Chapter 82: It Will Be Convenient Soon
Chapter 80 of "The Great Ming in the Box" opens presenting key developments: Gao Yiye skipped her way to the second floor.The second floor of the watchtower was... Read on!
Gao Yiye skipped her way to the second floor.The second floor of the watchtower was piled up with various materials bestowed by the Deity, including an entire room filled with cotton. In the past, Gao Yiye had to sneakily take some, but this time she felt confident. She reached into the cotton pile and pulled out a huge clump, larger than her own body.
Carrying such a big lump of cotton up the stairs was extremely strenuous; she couldnât even see the steps clearly and nearly tumbled down. Yet, her mood remained excellent.
Back on the third floor, she set up the spinning machine in her own room. As she hummed a song softly, she didnât know its name, only that her mother had taught it to herâŚ
âHey, Iâm the most mischievous girl in Gaojia Village, willful and as bold as brass.â
âFirst I want to be happy, everything else is just after thatâŚâ
Li Daoxuan watched the girl under the lamp, happily spinning away, and for some reason, his mood became remarkably good. He laid down his head and instantly fell asleep.
Early in the morning of the next day, the sound of the âSeventh Set of Radio Calisthenicsâ began to echo once more over Gaojia Village.
Gao Yiye led a large group of little children, starting their morning exercises in the âstudy well.â
One of the wells in the Hakka roundhouse of Gaojia Fortress had now been officially named âstudy well.â Mr. Wang had personally written the characters âstudy wellâ and hung them at the entrance to the courtyard.
As soon as those two characters were put up, no idlers dared to set foot even half a step into that courtyard.
Villagers thought the place for studying was a sacred spot. Uneducated, rough people entering it would be a desecration, so they had to stay far away.
Thus, no one could see Mr. Wang, who always acted very strict and unsmiling during lessons, hiding behind the children and secretly joining them in the exercises.
At the main gate of Gaojia Fortress, Bai Yuan turned over and mounted a fast horse. He clasped his fist toward Thirty-Two and said, âThird Lady, I plan to return to Bai Family Fortress now.â
Thirty-Two bowed deeply in return and said, âThank you, Mr. Bai, for coming to assist.â
Bai Yuan laughed heartily. When he had come, he brought Gao Chuwu along, riding two horses. But when returning, he rode one horse himself, while the other horse had two large jars strapped evenly on each side.
One jar held sparkling clear âdivine sugar,â the other contained snow-white âlard,â both scarce treasures hard to find in this year of drought.
Even as a wealthy landowner, Bai Yuan found it tough to get such items these times; money alone wasnât enough to buy them anywhere. Getting two big jars this time as thanks from Gaojia Village naturally made him extremely happy.
Back home, he could enjoy a few hearty meals properly.
Bai Yuan held the reins with one hand and waved the other toward Thirty-Two and the accompanying villagers, saying, âEveryone, Iâll head back to Bai Family Fortress first. If anything happens, donât hesitate to have someone notify me. Speaking of which, itâs about time for Gaojia Fortress here to buy some horsesâotherwise, just walking over to Bai Family Fortress takes two hours.â
Third Lady clasped his fist and said, âMr. Baiâs words are absolutely right, only the journey back and forth to the county town isnât safe now. The roads are dangerous; last time heading back to the county, we almost had an incident there. Luckily, we met Wang Er midway. Once the roads become stable, weâll go buy horses.â
Bai Yuan smiled and said, âConvenience will arrive imminently. If my guess isnât wrong, the road leading from Gaojia Village to the county town should become obstacle-free within a few days.â
Third Lady asked, â?â
Without explaining, Bai Yuan laughed loudly, spurred his horse, and called out, âOff I go!â
The fine horse immediately raised its hooves and galloped toward Bai Family Fortress. The horse carrying the white sugar and lard swiftly followed. With one man and two horses, they vanished far away in an instant.
The crowd felt quite confusedâwhat did his final remark mean?
Though Bai Yuan excelled in every other aspect, he loved putting on airs. He ran off without clarifying his words, leaving no way to ask.
Thirty-Two turned to the villagers and said, âAlright, stop crowding here; go about your own business. Look, the Deity has released the labor offenders through divine intervention, and a fresh day has started again.â
Everybody turned to see the circular âcolorful wallâ making a rumbling noise. Quickly, it shifted to open a gap.
Nearly two hundred labor offenders stepped out timidly, all gazing eagerly at Thirty-Two as if waiting for him to speak that sentenceâŚ
As anticipated, Thirty-Two opened his mouth and said, âGive each of them two grains of rice and let them cook it themselves. Once theyâre full, commence the .â
The labor offenders, upon hearing this, were overjoyed immediately and cheered in unison.
Thirty-Two angrily yelled, âStop celebrating! You are being punished, so learn your status. If it werenât for the Deity issuing an edict to have you fed, Iâd starve you fools half to death, or else I wouldnât go by the name Three-Two.â
The labor offenders ignored Thirty-Twoâs furious roar and kept cheering, âWe have food! So great!â
âIâd gladly do forced labor for a lifetime.â
âForced labor is truly fantastic.â
Thirty-Two: ââŚâhousand Yearsâno, Nine Thousand Years couldnât care less about a minor figure like him. After all, he had only leaned slightly toward the Eunuch Party, not being an actual member.
Cheng Xu sprang up instantly: âItâs over now, finished; I see my grandmother waving at me.â