Chapter 49: Daily Life
“At the beginning of human nature, it is inherently good.”
“Disciple Regulations, teachings of the sages…”
The continuous, clear voices of young children reading aloud drifted out from the two thatched huts at the head of Pei Family Village. The group from three to five years old started with the Three Character Classic. Children over five years old read the Disciple Regulations.
Madam Feng taught the children over five years old. She had a gentle temperament and meticulous patience, making her most suitable as a teacher. The children all loved to get closer to her.
Pei Xuan and Pei Feng sat on either side, competing like in a match, their voices getting louder and louder, one sentence after another.
Madam Feng was both amused and exasperated: “You two, keep your voices down a bit, don’t shout until your throats are hoarse.”
Pei Feng held up his handsome little face, looking serious: “Pei Xuan started it first, I can’t lose to her.”
Pei Xuan smiled smugly, revealing two newly grown front teeth: “Not convinced about losing to me, huh? Sorry about that! Here’s the deal, you call me Cousin Sister Xuan once, and I’ll let you have a head start.”
Pei Feng glared in anger.
Pei Xuan immediately glared back.
The two glared at each other, like two young beasts butting heads.
Madam Feng found it both funny and helpless. Pei Xuan was the girls’ captain, Pei Feng was the boys’ captain; though small, their ambitions were not, lining up to run, do horse stance, practice fists— they had to compete at everything. These past two days since starting to read, they quarreled several times every day.
Who won more, no need to ask. You could tell by who was always puffing their cheeks in sulk!
“Pei Xuan, Pei Feng, you two are being naughty again.”
A clear, bright young woman’s voice rang out at the door.
The children who had been slouching every which way quickly sat up straight, backs rigid, eyes forward, their reading voices uniform.
Pei Xuan and Pei Feng no longer dared to glare at each other, standing up together with heads lowered: “Cousin Sister, don’t be angry, we know we were wrong.”
Pei Qinghe glanced over: “When practicing martial arts, you compete for superiority, but when reading, you must calm your mind. Impetuous and fickle, it’s hard to achieve great things. You two are punished to each practice two large characters today.”
“If there’s a next time and I catch you, the punishment doubles.”
Pei Xuan and Pei Feng made bitter faces and agreed.
Pei Qinghe’s gaze swept over: “Pei Yue, where are you looking?”
Pei Yue, whose gaze had been drifting out the window, immediately withdrew it and read aloud loudly.
Only then did Pei Qinghe look at Madam Feng: “Mother, don’t be too lenient with them. Only a strict teacher produces outstanding pupils. As their teacher, you must put on a stern face, scold when needed, punish when needed.”
Madam Feng nodded good-naturedly: “Alright, alright, alright, I’ll listen to you. From now on, I’ll be stricter.”
Among the Pei Clan female dependents, Madam Feng had read the most and was the most learned, more than qualified to be the children’s enlightenment teacher. Her only flaw was having too much patience and too good a temper, unable to control the naughty children.
Pei Qinghe was different. Without doing anything, just by standing there, the children instantly sat properly, obedient as quails.
Pei Xuan and Pei Feng’s group read in the morning, practiced martial arts in the afternoon.
Pei Yan and Pei Yun’s teams practiced formations in the morning, martial arts in the afternoon, and still had to read military books at night.
Mao Hongling’s team had the most people, practicing all day, with evenings free.
Wu Xiuniang’s team consisted of older ones with insufficient stamina, practicing only half a day. The other half, they had to go farming and were also responsible for cooking for the whole village.
Old women over sixty took care of young children; those with slightly better stamina also did sewing, starching, and washing.
Over two hundred Pei Family old and young were busy every day, living very fulfilling lives.
The spoils from wiping out Black Bear Stockade, plus the grain sent by Beiping Army, filled four thatched huts. Enough for the whole village to eat their fill for over half a year. Abundant grain was everyone’s greatest confidence.
Even the women and children from the mountain bandit stockade could have enough to eat every day.
Fifteen women of various ages, each with different backgrounds. Pei Qinghe didn’t get to the bottom of things, only asking names and ages, then selecting the one woman who dared to meet her eyes as captain.
This woman was surnamed Gu, single name Lian, twenty-three years old. Willow brows, almond eyes, fair skin—she had originally been a beauty. Her temperament was quite fierce; after being robbed up the mountain and humiliated by bandits, she slashed her cheek with a knife, ruining her looks. The stockade lacked women, Black Bear didn’t kill her, threatening her with her son’s life, so she endured humiliation to live on ignominiously.
That day, Meng Liulang led troops to sneak into the stockade; Gu Lian was the first to turn, leading Meng Liulang’s group to the mountain bandits’ storeroom.
After coming down the mountain, Gu Lian was again the first to raise her head and speak, and was selected by Pei Qinghe as captain.
“You are all women from the mountain bandit stockade. Some innocent, some pitiable, some who slept with bandits too long, birds of a feather, having done evil. I won’t pursue past matters. From now on, you are all Pei Family Village people.”
“You farm every day. I will make sure you have enough to eat and wear warm. Whoever has disloyalty, I will hang her under the tree north of the village.”
The last sentence was said lightly.
The women felt chills in their hearts, murmuring assent.
The many ferocious mountain bandits of Black Bear Stockade all died at Pei Qinghe’s hands. This Sixth Sister Pei was, in their hearts, the Life-Reaping Yama.
“Not being bullied by those stinking men, having enough to eat every day—that’s the best life in the world.” After Pei Qinghe left, Gu Lian said loudly: “Farming is hard work, but better than serving men in the mountain bandit stockade.”
“Everyone, keep your spirits up, we’ll live our lives clean.”
Before being robbed up the mountain, Gu Lian had lived a life of luxury, never farmed, truly underestimating the hardship of farming. Holding the iron plow to farm, bending to weed, bowing to sow, after a busy day, her waist and legs ached, feet blistered.
She had a stubborn temper, pricked the blisters with a needle, and the next day silently continued farming.
With Gu Lian leading, the over ten women from the stockade each gritted their teeth and persevered. After getting through the first few days, they slowly adapted.
Pei Qinghe came to the wasteland every day, letting them rest when tired, and they had three full meals a day. The fear and unease in their hearts quietly dissipated.
To grow grain in the wasteland would take at least a few months. During these months, what they ate was Pei Family Village’s grain. And their children couldn’t work at all, yet still ate their fill every day.
Pei Qinghe could have used so much grain to summon hungry refugees to work. That they were taken in was Pei Qinghe showing kindness.
Pei Qinghe never mentioned it from her mouth, but they had to acknowledge this favor.
In the plowed fields, seeds were sown and watered. In just a few short days, tender sprouts emerged. Just like the Pei Family Members, quietly taking root, breaking through the soil.
Pei Qinghe stood at the field ridge, looking at the land greening up, feeling especially at ease in her heart.
“Cousin Sister Qinghe!”
The familiar androgynous voice came like a whirlwind.
A smile flashed in Pei Qinghe’s eyes as she turned to look: “Pei Yan, what happened?”
Pei Yan ran over quickly, panting a few times: “A group of people is coming toward Pei Family Village from the east.”
