Chapter 20: Wanying Village
Magistrate Wu looked at the two uneasy people below, touched his nose embarrassedly, and called the yamen runners.
"You take the rest of the people and settle down in Wanying Village outside the city.
Xu Ju asked someone to follow me to the clerk's office. "
Xu Yaozu briefly explained a few words to the village chief, and then followed County Magistrate Wu out the door.
The bailiff politely led the village chief out of the county government office.
The people waiting outside the yamen were getting a little anxious, wondering why he had been in there for so long and still hadn't come out.
"Big girl, nothing will happen to your father, right?"
Wang was unsure and could only ask the eldest maid. During the journey, the Xu family had already regarded Xu Nian as an adult who could take charge.
"Wait a moment..." Xu Nian had just finished speaking when he saw the village chief following the yamen runner.
The Xu family panicked when they saw that Xu Yaozu did not follow them out. The village chief knew it was a misunderstanding and hurriedly told the Xu family what Xu Yaozu had said.
Knowing that everything went smoothly, everyone felt relieved. The village chief said no more and followed the yamen runner to the resettlement site.
The yamen runner rode a horse beside the village chief's car and gave a brief introduction to Wanying Village along the way.
Those living in Wanying Village are veterans and their families who were resettled after being injured in the army, as well as some widows of soldiers and generals.
The current head of Wanying Village is Zhu Sanniu, a veteran who retired from the battlefield. The yamen runners even explained that the people of Wanying Village may look fierce but they are not bad people.
Xu Nian looked around and found that the place became increasingly empty and desolate after leaving the county town.
At the same time, the village chief was looking at the land covered with snow, and he couldn't help wondering what the crops grown there would be like.
The bailiff followed the village chief's gaze and looked over there, and couldn't help but sigh.
"The northern border is vast and has a lot of wasteland. The king has issued an order: Anyone who reclaims wasteland will be exempted from all taxes for three years, and half of the taxes for five years.
But most of the people here are disabled soldiers and widows, so a lot of land is vacant.
Even the common people in northern Xinjiang are reluctant to open up wasteland because of the low yield.”
The bailiff knew that he had spoken out of turn, and he did not speak again after that.
The village chief, who was originally very happy to hear about such a generous policy, also became thoughtful.
Because the Xu family's donkey cart was following the village chief, Xu Nian of course heard all these words. She couldn't help but start to wonder, could it be that she came to Shengchao inexplicably and then came here, was it God who made her grow crops here?
After walking for about half an hour, everyone arrived at Wanying Village. Looking up, they saw a row of earthen brick houses lined up there.
The bailiff led everyone to a courtyard.
"This is the village chief's house. I'll go take a look first."
After the yamen runners left, the village chief turned around and told everyone, "We will live here from now on, so you should be careful about how you address me and stop calling me village chief.
Although I heard from the officials that the land here is difficult to grow, as long as we are willing to work hard and make the land fertile, our life will be no worse than that of Dahe Village."
"Yes, after we clear the wasteland, it will all be our land, just like Bai Pick's."
Xu Youliang said happily that in the past, an acre of inferior land in Dahe Village would cost several taels of silver.
Xu Nian took out the silver from his pocket and counted it.
"My Lord, I still have 57 taels of silver here, which is just enough for each of the six families to get 9.5 taels of silver. With this money, we will be able to live a good life."
Xu Nian asked her second uncle to distribute the money to everyone.
Old Man Wang (former village chief) did not refuse, but still emphasized:
"Equally divide the accommodation, and everyone should give the Xu family an IOU.
Xu's daughter, I want to discuss something with you. Can I also count the money owed to this mule as my debt? I think it would save me some effort to have an animal to open up the wasteland."
Of course Xu Nian had no objection, but he still looked at Old Man Xu. When he saw Old Man Xu nodded, he smiled and said:
"Of course, Your Majesty."
Finally, everyone decided to keep the mule for future use in land reclamation. After the discussion, the bailiff took Village Chief Zhu out of the yard.
Village Chief Zhu looked to be about the same age as Old Man Xu, but he was very burly. If you looked closely, you would notice that one of his sleeves was loose, and the scar on his face running from his eyebrow did look a bit scary.
Xiao Liuzi was a little scared when he saw the fierce man, and he tried hard to get closer to Xu Nianhuai.
Xu Nian patted Xiao Liuzi on the back and whispered, "Don't be afraid. That's the medal a hero gets after defeating a villain. Not everyone can have it."
Xiao Liuzi looked up again out of curiosity, and couldn't help thinking that being a hero would make one ugly, but he still said firmly: "I want to be a hero and get a medal."
The people around were attracted by the childish voice and looked over. Xu Nian smiled awkwardly and said, "You work hard."
Zhu Sanniu burst into laughter. He used to be a scout in the army, so he naturally had sharp ears and eyes. He heard the whole conversation between the siblings. Hmm, this kid is just to his liking.
Zhu Sanniu walked to the car and patted Xiao Liuzi's head.
"If you want to be a hero, wait until your hair grows back."
Unexpectedly, Zhu Sanniu's words made all the women in the car blush, but Xu Nian lowered her head and held back her laughter.
Zhu Sanniu was used to being talked like this, not to mention that women in Northern Xinjiang were more open-minded and would sometimes even join in on the fun with these rough guys.
Suddenly looking at so many blushing women, Zhu Sanniu touched his nose uncomfortably.
"I'll take you guys down first."
After saying that, he strode out.
The six vehicles drove into the village in a grand manner, which naturally attracted the attention of the villagers. Many people stood in front of their houses with their hands in their pockets, looking around.
"Old Zhu, whose relative is this?"
A one-eared old man asked in a loud voice.
Zhu Sanniu also shouted at the top of his lungs: "They are refugees who were resettled in our village. They came from the south."
"Ah? Ah! Use me to help you make a sound."
Zhu Sanniu waved his hand. Along the way, people kept asking questions and some even followed the car.
There are many empty houses in Wanying Village. Xu Nian couldn't help but feel a pain in his heart when he saw them. Ancient houses would not be abandoned easily, unless someone fled to another place like them, or the family had no successor.
Before, she only briefly learned from Xu Yaozu's introduction that Zhenbei Wangbao had ensured the stability of the border for decades. Now she truly realized how many bones were buried here forever for the sake of the word "stability".
Because the houses are scattered, each household is assigned a different place.
The house allocated to the Xu family was in the middle of the village, and the neighbors on both sides came out of their houses when they heard the noise.
According to the introduction of Village Chief Zhu, the family on the left is surnamed Zhao, and only an old lady with her little grandson is left. The family on the right is surnamed Zhu, and it is the family of the village chief’s cousin. They went to the battlefield together, were injured together, and were placed in Wanying Village.
The neighbors enthusiastically helped the Xu family move their things into the yard.