Chapter 47: Retention
The soldiers who entered the mountains to suppress bandits slept deeply for a night.
The next morning, all soldiers woke up to the rich aroma of steamed buns and meat broth, eating their fill until their bellies were round.
Sixth Sister Pei smiled and invited all soldiers to stay a few days in Pei Family Village. All soldiers could not decline the warm invitation and readily agreed. Then, led by the spirited Young Master Meng Liu, they went to the nearby mountain forest and chopped trees vigorously for a whole day.
Over a hundred soldiers worked busily and enthusiastically. By evening, they dragged back eighty or ninety round timbers. All piled in one place to dry, to be used later as beams for new houses.
This went on for several days in a row.
The round timbers at the village head soon piled up into a small mountain.
Madam Feng privately smiled to Pei Qinghe: “These soldiers are all tall and strong, not slacking off in the least.”
Each one exerted full effort, striving to earn face for their own Young Master Meng Liu!
Madam Feng, as her mother, did not say this aloud. She reached out to touch Pei Qinghe’s smooth cheek, sighing inwardly.
If Pei Zhongde were still alive, with the Pei Clan’s family prestige, there would be no need to worry about her daughter’s marriage. But now, with the status of daughter of a traitor, how could she have a good marriage?
Pei Qinghe looked at Madam Feng who had suddenly become melancholic: “Mother, I do not need to marry, nor do I need a husband. I can not only support myself, but also ensure all Pei Family Members have enough to eat and wear, and live good days in the future.”
Madam Feng forced a smile and agreed: “That’s right. My Qinghe is the smartest and most capable girl in the world.”
Pei Qinghe smiled but said no more.
In this world, women are mostly appendages to men; marrying, bearing children, managing the household, and raising children is the fate of women. Madam Feng had come through it that way, so it was inevitable that she worried about her marriage.
The prejudices in people’s hearts are a towering mountain.
She, Pei Qinghe, would wield a saber to split the mountain and carve out her own path.
The soldiers, who had been well-fed and well-treated but also worked hard for several days in Pei Family Village, finally someone could not hold back: “Young Master Meng Liu, we should return to the barracks to report back.”
Meng Ling grunted in acknowledgment, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward Pei Qinghe nearby.
Today, an old blacksmith drove a cart delivering eight iron plows. Pei Qinghe was quite joyful, inspected them one by one, and paid the silver readily. She also ordered twenty more iron plows from the old blacksmith.
Having made a windfall, she was naturally lavish with money!
The old blacksmith got such a large order, grinning from ear to ear: “Sixth Sister Pei, rest assured. I have a sturdy son. At most half a month, my son and I will deliver the iron plows.”
After the old blacksmith left, Meng Ling stepped forward to bid Pei Qinghe farewell.
Pei Qinghe was reluctant to lose so much strong labor and opened her mouth to retain him: “Is Young General Meng so eager to leave? Why not stay two more days.”
Before Meng Ling could speak, she added softly: “The Pei Clan’s biggest able-bodied man now is seven-year-old Pei Feng. Pei Jia and the others are all newcomers after all, and need constant watching. These past few days, they cleared thirty mu of wasteland. Now with eight more iron plows, we can clear more wasteland.”
The hot-blooded sixteen-year-old youth, looked at by the girl’s expectant black eyes, could not utter words of refusal. He gritted his teeth and nodded: “Very well, we will stay two more days. If Father questions me upon return, I will bear it alone and not implicate Sixth Sister Pei.”
Pei Qinghe was deeply moved and solemnly bowed in thanks: “Young General Meng has lent a helping hand; we Pei Family old and young will forever remember this kindness.”
Meng Ling straightened his chest and loudly announced to all soldiers: “We stay two more days; everyone take turns plowing the fields with the iron plows.”
All soldiers: “…”
Weren’t they here to take leave? How come not only did they not leave, but they took on more good work?
All soldiers privately grumbled internally: “Sixth Sister Pei just smiles and says a few nice words, and our Young Master Meng Liu loses his head.”
“Sigh! Always talking about others, without looking at his own character. During meals, why does he always stare at the Pei Family Womenfolk.”
“You didn’t look any less.”
“Forget it, forget it, no more grumbling. Young Master Meng Liu has agreed, so we stay two more days.”
Doing work in Pei Family Village is a bit tiring, but the food is exceptionally good. Sixth Sister Pei had someone buy several fat pigs, slaughtering one each day, with meat broth at every meal and unlimited steamed buns. The young Pei Clan female dependents serving the broth had smiling eyes and brows.
How could they truly be willing to leave? They were just afraid of delaying too long and getting beaten with military cudgels back at the barracks.
After all soldiers muttered for a bit, they spontaneously divided into ten teams. Four per team, one person for two hours, resting people but not the plow. In just two days, they plowed over a hundred mu of wasteland.
The other dozens were not idle either, chopping trees and splitting firewood, piling up another small mountain in two days.
Soldiers are indeed useful.
When Meng Ling led the group of soldiers to depart, Pei Qinghe led the Pei Clan female dependents to see them off.
Under everyone’s gaze, Young General Meng still had that slightly raised-head arrogant look. But now, even Pei Yan could not say Meng Liulang was annoying. He had suppressed mountain bandits, chopped trees, and helped reclaim wasteland. No matter how high he held his head, it looked pleasing.
“When Young General Meng has free time later, do not forget to come back to Pei Family Village.” Pei Qinghe showed a trace of reluctance in her eyes: “In a few months, the wild rabbits I raise will be fat.”
In a few months, it would be winter wheat harvest time.
Young General Meng nodded slightly, barely counting as agreement. Before leaving, he added: “If there is any matter, send someone to Beiping Army to deliver a message.”
Beiping Army’s soldiers had stayed in Pei Family Village for eight or nine days. Black Bear Stockade was uprooted, with the military banner planted at the village head.
Who with eyes but no sense would dare bully Pei Family old and young?
Meng Ling spurred his horse at full gallop, covering three hundred li in a day and night, rushing back to Beiping Army Camp.
Waiting for Young General Meng was General Meng’s dark face and an impartial thrashing with the military cudgel.
“I sent you to deliver grain; who told you to rashly enter the mountains to suppress mountain bandits?”
“I already suppressed Black Bear Stockade…”
“That might fool others, but daring to lie through your teeth in front of me! The Imperial Court sent troops into the mountains to suppress bandits several times, all returned without success, not even touching the stockade gate. Moreover, you went to Pei Family Village on horseback, only bringing bows and arrows and weapons, without any tools for attacking the stockade, utterly lacking the capability to assault and capture it. What exactly happened? Explain clearly. If you keep fooling me, I’ll beat you to death!”
Seeing the military cudgel about to fall again, Meng Liulang broke out in cold sweat and shouted loudly: “Stop, stop, stop, no more beating. I’ll tell the truth! Most of the mountain bandits were killed by Pei Family Members.”
“When I entered the mountains to suppress bandits, Black Bear Stockade was just an empty shell, with only about ten mountain bandits left. Someone led the way, sneaking into the stockade via a small path.”
“We, over a hundred strong, outnumbered them, charged in and killed a bunch. Then set fire to burn down Black Bear Stockade…”
Meng Liulang spilled it all out like beans from a bamboo tube, recounting the true events of “annihilating the mountain bandits.”
General Meng, over fifty with a dark face and long beard, narrowed his eyes and slowly asked: “So, the true hero of suppressing the bandits is Sixth Sister Pei?”
