect of Scholar Xu getting married.

Upon entering the city, Xu Youjin went to purchase various trivial items for the New Year. Xu Jie and Yun Shuhuan headed straight to the best blacksmith shop in the city, where a long sword was available in stock. The military standard long sword is itself the most reasonable and popular design, with little to no difference among each piece. After sketching a design and agreeing on a price for an iron cane, they paid a deposit and were informed that it would be ready for pick-up in the afternoon.

With the arrival of spring, the fields need to be plowed. Although the busy farming season has not yet begun, preparations for it must start. The men, having stayed up all night, are undeterred in their enthusiasm for work the next day. After having a simple and filling breakfast, they exchange a few light-hearted jokes with Xu Zhong under the ancient tree before dispersing into the fields on either side of the town

Scholar Xu, upon hearing the reminiscing words of the old man with missing teeth, felt a slight frown on his face. The only image that surfaced in his mind was that of his grandmother's tear-blurred eyes. He did not wish to dwell on it further and could only express his complaint: "Uncle Jin, as one grows older, one tends to indulge in discussions of the past, which truly is not a good habit"

Xu Youjin understood upon hearing this and realized that he should not speak of such sorrowful matters, repeatedly saying: "Let us not discuss it, we will not talk about these things in the future."

As the night gradually brightens, the fish belly white in the east has appeared. A small boat, a boatman, a woman in white, two corpses, and two thousand catties of smuggled salt are already drifting downstream, heading straight for the Great River County. The city of Great River County is located at the confluence of the Fushui River and the Great River

Xu Xiucai was taken aback upon hearing this. At the age of sixteen, he had never considered the matter of marrying a wife. He laughed and said, "Uncle Jin, surely this is not something you made up to tease me..."

More than a decade ago, a devastating flood occurred. Although it did not claim many lives, it left the fields of Xujia Town barren, caused countless houses to collapse, and resulted in almost total loss of property. The adolescents in the town, who were at a critical stage of growth, found themselves without a source of livelihood and had no choice but to enlist in the military for sustenance. Thus, over three hundred young men from Xujia Town joined the army.

It is also situated on the banks of a tributary of this great river, blessed with unique advantages, fertile land, and abundant aquatic resources. However, one must also contend with the capricious temperament of this major water system of the Great Hua flowing southward.

Xu Jie did not sleep for long, and after washing up, he set off with Yun Shuhuan towards the city of Qingshan County, which was more than ten miles away. The old steward, Xu Youjin, followed behind, pulling an empty cart. If it were not for the need to take the ox to the fields, the cart would naturally be pulled by the ox, allowing people to sit on the cart while traveling.