Love Lock

Chapter 29 Life is a Battlefield

Han Lei decided that if she wanted to create a better life, she should start from Qingshui County.

Having someone in the family involved in politics makes it easier to go into business.

Luo Hai was the magistrate of Qingshui County and a long-time friend of the Zhao family, so starting his business here was the perfect idea.

The early birds chirped melodiously, and the early-rising servants were busy cleaning the courtyard.

Han Lei was wide awake, her mind filled with all sorts of schemes and plans.

Soon, she arrived at the large courtyard that Tao Qing and A Mao had mentioned.

The wounded soldiers had already gotten up and were lined up in the yard for drills.

"Good morning, everyone. You must have had a long journey yesterday. Why didn't you sleep in a little longer?" Han Lei greeted them warmly as soon as she came in.

"It's Miss Han! We're used to it in the military camp."

Good morning, Miss Han!

"Miss Han, you're up so early too?"

Everyone stopped their drills and warmly greeted him. After more than a month of getting along in the military camp, everyone had become quite relaxed. The prince had sent them to Han Lei as guards, and although they knew she was their master, they all treated her like their own younger sister.

"Miss Han, is there something you need from us so early?" Tao Qing asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

"Yes! There is something." Han Lei pointed to the courtyard and continued, "I brought you breakfast. Two people go and bring the breakfast from the doorway in. We can eat and talk."

A few soldiers ran out laughing and soon came back carrying several boxes of breakfast. Upon opening them, they found the boxes were full of hamburgers, fried chicken, and cola—things they'd never seen before.

The wounded soldiers cheered and crowded together to grab the food.

What makes them happiest right now is being able to eat the meals provided by Han Lei. Not only are they all made with high-quality grains and taste delicious, but they've also never seen anything like them before. Even more valuable is that they can have a full meal every time.

This is practically the life of a god!
Miss Han is so kind to them!
"Don't rush, don't rush, everyone gets a share! Line up, line up."

Han Lei smiled as she looked at them, unable to bring herself to be harsh.

Food was scarce in this era. Ordinary people's daily diet consisted mainly of millet and vegetable leaves, with steamed buns and flatbreads usually containing bran. Even this kind of life could not be maintained stably, and sometimes they would run out of food and have nothing to eat. Meat was out of the question. Except for festivals, ordinary families did not even dare to dream of it.

After receiving their breakfast, everyone spontaneously formed three concentric circles around Han Lei, eating while waiting for her to speak.

Han Lei took out a map drawn on A3 paper from her spatial storage. This map was drawn by her personally, based on a description given by Old He and several military doctors when they were in Yong'an City. It depicted the distribution of the various states of the Great Jing Dynasty, as well as some major mountains and rivers that Old He knew about.

Han Lei had seen the military map that Zhao Zun hung in the central command tent. Although her drawing skills weren't great, they were still much better than that military map.

Han Lei unfolded the map and handed it to Tao Qing, who was sitting next to her. "Take a look at this map. Is it fairly accurate?"

Tao Qing took the A3 paper, gently stroking it, reluctant to put it down. After studying it for a while, he was even more amazed when he saw the map drawn on the A3 paper.

"Miss Han, your map is so well drawn, so detailed," Tao Qing couldn't help but exclaim.

"Is accuracy the key factor?"

"It should be accurate."

Tao Qing hadn't traveled all over the Great Jing Dynasty, but he knew the distribution of the various states. "Alright, then listen carefully." Han Lei straightened up. "Anyone whose family lives within the Cangzhou and Jingzhou areas, stand outside the circle."

As soon as Han Lei finished speaking, a third of the more than 140 wounded soldiers stood outside the circle.

"Are there so many?"

Han Lei was somewhat puzzled. The Great Jing Dynasty had a total of seven provinces, so how come soldiers from Cangzhou and Jingzhou alone accounted for a third of them?
“Miss Han, you are unaware of this,” Tao Qing quickly explained. “The land in Cangzhou is barren. North of Qingshui County, much of the land is uncultivable. Therefore, most of the able-bodied men in the area choose to join the army. Jingzhou is the link between Cangzhou and the capital region. It is relatively prosperous and the land is fertile. However, most of the land is occupied by powerful families. Ordinary people either become tenant farmers for these families, learn craftsmanship from master craftsmen, or do manual labor or become peddlers in the city. If all else fails, they have no choice but to join the army.”

"Oh! I see." Han Lei understood.

The so-called officials, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

In ancient times, crafts and commerce were ranked low and considered the lowest professions, looked down upon, because the imperial family and powerful clans monopolized most resources, including education and land. Furthermore, the unfair methods of talent selection by the imperial court blocked upward mobility for ordinary people. Therefore, commoners were left with only the latter two options, or joining the army.

Ordinary people are helpless, but they have no choice.

Now, Han Lei has arrived. She can give them more hope.

Han Lei asked a group of people outside the industry, "Are you willing to work and earn money near your hometown and benefit the people of your hometown?"

"Yes, yes."

"Of course I do."

The wounded soldiers outside the circle were all pleasantly surprised. They had something to do and could earn money, and they could earn money right in front of their own homes. Who wouldn't want that?
"Alright, come with me now. I'll talk as we walk." Han Lei glanced at her spatial watch; it was almost 8:30.

"it is good!"

The fifty-odd wounded soldiers outside the circle cheered and followed Han Lei to walk out, but the remaining wounded soldiers were all anxious.

"Miss Han, what about us?"

"Yes, Miss Han, don't forget us!"

Han Lei turned around and chuckled, "You guys should rest first! Don't rush, there's still something waiting for you. Don't forget, as I once said, life is a battlefield everywhere, and your battlefield isn't here."

The remaining wounded soldiers were finally reassured and squatted down to continue eating their breakfast.

Han Lei led more than fifty wounded soldiers out of the magistrate's mansion, since the masters inside were still asleep. So, she greeted the guards at the door and told them they had gone out shopping.

The magistrate's residence was located in the center of Qingshui County, right next to the street. Because it was so early, many of the shops outside had not yet opened.

The group chatted as they walked. Han Lei then divided them into two teams. The younger and stronger members formed one team, and because there were many of them, it was easier to remember them. Everyone in this team was numbered with their first name as their senior: freshman, sophomore, junior, and so on, with the freshman as the team leader.

Those who are old, frail, or have been disabled are grouped into one team, and all are numbered using "Xiao" as their surname, such as Xiao Yi, Xiao Er, Xiao San, etc. Xiao Yi is the team leader.

The wounded soldiers chattered amongst themselves, introducing Han Lei to the situation in Qingshui County.

After wandering around for a while, Han Lei discovered that Qingshui County only had three or four streets that could be considered the county center. The houses on both sides of the streets were all wooden mortise and tenon structures, and the buildings were not tall, almost all of them being one or two stories high. It looked like a market in a small modern town.

After wandering around for more than an hour, Han Lei finally stopped in front of a shop at a crossroads.

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(End of this chapter)