Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 11: The Road is Filled with Lamentations (Please Read On)
“This matter is not difficult at all. Sir, please do not be ashamed of me by mentioning the reward. You are an honored guest of the Guo family and a great physician who saved the young master. It is my honor to be able to help you.”

Guo Fu's face was full of smiles as he both refused and accepted.

He refused Zhang Xian's payment but accepted Zhang Xian's job.

However, Zhang Xian also refused, saying, "Manager Guo, please don't refuse the payment. Although I'm buying wasteland, I'll still need to build houses on it eventually. Manager Guo will have to handle all the details. It's not like I'm paying for my land with your own money."

Guo Fu thought about it and it seemed to make sense, so he stopped refusing: "Then I, Guo, will accept your offer."

After saying this, he turned around and called a servant over, instructing him: "Leave 100,000 coins for the master, and put the rest into the storeroom for now."

"promise."

A servant ran back to inform everyone, and then the two large boxes were left in the side courtyard, while the others were carried out by a group of servants.

At this moment, Guo Fu turned to Zhang Xian and smiled: "The head of the family has personally gone to the county government to handle the matter of your household registration. However, there are bound to be many trivial matters involved in the registration, filing, and filing. Before leaving, the head of the family also instructed me that if you wish to stay at the Guo residence, everything will remain the same. If you wish to return, that is also possible. Once the household registration is completed, the Guo residence will send someone to deliver it to you."

"Well then, we'll leave everything to Steward Guo. We'll take our leave now." Zhang Xian nodded, then turned and beckoned to Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan.

"Let's go, Yun-di and Lan-di."

"Okay, Brother Xian."

Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan arrived lightly behind Zhang Xian. Perhaps because they had talked before, the two seemed even closer to Zhang Xian.

"This way, sir. The Guo family has a few gifts for you."

Guo Fu ordered five or six servants to lift the wooden box in the courtyard. The heavy box creaked and groaned, and it was quite a struggle for the people carrying it.

It must be quite a lot of work. One hundred thousand Wuzhu coins! Even if each Wuzhu coin only weighs three or four grams, one hundred thousand coins would weigh more than three hundred kilograms, maybe even four hundred kilograms.

Even though the two wooden crates were distributed very evenly, the weight in one of them still exceeded two hundred kilograms.

Zhang Xian wondered if he had underestimated the importance of money in this era.

Ten thousand coins seems like enough to kill someone, not to mention the million coins the Guo family paid him for his consultation.

The scale of the gesture was considerable, but it also indirectly demonstrated Guo Tang's importance to the Guo family of Zhen Ding. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be the next head of the Guo family.

The group arrived at the main gate of the Guo residence, where a carriage was already parked.

On the carriage, a dozen bolts of cloth were neatly stacked, and several wicker baskets contained some vegetables and chickens and ducks that were rare for this season.

Guo Fu led everyone to the carriage and pointed to the items on it, saying, "Mr. Zixu, these are parting gifts from the mistress and young lady, as well as food for the journey."

Zhang Xian understood the meaning behind the words even before they were finished.

It's likely that the Guo family mother and daughter gave him these clothes because they didn't fit him properly.

Since the consultation fee had already been received, there was no need to refuse these things. Several servants had already carried the two wooden boxes containing the money onto the carriage and tied them up.

So he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Guo Fu and said, "Then please ask Steward Guo to convey my gratitude to Madam and Miss for their kindness."

"Please, Steward Guo, stay here. My two brothers and I will take our leave for now."

Guo Fu straightened his clothes and bowed to Zhang Xian and the other two.

Then, in a stern voice, he said, "Open the main gate!"

The sturdy door creaked open.

Several servants pulled the carriage toward a side gate, while Zhang Xian and his two companions once again crossed the high threshold of the Guo residence and stood on the stone-paved street of Zhen Ding County.

The horses' hooves clattered on the stone slabs, and the three nags they brought, led by servants from the Guo household, came out from the side gate along with the carriage.

Two servants were changing the horses pulling the carriage; they were using the very horse Zhang Xian was riding. Alright.
Zhang Xian's eyes darted around before landing on Xiahou Lan.

"Brother Lan, you're a good rider, would you like to drive the carriage?"

“Okay, Brother Xian.” Xiahou Lan did not refuse and turned over to sit on the carriage railing.

Zhang Xian turned around and bowed again towards the Guo residence, saying, "Farewell."

Guo Fu also bowed and said, "Take care, sir."

The wheels kept turning until they passed through the city gate of Zhen Ding County.

There was still more than an hour before noon. If they were quick, the three of them might be able to make it to Tong Yuan's house for lunch.

This trip to Zhending County was incredibly fruitful.

With his identity settled and a considerable sum of money secured, he could soon enter the ranks of small landowners in the Han Dynasty and own a 200-acre plot of land if he managed things properly.

It's not exactly big, but it's enough for now.

If you work hard to improve the skills on your character panel, you should be able to protect one side before the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

I just don't know how big this area can be.

By the way, how many more years until the Yellow Turban Rebellion?

I did ask Tong Yuan and the people in the Guo family, and they always said it was the fifth year of Guanghe. So, what year was the fifth year of Guanghe?

Damn it, at least tell me what year it is! He's played a lot of Three Kingdoms games, and he remembers the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184 AD.

But he hadn't actually researched which year corresponds to 184!

Back in the small mountain village, I still need to sort through the timeline to see if I can recall any major events recorded before the Yellow Turban Rebellion that could help me deduce the Gregorian calendar year.

Wait, what year did Liu Xiu ascend the throne again? I do have some recollection of the Grand Magus; I think it was around 25 AD.

Go back and ask Tong Yuan; he should be able to deduce the current timeline.

Lost in thought, Zhang Xian and his companions were getting further and further away from Zhen Ding County.

"Grandpa! Please, grandpa, Ni'er is still so young, please let her go! She's just starving, she's just starving!"

Suddenly, the cries from the side of the road startled Zhang Xian, who was still pondering the timeline.

He stared intently and saw a seven-foot-tall man holding a seven- or eight-year-old child by the neck, lifting him into the air.

"Damn it, you little brat, how dare you steal the meat strips that your grandpa fed to the ever-victorious general! You're really asking for it! You're asking for death!"

The man had a fierce look on his face. He slapped the child whose neck he was choking across the face. A middle-aged woman on the ground was crying and screaming, while several laughing men surrounded her.

"Brother Yun!"

"Got it, Brother Xian! Giddy up!"

A gray horse galloped away, the clattering of its hooves gradually changing from a slow, steady pace to a rapid, intermittent clatter.

"Lan Di, move closer to me!"

"Got it!"

　Please vote, please read on, I'm begging you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)