Chapter 92: Will You Stay?
Li Daoxuan secured the nozzle, letting the mist generator work on its own, and found himself with time on his hands, his gaze drifting about.
His eyes landed on a middle-aged man, a curious sight in the crowd. Unlike the other villagers, he wasn't reveling in the light rain, but stood apart, then slowly, almost aimlessly, walked away from the jubilant crowd, making his way toward the Gao Family Fortress with heavy, deliberate steps.
Li Daoxuan shifted his attention. He watched as the middle-aged man knelt before the fortress gate, prostrating himself several times, his forehead thudding against the ground. "Heavenly Lord," he pleaded, "please grant this humble one your salvation."
"Curious," Li Daoxuan murmured. "Is this one of my villagers?"
He remembered each face among the initial forty-two villagers in the box, but after San Shier brought in over a hundred new people with flour, most faces became a blur. With the arrival of nearly two hundred Labor Reform prisoners later, he lost all track.
He couldn't immediately tell if this was one of his own villagers kneeling before his statue, but the bundle strapped to the man's back gave it away. Li Daoxuan realized, "This isn't one of mine; he's a newcomer, a 'wild villager' who just arrived from outside."
"Heavenly Lord, save me! Heavenly Lord, deliver me from suffering, rescue this humble one from this sea of bitterness!"
The middle-aged man continued thudding his head against the ground, then launched into a rambling self-introduction. As it happened, he was a resident artisan from the Chengcheng County government workshop, a low-status 'artisan household' like Li Da.
Ever since he'd heard about the two sculptors who'd found great wealth, he'd clung fiercely to the name Dao Xuan Tian Zun. After a long search and guidance from a local lay scholar, he'd finally arrived, seeking only the Heavenly Lord's mercy.
Gao Yiye, who had been playfully enjoying the rain outside, swiftly shed her childlike demeanor, found Li Da amidst the villagers, and quickly led him, their footsteps squelching, to the fortress entrance. Their cotton clothes were half-soaked, but fortunately, the fabric was thick, so there was no risk of any impropriety, even when wet.
The moment they arrived, Li Da recognized the middle-aged man and let out a gasp of surprise. "Luo Leg Hair?"
The man's original surname was Luo, but due to his unusually hairy legs, his fellow artisans had given him the nickname 'Luo Leg Hair.' Lacking refinement, their chosen nicknames were often as crude as they were accurate.
Luo Leg Hair stiffened as he saw Li Da. "Li Da, what are you doing here?" he stammered. "After Wang Er's rebellion, you vanished. We all thought you'd been..."
Li Da chuckled. "Well, it's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I took advantage of Wang Er's uprising to slip away, so I wouldn't be ordered around like a dog day in and day out."
Luo Leg Hair gasped. "You're mad! If you do that, you'll become a 'refugee' – lose your artisan registration, and you'll never be able to return to the city!"
Li Da grinned. "Here, I feast on rich food and live a good life every day, why would I ever go back to that miserable city? Who cares about artisan registration? They can keep it! Being a refugee here is far better than being an artisan in the city."
When he first arrived, his dream was simply to be a commoner, free of any official registry.
But after living here for a while, he realized that such status no longer mattered. As long as he remained in Gao Family Village, he was content; his identity was irrelevant.
Li Da's words left Luo Leg Hair utterly bewildered.
Li Da asked, "So why are you here? Did you escape like me? Are you giving up your artisan registration?"
A blush spread across Luo Leg Hair's face. "I... I heard those two sculptors talking about how they'd made a fortune under the Heavenly Lord's protection, so I... well... I came to see for myself."
Li Da paused, then burst into a hearty laugh. "I see! Well, you've certainly come to the right place. You're the finest paper artisan in all of Chengcheng County, and your arrival is truly serendipitous."
Luo Leg Hair looked utterly bewildered. "How is it perfect?"
Li Da gestured towards the imposing Gao Family Fortress beside them. "This fortress was only recently completed, boasting over two hundred rooms, yet not a single sheet of paper covers the windows. All of them are bare. San Shier is just about to make a trip to the county town to buy some paper so the villagers can cover their windows. Isn't your arrival just perfectly timed?"
Luo Leg Hair let out a small, surprised sound. "Are you saying you want me to make paper for the villagers, to cover their windows?"
Li Da nodded. "Exactly! Isn't that your specialty?"
Luo Leg Hair hesitated. "Well... I only have ten days left... before I must return to the government workshop. Just ten days..."
Li Da waved a dismissive hand. "Nonsense! What's there to go back to? You have no wife or children. Since you've already made it out, don't even think of returning. Do as I did: settle down here, be a refugee, and live a joyful life."
Luo Leg Hair shook his head vigorously. "No, I can't be a refugee. I... I'm not as brave as you..."
The moment he finished speaking, Gao Yiye, standing nearby, suddenly spoke. "The Heavenly Lord has issued a divine decree. If you are willing to stay here in Gao Family Village to make paper and teach the villagers the craft, you shall receive one hundred pounds of rice or flour, ten pounds of meat, one pound of salt, one pound of sugar, and one pound of oil each month."
At her words, Luo Leg Hair froze. He slowly, almost painfully, turned his head to look at Gao Yiye. "Lady... you... what did you... just say?"
Gao Yiye smiled.
Luo Leg Hair's entire body trembled. "Is that truly real?"
Li Da burst into laughter. "Could it possibly be false? I receive the same amount every month, and if I make another significant contribution, there are even greater rewards. But... Luo Leg Hair, with your physique, I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to earn more, hahahaha."
Luo Leg Hair asked, "Who exactly is this young lady?"
Li Da's expression turned solemn. "She is the Saintess of the Heavenly Lord Daoist Sect, the divine messenger who conveys the Heavenly Lord's decrees to the world—Miss Gao Yiye."
Luo Leg Hair's eyes widened in disbelief.
Li Da chuckled. "Look at you, so utterly bewildered, hahahaha. When I first arrived here, I was just as much a country bumpkin as you are now. So, what do you say? Stay and become a refugee?"
The choice wasn't difficult at all. Luo Leg Hair instantly cast aside his artisan registration and became a proud refugee.
Gao Yiye said, "Follow me. The Heavenly Lord decreed that you shall be granted a residence, and you shall live next to Li Da and the two sculptors. All the artisans in our village now reside in that courtyard."
Li Da chuckled. "The Gao Family Fortress, with its nine halls and eighteen courtyards, gives us artisans an entire courtyard to ourselves, called the 'Craftsman Well.' It's not inferior to the other courtyards in the slightest. On the contrary, those living in the Craftsman Well receive the most provisions each month, hahahaha!"
Still somewhat bewildered, Luo Leg Hair followed behind Gao Yiye and Li Da into the Gao Family Fortress.
To his eyes, the Hakka Walled House was nothing short of a towering, majestic castle, exuding an overwhelming sense of grandeur and authority. Walking inside, he felt remarkably small and unsure of himself.
After a series of twists and turns through the fortress's passages, they arrived at the Craftsman Well.
Luo Leg Hair's gaze immediately fell upon the two sculptors. They were seated under the eaves, engrossed in two human figures made of strange materials, meticulously "customizing faces for miniature figurines."
Upon seeing Luo Leg Hair, the two men burst out laughing, a look on their faces that clearly said, "So, you finally made it too!" Then they lowered their heads and returned to their custom figurines, clearly having no time for awkward pleasantries.
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