Jiangjia Village was a small fortified village in the southern part of Jiaohe County, about a three-hour horse ride from the county seat.

On the way there, Qingheng was in a hurry and made it in two and a half hours, riding through the night.

On the return trip, they switched from riding horses to taking a carriage, and with three people on board, the pace slowed somewhat.

Consequently, they left the county seat at the end of the Si hour in the morning, and by the time they caught sight of Jiangjia Village, the setting sun was just about to dip below the horizon.

“Is the fortress really this small?” Xing Yue gazed at the village surrounded by yellow earthen walls ahead, gesturing with his fingers, slightly surprised. He had never seen a village fortress before, nor had he ever seen a village so far from the county seat—the carriage ride had taken nearly an entire day. The carriage carried them forward, as if traversing the vast Gobi Desert toward a solitary island.

Qingheng laughed. “There are only about twenty households. Isn’t it very different from the villages back in the interior?”

He gave a light flick of his whip and recalled with a smile, “My older brother told me that the villages near the capital are all scattered about, one right next to the other. If a family in one village calls their children home for dinner, the neighbors in the next village can hear it. And there are so many people—every so often, they’ve built a market, bustling with people coming and going every day.”

This sentence was rather complicated; he was mixing Mandarin with the dialect of Xizhou. Xing Yue didn’t understand it.

Xing Zhao caught some of what was said and asked curiously, “Has Brother Heng never been to the capital?” By now, both brothers had sat up in bed.

Xing Yue was wrapped in a blanket, with Xing Zhao nestled in his arms; the blanket covered him tightly, leaving only a little head peeking out.

The brothers’ similar eyes both stared curiously at Qingheng, piled on top of each other like a human pyramid—a rather adorable sight.

Qingheng looked at them and burst out laughing, shaking his head. “No, I haven’t. But I’d love to visit someday if I get the chance.”

Then he explained with a smile, “Jiaohe County is vast, and many villages are too far from the county seat. A trip there would mean leaving at dawn and returning after dark—it’s simply not convenient. That’s why, for our daily trading, we usually go to the outskirts of the larger fortified towns. There are rural markets there that open on the 5th and 10th of every month. If you want to go, just time your visit accordingly.”

“There’s also a border gate market at the foot of the mountains to the east, about forty or fifty li from here. It’s open every day. That’s the main route into Xizhou, so the Zhechong Prefecture has set up a checkpoint there and stationed garrison troops to guard it. You passed by on your way here, so you should remember it.”

“If you’re too busy on ordinary days to go out and trade, there’s also a small open-air market within the fort. Villagers go there to exchange for meat, salt, and fresh vegetables.” “There are also itinerant peddlers who occasionally come to the village, selling salt, sewing supplies, and coarse cloth. Their prices are a bit higher than in the county seat or at the rural market.”

Qingheng chattered on, explaining these items that were relatively unfamiliar to mainlanders but essential for daily life. His Mandarin was mediocre, and as he spoke, he unconsciously began mixing the Xizhou dialect with Mandarin.

Even Xing Zhao was getting confused; Xing Yue was even worse off—it was like listening to an English listening comprehension test, and he could only guess based on scattered words. He could only surmise that Qingheng was telling them where to shop.

Apart from the lack of multiple-choice questions, it was practically no different from taking an English listening test.

Xing Yue thought to himself, “Being a complete novice at English listening hasn’t stopped him from living a comfortable life, but this won’t do. I need to learn the Xizhou dialect quickly, or else even with a home, I’ll struggle to survive.”

He was a grown man; he couldn’t possibly rely on this sixteen-year-old boy for everything.

The clatter of hooves grew louder as Jiangjia Village drew nearer. Xing Yue could gradually make out its appearance.

The fortress walls weren’t made of brick or stone, but of yellow mud walls over ten feet high, with an entrance cut into the northern wall. The entrance wasn’t a simple gate, but a two-story watchtower, with figures moving about on the upper level.

As if they had spotted them, the people on the tower stopped in their tracks, raised a hand to shield their eyes, and gazed in their direction.

“That’s a gate guard—usually a villager. During wartime, garrison troops might come over to take over surveillance of enemy forces.” Qingheng followed Xing Yue’s gaze and continued, “On ordinary days, every able-bodied man in the village takes turns guarding the fortress gate as a gate guard. Each shift lasts two days, and it’s every other week.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “If you complete your military service and register your household in Jiangjia Village, you’ll also need to join the rotation and guard the fortress gate.” “What about me?” Xing Zhao caught the last part and eagerly asked.

There wasn’t a single youngster who wasn’t interested in this.

Seeing how adorable he was, Qingheng smiled and drawled, “As for you, if you’re still in Jiangjia Village by the time you turn eighteen, you’ll get your turn too.”    

“Really?” Xing Zhao’s eyes lit up.

“Really.” Qingheng teased him, “When the time comes, I’ll give you a scythe. You’ll carry it up to the gate, and if you see any bad guys, you’ll tell them not to enter the fort. If they don’t listen, you can beat them, okay?”

“Okay…” Xing Zhao paused, his mood suddenly turning somber. “Then can you let my second sister live in the fortress too? That way, the bad guys won’t be able to take her away.”

As he spoke, he pressed his lips together, and tears began to fall. He whispered, “I miss my second sister and Mother, and Father and my little sister too…”

Then, as if an emotional dam had burst, he began to sob violently. Tears streamed down his face like rain, pounding against the quilt. Clutching Xing Yue’s arm, he couldn’t hold back any longer and wailed, “I miss them.”

“I miss Mom and Dad!”

Qingheng froze for a moment, then quickly let go of the reins, letting the old horse run on its own. He turned around, bracing herself with one hand against the swaying side of the cart while using his sleeve to wipe his face with the other. “There, there, don’t cry!”

As he spoke, his own nose grew sore. He sniffed and asked gently, “Was your second sister taken away?”

Hadn’t all married daughters severed ties with the Xing Family?

After a moment’s thought, Qingheng suppressed his emotions and asked again, “Has your second sister been married yet?”

Xing Zhao seemed embarrassed; he wiped his face with his small hand, nodded, and said through his sobs, “But they don’t want Second Sister anymore.” 

“They”?

Qingheng didn’t understand. With reddened eyes, he looked questioningly at Xing Yue.

Xing Yue had been piecing together the conversation by catching snippets of words, straining to make sense of it. Hearing that another woman from the Xing Family had been taken away shocked him as well.

The information he had about the Xing Family came from casual remarks made by constables along the way and from his own roundabout inquiries to Xing Zhao. At the time, fearing that his lack of memory might be discovered, he had actually asked very few questions.

All in all, he didn’t know any more than Qingheng.

Holding Xing Zhao in his arms, he patted the boy’s back gently and spoke soothingly while racking his brain. But no matter how hard he tried, his mind remained a blank.

He had absolutely no memories of the original host.

Seeing Qingheng waiting for his answer, he could only shake his head: “I don’t remember!” Qingheng froze for a moment.

Lowering his eyes to compose himself, he looked up and asked Xing Zhao, “Was it another family that divorced your second sister?” 

“Her husband wouldn’t agree. His mother didn’t want her, so they got into a fight.”

“Who took your second sister? Was it the authorities?”

“I don’t know.” Xing Zhao had stopped crying but was still sniffling softly. “They came to the cell to take Second Sister away. She kept struggling and crying. Second Brother-in-Law and my older brother tried to stop them, but they kicked them to the ground. Second Brother-in-Law and my older brother even coughed up blood, and then they took Second Sister away.”

“Mother cried out, asking who they were, but they didn’t answer.” Xing Zhao wiped away his tears. “We haven’t seen Second Sister since.”

Qingheng hadn’t imagined that such abductions could occur amidst the chaos.

He sighed softly, thought for a moment, then said gently, “Since your second sister is already married, she shouldn’t be implicated. She should be fine. Don’t worry, brothers. Whenever I have time, I’ll send someone to look into it. Who knows, we might hear news soon.”

“When the time comes, if she’s willing to stay at Jiangjia Village, we’ll bring her here to be with you. Is that all right?”

“Okay.” Xing Zhao sniffled, then quickly wiped away his tears. “Then I won’t cry anymore. My second sister said that a real man shouldn’t shed tears at the drop of a hat. I’ll swallow my tears and save them up to buy her candy.”

Qingheng: “……” 

Xing Yue: “……”