In a daze, Li Yan was shaken awake. When he opened his eyes, he saw his fourth sister, Li Xiaozhu, beside him. His third brother was already gone. Her eyes were red and swollen as she looked at him and said, "Fifth Brother, Uncle Guoxin is here. Father wants you to get up and go see him."
Li Yan had barely slept the night before, only drifting off after the rooster had crowed several times. Sitting up, he said to his sister, "Fourth Sister, I'll go right away."
But Li Xiaozhu didn't move. She just stared at him with reluctant eyes. Seeing her expression, Li Yan's heart tightened inexplicably, though he forced a smile onto his face.
"Fourth Sister, don't be like this. I'll come back to visit during the New Year. Though by then, I don't know if you'll still be home."
Li Xiaozhu froze for a moment, then her face flushed red.
"Shameless!"
Then she turned and left.
Watching her retreating figure, Li Yan couldn't help but sigh softly. He didn't even believe his own words.
Coming back for the New Year? It was already late summer, early autumn. In half a year, who knew what his situation would be? Let alone next year or the year after.
After a quick wash, Li Yan went to the front room. Inside sat five people, his father, mother, third brother, fourth sister, and a brawny man in his forties.
The brawny man sat on a slightly taller, sturdier chair. He had a square face, a thick beard, and wore a short-sleeved hunter's outfit that revealed his muscular frame. Despite the biting chill of the early autumn morning in the mountains, he showed no sign of cold, exuding an imposing presence.
When Li Yan entered, the man laughed and said, "Li Yan, you're up a bit late."
Li Yan quickly stepped forward and bowed.
"Uncle Guoxin, good morning!"
The man was Li Guoxin, the village chief. Aside from farming, he was an expert hunter who often led the village's young men into the mountains' outskirts. Thanks to him, the village had fared better than others during the recent locust plagues, at least no one had starved to death.
Li Guoxin looked at Li Yan, then at his mother, Li Wei, and Li Xiaozhu before speaking.
"Originally, I wasn't planning to go to the city for another two days. The second son of Old Shan's family and Old Li Tian's eldest are heading to the county town to work as kitchen helpers and blacksmith apprentices. I was supposed to take them and vouch for them. But last night, Uncle Chang came to my place and told me about Li Yan's situation, so I decided to leave today instead."
Li Yan's father was known as Li Chang in the village, often called "Uncle Chang" by others. Li Guoxin glanced around before continuing.
"Actually, I already told Uncle Chang yesterday, Li Yan could go to the county town to work like the others. It's a safer job. But I have to be clear: a half-grown kid like him would have no experience. He'd have to start as an apprentice. Apprenticeships come with fees, and apprentices have to do all kinds of work. They also have to sign contracts. If something happens during the apprenticeship, the master bears no responsibility. But Uncle Chang still decided to send Li Yan to the army for food and pay."
Seeing Li Yan's mother's red, swollen eyes, Li Guoxin felt the need to explain.
The real issue was money. Li Yan's family was poor. Even though the apprenticeship fee was only five hundred wen, for a family of five that barely scraped by on fifty wen a month, it was nearly a year's worth of expenses, impossible to afford.
Second, apprenticeships were grueling. Apprentices had no freedom and no dignity until they completed their training. It wasn't uncommon for masters to beat or even kill their apprentices.
Li Chang looked at Li Yan and said firmly, "It's settled then. We'll have to trouble you, Guoxin."
Li Yan's mother, her eyes still puffy, immediately asked anxiously, "He's leaving today?"
The village chief nodded.
"That's right. Although conscription happens often, yesterday someone returning from the county town said that Marshal Hong started recruiting early yesterday morning. This time, it's for the city garrison, the kind that guards officials' families, granaries, and armories. They usually don't see battle, so within two or three days at most, the slots will be filled. If we're late, we'll miss this good opportunity."
Li Yan's mother panicked.
"What? They'll still have to fight?"
Li Xiaozhu also looked at Li Guoxin in alarm.
Li Chang, seeing his wife and daughter's reactions, slapped the table in displeasure.
"Didn't Guoxin just say it's the garrison? The garrison! They guard the city and homes, they don't fight! Look at how you're acting!"
Li Xiaozhu and her mother shrank back, casting timid glances at Li Guoxin, who quickly nodded in agreement and reassured them until they finally calmed down.
Li Yan, however, had remained silent since greeting the village chief. Seeing his mother and sister like this, a wave of sorrow rose in his chest, a lump forming in his throat as his eyes reddened.
If I ever make money, he thought, I'll come home and stay with my parents and siblings. Never leave again. I want to see their happy smiles every day, to bask in that warmth.
In truth, while garrison soldiers usually avoided combat, if war broke out and troops were scarce, it didn't matter if they were garrison or not, they'd be sent to man the city walls. Enemy arrows and blades didn't discriminate between garrison soldiers and generals.
And in desperate times, the garrison might even be ordered to charge out and engage the enemy directly in true life-or-death battles.
Still, garrison duty was far better than most other military postings.
Li Wei, standing to the side, watched Li Yan with concern. He had a vague sense that things weren't as simple as the village chief made them seem.
Li Guoxin, noting Li Yan's silence, asked, "Do you have any questions?"
Li Yan thought for a moment before speaking.
"Uncle Guoxin already said the garrison is personally recruited by Marshal Hong to guard granaries, armories, and even officials' homes. That's already a great, hard-to-get position. I'll do my best in this role."
Hearing this, Li Guoxin frowned slightly, thinking Li Yan had taken his words at face value.
I'll have to set him straight on the way. If he really believes this job is risk-free, he might get himself killed.
Li Guoxin then bid the family a temporary farewell.
"We'll leave in half a quarter-hour. It'll just be me and the three boys. No one else can come along, with four people and luggage, the carriage won't move fast enough to reach the county town before nightfall."
The village only had two good horses. Adding the weight of four people and their belongings, reaching the county town by sunset was already pushing it.
Soon after sunrise, the carriage rolled out of the village, the mountain hamlet slowly shrinking behind them.
Looking back at the small crowd still gathered at the village entrance, especially the weeping women, the other two boys on the carriage, both around thirteen or fourteen, burst into loud sobs, wiping their tears incessantly.
Li Yan, however, remained silent, watching his mother and sister crying in each other's arms, his father leaning on his limping third brother for support.
From the moment he boarded the carriage, neither his father nor third brother had spoken another word, they just smiled as hard as they could.
His mother and sister, however, kept fussing over his slightly worn coarse-cloth clothes, as if worried they weren't neat enough. Between sobs, they reminded him of a hundred things, to come back when he could, that there were dried rations and pickles in his bag for when he was hungry, to drink when thirsty...
Li Yan didn't cry. He just held back his tears, forcing a smile as he waved.
"Father, Mother! Third Brother, Fourth Sister take care of yourselves. Next time I come back, I'll bring gifts from the city. Third Brother, look after the family!"
"Little Fifth, I will, I will. Go on, go on..."
"Fourth Sister, once I'm settled, I'll send you city cosmetics!"
"Little Fifth... I'll wait, I'll... sob..."
"Little Fifth—!"
With a heart-wrenching cry, Li Yan's mother collapsed into her daughter's arms.
Around them, the other two families' wails rose and fell, and the crying on the carriage grew even louder.
Li Yan could no longer hold back. Tears streamed freely down his face, yet he made no sound.
The carriage slowly pulled away, taking him farther from the place he'd grown up, from the foot of the Great Qing Mountains, from every familiar tree and blade of grass.
As they rounded a bend, the village shrank into a small, dark speck before finally vanishing from sight. But the sound of weeping still carried faintly on the wind, piercing the heart...
(Chapter End)