Chapter 76: Deterrence
The mountain wind whistled like an infant crying at night.
The seven refugees who had their legs chopped off and were hung from the tree howled miserably all through the first half of the night; in the latter half, the sounds gradually weakened.
It was freezing cold, like an ice cave. These troublemaking refugees would either bleed to death or freeze to death; there was no chance of survival.
In the thatched hut crammed full of refugees, there were no candles lit, and no one was asleep. Some stared with fear and panic, others closed their eyes in silent relief.
Fortunately, he hadn’t impulsively followed them. Otherwise, there would be one more waiting to die hung from the tree right now.
This night felt exceptionally long.
At dawn, Feng Chang arrived, his eyes bloodshot from not sleeping all night. With him were Pei Jia and Pei Yi.
Pei Jia was furious and cursed with filthy language: “…Sixth Sister kindly took you in, yet some dared to do evil. They deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces.”
Pei Yi was filled with righteous indignation, cursing even louder than Pei Jia.
The refugees were deathly silent, not daring to raise their heads under the scolding.
Feng Chang took a deep breath and said, “You all know me, Feng Chang. I was the one who pointed you to Pei Family Village. Now that such a big incident has happened, I have no face to plead with Sixth Sister anymore. The snow has stopped; those who want to leave, leave now.”
The refugees panicked: “We are desperate with nowhere to go; where can we go?”
“In this icy snow, there are only ferocious beasts in the woods; we won’t survive a few days in the mountains.”
“Sixth Sister, those few had impure intentions and did evil; they deserved to die. We are all good folk!”
Some cried and knelt, kowtowing toward Pei Family Village. The other refugees all knelt and wept on the ground; none were willing to leave.
Amid the cries, Pei Qinghe arrived, carrying a bow and arrow and holding a long saber.
“Do you truly wish to seek refuge in Pei Family Village?” Pei Qinghe’s expression was indifferent, and as soon as she spoke, she silenced the crying and begging.
The refugees kowtowed repeatedly: “Yes, please take us in, Sixth Sister.”
Pei Qinghe said coldly: “After entering the village, you must follow the rules and obey my orders. Whoever has impure intentions, those seven over there will be their fate.”
A gust of wind blew, and the seven blood gourds swayed; five were silent, and two let out faint cries.
The refugees felt chills on their necks and cold sweat on their backs, yet still no one dared to look up: “We all obey Sixth Sister.”
Pei Qinghe turned to Pei Jia, Pei Yi, and Feng Chang: “Have them stay outside the village for another seven days. Cut their daily rations in half. Don’t stop those who want to leave. Kill anyone who dares enter the village without permission.”
The last sentence was directed at Pei Yan.
Pei Yan responded with killing intent.
The refugees, used to wandering homeless in the wilds, didn’t mind waiting a few more days outside the village. Halving the grain was the most tangible hardship.
Mixed flour steamed buns went from two to one, and there was no more hot soup. Having tasted fullness, half-full hunger was especially hard to bear. The refugees cursed the damned seven companions: “These bastards couldn’t stay content with food in their mouths and dared to cause trouble in the village. Now we’ve lost our full meals because of them.”
“Hanging them to death is too easy. Sixth Sister should slice their meat off and stew a pot of meat broth.”
Some also slipped away quietly in the middle of the night.
Pei Qinghe indeed ignored them all, training daily on the training ground without pause. The sounds of sabers, spears, arrows, fists clashing, and shouts made the refugees tremble in fear.
Seven days later, 156 people remained in the thatched hut north of the village.
Having passed the first test, the refugees finally entered Pei Family Village. The second test was also bathing and changing clothes. But this time, it was Feng Chang and others watching the refugees bathe and change.
Feng Chang was annoyed that the refugees he had recruited had lost face, his expression gloomy. When he discovered festering sores on some refugees, he unceremoniously drove them away.
In this way, four more were eliminated.
Half a day later, the 152 refugees, shaved bald, dressed in clean cotton clothes, finally looked human. The defiant troublemakers had quietly left; those remaining were mostly honest and obedient.
Pei Qinghe set few rules, only three.
Farm and work during the day; no leaving the huts at night without permission.
No stealing or robbing; no approaching womenfolk.
Obey all orders.
Violate any rule, and have your legs chopped off and hung from the tree north of the village.
Those seven troublemaking refugees had already died hanging. The cold weather kept the corpses from rotting, preserving their agonizing death expressions. They would probably hang until the spring snow melted.
Pei Qinghe divided the new refugees into four teams and called Pei Jia, Pei Yi, Gu Lian, and Feng Chang, assigning each to lead one team.
Pei Jia and Pei Yi had even changed their names and were utterly devoted to Pei Qinghe; they nodded and accepted the orders.
Gu Lian beamed with joy, the saber scar on her left cheek seeming to dance: “For Sixth Sister to trust and value me so much, I will certainly manage them well and not disappoint Sixth Sister.”
Seeing the flame ignite in Gu Lian’s eyes, Pei Qinghe smiled faintly: “Good, I’ll be watching.”
Then, Pei Qinghe looked at Feng Chang.
Feng Chang moved to kneel, but Pei Qinghe raised her hand: “No need to kneel. So many refugees coming to seek refuge is your merit. The refugees come from all walks; it’s normal for some ill-intentioned ones to mix in. Don’t blame or feel guilty yourself.”
“In the future, I will recruit more refugees. Pei Family Village will have more and more people. But you four followed me first; as long as you work loyally, I won’t treat you poorly.”
Feng Chang felt hot blood surge in his heart and responded loudly.
The core of Pei Family Village was Pei Qinghe; Pei Yun, Pei Yan, Pei Xuan, and Pei Feng were the true Pei bloodline, most loyal to Pei Qinghe. Mao Hongling, Wu Xiuniang, Bian Shulan, and others were Pei family daughters-in-law, closely surrounding Pei Qinghe.
Next were Doctor Bao, Zhao Hai, and Fang Datou. They were all men of other surnames, willingly following Sixth Sister Pei.
In this chaotic, man-eating world, only by following the strong could one survive.
Pei Qinghe continued: “Starting tomorrow, come to the training ground for half a day each day to practice martial arts and saber with me.”
Zhao Hai and the other two were also called over.
In a few more months, Zhao Hai would become a father. He managed the horse stables and cared for the ploughing oxen and other large livestock daily, working diligently. Hearing he was to practice martial arts and saber, Zhao Hai was surprised: “Sixth Sister, the stables can’t be left unattended. Besides, I’m already thirty and have never held a saber.”
Pei Qinghe smiled: “Now there are more people in the village; go pick a few honest ones to work in the stables. Practicing saber is something you’ll learn with practice. If bandits come in the future, you can pick up a saber to protect your wife and children.”
Zhao Hai felt a warmth in his heart and nodded in agreement.
Doctor Bao pulled a long face: “Can I skip it? I’m a doctor; isn’t brewing medicine and saving lives enough?”
Pei Qinghe said indifferently: “Every Pei family member must have the capability to protect themselves. Even five-year-old children dare to hold sabers. You’re no exception.”
So, he too had been included among the Pei family members by Sixth Sister?
Doctor Bao’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Fang Datou, who had waited eagerly for so long, looked expectant: “Sixth Sister, what will I practice?”
……
