As the New Year approached each year, with tomorrow being New Year's Eve, even in the border town of Xuanling Commandery, facing the cold wind and heavy snow, the people were still preparing for the imminent New Year's celebration.
If all four seasons were considered challenging, on this last day, most people would feel a sense of sweetness no matter the hardships. On New Year's Eve, regardless of how difficult the year had been, reaching this moment marked the end. After passing this day, the next year would be a brand new year full of hope.
In the northeastern market of the commandery's city, the final batch of goods from the Divine Capital delivered this year was currently being sold for the last time. Compared to other places, the prices of these goods in Xuanling Commandery were not too expensive. The reason was simple: the route from the Divine Capital to Xuanling Commandery had been traversed numerous times by the imperial army, clearing away any demons along the way. In contrast to other places in the Great Liang Dynasty, leaving the Divine Capital was often fraught with danger. For merchants, if they could endure the loneliness, they could pay some silver to the Ministry of Revenue and travel North together with the imperial army when they were transporting provisions to the Northern Frontier. This way, it would be much less risky.
Therefore, the goods brought from the Divine Capital to Xuanling Commandery were not considered too expensive. At least, they were much cheaper compared to other places.
Along the street, a woman was heading out in a hurry, carrying the money she had saved for quite some time, intending to buy some rouge delivered from the Divine Capital before the New Year. After a year of hard work and frugality, now was the time to reward herself. However, considering the family's financial situation, apart from necessary expenses and buying New Year's goods, there was not much left. The meager bag of money she brought along had to cover most of her needs. Fortunately, there was still a small sum remaining to purchase a box of modest rouge from the Divine Capital.
The woman rushed out with her oiled-paper umbrella, running towards the market. In her haste, she accidentally collided with someone in the alley. The woman was unaware of the condition of the person she had bumped into, but the collision caused her to stagger and almost fall backward, looking as if she was going to fall onto the snowy ground.
However, for some unknown reason, her body which was originally falling backward, suddenly stopped. After swaying for a moment, the woman managed to stabilize herself. Now, with a hint of remorse, she raised her head, feeling a bit embarrassed as she said, "I'm sorry."
Her accent had an unusually strong Northern dialect, but it differed slightly from the accent commonly heard in Xuanling Commandery.
The tall man in front of her shook his head and said, "It's okay."
The woman breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. As she looked up, she noticed that the man was tall, even taller than her husband who had joined the military a few years earlier. However, despite his stature, he did not seem to be from a wealthy family. In this harsh winter, he was dressed in simple attire, wearing only a thin robe full of holes. It looked like it had been worn for many years.
For some reason, the woman did not quite dare to look at the man's face. But seeing that the man did not leave immediately, the woman was seized with a sudden impulse to ask, "Are you hungry?"
Looking at the man's appearance, she naturally thought that he might not have eaten for quite some time.
After thinking about it, the man nodded and replied, "A bit."
Originally intending to buy rouge, the woman bit her lip. In her mind, conflicting thoughts waged a silent battle. Eventually, she decided to give up on buying the rouge. Turning around, she said in a soft voice, "Follow me."
Then, she turned and walked toward her home.
The man hesitated for a moment and followed her.
The woman's home was the last one in this narrow alley. It was not large; just a small and humble residence.
As they passed through the alley, residents on both sides saw the man and woman. Some mocking laughter sounded out, and unfriendly glances were directed at the two of them.
The man paid no mind, but the woman, who had gone from blushing at the beginning to feeling somewhat wronged. She was not one to tolerate bullying, if it were not for the man behind her today, she might have stopped to scold them.
Finally reaching the end of the short alley, they arrived at the front of the house. The woman stepped over the threshold and breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the man remained standing at the doorway, staring at the wooden plaque hanging on it.
The plaque bore the name of a person and stated when this person was enlisted. Unfortunately, it was not written with red ink but with black ink.
Over a decade ago, after the current Great Liang Emperor ascended the throne, the support for the Northern Frontier reached unprecedented levels. This was evident from the military enlistment law enacted in the Emperor's first year of reign. Every man from Great Liang who enlisted to serve at the Northern Frontier Army had to write down their enlistment date in front of their home. Apart from receiving a monthly military pay, they were entitled to a monthly allowance from the Ministry of Revenue. In case of their death in battle, their families would receive a one-off sum of money based on their military achievements, the sum of money varied. Additionally, for the elderly and children left at home, the government would still send over some money every month.
However, the plaque in front of the door had transitioned from being inscribed with red ink to black ink.
The name on the wooden plaque in front of the man was written in black ink, indicating that the person had already died at the Northern Frontier.
Seeing the man standing at the door for a while, the woman thought he might be concerned about gossip from others. She quickly shook her head and said, "I'm used to idle talk. After all, you're just a guest, there's nothing between us, why pay it any mind?"
Upon hearing this, the man returned to his senses and then walked into the small courtyard.
In the hallway, the woman quickly brought out a stove, poured charcoal, which she normally could not bear to use, and lit it. Soon, a fire was kindled, bringing some warmth under the eaves for the man to sit.
Before the woman could do anything else, a figure emerged from the house. It was a young girl of a tender age, timidly looking at the woman and asking, "Mother, is there a guest?"
The young girl had a pair of large and spirited eyes, looking extremely adorable.
The woman acknowledged it and muttered, "Go do your homework. If you don't finish it today, you won't get to enjoy New Year's Eve tomorrow, no matter how you plead."
The young girl chuckled and pouted, "Mother, who does homework on New Year's Eve?"
The woman stood up straight and said, "That's why I'm telling you to finish it today!"
The young girl responded with an "oh" and glanced at the man again before reluctantly retracting her gaze and running off to do her homework.
At this moment, the woman looked at the cured meat hanging from the ceiling. She gritted her teeth and took the largest piece down. Considering the man's tall stature and seemingly many days of hunger, she reckoned that this piece would not have much left after he ate it.
After a simple preparation, the woman brought out a large bowl of meat, a small basin of meat soup, and a small bowl of steamed buns, placing them all in front of the man.
The man glanced at the cured meat hanging from the ceiling, knowing that this piece was probably something the mother and daughter had not been willing to eat throughout the year, saving it for the New Year's Eve dinner. However, he did not expose this, only asking, "Was your husband also a soldier?"
The woman nodded, tidying her hair. She did not hide anything as she said, "He died two years ago, on that Northern Frontier Great Wall. They sent a letter, and I thought about going to see where he died. However, the officials said it was a crucial military post and I couldn't go, so I gave up on the idea. Unfortunately, I couldn't even bring back his remains. They didn't say what happened, but I know he was eaten by those demons."
For the people of the Great Liang Dynasty, the concept of demons devouring humans was far from unfamiliar.
The man furrowed his brows and said, "It's indeed challenging over there. If it were possible, they would definitely try to retrieve the remains."
The woman nodded and said, "At first, it was a bit sad and confusing. My man fought desperately against the demons in the North. If he died, so be it, there's nothing more to say. Why couldn't we just snatch back his body?" "But later, I heard that those guys on the Northern Frontier Great Wall sometimes couldn't even get a proper meal for many days. They would just gnaw on frozen buns. That's when I felt they weren't that important. If they died for the sake of my man's remains, it would be truly not worth it."
Before the man could speak, the woman suddenly looked up at him. Seeing his slightly graying sideburns, she asked, "Guest, did you also return from there?"
The man nodded.
The woman was somewhat delighted and said, "Earlier, when I saw you, I felt the shadow of my man on you. Sure enough, you were also killing demons over there. Well done!"
The man then asked, "Has the government's monthly stipend arrived, and is there anyone... bullying you?"
The woman nodded and said, "We receive the stipend every month, thirty Great Liang general currency coins!"
She only answered the first part of the question, not mentioning the latter. In their daily life, the mother and daughter relied on each other and naturally faced many hardships.
This point did not need any elaboration.
The man's expression turned somewhat ugly. He looked at the woman and was silent for a moment, but he still said, "The current emperor established a rule at the beginning of his reign. After dying in battle at the Northern Frontier, there will be a stipend based on military merit, with varying amounts. After that, you should be receiving forty coins every month."
Forty and thirty; it was just a difference of ten coins. To one person, ten coins might seem insignificant. However, when you multiply it by ten, a hundred, or a thousand people?
How many die in battle at the Northern Frontier each year? Certainly more than ten thousand.
The woman was taken aback. She had no knowledge of such a thing. Hearing this, she furrowed her brows for a long time before seemingly trying to convince herself, "It's about the same."
The man shook his head, saying, "It's very different."
The woman sighed, "We two have no skills and no one to rely on either. Having thirty coins is already good enough. If we were to make a fuss over ten coins, who knows what the consequences might be."
The man did not say anything, but in reality, what the woman said made a lot of sense. For the two of them, seeking justice would be an incredibly difficult task.
The woman quickly changed the subject, asking, "Guest, I heard there's a major war happening at the Northern Frontier recently. Did we... win?"
In recent years, the Northern Frontier wars had been ongoing, with the demons mostly having the upper hand. The human side paid a huge price to maintain a stalemate. Even the woman knew this. However, since it was a war, she naturally hoped that the people in the place where her man once served could achieve victory. It was not only for the people of Great Liang but also, in a way, for the soul of her man in the heavens.
The man glanced at her and gave a definitive answer, "We won."
The woman was originally asking casually. After getting this answer, she felt somewhat incredulous, "Really?!"
