From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 43 Love
Xu Xiaoniu didn't know how to explain. He waited until Chen Xiulian was tired of crying and hugged him in his arms, silently wiping away her tears, before he said, "I can live if I go, but my third brother will die if he goes."

"You...can you really come back alive?"

"can!"

Xu Xiaoniu nodded affirmatively.

"Then I'll wait for you. Three, five, eight, ten years, I'll wait for you to come back."

Chen Xiulian made up her mind to wait for Xu Xiaoniu to come back before getting married.

"..."

Xu Xiaoniu didn't dare to respond.

If he can't come back, wouldn't that delay Chen Xiu Lian?

----

In the evening, the sun sets.

In the wilderness outside Baihe Village, Xu Xiaoniu and Chen Xiulian sat on a mound of earth, with chrysanthemums all over the mountains in front of them.

The two of them snuggled together, more intimate than ever before.

"Daniu, do you like me?"

"like."

"Daniu, you must think of me a hundred times every day from now on."

"it is good."

"You must write to me often."

"it is good."

"..."

Similar words were repeated dozens of times.

They had never felt time pass so quickly before. In the blink of an eye, it was dark. It was late autumn, and the night breeze was cool.

Chen Xiulian hugged Xu Xiaoniu, feeling his warm body, suddenly kissed him, and reached out to take off his clothes.

"Xiu Lian, calm down~"

Before, Xu Xiaoniu had only held hands with Xiulian, but now his face flushed and he hid away.

"I can't let you go like this. I want to have a baby with you."

“Stop, stop~~”

Xu Xiaoniu hugged her, making her unable to move.

When she calmed down, Xu Xiaoniu said, "You can't do this. If I die, you still have to get married..."

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, don't say anything unlucky. You will definitely come back alive. Anyway, I will marry you."

"..."

After a while, it was late at night and the wind was blowing. Xu Xiaoniu sent Chen Xiulian home reluctantly.

The two left not long after.

In the weed-covered wasteland, a figure slowly rose to his feet. He was covered in dirt, his clothes stained with grass leaves.

"Ouch, my old waist~"

Chen Bajin held his waist and stretched his numb body. He had just been lying behind the mound where the two men were, only about ten meters away, and he could hear their conversation clearly.

"This boy is really a man."

He almost couldn't help but speak out just now, but fortunately Xu Xiaoniu remained rational and was not like his daughter.

----

The day when conscripted soldiers gather to set out.

At the entrance of the village, almost every household came, and thousands of people were crowded.

There are more than a thousand households in Baihe Village, and a full four hundred of them joined the army.

A team of officers and soldiers came to lead the team.

Xu Xiaoniu wore a coarse linen shirt and a pair of thick-soled cloth shoes. He carried a bundle slung across his shoulder, which contained a few changes of clothes. Apart from these, he only brought ten taels of silver.

For a man going to the army, this is very little money.

The imperial court provided these conscripted soldiers with no salary, no armor, no weapons, only basic food, and even no clothes. In other words, they served at their own expense.

What they earned was military merit.

With military merit, the court would distribute land to their families or exempt them from land taxes. If their military merit was great enough, they could be granted official titles and noble ranks.

"Dad, Mom, Second Sister, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, and Dahei, I'm leaving."

Xu Xiaoniu bids farewell to his family.

"Daniu, remember what I told you."

"Dad, I remember everything."

"Daniu, go over there and help Du Yong and the others."

"Yeah." "Brother..."

Xu Xiaoniu patted Xu Xiaogou on the shoulder and said, "Third brother, you take care of the family while I'm away."

"Ok!"

Xu Xiaogou seemed to have grown up overnight, his childishness faded away and he became more mature.

"Dahei, take care of our fields."

"Woof woof~~"

Dahei wagged his tail.

Afterwards, Xu Xiaoniu looked up, waved goodbye in the direction of Chen Xiulian, and turned to walk towards the team.

There are officers and soldiers responsible for verifying identities and registration.

"Name."

"Xu Xiaoniu."

The officer found his name on the list and marked it: "Okay, go ahead."

Xu Xiaoniu gathered with everyone waiting to set off.

"Daniu, how much money did your father bring you?"

Du Yong came close to him and asked in a low voice.

"Twelve taels."

"so little?"

Du Yong was surprised. He knew the Xu family was well-off, so why were they so stingy with Da Niu? His father had given him three hundred taels of silver and told him to buy whatever he needed.

"It's okay. Joining the army doesn't cost much. My parents asked us to look after each other. If you have any questions, just tell me. I'll definitely help you."

Du Yong put his arm around Xu Xiaoniu's shoulder and consoled him. He didn't know Xu Xiaoniu practiced martial arts.

Liu Hongzhan stood alone in the queue, his surroundings keeping their distance and no one talking to him. His family had always had a bad reputation in the village, and after Liu Yaozu's death, no one gave them face.

He crossed his arms, a precious sword slung across his waist, and looked aloof. In his opinion, with his strength, he would definitely be the best among these people on the battlefield.

After everyone gathered, they left in a mighty procession.

There was no impersonation, and no desertion, as these were serious crimes that would implicate the entire family and result in forced labor.

In Tonggu County, more than 100,000 soldiers gathered.

They formed into groups and rushed to Yunbian County.

Due to the lack of supplies, most people had to walk. It took several months just to reach Yunbian County, and they had to sleep in the open air along the way.

Some of those with poor physical fitness and those who are older will die of exhaustion or illness on the way before they even reach the battlefield.

----

With so many people gone, Baihe Village suddenly became much quieter.

Life goes on.

A few days later, officials from the county government came to the Xu family.

His name was Shen Yu, and he was a grassroots civil servant under Xiao Lei, the chief clerk in charge of land deeds.

"Knock knock knock" someone knocked on the Xu family's door.

It was Xu Xiaoxia who opened the door. Seeing that the other person was wearing official uniform, she suddenly became nervous: "Sir, who are you?"

Shen Yu was only wearing the lowest-level yamen runner's uniform. Seeing that Xu Xiaoxia was a little girl, he asked, "Where is your master?"

Xu Xiaoxia turned around and shouted, "Mom, the official is here!"

Jiazhen heard the call and hurried to greet him: "Sir, please come in."

Shen Yu was invited in. He saw that Jiazhen was a woman and said, "Where is your family's head? It's best to find him."

What he wanted to talk about was not a trivial matter, and in most villages, the male head of the household is the head of the household.

"My husband has gone to the fields, not far away. Erxia, go and call your father back."

Jiazhen said this and told Xu Xiaoxia to call someone.

"Ah."

Xu Xiaoxia trotted to the field to call Xu Fugui.

At this time, Xu Fugui was plowing the soil and applying fertilizer in the medicinal herb field, intending to maintain the more than ten acres of unplanted wasteland.

When he learned that officials had come to his house, he hurried back home, washed his hands and face, and walked into the main hall.

Inside the room, Shen Yu was sitting in the main seat drinking tea. When he saw the host come back, he put down his teacup and started talking about business.

"Did your family rent thirty acres of land from Liu Yaozu?"

"Yes."

Xu Fugui nodded, feeling doubtful and worried that he might be in some trouble.

The thirty acres of land his family rented belonged to the Liu family, but when the lease was signed, the owner's name was Liu Yaozu.

(End of this chapter)