Chapter 569 "If men can do this kind of work, why can't I?"
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The fervor surrounding the "recruitment order" swept through every corner of Jian'an like a summer sea breeze, naturally reaching Dingjia Village in Baisha Bay as well.
Dingjia Village, located by the sea, has only about twenty households, most of whom make a living by fishing.
The Japanese pirates' landing in the first half of the year caused several families in Dingjia Village to wear mourning clothes.
Later, Ding Haisheng, who had escaped the ordeal, saw his mother lying in bed, too ill to get up. The usually quiet woman made a snap decision, called her younger brother Ding Chaosheng, grabbed a tattered fishing net, and went out the door.
She and Ding Chaosheng actually found a lone Japanese pirate, and Ding Chaosheng got his hands on the first pirate leader worth twenty taels of silver.
Later, the three siblings used a method to kill four more Japanese pirates.
They obtained five Japanese pirate heads and exchanged them for one hundred taels of silver at the government office gate!
He also received an extra fifty taels of silver as a reward from Li Shiyue.
With this 150 taels of silver, the three siblings' mother had money for medical treatment and medicine, and their mother, Gao Dani, was saved from the brink of death.
At this moment, the afterglow of dusk shone through the dilapidated window frames into the Ding family's simple main room.
Ding Haisheng had just returned home from gathering firewood by the sea, and her trouser legs were still covered in wet sand.
She stood at the village entrance and listened to the village elder hear the "recruitment order" from the yamen runner without missing a single word. Her hands, roughened by years of hard work, suddenly gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.
Ding Haisheng felt as if something hot was churning inside his chest.
After listening to his father-in-law's parrot-like recitation, Ding Haisheng picked up the firewood beside him and headed back to the Ding family home.
However, once he got home, Ding Haisheng didn't say anything at first. He simply washed his hands in silence, rinsed the rice, and started cooking dinner for the family.
Even with the silver obtained from killing the bandits, it couldn't compensate for the fact that Gao Dani's medicine contained ginseng!
Although they still had over thirty taels of silver left, the Ding family, who were used to being frugal, still accustomed to eating only water for dinner.
The family of four ate their thin porridge in peace, cleaned up the dishes, and then moved stools to the yard to watch the last rays of the setting sun sink below the horizon.
Suddenly, Ding Haisheng looked at the sun setting below the horizon and spoke up, "Mother, second brother, third brother, I want to join the army!"
Ding Haisheng's voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally firm;
After saying this, she turned her head and looked intently at Gao Dani, Ding Chaosheng, and Ding Fusheng sitting to the side.
For a moment, the courtyard was quiet, with only the sound of the crashing waves in the distance.
Gao Dani is not old, but her hair is gray and her face is etched with the marks of time.
She looked into Ding Haisheng's incredibly bright eyes, remained silent for a moment, neither exclaiming nor rebuking him, but simply letting out a deep sigh.
Gao Dani's sigh contained too many unspeakable emotions: worry, helplessness, heartache, and unhappiness.
Finally, Gao Dani looked at Ding Haisheng and slowly spoke, her voice hoarse but clear: "The female general killed the corrupt official, lowered the grain price, and is going to kill the bandits. She also gave our family some silver before."
With this money, I can survive!
This is an immense favor!
Haisheng, if you want to go, Mom... won't stop you.
You should go and ask first. If they accept a woman as a bride, then the bride will pack your bags and send you there!
If they don't want you, then come back. We're by the sea; we'll always have food to eat.
"mother!"
Ding Chaosheng, who was standing nearby, became anxious when he heard Gao Dani say that.
He is honest by nature, but not very brave, and therefore has many concerns.
"My elder sister is a woman!"
What kind of woman would go to war to join the army?
That must be incredibly dangerous!
Don't think that just because the three of us killed five Japanese pirates together, they're so easy to kill.
That was a trap we set beforehand!
"Have you forgotten how Guo Wu's family died?"
Ding Chaosheng rattled off a string of words, belittling Ding Haisheng's older sister's idea of enlisting in the army as a pipe dream and overestimating her own abilities!
Having said all that, Ding Chaosheng didn't dare look at Ding Haisheng, only lowering his head, "I...I think we should find some work at the supply depot or the saltworks, something more stable..."
His voice trailed off as he spoke, because Ding Haisheng was looking at him calmly, and that look made him feel somewhat ashamed.
Ding Chaosheng wasn't that he didn't hate the Japanese pirates, but the thought of the bloody battle scenes made his legs go weak.
He was genuinely terrified when he and his two siblings went to fight the bandits to save their elderly mother!
If it weren't for his mother, how would he dare to lay a hand on her?
Let alone taking action, he probably wouldn't even dare to glance at those Japanese pirates.
"Brother, are you scared?"
The youngest, Ding Fusheng, who was only fourteen years old, suddenly jumped up from the bench.
His face still retained a touch of boyish innocence, but his eyes were full of excitement and eagerness.
"I'm not afraid!"
If my older sister isn't afraid, why should I be?
Didn't the notice say so?
There are places to take in people who are injured or disabled! They can support you for life!
Even if I die, there will be someone to take care of the children and elderly at home!
What's there to be afraid of?
I'm going with my older sister!
Besides, it's not like we haven't killed Japanese pirates before!
Ding Chaosheng blushed with embarrassment after being spoken to by Ding Fusheng. He stubbornly retorted, "Who...who's afraid!"
I just felt... I felt that my older sister, being a woman, shouldn't have to suffer that pain...
"What's wrong with the girl?"
Ding Haisheng finally spoke, her voice steady and powerful, "When the Japanese pirates cut down, do they discriminate between men, women, the elderly, and children?"
I'm just as strong as any man!
My heart is harder than theirs!
"When I see Japanese pirates, I will only feel hatred, not fear!"
Ding Haisheng looked at Gao Dani again: "Mother, the female general is an official who keeps her word."
They said it would be 20 taels of silver per head, but we killed five, so they gave us 100 taels of silver!
Since the notice said that no matter whether the person is dead or disabled, their family members will have a way to survive;
Then I'll go. Even if something happens to me, Chaosheng and Fusheng can still support you by having me join the army and work in the supply depot.
Otherwise, the Japanese pirates always come. We live by the sea, and if we encounter them while fishing at sea, we will die anyway.
Even if you don't get a chance to fish, fishing is a nomadic profession where you might go hungry one day and have enough to eat the next. It's better to join the army and earn a living.
If men can do this kind of work, why can't I?
No matter how I think about it, I feel that this is much better than the days we are living in hardship!
Moreover, I...I also want to be like a female general!
Ding Haisheng spoke those last words very softly, yet they carried immense weight.
Li Shiyue's existence was like a ray of light piercing through the darkness, allowing Ding Haisheng to see another possibility for a woman's fate.
Not only can they marry, have children, and be confined to the kitchen, but they can also wield knives and guns, protect their homes and defend their country, and live upright lives!
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