Chapter 25 Sweet Things

Of the two who came down with a fever, only one survived. They are both bachelors without any families and they didn’t even have proper names. The one who died his surname is Li and was the second child in his family. Everyone just called him Li Er (TN: er = 2, or second). Now that he passed away, his headstone could only be carved with Li Er. Although they are used to death, but a person near them just died so everyone still felt sorrow.

Li Er was only 17 years old, when fleeing he separated from his family and met brother Dao, following brother Dao from then on. He was honest and did not like to talk much. One of his front teeth was knocked out when fighting for food with others so from then on even smiling he did it mouth closed. His life’s dream was to eat fully, marry a wife and have a couple kids.

Brother Dao cried the most fiercely and sat in front of Li Er’s grave. “Little Er, currently I can’t buy any money to burn to you in the underworld, Gege will owe you for now. Don’t be too quick in leaving for reincarnation, wait until Gege burns some for you and you can use it to bribe yourself a better second life, be reborn in a wealthy family and be a young master. Everyday there will be white rice and meat to eat.”

Yang Zi’an stood on the side without saying anything. His whole person became gloomy after the trip, he kneels by brother Dao’s side:”Big brother, it’s my fault for not taking care of them.”

Brother Dao wiped a tear and spat at the ground:”Not your fault! It’s the fault of the damn heavens! The damned imperial court! How would it become like this if they would give the people a way out! Treating us like dogs and pigs! Even dogs and pigs have a bite to eat, we have nothing!”

Back then when the food for disaster relief was given out, it could not be considered food but sand mixed in with husks. Originally the husks were edible but mixed in with sand and rocks, some who had not filtered them out became ill after eating a few times. Besides, it was such a small amount, even if they filtered it clean they would still starve to death.

“Fourth brother is right!” Brother Dao stands up, face still tear-streaked, “we should overthrow those dogfuckers!”

“Big brother!” Yang Zi’an urges quickly, “speak cautiously!”

Brother Dao wiped at his face, finally some reason returned, and he didn’t say anymore.

The ones who died outside were buried on the spot by Yang Zi’an. Only a wooden tablet as a gravemarker, carved with their names.

They did not even have one good day. From birth they had been struggling for survival at the very bottom of society. Perhaps the happiest moments were when the whole family was together and they could taste some meat during the New Year’s.

Brother Dao sniffs hard, waving his habd at Yang Zi’an. “I want to talk some more with little Er.”

Yang Zi’an could only nod:”Big brother, don’t be too upset.”

Brother Dao:”I know.”

People die, but life must still continue. The new people all had their heads shaved, a lot even had their privates shaved. Now that the weather has warmed, washing does not require boiling the water first and can be used immediately.

These people are all unsettled and frightened. They had all been basically sold to the human traffickers who brought them along on their travels, making sells on the way. Nowadays, buyers have decreased and most of them only get one bean curd cake a day. And that is only when the human trafficker made a sell and is in a good mood.

They are all unwilling to run away becuase then they would not even get the one measly bean curd cake a day. At least with the human trafficker they can expect to eat a bean curd cake.

They traveled a long distance on just a bean curd cake a day, they are already just skin and bones.

Lin Yuan observes them and discovers they had already been ‘trained’ by their previous masters. They do not know how to make their own choices or even think on it. They do whatever the master tells them to do, listening to the master when they were still serving at the master’s home and listening to the human trafficker when they were sold to the human trafficker.

Now that they are sold to Lin Yuan, they will obviously listen to Lin Yuan.

As long as there is a master, they will feel relieved and be at ease.

Yang Zi’an originally bought 100 people but now only 56 stood in front of Lin Yuan.

All men, Yang Zi’an did not dare buy women.

“Women and children I dare not bring them back.” Yang Zi’an explains, “the road is too dangerous, they would not be able to survive even if I bought them.”

Lin Yuan understands, he sighs:”It’s fine.”

But Yang Zi’an says:”Fourth brother, don’t feel guilty, as long as the city wall is built, the people living inside will have a better chance at survival. If we don’t go out to buy people we can only expect for the bandits to make a raid on us.”

Having experienced two bandit attacks, Yang Zi’an says sincerely:”In every situation there must be a choice made.”

Lin Yuan wipes a hand across his face.

In his heart, one side is clear that if they don’t buy more people and add to the manpower, then the farmstead will not be able to maintain a positive cycle.

But the other side feels that those people died because of his orders, and he could have avoided that.

Enormous guilt and self-doubt suffocates him.

In the modern times, the biggest decision he made was whether a project should still be continued, assess how much a project should be invested in. The only thing on line is his own monthly bonus.

Now, every decision he makes concerns human life. He makes a mistake then there will be human life to pay the price.

Lin Yuan finally knows that during wartimes, not everyone can be a general.

You must be cool-headed enough and your heart must be hard like steel in order to make the right decision.

Yang Zi’an looks at Lin Yuan with determination:”This issue, you are not in the wrong.”

Lin Yuan raises his head and looks at the sky. A tough grown guy like him cannot break out into sobs. When he once again lowers his head from gazing at the sky, his eyes became cool and penetrating. He says to Yang Zi’an:”We must finish building a wall by next spring. Aside from farming everyone else will take part.”

Lin Yuan says:”I will have people forge the iron weapons.”

“I will think of a solution for coal.” Lin Yuan says, “I will think of a solution.”

Yang Zi’an pats Lin Yuan’s shoulder, finally revealing a slight smile:”Fourth brother, that’s right, anyone can fall now, only you cannot.”

Now in everyone’s heart Lin Yuan is their ‘boss’, not only representing the decision maker but even more so representing a stable life. Once ‘boss’ falls, they will be fearful, will panic. When there is panic and unsettlement disaster will follow.

Lin Yuan:”I know.”

In the following days, Yang Zi’an lead people in digging kilns and finding the proper clay to make bricks all over the mountain, even camping out in the wild.

Lin Yuan lead people into the mountains to differentiate the different types of trees, experimenting with which ones are the best to burn into charcoal at the right temperature——without a thermometer Lin Yuan could only use the back of his hand to test the temperature, leaving behind burn marks.

If only they could find a coal mine, but they don’t have the manpower to dig all over the mountain in search of a coal mine.

Compared to Yang Zi’an and Lin Yuan, the hunting team had a better result. They recently caught several bamboo mice which can gnaw on wood and make holes so they could only be placed in cages.

They are mostly quiet and eat everything, like pigs.

By autumn, most of the bamboo mice were carrying young. Once the second generation grows bigger then the farmstead can have meat more often.

They also caught a few rabbits, in total 5, but were all pitifully skinny. They just ate it the day of the catch.

Now, the meat they can taste everyday is from fish soup. A lot of people soaked their mixed grain buns in the soup and eat it like that and can be considered rather delicious.

Guo er, Lin Yuan’s only sister, because she is quite young so when the pain of losing her two older sisters passed she now runs around with Er Liang and Gou zi everyday.

Old father Lin complained a bit but it was all rebutted by Yang shi.

Yang shi says:”I don’t expect her to be a wealthy and educated proper lady in the future. I only hope for her to grow up safely. The world as it is, that she can run and jump will be her source of survival.”

Old father Lin cannot win against his wife in a debate and any complaints were useless so he didn’t say anymore.

Guo er is a yellow haired girl. While still in the womb she had not been nourished well, her hair yellowed, arms and legs thin. Er Liang and Gou zi dare not bring her to catch fish in the pond so they brought her along to the woods to gather berries alongside the hunting team. They are not stupid and knows to follow the grownups and knows not to go to a place where the grownups cannot see them.

When there are more people the wild beasts also dare not show up.

Guo er carries a small braided basket filled with deep red berries. Each one the size of a small pearl but very sweet. In the farmstead there is no sugar so this bit of sweetness is enough to satisfy her.

“Er Liang, Gou zi, eat.” Guo er lifted the basket closer to them. She is freckled, her skin tone yellow but she has a rather infectious smile, “it’s very sweet, you guys eat some.”

Although Er Liang has always been serving at Lin Yuan’s side but he had interacted with Guo er before back in the old Lin family home. The three young ladies are just like young master, all kind hearted people. Finding out the second young lady and the third young lady passed prematurely, Er Liang had sobbed terribly.

“I thank fourth young lady’s reward.” Er Liang kneels deferentially.

Guo er says:”Get up quickly, don’t kneel to me, I won’t allow you to kneel.”

Er Liang stands and takes some berries to eat, smiling at Guo er:”Sweet, the ones picked by fourth lady are all sweet.”

Saying so he shoved at Gou zi.

Gou zi had originally wanted to kneel but had been stopped by Guo er, she says:”You don’t kneel either, or else I’ll tell big brother.”

Gou zi looks towards Er Liang at a loss.

Er Liang:”Gou zi, listen to the fourth young lady.”

Gou zi stands up and Guo er gives him a handful of berries.

Guo er says:”It’s truly sweet.”

“I must bring some more for Gege!”

She is extremely excited, staying in the woods the whole day. If not for the hunting team leaving she would continue to stay.

When Lin Yuan sees the berries he is also happy. It is indeed sweet with a lot of sugar, it was only too small. He asks guo er:”Are there still more of these berries?”

Guo er nods:”A lot! It’s all over the mountain, only there are thorns on the vines, you must be careful when picking.”

Lin Yuan plans to first use the berries brought back by Guo er and see if he can make sugar from them.

If possible, he will have the women join the hunting team to pick berries as they don’t need to sew at this time.

Sweet things, at times can comfort one’s heart.

TN: You can see Li Yuan showing signs of change in this chapter as he realizes what it means to be a leader when he had just been a regular guy. His character development over the story is gradual and really satisfying to read. Kudos to the author.

TN2: Starting tomorrow I’ve decided to update a chapter a day for Ming Charity. The other chapter will be for Bird Dude Nie Bufan which is just humor and craziness, completely different from Ming Charity. Because I do have to admit that the tone is rather serious and realistic in Ming Charity, currently that is, before Lin Yuan starts conquering cities, etc. And then it starts feeling good when Lin Yuan dominates and kicks ass 😉

But before we get there I need some mood lifters *shrugs*