Chapter 58: Yuanjing, You Mustn't Compete With This Old Man

“Yuanjing, what on earth is happening here…”

When Li Yuanjing and the others reached the left bank, the people on Old Village Chief’s side were so terrified they could hardly stand; even the old chief himself was deathly pale, his face ashen as he trembled over to ask Yuanjing in a hushed whisper.

“Uncle, it seems that before we went to Huangniwa to deliver the grain, someone already had their eyes on us. They must have thought we got a lot of silver there, so they made their move. And, they’re all government soldiers!”

“What?”

“Government… soldiers…”

At those words, the already panicked old chief was thrown into utter confusion, his aged eyes wide with shock, unable to process the information.

Yet Li Yuanjing remained utterly calm, lowering his voice:

“Uncle, no one could have foreseen this today. But now that it’s happened, we have to deal with it. If you still trust me, Li Yuanjing, we’re men in this together. And if you want to keep your distance from me, that’s fine too. I’ll just take my people and leave.”

“Yuanjing, what nonsense are you spouting?”

The old chief had calmed down a little and quickly replied in a low voice, “If you hadn’t done all this for our Quanzi Village, why would you have risked so much? Now that something’s happened, how can I let you bear it alone? Let me think, let me think…”

“Yuanjing, did you clean up everything afterwards?” The old chief looked at him anxiously.

Seeing the old chief had made up his mind, Li Yuanjing couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, loosening his grip on the handle of his hatchet, and answered quietly:

“Uncle, don’t you trust me to handle things? Everything’s been taken care of. And none of our people died—just a few injuries, and all of them are minor.”

Hearing this, the old chief let out a long breath and said quietly, “Yuanjing, we’re all in the same boat—if something happens, none of us can escape. You take a breather here, I’ll go calm them down.”

He quickly went back into the crowd to settle their nerves.

Li Yuanjing exchanged a look with Zhang Kun and Zhao Zengjin, signaling them to follow along—and if reassurance didn’t work, then intimidation would do.

This way, the old chief and the other two would play the good cop, and later, when Li Yuanjing stepped in as the reasonable one, the situation would be much easier to control.

After all,

What people fear most isn’t danger, but the absence of hope.

Just like in later times, when some wise men analyzed how those from humble backgrounds could break free of their social class, the core advice was always: “Break free of your original family’s shackles first.”

It may sound harsh and isn’t absolutely correct, but it certainly has its merits and serves as a moderate, objective perspective.

Because the mediocrity of the older generation doesn’t necessarily make them failures, but at the very least, they lack a higher perspective, education, and logic.

Add in some traditional influences, and they often tyrannically dictate their children’s paths.

Viewed objectively, or when the person looks back a decade or two later, these decisions can seem terrifying.

They basically snuff out all your hope at the very source.

After all,

How many chances for trial and error does an ordinary nobody from a small town ever get?

How many golden opportunities will they see in a lifetime?

But Li Yuanjing was clearly different!

First of all,

Although Quanzi Village also had a rigid hierarchy and it was nearly impossible for ordinary folk to rise, this was only “slightly rigid,” not utterly insurmountable. Especially in the current climate, things seemed to be falling apart, but that also meant new opportunities—a “blue ocean,” so to speak.

Secondly,

And most importantly,

Li Yuanjing was a man with extraordinary abilities, with knowledge far beyond his era and rich life experience—he could see all living things from a higher plane.

He had no family ties to hold him back, got along well with the old chief, had acquired land in the village, and had already won over Zhang Kun and Zhao Zengjin—two reliable lieutenants. He had the foundation to put down roots in Quanzi Village.

As these thoughts ran through his mind,

The old chief, Zhang Kun, and Zhao Zengjin had already handled most of the aftermath.

The old chief signaled to Yuanjing.

Li Yuanjing understood and stepped forward:

“Brothers, you are all my kin. At this point, there’s no need for more words.”

“From now on!”

“Anyone willing to follow me, Li Yuanjing, will never go hungry so long as I have a bite to eat!”

“If you don’t want to stay, that’s fine too—leave now and I’ll give each of you a silver tael as severance.”

There was a brief uproar, but soon most of the men dropped to their knees, bowing their heads to him, crying out,

“Master, I’m willing to follow you…”

“Master, so am I…”

But three of them, trembling, said,

“Master, I’m the only son in my family—I… I want to go home…”

“Master, I want to go home too…”

Seeing the crowd glare angrily at these three, Li Yuanjing waved a hand.

“No matter.”

“Brother Zhang, give them each a silver tael and let them go.”

“Master, you’re a just man!”

Zhang Kun and Zhao Zengjin exchanged subtle glances with Li Yuanjing and respectfully bowed to him.

“Master, you’re a just man…”

The rest of the group bowed and cheered with excitement.

But the old chief, at that moment, didn’t spare the three who left so much as a glance. He only closed his eyes in pain.

Beside Li Yuanjing, Wang Liu’s wife shivered, pressing her lips tightly to keep from making a sound.

Soon,

The three who received silver left in high spirits.

But no sooner had they gone than Zhang Kun and Zhao Zengjin, along with Zhuzi, Kui, Xiangzi, and several others—seven or eight men in all—left as well, under the pretense of scouting ahead.

Meanwhile,

The boat had been dealt with. Yang Da, Yang Er, and the others had already dug a deep pit at the foot of a hill by the shore, buried the boat, but not too deep.

Li Yuanjing let out a long breath and said to the old chief,

“Uncle, I’m sorry…”

But the old chief, now much clearer-headed, scolded him in a low voice,

“Yuanjing, what are you babbling about? If you hadn’t done it, this old bag of bones would have had to! If they can’t see what’s at stake, who can they blame? We can’t risk the lives of the whole village for the sake of a few fools!”

Li Yuanjing gave a wry smile.

“All right, Uncle, let’s not speak of it again. But when we get back, I’ll give three taels of silver to each of their families as compensation.”

The old chief started, then nodded vigorously, visibly moved.

“Yuanjing, Yuanjing—good child, good child! I knew I wasn’t wrong about you!”

He gripped Yuanjing’s hand tightly, voice thick with emotion.

Li Yuanjing laughed.

“Uncle, let’s talk about something happier. Three days ago, Wang Youdao brought me the remaining 150 taels of silver. How do you want to repair the earth wall?”

At this, the old chief’s spirits lifted, and he began eagerly telling Yuanjing about his plans.

They had barely started when Zhao Zengjin returned in a hurry, the scent of fresh blood still clinging to him. He leaned in to whisper a few words to Yuanjing.

All this time, Li Yuanjing had kept a careful eye on the bloody battlefield across the river.

He found that by now, all was calm; the heavy snow had covered everything that had happened, laying a pure white blanket over the scene, and the weight on his heart finally eased.

He called out to the old chief,

“Uncle, let’s go.”

The old chief, invigorated, thought for a moment and said,

“All right! Yuanjing, but from now on, let this old man play the villain in village matters—you’re not to steal my role!”

Li Yuanjing was taken aback, then could only smile wryly and nod.

“Uncle, if I ever betray your kindness, may the heavens strike me down and a thousand arrows pierce my heart!”

“You rascal, what nonsense are you talking? Come on, let’s go—these old bones are longing for a hot bowl of soup.”

“All right, Uncle—take your time.”