Too many female prisoners, a special forces soldier transmigrates and marries wildly.

Chapter Nine: Three Women Return Home, Initial Settlement

The escort arrangements for Liu Yun and A Yue went surprisingly smoothly, thanks to Zhang Kui's urging and Lin Feng's discreet "tea money" bribe.

Three days later, a small team led by Wang Shun's cousin Wang Gui and guarded by four veteran soldiers, escorted a slightly larger mule cart carrying Liu Yun and A Yue, as well as some simple cloth, salt, iron pots and other things that Lin Feng had specially prepared for them to settle down. They left Fenghuo Camp and embarked on the long road to Linyuan County in Liaoxi Prefecture.

This time, Lin Feng didn't just escort Shi Xiu to the camp gate like he had when he did. He rode alongside him for a while until the outline of the military camp disappeared from sight, before stopping at a fork in the road.

"Brother Wang Gui," Lin Feng said, taking out a small cloth bag from his pocket. Inside was about a string of cash (one thousand coins), which he stuffed into the hand of Wang Gui, the squad leader.

"The Shi sisters will leave a few days ahead and should be nearing Linyuan County. They are from the Black Stone tribe and are unfamiliar with the area, so their language skills may be limited. Liu Yun is from the south, and A Yue... is somewhat withdrawn. Please take good care of them on the road and once they arrive, and make sure they are safely reunited and escorted to the proper place in Xiahe Village. This is a small token of my appreciation, to buy wine for the brothers on their journey."

Wang Gui was a younger man than Wang Shun, but he seemed quite composed. He took the heavy money bag, a smile spreading across his face, and patted his chest, assuring him, "Deputy Squad Leader Lin, don't worry! My cousin specifically instructed me before he left that your matter is our Wang family's matter! We'll make sure you're settled in perfectly! There won't be the slightest mistake on the way!"

Lin Feng nodded, then looked at the mule cart. Liu Yun and A Yue sat side by side at the back of the cart, wearing coarse cloth dresses issued by the camp, wrapped in old felt blankets for warmth. Liu Yun had her head down, twisting her fingers, making her expression unreadable. A Yue's face was still smeared with ash, her head slightly tilted, seemingly looking at the withered trees by the roadside, indifferent to everything around her.

"Once we arrive, follow the arrangements of the village head and elders, and wait for me to return," Lin Feng said to them. His tone remained calm, but it seemed to carry a subtle gentleness compared to when he spoke to Shi Xiu. After all, these would be the people living under the same roof with him for a long time to come.

Liu Yun trembled slightly and softly hummed in agreement. A Yue, however, showed no reaction.

Lin Feng said no more, turned his horse around, and galloped towards the Beacon Fire Camp in the morning light. He still had his own matters to attend to—the final procedures for settling back home on leave, and some necessary arrangements before leaving the camp.

After seeing off his two "new wives," Lin Feng returned to the military camp and was immediately pulled by Zhang Kui to Han Yingzheng's tent.

"Lin Feng, your leave to return home and settle down is approved, one month." Han Yingzheng handed him a document stamped with a red seal. "You made great contributions in the Battle of Vulture Fortress, and are hereby granted the privilege of having two wives. Such an honor is rare in our Beacon Fire Camp in recent years. Go back and settle down well, and do not let it go to waste. Return to camp on time after one month. The Northern Border still needs brave warriors like you."

"Thank you, Commander Xie! I will return to camp on time and continue to serve you!" Lin Feng bowed solemnly and accepted the document. With this official certificate, his journey home and his affairs in his hometown would be much more convenient.

"Okay, go ahead. Zhang Kui, see him off." Han Yingzheng waved his hand.

Outside the military tent, Zhang Kui put his arm around Lin Feng's shoulder and whispered, "Brother, this time when we go back, there are three more mouths to feed at home, plus a teenager. Expenses will be considerable. Spend your reward money as needed, and use it to help with household finances. I'll keep an eye on things back at the camp. If that bastard Liu Biao dares to do anything underhanded while you're away, I won't let him get away with it!"

"Thank you, Sergeant." Lin Feng felt a warmth in his heart. Zhang Kui was a rough and boisterous man, but he was loyal and righteous.

I was just about to ask the squad leader to take care of the brothers of the Seventh Squad while I'm away. I've already explained the training methods to Gou'er and Wang Hu; let them lead the training. Also, be careful of Liu Biao; that man is vindictive, so we must be on guard.”

"I know!" Zhang Kui nodded. "Go back home and sort things out first! We're brothers, there's plenty of time for us to meet again!"

After bidding farewell to Zhang Kui and the brothers of the Seventh Company, Lin Feng returned to the barracks to make final preparations. He carefully wrapped most of his money (about four strings of cash and a few pieces of silver) in oilcloth and hid it in the lining of his leather armor and the inner layer of his boots. His iron-backed bow and thirty fine arrows were essential, and he also sharpened his old knife until it gleamed. He also packed some dried meat and fried noodles as provisions. Finally, he also packed the relatively intact leather armor that Han Yingzheng had bestowed upon him—it might come in handy back home.

Once everything was ready, he led out the old horse that had been assigned to him in the camp (a temporary wartime allocation, not his personal property, but which he could apply to use during holidays) and left the beacon camp in the afternoon.

This time, it's a true homecoming.

Target: Liaoxi Prefecture, Linyuan County, Xiaohe Village.

He traveled hundreds of miles alone on horseback.

Lin Feng was eager to return home. On one hand, he wanted to see as soon as possible whether Shi Xiu, Liu Yun, and A Yue had arrived safely and settled in. On the other hand, he also wanted to see with his own eyes what his "roots" in this world—that vague "home" in his memory—actually looked like.

In the original owner's memories, the parts about Xiahe Village and "home" were not pleasant. Her parents died early, leaving behind a few acres of meager land and two dilapidated houses, most of which were seized by distant relatives of the clan. The original owner was weak and could not fight back, and then the imperial court conscripted soldiers, so she was pushed out to fill the quota of military households, and was almost driven out of the village. The so-called "home" was probably only a name and those two dilapidated houses that were about to collapse.

"Very well, a blank sheet of paper is just what I need to start with." Lin Feng didn't feel much sadness; instead, he felt a sense of pioneering.

With chaos looming, a starting point entirely under one's own control might be more suitable than a "home" filled with complicated family entanglements.

Five days later, Lin Feng, weary from his journey, finally saw the low, dilapidated earthen city wall of Linyuan County.

Instead of going into town, he followed his memory and turned directly onto the dirt road leading to Xiahe Village. The road grew narrower and bumpier, and the scenery on both sides changed from slightly open fields to low hills and sparse woods. It was late autumn, the vegetation was withered and yellow, and the scene was desolate.

After walking for about an hour, a nearly dried-up stream appeared ahead, with several crooked thatched huts and mud-brick houses scattered along its banks. Under an old locust tree at the village entrance, several old men wearing tattered cotton-padded coats and basking in the sun with their hands tucked in their sleeves cast curious yet wary glances at Lin Feng as he rode up on horseback.

This is Xiahe Village. A small, impoverished, isolated village in my memory, where people were distant and cold.

Lin Feng dismounted and led his horse toward the old locust tree. The old men immediately stopped talking and watched him warily. Lin Feng was dressed in worn leather armor, carrying a sword and bow; he was travel-worn but had sharp eyes, clearly not an ordinary villager.

"Greetings, gentlemen," Lin Feng said, clasping his hands in a fist and palm salute, trying to keep his tone as gentle as possible. "May I ask how to get to the village head's house? Also, have any soldiers been escorting female relatives to the village recently?"

An old man with a missing front tooth sized him up, then hesitated and said, "Sir? You...you are..."

"My name is Lin Feng, a native of this village. I served in the border army in the north and have recently been granted permission to return home to settle down," Lin Feng said.

"Lin Feng?" The old men looked at each other, seemingly vaguely recognizing the name but unable to place it. After all, the original owner of this body had left the village several years ago, and back then he was just an inconspicuous teenager.

"Oh! I remember now! It's that kid from the Lin family!" Another old man with a scar on his face slapped his thigh. "The one who was conscripted into the army a few years ago! You... you're still alive? And you're an officer now?" He saw Lin Feng's leather armor and waist knife, as well as his old but military horse.

"I was lucky to survive and managed to get a minor position in the army," Lin Feng said. "The village head's family..."

"The village head's house is at the east end of the village, in the biggest courtyard!" The toothless old man quickly pointed the way, his attitude becoming much more respectful.

Even ordinary soldiers of the border army are not to be trifled with in the eyes of the villagers, let alone Lin Feng, who doesn't look like an ordinary soldier.

"Thank you." Lin Feng mounted his horse and headed towards the east end of the village. Behind him, he heard the hushed whispers of the old men.

"Is it really the Lin family's son? He doesn't look like it..."

"Coming back from military service really makes a difference; he looks much more intimidating..."

"I heard that a few days ago a soldier sent two young ladies here, and they're staying in his dilapidated house in the west of the village. There's also a woman with a younger sister who arrived a few days earlier..."

Lin Feng felt a little relieved; they had arrived. He spurred his horse to the east end of the village and indeed saw a relatively neat earthen-walled courtyard, much more impressive than the surrounding thatched huts. The gate was open, and a middle-aged man wearing a thick cotton-padded coat and hunching his shoulders was chopping firewood in the yard.

"May I ask if this is the village head's house?" Lin Feng asked from outside the door.

The man looked up, saw Lin Feng, paused for a moment, put down his axe, and walked over: "Indeed, I am Lin Youfu, the village head. And you are...?"

"My name is Lin Feng, a military household member from this village. I recently returned home to settle down. A few days ago, some comrades from the army escorted my female relatives here, and they should have already handed over the documents to the village head." Lin Feng dismounted and took out his identity documents and a fake permit for returning home from his bosom.

Lin Youfu took the document, examined it carefully, and immediately broke into a smile: "Oh! It's my nephew Lin Feng! Good day you're back! Good day you're back! The document is all correct, all correct! The people have all been delivered, and the three young ladies are settled in your old house in the west of the village! You must be tired from the journey, nephew, please come inside and have some hot water!"

Their enthusiasm was almost excessive.

Lin Feng understood that this village head had probably done a lot of work when he seized the original owner's property, and now that he seemed to have "made it big," he had changed his tune.

"Thank you for your kindness, but there's no need for hot water. I've been away from home for several years, and I'm eager to go back and visit first." Lin Feng put away the document, his tone calm.

"Ah, of course, of course!" Lin Youfu was a little embarrassed, but his smile didn't fade.

"Those two old houses in the west of the village are in disrepair. I originally wanted them to stay at my house temporarily, but that woman surnamed Shi insisted on waiting for you to come back by yourself..."

"No need for the village head to trouble himself, I have my own arrangements." Lin Feng interrupted him, mounted his horse, and said, "Farewell."

Having said that, he flicked the reins and headed towards the old house in the west of the village that he remembered. Lin Youfu was left standing there, his smile gradually fading, replaced by a shadow of gloom and calculation.

"Just because you're a junior officer, you've got to act all high and mighty... Hmph, three women, let's see how long your meager resources can last!" He muttered under his breath, then turned and went back into the house.

Following his memory, Lin Feng quickly found the two mud-brick houses at the west end of the village, which were almost completely overgrown with weeds.

This was the original owner's "home." It was even more dilapidated than she remembered. Most of the thatched roof had collapsed, the mud walls were cracked, and the windows were just empty holes. Only a small open space in front of the door had been swept clean and piled with some freshly chopped firewood, indicating that someone lived there.

In the courtyard, a sturdy woman dressed in thick, old clothes stood with her back to him, forcefully swinging a broken axe, chopping at a thick, withered tree branch. Her movements were somewhat clumsy, but powerful, each swing carrying a fierce force. It was Shi Xiu.

Under the eaves next door, a slender figure sat on a small stool, holding a needle and thread and a piece of cloth, seemingly mending something, but her fingers trembled slightly, and she occasionally looked up worriedly at Shi Xiu, who was chopping wood. It was Liu Yun.

In the shadows of a more distant corner, a tall, silent figure sat against the wall, his face still smeared with ash. On his lap lay a rusty woodcutter's knife, found from who-knows-where, which he was silently sharpening with a stone. It was A-Yue.

Shicao'er isn't here; she's probably inside.

Three women, each in a different state of mind, create a strange yet tenacious scene in this dilapidated courtyard.

Lin Feng reined in his horse, looked at it quietly for a moment, and then dismounted.

The sound of horses' hooves and the commotion alerted the people in the courtyard.

Shi Xiu turned around abruptly, her axe held horizontally in front of her chest, her eyes sharp as a mother wolf protecting her cubs. When she saw that it was Lin Feng, she was clearly taken aback, her fingers gripping the axe loosening slightly, but her wariness had not completely faded.

Liu Yun let out a soft "Ah!" and the needle and thread in her hand fell to the ground. She hurriedly stood up, looking at Lin Feng helplessly, her face pale.

A-Yue paused for a moment while sharpening her knife, raised her eyelids, and glanced at Lin Feng with her bright eyes that were unusually clear despite the dirt. Then she quickly lowered her eyes again and continued sharpening her machete, as if he were just an insignificant passerby.

Lin Feng tied his horse to a half-dead tree by the door and went inside.

His gaze swept over the dilapidated house, over the three women with different expressions, and finally landed on Shi Xiu's face.

"I'm back."