All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

"Third Brother, after you finish your work, please cut my hair!"

Lu San thought Bai Jiaxuan had asked him to help fix it, so he didn't pay much attention and casually agreed.

While doing farm work, Bai Jiaxuan felt the changes in his body. After leaving the mythical world, he suddenly felt as if he had been reduced to a mortal.

He still remembers that during his last evolution, a wisp of ethereal energy arose within his body. That was a power that truly transcended mortals, a power that could detach from the physical body and freely soar through the heavens and earth.

He possessed teleportation similar to Yi Xiaochuan's, and could even use his spirit to transform into a ball of energy and roam freely between heaven and earth. That kind of ease and freedom was an experience he had never had before.

That feeling allowed him to experience the true power of the gods. He once transformed into a cloud of mist and flew into the sky, but unfortunately, once he reached the atmosphere, he could not advance even half a step further.

Later, he tried to find the source of that power and studied the true mysteries of meteorite energy, but he only managed to get a superficial understanding.

The rudimentary research he had gained seemed to have left a spark in his heart, and he believed that one day he would find that power again.

However, it's too early to think about these things now. In theory, there is no such thing as extraordinary power in the world of Bailuyuan.

They were busy until noon when Xiangcao brought them some steamed buns for lunch. After they finished eating, they got back to work.

Bai Jiaxuan lamented that farmers in this era truly suffered. In the days before pesticides and fertilizers, harvests were low, and in Bailuyuan, you couldn't find a single family that could afford to eat white flour buns every day.

After finishing his work in the afternoon, Bai Jiaxuan went to Lu San's house next door and asked him to cut off his braid with scissors.

Hearing this, Lu San was startled and tried to stop Bai Jiaxuan from doing something foolish, but Bai Jiaxuan ignored her advice and took the scissors to cut off half of his braid.

Seeing the two and a half braids, Lu San had no choice but to shave Bai Jiaxuan's head as requested.

Bai Jiaxuan's cutting off of his braid infuriated his father, Bai Bingde, to the point of near death. Already lacking in energy, he was so angry that he lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and couldn't get up.

Bai Jiaxuan never expected that a simple haircut would be such a blow to his father, but what could he do now that it was already done?

Although the Qing Dynasty still had two good years left, in those last two years, cutting off queues was no longer a rare occurrence in big cities.

But while this is not unusual in big cities, it is quite a rarity in this small village in Hanzhong, and it even alarmed the elders of the Bailu tribe.

The elders pulled Bai Jiaxuan to the ancestral hall and made him kneel down to apologize to the ancestors.

Bai Jiaxuan had an indifferent attitude. This ancestor was Bai Jiaxuan's ancestor, and had even helped him before, so he knelt down.

At this moment, the ancestral hall was crowded with onlookers. When they saw Bai Jiaxuan with his buzz cut, they all laughed and joked.

An elder in charge slapped his thigh in anger and scolded Bai Jiaxuan.

"This body, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents. We are born with them, and we should return them to them. If you lose your braid, you lose your head. Bai Jiaxuan, I think you are usually a very steady person. How come you've become so confused here!"

Lu Zilin, standing below the ancestral hall, grinned broadly, a look of schadenfreude on his face. He looked at Bai Jiaxuan, who appeared bald on the stage, with his hands in his sleeves, joking with the people next to him while shouting at the stage.

"Jiaxuan, have you lost your mind? Why did you suddenly cut off your head? Hahahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Bai Jiaxuan was surrounded and pointed at by the old men from the Bai and Lu families, and many elders were clamoring to enforce family discipline.

Bai Jiaxuan was quite helpless. He felt awkward with his braid hanging over his shoulders, so he decided to cut it off. He didn't expect that this old-fashioned villager would have such deep feelings for the Qing Dynasty, which was about to perish!

But it's not surprising, considering that the Qing Dynasty had been in the Central Plains for over two hundred years, and over several generations, a servile mentality had developed.

Bai Jiaxuan sighed, stood up, ignored the group of old men, waved his hand, and shouted at everyone.

"Alright, everyone, stop laughing at me. Let me tell you what's going on. The Qing Dynasty is about to fall, and I just can't stand those queues. I'll cut them off!"

Bai Jiaxuan's words were like a thunderbolt, causing a stir inside and outside the ancestral hall. Everyone looked at each other, thinking that Bai Jiaxuan was talking nonsense!

Actually, let alone now that it's 1910, even a dozen years ago, some people started cutting off their queues. A few years ago, most of the new army established by the Qing government had already gone bald. Only in these remote rural areas did this bad habit still persist.

However, Bai Jiaxuan's words have angered many, especially the old guys from the Bai and Lu families, who seem to have been offended and have started to rebuke him.

But since Bai Jiaxuan's hair had already been cut, they couldn't do anything about it. In the end, they punished Bai Jiaxuan by making him kneel in the ancestral hall to keep watch all night, and only then did everyone leave indignantly.

Bai Jiaxuan didn't argue with these old guys. He just knelt down. The main reason was that he had heard that his father was so angry with him that he couldn't even get up now, and he felt a little guilty.

Xiangcao brought him a few steamed buns in the middle of the night. Bai Jiaxuan ate them and lay down on the futon, falling fast asleep.

The incident of cutting off the beard braid lasted for about ten days, but it eventually passed. However, Bai Jiaxuan has now become the subject of discussion in the village.

The happiest person was Lu Zilin. Bai Jiaxuan made such a low-level mistake. After his father died, what chance did Bai Jiaxuan have of becoming the clan leader?

Although the Bai and Lu clans are headed by their sons, the position still requires the approval of most of the villagers, and most importantly, the consent of those few old men.

Bai Jiaxuan's cutting off of his braid has thoroughly angered those old guys, and his position as clan leader is probably in jeopardy!

Lu Zilin thought to himself with delight that he had been eating well these past few days!

Bai Jiaxuan didn't take the matter of the clan chief seriously. Although he had promised the ancestors of the Bailu Ancestral Hall to protect Bailu Plain through this chaotic world.

But I'm not their father. I just need to protect them in important matters. Being the clan leader is troublesome and full of trivial matters. Let whoever wants to be it be it.

After this incident, Bai Jiaxuan went about his business as usual. His father, Bai Bingde, was getting weaker day by day, but with the medicine that Bai Jiaxuan prescribed, he miraculously managed to hold on for more than half a year.

Bai Jiaxuan quickly returned to his old life, working in the fields during the day and playing around with his wife at night. He lived a fulfilling and happy life, and Xiangcao soon became pregnant.

When the wheat harvest season arrived, after working hard for more than half a month, all the grain was finally harvested. Farmers look forward to this harvest season every year. Looking at the golden wheat fields of Bailu Plain, Bai Jiaxuan felt that life was actually pretty good.

But good times are obviously short-lived in this era.

Bailuyuan belongs to Zishui County, which is about 50 li away from here. Every year, the villagers of Bailuyuan conscientiously pack up their wheat and pay their grain tax according to the amount of land they own. They then use horse-drawn carts and donkey carts to transport the grain to the county town to pay their public grain tax.

But this year is different, because Zishui County is no longer under the jurisdiction of the Qing government. Instead, a group of rioters have occupied the original government office.

In other words, things are about to change this year, but the villagers of Bailuyuan are unaware of this and are thinking about bringing their grain into the county town.

Bai Jiaxuan had been planning this matter for a long time. He consulted with the elders at the Bailu Ancestral Hall to see if they would waive the grain tax this year and wait until the situation stabilized.

Upon hearing Bai Jiaxuan's words, the old men immediately became displeased and began to grumble.

"The world hasn't changed yet. Even if it did, isn't it still a matter of course for the people to pay their taxes? I'm wondering how the Bai family could produce such an unfilial and disloyal person like you, always thinking about those little perks. It's the people's duty to pay taxes to the government; we can't overstep that bounds!"

Bai Jiaxuan was speechless at the antics of these old guys. He decided to let them do as they pleased, since his family wasn't going to pay any grain this time anyway.

When Lu Zilin learned of this, he immediately had an idea. In previous years, Bai Jiaxuan had always led the way to pay the grain tax. This year, Bai Jiaxuan was unwilling to pay the grain tax, so he would take the lead and lead everyone to pay the grain tax. This was a good opportunity for him to earn prestige.

So Lu Zilin went from house to house calling out about paying grain. He took the lead, pulling more than a dozen carts of grain and leading more than a dozen villagers on their way.

Bai Jiaxuan decided to watch the show and ignored the fool. He went home and asked Xiangcao to make him a bowl of oil-splashed noodles. With such good wheat, it would be better to make more noodles. Why waste it on those corrupt officials?

However, Bai Jiaxuan was also thinking about how he should protect Bailu Plain in the future.

I might be able to take on a hundred people with my own body, but no matter how high my martial arts skills are, I'm still afraid of bullets. With this chaotic world approaching, I have to find a way to ensure my safety.

In fact, Bailuyuan is a remote place. Even in times of chaos, there is no war. It is just natural disasters and the exploitation by various forces.

If you don't cause trouble, being a farmer is the safest identity in this era. That's how it is for the lowest-level farmers—just go with the flow and make do!

But not causing trouble doesn't mean others won't bully you.

In this era when people relied on the weather for their livelihood, everyone was already barely able to get enough to eat. When chaos struck and war raged year after year, the various taxes and levies could really take the lives of everyone in Bailuyuan.

Bai Jiaxuan still remembered that in the original novel, Bailuyuan suffered several major disasters, including war, drought, and plague.

Although I don't know if this world will be the same as the original story, I must make some preparations first.

Bai Jiaxuan had some ideas in mind, but after thinking about it, he decided to wait until his father passed away before making any plans.

It is said that Lu Zilin led his fellow villagers, driving horse-drawn carts loaded with more than a dozen carts of grain, to the county town and headed straight for the county government office.

Upon arriving at the county government office, he hurriedly instructed everyone to begin unloading the grain. As soon as the grain was unloaded, he strode into the county government office.

He was about to go find someone to register so he could get a receipt for his grain tax payment. He didn't notice the two soldiers standing guard at the entrance of the county government office; they were now modern soldiers who had cut off their queues. He just rushed straight inside.

As soon as he entered, he was stopped by a junior officer. Lu Zilin quickly bowed and explained his purpose.

When the officer heard that there were more than a dozen carts of grain at the gate, his eyes lit up. He had been worried about not being able to get grain after just arriving in Zishui County, but he didn't expect that the villagers would bring grain so quickly. He quickly grabbed Lu Zilin's hand and said.

"Oh, thank you for the food you sent to support Ge Ming, brother. You're so enlightened, why do you still have that Manchu queue? Come on, let me cut it off for you!"

The officer then pulled Lu Zilin inside.

Before Lu Zilin could even react, someone snapped his proud braid off!

Lu Zilin watched helplessly as her braid was cut off. She burst into tears and ran outside...!

chapter Five

When Lu Zilin returned to Bailuyuan with his men, it was already late at night. The men were covered in dust and dirt, and they pointed and whispered about Lu Zilin all the way.

Lu Zilin sat silently on the donkey cart. Occasionally, he would come back to his senses and remember his cut braid, which would fill him with sorrow once again.

The fact that the grain was stolen could not be kept secret. More than a dozen cartloads of grain was no small amount for Bailuyuan. Apart from Bai Jiaxuan's family, every other household had handed over their annual grain tax quota.

When everyone returned to the plain, they dared not disturb anyone and went home. However, the news of the missing grain spread far and wide that night, and by dawn, almost every household knew about the missing grain.

Just as dawn was breaking, a few old men had someone bang a gong to wake up everyone in the village and get them ready to go to the ancestral hall for a meeting.

Bai Jiaxuan was half asleep, holding Xiangcao in his arms, when he was woken up. He didn't want to bother with it, but the door kept being knocked on. He put on a coat and opened the door to find Bai Xing'er, the village's notorious lazybones, greeting him with a fawning expression.

"Jiaxuan, your uncles are calling you to a meeting at the ancestral hall!"

Bai Jiaxuan glanced outside. It was still dark. What kind of meeting was this? He grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"Okay, I'll be right there!"

Bai Xing'er agreed and left.

Bai Jiaxuan returned to the kang (heated brick bed), feeling the warmth of the quilt. He immediately pulled Xiangcao into his arms, carefully letting her belly touch his, covered her with the quilt, and prepared to continue sleeping for a while.

Xiangcao stroked Bai Jiaxuan's short, neat hair, kissed his cheek, and then whispered in his ear.

"Get up, don't keep your uncles waiting!"

Bai Jiaxuan shifted his head to her chest in dissatisfaction, then yawned and said.

"Let me sleep for another fifteen minutes!"

Xiangcao lovingly prepared to get up and fetch clothes for Bai Jiaxuan, but Bai Jiaxuan quickly covered her with the blanket and said...

"Alright, alright, you can sleep a little longer. I'm going to the ancestral hall to see what's going on!"

Xiangcao agreed, and after watching Bai Jiaxuan get dressed and leave, she got up, got dressed herself, and went to the kitchen to busy herself.

When Bai Jiaxuan arrived at the ancestral hall, he saw that it was packed with people. Almost every household had come. Several old men were sitting at the top, while Lu Zilin, with disheveled hair, was kneeling in the middle of the hall.

When Bai Jiaxuan saw it, he exclaimed "Oh dear!" and burst out laughing. Lu Zilin's proud braid had been completely cut off, leaving her with a student-like hairstyle, or rather, a female student's hairstyle.

When the old men saw Bai Jiaxuan below the stage, one of them quickly waved to him and called out.

"Jiaxuan, what are you dawdling for? Come up here!"

Bai Jiaxuan reluctantly went into the ancestral hall.