Chapter 109: Just Treat My Whole Family as Servants
As he spoke, Yu Haojie tossed a saw to Liu Mingsha. “Since Brother Liu is already awake, might as well help with some work.”
Seeing the tools Yu Haojie had pulled out, Liu Mingsha’s eyes widened in astonishment, and a grin stretched across his face almost to his ears. He was as delighted as if these tools belonged to him.
“Haojie, you’re truly something else! You actually think ahead this much? You have incredible foresight! With these, when we reach the frontier, building a log house will be no problem at all.”
Liu Mingsha eagerly picked up the saw and began cutting along the ink-marked lines that Yu Haojie had drawn on the wood. As they worked, they chatted.
“I don’t think wooden houses will be enough. I’ve heard there are many ferocious beasts there. If one charges at us, wouldn’t a wooden house collapse instantly?”
“Then what do we do? Should we dig a hole and live underground? That would be like burying ourselves alive.”
“That’s an option too. I could lend you a hoe, and you can dig yourself a home.”
“Wait, you have a hoe too?!”
Yu Haojie knew it was best to reveal some things gradually. If he pulled everything out at once after reaching the frontier, people might start to suspect him.
A hoe without a wooden handle, just the metal head, was easy to carry in a basket without drawing too much attention.
“Of course. When we get to the frontier, we’ll need to cultivate land. Without the right tools, how do we survive?”
Liu Mingsha nodded in admiration, watching as Yu Haojie quickly smoothed out a solid wooden plank with a plane. His hands worked so skillfully that Liu Mingsha couldn’t help but feel even more impressed.
At the same time, a new idea began forming in Liu Mingsha’s mind.
“Yu Second Master, my family has more than thirty people, but we still have over ten able-bodied workers. While we don’t have many skilled fighters, we’re strong and can do labor. How about this—when we get to the frontier, we’ll stick with you. You can just treat my entire family as hired servants, order us around as you please. What do you think?”
Hearing Liu Mingsha suddenly suggests this, Yu Haojie froze mid-action, utterly stunned. He turned to look at Liu Mingsha’s eager face, full of anticipation.
“Brother Liu, am I hearing this right? Are you joking? We’re all exiled criminals. Why would I need servants? Even if I could afford to pay you, what work would I have for you? And how are you so sure I can even support your whole family of thirty people?”
Ever since Zhang Yuan’s group split off, Liu Mingsha had been increasingly anxious.
He knew that sooner or later, he and the Bai family would inevitably be abandoned by the Yu family.
Throughout their journey, he noticed that Yu Haojie’s family of three did not really get along with the rest of the Yu family’s main branch. While things were peaceful now, it was likely that they too would separate upon reaching the frontier.
If he sought protection from Yu Zhengqing, the man would likely refuse—after all, he already had two capable sons who were skilled fighters. On the other hand, Yu Haojie’s family had only three people, and he was the only man. They would inevitably need help.
Whether it was building houses or farming once the snow melted, they would need manpower.
With the second and third branches of the Yu family still present, if Liu Mingsha didn’t speak up now and take the initiative, he might lose all opportunities.
Perhaps even Yu Haojie hadn’t yet realized just how much help he would need in the future. After all, his household only had three people.
“Forget whether you can support us for now. I have two nephews who can hunt. Once the snow melts, they’ll be able to provide food. We’re just worried about the chaotic mix of people in the frontier—we might not be able to handle them. Even though you don’t know martial arts, you’re incredibly strong, and your archery skills are deadly accurate…”
Liu Mingsha trailed off, struggling to justify his reasoning.
Yu Haojie, however, raised his hand to cut him off.
“I can’t agree to that. But if we all build houses near each other and watch each other’s backs, that’s fine. Also, since your nephews can hunt, you should make some bows for them. That way, they can provide food and protect themselves. Brother Liu, you’re thinking too far ahead. We don’t even know what life will be like when we get there.”
Although Yu Haojie didn’t outright agree, his words still reassured Liu Mingsha. As long as they could rely on each other, it was good enough—he was truly afraid that the Yu family would abandon them.
Under Yu Haojie’s careful guidance, Liu Mingsha quickly improved his woodworking skills. By sunrise, they had prepared the wooden materials for five sleds. The next step was carving grooves and fitting them together.
When others saw the tools Yu Haojie had brought out, they were completely stunned.
Even Yu Zhengqing realized that his younger brother was far more practical than any of them.
While they had focused only on securing short-term necessities like food and clothing, Yu Haojie had thought long-term. He had even prepared tools, something they had overlooked entirely.
Looking back on the hardships Yu Haojie’s family had faced in the marquis’s household, Yu Zhengqing felt an unexpected pang of guilt.
Despite being born into nobility, Yu Haojie had lived a life harder than the commoners. He had been forced into self-sufficiency, learning skills that no noble should have needed. His ability to do such work so proficiently spoke volumes about the suffering he had endured under his mother’s harsh treatment.
If Yu Haojie had known what Yu Zhengqing was thinking, he would have laughed. His older brother was overthinking things.
By noon, Yu Haojie had fully assembled one sled. Given that they had over a hundred people and a large amount of supplies, he made the sleds larger so that two horses could pull each one without being overburdened.
“Let’s load it up and test it. If it works, we’ll be saving ourselves a lot of trouble!”
“You’re a grown man, and you still want to ride? The sleds should be for Grandmother, Mother, the women, and the children. Do you want to exhaust the horses?”
As Yu Haojie fastened ropes to the sled and started running through the snow, pulling it effortlessly, Yu Xiaoxuan cheered in excitement.
But before he could celebrate too much, his older brother scolded him—though he couldn’t suppress the grin on his face.
Yu Haojie’s creation marked his first major achievement in this new world.
Something as simple as a sled had lifted everyone’s spirits, making them momentarily forget the hardships of exile.
Little did they know that in the future, Yu Haojie and his family would continue to innovate, creating even more tools that would revolutionize life in the frontier.
The once-scorned “useless coward” would rise to become an irreplaceable figure in the harsh wilderness.
