Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 43 Taking Off the Hat
"Yunzhong County? Where is that?"

Arctic Warrior knew absolutely nothing about this place, and was very unfamiliar with the terrain and geography of this era, just like a local.

Ashina Bingzhen quickly replied, "It only takes two or three days to ride northwest from here. I have official travel documents from the court; it is Emperor Wen of the Ming Dynasty who has granted me permission to return."

Beijiwu asked curiously, "Who was the emperor of the Wen Dynasty?"

Ashina Bingzhen was even more convinced that this mountain peasant tribe had nothing to do with the Han Chinese court.

"It is the current emperor, Wanye, known as the Emperor of Civil Governance. He has been conquering the world for more than 30 years and established the Wen Dynasty. He is now in his fifties or sixties."

Beijiwu laughed and said, "Who cares? I'm far from the emperor's reach. I would like to help you, but I've been too busy lately. Since you have the emperor's documents, what are you afraid of?"

He had already accepted the fifty taels of silver, but Beijiwu refused the promise of a hundred head of cattle and sheep, which was clearly just a casual remark.

Ashina Bingzhen felt very regretful. He grabbed his beloved horse that was closest to him with both hands, and after mounting the horse, he clasped his hands in a salute to Beijiwu.

"Then I'll be going now. Take care, Brother Wu. If you need anything in the future, you can come to the Ashina tribe in Yunzhong County to find me!"

Beijiwu nodded. "Okay."

Ashina rode off, saying, "Take care! Farewell!"

Beiji Wu watched Ashina Bingzhen and another knight run off into the distance, then said to his men, "Let's go, deliver the grain, and we can have a good New Year this year!"

Arctic martial arts are incredibly comfortable!
Bei Gong Dingbian said with a smile, "Chieftain, now that we have money, let's go to the city for a drink and have some fun, shall we?"

Beijiwu stuffed the money into his pocket. "This money is what I earned myself. If you're so capable, then earn it yourselves!"

Bei Gongding smiled ingratiatingly, "We don't have that ability at all; it's all thanks to you, Chieftain!"

Ma Lao Er said enviously, "I made fifty taels of silver just by robbing someone at the crossroads. My brother used to rob people for a whole year and didn't even make twenty taels."

Beijiwu said unhappily, "Your brother died because he ate all the money himself. Hmm... it seems like your brother died after dividing the money among himself. Don't follow his example. If you run into a tough opponent, your whole family might die."

Ma Lao Er was so frightened that his hands and feet turned cold. "The clan chief is right! We'll all listen to the clan chief!"

Bei Jiwu laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'm going to use this money to buy cattle and sheep in the fall. Our village will need cattle for land reclamation next year, and we can also graze sheep on the mountain. If you spend all this money on food and drink, how will we make a living in the future?"

Kitada Torata said earnestly, "The clan chief is right! The oxen and the tools for clearing land are still more important!"

Bei Gong Dingbian felt a little uncomfortable and muttered, "A little drink will cheer up the brothers. What man doesn't drink?"

Beijiwu cursed, "If you want to drink, can't you brew your own? Tell your wife to brew it for you!"

Bei Gong Dingbian wasn't angry when he was scolded; he retorted, "How could she know that?"

The group chatted and argued until they arrived at Tiger Head Town.

The group, who had obtained money through robbery, now looked at the nearby farmers and townspeople with a sinister gaze.

Let alone one or two people scattered by the field, even if more than twenty people came, these people wouldn't be afraid.

The boss is a tough bastard, and even new recruits are given more courage because of him.

After more than a dozen men arrived in Hutou Town on horseback and in a cart, someone immediately went to inform Wen Zhaohu.

Wen Zhaohu was leading people to clean up the granary and leading hired workers to clean the cellar warehouse where the grain was stored.

"Master! Beiji Wu has arrived, bringing more than ten men with grain! They say they're paying back the money!"

Wen Zhaohu nodded after hearing the butler's words and said with a smile, "He's an honest man. I'll go say hello."

Wen Zhaohu then said to the workers, "Hurry up and get to work, there will be grain coming into the warehouse soon!"

The people of Hutou Town continued to work. Some of them had paid large amounts of grain and money this year, and some had even sold their land, leaving them no choice but to work for the wealthy Wen.

Whenever it's tax season, Wen the rich man's assets always increase.

We didn't expand blindly before because we didn't have any powerful backers at the time.

Now that they've connected with both the legitimate and criminal worlds, they can freely seize other people's land.

Both the black and white sides need to be dealt with, and Wen Zhaohu went out to meet people with a smile on his face.

The two sides met on the main road in the town.

Wen Zhaohu's smile suddenly stiffened.

For some reason, the villagers of Beitian Village made Wen Zhaohu unable to underestimate them.

The farmers in Beitian Village are very different from those in Hutou Town. They have a kind of greed in their eyes, a kind of predatory look, and a kind of observational sense similar to that of government soldiers.

In their eyes, the villagers didn't see the awe and restraint of the townspeople, nor did they see the gentry's inferiority and embarrassment; instead, they looked at them like fat sheep.

Bandit?

bandit?

"Old Wen, I've come to return the grain."

Beijiwu rode over on horseback to greet him.

The soldiers are the same as the leaders.

Wen Zhaohu realized at this moment that Beijiwu's men, just like Beijiwu himself, could turn from civilians into thieves at any time.

They weren't petty thieves; they were rebellious thieves. Most of these people didn't have the guts to steal, but they all basically had the heart to do so. As long as they were paired with someone like Beiji Wu, who had the brains and heart, they could immediately unleash their skills in burning, killing, and looting.

"Master Wu!" Wen Zhaohu immediately greeted him respectfully.

In the past, we always gave Arctic Martial Arts some face; this time, we're trying to give ourselves a way out.

Beijiwu did not sense any change in Wen Zhaohu's attitude, nor did he sense any change in his subordinates.

“We’ll leave after we unload the grain. No need for an IOU, since we didn’t write one anyway. We mountain farmers are honest people. Old man, you should also be honest when you do business with us. It’s better for everyone.”

No sooner had Beijiwu finished speaking than someone took off his hat.

Not everyone reacted this way, but once the first person started taking off their hat, the others also obediently took off their hats as well.

A dog that has been trained three times should know how to shake hands.

At this moment, more than ten people took off their straw hats and performed the hat-removal ceremony.

Arctic Wu also has short hair, which is nothing unusual in this chaotic ethnic gathering place.

But when a dozen or so young, strong men with short hair stood together, the overall impression was quite serious.

Do mountain farmers really exist?

Wen Zhaohu felt he was ignorant and quickly took off his rich man's hat.

"Okay, okay, I will definitely keep my word. Mr. Wu, please come inside and rest."

Beijiwu laughed and said, "No need, men, unload the grain, let's go back!"

"Yes, Chieftain!" the crowd shouted in unison, and began unloading the grain on the spot.

Beijiwu and Wen Zhaohu walked to the side to talk.

"Here is fifty-nine shi of grain, all good wheat that is free of dirt. Consider the extra twenty-nine shi as an investment. You can use it to exchange for some oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. It's okay to make a little profit for yourself. This is how you can make a business last. Just give us the rest at the market price."

Arctic Wu didn't have the time or manpower to do too much, but he still wanted to eat well, so he definitely had to cooperate with the local tycoon.

Wen Zhaohu smiled and said, "Okay, don't worry, Master Wu. I still have a lot of oil at home. I'll have someone bring it over right away."

We use turnip seed oil for cooking and lighting; it comes from those round, cold-resistant radishes.

It doesn't taste good when used for cooking, and it's not very effective for lighting either, but thanks to its suitability for the local climate, it has become the preferred cooking oil for ordinary people.

A slightly better option is to use sesame oil, the same kind used for linen clothing.

Even wealthier landowners would use sesame oil, which could be eaten or used as high-end lighting in temples and other public spaces.

The richest people would light candles.

There's still some lard left at Beijiwu's house. He usually doesn't get up at night, but it's good to have some oil lamps for lighting.

He also took two gourds of soy sauce and vinegar, which Beijiwu was definitely keeping for himself.

They took over 100 jin of salt. This salt wasn't from the inland areas; it was coarse salt that they got from salt lakes on the grasslands.

Beijiwu himself dared not eat this coarsely processed salt, so he distributed it among his men.

Ten pounds per person, if the dosage is small, there shouldn't be any problem.

After successfully completing the business, Beijiwu readily said, "Let's go home! Put the cart on the oxcart, it'll be easier on the way back!"

"Yes, Chieftain!" A group of people happily moved the small cart that needed to be pushed all the way onto the oxcart.

Just as Bei Jiwu was about to leave, Wen Zhaohu quickly gave instructions to his son.

"Go and see Master Wu off, drive the oxcart there and come back."

Wen Jinglun was very reluctant, as it was extremely hot outside.

Beijiwu also found it troublesome, saying, "No need, we can go back ourselves in this sweltering heat."

Wen Zhaohu glared at his son, who was wearing a long gown.

Wen Jinglun quickly replied, "I'll go prepare right away."

Seeing this, Beijiwu didn't say anything. He was in a hurry to get home and didn't think there was anything wrong with this person following him.

Besides, his oxcart could carry several people back together, and it could indeed transport his subordinates all the way.

After Wen Jinglun and a driver came out, Beijiwu rode out on horseback and led the group.

Wen Zhaohu breathed a sigh of relief.

After returning home, Madam Wen came out with her daughter and daughter-in-law.

"Master, what do you want Lun'er to do there?"

Wen Zhaohu said unhappily, "Let him learn the way. In case something happens here in the future, he can go to the mountain tribe to call for help."

"If all else fails, we can take our family there to hide."

(End of this chapter)