Manager Qian was curious about Xi Qingyue, so he followed her into the small yard. As he examined the seemingly simple yet unusually sturdy wooden fence, his eyes were filled with surprise and admiration.
When he noticed the bloodstains and pit traps in the yard that hadn’t been cleaned up, he was shocked. What had happened here?
Sensing his confusion, Xi Qingyue said calmly, "It’s nothing. A petty thief came by earlier. It’s already been handled."
"A thief in broad daylight? Was he taken away by the authorities?" Manager Qian asked casually.
Xi Qingyue replied nonchalantly, "No, no need. He’s badly injured, lost a lot of blood, and unconscious. Whether he’ll survive is still a question."
She hadn’t cleaned up the bloodstains because she wasn’t sure if someone from the Cheng family village would show up. If they did, seeing the blood might intimidate them. She preferred to avoid fighting if possible—she was afraid she might kill too many people and lose control.
In the apocalypse, she had seen too many deaths and witnessed the fates of those who were too soft-hearted. When it came to people who wanted to harm her, she believed in killing rather than sparing them.
Xi Erniu’s death had avenged the original owner of this body, and Cheng’s eldest son’s injury served as a warning to others. Anyone who dared to cause trouble at her place would have to pay the price.
Since arriving in this world a few days ago, she hadn’t discovered any supreme martial artists. Even if they existed, they wouldn’t be found in such a small place. The county yamen runners could be dealt with in one move—nothing like powerful internal energy. This had made her bolder.
Manager Qian, standing nearby, looked at her with even greater interest. A child saying something like that as casually as drinking water was unusual.
Glancing at the dilapidated thatched cottage and the exquisite rocking chair and furniture inside, he couldn’t help but laugh. "Little girl, your house doesn’t match your furniture. Haven’t you thought about moving to a better place?"
Xi Qingyue shook her head. "Not for now. It’s convenient living near the back mountain. I can easily hunt a wild boar or dig up some herbs."
Manager Qian laughed heartily. "What courage!"
Xi Qingyue smiled and began making tea for him, but she used tea leaves bought from the county market and ordinary cups from this era. She didn’t take out the glass cups from her space—that would be too conspicuous.
"Manager Qian, is there really nothing else you need?" Xi Qingyue asked, still uncertain.
Manager Qian said jokingly, "Nothing. I just saw you two kids buying a mule cart and was worried your family elders might disagree and come back to return it. That would be a hassle."
"Don’t worry. It’s just me and my little sister now. There was an uncle who cut ties with us, but he tried to break in last night and died."
Manager Qian nearly spat out the tea in his mouth. He choked, his face turning red as he coughed uncontrollably.
He felt this girl was not someone to mess with. Thankfully, his visit here had no ill intentions.
After a cup of tea, Manager Qian set down his cup and prepared to leave, but something occurred to him, and he added a few more words.
"By the way, I’ll be leaving town in a few days. I’m going to help out at another shop run by my master’s family. Also, the court is about to raise taxes and conscript soldiers. There might be war. Take good care of yourself and your sister."
Hearing this, Xi Qingyue was full of surprise. Manager Qian had actually told her such things.
"Thank you, Manager Qian. We’ll meet again someday," she said, cupping her hands in gratitude.
Raising taxes and conscripting soldiers were things only court officials would know about in advance. Manager Qian’s master must be involved in official circles, and knowing war was coming, he had arranged for Qian to leave early to avoid losing everything.
But telling her such news was unexpected. Perhaps he thought she was just a pitiable child.
Even the young assistant beside Manager Qian didn’t understand. On the way back to town, he asked,
"Manager Qian, why did you tell that little girl about the conscription? Her family has no one else. Aren’t you afraid she’ll tell the other villagers?"
Manager Qian shook his head. "I don’t know—I just felt like telling her. A half-grown child taking care of her three-year-old sister, that’s no easy feat. She can earn silver, buy a mule cart, and even kill. She’s not simple.
Did you see the fence in her yard? It’s meant to keep out thieves, but it’s also for killing. I’m just planting a seed of goodwill. As for her telling others, it doesn’t matter—everyone will know in a few days anyway."
After hearing his words, Xi Qingyue did intend to inform the village head. Higher taxes might not be fatal to the villagers, but conscription could be.
The villagers had treated her decently, so she wanted to warn them so they could prepare. Whether they believed her or not was up to them.
When she stepped out of the yard, Xi Weilan was still practicing archery, sweating profusely without slacking off.
She walked over and patted Xi Weilan’s head. "Alright, go inside and rest for a bit. I’m going to the village head’s house—I’ll be back soon."
"Okay, go ahead, sis," Xi Weilan said, wiping the sweat from her forehead before picking up her bow and heading toward the yard.
When Xi Qingyue arrived at the village head’s house, he thought something had happened and looked tense.
"Yue girl, what’s wrong? Did you hurt someone again? Did someone from the Cheng family village come?"
Xi Qingyue twitched her mouth at the question. The other family members also turned to look at her, waiting for an answer.
She smiled and shook her head. "No. I just got news that the court is going to raise taxes and conscript soldiers. I came to tell you."
"More taxes? We’re already paying two-tenths. Adding more means three-tenths—are they trying to starve us?"
The village head’s son was shocked, his tone full of resentment.
As for conscription, none of them wanted to go. If the court didn’t enforce it, they could pay silver to avoid it, but not everyone could afford it.
The village head sighed. "Raising taxes and conscripting soldiers means war is coming. Whether we can stay here is still uncertain."
Hearing this, Xi Qingyue knew he understood the situation. She didn’t linger and bid him farewell.
She didn’t say where she got the news, and the village head didn’t ask. There was no need to doubt such information—no one lied about things like this.
Back home, Xi Qingyue pondered when she should leave.
She lay back in the rocking chair, closing her eyes to rest while thinking things over.
A quarter of an hour later, she suddenly opened her eyes, rose from the chair, and walked into the house.
Xi Weilan was sleeping soundly on the bamboo bed, a hint of a smile on her little face as if she were dreaming sweetly.
Gazing at her sleeping sister, Xi Qingyue made her decision. Since they had to leave sooner or later, she might as well take her younger sister and go early, making the journey easier.
Meanwhile, the village head gathered some villagers to discuss the matter.
"Village head, is this news true? If there’s conscription, we’re in trouble."
"Yeah, if you don’t go, it costs five taels of silver. With taxes at three-tenths, everyone will have nothing left this year."
"And that’s not all. Even if we pay the taxes and the silver, if the war reaches us, we won’t even be able to keep our homes."
"What do we do? The drought has already meant bad harvests. We’ve been relying on the back mountain to make a little extra silver. If it doesn’t rain, we won’t even have water to drink. Sooner or later, we’ll have to leave. If we hand over all our grain and silver, how will we survive?"
The villagers talked over each other, their faces full of worry.
