After arriving in Yunbei, having a conversation after meals became a routine.
"I've received news that many people are practicing the martial arts techniques and moves you taught," said Zhu Changwang, slowly rotating the teacup in his hands.
Zhu Changning frowned and was about to speak, but then thought better of it and looked toward his younger sister, waiting for her response.
"That was my intention all along!" Zhu Changle replied with a grin. "I teach forty-eight people, then those forty-eight teach another forty-eight each. Oh my, when you calculate it that way, I've become like a founding master!"
"..." What was she talking about? That wasn't the point at all. Zhu Changning couldn't help but remind her, "Those people are practicing in secret."
"Second Brother, you've never seen people pushed to their limits. When it comes to survival, secretly learning some martial arts is nothing - people will even resort to murder and arson. The will to survive is human nature."
Zhu Changning indeed had never witnessed such things. His education was purely in preparation for a future career in government. Such people stood high and saw far, with an ability to control the big picture that ordinary people couldn't match. However, they were also too far removed from the common people, with almost no empathy, which is why sayings like 'Why don't they eat meat?' would be infamous for thousands of years.
"You've heard of people eating their children to survive, right? I've seen it," Zhu Changle said, smiling at her brother's changing expression. "You heard correctly - cannibalism. Horrifying, isn't it? But what choice did they have? If they ate, one would die; if they didn't, the whole family would perish. They ate while crying and vomiting, but they had to eat to survive."
"Changle..." Lady Zhang pressed her handkerchief to her chest, feeling distressed. "How did you... how did you witness such things?"
"Master used reality to teach me that there must be more good people than bad in the capital for common folk to survive," Zhu Changle said, looking at her father with admiration. "Master said Father is a good official, and if there were more officials like him, people's lives wouldn't be so difficult."
Zhu Maonian was at a loss for words.
"Changle never forbade teaching others; she actually left that opening deliberately," Zhu Changwang broke the silence. "Yunbei can't turn things around with just one or two people. They'll grasp any opportunity that might help them, especially since these skills are both useful and necessary - knowing them will increase their chances of survival when facing pirates."
Zhu Changle nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, I deliberately left that opening."
"Luo Ding's influence must be behind this."
Zhu Maonian continued, "Yesterday, a clerk from the Ministry of Population reported that Yunbei's population has been declining year after year, and this trend has accelerated in recent years. This is probably the main reason why Luo Ding can no longer remain passive."
Even the elderly grandmother and Lady Zhang, who didn't understand politics, knew that Yunbei was truly in dire straits. People are the foundation of everything, and it's no wonder that Luo Ding, after enduring for so many years, could no longer remain silent.
"Oh right, I forgot to mention - Qiuli left last night."
People of the jianghu were used to coming and going as they pleased, and leaving without goodbyes was normal. Zhu Maonian felt quite relieved - it was good that he left, very good.
Zhu Changle was about to stretch when she caught her mother's eye and quickly clasped her hands together instead. "It's getting late, I need to go hunting in the mountains!"
"Be careful."
"Don't worry, Father, those little creatures can't hurt me."
Zhu Changning raised his eyebrows slightly - even whole herds of wild boars were considered "little creatures" to her, so what would qualify as big?
"Second Brother, come with them to collect the game at about the same time as before."
"Understood."
Hunting had become routine, and Zhu Changle had thoroughly explored the area, increasingly feeling that Yunbei truly had some heaven-blessed advantages.
Game was plentiful, and in several days, she hadn't encountered any tigers - she wasn't sure if she just hadn't found the right place or if there simply weren't any, though she leaned toward the latter. The wildlife here was thriving remarkably well. There were wolf packs, and she'd encountered several groups of wild boars, which posed quite a threat to ordinary people.
Secondly, there were mountains full of bloodwood trees! Furniture made from this wood sold for exorbitant prices in the capital. How did she know? Well, families with daughters usually started preparing dowries early, and good wood was especially sought after, as large furniture pieces required quality materials. Her mother had two daughters, so naturally, she took this seriously. Once, when a merchant brought wood to their home, she happened to be present, and seeing the bank notes her mother handed over nearly made her eyes pop out.
Later, she specifically inquired and learned that this wood was truly rare. Besides furniture, it was also the best material for shipbuilding, though mainly used for decks, as building an entire ship from bloodwood would be not only prohibitively expensive but probably impossible due to material shortages...
It was already valuable, and with scarcity driving up the price, its worth was evident.
So how did she recognize these trees? After learning about their value, she became interested and specifically learned to identify them. Later, she went searching in the mountains with some friends, and they actually found some, coincidentally saving an entire village of people in the process.
What a fortunate coincidence!
Zhu Changle spread her arms and hugged a tree, grinning foolishly. What was this? This was money!
"Aunt Feng, I feel like heaven really favors me!" Zhu Changle gloated playfully.
Aunt Feng turned in place, completely agreeing with this statement. Good fortune was mysterious and couldn't be requested or sought, but her young miss seemed to be wrapped in it as if it feared she might escape.
"No more hunting, let's go, let's look for trees."
Zhu Changle abandoned the small prize in favor of seeking a bigger one, using her martial arts to fly up to the treetops. "Aunt Feng, you take the right, I'll take the left."
Aunt Feng nodded and flew in the opposite direction.
Though they were only hoping for the best, they actually found another mountainside of trees. Although this mountain had fewer trees than the previous one, Zhu Changle was extremely satisfied, her laughter startling birds from the forest.
"Aunt Feng, Aunt Feng, there are also lots of cedar trees, haha, so many! We have wood for shipbuilding now!" Zhu Changle was so excited she jumped high above the treetops. "Since Big Brother has his eye on the sea beyond Yunbei, and he mentioned that the Great Wan's shipbuilding technology is excellent, I don't believe he doesn't have some plans - he probably already has the blueprints ready."
Seeing her childlike excitement, Aunt Feng smiled too. Even though these benefits had little to do with her personally, she was happier than if she had gained something herself.
"Oh right, since Yunbei is so rich in timber, we need to have a plan when Que Long arrives. If they claim these resources for themselves, it'll be hard to get them back."
"Indeed, the bloodwood is precious, they'll certainly covet it."
"No, no, no, we can share the cedar, but they can't have the bloodwood," Zhu Changle shook her head without hesitation. "Look how impoverished Yunbei has become - not just the common people, but even the government office is penniless. Father said that even though Yunbei is so poor, they still have to pay their annual taxes. Tch, no support comes their way, but they're still being bled dry."
"Sell the bloodwood to support the government office?"
"Whether to sell the trees or make furniture first - we should ask Big Brother about that. Aunt Feng, you handle the game, I'm going home to report this good news!" Zhu Changle was extremely excited, and before she finished speaking, she had already disappeared.
