gnovel Chapter 5 Buying a Knife
Chapter 5 Buying a Knife
When Li Chengye pushed open the door to Yang Chongwang's house, Yang Chongwang was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), sharpening a rusty knife, sparks flashing.
Seeing Li Chengye enter, Yang Chongwang stopped what he was doing and asked, "Why are you here at this hour? Is there something you need?"
Li Chengye closed the door behind him, put the bag of millet on the kang (a heated brick bed), and said, "Brother Yang, I want to buy a knife from you."
Upon hearing the words "buy a knife," Yang Chongwang's expression changed drastically. He slammed the whetstone on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with a thud and demanded, "What do you need a knife for?"
Li Chengye chuckled self-deprecatingly and replied, "I want to live, and I don't want to survive by eating people."
The word "cannibalism" struck a nerve with Yang Chongwang. His eyes widened, and he demanded, "What do you mean?"
Li Chengye pointed to the bag of millet and said, "I sold my last two mu of land to get this bag of millet. What can I do after this bag of millet is finished? I don't want to die, but this is a year of severe drought, what can I do? There are many people like me in the village, what do you think will happen to this village then?"
"Due to the severe drought and famine, the government not only refuses to exempt us from taxes but also imposes additional taxes on Liaodong, relentlessly pressuring us to pay! That tyrant Zhao Shouren is taking advantage of our misery, sucking the last drop of blood from our veins!"
"Old Du has gone mad with hunger, and Stone's mother was driven to her death! If this continues, the people of Qing Shi Village will either starve to death or be forced to resort to cannibalism!"
"Brother Yang, you told me yesterday that you witnessed the horrific scene of cannibalism at the border and didn't want Qing Shi Village to become like that. So come with me and let's fight our way out!"
Yang Chongwang stared at him for a long time, his gaze slowly shifting from initial shock to seriousness. He opened the rice bag on the kang (a heated brick bed), picked up a grain of millet, placed it on his fingertip, examined it carefully, then released his grip, the millet falling into the bag with a soft sound.
"After my parents passed away, I joined the army, and over the years I've seen countless deaths and comedies. You speak solemnly, but I still have one more question for you."
"Chengye, are you really sure? Once a person picks up a knife, there's no turning back. The government won't tolerate you, Zhao Shouren won't let you go, and even the clan chief might not be able to forgive you."
"I've made up my mind." Li Chengye didn't hesitate. "If I stay here, I'll just starve to death or be bullied to death. Rather than sit and wait to die, I'd rather take a gamble! I'm going to kill that vicious dog, Zhao Shouren!"
Yang Chongwang tossed the short knife he had just sharpened to Li Chengye:
"This knife is one I brought back from Yulinwei. It's been rusted from not being used for the past two years, so I'm sharpening it and giving it to you. But I need to know what you plan to do with it."
Li Chengye caught the short knife; the hilt was cold, yet it gave him a sense of confidence.
"I just went to Zhao Shouren's house. He only has four or five servants now. Although they are all skilled in martial arts and well-fed, if we can get in touch with all the villagers who have been oppressed by Zhao Shouren, they can't fight him head-on. We can definitely kill him. After distributing the grain to everyone, the clan chief can't say anything. As for the government..."
In the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, the Ming government was still quite powerful. Although Shaanxi was suffering from a severe drought and Wang Er had started an uprising, basic order was still maintained. Otherwise, the clan chief would not have said that he would send people to the government.
"Let's leave before the government arrives, and then fight back when we're stronger. Huanglong Mountain isn't far from here, so we can establish ourselves there."
"If things continue like this, the world will soon no longer belong to the Zhu family. What will we have to fear then?"
After listening to Li Chengye's words, Yang Chongwang took out a bundle from the kang (a heated brick bed). Inside was a fish-head knife with a faint brown blood groove on the blade, indicating that it was a murder weapon that had seen blood.
"Since you've made up your mind to take the lead, I'll play along to the end."
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Ever since the Baishui River dried up, Qingshi Village has become completely quiet. The harvest in the fields is all lost, and everyone can only take it one day at a time.
But today, Li Chengye's house was bustling with activity. A dozen villagers gathered in the courtyard, where a pot of rice porridge was steaming in the center, its aroma filling the air.
Although everyone was starving, no one took the initiative to scoop out some porridge.
Li Chengye began, "I've called you all here today for no other reason than to save our lives! This year there's a severe drought, and the government is still raising taxes—they're practically driving us to our deaths! Zhao Shouren, in this famine, is even cooperating with the government to collect summer taxes, acting as an accomplice to evil. I've gathered you all here today to kill this old dog, distribute the grain, and help us survive!"
Standing at the courtyard gate, Sun Wuliu wrung his hands, his voice trembling: "But...but Zhao Shouren's son is a centurion in Xi'an Prefecture! If we really mess with him, the government will definitely send troops to suppress us, and our whole family will die!"
Zhu Yao, standing next to him, nodded in agreement, his gaze darting away: "Besides, all the servants in his household carry knives and train regularly. We're just ordinary farmers, we don't even have all the weapons we need. Aren't we just going to our deaths? Maybe... we should wait a bit longer? Perhaps the famine will pass and the government will show leniency."
Shi Tou, standing beside Li Chengye, clenched his fists, his knuckles white, but dared not utter a sound. Though the pain of losing his mother was profound, the fear of the government and the Zhao family's power still weighed heavily on his heart.
Li Chengye suddenly stood up, his hand on the short knife Yang Chongwang had given him. The blade was half an inch out of its sheath, and the people around him were so frightened that they took a half step back.
His voice was loud and clear, carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Wait? How are we going to survive this year's disaster? Old Du has gone mad, Stone Mother is dead, and Zhao Shouren has taken all your land. Even if you survive the famine, how will you live? You'll still be renting his land and being exploited by him! Wang Laoqi, are you still going to send your daughter to Zhao Shouren's mansion every day?"
Wang Laoqi, whose name was called, was stunned at first, then his eyes blazed with anger: "I...I don't want to do it anymore!"
Li Chengye's gaze swept over everyone: "Zhao Shouren's son is far away in Xi'an. By the time he gets here, we'll have already taken the grain and fled to Huanglong Mountain! He only has five or six servants. Do they have as many as us? They're risking their lives for money, while we're risking our lives to survive. Why should those who are willing to risk their lives be afraid of those money-grubbing lackeys?"
You are afraid of failure, afraid of being arrested and beheaded by the government, but if you don't fight now, even if you get through this summer tax hurdle, your stored grain will not last until the autumn harvest, and you will all die!
"It's only a matter of two or three days between dying sooner or later. If we give it our all now, there's still a chance we can really survive!"
He drew his dagger, the tip pointing at the pot: "I, Li Chengye, am making this clear today: those who are willing to come with me, stay and drink this bowl of porridge; those who are not willing to go, wait until we set off before going home, and then whether you live or die is up to fate!" After saying this, he gripped the dagger tightly, his chest heaving violently.
Yang Chongwang walked to the pot, picked up a spoon, and said, "I'll scoop the first bowl."
After a moment of silence, the villagers responded one after another.
"Let's do it! We've already lost all the land, and we're just wasting our lives anyway, so let's fight!"
"Yes, let's risk it! It's better than waiting for our ancestral home to be confiscated and starving to death! Give me a bowl!"
In the end, eleven people drank the porridge. Two people didn't dare to go forward and were locked in the room by Li Chengye. They would be released when they set off.