Chapter 8: The Cold-Calling Bird

Perhaps it is due to the care of the orphan deity that, after three months in this world, neither of the two has fallen ill. Especially Yun Zheng, after three months of hard work chopping wood, is now no different from the strong young men of the Cang Er family. His authentic local accent has greatly pleased the old clan leader, who considers him to be just like the children of the village.

Yun Zheng took the ledger handed over by Liu Dutu, opened it, and immediately felt reassured. He had originally thought it would be the legendary four-column account book, which requires knowledge of the old management and incoming funds. Only by knowing the actual amounts and then subtracting the expenditures can one have a complete ledger. What he held in his hands was merely a record of transactions, filled with errors such as three times seven equals twenty-eight. These were undoubtedly evidence of corruption. Yun Zheng chuckled softly and began to mentally calculate these simple accounts under the anxious and aged gaze.

Do not think about it anymore; I smashed the phone, leaving only a phone charm. Although that charm can be worth some money, it is not usable. I prepared it for you in case you fall ill, so I can exchange it for money to pay for your treatment. It’s alright; next year, I will definitely earn enough money for us to build a house, perhaps a house made of blue bricks with a large tiled roof.

Brother, when we arrived, we had nothing, but I remember you still have a mobile phone. Sell it, and we will have a place to stay.

The ceramic pot hanging over the fire pit made a sound, and Yun Zheng's ginger tea was finally ready. He poured a little into Jianqiang's bowl, but seeing him still grimacing and unwilling to drink, Yun Zheng shook his head and went to the wall, cutting down a small piece of honeycomb from the hook. He steeped it in Jianqiang's bowl; with the honey added, the ginger tea was no longer so bitter.

Yun Zheng poured out a money pouch from a thick bamboo tube. In fact, he did not need to count it; he already knew that there were one hundred and thirty-one coins inside. He took it out to take a look, then stuffed it back in and sealed it with a stopper

The elderly man, smiling cheerfully, came out of the bamboo building and clasped his hands in greeting, saying: "Captain Liu, what brings you here on such a windy day? Come upstairs quickly and have a couple of bowls of light wine to ward off the chill. It is truly a hardship to be working in such weather."

Old Cang was in a hurry. Every winter, there were labor duties, and those tasks were either moving stones or lifting earth to reinforce the city, which was definitely beyond the capacity of someone like Yun Zheng. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Liu Dutuo take out a thin ledger from his bosom and present it to Yun Zheng, saying: "It is inevitable to perform labor duties, and no one can help you with that. However, I can arrange what kind of work you do on the construction site. Since you are someone who has studied, the current dynasty has always favored scholars. Moreover, our Mianzhou is a remote area with very few scholars. As long as you can verify this ledger within an hour, I will allow you to manage the meal accounts on the construction site, exempting you from physical labor, which will still count as fulfilling your labor duty. What do you think?"

By this time next year, I must build a mud-brick house. Although mud-brick houses cannot withstand heavy rain, Yun Zheng also plans to do so, as a bamboo house is truly not a living arrangement suitable for my brothers.

We built a large kang in the house, and in winter we heat the kang until it is warm. Let me tell you, a heated kang is far better than central heating. We set up a small red clay stove on the kang table and stew a pot of sauerkraut and pork. Eating it with the broth and meat is simply delightful.

Liu Dutuo dismounted from his horse with a limp, handed the whip in his hand to the constable, and grumbled as he followed the elder upstairs. Yun Zheng set aside the book he was reading and instructed Yun Jian to take care and keep warm, saying he would be back shortly.

"Be strong, wrap the quilt tighter, don't let the wind in. If you feel like sleeping, just take a nap; today we can't do anything at all," Yun Zheng said softly as he put down the book in his hands.

Since you are aware that this is the law of the land, you should also understand that serving in this capacity can offset next year's summer tax. This cannot be considered entirely a bad thing. Since you have already established your own household, the local magistrate must treat you as a person of importance.

Rain in winter is truly a torment; the rudimentary bamboo hut can hardly fend off the invasion of damp air. Even if Yun Zheng stokes the fire pit to its utmost, it is of no avail.

Hearing the elder's words, Yun Zheng stepped forward and cupped his hands towards Liu Dutu, saying: "I appreciate the good intentions of my elder, but the establishment of households and the duties therein are mandated by national law. Grandfather, you are putting Liu Dutu in a difficult position."

In the past, the old man Cang said that whenever officials arrived, one must go over to accompany them. Yun Zheng ascended to the bamboo house of the old man Cang and saw Cang Er and his little mouse huddled in the corner, while three women remained in the inner room, too afraid to come out. Only the old man Cang was there, keeping the five officials company as they roasted by the fire and drank wine.

The elderly approached Yun Zheng, quickly grasping his hand and addressing Liu Du and the head of the library: "Look, this is the treasure of our village. He has been studying with a teacher outside for the past few years and is set to take the county examination this year, which is why he has returned home. As you can see, he is a scholar, frail in build. In this cold and damp weather, a child like him cannot endure hard labor. I kindly ask you to show mercy and spare this child."

The little yellow dog suddenly perked up its ears. Yun Zheng glanced at the little yellow dog, pushed open his door, and looked outside. The light rain continued to fall endlessly, and the village seemed to be shrouded in a green mist. Suddenly, a group of officials emerged from the mist. Yun Zheng found it quite amusing. The leading official was riding a horse that was hardly larger than a donkey, with his feet nearly touching the ground. Even so, he puffed out his chest, raised his head, and shouted loudly: "Old Cangtou, you old dog, listen to me. The authorities want to strengthen the defense of the Dou Sha Pass. Every household must provide a strong man; if one is missing, we will take you, old dog, as a substitute." A group of officials suddenly emerged from the green mist. Yun Zheng found it quite amusing. The leading official was riding a horse that was hardly larger than a donkey, with his feet nearly touching the ground. Even so, he puffed out his chest, raised his head, and shouted loudly: "Old Cangtou, you old dog, listen to me. The authorities want to strengthen the defense of the Dou Sha Pass. Every household must provide a strong man; if one is missing, we will take you, old dog, as a substitute."

This is a gift from nature. Yun Zheng certainly knows that for this beehive, he was stung on his back by wasps, resulting in two egg-sized swellings, which took three days to gradually subside

The little yellow dog burrowed into Yun Jianqiang's quilt; holding the puppy might provide some warmth. This dog has grown up and has many * pictures * in its life, becoming a half-grown yellow dog. Although it is just a local dog, it is the lifeblood of Yun Jianqiang. The Yun family consists of only two people: Yun Da and Yun Er. The villagers refer to the Yun brothers in this manner, and naturally, the little yellow dog became known as Yun San.

The winters here rarely see snow, only cold, damp rain that is both humid and wet

Liu Dutuo looked at Yun Zheng with a sense of amusement. He noticed that this child possessed a calmness that was absent in other children. Even when facing the hardships of serving during the harsh winter, he still spoke with neither servility nor arrogance. Although his words carried a hint of provocation, they remained measured. Damn it, scholars always speak in this tone.

Yun Jianqiang drooled and chuckled foolishly, as if he had already envisioned such days. Yun Zheng affectionately patted him lightly on the head and picked up his book to continue reading

Yun Jianqiang leaned against the fire pit, trembling uncontrollably. Yun Zheng draped all the warm items he could find in the house over him, yet the child continued to shiver. Fortunately, he did not have a fever. If he were to fall ill in this wretched place, Yun Zheng truly would not know what to do. There were no hospitals, no doctors, no medicines; apart from praying to the heavens, there was no other recourse. The nearest traditional Chinese medicine shop was also a good fifteen miles away at Dou Sha Pass.