"Why, are you so anxious for the silver? Jiye won't run away with the silver, so what are you worried about?" another villager joked, causing the previous villager to raise his hand and hit him, scolding with a smile, "I doubt no one but Jiye. You know, all the silver we earned this year was earned by following Jiye. I'm just anxious to get home. My parents are old, and I don't know if we've finished harvesting the two acres of sorghum at home."
This remark resonated with everyone. They talked about how much work they still had to do at home, how terrible their wives were at their work, etc. Occasionally they smiled, but more often they were eager to go home.
Tai Jizu and Tai Jizon led people to patrol the camp. When they came back and heard it, they looked at each other and felt anxious.
Compared to those who are unaware of the situation, they are more anxious.
I don’t know if they have really started to collect labor service back home. The village is empty and no one is required to perform labor service. I wonder if the county government will punish us!
How many favors will Dad and Third Uncle have to ask for in order to make this matter go smoothly?
And that mastermind who never showed up, would he try to frame her at this moment...
After eating and drinking their fill, a group of young boys ran to find more firewood, and then rode their horses nearby. Their shouts carried over with the autumn wind, and it was very lively.
At times like this, only these young people who have no idea what sorrow feels like can be so happy!
Fortunately, Tai Jiye came back soon, accompanied by He Xiong, Tai Yongan and a dozen soldiers.
Everyone quickly stood up and went to greet him, asking questions one after another.
"Jiye, can we go home now?"
"Yeah, it doesn't matter if the money for the seeds is paid later. Can we go home first? I'm afraid the crops in the fields haven't been harvested yet."
Tai Jiye waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then said to He Xiong, "Brother He, I'm back safely. You guys should hurry back to the camp. Don't worry about me, and keep in touch if you have anything!"
He Xiong shook his head, "We're family, no need to be so polite. We'll stay with you for one night and keep you safe. We'll go back tomorrow when you leave. Let's get down to business first, everyone's anxious."
Tai Jiye did not insist, and then asked everyone to sit down and warm themselves by the campfire.
"Don't worry, everyone. I've already received the money for the corn seeds. I'll give it to Big Brother soon. When we get home, I'll have the clan leader distribute it to everyone."
Everyone had a look of joy on their faces. After all, after a year of hard work, they finally saw the results. Who wouldn't be happy?
But Tai Jiye changed the subject and said, "Just now, I heard something. My family is collecting corvée labor. I'm afraid there will be chaos now!"
Conscription?!
Everyone thought they had misheard and remained silent for a long time.
It was Tai Jizu who took over the conversation and gave his brother an excuse, "There's a conscription for labor service back home, so can we avoid it by staying away from home?"
Tai Jiye replied, "I think we've gotten away with it, but it's going to be a bit troublesome at home. I wonder how Dad and Third Uncle are going to find someone to go to the county government and ask for leniency, and how much fine we're going to have to pay!"
He Xiong also added, "Don't worry about the money, as long as you can save your life. After all, corvée labor is not something you can fool around with. Many people have died outside. Especially now, in late autumn and with winter just around the corner, even if you don't die, the underlying illness will cause you lifelong suffering!"
The villagers' expressions have changed countless times, from surprise, panic to confusion, going through the whole process.
In the end, Tai Jicai finally shouted, "What should we do? Can we enter the grassland? Can we go back home?"
Tai Jiye thought about his father's instructions and replied, "The caravan will follow me into the grassland as usual, and the rest of us will quietly return home with the silver. Don't go into the village yet, take a long detour and hide in the mountains. If things can't be handled well at home, we will do corvée labor, and it depends on luck who survives. If things have been handled well at home, we can stay in the mountains for a while. We can guard the village and not worry about being left behind if something happens."
"Okay, that's a good idea!"
"I have to go back and take a look to find out what's going on."
"As long as I stay close to home, I won't be afraid of anything even if I don't show up. Otherwise, I'll always be worried about you!"
Everyone was talking so excitedly that they couldn't wait to go home.
"When are we going home?" someone shouted.
This time it was Tai Jizu who spoke up, "We'll go home early tomorrow morning, and Jiye and the others will go into the grassland. On the way back, everyone must not run around and must follow instructions. If anyone gets into trouble and implicates everyone, don't blame the clan leader for punishing them severely!"
Tai Jizong also said, "Brother is right. This is a matter of great importance to the entire clan. If the news leaks out and someone in another village dies due to corvee labor, we will definitely be the first to be hated!"
Everyone nodded quickly. No one was a fool. Who would dare to do anything weird at this time?
There was no conversation all night. They patrolled when they should, kept watch when they should, and took care of the horses when they should.
When it was dawn, they had a simple meal, saw He Xiong off, and then went their separate ways!
As usual, Tai Jiye led the caravan into the grassland to exchange cashmere, because the weather was about to get cold, and cashmere clothes were expected to become very popular, so the more cashmere, the better.
Tai Jizu and others entered the border and headed home quietly...
The Tai'an County had been in turmoil for three or four days because of the corvée labor. On the day of departure, the cries outside the East City Gate were deafening, and the atmosphere was filled with gloom and sorrow.
In fact, the royal palace had been built for more than ten years, but the emperor had only been there three times. Apart from hunting and sightseeing, he also met with the Khan of the grassland to test each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Of course, this palace also has another biggest use, which is to provide a temporary place for the royal family to stay when offering sacrifices to the imperial tomb.
This time, the conscription is so urgent and the number of people is so large, so there must be a lot of people coming from Kyoto.
But the people don’t care about these things. Who can be happy when their loved ones are separated and they have to suffer hardships?
When I meet a brave person, I don’t know how many times I curse him, but as for the timid one, he can only wipe away his tears secretly!
More than twenty people from Zhangjia Village and thirty people from Liujia Village left. When they all left, it seemed as if the whole world was extremely quiet and bleak beyond words.
The elderly, weak, women and children in Taijia Village were originally worried about the money, but when they heard the crying coming from the two villages, everyone felt ashamed.
It is really not easy for the elders to run around and ask for favors in order to protect the tribesmen. It is really wrong that they only remember to be stingy with the money.
If it weren’t for the arrangements made by their elders, they would probably be the ones crying right now!
Thinking of this, those who had almost finished their housework hurried to the row houses.
Except for the corn sent to the border defense troops, the corn harvested by the Tai family was basically dried in the large courtyard of the row house.
Everyone gathered together, chatting and laughing while helping to thresh the rice manually. It was not a tiring job and it was quite lively.
After dark, every family closed the doors and windows, and reluctantly went to sleep, thinking about their relatives who were away, but the patrol officers encountered an unexpected situation!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com