Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

People are speechless when they are extremely sad or extremely happy.

Grandma Li was truly reluctant to see Ye resign from his corvée labor service, but women in the countryside often grow old without companionship and have little say in the matter.

Even if you try to kill yourself, it will only give others more to talk about.

After the old lady was helped up, she cried for almost the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

She didn't say anything, but simply held Ye Ci in her arms. Her trembling body made Ye Ci truly feel the longing of his loved ones.

He cannot say, "Your real grandson is no longer here."

"Grandma, I'm back, don't cry..."

Ye Ci wiped away the old man's tears with her sleeve, and at that moment her stomach made a rumbling sound, which was clearly heard.

"I'll go get some rice bran and make you a wild vegetable pancake."

Li staggered slightly, bracing herself on her knees, before finally getting to her feet.

As she stood up, she noticed the girl behind Ye Ci.

The girl nervously clasped her hands together, leaning against the kitchen door, gazing longingly inside.

"This is?"

"My spoils of war... Oh, right, she's mute, but she can hear. You can just call her Mumu."

Ye Ci picked up the firewood and walked to the earthen stove, intending to start a fire.

Mumu hurriedly came over, took the firewood, and obediently ran to start a fire.

Grandma Li looked bewildered:

"Spoils of war? A mute?"

Those who went out to perform corvée labor in recent years are considered lucky to return alive, let alone bring back spoils of war.

Ye Ci sighed deeply and recounted the past years to Li Shi:

"I was only responsible for building walls and digging ditches before. Later, when the war got more intense, we were all conscripted into the army. We were just moved to another place to build walls and dig ditches, and also feed horses and chop wood. In short, we did all kinds of work, just assisting those soldiers. Later, when the war got more intense, someone taught us some combat techniques, and we were also required to go to the battlefield."

"After winning several battles, everyone will be rewarded. When it comes to rewarding merit, those with connections will be rewarded with the title of Marquis of a Thousand Households or Marquis of a Ten Thousand Households, while poor families without connections will receive one hundred taels of silver. It is said to be one hundred taels of silver, but the centurion will deduct fifty taels, the ten-man will deduct thirty taels, and they will only have twenty taels left."

"..."

"Twenty taels is quite a lot. Ever since you were arrested, Grandma couldn't even find out any news about you. She usually weaves bamboo baskets and hampers to sell for money, and she's reluctant to spend any money. She finally managed to save up two taels of silver and planned to ask someone to inquire about you. I didn't expect you to come back."

Li was still shaken, wiping away her tears: "It's good that you're back. I was really afraid you wouldn't come back. Your father... he left and never came back."

Before long, Mumu lit a fire, and the earthen stove crackled and popped, finally bringing some life back to the house.

In the corner of the adobe house was a stove. As they spoke, Ye Ci looked at the almost empty rice jar, with only a shallow layer of rice bran remaining.

Ordinary families typically eat coarse grains like brown rice and corn as their staple food. Only wealthy families can afford white flour, while their households only have rice bran left.

Li usually ate pancakes made with vegetable leaves, which saved her from using oil and salt.

Seeing the bare walls of the house, Ye Ci sighed, "When I came back, I used all the reward money to bribe people, and now I only have a dozen or so coins left... given to me by a friend."

"Money doesn't matter, as long as the officials don't send you to your death..."

Li walked hunched over to the rice jar, and soon, the sound of scraping the jar echoed in the room.

"They often sent me to my death. Several times they even prepared my death notice. It's hard for someone without money, power, or background to survive on the front lines... Fortunately, the war improved, and we had a spot to return home. This spot was very precious. Even the sergeant wanted to grab it. I gave all three hundred taels of silver to the centurion, and that's how I got the chance to come back."

"Three hundred taels!"

Madam Li stopped scraping the rice jar and exclaimed, "How come there's so much silver? Have you won many battles?"

Ye Ci hummed in agreement: "The squad leader is my friend, he gave me two hundred and eighty taels..."

Mumu shuddered, remembering the corpse that had collapsed in the woods.

The words were spoken vaguely, and Li didn't hear them clearly, but she kept muttering to herself:

"No matter how much money it cost, it's good that we're back. Now that we're back, let's find some work and live a good life..."

As she spoke, her tone suddenly became lighter. She mixed the rice bran with water, then peeked out the wooden window.

Then he reached into his pocket and rummaged around as if it were a precious treasure, a smile spreading across his wrinkled, bark-like face:

I found an egg today.

"Found it?"

The grandfather and grandson exchanged a glance.

Ye Ci recalled the cursing from Madam Wu at the door earlier, and also peeked out to see if Madam Wu was at the door.

"Ignore that shrew; she made sarcastic remarks when you were in prison."

The old woman gently cracked the egg onto the stove, and with a soft crack, the bright yellow yolk flowed into the bowl. Mixed with rice bran and wild vegetables, a gentle stir released the grassy aroma of the wild vegetables and the savory fragrance of the egg.

A little vegetable oil was poured into the pan, and with a sizzling sound, the flatbread slowly took shape. The old man continued to mutter to himself:

"After you finish eating, hurry over to your second uncle's house and tell them the good news."

Li carefully used a bamboo shovel to flip it over, and the aroma of rice bran mixed with eggs filled the air.

A meal of egg pancakes is considered a decent meal even for poor families.

"Oh, right, I have some flatbread here."

Ye Ci turned around and took out a few pieces of cake from his satchel, stuck them to the side of the pot, and used the residual heat to heat them. Before long, an enticing aroma filled the entire kitchen.

Li used a broken plate to scoop out the rice bran cakes, then sprinkled some chopped green onions on top, making them smell incredibly fragrant.

Ye Ci was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back, and he didn't care that it was hot, so he ate it in big bites.

Mrs. Li looked at her grandson, then at the timid girl's figure behind the stove, her eyes full of kindness.

"Come and eat together."

"..."

Mumu walked over cautiously with her eyes downcast, picked up a piece of cake with both hands, ate it in small bites at first, and then stuffed it into her mouth in big bites, as if she had been starving for half her life.

As the group ate their pancakes, Li finally turned her attention to Mumu.

When spoken to, Mu Mu only nodded or shook her head.

"Girl, eat slowly, don't choke..."

"Hmm."

She dared not utter a sound.

Seeing that Li wanted to ask more questions, Ye Ci interrupted her, saying that Mu Mu was a refugee from a neighboring county, so as not to worry the old lady.

This will also save us from being discovered by our neighbors and causing unnecessary trouble.

In fact, both the Southern Barbarians and the people of Daqian are human. He had seen adult women from the Southern Barbarians, and their bloodline actually gave them a more exotic beauty.

"It's good...it's good..."

Looking at her "child bride," Li said with a satisfied expression, "I'm too old to work anymore. Your father left behind a few acres of land, which your second uncle's family has been helping to manage. Now it's harvest time, so go and help them prepare enough food for the winter. Next year, these acres of land will all be yours."

"From now on, you can focus on farming. While I can still weave baskets and such, I'll save up some money for you. Mumu can learn some needlework. As long as the family is safe and sound, and we have a big, healthy baby boy..."

As she spoke, she wiped away her tears again, murmuring, "It's getting better, it's getting better..."

The old man was getting on in years and had a poor appetite. He ate a couple of bites, then put down the pancake, picked up his knees, and hobbled into the inner room.

"I'll go inside and tidy up... After you finish eating, we'll go see your second uncle and share the good news."

Sounds came from the inner room. Ye Ci lowered his head and ate. Hearing the word "second uncle" made him feel uncomfortable.

"Mumu, when the government came to conscript men, Grandpa had just passed away, so our family was only counted as one household, and only one person needed to go. The Ye family could have sent Second Uncle to do corvée labor, but in the end, they sent me instead. In other words, my father did corvée labor and didn't come back, and now they're sending me instead, which means the family line will end."

"Is there such a thing as an uncle in the world? My father is the eldest son, and I am the eldest grandson... He actually made me do corvée labor just because there were no other men in the family at the time, and he was the only adult man. He bullied me, a sixteen-year-old boy. The way things are in this world is that whoever is stronger gets to call the shots. It's like that at home, and it's like that outside."

"Once I died, the land that Grandpa allocated to my father would be taken by his family for nothing. I never expected to come back. Don't you think I should get it back with interest?"

"Hmm."

Mumu didn't speak, but nodded emphatically.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she raised her face and shook her head.

His eyes were filled with fear and unease.

Ye Ci said calmly, "I won't bring a knife. I'll just try to persuade him kindly and ask him to lend me ten taels of silver. We're family... I'm not the kind of person who holds grudges."

Seeing Mu Mu's puzzled look, Ye Ci continued:

"Ten taels, just ten taels. When I came back today, I first inquired in the county town, and the tuition fees for several martial arts schools in the town are all ten taels."

"In the military, those who have mastered martial arts start as centurions and can decide the life or death of ordinary people like us with a wave of their hand. I wanted to learn martial arts from the higher ranks, but the lower-ranking soldiers can only be exposed to some fighting techniques and can't learn real skills."

"If I want to learn real skills, I must go to a martial arts school and become an apprentice. Once I master martial arts, I can live in a nice house and marry a fair-skinned and beautiful girl."

"Putting all that aside, even if they recruit more soldiers, once I've trained, I won't be at a disadvantage or get killed in the army. These days, I've come to understand one thing: being well-trained doesn't necessarily mean defeating the enemy; it's enough to defeat your own people. Leave the task of dying to them."

"Martial arts training is the foundation for survival in chaotic times. Give me ten taels of silver and I can learn it. I have experience in this. I've mastered the skills I learned in the army."

"Well……"

Mumu murmured beside her, thinking that Ye Ciren was quite nice, telling her everything as if he were discussing things with her.

"The mute's secret must be kept to himself... Killing ordinary people doesn't require martial arts training, just ruthlessness."

Ye Ci glanced at her, and the latter immediately lowered her head, like a quail.

The room was quiet.

Ye Ci closed his eyes, as if he were dozing off, but he knew, of course, that he could master it.

With a slight thought, several lines of text appeared before my eyes.

[Heaven bestows its ordination, Heaven rewards diligence, with unwavering focus, all laws will naturally arise]

Name: Ye Ci

Lifespan: 18/36

[Technique: None]

[Techniques: Basic Combat Skills (Perfect), Basic Archery Skills (Perfect)]