Chapter Twenty-Five: Borrowing Lodging

  The Japanese army is too brutal and also too meticulous, even hidden gunshot wounds can be detected.

  Lin Feng thought about it and decided that this risk was not worth taking.

  "It's getting late, let's find a place to stay first." Lin Feng thought for a moment before saying, "We'll think of a way to get into the city later."

  Three miles west of Xicheng Gate is a small village called Xichengjiao.

  It is said that during the time of King Yan's northern expedition, the west corner of the city was the southwest corner of the old city wall. At that time, this place was not a small county town, but the capital of a certain small fiefdom.

  After the King of Yan swept north, this city was completely destroyed. The current Xiping County City was rebuilt by later generations. Because it is taboo that this city was completely destroyed in the war, it is suspected that the old site's feng shui was not good, so the new city moved three miles east.

  Some residents did not move out for various reasons and formed a village, so Xichengjiao Village got its name.

  Lam Fung and others arrived at Sai Ching On Street when the sun was setting.

  Yuexiang has a relative in this village, so he suggested that Young Master come and stay at his humble abode.

  This is a dilapidated small courtyard, with obvious repair marks on the earth wall, and several trees of different thicknesses growing crookedly outside the wall. Two white wooden doors are embedded in the right side of the wall, and from the low wall, you can see a roof with a few thatched straws.

  Yuexiang helped Young Master Shao down from the carriage and went straight to knock on the white wooden door.

  Lin Feng was not the first time coming to the countryside, but it was the first time that he had such close contact with the poor families at the bottom of society.

  Looking at the dilapidated small courtyard in front of him, Lin Feng couldn't help but feel a sense of regret for the ignorance of these poor families. Others can struggle to create opportunities and live a life of luxury, calling out servants and maids, so why do you people choose to remain poor and not strive for better?

  A poor man is bound to have a hateful place, it's not that you are too lazy or your brain is too stupid. The rich merchants and big families didn't fall from the sky, every penny and every bit of their wealth was earned with hard work!

  Lin Feng was gazing at the dilapidated courtyard when the white-painted wooden door opened, and a woman's face, appearing to be over thirty years old, peeked out from inside. Her eyes scanned around before landing on Lin Feng standing beside the carriage, her expression slightly startled. However, upon seeing Yuexiang, her demeanor clearly brightened as she pushed open the door and said, "Yuexiang, how come you have time to visit today? Come in quickly."

  Yuexiang didn't go in, but stood by the door and said to the woman: "Sister-in-law, that's my young master over there. Originally we were going to enter the city, but there are too many people, today it may not be possible to get in, thinking of coming here to borrow a place to stay, what do you think..."

  Yuexiang's sister-in-law looked over at Lin Feng upon hearing this.

  Lin Feng originally looked down on these poor people, but now that he needed their help, he could only bury this idea in his heart and still couldn't express it on the surface, so he straightened up and tried to show a good young man's appearance.

  Yuexiang's sister-in-law finally nodded in agreement.

  As he walked into the courtyard, Lin Feng saw that it was in a mess.

  This yard has no other houses except for three main rooms.

  On the west side there is a cattle shed, but no cattle are being fed. Several farm tools are piled up inside in a somewhat messy manner.

  The yard is leaning against the east wing, with a stack of firewood and hay, next to it is an open-air stove for burning firewood, which should be used for cooking, now covered with a wooden lid.

  There is a water vat on the right side of the main hall entrance, which is just a short distance from the outdoor stove.

  A water bucket and a carrying pole were placed against the wall next to a water tank, with several bamboo baskets and manure baskets placed beside them.

  A thick stone slab was propped up by three stones in the middle of the yard, with several wooden stumps placed around it.

  The yard itself is small, and with so many things squeezed in, it looks very cluttered.

  Lin Feng's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he thought to himself: "It seems that this family is not diligent, otherwise they wouldn't leave the courtyard in such a messy state."

  Just then, Yueliang's sister-in-law spoke up: "Master Lin, our home is in disarray, don't be offended!"

  She knew that Yuexiang was sent to the Lin family as a maid by the Yao family, so she knew that the "young master of my house" mentioned by Yuexiang should be surnamed Lin.

  Mr. Lin is the new master of Yuexiang, and Yuexiang's sister-in-law naturally does not want to offend him, fearing that it will bring trouble to Yuexiang, so she behaves a bit more cautiously.

  Although Lin Feng didn't think much of this family, he was a guest in their home and couldn't show his true feelings, so he just nodded and said, "It's nothing."

  Yue Xiang's sister-in-law heard Lin Feng's calm response, and the smile on her face momentarily froze, but she quickly thought of something and explained: "Young Master Lin, now that we're approaching harvest season in our village, there's a lot of work to be done in the fields, so no one has had time to clean up around here. It's quite messy. Why don't I have Yue Xiang accompany you outside for a bit while I quickly tidy up?"

  Upon hearing Moon Fragrance's sister-in-law say this - without any flattering words, but every sentence was plain and honest, Lin Feng suddenly felt embarrassed for having randomly guessed about others without understanding the facts. It turned out that they weren't lazy and making the courtyard messy, but rather too busy to clean up. He hastily said: "No need, no need, we're just here to stay overnight, don't go to so much trouble."

  Yue Xiang's sister-in-law stopped nagging, asking Lin Feng to sit on the wooden stump in the courtyard first, then went out to arrange for the coachman to unload the carriage, and tied the horse to a tree outside the courtyard.

  Yuexiang's sister-in-law wanted to invite the cart driver in for a rest, but the cart driver was very responsible and thought it would be better to stay with the horse and cart.

  Yuexiang's sister-in-law arranged for the carriage driver and then busied herself cleaning the house. With noble guests arriving, they had to sweep the floor before inviting them in; otherwise, it would be too impolite.

  Lin Feng looked at Yue Xiang's sister-in-law, who was busy with her own affairs and didn't even have time to entertain him, and asked Yue Xiang, who was standing beside him: "Is she the only one in this household?"

  Yuexiang felt a little displeased in her heart, wasn't the young master cursing someone? You've been told that this person is my sister-in-law, and you're saying that my brother-in-law is already gone!

  "No, I think my elder male cousin has gone downstairs."

  Yuexiang didn't dare express her opinions even if she had them when speaking to the young master of her own household, and on the surface still responded with courtesy.

  Lin Feng noticed that Yuexiang's expression was a bit strange, but he didn't take it to heart. "Oh," he said, and asked again: "Is there anyone else?"

  "There's also a boy, thirteen years old."

  Lin Feng nodded and said with a self-satisfied tone: "Let's go out and have some fun!"

  In his heart, a thirteen-year-old kid can't do anything except play.

  Yuexiang thought to herself: "You think everyone is as lucky as you, born with no worries about food and clothing. The children of poor families have to take care of the household early on, how can a young master like you possibly understand that?"

  "Yue Xiang muttered to herself while simply saying: 'I'm going down with my cousin.'"

  "Huh?" Hearing Yu Xiang's response, Lin Feng's mouth opened wide in shock.

  A thirteen-year-old kid followed adults down to the fields, what could someone so small do? Lin Feng didn't dare imagine.

  Seeing her young master's shocked expression, Yuexiang felt a sense of pride in her heart.

  Look, this is what our poor family's children are like. Like you at thirteen years old, who knows if you were still wearing open-crotch pants and running around everywhere. Our children can already help adults share the burden.

  Yuexiang felt pleased in her heart and it inadvertently showed on her face.

  Lin Feng saw Yue Xiang's expression and felt a sense of embarrassment.

  Think about other people's children, and then look at yourself. Other people's children can start helping adults with work when they're only thirteen years old, but you're already over twenty and haven't helped your parents with anything, not to mention causing trouble every day and worrying them. Comparing the two, it's really true that you're not as good as a child in their early teens.

  Thinking of his parents, Lin Feng became even more worried about his father's safety and had to think of a way to safely enter the city.

  Seeing her young master's expression was somewhat stunned, Yueshang softly called out: "Young Master, Young Master!"

  "Huh?" Lin Feng came back to his senses, awkwardly smiled and said, "Yuexiang, you also sit down, no need to always stand up. This is your cousin's home, you're also considered half the host. How can I, a guest, be sitting while you, the host, are standing?"

  Yuexiang shook her head and said: "Why don't you sit down first, young master? I'll go help your sister-in-law clean up the house?"

  "Alright, you go ahead, don't worry about me."

  Lin Feng's trip this time was his first experience of the real life of poor people.

  From the initial misunderstanding of the poor to now having a thread of reverence in his heart, this has had a great impact on him afterwards.

  Later he sympathized more with the poor people in the struggle against the enemy, and thus embarked on the road of revolution, which has a great relationship with this accommodation.

  Lin Feng and Yuexiang were talking when Yuexiang's sister-in-law came out of the house, dusting off her clothes as she said: "Young Master Lin, it's busy with farm work now, and our home is a mess. I was so focused on cleaning up that I didn't even have time to entertain you, forgive me!"

  Lin Feng's understanding of the poor had undergone a complete transformation. He hastily stood up and said, "No need, no need, you're busy, don't bother with me."

  Yue Xiang's sister-in-law said, "Alright, let Yue Xiang entertain you first. I'll cook, but our family is poor and doesn't have much to offer. I'm afraid you might not be used to eating our food."

  Lin Feng hadn't spoken yet when Yueshang hastily said: "Sister-in-law, my young master has been feeling a bit unwell lately, just make him some plain congee and that will do."

  Yue Xiang's sister-in-law looked embarrassed for a moment, but then said: "Alright. Yue Xiang, you go in and rest with Master Lin first, I'll go cook dinner."

  Yue Xiang's sister-in-law had a look of difficulty on her face that didn't escape Lin Feng's eyes, which made him feel very strange. It was just a bowl of porridge, why would she be so troubled?

  "No need, I'll just rest here for a while, you go ahead with your own business, let Yuet Heung help you."

  Lin Feng decided to stay in the yard and see what was going on.

  Scrubbing the pot, adding water, lighting the fire, two women were busy around the stove, and nothing was out of the ordinary. Soon a pot of water was boiling.

  Lin Feng returned to the wooden stump and silently watched them busily.

  The afterglow of the sunset cast a golden glow on their figures, giving Lin Feng a warm and fuzzy illusion.

  At this time, Yuexiang's sister-in-law gave Yuexiang a wink.

  Her acting skills were really poor, and such small actions were too obvious. Not only did Yuexiang see it, but even Linfeng sitting on the wooden stump was unimpressed.

  Lin Feng didn't say a word, he just quietly watched, waiting to see what these two women were going to do.