"Sir, which village will we be assigned to?" Mo Qian took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and secretly handed a silver ingot to the constable who was assigning the exiles.
"Wherever you're assigned, that's where you'll be," the constable said irritably. But he concealed the silver being handed to him in his sleeve and wrote down a name for a relatively wealthy village near the city with good local customs.
Mo Qian felt relieved when she saw the yamen runner write down "Wutong Village". There were twenty or thirty villages around Liangzhou City, among which Wutong Village, Qingshui Village, Panlong Village, and Panshi Village were the closest to the city and had the best conditions.
The farther away a village is from Liangzhou City, the poorer it becomes. Those villages that are closer to the city can sell some things to supplement their income, while those villages that are farther away can only rely on the weather and the harvest from the land.
The convicts were gradually assigned to villages. To prevent them from causing trouble, they were split up and placed in remote villages far from the city.
Some of the smarter people were assigned to villages with good local customs. The Jiangning Marquis's family was assigned to Qingshui Village, which is not far from Wutong Village. It is estimated that they paid money for this, since the Jiangning Marquis's family members were all educated by elites from aristocratic families and were very knowledgeable about human relationships.
Mo Qian and her two companions, along with the others assigned to Wutong Village, left with the yamen runners.
"Third brother, you're leaving already! You didn't even say goodbye to Father. How unfilial of you!"
"Seeing that my brother-in-law was assigned to Wutong Village, we know he still has some money. He was pretending to be poor before."
"The third son is an unfilial son, just like his mother, pretentious and scheming."
...
"Shut up, pack your things and hurry up and follow the constables," the old Marquis stopped him. Watching the departing figures of Mo Zhong and the other two, his eyes were filled with complex emotions. He had hurt his third son's feelings. He had never taken care of him since he was a child. When he was seriously ill, it was his son, whom he had neglected, who brought him medicine. All he could do now was to keep an eye on his family and prevent them from causing trouble for his third son or disturbing him.
The old marquis turned and walked in the opposite direction, his body unconsciously hunching slightly, and a few strands of white hair in his hair were particularly dazzling in the sunlight.
"Village chief, these are the people assigned to your village this time. You can decide how to assign them." The constable handed the convicts to the village chief and left.
Although Wutong Village was relatively wealthy compared to other villages, it wasn't like the kind of village where scholars who passed the imperial examinations could receive a reward. Back then, even poor families would scrape together a couple of taels of silver to celebrate. Normally, a trip to the village wouldn't earn much money; a few copper coins weren't even worth the trouble. Under normal circumstances, the yamen runners wouldn't bother going to the village unless absolutely necessary.
“There are two plots of land to the west and south. You can settle down there. I will take you there.”
The village chief frowned deeply as he looked at the thirty or forty men the constables had brought. With so many people, he couldn't let them stay in the village. He didn't know their character, and he couldn't let them corrupt the villagers. The village had always had a good atmosphere; he couldn't let it be ruined.
Since they couldn't refuse the people sent by the yamen runners, they were sent away from the village to cultivate the land to the west and south.
"The land to the south is a bit closer to the village. It rained a couple of days ago, so the soil is soft and easy to cultivate now. The land to the west is also quite large, but it's too close to the foot of the mountain," the village chief explained along the way.
Finally, the other convicts chose to settle in the south, while Mo Qian and her two companions chose the west. Mo Qian, possessing a spatial ability, didn't want to be among the crowds, and Zhang Jinxin also helped to conceal her presence.
In addition, the other convicts probably don't have much silver left. Seeing Mo Qian and the other two eating so much, they might have bad intentions. To avoid trouble, it's better for them to live separately.
Mo Zhong naturally didn't object. He would follow the mother and daughter wherever they went. Plus, it was convenient for them to go fishing or picking wild fruits in the mountains.
“Mom, this place is quite big, and it’s not very close to the village. It’ll be easier to avoid trouble when we need to eat meat. We can even go hunting in the mountains in the future, haha!” Mo Qian’s face lit up when she mentioned food.
"It's really quite nice. It's at the foot of the mountain, warm in winter and cool in summer. In the summer, you can put a deck chair there and enjoy the cool breeze from the mountain. It's perfect for an afternoon nap, hehe." Mo Zhong chimed in.
Mo Qian then spent some money to ask the village chief to help find a few people to build a few houses. Usually, villagers had to go to the city to find work, and they often couldn't bear to buy food in order to save a few coins.
Now that they can work right at their doorstep and earn slightly more than they would in the city, everyone in the village is happy. As a result, the villagers, who were originally wary of the convicts, have become friendly towards Mo Qian and her two companions.
"Mother, there's a market today, let's go for a stroll. We didn't have a proper look around last time because we were in such a rush," Mo Qian said, seeing that the weather was nice today and it was the big market that happens every five days, so she wanted to see the bustling street scene of ancient times.
Besides, I've been staying at home for so many days, and I've explored most of the village and mountains. Since I'm already here, why not enjoy myself to the fullest?
"I think you're bored and can't stay still. You want to go out and have some fun," Zhang Jinxin said with a helpless smile.
"Go, everyone go! It's been so long since I've eaten at a restaurant. I wonder if the food here is any better than in the capital." Mo Zhong swallowed twice. Mo Qian was thinking the same thing. Life is short, so let's enjoy it while we can, with wine and meat to our hearts' content.
Inside Liangzhou City,
Teahouses, taverns, pawnshops, and workshops lined both sides of the street. Small vendors with large umbrellas were also scattered in the open spaces along the street.
The street stretched east and west, all the way to the quieter suburbs outside the city, but there were still pedestrians on the street: some carrying loads on their shoulders, some driving oxcarts to deliver goods, some driving donkeys to pull carts, and some stopping to admire the scenery of the Zha River.
Centered around the towering city gate, the buildings on both sides are lined up one after another, including teahouses, taverns, inns, butcher shops, temples, government offices, and so on.
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