Old Yan rode his horse towards the threshing ground, but he was back almost immediately.
“Why are you back so soon?”
“Old Yan, did you tell the village head to save a few good ones for our brothers?”
“How are this year’s girls? Pretty?”
The veterans all asked at once.
“Everyone came back too late. All the girls have been picked.”
Old Yan replied with a wry smile.
“How is that possible?”
The veterans were sceptical. “Every time the wedding party comes to the village, aren’t there always a big group of girls left? How could they all be taken?”
“That was before, when everyone was struggling. One more person in the family meant one more tax, one more mouth to feed.”
Old Yan said, “Now life in Xihe Bay is good. One more person means one more wage. So as soon as the wedding party arrives, the girls are snapped up.”
“Ah, we really came back too late.”
The veterans all sighed.
In fact, they thought the same way. One more person meant one more wage.
“Don’t worry, everyone. The village head said the wedding party is coming again tomorrow. We can pick then, same thing.”
Seeing the veterans disappointed, Old Yan smiled and said.
“Didn’t they come today? Why again tomorrow?”
Tang Fei asked curiously.
By tradition, the wedding party came twice a year, once in spring, once in autumn.
In all his years, this was the first time he had heard of a third visit.
“Captain, actually this is the fifth time the wedding party has come this year.”
Old Yan laughed. “Xihe Bay now takes as many girls as come. The county magistrate simply sends all the county’s ‘money-losing goods’ straight to us.”
“Everyone heard that, right? The wedding party comes again tomorrow. Get the goods to the warehouse properly. I’ll go talk to the village head tonight. Tomorrow’s girls are ours to pick first.”
Tang Fei said with a smile. “Old Yan, make another trip. Ask the gentleman to come to the warehouse.”
Except for Old Yan the scout, all the other veterans’ horses carried gold. Tang Fei had been extremely cautious the whole way. He did not want anything to go wrong at the last moment.
“Got it.”
Old Yan agreed and rode off.
He did not go to Jin Feng’s house, but went straight to the iron forging workshop.
When he asked at the workshop, Jin Feng was indeed in the laboratory next door.
After the gate guard veteran reported, Jin Feng came out with Zhou Jin.
Both wore thick pigskin gloves and masks, and special coveralls.
“Old Yan is back?”
Jin Feng removed his mask, took a deep breath, and asked, “Was the journey smooth? Any bandits?”
“We met bandits, of course, but we had heavy crossbows and plenty of men. We took care of the bandits. No brothers were hurt. Overall, very smooth.”
Old Yan said, “The captain asked me to invite the gentleman to the back mountain warehouse.”
Xihe Bay had several warehouses. Things for iron forging, textile raw materials, and finished products all needed separate storage.
But the most heavily guarded and safest was the back mountain warehouse, where Jin Feng kept almost all his valuables.
“To the back mountain warehouse? Looks like Luo Lan made a killing in the capital this time.”
Jin Feng smiled and pulled off his gloves.
Zhou Jin sensibly stepped forward to untie the coverall straps from behind for Jin Feng.
“Old Yan, you go ahead. I’ll be there soon.”
The laboratory and iron forging workshop already kept Jin Feng busy enough. Accounts had always been handled by Guan Xiaorou and Tang Xiaobei.
Since he knew Tang Fei had brought money back, he definitely needed to bring both of them to count it.
Guan Xiaorou was at the table under the eaves mending insoles. Seeing Jin Feng return, she sighed helplessly.
Every time Jin Feng came back from the laboratory, his hair was always a mess, and his clothes were never clean.
“Run Niang, is there hot water in the bathhouse?”
Guan Xiaorou put down the insole and prepared to go inside to find clothes for Jin Feng.
Run Niang came out of the kitchen, laughed when she saw Jin Feng, and wiped her hands on her apron. “Brother Feng, sit for a bit. I’ll heat water now.”
“No rush. I need to go to the back mountain. I’ll wash when I get back.”
Jin Feng called to Guan Xiaorou, “Xiaorou, Old Tang is back. Get Xiao Bei. Let’s all go to the back mountain warehouse.”
“Alright.”
Guan Xiaorou went inside and dragged Tang Xiaobei out of her afternoon nap.
The back mountain was at the foot of the hill not far from where Jin Feng had shot the tiger. There used to be a large grove of trees.
Now all the trees had been cut down, replaced by rows of brick houses. More than half of the veterans with families were settled here.
This day was a rest day. The children did not have to go to school and were playing and laughing around the camp. Many women on night shift had not slept and were busy with chores.
It had become a small village in its own right.
“Gentleman, madam!”
Jin Feng’s prestige in the village now far exceeded the village head’s.
Seeing the three enter, women and children all came to greet them.
“Sister Tang, doing laundry?”
“Aunt Liu, you can’t just rely on beating to discipline kids. What? This boy sneaked into the women’s bathhouse? That deserves a beating. Hang him up and beat him!”
Jin Feng never put on airs in the village. He smiled and responded to anyone who greeted him.
Past the veteran settlement area was a wall of blue bricks.
Inside were more rows of brick houses where unmarried veterans and women soldiers lived and trained.
This was the Zhenyuan Escort Agency’s camp in Xihe Bay.
Zhang Liang was at the training ground. Hearing Jin Feng had come, he immediately brought a woman soldier running to the gate.
The woman soldier was A Pei. Like Xiao Yu, she was one of the first batch of women soldiers in Xihe Bay. Not only strong, she fought as well as the men. In her first battle, with teammates’ help, she killed several bandits and was praised by Qing Mulian as a model.
A Pei herself was ambitious. In later battles, she was always very brave, and her rank rose higher and higher.
Now Qing Mulian was out suppressing bandits with the Qingyuan Army and Changxin Army. The women soldiers in Xihe Bay were temporarily led by A Pei.
“We’re going to the warehouse, not looking for you.”
Jin Feng smiled and waved at the two, then led Guan Xiaorou and Tang Xiaobei straight through the training ground.
At the very back of the camp, at the foot of the mountain, were two brick houses. This was the back mountain warehouse.
When Jin Feng arrived, Old Tang had already unloaded everything from the horses and piled it at the warehouse door.
A trip to the capital and back took many days. The veterans all missed home. Passing the settlement area earlier, many had seen their wives and children, but no one left. They all stood guard with crossbows or Black Swords.
“Gentleman! Madam!”
The veterans all greeted the three.
“Everyone, well done.”
Jin Feng nodded in response.
“Gentleman, this is what Miss Luo Lan asked me to give you.”
Old Tang took an envelope from his pocket and held it out to Jin Feng with both hands.
“Quite thick.”
Jin Feng smiled, checked the wax seal, then tore open the envelope.
