Chapter 110: Get Close to Them
After testing the sled, Yu Haojie saw how well it worked. Yu Zhengqing immediately brought over a horse and had Yu Haojie attach it to the sled.
Once the sled was securely harnessed, Yu Zhengqing personally took the reins, lifted the whip, and gave the horse a firm lash.
The horse neighed loudly and bolted forward. The sled followed smoothly over the snow, gliding effortlessly. It left a faint trail in the snow as it moved seamlessly with the horse’s momentum.
In just a blink, both the sled and Yu Zhengqing became smaller in the distance. He continued further before turning the horse around and galloping back, returning to the cheering crowd.
“Father, you’re really something! In just half a day, you managed to complete a sled. Now that we all know how to do it, we should be able to finish the rest today,” Yu Luo said with admiration.
She had always known her father was skilled with his hands, but she hadn’t expected that even with the simple carpentry tools of this era, he could craft something so efficiently.
“Of course! You should know your father’s capabilities by now. Don’t worry—when we get to the frontier, I’ll be able to farm as well. I won’t let you and your mother go hungry.”
Listening to the conversation between the father and daughter, Liu Mingsha’s eyes gleamed with even greater determination.
Yu Zhengqing was undoubtedly powerful, and his background suggested he might soon have his name cleared and return to his rightful place. But their situation was different. The crimes they had committed were not the same, and even if the Yu family was pardoned, there was no guarantee that they could return.
That meant they needed both protection and survival skills for the frontier.
In this regard, Yu Haojie was the best bet. Sticking with him meant learning valuable survival skills.
Meanwhile, inside one of the stone houses, a group of men huddled by a rear window, watching the scene outside with wide eyes.
“Chief, their sleds look even cruder than ours! Just a few planks slapped together, and some of them are even warped. How could this possibly be better than what we use?”
“Are you blind? Didn’t you see how smooth it runs? And even with just a horse pulling it, it’s already faster than ours!”
One man exclaimed in disbelief. The others shared his astonishment.
“How are these Central Plains people so damn clever? No wonder they didn’t trade with us. But if they’re this capable, it looks like we won’t be getting the women we wanted.”
Another man sighed regretfully.
“If we can’t get them, can’t we just take them by force? Are you really willing to let those tempting women walk away?”
At this, the group fell silent before collectively shaking their heads.
“Not willing!”
They answered in unison.
The village chief, however, frowned deeply.
“Let’s go. We need to get close to them.”
With that order, several men rushed to the stone house’s entrance, eager to carry out the plan.
Back at the camp, the women were happily preparing food. Cooking for over a hundred people was no easy task, and they had been rationing food by limiting meals to twice a day. Since they had a rare break today, they wanted to prepare something more enjoyable for everyone.
Before long, the aroma of stewed meat filled the snowy air. Large iron pots simmered with sweet potato porridge, its scent blending with the rich fragrance of rice.
A group of men from the stone houses, led by the village chief, slowly approached. Bai You, who had sharp eyes, noticed them first and immediately ran toward Yu Zhengqing.
Raising his head, Yu Zhengqing and the others put down their work and became instantly alert.
Even though the approaching group was unarmed, they were all large, strong men. It was only natural to remain cautious.
“Brother, I saw you testing the sleds earlier. Did you finish them?” The village chief greeted them with a wide smile.
Yu Zhengqing cupped his hands in a polite gesture. “We made quite a bit of noise. Sorry for disturbing you all.”
“Ah, no need to be so formal. This land belongs to all of us. Stay as long as you’d like! But you guys are pretty skilled, huh? You built these in less than a day?”
The village chief and his men subtly scanned the surroundings. They took note of the sturdy tents and the women moving about inside them. Some of the men swallowed hard, their gazes dark with desire.
“When you have enough people working together, things move fast,” Yu Zhengqing replied. Then, he casually asked, “By the way, village chief, why do you all live here instead of in the Jiuzheng Mountains? The land here is flat, but aside from poplar trees, there isn’t much vegetation in the winter. Even in summer, the resources can’t be as abundant as in the mountains, right?”
“You need real strength to survive in the Jiuzheng Mountains. Our ancestors have lived here for generations, relying on hunting and gathering to survive. We also grow some crops. Life is tough, but we’ve made do. Even though we know this place isn’t ideal, we have nowhere else to go.”
“Then why are there so few women in your village?”
Yu Zhengqing wasn’t going to let this opportunity go to waste. If the village chief wanted to gather intelligence on them, he might as well get some information in return.
“There have always been too few. A couple of centuries ago, our village had over ten thousand people. But ever since the Jiuzheng Mountains became a bandit stronghold, the bandits have raided us repeatedly, killing and looting. Most of our women were taken away. Even now, it still happens. So our population keeps dwindling. Without women to bear children, many family lines have already died out.”
“I see. Well, wait a moment. We rescued two women from the bandits. Let me ask them if they’d be willing to stay here and become wives for two of your men. If they agree, I hope you will treat them well. After all, we are all victims of the bandits.”
The village chief and his men were stunned.
They had come here to gauge the strength of these newcomers, but this man was offering them women instead?
“Brother, are you serious?!” The village chief asked in disbelief.
Yu Zhengqing smiled and nodded.
Regardless of their true motives, if they were desperate for women, those two rescued women would eventually have to find men to rely on in the frontier anyway. It might be better for them to settle here rather than suffer an uncertain fate.
However, inside the tent, the two women overheard the conversation outside and turned pale.
They didn’t want to be given away to these rough men. From the way they looked and talked, they were no different from the bandits.
Was this any better than being trapped in a bandit stronghold?
