Chapter 16: Gushui Village

As evening approached, they finally arrived at their destination.

Before them lay a village nestled between several small hills, with boundless wheat fields stretching ahead and a tributary of the Wei River winding through, unmistakably a place blessed by feng shui.

Under the setting sun, golden waves of wheat rolled endlessly, painting a serene pastoral scene.

“This is Gushui Village.”

Sha Lifei led the way, reins in hand, and said: “There’s an ancient spring on the hill here, hence the name. The biggest landowner in the village is Lu Squire.”

“This Lu Squire is no ordinary man—he’s said to have been a major merchant in the capital, made his fortune, then returned home to buy land. Look, all these fields before you belong to him.”

“The key is, he’s generous. Countless others are eyeing this rich prize—if it weren’t for my connections, you’d be fighting the Longyou wheat harvesters for scraps…”

Wheat harvesters exist in Guanzhong, but most come from Longyou.

They’re tough, work hard, don’t picky eaters, and are far more favored by employers—truly the kings of the wheat harvesters.

“Sha Daxia is the real deal!”

I told you, following Sha Daxia never gets you cheated…

The crowd praised him, and Sha Lifei grew even more proud.

…………

Lu Squire’s mansion stood at the eastern edge of the village.

As Sha Lifei had said, it was a truly grand household.

The compound was square-shaped, built of brick and wood, with four courtyards and three inner halls, surrounded by high walls, even the base bricks outside carved with exquisite patterns.

Gate arches, memorial pavilions, horse-tie posts—all were present.

Under the setting sun, it radiated an ancient, majestic aura.

The largest landowner in Li Family Village, Li Huairen, owned only a two-hall courtyard. None of the wheat harvesters had ever seen such opulence—they all marveled in awe.

“Damn, how rich must he be…”

“We’ve really seen something new today…”

Clearly, Lu Squire wasn’t hiring just one group.

Outside the main gate lay an open area larger than a threshing floor, as if washed with water and flattened by stone rollers.

Around it stood rows of willow trees, lending an air of grandeur.

At this moment, several groups had gathered there, bedding on their backs, sickles at their belts, squatting on the ground chatting or puffing on long pipes, clouds of smoke rising.

Sha Lifei ordered his men not to wander off, then walked up to the gate.

There stood a thin old man, dressed neatly, wearing a small cap, his hair white, spectacles with black wooden frames perched on his nose, flanked by several servants.

Sha Lifei recognized him, bowed deeply with clasped fists, beaming with flattery: “Lu Guanxia, these are my men.”

“Why are you a day late?”

“We ran into trouble on the road.”

“Fine. Wait until the master finishes speaking, then we’ll assign you.”

As the two spoke, Li Yan glanced around.

His eyes were sharp, and he understood many underworld tricks—he immediately noticed several things.

The group to the right came from Longyou; their accent differed slightly, and their leader was clearly a knife-wielding mercenary from Longyou, elderly, still wearing a sheepskin jacket despite the heat.

Though his hair was white, his arms were thick with corded muscle.

Judging by his hands, he’d trained in Eagle Claw Fist.

The servants behind Lu Guanxia appeared lax in posture, but each was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, eyes gleaming with sharpness—they were clearly bodyguards hired to guard the estate.

In underworld parlance, they were “hanging” points in the “hanging” trade.

Such men, whether hired as bodyguards or to escort valuables, must possess real skill and know the underworld rules—none were soft.

They weren’t temporary hires; they served as servants for life.

This Lu family was far richer than ordinary Squire…

“Master Lu has arrived!”

As he watched, a group emerged from the mansion, accompanied by a servant’s announcement.

Leading them was, of course, Lu Squire.

He was tall and stout, with a round, ruddy face, kind eyes, a long black beard hanging to his chest, and dressed in brocade robes—exuding great dignity.

Behind him, besides bodyguards, followed two women.

One wore white, her features elegant and refined; the other wore red, her face alluring, skin pale, with a beauty mark beneath her chin.

Their temperaments differed, and they were young—next to Lu Squire, they looked like his daughters.

But everyone knew they were concubines.

The square was filled mostly with farmers; even the knife-wielders who frequented brothels had never seen such beautiful women—they stared, mouths agape.

Sha Lifei swallowed hard, turned, and whispered sharply: “Behave yourselves. Don’t stare, don’t dream. Anyone who makes a fool of himself and loses his job—I’ll kill him.”

The wheat harvesters lowered their heads at once.

Sha Lifei at least knew his place—farther away, another group of harvesters had their leader staring slack-jawed, drooling, utterly ignoring everyone else.

Li Yan noticed and felt something odd.

Normally, a wealthy household would keep concubines secluded in the inner quarters, rarely letting them appear before guests, let alone before so many men.

But Lu Squire didn’t seem to care—he even looked proud.

Facing the crowd, he stroked his beard and smiled slightly: “Fellow villagers, I, Lu, have returned to my roots. Though I’ve acquired some property, I’m no heartless rich man. The summer harvest is a race against time—work hard, and Lu Family will never let you go unpaid. White flour buns, lamb offal soup—eat your fill!”

“Also, two sheng of wheat per mu as payment.”

“How much you can harvest, I’ll pay you!”

The wheat harvesters below widened their eyes.

Previously, one mu earned only one sheng of wheat—just over two jin.

Often, wages were withheld.

But this Lu Squire offered two sheng outright, plus unlimited white flour buns and lamb offal soup.

Even if it was offal, it was meat!

“Lu Squire is benevolent!”

The harvesters bowed deeply in thanks.

!.

“Hahaha, thank you, thank you.”

Lu Squire smiled, bowed slightly, then turned and entered the mansion with his retinue.

Lu Guanxia stepped forward, his expression darkening: “The master is kind-hearted, but rules must be upheld.”

“White flour buns are unlimited—but you may eat them, not take them away…”

“No one may enter the inner courtyard without permission. If you have business, send someone to report. Anyone who steps past this gate—I won’t go easy on you…”

“Cheaters, those who secretly hoard goods—will be handed over to the authorities…”

“Work begins at Yin hour. Only after the grain is stored may you rest…”

The steward was sharp—everything arranged with precision.

The wheat harvesters nodded in agreement.

Though rules were strict, the pay was high.

In past years, such luck was unheard of…

After the arrangements, the harvesters were led to the village’s eastern edge.

There, makeshift huts had been erected in advance.

For the coming days, they would live here—rising before dawn, returning after dusk, working nonstop, eating and sleeping only when exhausted.

It was hard, but such was the summer harvest—otherwise, how could they earn money?

Beside the huts, over a dozen large pots had been set up.

Snow-white lamb bone broth bubbled; chopped lamb offal swirled within.

Towering wooden steamers released clouds of fragrant wheat steam.

The harvesters, having traveled for days on cold water and coarse grain cakes, now smelled the food—saliva dripped from every mouth.

They rushed to line up, squatting on the ground with giant bowls, devouring greedily.

The servants assigned by Lu Guanxia laughed: “Eat your fill—but don’t eat so much you fall ill tomorrow.”

An old harvesters chuckled: “Young sir, don’t worry. We’re farmers, but we know the difference between one full meal and constant fullness.”

“Hahaha…”

Those eating around them burst into laughter.

They felt content—this employer was truly beyond reproach.

Even Li Yan felt the same.

He’d been to temple fairs in Lantian County, but there, lamb offal soup was served to the poor—no care at all.

Grease often floated with wool and flies—he couldn’t stomach it.

But Lu’s cooks prepared food that at least looked clean; the lamb broth even had chili oil and chopped scallions and cilantro poured over it.

Paired with white flour buns—it was exquisite!

Young men have big appetites, and Li Yan was still cultivating his martial arts—he ate five large buns and drank four bowls of lamb soup before wiping his mouth, setting down his bowl, and walking toward Sha Lifei.

Because of earlier events, the group had marched in silence, no time for talk. Now that they were settled, he could ask about the journey.

Sha Lifei was boasting to a group of knife-wielders.

Seeing him arrive, the man seemed to guess what he wanted to ask, but changed the subject with a grin: “Fellow cultivators, let me introduce you—this is Li Yan. His father is none other than the famed ‘Tiger of Guanzhong’—you’ve all heard of him!”

Li Yan heard this and immediately felt displeased.

He had not come out to roam the rivers and lakes.

Even if he wished to make a name for himself, he would never rely on his father’s reputation, nor did he need Sha Li Fei to speak up.

But since it had come to this, he merely smiled and bowed: “Greetings, esteemed elders.”

The Gansu old knife-master, clad in a sheepskin vest, squatted on the ground smoking; he nodded and spoke in a hoarse voice: “I’ve heard of Tiger Ye ’s name—he’s a man of righteousness. Too bad… sigh.”

Others chimed in one after another: “Young master clearly stands out—someday you’ll be a household name on the Guanzhong roads.”

The rivers and lakes are like this: everyone knows how to speak flattery.

As long as no interests are at stake, they’ll all praise each other.

But a young man squatting in the distance snorted: “Tsk tsk—Li Hu’s son? Already roaming the rivers and lakes? Hasn’t even grown his first hairs yet!”

“The rivers and lakes are full of strong winds and big waves—don’t twist your waist!”

(End of Chapter)