Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 528 - 527: Xiao Ce’s Concerns

The gently unfurling clouds dispersed, the sea breeze shattered the embrace of gold and sprinkled it across the sea. The water glistened at the horizon, and the dazzling waves reflected on Lin Wanwan’s eyelids, reminding her that the east was already bright.

Lin Wanwan’s eyelashes fluttered a few times and slowly opened. At that moment, the golden sun suddenly leaped out of the sea at the junction of the sun and moon.

"So beautiful." Lin Wanwan had just woken up to see such a grand scene and was momentarily stunned, unconsciously entering a state of clarity, as if she entered a realm beyond joy and sadness.

It wasn’t until an eagle’s long cry pierced the clouds and broke the tranquility that Lin Wanwan realized she was still leaning on Xiao Chong. She hurriedly sat up straight, smoothed the loose hair by her ear, her cheeks slightly red.

In the village, chickens and dogs were heard, smoke rose from cooking fires, and human voices gradually increased into a fervor.

Lin Wanwan jumped down from the rock, patted the dust off her gray dress, and smiled sweetly, "Let’s go, cousin, after watching the sunrise, let’s go home for breakfast." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Xiao Chong stood up gracefully and said softly, "Alright."

On the way back, they didn’t encounter many clan members. Everyone had played around all night, and now that the east was bright, many had gone to bed for a nap.

On previous New Year’s Days, close cousins from various branches would gather for a feast.

This year, life was better. The clan leader mentioned holding a clan feast with expenses covered by the communal funds, with each household contributing two people to prepare the dishes.

The feast was partly set on the open space in front of the ancestral hall, partly in the courtyard in front of the workshops, and partly on the school playground.

A few days ago, everyone in the clan cleaned these spaces thoroughly. The brickstone ground in front of the ancestral hall was even repaired with money, replacing some broken stones, and now it looked brand new.

This year, Lin Family Manor was full of vitality, with cooking smoke swirling early in the morning, laughter and chatter everywhere. Everyone wore new clothes, with smiles on their faces, greeting each other with auspicious words of blessing.

Presumably, when guests start arriving tomorrow, they will be amazed by this scene.

In the past, Lin Family Manor was dirty, poor, chaotic, and even on New Year’s Day, due to a lack of clothing and food, only the children had some smiles. Others were numb and indifferent. Wearing new clothes or moving into a new house was out of the question.

But this year, almost every household had renovated their homes.

Families lucky enough to benefit from Lin Wanwan’s major construction projects now lived in houses of green bricks and black tiles, neatly lined along the village road, making it clear they all came from the same family.

Those who weren’t part of the relocation still earned enough from the cotton workshop. Completely converting to houses of blue bricks and black tiles was too extravagant, but it was possible to repair the roof and add a top layer of black tiles.

These black tiles were leftovers from the clan’s construction of workshops and resettlement houses, ordered by Wang Dulei. Lin Wanwan had specifically instructed him to buy extra.

Later, Lin Wanwan decided to sell these tiles to clan members at a very low processing price. Such a good deal meant even the most frugal families would find the money to buy them.

If they missed this, it wouldn’t come around again. In the Great Tang, buying something wasn’t as simple as having money. For regular people, necessities were heavily regulated, and even if you had the money, you might not have the right to purchase them. Black tiles were one such item.

However, because their clan now had a Village Lady of Le’an with the Secondary Fifth Rank, everything was different. As her clan members, they had the right to use black tiles of higher specifications than ordinary people—provided they could afford them.

This world was just that unfair. Noble families had shops everywhere, involved in mining, horse ranching, salt fields, and controlled the regional economic lifelines in reality. Nevertheless, they weren’t considered merchants.

From laws to social perception, everything about nobles was openly superior.

Only nouveau riches without noble background or families without official ties were classified as merchants, considered lowly, unable to ride in carriages, wear silk, take imperial exams, or join the army.

Of course, the benefits brought by an improved status and better living conditions also came with responsibilities.

In the early Tang Dynasty, the court divided farmers into nine classes according to their property and wealth gap. Farmers above the sixth category had to provide one soldier for every three men, exempt from land rent, but weapons, armor, horses, and food had to be self-provided.

Military service began at twenty years old and lasted until sixty years old.

During Li Shimin’s Zhen Guan Dynasty, 634 Zhichong Prefectures were established across the Great Tang, managed by the Twelve Guards and the Six Rates of the Eastern Palace, with the highest officer being the Captain.

The soldiers farmed at home when not on duty or training, coming together for military drills during the off-season, with tactical training conducted by the prefectures.

Originally, the people of Lin Family Manor lived by fishing, with only a few scattered fields, each household lacking even two acres, classified as lowly commoners who didn’t have to serve as soldiers.

However, considering last year’s per capita income of Lin Family Manor, they had long surpassed the sixth class. If the harvest this year remained good, their rating would naturally rise next year, requiring them to start serving in the military.

Military service could mean going to war and leaving home, which was a heavy burden for the Lin clan, unaccustomed to such trials for over twenty peaceful years.

But compared to starvation and freezing, these burdens were not unacceptable.

When Lin and Xiao entered the house, Hua Nong had already prepared the first sumptuous breakfast of the New Year, with beef vermicelli soup, bird’s nest and white fungus porridge, and plump steamed buns stuffed with beef.

Dugu Di and Xiao Ce, who had drunk too much last night, also walked over from the school. Their eyes met the Lin and Xiao pair curiously, exchanged New Year’s greetings, and headed to the flower hall together.

Xiao Ce, falling behind Xiao Chong, quietly asked Dugu Di, "Those two?"

Dugu Di replied in a calm tone, "Just as Brother Shi Heng thought."

"Their identities..." Xiao Ce shook his head in disbelief, "That’s quite difficult to handle."

Dugu Di, unbothered, said, "Zifang always has plans. I’m sure he has arrangements, so we need not worry."

Xiao Ce touched the mustache on his upper lip and murmured quietly, "That should be the case."

Though he said so, his expression remained quite heavy.

He relied on Xiao Chong, and as Xiao Chong prospered, so too would he. If Xiao Chong clashed with the family, they, as followers and staff, would be the first unfortunate casualties.

Actually, he should have noticed it earlier. Xiao Chong’s leniency towards the Village Lady of Le’an exceeded normal bounds, far beyond mere gratitude for saving his life.

After all, from childhood, Xiao Chong showed little regard for women, not even for princesses or noblewomen. He even rejected a marriage proposal from the prestigious Cui family of Qinghe, so Xiao Ce hadn’t expected him to develop interest in matters between men and women.

After all, a daughter of the Cui family was the dream marital alliance for every man in the Great Tang, with countless suitors queued up.

The Hou Tao Lin family... really cannot be compared.