This was already the last refuge left after they had moved through several locations. Tao Laoda was unwilling to let slip this chance that might allow the children to escape to a better life, yet if the cost was losing even this final place of shelter…
Tao Laoda’s heart ached. Without even needing to consult the others, he knew they would all be willing to bear this consequence.
Just as he was about to tell Liu Da that he agreed, he heard the young-yet-seasoned half-grown child say: “I rather like this stone mountain, but the Lu Family would never do anything that cuts off another person’s livelihood. How about this — I have some connections in Li County. If Tao Laoda agrees, I will find a way to have your people relocated there to settle. Of course, if you don’t wish to go to Li County but would rather go somewhere else, you may say so — as long as it falls within what we can manage, I will do my best to accommodate.”
The Sixth Prince had been guarding against Tao Laoda making outrageous demands, yet Tao Laoda’s mind hadn’t drifted in that direction at all. His mind had gone completely blank. Go to Li County? Move there to live? Was he saying they would temporarily stay there, and then come back to Ling Village once all the stone had been quarried?
Even though he understood full well that returning to Ling Village after living in such a place would be unbearable, Tao Laoda still could not bring himself to refuse this proposal. They longed too desperately for a life like that — they wanted it, wanted it so deeply.
He gripped Liu Da’s hand tightly and said a few words in the local dialect. Liu Da, suppressing the pain in his arm, said to the Sixth Prince: “Tao Laoda asks roughly how long they would be able to stay in Li County, and also whether the children could be permitted to remain there permanently. As long as you allow the children to stay, the entire Ling Village — all four hundred and thirteen souls — would be willing to quarry stone for you without a single coin of wages.”
He paused, then added something Tao Laoda had not said: “They have lived on this land for many years and have dealt with these stones their whole lives. Having them do the work will be twice as effective for half the effort, and will also save Manager Lu a considerable sum of silver. Might it be possible…”
Liu Da could not finish the words. He did not understand grand principles, yet he knew well enough that there was no free meal under heaven. This group had shown the most compassionate conduct he had ever witnessed. Anyone else would never have given Tao Laoda and his people a choice at all — they were nothing but a group of impoverished commoners; what could they do even if they were simply driven away?
Yet Manager Lu and the others had not done that. He feared that if he said too much, he might offend them and cause them to take back all the good things they had promised.
Looking at Tao Laoda, who waited with careful, hopeful eyes, the Sixth Prince felt his heart constrict with pain. He swallowed hard, forcing his throat to stop aching, and nodded: “This transaction is very important to me. If the people of Ling Village are willing to help, that is naturally all the better. As for allowing the children to remain afterward…”
The Sixth Prince smiled, and in that smile shone a softness he himself was unaware of. “I will find a way to have all of you registered as residents of Li County, so that you may live there from now on. As for the children — naturally it is best for them to be at their family’s side. What do you think?”
Tao Laoda’s throat visibly bobbed up and down. He stared in disbelief, eyes wide, nearly convinced he was dreaming. With a sharp smack, he struck himself across the face. It hurt. It was real. The people before him were not a figment of his imagination. This was real. It was real!
Hua Zhi looked away, her heart trembling faintly. Even in her hardest times, she had never truly suffered such a wretched life, yet these people had endured hardship for generation upon generation in this place. When a real opportunity finally arrived, their first instinct was disbelief. When all was said and done, it was the Great Qing dynasty that had failed them.
Tao Laoda rose to his feet and knelt down before the Sixth Prince in a rigid, upright bow. He choked out a few words in the local dialect.
Liu Da forced a smile and translated: “Tao Laoda says they are willing. On behalf of all four hundred and thirteen people of Ling Village, he kowtows to you.”
The Sixth Prince stepped forward and helped him up. “This is what I ought to do.”
As a prince of the Great Qing dynasty, this was what he was supposed to do. The Sixth Prince turned to look at Elder Sister Hua. Was this what Elder Sister Hua had wanted him to see? He thought he finally understood her intention.
Meeting Elder Sister Hua’s encouraging gaze, Xiao Liu pressed his lips together and turned back to face Tao Laoda. “I will have someone take care of the Li County matters. At the latest, there will be an answer within three days. Prepare yourselves — when the time comes, you will be moving out of here.”
“We thank the Manager for his kindness.”
Gu Yanxi suddenly spoke up: “We would like to have a look around Ling Prefecture. Tao Laoda, would you kindly lead the way?”
Tao Laoda naturally had no objection. He exchanged a few words with Liu Da and quickly went out. Before long, a deep, resonant tolling of a bell was heard, followed by the sound of Tao Laoda speaking to someone.
Liu Da translated: “Tao Laoda says he is going to share this good news with the people of Ling Village, then come back to lead everyone on the tour. He is speaking to the villagers about this right now and asking them all to begin packing their belongings.”
Hua Zhi felt quite warmly toward this man. “Do you know which part of Li County would be suitable to settle them in?”
Liu Da was taken aback — this was not something for him to decide.
Hua Zhi noticed his hesitation and smiled. “Just say what you think. We are not familiar with Li County, and if the officials there end up placing them in some desolate and hostile corner of the land, how would that be any different from leaving them here in Ling Prefecture?”
“Even the most desolate part of Li County is still better than this Ling Village.” Liu Da instinctively said a word in defense of his hometown. Thinking that since they were unfamiliar with the area, they could indeed easily be hoodwinked by the local yamen officials, he went on: “The villages below our Xiuxiu Township are all quite nice. If they are settled somewhere near mountains and rivers, they should be able to get by just fine — and it is not far from Ling Prefecture either, so it would be convenient for them to come here to work when needed.”
Hua Zhi gave a small nod. “Xiao Liu, keep this location in mind. Go and see it yourself when the time comes. Whatever you do must be seen through to the end — do not think that handing this off to those below you and washing your hands of it will make everything all right.”
“Yes, I will personally follow through.”
Liu Da could not help but take a second look at this beautiful young woman. He was somewhat surprised to find that she was someone with genuine authority in this enterprise.
Tao Laoda returned shortly after, his dark face radiant with renewed vigor, his eyes livelier than before. He showed even greater respect toward the group, though the problem remained that none of them could understand his speech. Liu Da had no choice but to continue following along — not that he minded. When all was said and done, he did feel he had earned a measure of merit from all this.
Along the way, Liu Da listened to Tao Laoda’s words and translated for the group as they walked: “There are quite a few stone mountains like this around here, but the finest is still the one from which they built their homes. If the Manager wants good quality stone, this is where the quarrying should be done. Beneath this mountain too lies the same kind of stone. That expanse of flat land ahead is a marshland — it cannot be crossed. Anyone who falls in will not be able to get out. There are several such places, and Tao Laoda says that when the time comes, he will have people put up warning markers so that the Manager’s workers do not come to harm…”
No one in the group interrupted. They simply listened as the two men — one speaking, one translating — gave them a thorough account of the area, allowing them to fully grasp the harshness of these living conditions, and to feel firsthand how the people of Ling Prefecture had survived and carried on here for more than a hundred years.