Chapter 266: Chapter 266: Division of Groups
Gu Kaiyuan sighed, understanding the reasoning. After all, the Gu Family would eventually return to the capital, so they would endure these people a little longer for the time being.
Moreover, having them nearby also allowed him to keep an eye on them and prevent any further small actions from being taken.
At that moment, he saw Liu Pingkang and his group approaching from a distance. He initially thought they were going to discuss something with the government officials, but unexpectedly, they were heading towards them.
This time, Liu Pingkang had a very good attitude. "Brother Gu, we are also planning to return to the capital early tomorrow morning. We specifically came to bid you farewell. Is there anything you want us to take back for you?"
"There is indeed a matter I’d like to trouble you with," Gu Kaiyuan took out the letters he had prepared from his pocket, "These are letters from my wife to her mother. I’ll have to trouble you all to make this trip for us."
Taking the letters with both hands, Liu Pingkang felt that with these letters, their task was complete, and the reward promised by the Bai Family was soon to be received.
"It’s nothing, really. It’s just a small effort. If you ever return to the capital, let’s all enjoy a good drink together."
Although Gu Kaiyuan didn’t personally entertain them yesterday, he did book the best inn in the county for these escorts and served them the finest banquet, as a way of repaying their protection along the journey.
"That is only proper," Gu Kaiyuan had another question at the moment, "Weren’t you planning to travel with the escort agency?"
"Head Liu and the others wanted to stay here a few more days to see if there were any cargo escorts for the return trip. But after calculating the time, as their return date is uncertain, we feared that if we waited any longer, we would miss the New Year, so we decided not to wait for them."
The goods of Gu Kaiyuan had already been entrusted to Lin Hua and Lin Wei, who were quite capable. Last night, they had already purchased a courtyard and stored the goods there.
"In that case, I’m afraid I won’t be able to see you off tomorrow. I’ll just have to wish you all a safe journey here."
After some more polite exchanges, Liu Pingkang led his group away.
Su Daquan, responsible for bringing them to the village, and Village Chief Zhu Ziqiang, who had come to receive them, witnessed the scene and paid extra attention to Gu Kaiyuan and his family. Even the soldiers escorting them treated them with such respect, indicating that these people were likely not simple commoners.
Particularly, when verifying the list earlier, there were four extra people on Gu Kaiyuan’s side, claiming to be ordinary commoners. Being on the same road, they received a bit more attention.
From their interactions, one could guess what was happening. Indeed, even a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. At any time, some people could still enjoy privileges, and no one wanted to, nor dared, offend them.
Neither Su Daquan nor Zhu Ziqiang was difficult with them, and the procedures were quickly completed.
No matter what, they needed to return to the village as soon as possible. There were many things to arrange, so they urged everyone to get on the road quickly.
Just as they were about to leave, Chen Dafu and Zhou Gang’s families hurriedly approached with their people, "We sincerely apologize for being late."
Zhu Ziqiang was puzzled, wondering who these people were, as those they were supposed to take were already there. "Your group is not on our list. We have all the people from our village here."
"There is no mistake," Chen Dafu quickly took out his household registration book, "You are the village chief of Tian Village, right? This is the household registration Lord Xu obtained for us."
Next to him, Zhou Gang quickly handed over his own registration, "Mine was arranged by Lord Wu."
Hearing that the County Magistrate and a county official arranged the registrations for these two, Zhu Ziqiang dared not assume authority and quickly received the documents with both hands, finding that indeed they were part of Tian Village, which caused him some headache.
"Official Su, see this...," Zhu Ziqiang said with a wry smile, "Although Tian Village doesn’t have many people, it doesn’t have enough land for cultivation for so many. How do I allocate it?"
Good heavens, over a hundred people in total, more than the original village population. It was originally a small to medium-sized village but could now be directly classified as a large one.
Yet, he really didn’t want to accept these people. More people meant more trouble, and with so many new villagers, how could he, as the village chief, manage them?
"Since this is arranged by the officials, it’s hard work, Village Chief Zhu. When we return, we should measure out all the wastelands; they came to cultivate. If they can’t reclaim the land, naturally the officials will hold them accountable." Su Daquan understood his dilemma and pulled him aside, "After all, these arrangements were made by the officials, and we can’t say much against it."
The reasoning was sound, but Zhu Ziqiang’s heart was still displeased, and he felt a strong sense of unease. These were all connected families. How could his village really suppress them?
"Let’s quickly head back. We should measure out their land today, and the rest will be up to them," Su Daquan urged as he saw Zhu Ziqiang’s hesitation, "If you disagree, perhaps you could go directly to the two officials to discuss it..."
"Forget it, let’s go," Zhu Ziqiang didn’t have the courage. He was just a small village chief and feared that even if he tried, he wouldn’t be able to meet them, leading to self-humiliation.
In any case, he would measure out the wastelands for everyone according to regulation. If they complained about the allocation, that would not be his business. Tian Village was only so large. If they complained to the officials, he wasn’t afraid.
A grand procession set off, and those who were also exiled with them breathed a sigh of relief, finally shaking them off.
After leaving the county, they had not traveled two miles before entering a narrow path where even ox carts barely passed.
Although said to be the nearest village to the county, an hour’s walk was required,
"In this godforsaken place," Gu Antong looked at the desolate landscape with only a few low straw houses in sight, "Where will we live? Surely not in those houses?"
Village Chief Zhu, leading ahead, couldn’t be bothered to answer as this family’s questions were the most numerous along the way.
"This is Tian Village," Su Daquan had never seen a young lady as beautiful as Gu Antong, so he responded with a flattering smile, "Those are the villagers’ houses. You will also be allocated a piece of land where you can build one."
"What? There’s no place to live?" Xu Yulan looked shocked, "Where will we stay tonight?"
Su Daquan did not speak as warmly to her, "Where did you stay on the way here?
You managed in the wilds; why would staying in the village be any different?
Don’t forget, you are here in exile. Do you expect us to prepare everything for you?"
Even if they had connections, their status was still below that of ordinary villagers.
"Officer, this woman hasn’t seen much of the world and misspoke," Gu Kaiyuan knew enough about the conditions of exile to not offend the official. Otherwise, being allocated land at the foot of the mountain would make life even harder. So, he awkwardly changed the topic, "How many people are there in our village now?"
