knife

Chapter 268 It's not a good day to see anyone.
Xiao Changche fled Qiyue Island in a disheveled state amidst Luo Hua's silvery laughter.

Because the two of them overslept, they didn't even eat breakfast.

When it was time to leave, that damned Li Dachui's legs went weak again, and he couldn't climb onto his horse in one go.

This made Luo Hua laugh so hard he couldn't straighten up.

Li Dachui, thick-skinned, acted as if nothing had happened.

Xiao Changche's face turned as red as a cloth, and he spurred his horse and rode away.

"You did it on purpose!"

Seeing Li Dachui chasing after him, Xiao Changche felt both ashamed and angry.

"It really wasn't intentional!" Li Dachui said earnestly. "I didn't expect that even though I've advanced to the Innate Realm, it doesn't seem to be of much help in some things."

"Shut up!" Xiao Changche glanced at the guards following not far behind him.

Although they are all close confidants, it's best not to let them know certain things.

For example, these extremely private matters between girlfriends.

"Let's not go to the Protectorate this morning!" Li Dachui suddenly said after looking Xiao Changche up and down.

"Why? We were supposed to have a meeting this morning!" Xiao Changche said.

“Those people, Mao Daxian and Cui Hu, are all very sharp-eyed. Your condition today is not right. They can’t hide it from you. They may not say it, but they will definitely laugh at us in their hearts!” Li Dachui said in a low voice.

Xiao Changche touched his face, slightly nervous: "How... how could you tell that?"

“Of course you can tell. None of those people are good! They’re all seasoned veterans,” Li Dachui said.

Xiao Changche suddenly retorted angrily, "You're no good person either. Otherwise, how come you could see that I was wrong, while I couldn't sense it at all?"

"I have always kept myself clean and upright. You can ask Fang Xiaomao and Gu Xiaoman if you don't believe me!" Li Dachui said seriously.

Xiao Changche snorted, "Why don't you even ask them? I'll ask Old Master Zhou later! If we're not going to the Protectorate this morning, where are we going? We can't just wander around outside, can we?"

“Of course not, let’s go to the countryside and take a look!” Li Dachui said, “Baoping Prefecture has been under our jurisdiction for a little over a year now, so it’s a good time to go and see how it’s being managed. This can also be considered an incognito visit to explore the people’s conditions.”

Xiao Changche stretched out his hand, watching as a thin layer of snowflakes instantly fell onto his palm, and said, "Alright, let's go see how the people are doing this winter, whether their houses are sturdy, and whether they have enough to eat. Every year before, I would also take some time to go down to the countryside to check on them. But sometimes, the more I see, the sadder and more bewildered I become!"

Li Dachui immediately ordered all the guards behind him to return to the Protectorate on their own, and also told Mao Daxian and Zhang Ruo that they had something to do in the morning and would not be able to attend the meeting for the time being, and that the meeting would be postponed to the afternoon.

Then, he and Xiao Changche turned onto another road and headed towards the countryside.

Ding Ergou got promoted again.

At nineteen, he had reached the fifth rank of Qi Control in martial arts. He had made numerous contributions in the attack on Tongquan Fort and the subsequent defense, and had now been promoted to regimental commander, overseeing three villages. If he were to go on another expedition, he would be able to command three hundred men.

The village chief of Jigongling Village is now Zhao Bazi, a subordinate of Ding Ergou. However, since Ding Ergou's home is located there, Zhao Bazi is merely an executor.

Jigongling Village has over 150 households and more than 500 people. It's a large village outside the pass. It's about 50 li (25 kilometers) from Baoping City, neither too far nor too near. It's not as wealthy as the villages near Baoping City, but it's still manageable.

With the downfall of the Yan clan that year, the policies of the Anxi Protectorate began to extend to this area, and the people's lives were more prosperous than in previous years.

Li Dachui and Xiao Changche avoided the villages close to the city and chose one that was neither too far nor too close. In Li Dachui's words, this place was the median and more representative.

Neither locations that are too close to the city nor too far from the city can represent the true level of development outside the Great Wall.

When the two rode into the village, Ding Ergou and Zhao Bazi's gang were helping people repair houses.

The farther away from the city, the heavier the snow fell, and the snow seemed to pose a great threat to some houses in the village.

Apart from a few brick and tile houses, most of the houses in the village are thatched houses, and a heavy snowfall has made some of them teeter on the brink of collapse.

In the army, Ding Ergou learned not only the techniques of conquering cities and seizing territory, but more importantly, he learned how to organize manpower.

There are over two hundred able-bodied men in Jigongling Village, and he has organized them into several groups to begin repairing the houses in the village.

So, despite the many damaged houses in the village, the work in the village proceeded in an orderly manner.

Whether something is being done in an organized and orderly manner is something that people like Li Dachui and Xiao Changche can easily see clearly at a glance. "The village official in this village is quite good!" Xiao Changche nodded and said, "He is well-versed in the organization of the military. Look, there are people doing the work, transporting materials, providing support, and even those in charge of supervision. Everyone is responsible for their duties, and the discipline is very high!"

“The army is a great melting pot. Those with ability can quickly stand out in it. If they can excel in the army, they will naturally become outstanding local figures when they return to their hometowns. Let’s go and see this village official!” Li Dachui said with a smile.

The news of the arrival of strangers in the village reached Ding Ergou's ears in no time.

At that moment, he was on the roof, using a small hammer to nail a piece of wood to the broken spot, when he heard the old man on guard below shouting. He looked down from the roof and immediately saw two horsemen approaching rapidly.

The next moment, Ding Ergou yelled and fell headfirst off the roof, landing face-first in the dirt with a thud, startling everyone on and off the roof.

Several villagers nearby screamed and ran over to help Ding Ergou up.

Ding Ergou, however, leaped up from the ground with both hands, shoved the villagers aside, and jogged over to the two men. He placed his right hand on his left chest, bent down, and loudly proclaimed, "Ding Ergou, commander of the Third Regiment of the Fifth Brigade of Baozhou Prefecture, greets the Protector and Deputy Protector!"

Upon hearing Ding Ergou loudly proclaim his vow, the surrounding villagers were first stunned, then their knees went weak, and one after another they knelt down on the ground with a thud.

"Do you know us?" Li Dachui dismounted, helped Ding Ergou up, and said loudly to the surrounding villagers, "Get up, get up, go do what you were doing, we were just looking around."

"I know him!" Ding Ergou puffed out his chest and shouted, "During the Battle of Yuan'an, I fought against Sha Liewen outside the city with Commander Xia Zhi and witnessed the Protector's divine might. He sent Yuan Gou's general flying into the air with a single spear thrust, then slammed him to the ground, capturing him alive. I will never forget that display of power!"

Xiao Changche nodded and said, "That battle was extremely fierce. Even Commander Xia was seriously injured. You were lucky. Hmm, you're at the fifth level of Qi Control. How old are you?"

"Reporting to the Protector-General, I've already turned nineteen this year!"

"Only nineteen?" This time it was Xiao Changche's turn to be surprised: "You can reach the fifth rank of Qi Control at nineteen, and judging from your abundant true qi, it won't be long before you break through to the sixth rank of Qi Control. That's rare, truly rare!"

"Compared to the Protector-General and the Deputy Protector-General, what am I? If you are the bright sun and the moon in the sky, then Er Gou is nothing more than a firefly!"

Li Dachui burst into laughter: "Ding Ergou, you're quite the talker. Have you been to school?"

"I have a literate wife. She was assigned to me by the government back in Helan Plain. They forced me to learn to read and write!" Ding Ergou said somewhat embarrassedly.

"You're a lucky one!" Li Dachui said with a smile.

"My two protectors, the wind and snow are fierce outside. Please come inside and sit down."

“When we entered the village, we heard the sound of children reading aloud. There must be a school in your village. Take us there to see it!” Li Dachui said.

"Alright, alright." Ding Ergou nodded repeatedly, instructing Zhao Bazi and the others to continue repairing the house while leading the two protectors toward the school.

"Jigongling School takes care of the children in four or five villages nearby. We don't charge tuition here. Before, there was only one teacher, my wife, but now there are three, with thirty or forty children in total. Adults in our village who want to learn to read can also come, but they have to pay tuition for the teacher. Chief Secretary Mao of the Protectorate also came to visit me, and since then, the school has had funding every year."

"How did you come up with the idea of ​​starting a school in the first place?" Xiao Changche asked curiously. People from outside the Great Wall with such vision are mostly from well-off families who have received education since childhood. It is truly remarkable that someone like Ding Ergou, whose name clearly indicates that he did not come from a wealthy family, has such vision.

Ding Ergou blushed and said, "I dare not lie to the Protector. When I first came here to be the village head, I thought that my wife was literate but did not know how to do farm work. So I thought of setting up a school to teach the children to read and write, and then I could let my wife receive a share of the village's public property and earn more money. I never expected that the school would grow bigger and bigger!"

Xiao Changche and Li Dachui exchanged a glance and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Ding Ergou, however, rubbed his hands nervously, afraid that the two officers would find it offensive.

“Not bad, not bad, it benefits both yourself and others, there’s nothing wrong with it! If these kids make a name for themselves in their studies in the future, they’ll all have to thank you!” Li Dachui said.

Hearing Li Dachui say that, Ding Ergou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Through the crack in the door, I could hear the children reading inside, and I could also see some elderly people sitting cross-legged on the ground at the back of the house. Some were reciting along with their teacher, while others were dozing off like chickens pecking at rice.

Seeing Li Dachui's inquiring gaze, Ding Ergou quickly said, "The school has underfloor heating, so it's warm. But in order to save firewood, the villagers usually don't heat the kang (heated brick bed) during the day, so the rooms are very cold. Some elderly people come here to enjoy the warmth. As long as it doesn't affect the children's reading and writing, I think it's fine."

"Sure, sure!" Li Dachui smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a silver note. "Since we're here, we should give the children some gifts. Take this money, use it to give the children extra meals, and make sure they stay warm in the winter."

Upon seeing the silver note with a face value of one hundred taels of silver, Ding Ergou was overjoyed and bowed once again.

“Let’s go to your house. I’ve given you a gift, so you have to treat me and the Protector to a meal. Invite your wife to come home with us and cook us a country-style meal to try!” Li Dachui said.

"My two protectors, to be honest, my wife isn't very good at cooking. Usually when I'm home, I do the cooking. I'm a very good cook!" Ding Ergou said, blushing.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Changche glanced at Li Dachui and couldn't help but chuckle.

We don't know how good Ding Ergou's cooking skills are yet, but Li Dachui's cooking skills are indeed very good.

(End of this chapter)