Chapter 30: Arrival

He Da had always maintained a very thick filter when it came to scholars.

Whether before the chaotic times or during them, among the most capable people he had met, there were always scholars.

There is no need to say much about the time before the chaos; the current dynasty valued literature over martial arts. "All pursuits are of low rank, only reading is high." "In books, one finds houses of gold; in books, one finds bushels of grain." He heard such sayings often in teahouses and restaurants.

His whole family supported his younger brother's studies, and most of the rewards he received from running errands for nobles were spent on his brother's education. Also, because he had a younger brother studying at the County Academy, he held a bit of an advantage among the group of street loafers.

Later, when the world turned chaotic, County Magistrate Tan, who was in charge of the County Town, used extraordinary methods to secure a path of survival for the town. He felt even more strongly that scholars were capable.

Therefore, even though chopping firewood was difficult now, if there was a chance, he would still get more books for his younger brother. As long as he read more, he would definitely be more capable!

Even if he couldn't become a capable person like County Magistrate Tan, the books he traded for now used to be extremely expensive; now that times were hard and everyone was selling them cheaply or burning them, if the chaotic times ended in the future, there would always be a time for them to appreciate in value, right?

He had once heard a storyteller at a restaurant say that a tattered scroll passed down by a certain farmer's ancestor was bought by a noble lord for a chest of silver!

Anyway, keeping them in his hands wouldn't be a loss; it was just a matter of a few sticks of firewood, which wasn't any trouble for him.

He Da was open-minded, but He Xiaodi, who was just over ten years old, was under heavy psychological pressure; having encountered family changes, the cessation of the imperial examinations, and a massive shift in his worldview, he was filled with a gloomy aura.

When County Magistrate Tan was around, scholars like them who could write and calculate were still of some use, and they could trade for food once they finished the tasks assigned to them. But since County Magistrate Tan left half a month ago, everything in the town had changed, and scholars like them with weak constitutions had become a burden to their families.

If his constitution were stronger, he could still do other work, but with his thin and small frame, he could only stay home every day to boil water and cook porridge to lighten his brother's workload.

"Brother, don't use firewood to trade for books anymore," He Xiaodi said softly.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I don't look at just any book; I've not only heard you mention this book, but I've also heard those wealthy young masters talk about it before—it sells for a very high price! It would be a waste to burn it. It's just two sticks of firewood; we aren't losing out!"

"Firewood is more expensive now, don't trade for them anymore. Try to go out of the town as little as possible. Previously, County Magistrate Tan sent people to clear out the evil things outside the town, but now that half a month has passed, it will become increasingly dangerous outside," He Xiaodi said.

"Mm, I know that. I value my life. Once I hoard a bit more firewood, I'll hunker down at home and not go out," He Da said.

"Brother, are you going out of town to chop wood tomorrow? I'll go with you."

"Hey, no need, no need. You just stay home and read. I'll go and return quickly."

He Xiaodi didn't speak again, hanging his head so He Da wouldn't see the expression in his eyes. He also knew that if he followed, he would only end up being a burden.

However, other villagers living in the same residence, children around his age, were all helping their families with work—chopping wood, splitting firewood, and some even took bamboo poles out to rummage through the trash heaps on the streets to see if they could find any usable items to bring back.

He Da wouldn't let him go out now, and he didn't know what he could do while locked at home. His whole family used to support his studies, and now he was dragging his brother down.

Seeing the atmosphere turn silent again, He Da scratched his head helplessly. He also knew his younger brother was feeling depressed; scholars' minds are just... huh? Scholars?

He Da's spirits lifted.

"Brother will tell you about that Wen Scholar again! This person is clearly capable..."

Just now, when he talked about the process of Wen Scholar giving him the food bag, his younger brother listened very intently.

This Wen Scholar was really useful; whenever there was no topic, he could bring him up to chat.

Just as he was speaking, Yu Er came looking for him.

He Da had to pause the topic.

Yu Er asked about Wen Gu and the others; other than the food bag he received, which he couldn't talk about, He Da had nothing to hide.

"Are there children on their mule cart?" Yu Er asked.

"I heard the sound of children, but I didn't see anyone. I don't know what their relationship is. However, I reckon Wen Scholar and that County Lieutenant Zhou shouldn't be sinister or vicious people."

He Da stared at him: "Why, does your family want to go north with them?"

Yu Er didn't answer directly, but instead asked: "Don't you?"

The two looked at each other.

The duo of street loafers suddenly had a meeting of minds at this moment—

The gangs in the town only cared about internal strife; they hadn't read many books, yet their ambitions were not small, and they were greedy and lacked foresight.

If they wanted to take their families and survive, they either had to join them or leave their homes.

It was indeed a difficult decision to make.

Since that was the case, it was better to refer to the methods of those intelligent people with status. For example, County Magistrate Tan, or Wen Scholar and County Lieutenant Zhou.

"The situation in the town won't change in the short term. It's too dangerous; it's not suitable to stay long," He Da said.

Yu Er looked at the dilapidated walls around them, his eyes unfocused: "I've inquired; those gangs in the town think that because the temperature is low in the autumn and winter, the threat from the evil things outside is greatly reduced. They don't need to worry about the trash piling up on the streets for now; they want to occupy the territory first and decide on a ranking."

He Da sneered: "Then what if the weather suddenly warms up for a few days? Wait for death?"

Yu Er didn't speak. After a moment of silence, he asked: "When are the scholar surnamed Wen and the others leaving?"

He Da looked at the darkening sky: "They shouldn't leave tonight. It's hard to say about tomorrow. If you want to find them, you'll have to hurry tomorrow morning."

At this time, outside the County Town.

Wen Gu and the others had returned to the hidden shed, and County Lieutenant Zhou changed into clean clothes before interacting with his own child.

The County Town of Feng County was too dirty now; to prevent catching filth, he changed his clothes directly.

He couldn't bear to throw away the ones he changed out of; supplies were scarce now, so he had to use them sparingly.

When building the fire, he carefully dried the clothes by the fire's heat.

Wen Gu took out his notebook, looked at the rough map he had inquired about from the blacksmith Yu today, and said to the others: "No need to rush on the road tomorrow morning. We will stay for half a day; I will formulate the route first."

Xiao Liu and County Lieutenant Zhou had no objections.

Daoist Priest looked at Xiao Liu: Didn't you notice this situation is very familiar?

Xiao Liu really hadn't noticed, nor did he think there was anything wrong with Wen Gu's decision. It was indeed necessary to formulate a good route before setting off; sharpening the knife doesn't delay the work of chopping wood, after all.

Qingyi Daozhang silently curled his lips, not wanting to say more to this group of dull commoners.

Before going to sleep at night, Wen Gu was still thinking about this matter.

Although he was short of people, he would only wait for half a day.

If no one came after half a day, then there was no need to wait, and he certainly wouldn't enter the town.

There was too much trash in the town; who knew what other epidemics were breeding? Now that medicinal herbs everywhere were almost exhausted, there would be no medicine to take if one got sick.

Anyway, for this trip, the route map was the biggest harvest.

It was just a pity about the talent he had his eye on; if the town were just a little cleaner, he would have gone in to lend a hand.

Wen Gu turned over and continued to ponder.

Logically speaking, after he had tossed out several large paper bags of Grain Powder, there should have been some kind of feedback.

The Confucian Classics in He Da's hands, combined with his conversation with the gatekeeper, suggested he likely had a younger brother in the early or intermediate stages of learning, around ten years old, not very old. If one has people they care about, one has weaknesses.

Since He Da was able to inquire about news in the County Town, he must know other people as well.

Furthermore, regarding the blacksmith Yu Er, his family was living in straitened circumstances, with everyone unemployed at home and no income. Since they had failed to leave with the main group earlier for some reason, their current situation must be even more difficult; surely they would have to give it some thought?

People in this era dared not leave their homes easily, fearing the dangers of the road and having no place to settle, leading to a life of drifting. In these chaotic times, it would only be harder.

Yet Wen Gu had supplies, had knowledge, had a place to receive people in the north, looked like a kind person, and had a County Lieutenant and a Daoist Priest assisting him.

What a great leader!

The city was becoming increasingly chaotic; that group of people ought to be tempted.

Right now, Wen Gu was like an angler standing by a fish pond.

As the old saying goes, if you want to catch a lot, you must bait the spot heavily.

With several bags of goods tossed down, it was impossible for there to be no reaction. How many meals could that little bit of stuff last? It wasn't as if he were distributing disaster relief grain.

As for the people who might come over, even if they didn't bring four or five others, they would at least bring one or two, right?

Could it be that my baiting technique is wrong?

The next morning, bright and early.

Wen Gu had Xiao Liu keep watch on the surroundings; although he truly hoped to wait for a "buy one get one" or "buy one get two" situation, he also had to consider other possibilities.

Human hearts are complex, especially in such chaotic times.

"Everyone, pack up your things first. Once you notice anything unusual, hurry and drive the carts away."

In any case, in this day and age, that group of people in the city wouldn't dare chase too far from the County Town; there was time to run.

Wen Gu also told Zhou Shan to let the three children in the cart come out and move around; staying curled up in the carriage all the time affected their mental health.

A fire had been lit here in the shed, and the three children had been wiped down with medicinal wine, so it would be fine as long as they didn't run far.

County Lieutenant Zhou thought to himself that the three children had slept soundly after finishing their chores earlier and were indeed in much better spirits, so he agreed. He would keep watch right here and could respond as quickly as possible if there were any unusual circumstances.

Wen Gu had the one older and two younger children mix some concentrated feed for the donkeys and mules. They might have to carry heavier loads next, so they needed to eat well; just eating grass wouldn't be enough.

There was only a little bit of material left for mixing the feed.

Wen Gu thought that there were still too few people in the group; if there were more, there would be enough manpower to gather and stockpile more feed ingredients.

Just as he was thinking this, several falcon cries came from the sky.

Xiao Liu quickly ran over, "Someone is coming! I just stood on a rock and saw them. There are only two people; one looks like the He Da we saw yesterday, and there is another stranger about the same age as He Da."

With only two people, there was no need for an excessive reaction.

Upon hearing that strangers were coming, the two young children hurriedly ran behind Zhou Shan: "Daddy!"

"Take your brother and sister to the cart," Zhou Shan said to his nephew.

Once all three children were in the mule cart, Zhou Shan picked up his blade and stepped forward. Even if only two people were coming, he had to be on guard.

Wen Gu straightened his clothes and walked out of the shed, his gaze clear and upright.

Is it He Da and Yu Er who have come... *cough*, is it He Da and Yu Er?

Qingyi Daozhang, who was busy pounding medicine, glanced over in that direction and shook his head.

This man Wen Gu, he even looks at a dog with a clear and upright gaze.

(End of this chapter)