Chapter 010: Meals

Quickly go inside

Guo Fei is from the mountainous region of Guizhou. He learned to smoke dry tobacco from the local Miao people. When he was escorted outside, he hid a large bag of tobacco leaves in his arms, taking out a little whenever he wanted to smoke. Since no one else shared his hobby, he managed to keep a small portion of it after more than a year. However, after Zhao Qiang arrived, he unexpectedly often asked Guo Fei for some to smoke. Guo Fei was generous; it was rare for someone to appreciate his smoking habit, so he regarded Zhao Qiang as a confidant. Even though he knew the supply was limited, he would always share some with Zhao Qiang. As time went by, the two became familiar with each other. Although Guo Fei was not as close to Zhao Qiang as he was to Qi Zhuang, his relationship with Zhao Qiang was still considered good compared to others.

Why aren't the people in front moving?

This flavor must be personally experienced; no matter how well I explain it, you won't understand. Why don't you take a couple of puffs and give it a try yourself

When they were still a few hundred meters away from the camp, Zhao Qiang suddenly noticed that the people ahead had stopped. Those behind were unaware of what had happened and were asking those in front for an explanation. Soon, the news was passed back layer by layer; it turned out that a row of wooden posts had been erected in the open space in the middle of the camp, and they were adorned with severed heads. Upon hearing this news, Zhao Qiang and those around him fell silent, and the three to four thousand people in the group instantly quieted down, with those behind no longer urging those in front to move faster. All the young and strong men of the Wu army knew that the heads hanging from the posts belonged to the group that had been executed by the river earlier that day.

Zhao Qiang and Qi Zhuang lived in a wooden cabin, along with Wu Si and more than twenty other men. Due to exhaustion and the sight of the heads on the wooden pillars, Zhao Qiang felt a deep sadness, so as soon as he entered the cabin, he weakly sat down on the ground, lost in thought. Wu Si, who was usually very active, also sat there in silence, behaving unusually. The others were either lying down or leaning against something, each in their own corner, with no sign of movement.

"More than ten people died in your house today, how can you still hit so many? I think you deserve a beating..."

The Qing soldiers saw that the young men of the Wu army were all standing at the camp entrance without entering. Without saying a word, they charged forward, forcibly driving the crowd into the camp. Although the young men felt resentment in their hearts, under the threat of the Qing soldiers' swords, they could only enter the camp with a face full of sorrow. After a considerable amount of time had passed, the young men of the Wu army finally all entered the camp. Under the supervision of their respective overseers, they entered their designated wooden houses. As usual, the overseers counted the number of people in their respective teams. After confirming the numbers were correct, the banner men and the Ahas began to exit the camp, while the Han deputy overseers remained inside. After a considerable amount of time had passed, the young men of the Wu army finally all entered the camp. Under the supervision of their respective overseers, they entered their designated wooden houses. As usual, the overseers counted the number of people in their respective teams. After confirming the numbers were correct, the banner men and the Ahas began to exit the camp, while the Han deputy overseers remained inside. However, they did not stay with the young men of the Wu army but resided in a few houses near the main gate, where the conditions were much better than those of the houses occupied by the Wu army.

The winter beyond the pass is extremely cold, much colder than in the south, truly freezing to the point where water turns to ice. Especially in the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, it is not only impossible to work outside, but even staying indoors causes one to shiver uncontrollably. Many former soldiers of the Wu army and their families are from south of the Yangtze River. In the first year after arriving beyond the pass, thousands of the elderly, weak, women, and children succumbed to the harsh cold and froze to death. Those who survived were mostly in better physical condition. After more than a year, they had basically adapted to the cold beyond the pass, so these young men felt no chill sleeping on straw-covered ground in cotton jackets in March.

Because of the heads hanging from the wooden posts outside, the thousands of men who entered the room did not behave as they had before, https://www.hetushu.com.com after the Qing soldiers withdrew, but instead maintained a collective silence. The entire camp was enveloped in quiet, with no voices to be heard. The Qing troops outside were indifferent to this; they understood that the heads on the wooden posts had achieved the effect they desired.

Dinner is served, dinner is served

What are you pushing for? We are all born from the hunger of ghosts!

According to the transportation system proposed by the Ministry of Justice, all convicts sent to the frontier would receive two pieces of clothing for warmth upon arrival: one cotton coat and one fur coat. However, in reality, most convicts only receive one cotton coat, while the fur coat is reserved for officials who have committed crimes and their descendants, or those who still have family influence. Zhao Qiang and these young men of the Wu army belong to the Wu rebel party, notorious criminals, and naturally cannot obtain fur coats. The cotton coats they receive are often worn out by previous convicts, and some are even taken directly from the bodies of the deceased. The cotton filling is in such poor condition that some coats are half cotton coat and half thin clothing, providing some warmth in the front while leaving the back freezing cold.

After taking several deep puffs to finish the remaining tobacco leaves, Zhao Qiang wiped the mouthpiece of the smoking pipe and the book, then handed them to Guo Fei to put away. Just as he was about to lie down and rest for a moment, he heard the sound of a gong outside. A few men who were closer to the door hurriedly grabbed some small wooden buckets and walked out of the room.

The men collecting food turned a deaf ear to the sharp words of the Han deputy supervisors, silently taking their share of food from their respective rooms before returning, not even glancing at the imposing deputy supervisors standing there. They did not spare a glance at Chen Zhao, whose face was pale and clean. However, Chen Zhao seemed to have grown accustomed to the actions of these individuals and paid them no mind, continuing to reprimand others on his own.

There is.

Seeing him like this, Zhao Qiang no longer offered him any, instead taking his earthen pipe and smoking it by himself. He had not smoked before, but after arriving in this era and catching sight of Guo Fei's earthen pipe, he couldn't help but ask for one. Gradually, he became accustomed to the harshness of the dry tobacco leaves. In truth, it was not that he was a natural smoker, but rather that he was in desperate need of some form of solace

Zhao Qiang took the smoking gun that Guo Fei handed to him, pretending to offer it to Wu Si, but Wu Si shook his head vigorously: "I don't indulge in this, you smoke it yourself"

Wu Si looked at Zhao Qiang, who appeared very comfortable, with great confusion, not understanding what was so good about this irritating thing

Are you not leaving after finishing? What are you lingering here for! What's the matter, is it not enough? Should I move a whole barrel to your place instead?

Each person receives one dry bun and half a bowl of soup. Do not crowd; follow the old rules and distribute it after taking it back.

After sitting like this for a while, Zhao Qiang suddenly stood up and asked a thin man named Guo Fei, "Do you have any tobacco leaves?"

After taking two puffs from the "baba," Zhao Qiang exhaled a cloud of smoke with great satisfaction and handed the earthy cigarette to Guo Fei. Guo Fei did not bother to wipe it; he simply placed it in his mouth and began to puff away.

Guo Fei responded with a sound, pushed aside the hay on the ground, and pulled out a small bag wrapped in cloth from underneath. He then pinched a bit of shredded tobacco leaves from inside, carefully packed it into a homemade pipe, and lit it with the flame from the corner before handing it to Zhao Qiang: "There isn't much left, so make it last; this stuff isn't available outside the borders, and once it's gone, it's gone."

I said, Brother Zhao, is this thing really that enjoyable to smoke

The distribution of food is managed by the Han deputy supervisor, who organizes several groups of men to carry wooden barrels filled with food to an open area, where they wait for representatives from each household to come and collect their share. Chen Zhao is among them, directing the distribution while continuously scolding the young men who come to receive the food.