Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 56 Talks 2
Everyone looked at Kitada Ne.

Kitada was at a loss for words.

Seeing this, Beijiwu said directly, "Stand up and talk! Tell me how you became a soldier."

Kitada gave an awkward laugh. "What's there to say?"

He refused to speak, but Beijiwu was too lazy to waste words.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll help you remember!"

Kitada could only stand up and think for a few seconds.

“I used to be a farmer, living in Huzhou Prefecture, which is far from here.”

"Later, Emperor Wen of the dynasty sent troops to conquer Huzhou Prefecture, and we all joined the army."

Arctic Martial remained silent, his expression grim.

Seeing that he couldn't get to the point, Kitada Ne had no choice but to continue talking.

"After joining the army, it took several years to fight our way to the north. Four or five years have passed here without us even realizing it. Now we are finally living a good life, all thanks to the clan chief!"

Just as Beijiwu was about to curse, a man stood up.

"Chieftain, let me speak."

Beijiwu looked at the speaker, who was Jiang Rong's husband, Mu Chuanliang.

“Okay, go ahead.” Beijiwu also wanted to hear about this man’s past.

Mu Chuanliang looked at the others, glanced at Jiang Rong, and then looked at Beijiwu.

"I am from Jingzhou Prefecture. I lived peacefully in the village for more than ten years. The imperial court levied heavy taxes, but Jingzhou Prefecture had a lot of land and was quite prosperous. Although many people pawned their wives and sold their children, they were still able to survive."

“Until eight years ago when the imperial army attacked Jingzhou Prefecture, the imperial army was still a rebel army. My home was about 60 or 70 miles away from the county seat. After the passing rebel army entered, they burned, killed, and looted. It was a terrible sight.”

“My father, grandparents, and several younger siblings all died tragically at the hands of bandits.”

"My mother begged and pleaded with more than ten thieves to spare my life in order to protect me."

“The thief made my brother kill my father and join them. My brother refused, so they hacked him to death. The thief ripped out the hearts and lungs of my brother, father and sister and ate them as food.”

“In the village, any woman who did not die by suicide either died from abuse or joined the bandits and became a prostitute in the army.”

“My mother and I spent a year and a half in the army that was worse than death. During that time, we were on the verge of death several times but managed to survive. We passed through places where nine out of ten houses were empty, and we watched as one village after another was burned down and wiped out by bandits.”

“Until a few years ago, the bandit army I belonged to transformed into government soldiers. I went from being a good citizen to a bandit soldier, and then from a bandit soldier to a servant of government soldiers. Because my mother served the wives of soldiers, I also went into battle and killed a few people, and that's how I got a woman.”

“My wife was originally from a wealthy family in the city. After the city fell, her family was destroyed and she was forced to move around to many places before finally arriving here.”

Beijiwu laughed and said, "Why don't you go into more detail? Tell me what the bandits and thieves did when they massacred the village."

Mu Chuanliang said with a bitter face, "The details are even more horrible. The sooner we die, the sooner we can be reborn."

Beijiwu laughed and said, "Since dying early means being reborn sooner, how come everyone has survived?"

Mu Chuanliang replied, "Because I was worried about my mother and was timid, I didn't think it would be too terrible at first. Later, I killed people and ate people. I saw fugitives having their fingers and toes cut off one by one and being thrown into the mud to be eaten by insects."

"After seeing so much, I gradually stopped feeling pain in my skin and flesh. Before I knew it, I was here today. This is what people often call barely surviving."

Beijiwu asked, "Did more men or more women survive?"

Mu Chuanliang replied, "Of all those who kneel down to beg for life, regardless of gender, only a very small number survive; the old, the young, and the sick all perish."

"There are also those who surrender. The men are especially cruel and fond of torture and killing. The women talk happily with the bandits, often telling them about things in the village, reporting their hiding places, calling their parents and relatives to the bandits, or arranging marriages for the bandits' subordinates."

Beijiwu said, "Forget it, I'm not that afraid of death. I'd rather die standing than kneel and beg for life, so I don't feel much when you talk about how miserable it is."

"If you're afraid of death, then live well. Whether it's government soldiers or bandits, anyone who tries to kill you is going against me."

Mu Chuanliang quickly knelt down and said, "Thank you, Clan Chief!"

Beijiwu looked at Kitada Ne, who was still standing.

Under Beijiwu's gaze, Kitada Root panicked and immediately knelt down. Beijiwu, the only one standing, smiled and said to Mu Chuanliang, "Your wife was sold to me, but if you work hard, you can redeem her."

“She only gave birth to my child. After the child is born and raised, if you can collect 100 work points by then, I will return her to you. Then you will have a companion when you are old, and your son can also fulfill his filial duties.”

Mu Chuanliang quickly replied, "Thank you, Clan Chief!"

When young Mu Lin heard that Bei Jiwu was going to return his mother to their family, he also kowtowed, "Thank you, clan chief!"

Beijiwu looked at Mulin, who was five or six years old.

"This child seems smart and quick-witted. If we nurture him well, he will definitely amount to something in the future."

"Alright, everyone go back now. Tomorrow we'll work on the fields. Tonight, the canteen can make an extra pancake and give everyone an extra bowl of porridge."

"Tomorrow will be the same."

"Let me make this clear: anyone who dares to steal grain from the granary will have their head chopped off and all their grain confiscated!"

Arctic Wu surveyed the large group of people and, using ruthless methods, suppressed the various problems that easily arise from the practice of eating from the same pot.

The imperial court couldn't control the situation because the emperor was far away and the area was only so big. The Beijiwu Military Command managed 29 households and a canteen.

There's nothing that can be done if you can't control rats, but if people start stealing grain like rats, then Arctic Army will have to deal with them.

When the villagers heard that they could leave, they all got up and left the wretched courtyard.

With a fawning smile, Ai Dake shamelessly approached and asked, "Chief, I'm the only able-bodied person in my family. I've just saved up some work points and I'd like to rent an ox to work with."

Beijiwu readily agreed, “Your wife has been here with me for over a month, eating my food and using my things. I’ll calculate her work points based on ten per month. Tomorrow I’ll also turn over my own fields. Once I’m done, I’ll lend you three cows for a day.”

Beijiwu then said to the others, "If you don't have enough work points, just owe them for now. You can hunt, brew wine, or come with me to do chores to earn work points. You can also have women and children come and help me with farming and making bottles and jars to earn work points. In short, as long as you are willing to work, you won't starve!"

"When you get back, tell your families about the hardships you endured in the past. Let the women and children know why you knelt before me. Think about how you should repay me for the fact that I provide you with meat twice a month!"

"Go back and think about it!"

Arctic warriors believe that one must repay kindness for what one does, and they repeatedly remind these people to be grateful and respect their tribal chief.

After the villagers left, Bei Jiwu put his arm around Gao Conglian and went back for a nap.

Jiang Rong didn't know whether to be happy or sad at this moment, and could only live on numbly.

As she lay napping in the haystack in the main room, Li Hong whispered to her, "Sister Rong, do you want to go back?"

"I don't want to," Jiang Rong said softly. "It's fine here, but going back will only bring a lot of trouble. I'm like a rootless duckweed, and all I want now is to settle down."

Jiang Rong was captured by bandits, and she and Mu Chuanliang only had a few years of marriage; they were not considered to be the original couple.

Now, after following Arctic Martial Arts for a month, I haven't been beaten up, nor do I need to show my face in public or worry about this or that all day.

The greatest happiness Jiang Rong could imagine was being able to live her whole life in this closed circle.

Li Hong thought so too. Many of the girls over ten years old had been exposed to these things since childhood and knew a lot about them.

"Then hurry up and have a son, so you won't have to go back."

"Ah."

Jiang Rong thought about this matter seriously.

As long as Beijiwu's health is fine, both Jiang Rong and Gao Conglian are capable of having sons. Now, after more than a month of recuperation, they are in much better spirits and health, and are both ready to give birth.

Gao Conglian and Jiang Rong are both trying their best to help Beijiwu have a child; this is the kind of thing that women in this era are thinking about.

Beijiwu clearly bought both of them, but planned to rent them for a few years and then return them.

Having witnessed the fickleness of human relationships, compared the gains and losses of poverty and wealth, and contrasted their previous lives of being destitute with their current comfortable life, Jiang Rong and Gao Conglian were unwilling to return.

They can see their son anytime they want, and Beijiwu doesn't forbid children from visiting their mother, so the two women have no psychological burden at all and both plan to have children as soon as possible so that they can settle down in this family.

(End of this chapter)