Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World-Chapter 66: Visitors from the County

Listening to the sounds from inside, a faint smile touched Cheng Zongyang’s lips.

’This is home.’

’The place he wanted to protect!’

Letting out a soft breath, Cheng Zongyang walked over and knocked on the door.

The playful clamor inside instantly fell silent. Cheng Zongyang immediately called out, "Open the door. I’m back."

At the sound of the familiar voice, a little girl’s happy cry was the first to ring out from the courtyard. "Eldest Brother, it’s Eldest Brother! Quick, open the door!"

A few children immediately ran over, scrambling to pull back the bolt.

The three women cooking in the kitchen also came out. As the door opened, Cheng Zongyang stepped inside.

He smiled at the sight of the crowd of people inside. "It’s so dark. Why haven’t you lit an oil lamp?"

Just then, his eldest uncle, Zhou Hansong, came out. "Lighting it would be a waste. We’re better off sitting in the courtyard to save some Tung Oil."

He walked up to Cheng Zongyang and looked him over. "You’ve been gone all day. Are you all right?"

Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family hurried over at that moment, anxiously checking on her son.

"Uncle, Mother, rest assured. I’m fine." Cheng Zongyang said, taking the basket off his back. He turned to his aunt. "Aunt, please take these and prepare them. We can stew them for dinner tonight."

A single, dim oil lamp in the kitchen provided hardly any light, so he added, "Let’s light another lamp. It’ll be easier to see while you’re cooking."

With so many people and so much to do, dinner had been delayed.

Of course, the main reason was that they were waiting for Cheng Zongyang to return.

Mrs. Ye of the Zhou Family readily took the basket from her nephew.

She peered inside, her face filled with surprise as she made out the contents in the dim light. "Are these all snakes?"

Cheng Zongyang nodded, setting a sack down by the kitchen wall. "That’s right. I caught them in the mountains. Let’s stew them tonight. We’ll make a soup so everyone can have some. It’s very nourishing."

"And underneath, there are some wild greens. You can stew them along with the snakes."

He had dug up these greens while scouting for a path in the mountains. They had long since run out of fresh vegetables at home; all that remained were pickles.

’So it’s true, the deeper you go into the mountains, the more abundant the resources.’

’At the spot I’ve chosen, we won’t have to worry about finding resources, at least.’

"Very well, we’ll get right on it. What about this?" Mrs. Xu of the Zhou Family asked, now looking at the sack on the side.

Cheng Zongyang explained simply, "I came across some wolves that had taken down two deer in the mountains. I brought back the parts they hadn’t touched. I’ll leave the preparation to you. Actually, it would be best to braise the legs. My uncle and the others can take them with us into the mountains tomorrow."

Now that the location was confirmed, there was no longer any need for secrecy.

Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family asked, "Are you going into the mountains to hunt?"

"No," said Cheng Zongyang. "I was in the mountains all day and found a good spot. The terrain is gentle, the environment is pleasant, and there’s a water source."

"We can settle there and build a place of our own. We won’t have to worry about the conflicts in the outside world. Once things settle down, it won’t be too late to move back."

Hearing this, the three women were stunned.

Both Mrs. Ye of the Zhou Family and Mrs. Xu of the Zhou Family turned to look at their husbands, their eyes full of questions.

They knew their nephew had been discussing something with their husbands in the house yesterday, but they hadn’t pried to ask what it was about.

’They never imagined it was about moving into the mountains to live. So what the children said about moving into the county town wasn’t true?’

Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family frowned. "Are you sure about moving into the mountains? Won’t it be terribly inconvenient?"

Like everyone else, she felt that the mountains could hardly compare to the county town.

"I’ve already discussed it with Father," Cheng Zongyang said. "Father and my uncles have all agreed."

"Rest assured, tomorrow my uncle and I will go into the mountains to put up one or two shelters, and then we can start moving in."

"There’s no water left in the village, so we can’t stay here any longer. The county town isn’t safe right now, either. We need to move as soon as possible and get this settled."

At this, the three women nodded. They said no more and silently returned to preparing the meal.

But weighed down by their worries, their movements were a bit slower than usual.

In the kitchen, the two sisters from the Chen Family kept to themselves, helping tend the fire.

He also noticed his second brother, Cheng Zongliang, standing between the two sisters, saying something to them. The girls, however, showed no reaction.

Cheng Zongyang paid no mind to what his brother was doing. ’The two sisters haven’t adapted yet. Once we’re in the mountains, there will be more space. Perhaps they’ll feel better after living there for a while.’

Cheng Zongyang and his two uncles went into the central room.

The older boys, like Zhou Zhenyuan and Zhou Zhendong, followed them in.

They had been excited, originally thinking they were about to move to the county town.

They had never expected to be moving into the mountains instead. They couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive and lost.

Zhou Hansong asked, "Have you really confirmed a location in the mountains?"

Cheng Zongyang nodded as he walked toward the inner room. His father was sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard; he seemed to have mostly recovered.

As he changed his father’s dressing, Cheng Zongyang answered his uncle’s question, speaking so that everyone present could hear.

"I’ve found the spot in the mountains. I’ve also laid a bamboo pipe down from the Inner Mountain, so we won’t have to worry about a water source."

"There’s plenty of water. It’s more than enough for our daily needs and can also be used for irrigation."

"I’ve inspected the area. If we clear all of it, it’s about seventy or eighty mu."

"It’s enough space not only for houses, but if we build proper fences, we can also use it to grow crops, fruits, and vegetables. We could even raise livestock."

"Furthermore, the spot is located on the border between the Outer Mountain and the Inner Mountain, so it’s extremely well-hidden. Even the smoke from our cooking fires won’t be visible to outsiders."

"Wild beasts rarely venture out of the Inner Mountain, so our safety will be guaranteed. As for snakes and other pests, that’s not a problem either. We can scatter some animal dung around the perimeter. Even if the effect isn’t huge, it will help keep them away. If all else fails, we can scorch the ground."

Hearing about these favorable conditions, the elders all nodded.

’Then it shouldn’t be a problem.’

Zhou Zhendong asked, "Cousin, is the path through the mountains easy to travel? It must be difficult to move so many things in."

Cheng Zongyang answered patiently, "Don’t worry. I found a relatively easy path. Once we go into the mountains tomorrow and get the main shelters built, we can start the move."

Everyone nodded, saying nothing more. Since the decision was made, they had no more questions.

After Cheng Zongyang finished explaining, Zhou Hansong spoke up about what had happened that day.

"Someone from the county town came today."

Cheng Zongyang froze. "Who?"

Zhou Hansong said with a frown:

"Government officials from the County Magistrate’s Office. They said tomorrow is the mid-year collection. We have to pay the tax silver, and the amount has increased by twenty percent. They also said there’s an urgent matter in the county town and informed every family still in the village that they must provide one able-bodied man for corvée labor."

Cheng Zongyang’s expression grew grim. "Corvée labor? What’s happened?"

"They didn’t say."

Zhou Hansong continued, "The government officials warned us that if we resist, they’ll arrest everyone. But my brother-in-law gave them one mace of silver to ask what kind of service it was. They said it includes both labor and military conscription!"

Cheng Zongyang’s face was grave. "Have they seen the state of the villages? Are they blind? Do they really think anyone will go? Raising the tax silver? Demanding corvée labor? What’s wrong with their heads to be doing something like this?"

"Keep your voice down," Cheng Guanghai warned.

"We’re not waiting until tomorrow," Cheng Zongyang said suddenly.