Judging by the height of the sun, it was probably around eight in the morning.
The alleyways were already bustling with activity. Street vendors called out their wares, people came out to fetch water, some sat in front of their homes sorting vegetables or doing embroidery, while others carried hoes on their shoulders as they headed to the fields.
There was a strong sense of everyday life everywhere.
When Wei Ning and the others passed by, the residents merely glanced at them before returning to whatever they were doing.
It seemed that exiled prisoners were nothing unusual here.
Just as the soldier had said the previous night, after walking about five hundred meters, they saw a much larger earthen house with a tiled roof. A wooden sign hung beside the gate with the words “West City Ninth Hundred-Household Military Office.”
Two soldiers stood guard on either side of the entrance.
Wei Qian stepped forward and explained their situation. After the guards went inside to report, the entire Wei family was brought into the main hall.
The Ninth Hundred-Household Military Office of West City was under the command of Hundred-Household Commander Shen Yi, a lean and capable man of about twenty-eight or twenty-nine.
He issued the men who were required to report for duty coarse hemp uniforms specially provided by the government.
He then explained the rules of the military settlement clearly. Military households were allowed only two days of rest each month; on all other days, they had to report for duty and work.
Yinzhou City also had a curfew. Family members were allowed to leave the city freely during the day, but they had to return before curfew. Random roll calls and inspections would be conducted to prevent family members from escaping.
Afterward, he had soldiers take the Wei family to inspect the barren land that had been assigned to them.
There wasn’t much of it, and the land was poor.
They were allowed to reclaim and cultivate it to grow food for themselves, as long as they paid a certain amount of taxes each year.
About a hundred households lived in the residential area where their new home was located. Most were relatives of military households who had been exiled there, along with the families of soldiers stationed at the Ninth Hundred-Household Military Office. All of them were under the office’s jurisdiction.
By the time they returned home, it was nearly noon.
Second Uncle Wei Chong went to the main street in West City and bought some wild-vegetable flatbreads. Everyone received one.
That was their breakfast and lunch for the day.
After eating, the family held a meeting and divided up their responsibilities.
Second Uncle took Second Aunt and their eldest son, Wei Jin, to purchase household necessities.
Father took Wei Yan and Wei Xiao to the mountains to chop firewood.
Grandmother, Mother, Wei Ning, and Wei Ci stayed behind to clean the house and courtyard.
They barely finished cleaning by sunset.
For dinner, they finally had their first hot meal of the day—a bowl of millet and wild-vegetable porridge with a little salt.
For Wei Ning, who was accustomed to the delicious food of her modern world, it was almost unbearable. The coarse grains combined with the bitter, astringent taste of wild vegetables offered no pleasure whatsoever.
It was nothing more than the bare necessity of staying alive.
After dinner, everyone washed themselves as best they could before going to bed.
Grandmother and Wei Yuan slept in the room on the right side of the main house.
The two rooms on the right side were occupied by Wei Ning’s family. Wei Qian and his three sons shared one room, while Wei Ning and her mother shared the other.
On the left side, Second Uncle slept with Wei Jin and Wei Zhao, while the side room was occupied by Second Aunt and Wei Ci.
Each room had only one thin cotton quilt.
That meant Mother Yang and Wei Ning had to share the same blanket.
Wei Ning, who had slept alone for many years, found it extremely uncomfortable.
Once she got into bed, she closed her eyes and turned her back to Yang.
Several times, Yang seemed as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she merely sighed softly and said nothing.
More than half an hour later, Wei Ning felt the blanket being gently pulled up to her neck.
The blanket settled against her back.
Then came the quiet sound of someone getting out of bed, followed by footsteps and the opening and closing of the door.
Wei Ning opened her eyes in the darkness.
Her mother, Yang, had gone outside.
After waiting for a while, Wei Ning got up and quietly opened the door.
The other rooms were completely dark. Only Grandmother’s room still glowed with the dim light of a candle.
Several silhouettes were visible through the shabby window paper, and faint voices could be heard inside, though she couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Wei Ning tiptoed over, sat down against the wall beneath the window, and pricked up her ears.
Inside the room, Second Uncle placed the family’s remaining silver beside Grandmother, who was sitting upright on the heated brick bed.
“Mother, we only have five taels and forty copper coins left!”
“Things are expensive here in the borderlands. We only bought the necessities and didn’t dare purchase even one extra thing.”
“This little money won’t last even two months. We have to find a way to earn more.”
Father Wei Qian sighed.
“That’s easier said than done. We just arrived, and starting tomorrow, all the men have to report for work. That leaves only the elderly, women, and children at home.”
“We still have to reclaim the barren land and plant crops. Wei Yuan and Wei Zhao also need someone to look after them.”
“Nie’er and Wei Ci are only half-grown girls. They can only help with minor chores. The household will have to rely entirely on Mother, Qing’er, and Second Sister-in-law.”
“How are we supposed to make money? And where would we even find the opportunity?”
Mother Yang’s worried voice followed.
“Today, when I went to the village well to fetch water, I chatted with some of the women there. That’s when I learned that winter arrives early here and lasts for six months.”
“Temperatures will start dropping around the middle of next month. We practically have no warm clothes, not enough firewood or food, and the windows are still broken.”
“Winter here is much colder than in the interior. Every year, hundreds of people freeze to death, most of them poor commoners.”
Wei Qian sighed.
“The new emperor never intended to give us a chance to survive. We somehow survived the journey, but staying alive here will be just as difficult.”
Second Aunt’s voice trembled with tears.
“What are we going to do? Zhao’er and the others are still so young.”
“This little money isn’t even enough to buy everyone a padded winter coat. And winter will arrive in less than twenty days.”
……
The adults continued talking inside the room, but Wei Ning stopped listening.
She crouched down and quietly returned to her own room.
The heated brick bed was hard and cold. There wasn’t even a straw mat or mattress.
The conditions were worse than those she had experienced as a child.
At least back then, she had a wooden bed, an old quilt, and her grandparents would cook sweet-potato porridge and dried radishes for her.
I have to save myself.
Even if people noticed that she had changed, so be it.
Staying alive was what mattered most.
Wei Ning raised her hand and touched the wound on her forehead.
She had bought some medicine today and reapplied it before bandaging the wound. It wasn’t nearly as painful anymore.
However, the original owner’s body was weak.
She needed to exercise and improve her physical condition.
Wei Ning closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.
She needed to conserve her energy.
Only after getting enough rest would her mind remain sharp.
As for when Yang returned, Wei Ning had no idea.
She had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Lying on her side, Yang looked at Wei Ning after the girl turned over.
Unable to resist, she reached out and gently touched her daughter’s face.
This was the first time the mother and daughter had shared a bed since Wei Ning had been taken away from Yang at the age of one.
This daughter, who had been separated from her since childhood and raised on her own, rarely spoke. She seemed distant from everyone, as though an invisible wall always stood between her and other people.
Now she had been dragged into this disaster as well, suffering hardship alongside the entire family.
“Nie’er, Mother didn’t take good care of you.”
“Perhaps in your next life, you won’t choose me to be your mother again, will you?”
Yang whispered softly.
A single tear silently slipped from the corner of her eye and rolled down her cheek.