The sun was already setting, casting myriad rays of golden light from Eagle Beak Cliff, as if anointing the entire mountain with a sacred glow.
Meng Qingping gazed at the flawless white clouds in the vast sky and the eagles soaring above the cliff, and softly uttered three words, "A good place."
"Yes, such a good place, and we cannot let Tatar hooves trample it."
"Father, I will help you guard this place, no Tatars allowed in."
"We will also help you guard this place, and absolutely will not let Tatars pass through here."
"Mmm, we will help you guard it too." Seeing his elder brother talk about guarding, Qi Ren also wanted to help. Enduring his shyness, he puffed out his chest and said.
"Good, you are all good children. We will guard this place together, no Tatars shall advance a single step."
"Yes."
Hearing Commander Qi praise them as good children, the few boys were so moved they didn't know what to say.
They had lived in a world of luxury, but after the Duke's mansion fell, they had fallen from heaven to hell.
From cherished darlings in their parents' hands to exiled prisoners.
The cracks in their fate were such that they dared not imagine what tomorrow would bring. For they knew not whether tomorrow or accident would come first.
Now that they had arrived here, Commander Qi had given them hope of a new beginning, how could they not be moved to tears?
Seeing the tears welling up in the eyes of these boys, who were about the same age as his own sons, Qi Yuanshan felt something he had never experienced before.
As he fumbled for what to do, he heard the sound of orderly footsteps approaching. A small troop of soldiers came walking from the other side of the road.
The leading sub-lieutenant called out loudly to Qi Yuanshan, "Commander, you're back."
"I am back. Have your training slacked off these past two days?"
"No slackening, Commander. Even in your absence, we have been training diligently and self-consciously."
"That's good."
After greeting the Commander, Lieutenant Zheng, like the other brothers, turned his gaze to the Meng clan members. He was surprised, "Commander, are these all from the General for us?"
"Yes!"
"Giving us so many at once, and at this time of year, how can we afford to support them? Moreover, half of them are women and children, won't they be a burden?"
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Commander, let's keep ten capable individuals and send the rest back."
"Send them back? I wouldn't dare tell the General. Why don't you go?"
"If you dare not say it, I dare not even more."
"If you dare not say it, why are you babbling nonsense? Go patrol."
"Yes." Lieutenant Zheng shot a glare at the Meng clan members before pouting and leading his men away.
"Alright, your pout is so wide it could tie two loud donkeys."
"If only we had two loud donkeys here." Lieutenant Zheng muttered without turning back, and then continued on patrol with his men.
Fu Xinci secretly observed Qi Yuanshan. Along the way, she had understood that the place they would be staying in suffered from a severe lack of food, a desperate shortage, especially in winter.
For this reason, Qi Yuanshan was willing to allocate an additional hundred mu of land to his grandfather, so that a portion of the grain they grew could be given to them in the future.
Fu Xinci was moved by this tough, upright man, who spoke such heartfelt words for the sake of his soldiers not starving.
She was so touched she could barely hold back her tears. Her space contained many seeds, all high-yield, early-maturing, and pest-resistant varieties collected by her father. Come next year, she would ensure that this land would yield vast crops.
So that these soldiers would no longer worry about food shortages in winter.
Qi Yuanshan was unaware that the small dark-haired girl not far behind him had secretly made a grand vow to ensure they would not worry about grain next year.
"Move out."
"Yes, sir." Qi He was as mischievous as ever, but Fu Xinci noticed something different in his eyes: a sense of admiration and deep affection for his father.
"We will travel another four to five li forward, and there is a village where most of you will be living from now on."
Without giving the Meng clan members a chance to speak, Qi Yuanshan continued, "We will allocate land to you based on head count. During the autumn harvest, a dedicated person will collect the grain. Remember, eighty percent of your entire harvest will be collected."
"That's too much!" Someone muttered.
"Whether it's too much or not, I don't know, as it is not I who collects the grain. But I can boast that only here do we collect eighty percent; everywhere else, it's eighty-five percent."
"Eighty-five percent?" The Meng clan members gasped.
"Do you still think you are the ladies and lords of the Duke's mansion? Heh, those who can stand before me are those whose death sentences can be commuted, but whose crimes cannot be pardoned."
"..." The Meng clan members were all speechless.
"Those who do not wish to farm can perform hard labor, or go directly to prison. Which do you choose?"
"Farm here." This time, all the Meng clan members shouted in unison, as if to demonstrate their resolve.
"I hope you will not disappoint me."
"We will not disappoint Commander Qi."
Meng Qingping shook his head inwardly. Truly, it was a case of walking backward instead of forward, only settling down after offending Commander Qi.
Did they not realize that it was for the sake of Commander Qi's son that some semblance of respect was being shown to them, yet someone was trying to take advantage of this one kindness, utterly shameless.
As they continued on, only the voices of Qi Yuanshan and his son could be heard. The Meng clan members lost all face to speak, and even Meng Qishan and the others felt a burning sensation on their faces.
Until the road ahead widened, and a vast expanse of lush green corn swayed in the evening breeze.
Faintly, the sound of dog barks and indistinct voices could be heard. A village with curling smoke from cooking fires was now close at hand.
"We've arrived." This time, everyone could discern the difference in Qi Yuanshan's tone. Everyone's eyes glares fiercely at the person who had spoken out of turn earlier.
That person also knew they had erred, lowering their head and minimizing their presence, embodying the act of a dog with its tail tucked between its legs to a new level.
As everyone was feeling down, Qi Yuanshan knocked on the wooden door of the first house at the village entrance.
"Who is it?" a man's voice asked.
"He Song, open up. It's me."
"Brother-in-law!" With a cry of pleasant surprise, a man strode out from the courtyard.
Once the man stood steady, everyone could see he had a handsome face.
The man's entire attention was on Qi Yuanshan, and he greeted him loudly with a broad smile, "Brother-in-law, why didn't you let me know you were coming earlier? I could have had my wife cook a couple of dishes, and we could have had a drink together."
However, when his peripheral vision caught sight of Qi He standing beside Qi Yuanshan, his expression turned grim, and he stammered, "Little He? Is that Little He?"