Ye Qingxi kept her head lowered: "Spending my days doing nothing, I always find myself thinking about A Sheng. Maybe I should go to the academy and become a teacher."
She looked up at Mei Qian: "I think the lord is right—women are not accessories to anyone, and they should have lives of their own."
"I've always been faster than others at learning to read and write since I was little, and the same goes for learning simplified characters. I think... maybe I could also do my part for the Jin Yang Army and for the people."
She pointed to a memorial piece in the newspaper honoring fallen heroes, her eyes reddening: "Many of these martyrs who gave their lives are even younger than A Sheng. They were still children."
"The reason our lives are so good now is because of the sacrifices of these people. I can't do much else, but teaching—I believe I can do that."
After the fall of the nation, she had seen too much suffering. Even families like theirs, small merchants with some means, could barely protect themselves—let alone the common folk who had nothing.
She had watched with her own eyes as her childhood confidante and her entire family were captured and devoured by the barbarians, their belongings looted, their bodies torn apart with nothing left to bury.
After arriving at Gefeng, she thought she could go back to being a lady of the inner chambers as before, but every time she stepped outside, she saw female soldiers, female teachers, female workers.
Then there were all those "literacy and thought reform" campaigns. Her way of thinking changed without her even realizing it. In the end, she couldn't bear the thought of spending her whole life idly within the walls of a household.
Mei Qian, too, thought of his own close friends—some had fled, some had died. He let out a sigh and gently patted her shoulder: "Then go do it."
"But don't put too much pressure on yourself. A Sheng is fighting hard out there precisely so that we can live in peace. If we're doing well, he can feel at ease."
Ye Qingxi was a little surprised: "You agree?"
Mei Qian rubbed her shoulder: "You underestimate your husband? You're learning, and so am I. A lot of things, a lot of ideas—they change as we go along."
Elsewhere, Sun Yi had bought a newspaper. He wasn't good at analyzing the political situation, but just looking at the various articles filled him with joy.
"Our Gefeng is truly a city blessed by heaven, and our Jin Yang Army is truly blessed by heaven. They took Lin County in half an hour!"
"So strong, so incredibly strong. With an army like this protecting us, what do we have to fear? Hah, choosing to come to Gefeng was definitely the right call."
He felt a little proud of himself, thinking how brilliant his decision had been.
"Not bad, not bad—there's even an article here about growing vegetables. Let me see... hey, looks like there's something wrong with our method. No wonder we grow less than others."
His old wife, Yang Sanniang, was curious: "There's such a thing? Hurry, what does it say?"
Sun Yi pointed to an article: "It says here that different vegetables require different fertilizers, and there's something about... earthen..."
He thought for a while but still couldn't recall the next character. He started flipping through a dictionary, muttering under his breath: "Can't deny I'm getting old. Sigh, I've definitely seen this character before—why can't I remember it now?"
Yang Sanniang, who had been waiting earnestly to hear the rest, said nothing but just gave him a look.
"Forget it, when A Guang comes back later, we'll have him read it aloud." She lowered her head and went back to sewing clothes.
Sun Yi refused to back down: "What are you talking about? I know all but one character in this entire newspaper—I'm far better than Village Head Su over there."
Yang Sanniang quietly rolled her eyes. The older he got, the more he liked comparing himself to others. Sure, Village Head Su might not know as many characters as him, but there was no denying his vegetables grew better.
She was smart enough, however, not to say a word.
"Oh, so it's 'rang'—soil, topsoil. This time I'm going to remember you for sure: rang, rang, rang." He read it three times before putting down the dictionary and continuing with the paper.
Over at Jiang Jin's side, a new department called the "State Security Bureau" had been established, responsible for political security and stability across various regions.
The intelligence division was merged into the State Security Bureau, becoming one of its subgroups.
Mu Ning was promoted to head of the State Security Bureau.
In addition to teaching knowledge of firearms, Jiang Jin also set up a research group for telescopes.
She had glass at her disposal, and her forging techniques were becoming increasingly refined. She could produce convex and concave lenses of all kinds, which opened up a wide range of possibilities.
Time flew by, and soon it was mid-December. Jiang Jin's territory was gradually taking on a festive, New Year atmosphere.
She had Dong Si lower grain prices, and the people cheered, spreading the word, deeply grateful for her benevolence.
Ying County, however, was shrouded in gloom. Yanjiang County had already been taken by the Jiao Army. Could they, being so close to Yanjiang, be far behind?
Although it was winter and both sides had halted fighting, everyone knew very well that the Jiao Army's next target was likely Ying County.
In a modest two-courtyard residence, Wei Qinghuai rushed into the back yard in a hurry.
Liu Lanniang saw the look on his face and quickly asked: "What's wrong?"
Wei Qinghuai gestured for the servants to leave, then said with barely contained excitement: "Mother, there's news of Ajie."
Liu Lanniang was startled and shot to her feet: "What did you say?"
Wei Qinghuai held out the scrap of paper he'd been clutching: "Mother, take a look—is this Ajie's handwriting?"
Liu Lanniang took it with trembling hands. A long moment passed before a single tear slipped down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away: "Yes... it's your sister's handwriting."
"She's alive! Thank heavens, your sister is alive!" Tears spilled from her eyes again.
Then something occurred to her, and she asked urgently: "Who gave this to you? Where is your sister?"
Wei Qinghuai helped her sit down: "I don't know who it was. I was walking on Fengling Lane when someone bumped into me, and suddenly this was in my hand."
He then spread out another note: "And this one—it says if we want to send a reply, we can leave it in the hollow of the big locust tree at the east end of Fengling Lane."
"Did you catch a look at the person who gave you the message? Do you have any idea who they are?" Liu Lanniang asked.
Wei Qinghuai looked ashamed: "No, I didn't see. I missed them."
He had been so anxious and distracted lately that he hadn't even noticed who bumped into him. By the time he came back to his senses, the person was already gone.
Ever since they fled to Ying County, their fields were gone, their shops were gone.
His father, moreover, had been wounded by bandits on the road. Two months after arriving in Ying County, he passed away.
Their money and valuables had been robbed several times during the flight. By the time they reached Ying County, little remained. He rented a house and spent most of what was left on his father's medical care.
And it didn't stop there—the local government never stopped levying taxes, always finding some excuse to collect money. Soon their finances were stretched to the breaking point.
With no other choice, he sold most of the household servants, keeping only a few.
But that was a drop in the bucket. His mother was forced to pawn her jewelry.
As the only able-bodied young man in the family, and a man at that, he couldn't even help—the inner torment was beyond words.
It wasn't that he didn't want to. The entire Sizhou region was overflowing with people. Aristocratic families and nobles were everywhere, and most decent livelihoods had long been carved up.
As a minor branch of a noble family, how could he possibly compete with them?
In desperation, he went to the main family to ask if they could give him some kind of manager position.
The result? They didn't even have a clerk's spot for him.
Liu Lanniang knew well what he was thinking. She couldn't help but sigh, lowering her head to gently trace the handwriting on the note: "She's in a safe place, that's what matters."
Wei Qinghuai sat down beside her: "A safe place? Where could it be? Could she be in Sizhou too?"
