Surviving in the General's Mansion - Chapter 112

That same day, the four also received rewards from Cang Chuli.

Each received five hundred taels and a gift.

Mo Qing and Mo Bai were given repeating crossbows modified by the Ministry of Works based on Xia Heng’s wrist crossbow. There were not many finished models yet, but Cang Chuli had supplied the original sample. It was perfectly reasonable for him to request two.

Chuqing received a complete agate head-jewelry set.

Xia Heng’s gift, however, was quite different.

“My indenture contract!”

Xia Heng cried out in delight at the thin sheet of paper in her hands.

Cang Chuli had returned her indenture contract. From this moment forward, she no longer held slave status!

What an unexpected joy!

With this paper, even Cang Chuli could no longer casually beat or kill her. She finally had human rights again!

After the excitement of regaining her freedom passed, Xia Heng began to worry.

She had money. There was the dowry the Xia family had sent and the money Xiao Yaqing previously gave her to purchase medicine. In silver alone, she possessed twenty thousand taels.

Madam Xiao had given her another ten thousand today, bringing her total to thirty thousand taels.

The main reason she had never discussed redeeming her indenture with Cang Chuli was that she feared she would no longer have a legitimate reason to remain at the General’s Mansion once she was free. She was not a relative of anyone in the Zhenbei Army, after all.

Cang Chuli had once said she was allowed to stay, but that had been based on her position as an employee of the General’s Mansion.

Moreover, the General’s Mansion and the Xia family had now openly broken with one another. Unless Xia Jinguang had lost his mind, he could not possibly consider planting another person here.

Cang Chuli’s words had been spoken under very different circumstances. She did not know whether they still applied now.

And there were Qiulin, Zhao Die, Zhao Siyan, Chuqing, and the others…

After muttering to herself for a long time, she decided she had to clarify matters with the big boss.

Thus, she went to Cang Chuli’s door.

Mo Qing and Mo Bai were standing guard on either side. They said the general was handling official business and asked whether she wanted them to announce her.

Xia Heng had not yet decided how to phrase her question, so she declined. Under the Two Mos’ puzzled gazes, she began pacing back and forth.

Before long, Cang Chuli opened the door.

“Are you taking a walk outside my room?”

He had been reading official documents inside and had noticed a figure beyond the door long ago. Yet the person refused to knock, choosing instead to wander back and forth outside.

“General… I only wanted to ask you something…” Xia Heng stammered.

Cang Chuli stepped aside and cast a warning glance at the nosy Mo Bai.

The door closed again with a sharp bang.

Cang Chuli returned to his desk.

“Speak.”

Xia Heng pulled out her indenture contract.

“General… Now that this has been returned to me, can I still stay at the General’s Mansion?”

She finally voiced the question that had been troubling her.

Cang Chuli glanced at her.

“Are you afraid of the Xia family?”

Xia Heng thought for a long moment and decided honesty was best.

“Mm…”

After replying, she cautiously looked at Cang Chuli. Seeing no reaction, she continued counting reasons on her fingers.

“And my vegetables haven’t finished growing yet. I’m still teaching mathematics every day, and the soap I made for the aunties at the Washing Workshop hasn’t finished curing…”

Seeing that she would not finish counting anytime soon, Cang Chuli interrupted.

“You remain the General’s Mansion’s mathematics teacher, so naturally you may live here. Your monthly allowance will remain unchanged, and you can continue living in your current quarters.”

With his assurance, the weight hanging over Xia Heng’s heart finally lifted.

“Thank you, General! I will definitely contribute to the future of our General’s Mansion of Northern Pacification!” she vowed.

Then she left Tingtao Pavilion with buoyant steps.

Cang Chuli picked up his official document again, a trace of laughter rippling through his eyes.

Contribute to their future, indeed.

Xia Heng asked around until she finally found Uncle Zhao and Chef Xiang at the granary.

They had finished the previous supply of rice and needed to process more today. The two men were directing members of the Personal Guard as they moved out unhusked rice, which kept better in storage.

“Uncle Zhao!”

“Girl Xia! Come stand over here. There is too much dust on that side.”

Xia Heng readily changed direction.

“Uncle Zhao, do you know whether any land beside the General’s Mansion’s estate outside the city is for sale?”

Uncle Zhao thought for a moment.

“Farming families do not sell their land unless they truly cannot survive. How much do you want to buy?”

“I don’t need much to start. It will be an experimental field at first. If the harvest is good later, I may buy more.”

She had considered the matter seriously.

Yaqing had an estate where they could plant the first batch of sweet potatoes and potatoes when spring came.

But once that first crop was harvested, they would need land to reserve seed tubers and expand cultivation.

Yaqing’s family sold wine. They could not rely entirely on purchasing grain, so their estates also had to grow staple crops.

Xia Heng now had money. If she bought land herself, she could grow chili peppers, rapeseed, or other crops later. It would never be a loss.

In ancient times, grain was the most important commodity of all!

“Mm… Once you buy land, you must not waste it. It will need to be managed properly,” Uncle Zhao reminded her.

He knew this girl had planted some strange things in her courtyard and now had a little spare money.

He only needed to caution her, not crush her confidence.

Land was real and solid, after all. As long as one planted something, it would give something in return.

And in the worst case, could she not simply sell it again?

“Of course! How could I ever treat land and grain as a joke?”

How could Xia Heng fail to understand the love the people of Huaxia had held for land since ancient times?

“Then you’ll also need to hire some long-term workers. Do you have anyone in mind?” Uncle Zhao asked, harboring a private hope of his own.

Some of the brothers discharged from the army or left disabled and unable to fight had returned to their hometowns.

But many more had served for so many years that everything had changed by the time they went home.

Quite a few had enlisted at fifteen or sixteen and never married. Their family members were long gone, and even those with surviving relatives were not necessarily welcomed back.

The General’s Mansion had found places for many such men.

Not only within the mansion, but throughout its businesses and estates, they had arranged work wherever they could.

Uncle Zhao hoped to give these surviving retired brothers somewhere they could settle.

Chef Xiang naturally had the same thought. Before either man could voice it, however, Xia Heng asked, “Uncle Zhao, do you have any connections?

“Could you help me find some people retired from our Zhenbei Army? Mild disabilities are fine, as long as they do not prevent them from farming. They are our own people, so I can trust them!

“If none are available, their family members will do as well! Men or women, it doesn’t matter!

“As for wages, I can match the General’s Mansion. Since my operation is small, I can settle accounts once a season or every six months.”

Xia Heng did not dare promise monthly payments. Quarterly wages were already paid quite frequently by the standards of the time.

“Yes, yes. Good!

“Uncle Zhao will arrange it for you at once! Our Zhenbei Army may lack many things, but people are not one of them!

“Don’t worry. I guarantee they’ll manage your land properly!” Uncle Zhao said, deeply moved.

Had she not called them their own people and said she trusted them?

What else could one say? Girl Xia truly had an eye for talent!

Every man of the Zhenbei Army could do the work of two!

Those who had lost sight in one eye or hearing in one ear through a moment’s misfortune on the battlefield were criticized everywhere after retirement, and no one wanted to employ them.

But why should that matter? Their arms and legs still worked!

“Thank you for the trouble, Uncle Zhao! Oh, I don’t have grain to give them, but I can pay the equivalent in money and let them buy it themselves. Would that work?”

Uncle Zhao waved a hand. Since Girl Xia had such generous intentions, he could not let her worry about a small matter like this.

“You needn’t concern yourself with it. I’ll help you buy the land and houses and arrange the workers.

“The General’s Mansion has estates that grow grain. We’ll deliver grain directly to you and sell it at the market rate. You can settle the account with me once a year.”

Grain prices changed every year. If the long-term workers bought it themselves, what a mess it would become—several pecks today, a few pints tomorrow.

Their estates sold any surplus grain anyway. What difference did it make who bought it?

“That would be wonderful! Thank you so much, Uncle Zhao! I wouldn’t know what to do without you. But won’t this be too much trouble?”

Xia Heng’s eyes widened with delight before she became a little embarrassed.

Uncle Zhao smiled.

“What trouble? We should be thanking you for remembering the people retired from our Zhenbei Army!”

“Hahaha! This is why Girl Xia belongs in our General’s Mansion of Northern Pacification!” Chef Xiang said. “I’ll be waiting for those new dishes of yours!”

After hearing everything, Chef Xiang felt strength surge through his body.

What soldiers feared most was not dying on the battlefield. It was growing old or being injured, returning home, and discovering that no place remained for them there.

Those without a family could scrape out a living anywhere. The brothers who returned to homes that no longer wanted them, with no military pay besides, were the ones who truly suffered.

“Don’t worry, Chef Xiang! Now that I’ll have land, I can grow even more vegetables! I’ll definitely make sure all of us have enough to eat!”