Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 66 Guidance 2
Ma Tuchai had already left the rice shop, and she also took her younger brother Ma Qing, who worked at the rice shop, with her.

After seeing the rice shop fall from a distance, the siblings left the neighborhood and headed out of the city.

As soon as they arrived at the city gate, someone blocked their way.

"doing what?"

Ma Tuchai took the initiative to say, "I'm going back to visit my parents' home. My family is from the neighboring Gaoliu County. This is my younger brother."

Ma Tuchai was a mixed-race Han Chinese; her father was a Wuhuan person who adopted a new surname after being assimilated into Han culture.

This region has long been a country ruled by ethnic minorities, with several waves of non-Han people coming and going, resulting in an extremely mixed bloodline.

Customs were relatively open, and in some periods women ruled the country and were in charge of the household, so it was not uncommon for women to appear in public.

Liu Chonggu didn't recognize Ma Tuchai, but the soldier next to him quickly reminded him: "Banner commander, I know the man leading the donkey. He's a shop assistant from the Yang family's rice shop."

Upon hearing this, Liu Chonggu asked curiously, "Did your husband really go to Beitian Village to collect debts?"

Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Ma Tuchai nodded and said, "Yes."

At this moment, Ma Qing took out five taels of silver and carefully handed it to Liu Chonggu.

Seeing this, Liu Chonggu put the bag into his pocket and continued, "How many people did you go?"

“Five of them, all skilled workers in the shop.” Ma Tuchai felt there was no need to hide anything, so she told them all.

Liu Chonggu asked, "None of the five have returned?"

"nothing."

Liu Chonggu suddenly gained a deeper understanding of Beiji Wu's murderous intent, knowing that even if the county sent people over, Beiji Wu would definitely not surrender easily.

Seeing that Liu Chonggu refused to release the man, Ma Qing took out another five taels of silver.

"Sir, please do me a favor."

Ma Qing looked at Liu Chonggu pleadingly.

Liu Chonggu thought for a few seconds, then turned to his men and said, "Get out of the way!"

Ma Qing quickly handed over the money, and Liu Chonggu accepted it openly and honestly.

Ma Tuchai and Ma Qing both breathed a sigh of relief. If these people had refused to open the door, they might have been caught by them today.

Without a capable man in the family, no amount of reasoning could explain things to the group of villagers who broke down the door.

Liu Chonggu watched the two men about to leave the city and suddenly had an idea. He reminded them, "If you have nowhere to go, why don't you go find Beiji Wu? I know him, and he'll give me some face. You two go to Beitian Village and tell Beiji Wu not to cause any trouble."

Ma Qing and Ma Tuchai both looked at Liu Chonggu in surprise.

Ma Tuchai quickly said, "Thank you, sir!"

After Ma Tuchai and Ma Qing left, a soldier next to Liu Chonggu asked, "Banner Commander, why did you send them to join Beijiwu? This woman looks pretty good. Will they come back?"

Liu Chonggu smiled and said, "What's it to me!"

Liu Chonggu smiled, went to sit down and rest, and ignored his subordinates' doubts.

While the others stopped paying attention to Liu Chonggu, he sat there lost in thought.

"Let those two go over there this time and see if Arctic Martial will obey."

"This Arctic warrior is too bloodthirsty. If he's willing to give me face, I'll give him some respect in the future and we can befriend him."

"If you're unwilling to back down or admit defeat, then we'll handle this officially!"

"But are those two willing to go find Arctic Martial?"

Liu Chonggu felt this was very troublesome and that he needed to find someone to check Arctic Martial's attitude.

Arctic Warrior?
Liu Chonggu thought of Beijiwu's brother, but soon realized that things were even more troublesome.

Bei Jiyong was not Liu Chonggu's subordinate, but another centurion's subordinate, who had ten banner chiefs under his command.

Liu Chonggu was not a big shot; he was just one of the five hundred banner chiefs of Beiyuan Guard.

In Liu Chonggu's view, Beiyuan County would need to mobilize two to three hundred men to fight Beijiwu, and these would have to be elite troops equipped with armor and bows and arrows. Beiyuan Guard's total strength was only three to four thousand men, and mobilizing nearly one-tenth of its forces to capture one person was far too frivolous.

But if they fail to capture Beijiwu, Beiyuan County will be in big trouble.

Liu Chonggu didn't see Arctic Martial Arts take action. If he had actually witnessed Arctic Martial Arts Arts killing people, he wouldn't be so optimistic.

It would take at least a thousand people to surround the Arctic Army!
Large-scale battles have little impact, but in small-scale battles involving a few hundred people, encountering a fierce general like Arctic Wu would almost certainly result in a one-sided defeat.

After leaving the county town, Ma Tuchai shouted to her younger brother, "Hurry up, or we'll be in trouble if someone catches up with us!"

Ma Qing said, "They've already let us out, what could possibly happen?"

"Foolish!" Ma Tuchai cursed, "Can a mere gatekeeper decide what happens in this city?"

Ma Qing agreed, so he led the donkey and hurried on his way.

Unfortunately, the donkey was really slow, and Ma Qing was panting heavily as he pulled it along.

After walking for more than half an hour, the two saw a group of people resting on the official road.

These people were also riding donkeys and horses; there were six men and four women. They looked like both Hu people and Han people.

Seeing the several bags of luggage these people were carrying and the attire of the women, Ma Tuchai deduced that they were not traveling far, so she took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"May I ask what kind of business you are in, and where you are headed? Could you give us a ride?"

Ma Tuchai looked at the three young women. These three women did not seem to have been forced or sold.

The group of ten didn't seem to be very well prepared; they didn't bring tents or use oxen, probably because they weren't going to a very far place.

Hu people generally don't go to the interior, so Ma Tuchai thinks they are most likely going to Gaoliu County.

The siblings were too slow walking with their luggage, and it would be troublesome if they encountered bad guys on the way. It would be safer for them to blend in with the group.

Several men nearby saw the woman and struck up a conversation. Before the men could even speak, one of the women casually answered their questions.

“We are going to Beitian Village to get married, not to do business.”

Ma Tuchai was immediately startled. "Beitian Village? I've heard there's a man there named Beiji Wu..."

Tuoba Niu didn't recognize Ma Tuchai and Ma Qing. When he heard others mention Beiji Wu, he smiled and said, "Beitian Village is full of mountain farmers. The chief of the mountain farmers is Beiji Wu. Beiji Wu is incredibly brave and sincere. Are you a couple? Where are you going?"

Ma Tuchai replied, "Beiyuanwei is no longer a viable option, so I plan to go to Gaoliuwei to take a look."

Seeing this, Tuoba Niu stood up and said, "Then we won't go that way. Let's go first, mount our horses and donkeys, and get to Beitian Village as soon as possible before sunset."

The rest of the men and women stood up and prepared. The women rode on donkeys, while the men pulled the donkeys and rode forward on horses.

There were three married women from Changchengtun, four men from Changchengtun, and three Tatar slaves, making up a family of three: a husband and wife and a Tatar boy.

Seeing this, Ma Tuchai called out to Tuoba Niu, "Can we go to Beitian Village and see if the people there can let us rest for the night?"

Tuoba Niu sized up Ma Tuchai, finding the woman to be fairly attractive, and the man leading the donkey beside her didn't seem threatening.

"It's hard to say. You should ask when you get there. There shouldn't be any problems."

Tuoba Niu sensed that the woman and the young man were of mixed Hu (non-Han) descent, and since neither of them seemed like a bad person, he offered them a small helping hand.

Ma Qing looked at Ma Tuchai in alarm, not understanding why she would walk into the lion's den.

Ma Tuchai, however, felt that this was a sign from heaven, as two people in a row were guiding her to go to Beitian Village to meet that Arctic Warrior.

"Thank you, brother. May I ask your name?"

Tuoba Niu was in a great mood and said with a smile, "My name is Tuoba Niu, and I'm from Changchengtun. Where are you from, young lady?"

As the group set off, Ma Tuchai said softly, "This is my husband, Ma Qing. My name is Tuchai. We were originally from Gaoliuwei, but we came to Beiyuanwei to make a living."

Ma Qing clearly didn't want to talk. He didn't want to go to Beitian Village, but he had no choice but to go.

Tuoba Niu looked at Ma Qing, who was silent, and said with a smile, "Then come with me. I'll take you to Beitian Village to rest for the night. You're brave, girl, and you seem very forthright!"

Ma Tuchai thanked him warmly, "Thank you, brother!"

(End of this chapter)