Chapter 70

Village Head Zhou coughed as he said, "Nephew Huo, you know, during this idle time, most of the villagers go to town to find work—hauling loads at the dock earns about twenty wen a day, and skilled workers repairing houses can make up to thirty wen a day."

Village Head Zhou glanced at Huo Jilin as he spoke. Though he was excited that Magistrate Liu had taken an interest in their village, he hadn't lost his head—there was no way he was putting up any money.

There were over a hundred able-bodied men with nothing to do in the village right now. Even if they worked for free, just feeding them alone would cost a fortune, let alone paying wages.

Huo Jilin smiled faintly. "The wages and the silver needed to build the medicine workshop have already been secured by Magistrate Liu for me. After all, this is work for the medical tents, so Village Head Zhou, just help me set aside a piece of land and round up the villagers to help."

He paused briefly before adding, "As for the location, it doesn't need to be prime real estate. I won't touch any of the village's farmland. I know our village sits at the foot of the mountains, and there's not much farmland to begin with. Just mark out a stretch of wasteland along the mountain base for me. I'll purchase it at wasteland prices, so I won't make you look bad in front of the villagers."

Village Head Zhou wanted to say something—though he did have those concerns, being seen through by Huo Jilin left him feeling embarrassed.

He tried to come up with some high-sounding words, but Huo Jilin cut him off: "I know you've always been fair and impartial, Village Head Zhou. That's the only way to earn the villagers' trust, so I won't make things difficult for you here."

His words left Village Head Zhou momentarily unable to tell whether they were sincere or not, because the words were so high and mighty.

Hearing such words, Village Head Zhou instinctively straightened his back.

The only thing that had weighed on his conscience over the years was the last forced labor draft. He had hidden the truth and tricked those villagers into going off to war. To drive Huo Jilin out of the village for good, he had rigged it so Huo Jilin was sent to the front lines, where he almost didn't make it back alive.

Aside from that, he hadn't done anything else that weighed on his conscience in all these years.

He genuinely wanted to be a good village head—it was a small-time official post, and for that position, he needed to save face.

Looking at Huo Jilin, who had come back alive and was saying all this to him, Village Head Zhou felt a swirl of emotions. After a moment, he said solemnly, "Don't worry, Nephew Huo. I'll do as you say. Tomorrow I'll call together the clan elders and mark out a piece of land along the mountain base for you. Don't worry about the price—since this is for the public good, I'll give you a fair deal."

Wasteland at the foot of the mountain wasn't worth much. Pingshan Village was full of mountains and short on people, and most of the wasteland couldn't be farmed anyway. Huo Jilin wanting a piece of land was completely within Village Head Zhou's power to decide—he certainly wouldn't let Magistrate Liu down.

Village Head Zhou didn't want to leave any room for criticism on the wasteland deal that might make him look bad in front of Magistrate Liu.

Huo Jilin had read him like a book and brought up Magistrate Liu for that reason. He had his eye on Pingshan Village—it was the perfect spot for making medicine.

With its scenic mountains and clear streams, these mountains were a goldmine for medicinal herbs. Once the bridge to town was completed, Pingshan Village would be just fifteen minutes from Dongling County and just three hundred li from the capital.

So he had to lock down a big piece of land here. Though he didn't have the silver to build on it yet, he needed to grab the land first.

In case Chen's Pharmaceutical grew later and land prices in Pingshan Village shot up.

So Huo Jilin kept laying the groundwork.

"Then I'll rely on you tomorrow, Village Head Zhou. To be honest, Magistrate Liu is swamped with post-war resettlement right now—with so many wounded and dead soldiers—so he's handed this whole job over to me. But the silver he's given me is limited, so for now I can only afford wasteland. And only wasteland can hold a medicine workshop that would meet Magistrate Liu's standards."

Village Head Zhou nodded, deep in thought. "Magistrate Liu is truly a man of honor. We... I'll fill the clan elders in on all this tomorrow. Luckily, our Pingshan Village has plenty of land—"

That was exactly what Huo Jilin was waiting to hear. He smiled and said, "When construction starts, Village Head Zhou, you've got to be there to break ground."

Village Head Zhou's beard twitched as he laughed. "That's no problem, no problem at all. Once the land is settled, there's the question of the builders. I take it you've got some requirements for this workshop?"

Huo Jilin nodded. "A medicine workshop isn't like a regular house. I made sure to visit the county medical tents—they have strict hygiene standards. So the outside will look like a normal house, but the inside has to be clean. We'll do the same and whitewash the walls with lime plaster."

Village Head Zhou suddenly caught his meaning and coughed. "...White, like the walls in that house of yours?"

That white was creepy. And there were white linen sheets hanging up too. Village Head Zhou remembered the one time he'd seen it and got goosebumps on his arms.

He had thought Chen Jue had lost his mind from grief when Huo Lin died.

But now Huo Lin was back alive and talking about building a house like that?

Huo Jilin knew they'd have a hard time accepting it at first—the house Chen Jue had built must have freaked them out.

Thinking of Chen Jue, Huo Jilin smiled and covered for him: "That's right. All the medical tents are built this way. If there's no time to build proper structures, they set up temporary tents with white linen partitions to keep things clean."

Village Head Zhou didn't fully get it, but since the county medical tents were built that way, they'd do the same.

No wonder that Jue Geer had built such a weird house—he must have seen it himself.

Who would have thought Jue Geer knew medicine? What a waste of talent all this time.

Village Head Zhou went on to ask about the builders. Their wages mattered too—he couldn't chip in for that either. Given Huo Jilin's strict requirements, the construction would probably take a lot of days and a lot of workers.

With the land settled, everything else was small potatoes.

Huo Jilin didn't beat around the bush and said straight out:

"I'll pay everyone who comes to help. Pay will vary by job—thirty wen for skilled workers, twenty wen for everyone else, same as they'd make working outside. How does that sound, Village Head Zhou?"

He'd never planned on Village Head Zhou putting up any money. Whether it was land or labor costs, Chen's Pharmaceutical was going to belong entirely to him and Chen Jue.

Village Head Zhou didn't think that far ahead—he just figured getting credit without spending money was a good deal.

Seeing how quick Huo Jilin was to cover all the wages, he was naturally pleased and said with satisfaction, "Then there's no problem. Tomorrow I'll gather the villagers and spread the word, have them put your medicine workshop first."

Huo Jilin thanked him: "Then I'm much obliged to you, Village Head Zhou. I'll need your help with a lot of things going forward, so please do look after them.

Though I've lived in this village for years, I spent all that time up in the mountains and barely knew the villagers. I don't know them well, so I'll ask you to pick out reliable, steady people for the construction. After all, this is a medicine workshop approved by Magistrate Liu, and I want to get it built and running as fast as possible..."

Village Head Zhou waved his hand. "Don't you worry about that."

Huo Jilin nodded and went on, "Once the workshop is built, I'll need people to help run it. So I'll pick some of the hardworking, honest workers to become full-time employees at my workshop."

He had conditions for who he picked—there would be supervision.

Not just because he didn't trust Village Head Zhou, but because any endeavor needs rewards and punishments to get the best results.

That's just human nature.

Sure enough, Village Head Zhou's heart skipped a beat at his words. Full-time work—how many people would kill for that!

He quickly asked, "Really? Our villagers can take part in... making medicine?"

He'd assumed that wasn't possible, since medicine was so beyond them.

Only a few families in their village dug for herbs in the mountains, and they could barely sell them for anything.

Lately they'd been selling to the Huo Lin household, since they couldn't be bothered to go all the way to town—the medicine shops there were super picky.

They had an almost fearful awe of medicine. Nobody liked medicine—medicine meant sickness, sickness meant spending silver, meant death. Everyone stayed far away from it...

That was also why he'd been scared off at first. If Huo Jilin had said he wanted to build a rabbit farm, chicken farm, or pig farm in the village, he would've asked all kinds of questions and tried to get a piece of the pie. But medicine was something he knew nothing about, and not knowing made it seem hard, which made him instinctively back off.

Huo Jilin nodded calmly. "Of course. I'm from Pingshan Village. If my medicine workshop needs people, of course I'll use our own villagers."

His words left Village Head Zhou feeling complicated. He looked at Huo Jilin's calm face and silently clenched his fist.

Huo Jilin was being straight with him—letting bygones be bygones, and from now on, sharing weal and woe with Pingshan Village.

Village Head Zhou had been wondering why Huo Jilin had used his military merit to exempt the villagers from three years of forced labor and taxes, but now he no longer needed to guess—he had been judging a gentleman by his own petty standards.

With that thought, Village Head Zhou took a deep breath, and the look he gave Huo Jilin now held genuine warmth. He nodded: "With your word, I'll make sure to keep those people in line and make them work like it's their own business! It's just that... they may not really know medicine..."

Huo Jilin smiled: "You need not worry about that, Village Head. They only need to do as I say. My husband will oversee the medicine-making, and I've also invited Old Doctor Tang from Jishi Hall to come by and check on things from time to time, to make sure there are no issues with the medicines. Also, Magistrate Liu will send people to check as well."

Village Head Zhou sat up straight: "Magistrate Liu's coming too?"

Huo Jilin said calmly: "If we do well, he might come."

And he would definitely do well—when the time came, Magistrate Liu would come whether he liked it or not.

Village Head Zhou couldn't help rubbing his hands: "This... how is this a good thing? What if..."

He now felt this was a real problem. He had been happy just moments ago, but now hearing Huo Jilin mention the doctors he would invite and the government officials who would come to inspect, he finally got that it wouldn't be easy. He had to think about the consequences—what if things went wrong? This was medicine, after all. What if...

Huo Jilin let him think. If he knew the consequences, he wouldn't overreach.

Huo Jilin gave a faint smile: "Village Head Zhou, there's no need to worry too much. I've signed a written pledge with Magistrate Liu—if any problem arises, I'll take the blame. Besides, you've already done a great job."

Huo Jilin also made a point to praise Village Head Zhou: "Village Head, leading the villagers to build the stone bridge these past days is a real good deed—it benefits the country and the people. Once the bridge is completed, it'll take us only fifteen minutes to reach the town. We won't have to stand by the river feeling helpless anymore, won't have to detour through Sun Family Gully, and won't have to pay a portion of our grain to that village each year to use their road. These are all good, steady improvements. If Magistrate Liu ever learns of this, he'll definitely remember you."

Village Head Zhou was a timid and cautious man, so he just needed to play it safe—helping Huo Jilin get started was enough.

There was no need for Village Head Zhou to meddle in what came later. If he wanted credit, Huo Jilin would give it to him—but if he wanted more than that later, then he wouldn't need to stay Village Head.

Huo Jilin deeply disliked Village Head Zhou. Like Magistrate Liu, Village Head Zhou was sly and cunning, yet had never actually done anything real.

They had no real ability, but they were the local big shots.

Even though Huo Jilin greatly disliked such people, he would still read the situation and cooperate with them for a while.

Right now, he and Chen Jue were new arrivals in this village, starting everything from scratch, and they still needed this two-faced Village Head Zhou. So for now, he could negotiate with him—but once he built up his power, Village Head Zhou would have no say at all.

When Village Head Zhou heard that Huo Jilin had signed a written pledge and that any problems would have nothing to do with him, he let out a sigh of relief.

Soon after, everything was settled with Huo Jilin, and they'd get started the next day.

He personally saw Huo Jilin to the door and even stood there a moment, watching him walk away.

Only when he sneezed from the cold did he turn and head back inside.

Zhou Shuyao had been watching from the sidelines, and now said reluctantly: "Father, do you really trust him that much? Aren't you afraid he'll trick you?"

Seeing his father shoot him a look, he quickly added: "Fine, say it's a good thing—then why don't you get in on it, Father?"

Zhou Laoda also asked, puzzled: "Yes, Father, I was listening too and it seemed reliable. If his medicine workshop takes off, the magistrate will definitely come to inspect our village. If we're part of it too, just think—by then..."

Village Head Zhou snorted coldly: "You think it's that easy to get big? Dealing with a military ruffian—are you asking for trouble? This Huo Lin is a Guerrilla General, and in a few days he'll be appointed Regional Commander. He's bold enough to sign a written pledge—are you? All we can do now is give him what he needs, help him build it up. That way Magistrate Liu won't come after us. And if he truly succeeds one day, Magistrate Liu will definitely come, and then the bridge, the village, the mountains—all of it will catch the magistrate's eye! But—"

His voice dropped, and Zhou Laoda, who understood his father's meaning better, finished his thought: "But if his medicine workshop fails, or even causes trouble, it has nothing to do with us. We did what we were supposed to do... Dad's still Dad—thinking of everything!"

Zhou Laoda suddenly realized: "Oh, I see now."

Zhou Shuyao finally felt a little better hearing this: "I knew this wouldn't be easy!"

He didn't think Huo Jilin could pull it off!

Let him cry when it all falls apart!

Village Head Zhou warned him: "Enough. This is a good thing overall—he's spending his own money to build the workshop and paying the workers' wages. We should do our part."

Zhou Shuyao was about to roll his eyes again when Village Head Zhou shot him a look and said gravely: "This Huo Lin has changed since returning from the battlefield. Not only does he speak well now, but he also knows how to throw his weight around. He's got real power now—don't cross him."

Having been Village Head for so many years, he could clearly tell that Huo Jilin was using Magistrate Liu as a shield, and precisely because of that, he knew Huo Jilin now had real clout.

Because with Huo Lin's temperament, he wouldn't use someone else's power to push people around.

He'd never imagined Huo Lin would get to this point—military merit really could make a man hold his head high.

Or perhaps he had been hiding his true self all along, biding his time while his family were still in disgrace, and once he could stand tall, he let his true colors show.

He wondered what kind of family Huo Lin had come from—he'd heard that kids from big families were all scheming.

This Huo Lin really played his cards close to his chest.

Village Head Zhou glanced at Zhou Shuyao, who fancied himself a young master, and snorted coldly: "Especially you—don't cause me any more trouble."

Zhou Shuyao was so mad his nose was practically crooked. What infuriated him most was that he hadn't been causing trouble—because he didn't even know how to cause trouble. Was he supposed to openly fight Huo Lin for the man? Did he want to get whipped again?

After Huo Jilin left, Village Head Zhou said to Aunt Zhang: "Does the Sun family really have to marry their daughter off in the twelfth lunar month? Have him marry earlier—quickly!"

Aunt Zhang sighed helplessly. She was thinking that with Shuyao in his current state, could he even treat the Sun family's daughter well once she married in? Wouldn't he just sulk and throw tantrums at her? Better to let him cool off and think things over.

Let him look at Dalin and Jue Geer—the couple got along so well, and eventually he'd give up on his own.

Huo Jilin came out of Village Head Zhou's house and hurried toward his own home. When he saw a tiny glow like a bean in the window from afar, he smiled without realizing it.

That light was called home, and someone was waiting for him there.

Author's Note:

This story is already complete at about 570,000 characters—readers, don't worry.

I've also started a new story, a "crematorium" genre piece—please take a look and see if you like it. If you do, please bookmark it for me. Thank you so much, love you all!!!

As thanks for your bookmarks, I'm adding an extra update today—another chapter's coming tonight.