Chapter 38: Establishing Authority
Changping County weather was severely cold, and survival was difficult. It was not unusual for women to go farming or out to work. On the streets, there were many women coming and going.
Pei Qinghe had a tall and straight figure, with bright black eyes, looking refined and heroic. Pei Yan had a sturdy body, thick eyebrows and big eyes, like a young lad. Pei Yun had fair skin, a slender and graceful figure, and beautiful features.
The three young women had distinct temperaments and appearances, yet each was strikingly eye-catching. Men and women, old and young on both sides of the street, all craned their necks to look. Among them were a few lecherous gazes from men.
“Where did these pretty little ladies come from? What beauties!”
“Qiu Da, haven’t you always been without a wife? I think that little lady in the blue cotton clothes is pretty good.”
“Go quickly and ask the miss if she’s willing to marry.”
Pei Qinghe and Pei Yan were still young, while Pei Yun was already grown up. The slightly bulky blue cotton clothes could not hide her beauty, and soon she was targeted by the local ruffians.
Pei Yun furrowed her delicate brows, not wanting to stir up trouble, and quickly lowered her head.
Pei Yan was so angry her face turned red, clenching her fists to go beat them: “Cousin Sister Qinghe, don’t stop me…”
Before she finished speaking, Pei Qinghe had already strode over. In full view of everyone, she kicked flying the cackling Zhao Da, and punched the other two with one fist each.
One had blood streaming from his nose, the other clutched his stomach and wailed. The worst was Zhao Da, who was kicked several meters away, rolled seven or eight times on the ground, and stopped only after hitting a low wall. He probably hit his head and fainted directly.
Gasps rose on the street, and it instantly went quiet.
Pei Yan excitedly waved her fist, her cheer sounding especially loud on the silent street.
Pei Yun felt warm inside, but also a bit uneasy. She whispered to the leisurely returning Pei Qinghe: “We came to buy farm tools and seeds today. Wasn’t that too high-profile?”
“What if someone reports to the officials? Will the yamen runners from the county office come to trouble us?”
Pei Qinghe remained calm and composed: “No need to worry. Yesterday Guard Gao gave the prince’s letter to County Magistrate Wang. The county magistrate won’t make trouble for us.”
“Let’s go to the ironware shop.”
Amid the awed and fearful gazes of the common people, the three of Pei Qinghe strode away.
“Should we report to the officials?”
“Bah, mind your own business. Qiu Da stirs up trouble every day. This time he ran into a tough one; it’s his own fault. Come on, let’s go quickly. Don’t watch the fun here. If Qiu Da wakes up and comes to extort us, we’ll be in trouble.”
In no time, the surrounding common people scattered.
The two beaten ruffians could barely move after a long while. One wiped blood all over his sleeve, the other was sweating profusely in pain. They supported each other and shuffled to the low wall, shaking the fainted Zhao Da vigorously.
Zhao Da was finally shaken awake. Before he could open his eyes, he vomited all over the ground first.
“Qiu Da, let’s report to the officials!” The bloodied ruffian spat out a few words.
The other clutched his stomach and gritted out: “Right, we can’t let them off!”
Zhao Da vomited and cursed: “Report what officials… Go call people, we’ll fight back.”
Changping County had only two blacksmiths, a father and son pair. Their two ironware shops were next to each other. The old blacksmith specialized in making farm tools, and the young blacksmith also made farm tools, but privately took on some work forging swords.
This kind of work that violated official laws and taboos was not uncommon in all trades in Changping County. After all, dozens of li outside Changping County Town was the Yan Mountains, with five or six bands of mountain bandits large and small. The mountain bandits were also people; they needed to exchange their robbed gold, silver, and wealth for grain and alcoholic beverages, and when their weapons broke, they had to bring them to the ironware shop for repair.
“We want to buy iron plows for farming.” Pei Qinghe’s voice was neither high nor low, floating over the stove and into the old blacksmith’s ears.
The old blacksmith didn’t look up, hammering the tool in his hand with clanging sounds: “Iron plows are very expensive, three taels of silver each.”
Ordinary common people, even if they work hard for a year without eating or drinking, cannot save up three taels of silver. One iron plow can be regarded as a family heirloom.
“I’ll buy ten iron plows.”
The old blacksmith thought he had misheard and looked up in astonishment.
The delicate and pretty girl wearing cyan cotton clothes took out silver. Five-tael silver ingots, a total of six, neatly placed in front of the old blacksmith: “Thirty taels of silver for ten iron plows.”
The old blacksmith’s eyes suddenly lit up, blazing like flames. He slammed down the crude iron hammer and strode over, extending a large hand like a plantain leaf to take the silver.
Pei Qinghe flicked her wrist, putting the silver back into the silver pouch: “I’ll pay ten taels as deposit first. Once the ten iron plows are ready, deliver them to Pei Family Village, and I’ll pay the remaining twenty taels.”
Iron plows are precious things; the ironware shop has at most one or two samples. Ten iron plows would take at least ten days to forge.
The old blacksmith agreed immediately: “Don’t worry, Miss Pei. I’ve been forging iron my whole life and am best at making iron plows. The shop has two; you can take them first, Miss. The remaining eight iron plows, at most ten days, and I’ll deliver them to you.”
The old blacksmith took the ten taels deposit and brought out two iron plows.
Each iron plow weighed about ten catties, wrapped in cloth. Pei Yan and Pei Yun each carried one on their backs.
Next, they were going to the grain store.
There were two grain stores in Changping County Town, with different signs: Huifeng Grain Store and Guangyuan Grain Store. In fact, they had the same owner behind them.
The Shi Family, the largest grain merchant in Youzhou. Among the northern states, they were also a renowned major grain merchant. With abundant family wealth, they were a powerful clan in the Northern Lands.
Unfortunately, a tall tree attracts wind. In her previous life, amid the wars, Shi Family Fortified Village was repeatedly attacked by refugees and mountain bandits, and then targeted by several garrisons, forcing them to offer up large quantities of grain as military rations. Later, when Xiongnu cavalry invaded Youzhou, Shi Family Fort was looted and killed, burned clean in a big fire.
At that time, the Pei Family Army was just taking shape, and her title of General Pei was not yet prominent. When Shi Family Fort was massacred, she felt some regret… mainly regretting that she couldn’t kill that band of Xiongnu cavalry and seize the mountain of money and grain.
Pei Qinghe stepped into the grain store.
A young man was walking out. Caught off guard, he nearly collided head-on with the girl coming toward him.
Pei Qinghe reacted swiftly, dodging aside with a flash.
The young man, however, reacted too slowly and stumbled forward.
“Young Master!”
Pei Qinghe’s black eyes flashed, and she reached out to grab the back of the young man’s clothes. The brocade robe was soft and smooth. Pei Qinghe used some force to grip it firmly.
The young man luckily did not fall, but his neck was tightly constricted by his collar. He barely steadied himself and coughed heavily several times.
Several burly retainers rushed over, hurriedly supporting the brocade-robed young man: “Is Young Master alright!”
“It’s all this one’s fault for being a step slow.”
The brocade-robed young man was choked by a breath of cold air, coughing until his face was red, tears and snot streaming, looking very disheveled.
After a moment, the brocade-robed young man finally caught his breath. He wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve and then noticed that the girl who had just helped him had stepped aside, standing idly with hands behind her back.
Those black eyes were bright as stars.
The corners of her lips curved slightly, bearing a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
