Chapter 65: Gou Family Village (Part 2)

A guide was quickly found, a local peddler. Gou Family Village wasn’t exactly Mordor; besides the few devilish households of the Gou family, most residents were ordinary people who needed daily necessities like needles and thread. Where there was demand, there was supply. Of course, doing business in Gou Family Village required some courage. It was considered normal to get robbed by the former professional criminals who were now the family’s retainers if your luck was bad, and it wasn’t out of the question to get a beating. Lin Quan’an was one of the very few peddlers who dared to do business in Gou Family Village. The reason was simple: since almost no one else dared to go, prices were a bit higher and demand was stronger. This showed that Lin Quan’an was a very courageous man—he was also the first person to sell goods at the free market in Bairen City.

Although the urban plan for Bairen City had long designated a plot for a free market, no one had come to trade. While traveling from village to village, Lin Quan’an heard that the “kūnzéi pirates” had put out the word: anyone who wanted to do business or work as a short-term laborer at Bairen Beach was welcome. Of course, this didn’t have much effect at first, but it gave Lin Quan’an an idea. He specifically sought out a few laborers who had returned from Bairen Beach and asked them in detail about the situation there, coming to a conclusion:

This group of “short hairs” wasn’t leaving anytime soon. The reason was simple: they were frantically building houses, which strongly suggested they intended to settle down there.

Since they were settling down, there would be a lot of demand, and thus, great business opportunities.

Lin Quan’an decided to test the waters. Before going, he made thorough preparations.

His goods were a shoulder-pole load of vegetables. Being a vegetable seller in Lingao was not a promising career. The reason was simple: apart from some demand in the county town, every rural household grew their own vegetables on their own plot of land and wouldn’t spend money to buy them. But since this group of “short hairs” came from the sea, they couldn’t have grown vegetables on their ships. People can live without meat, but not without vegetables—at the very least, they’d get constipated. Secondly, if the other party was unreasonable and prone to plunder, his loss would only be a load of vegetables. As for whether they would capture him as a free laborer—since they had released so many prisoners, why would they bother with him?

He carried his load of vegetables all the way to the Bairen Free Market, where he found himself alone in the vast open space. Just as he was feeling apprehensive, Wu Nanhai having received the news, came out and, without a word, bought the entire load to improve the cafeteria’s meals. Lin Quan’an was overjoyed. It seemed the “short hairs” not only needed vegetables but were also very generous. They didn’t seem to treat copper coins as real money, casually tossing him two hundred coins without even counting them. And these weren’t the flimsy “sand-shell” coins that would break if dropped, but shiny, golden Wanli-era coins! In truth, even if Lin Quan’an had brought a load of dirt, this group of “short hairs” would have had to buy it—this was called setting an example.

Back and forth he went, and soon Lin Quan’an became the exclusive vegetable supplier for the transmigrators. Recently, he had also started supplying live pigs, chickens, ducks, and eggs, in quantities that were astonishing. The animal protein intake of ancient people was very low. Livestock and poultry were rarely eaten on a daily basis. It was nothing like the diet of these five hundred otaku, who ate meat at every meal and had eggs every day. As a result, prices immediately skyrocketed. All the nearby farmers were planning to raise more chickens, ducks, and pigs in the coming year.

Lin Quan’an struck it rich. His shoulder pole was replaced by a handcart, and just as he was preparing to hire an assistant and get a cart and animal, Master Wu of the “short hairs” came looking for him, asking him to be a guide to Gou Family Village.

With his wisdom, Lin Quan’an certainly knew that the “short hairs” going to Gou Family Village was a classic case of “a weasel paying a New Year’s call to a chicken”—with no good intentions. Although he loved making money, getting involved in a dispute between two major gangs would not end well, so he immediately tried to decline. But this Master Wu casually mentioned that the cafeteria’s procurement prices were a bit high. As he was settling his accounts and leaving, he noticed many of his competitors peeking around the gate of the stockade—the power of a good example was indeed limitless.

To protect his monopoly, Lin Quan’an had to take a risk. However, before setting out, he declared that he would do nothing other than lead the way. Wu De readily agreed.

There was also an uninvited member in the team, comrade Wang Ruixiang. Reconnaissance was completely unrelated to his business; his self-proclaimed title was “Chief Designer of the Wang’s Weapons Design Bureau,” but in reality, he was just an odd-jobber in the mechanics team. Comrade Wang insisted on joining for two reasons: first, he had painstakingly carried a large model airplane and a remote-controlled helicopter all this way, and they had yet to be used; second, as a deeply hidden nationalist, he deeply distrusted Xue the ABC, always feeling that the man’s loyalties were questionable and that his betrayal was only a matter of time. He had to monitor this dangerous individual—if he dared to do anything to betray the people, betray the Party, no, betray the Executive Committee, he would immediately get a taste of the climbing axe on his belt.

Xue Ziliang had no idea of this man’s sinister intentions. He thought that using a model airplane for reconnaissance against an enemy of the great landlord Gou’s level was like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken, but it was worth a try, so he agreed to let this member of the “Axe Gang” join the team.

This reconnaissance mission was a plainclothes operation. Everyone changed into local commoner’s clothes and wore headscarves. To hide their strange hairstyles, they also wore bamboo hats. The group carried back-baskets, which, in addition to weapons and reconnaissance equipment, also contained some small goods like needles and thread prepared by Lin Quan’an.

Before setting out, everyone also smeared dust and dirt on their faces to look less clean and fair-skinned—a major difference between the transmigrators and the locals was that their skin was generally paler.

Five or six people, dressed as common peddlers in the county, slowly made their way towards the Gaoshan Ridge.

Bypassing the county town and walking for a little over ten li, they arrived at Dongchun Village at the foot of Mount Piye. This was an ancient village with a thousand-year history, settled since the Han Dynasty. Now, there were still a few dozen households in the village. The times were troubled, and even such a small village had built an earthen wall taller than a man. By the roadside was a tea shed selling coarse tea and dry rations for passersby. Because the guide said there were still more than ten li to go after entering the mountains, Xue Ziliang decided to take a short rest here so everyone could gather their strength before setting off again.

Fearing infectious diseases, the transmigrators never ate any food cooked by the locals. The medical team had repeatedly warned them that typhoid fever was rampant in this area. Everyone drank water from their own bamboo canteens. Lin Quan’an didn’t have so many taboos; he was used to this group of “short hairs” and their extreme obsession with cleanliness, so he wasn’t surprised. While they were resting, he quietly explained the details they needed to pay attention to later.

From here, they would enter the mountains, and after another ten or so li, they would reach Gou Family Village. This road led directly to the village, and there were very few people on it, other than the villagers themselves and peddlers like him. The Gou family’s militiamen and retainers often patrolled this road. If they encountered strangers, they would question them, partly to guard against enemies, and partly because the mountain resources here were monopolized by the family. Woodcutters, hunters, and merchants all had to pay a fee to the family to gather firewood, hunt, or cut timber. Private hunting and logging were not allowed.

He reminded the reconnaissance team that if they had anything special in their back-baskets, it was best to hide it somewhere first. If it was found during a search, they would be taken to the village for interrogation, and they would be lucky to escape with their skin intact.

Xue Ziliang consulted with his team members and changed the formation to a single file column. Ye Mengyan was the point man, Xue Ziliang was second in line to provide cover, and the others followed one by one. Lin Quan’an was placed third, led by the menacing Wang Ruixiang. Seeing this group of “short hairs” suddenly become so murderous, Lin Quan’an was scared to death.

“Don’t be afraid, just keep leading the way!” Xue Ziliang grinned at Lin Quan’an, revealing his big white teeth in a sinister smile. Wang Ruixiang, standing next to him, felt a jolt and suddenly thought that if he really had to fight this ABC, he probably wouldn’t be his match.

“Attention, our mission is to reconnoiter the enemy’s defenses and, if possible, capture a prisoner,” Xue Ziliang instructed. “Avoid any conflict if unnecessary, but if a firefight breaks out, make it clean and decisive!” He looked around at the young men beside him. “Don’t use your guns casually. Use your knives!”

Everyone’s heart skipped a beat. This business of killing, doing it for the first time in their lives, was a bit unsettling. But they had been taught enough during their training: war is life and death, and there is no room for mercy.

The group maintained their formation and headed into the mountains. This Mount Piye was a famous mountain in Lingao, close to the county town and one of the local scenic spots. The name “Piye” came from Master Piye, a Brahmin monk who crossed the sea during the Han Dynasty. The mountain has six ridges, and Gaoshan Ridge is the second main peak. At the top of the ridge is a temple dedicated to the Great God of Gaoshan Piye. The name Gaoshan Ridge also comes from the temple. In front of the temple is a clear lake, its surface as calm as a mirror, known as “Flat Mirror Lake.” It was a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, with pleasant scenery. However, this group was preoccupied with thoughts of killing, arson, and plunder, and was in no mood for such aesthetic appreciation.

They didn’t encounter many pedestrians along the way; the few they saw were just hurried villagers. The legendary professional criminals of the Gou family did not appear, saving them the trouble of premature killing. The reconnaissance team bypassed a small hill and walked for seven or eight li. In the distance, they saw a small mountain at the foot of the main peak, densely covered with houses. Lin Quan’an said that was Gou Family Village. The valley below the hillside was covered with fields.

At this point, they were less than three or four li from the village. Xue Ziliang led the team into a patch of woods. He observed the terrain with his binoculars: the village was built against the mountain, surrounded by a high, thick earthen wall. The main gate was made of wood, and on either side of the gate, a watchtower was built into the wall. The road ended at the village. There was no moat, but many obstacles like cheval de frise had been set up. For infantry in the age of cold weapons, assaulting the walls would be quite difficult.

After marking the height of the walls, the towers, and the sentry posts on the map, Xue Ziliang made up his mind to go in and see for himself. No matter how much reconnaissance technology had advanced, on-the-ground reconnaissance was always the most accurate source of intelligence.

He turned and ordered Lin Quan’an to lead him into the village. This command terrified Lin Quan’an. Leading the way was one thing, but bringing this tall, imposing “kūnzéi” devil into Gou Family Village… if anything went wrong, neither of Lingao’s two major gangs would spare him. He was about to kneel and beg for mercy when Wang Ruixiang, who was guarding him, pulled out his axe. The gleaming axe flashed before his eyes as Wang asked him if he wanted “board-knife noodles” or “wonton noodles”—truly the nature of a pirate. Lin Quan’an had no choice but to obediently stand up.

“Listen, I can speak Minnan dialect!” Xue Ziliang said. “Just say I’m from your hometown and I’m here to help you.”