Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 68 Descending the Mountain (Part 3)

Pei Qinghe called the women to continue their training at the martial arts field.

Feng Chang consciously led the refugees who had come down the mountain to wait in the open space north of the village—right next to the open space of the martial arts training ground.

The refugees watched the Pei women practice from afar, trembling with fear.

The ranks shifted swiftly and precisely, the long swords flashing, their blades stinging the eyes in the sunlight. The occasional whistling sounds only added to the chilling atmosphere. Even more terrifying was Pei Liu, whose arrows flew in rapid succession, piercing the bullseye of targets hundreds of paces away.

"Feng Chang," the bearded man said, his throat dry, trying to keep his voice low, "these women are all fierce and incredibly skilled. What if they just pull out knives and kill us?"

Feng Chang's eyes grew brighter and brighter: "Sixth Miss wanted to kill us, and she did just now. Since she didn't kill us and spared us, it's clear that she really wants to take us in."

"If they're not strong enough, how can they stop the bandits and protect us? The stronger they are, the better!"

"Stop talking and watch carefully. The Sixth Sister specifically asked us to stay here so that we could watch them train with our own eyes."

This show of force was very effective.

The refugees, who had initially harbored some ulterior motives, completely lost their dark thoughts of usurping the place after watching for half a day.

After half a day of training, at noon, Pei Qinghe led the women into the village.

The refugees, who had been holding their breath for so long, finally breathed a long sigh of relief and dared to whisper among themselves: "I've never taken my clothes off in front of a bunch of women in my entire life. It's so embarrassing!"

"My face was burning with embarrassment. They weren't even a little bit ashamed! They just stared at us like that! How could there be such women in the world!"

"They're hardly women. They're like ferocious demons, carrying knives and ready to kill at any moment. They're a bunch of living devils!"

"Stop talking." As soon as Feng Chang opened his mouth, the refugees quieted down: "We were hiding in the mountains, without household registration or farmland, and we had no food or clothing. Now that Miss Pei is willing to take us in, she is our great benefactor."

"What men or women? In this world, we'll follow whoever has the ability and skills."

“Some people from the village came over; they must have brought us food.”

No matter how much is said, it's not as important as this last sentence.

The refugees' eyes lit up.

Two men carried over a wooden basket. The older man introduced himself as Pei Jia, and the younger one as Pei Yi: "We were both refugees before, taken in by the Sixth Miss. Now we both have the surname Pei. We work in the fields every day, have a house to live in, clothes to wear, and enough to eat."

The mixed-grain steamed buns were piled high, steaming hot.

The refugees swallowed hard, completely oblivious to what Pei Jia and Pei Yi were saying.

Feng Chang swallowed hard, trying his best to remain calm amidst the aroma of the steamed buns: "We are wholeheartedly devoted to Sixth Miss, and we will listen to Sixth Miss in everything from now on."

Pei Jia stood tall and proud, naturally revealing a bit of pride and self-satisfaction as someone who had arrived first: "Whether you can stay in the village or not depends on your future performance. Here is lunch. Line up and each of you can get two steamed buns."

Feng Chang immediately directed the refugees to line up in a row, and he himself was at the very end of the line.

The refugees who received the mixed-grain steamed buns couldn't wait to take a bite. The unique aroma of the buns made them so happy they wanted to cry.

The bearded man suddenly burst into tears: "From now on, I'm a resident of Peijia Village. I'd rather die than leave."

The refugees' eyes were red. Some wept along with the bearded man, but most were filled with excitement and joy. Feng Chang's eyes also stung. Before the war, he ran a private school, teaching children. He had an elderly mother, a beautiful wife, and a loving son; life was relatively comfortable. When the Xianbei cavalry arrived, the village was burned and slaughtered. His mother and wife, unable to bear the humiliation, committed suicide, and his son died of illness on the escape route. He was left all alone. The struggle for survival, the constant hunger, was truly unbearable.

“Feng Chang,” Pei Jia stuffed two steamed buns into his hands, then whispered, “Sixth Miss said that there are ten extra steamed buns in this basket, for you to distribute.”

Miss Pei is testing his abilities and skills, wanting him to manage the refugees and win people's hearts.

Feng Chang's long-parched heart suddenly surged with passion. He didn't say anything useless, he just nodded.

……

"Qinghe, are there really more than twenty refugees who have come to seek refuge with us?"

After teaching the children for half a day, Feng heard this big news as soon as school was over. He was both happy and worried: "From now on, there will be no shortage of people to work in the fields. However, with so many more people, we will consume a lot of food every day."

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "This is just the beginning. In the future, more and more refugees will come to seek refuge."

Madam Feng was even more worried: "What will we do if we don't have enough food?"

Pei Qinghe smiled leisurely: "Mother, you don't need to worry about that. In a few days, someone will come to deliver food to us."

Nowadays, those who have "grain exchanges" with Peijia Village are either the Beiping Army or the Shi family.

After a moment's thought, Madam Feng guessed: "You had Yun'er deliver the bear skin to Young Master Shi because you wanted the grain?"

if not?
A large, intact black bear pelt is extremely rare. It truly demonstrates the formidable power of the Pei clan patriarch. Upon seeing this generous gift, Young Master Shi will undoubtedly make the right choice.

Pei Qinghe smiled and changed the subject: "The leader of this group of refugees is called Feng Chang, and he's related to my mother. He's quick-witted, organized, and a scholar. I had Pei Jia and the others send over ten extra steamed buns. We can also use this opportunity to see what he's capable of."

Madam Feng rarely spoke on important matters, only quietly advising, "Don't trust this Feng Chang too much. You can't see into someone's heart; observe him carefully for a while."

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly.

In the evening, Pei Yan led some people to deliver some firewood.

The night was cold, and the refugees huddled around the burning firewood to keep warm. Feng Chang heated up some cold steamed buns and gave each person half. Several grumbling refugees didn't get any; they just watched their companions eat the heated buns, swallowing hard.

The next day, no one said a word.

Fifteen more steamed buns appeared in the wooden basket. As usual, they were divided equally among everyone.

On the third evening, there was still a large pot of hot vegetable soup. Several pieces of fatty meat were floating in the soup. Feng Chang distributed the fatty meat to the most docile refugees.

The other refugees watched with drooling mouths. Yet no one accused Feng Chang of unfair distribution. For the past three days, Feng Chang hadn't eaten a single extra bite himself. He distributed all the extra steamed buns and fatty meat to them.

"As you all have seen, Sixth Sister sends people to bring us food every day. As long as you behave well, you won't go hungry anymore."

Feng Chang repeated the same words eight or ten times a day. The refugees nodded in agreement.

On the morning of the fourth day, Pei Qinghe came to Feng Chang and his group, her gaze sweeping over their faces: "You have passed the first test, and you can come into the village with me today."

(End of this chapter)