Chapter 2: A Long Journey

In a daze, Li Yan was pushed awake. He opened his eyes to see that it was fourth sister Li Xiaozhu, next to him, third brother was no longer there, fourth sister looked at him with red and swollen eyes and said, "Fifth brother, Uncle Guoxin is here, father asked you to get up and go over." Li Yan didn't sleep much last night until the rooster crowed a few times and he fell asleep sleepily, he sat up straight and then said to his fourth sister, "Fourth sister, I'll go now." Li Xiaozhu, however, did not move, still looking at him with unwilling eyes. Li Yan looked at the other party's expression, his heart tightened for no reason, but his face revealed a smile. "Fourth sister, there's no need for that. I'll come back to see you next Spring Festival, just that I don't know if you'll be at home by then." Li Xiaozhu froze at his words, and then her face flushed. "Annoying!" Then she turned around and went out the door. Li Yan looked at his fourth sister's back and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, he didn't even believe his own words. He would come back in the New Year… Now it is already the end of summer and the beginning of fall, not to mention what will happen to himself in half a year, or what will happen next year or the year after next, he doesn't even know. After simply washing up, Li Yan came to the front room. At this time there were five people sitting in the front room, father, mother, third brother, fourth sister, and a strong man in his forties. The strong man sat in a slightly taller and larger chair. He had a square face with a full beard, and wore a short-sleeved hunter's uniform with gnarled muscles. In this early fall morning, the mountain village is already chilly, but he does not look cold, sitting there but also has a momentum. Seeing Li Yan enter, the strong man laughed. "Li Yan, you're getting up a little late." Li Yan took a few steps to the strong man, bowed and said. "Good morning, Uncle Guoxin!" The name of the strong man was Li Guoxin, who was the village chief of this village. In addition to plowing and farming, he was also a good hunter, often leading the village's young and strong men to go hunting in the periphery of the mountains. During the locust plague in the past two years, it was thanks to him that the village life was better than the other villages, at least there was no starvation. Li Guoxin said after looking at Li Yan and then at Li Yan's mother and Li Wei and Li Xiaozhu. "Originally, I was to go to the town two days later. The second son of the Old Shan family in the village and the eldest son of the Li Tian family are going to the county town to work as a kitchen helper and blacksmith's apprentice, so they asked me to send them there and then give a certificate of proof. Last night Uncle Chang came to my home and told me about the matter of Li Yan, so I decided to go over there today." The name of Li Yan’s father was Li Chang, and everyone in the village called him Uncle Chang. Li Guoxin looked at everyone again and continued. "In fact, yesterday I also told Uncle Chang that it's okay to let Li Yan go to the county town to work as a laborer like the others, and this is a safe and sound job. However, I have to make it clear that this kind of work, a half-grown boy like him is definitely inexperienced and must start as an apprentice. Apprentices have to pay a fee, and secondly, they have to do all the work, and they have to sign a contract. If something bad happens during the apprenticeship process, the master will not pay anything, but Uncle Chang still decided to let Li Yan go as a soldier." Li Guoxin looked at the red and swollen eyes of Li Yan's mother, but he still explained the matter. This is also mainly a matter of money. Li Yan's family didn't have much money anyway. Although the apprenticeship fee was only 500 cents, for this family, it was undoubtedly out of their reach. Their monthly expenditure is only about 50 cents, this will have to spend nearly a year's expenditure, how can they afford to do so. The second reason is that being an apprentice is hard work and there is no personal freedom. The apprentice has no dignity until he is finished with his apprenticeship. It was not uncommon for masters to beat apprentices to death. Uncle Chang said after glancing at Li Yan. "It's settled! It's going to be a lot of trouble for you now, Guoxin." Li Yan's mother's eyes were red and swollen, and when she heard this, she was in a hurry to say to the village chief. "Leaving today?" The village chief said with a nod. "Yes. Although recruitment is a regular thing nowadays. But yesterday, someone in the village came back from the county town and said that General Hong had already started recruiting soldiers early yesterday morning. This time the soldiers are probably the garrison of the inner-city guards. This kind of guards usually protect the families of the officials in the city and guard the granaries, armories and whatnot in the city. They generally won't go into battle, so if it's as slow as two or three days, it should be filled up, so if we go late, we'll miss out on this opportunity." Li Yan's mother was anxious when she heard this. "Huh? There's going to be a war?" Li Xiaozhu also looked at Li Guoxin anxiously upon hearing this. After hearing his wife's words, and then seeing his fourth daugher's anxious appearance, Uncle Chang slapped his hand on the table in front of him in dissatisfaction. "Didn't Guoxin say that this is the Close Guard! The Close Guard is to guard the city and watch over the family, no war! Look at what you guys look like." Li Xiaozhu and Li Yan's mother timidly glanced at Li Guoxin. After Li Guoxin glanced at Uncle Chang, he also nodded his head repeatedly, and then comforted them, and only then did they put their hearts down and stopped pursuing the matter. Li Yan has not said a word since he entered the door and said hello. At this time he saw his mother and fourth sister like this, his heart couldn't help but feel sadness of separation rising up, a wave of sourness clogging his throat, and his eyes began to redden slightly. He thought that if he earned money in the future, he would go home to his parents and relatives, and would never stay away from them again. He wanted to see their satisfied smiles every day, enjoying the warmth of their joy. In fact, although the Close Guards don't have to be in the battle in normal times, if the battle comes, it will not matter if you are a Close Guard or not if there are not enough troops. At least they are going to go up to wall defending the city. The enemy's sword, spear and arrow during the attack on the city do not have eyes, they cannot distinguish who is the close guards, who is the general, they will shoot without hesitation. In addition, when it comes to the emergency, the close guards may have to go out of the city to confront the enemy. At that time, it will be a real battle of life and death. But all in all, the Close Guard is really much better than the other ranks that are normally recruited. Li Wei, who was at the side, was worriedly looking at Li Yan. He vaguely knew that things were not as simple as the village chief said. Li Guoxin saw that Li Yan kept silent, so he said to him. "Do you have anything to ask now?" Li Yan thought about it and spoke anyway. "Uncle Guoxin has already said that the close guards are recruited by General Hong to guard granaries and armories, and even to guard the families of officials. Then this errand is already very good and hard to seek, and I will be sure to serve this errand well." When Li Guoxin heard this, he frowned lightly, thinking that Li Yan really believed all of his words, but in his heart, he said. "On the way, I'll have to talk to this kid. He mustn't really believe that this is a risk-free errand, and that he'll lose his life then." Li Guoxin then said goodbye to Li Yan's family. "'We'll set out in half a quarter of an hour. This time it's just me and the three descendants going together, so there can't be anyone else to send off at home. It's over two hundred miles of mountain road, so if one family goes with a sender, plus the baggage, the cart won't be able to run fast enough, and it'll be hard to get to the town today." There were only two good horses in the village, and after pulling up the cart and adding the weight of the four of them, it was the limit for them to reach the county town before sunset. Not long after the sun had risen, the carriage had driven out of the village, and the mountain village was slowly distancing behind them. Looking at the several families still standing at the head of the village, as well as the crowd of weeping women, the other two boys on the cart, who were also only about thirteen or fourteen years old, whimpered and cried, wiping their tears non-stop. Li Yan looked at the crying fourth sister and mother in the crowd, as well as the third brother who was walking with a limp to support his father, remaining silent. Until Li Yan got on the carriage, Third Brother and Father didn't say another word and just tried to smile. The fourth sister and his mother, however, kept pulling the corners of his half-new ragged clothes, fearing that the clothes would be untidy. They cried while entrusting all sorts of things, asking him to come back to see them when he had time, and there were dried food and salted vegetables in the parcel, so he could eat when he was hungry and drink when he was thirsty... Li Yan did not cry. He just held back his tears as a burst of acidity hit his heart, forcing out a smile and waving his hand at them. "Father, Mother! Third Brother, Fourth Sister, take care of yourselves. Next time I come back I'll bring you good things from the town. Third brother, take good care of the family!" "Old Five, we remembered, we remembered, go, go..." "Fourth sister, when I settle down, I'll bring you back the town's rouge and powder!" " Old Five...Sis...wait, woohoo..." "Old Five..." With a heartbreaking cry, Li Yan's mother collapsed into her fourth sister's arms... The other two families were also crying, and the sound of whimpering on the cart was even louder. Li Yan could no longer control the tears, letting it flow freely on his face, but he did not make a sound. The cart finally slowly moved away, away from the place where Li Yan grew up, away from the foot of the Great Green Mountain, away from the familiar grass and trees here As the cart turned a corner of the mountain, the mountain village gradually became small, and finally no longer visible, but it seems that the wind came from the village cries louder and louder, making people heartbroken...