Chapter 341: A Show of Power
"Luyaer, your father is here." Ah Shui walked into the school.
Lu Yaer was practicing calligraphy with a bitter and resentful look on her face. Her brush didn't even falter when she heard this. Without even looking up, she said, "He's probably here at this hour to see Uncle Zhao, not me."
Ah Shui sat down, and she leaned over the table and asked quietly, "Did you have a fight with your father?"
Lu Yaer put down her brush, raised her eyes and asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Feelings." Ah Shui tapped his head with his fingers and said, "My dad also said that there was a problem between your brother and your father. Otherwise, how could your brother not return home and live in the desert every day raising camels?"
Luyaer smiled and said, "You still tell your father these things?"
"Yes, he is a toothless old man who doesn't eat or drink much and has no energy to move around like young people. He can only sit and chat with the maids, and then complain to me when he goes back. He is very talkative." Although he said this, there was no trace of disgust on Ah Shui's face.
Lu Yaer held her chin up and looked at her. She asked curiously, "Do you want to follow the caravan out of Dunhuang and have a look? When I was your age, I followed my mother and Aunt Sui to Dayuan."
A Shui nodded.
"The next time you go out of customs, you come with me."
"No, I can't leave." Ah Shui refused decisively. "My father is fifty-six years old this year. He's so old that he's just skin and bones. His hair is as sparse as weeds in the wilderness, and his back is bent. He may live another ten years, or maybe only a year or six months. I can't leave him. I have to stay with him."
Lu Yaer was surprised that she talked about life and death without any hesitation. Uncle Lao Niu was the only relative of Ah Shui in this world. Wasn't she afraid of his death?
The big tabby cat that sneaked into the school meowed. The two girls tilted their heads to look, and Lu Yaer saw her father standing outside the door.
"I'm leaving first." Ah Shui drove the big cat out of the house and said, "Lu Ya'er, close the school door when you leave. Don't let the cat sneak in to poop or pee."
There was no one in the school for a long time, because Lu Yaer and Song Xian lived in the guest house, and she had nothing to do so she stayed in the school and practiced calligraphy and learning characters.
"When did you come back?" Huang Ancheng asked.
Lu Yaer didn't believe he didn't know. She said sarcastically, "The day the servants drove the camels out of the city."
Huang Ancheng smiled, walked into the school, pulled out a bench and sat down, then reached out and picked up the calligraphy that Lu Yaer had practiced and looked at it carefully.
"Is it here?" Zhao Xiping asked.
"Yes, Lu Yaer is talking to her father." said A Shui.
Huang Ancheng stood up when he heard the sound. He put down his calligraphy board and left after saying "follow the teacher carefully".
"Brother Huang, are you looking for me?" Zhao Xiping asked.
Huang Ancheng brushed the yellow dirt marks on his knees and said, "I heard from Uncle Lao Niu that you were burying your father-in-law? Is the grave ready? I'll go and pay my respects."
"I was so busy with family matters that I only just got home three or four days before burying him. There's no need to offer sacrifices. His son, daughter, and grandson are all at the graveside, talking to him, so we won't bother them." Zhao Xiping walked out and asked, "You're not on duty right now. What do you want from me?"
"The soldiers from Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass are escorting the prostitutes from the two places here. You need to go and meet them."
Zhao Xiping patted his head. He had really forgotten about this matter and was only thinking about the four counties in Hexi. There were many garrisons stationed in Yumen Pass and Yangguan, so there should be a lot of camp prostitutes in these two places.
Zhao Xiping and Huang Ancheng rode camels to the west city gate. As he expected, there were 482 prostitutes outside the city, including 53 maids of different sizes.
"It's been two weeks since the postman passed on the news, but you haven't sent anyone to make arrangements, so no one's taking care of them. They've been guarding the city gates desperately all day, and the caravans coming and going are a real nuisance. Our lord has sent us to escort these people to Dunhuang." A dusty escort soldier handed over a box of slave indentures and continued, "Because we don't know about your arrangements, the indentures haven't been cancelled. You'll make all the arrangements."
Zhao Xiping reached out to take it. Another taciturn soldier handed him another box of slave contracts, and he took it without saying a word.
"Sir, please count the number of people. If there is no problem, we brothers will leave now."
Zhao Xiping called Huang Ancheng and asked him to help read the names.
"I can't read." Huang Ancheng took the two boxes and said, "I'll hold them while you read. Do you know how to read?"
Zhao Xiping nodded. "Next, I'll name one person and they'll enter the city. Once inside, stand in two lines along the base of the city wall. Don't crowd together."
"Sun Qinghui."
"Sun Qingyu."
"Yu Fu."
"Zhao Yunge."
“…”
The women whose names were called were all dazed, as if they were slow to react. They listened attentively, but when they heard their own names, they were stunned for three or four breaths before they realized what their names were.
The names of beautiful girls echoed at the city gate, and haggard women walked into the city gate with evasive eyes.
All 482 women had entered the city, and one wooden box contained seven slave indentures, and another contained three. Zhao Xiping looked at the escorting soldiers in surprise. They had no idea what was going on, so they could only use the excuse that the inspector had been careless and that the indentures of the deceased camp prostitutes had also been mixed in.
Zhao Xiping didn't say anything. He returned the extra slave contracts to them, then asked Huang Ancheng to send the two teams of camp prostitutes to the north of the city. He then rode a camel to find Supervisor Hu to cancel the slave contracts and change their nationality.
Supervisor Hu got a headache whenever he saw him. He had accepted prostitutes from three other counties, and the county magistrate scolded him. Now Zhao Xiping sent another four or five hundred people, and he didn't dare to raise his hand to receive them.
"General Zhao, please spare my life. Four or five hundred more people are coming. Where can I find shelter? Each person owes five dan of grain on credit. Four or five hundred people means over two thousand dan of grain. This will ultimately fall on the shoulders of the agricultural officials and the county magistrate. Do you want them to kill me?"
"They want your life. I'll take care of it for you." Zhao Xiping placed the two boxes of slave contracts on the table. He picked up the kettle on the table and poured a bowl of water to drink. He said, "I've met your son. He's a smart guy. If you're not up to the task, take him with you. It's better for you to fight alone."
Supervisor Hu instantly realized the boy he was talking about was An Ge'er. He thought for a moment, then softened his expression and said, "He's lucky that you, his uncle, are willing to promote him. You and I are brothers-in-law, so I'll take the blame for you."
Zhao Xiping put down the bowl and said, "The household registration is ready. Have him send it to the guest house for me."
"Why."
Zhao Xiping went out, took the camel and walked away in a hurry.
From the four counties of Hexi, plus Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass, there were 995 prostitutes who had been converted to prostitution, and 101 men from Wuwei, Zhangye, and Jiuquan counties had followed. When the news reached Dunhuang, 89 men were interested in seeking a woman for companionship. These 89 men all had accommodations, and when they found a woman they liked, they would take her home.
After the remaining 101 men and 101 women had found their families, Zhao Xiping prioritized settling them in the civilian settlements. The layout of the houses in these settlements was similar to that of the military settlements, with two bedrooms, one main room and one side room, plus a kitchen and livestock pens. The livestock pens could accommodate two families with a shed and partitions, and a small courtyard could accommodate four families.
Single women were arranged to live in military settlements, because they did not have to follow gender distinctions. Four or five people could sleep in one room. In the end, the remaining 805 women were squeezed into 62 empty houses.
"Although it's a little crowded living together, there's strength in numbers. You can vent more, and you'll sleep more soundly at night." Sui Yu, holding a sheepskin scroll, stood in a house and spoke to the women who stayed there. "This is a military settlement. Every alley has a decurion and a centurion, and there's also a garrison commander in charge. Compared to civilian settlements, the discipline here is definitely stricter. But not all of them are good people. There are definitely many people with malicious intentions, especially your special status. There will definitely be women who curse at you and men who harass you in the future. You should be mentally prepared. I suggest you ignore outsiders. This is just your temporary residence. You will move to Jiuquan County and Zhangye County next year, so there's no need to worry about cultivating neighborhood relationships. Go out to work together in the morning and come back together in the evening. Close the door when you come back, and don't go out after dark."
"What about fetching water? What about washing clothes?" someone asked.
Sui Yu looked over, her eyes sharpening as she asked, "Do you need me to teach you this simple question? How did you fetch water and wash clothes in the brothel? Even a little bit of common sense would tell you that it's not possible for you to go out together in broad daylight when there are many people outside?"
The woman who asked the question shrank her shoulders and fell silent.
"Your freedom is hard-earned. It's a fluke that you climbed out of the quagmire. If you don't keep your eyes open and fall back into it, you deserve it. You asked for it. You are destined to be ridden by thousands of people and slept with by thousands of people." Sui Yu said it mercilessly. She was afraid that someone would live a good life one moment and then show off, and then become a playboy who made a living by his body.
She could help them, but it was impossible for her to help each of them one by one.
"I suggest you stay away from men. They are not sincere towards you. Especially married men. Don't get involved with them. Don't even think about asking for help when carrying water. If you can't carry it alone, just fetch less water. Don't make an extra trip and don't ask a man to bring water to your house." Sui Yu warned, "You are not allowed to bring men into the house we've arranged for you. I will send someone or come to check on you every now and then. If anyone dares to bring a man in to spend the night, I will not listen to your explanation and will immediately make you pack up and leave. Don't ruin other people's reputation."
"Don't worry, ma'am. If there really is such a bitch among us, we will strangle her to death in the middle of the night without your order." A dignified-looking woman spoke.
"Well, you two should supervise each other." Sui Yu was about to leave. She had to go to the next house. As she left, she said, "If anyone bullies or harasses you, don't put up with it. Go directly to Changgui Guest House and complain to me. General Zhao and I will take care of it for you."
"Thank you, ma'am." They followed her out of the yard.
Sui Yu waved his hand, indicating that they should stay and there was no need to see him off.
Sui Yu spent six days personally visiting the 62 cotton-growing households living in the military settlement, urging them to give warnings and instructions, and also telling the nearby residents not to bully her. She would not just leave them here and ignore them.
Before her, Zhao Xiping had contacted the head of the military settlement and the centurion who had been his subordinate, asking them to keep an eye on her. The people he had arranged to live with him had already turned over a new leaf. If anyone came to harass her or tried to take her by force, he would show no mercy and report them to the authorities or jail them.
With the couple as their support, the women living in the military settlement lived a peaceful life. After dawn, they went out together to weed the land they rented, and then borrowed oxen and plows to plow the land.
Fortunately, when they were camp prostitutes, they were busy working in the fields during spring sowing and autumn harvest. Weeding, turning the soil, plowing, fertilizing, and making ridges were not unfamiliar to them.
Although they are busy and tired, the shackles on their shoulders are gone. After the cotton harvest, they can sell the money to buy food and clothes. They have hope for the future. They work hard without complaining or shedding tears.
On the seventh day of May, Zhao Xiping went to inspect the land rented by cotton growers. Acres of wasteland had been reclaimed. According to the experience they learned in the north of the city, they made ridges on the land and pulled out the weeds on the ridges at the edges of the fields. The pulled weeds were dried, burned into ashes, and taken home for storage.
What pleased him most was that these women formed groups and helped each other. Young people without children and no burdens did not rush to him to buy cotton seedlings on credit after finishing their work in the fields. Instead, they gathered together to help the elderly, mothers with children, and weak and sick women.
"Ah!" A thin, dark-skinned woman, who was plowing the fields with oxen, saw Zhao Xiping and said happily, "Sir, of the 474 acres of land that the 805 of us have rented, only this one acre remains unplowed. Tomorrow we can pick the cotton seedlings and transplant them."
"Okay, you can go there tomorrow. I have a dung basket at home, so you don't need to borrow one from your neighbors." Zhao Xiping said and was about to leave.
"Sir, how much does one acre of cotton seedlings cost?" someone asked.
"Twenty cents per plant, or five cotton seeds for one cotton seedling, it's your choice." Zhao Xiping went to the settlement to inspect the other 101 households and the 89 households living locally.
The next day, when the cotton growers came to transplant the cotton seedlings, Sui Yu came with ten strong servants carrying mallets.
"Wang Erdan." Zhang Shun shouted.
"Hey, it's me." A man in his forties with a lame leg stood up.
"Come here." Zhang Shun waved.
"Sun Lao Mao, come here."
"Mao Datou, Guo Ershun, Dong Tietou..."
Nine men walked to the edge of the field with nervous expressions.
"Fight." Sui Yu gave the order in a cold voice.
Qingshan picked up the hammer and smashed it hard on Wang Erdan's lame leg. The terrible howl of pain scared the big black dog so much that it tucked its tail between its legs and ran back.
"With your wicked character, you still beat your wives? What? Do you despise them for being camp prostitutes?" Sui Yu slapped them in the face. "I've been waiting for you bastards to reveal your true colors. I'll throw them into the river to wake them up. If you can't pee clean, go to the river and look at your own character. You have filthy eyebrows and eyes, you look like a ghost, your mouth is more smelly than a cesspool, and your skin is so loose that it can hide maggots. With your wicked character, if you hadn't taken advantage of me this time, you wouldn't even be able to get wives after you die. You still despise them? If they don't despise you, your ancestors are so lucky. I'm warning you, no one is begging you to marry. You're the ones who despise yourself and follow them around. If I catch you beating and scolding your wives again, I'll call you grandpa."
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