"Mother, is this nice shack really ours to live in?"
A child named Xiaojun, about five years old, shyly asked his mother.
"Of course, it's ours to live in. Village Chief Dai gave it to us."
Xiaojun's mother, Gui Xiang, replied with a hint of uncertainty.
"Won't it be taken away from us?"
Xiaojun burrowed into his mother's arms with a little fear.
Xiaojun's father had been killed by bandits on the road while trying to save them.
At that time, their mother and son had hidden in the grass, witnessing their relative being killed. They had to suppress their cries to avoid making a sound, and finally escaped.
Xiaojun still couldn't forget his father's dying scream.
Therefore, he always felt that what belonged to him could not be kept, and there could be nothing that truly belonged to him.
"No one will snatch it, right? Village Chief Dai said everyone has their own place, and others have no reason to take ours."
Gui Xiang, prompted by her child, also became a little unsure.
During the day, they had desperately pleaded with the guards at the gate of Wangchun City to let them in, along with a group of refugees.
The guards had cruelly told them that the city would not accept refugees like them and directed them to the settlement outside the city.
However, their experiences on the journey had taught Gui Xiang that the settlements outside the city were not places where people could live long-term. As an orphaned mother and child, they would surely be exploited there, and even the women's chastity would be at risk.
Only by entering the city, where there was a normal social order, could they preserve their innocence and their lives.
Yet, the guards of Wangchun City were heartless and showed no concern for their tragic situation.
They waited outside the city for nearly a whole day.
During that day, refugees who had been waiting outside the city told Gui Xiang that these guards had received orders from the government and would not let them enter the city.
Even if they managed to sneak in, without a pass issued by the government, they would be thrown into prison if caught. The punishment would range from public shaming with shackles to a beating to death.
Previously, some refugees had managed to sneak into the city, but they were reported by homeowners for sheltering under their eaves and lost their lives.
Hearing this, mother and son despaired.
Just as they were reluctantly preparing to go to the settlement, Dai Fa appeared. He said he was recruiting people for Phoenix Village, promising twenty catties of rice per person, fish, meat, salt, and lodging, with wages for work.
Gui Xiang felt the conditions were too generous to be true and suspected something was amiss.
Later, seeing everyone following Dai Fa, she thought it over and hesitantly followed.
After all, with so many people, Dai Fa wouldn't dare to act brazenly if he intended to do something wrong, would he?
Besides, they had to make a desperate attempt to secure a better future for her son.
So, they followed Dai Fa up the mountain.
Among the crowd, she also saw other mothers with young children, and they exchanged their situations, all similar.
They had lost their men and the protection of their clans, and their journey had been fraught with hardship.
However, if they didn't follow Dai Fa up the mountain, they wouldn't survive long in the settlement.
They had no food and no silver to buy any. They could only dig for wild roots and strip bark from trees to eat.
With so many refugees in the settlement, even wild roots and bark were items people fought over. In that case, as a lone mother and child, they wouldn't be able to compete and would just wait to die.
If what Dai Fa said was true, perhaps their lives could undergo a complete transformation.
As they walked up the mountain path, her heart pounded nervously. The surroundings were dark, with only a newly cleared mountain road, and one could see dry grass piled up on the roadside from the clearing work.
Along the way, people kept asking Dai Fa why Phoenix Village was on such a high mountain and how many people were in the village.
Why were they recruiting the old, weak, women, and children? If they were going to clear land and farm, wouldn't they need young and strong laborers?
Dai Fa was very patient, as if he knew their inner anxieties. He said that Phoenix Village was a village established with the authorization of the government. The reason it was on a high mountain was because the young master, Gu, who founded the village, did not want conflicts with the local villagers over land.
Furthermore, young master Gu intended to grow many crops suitable for high altitudes on the mountain, and the village would require a large labor force. While recruiting strong young people would be ideal, the old, weak, women, and children all had their strengths and positions that needed them.
Being a villager of Phoenix Village was a matter of fate, and they should all relax.
Dai Fa was so kind, and his honest face didn't make him seem like a bad person. They could only follow him to Phoenix Village with their anxious hearts.
Unexpectedly, Phoenix Village was beyond everyone's expectations. They had also met the young master Gu mentioned by Village Chief Dai. He was so young, yet exuded mystery and extraordinariness. His generosity was astounding; upon meeting them, he immediately offered a bowl of sweet water.
Then, they ate white flour noodles, something they had rarely eaten in their lives, noodles that even contained meatballs and eggs.
Afterward, they were each given their own shack. The day felt like a dream, transitioning from hell to heaven. Their lives had taken an unbelievable turn.
Thinking of this, Gui Xiang couldn't help but pinch her thigh hard. The pain confirmed she wasn't dreaming.
"Xiaojun, don't think so much. Go to sleep quickly. We have to get up early tomorrow to work. I heard everyone here has to work, clearing land and farming. There might be a lot of tasks and it will be tiring. Are you afraid?"
Gui Xiang asked her son with concern.
"Mother, as long as there's sweet water to drink and white flour noodles to eat, I can endure hardship."
Even though her son was young, he was very sensible.
Gui Xiang couldn't help but lovingly stroke her son's small face and said,
"Let's sleep early so we have strength to work tomorrow. Tonight, we can sleep in a warm bed."
"Mother, it's so good, I want to sleep in a bed."
Gui Xiang spread her bedding in the shack and hugged her son as they fell asleep.
Despite many worries and unease, they were ultimately too tired. The mother and son fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the "pillow."
Although the shack was simple, it could shield them from wind and rain.
From their brief interactions so far, Phoenix Village was orderly. Gui Xiang even saw a village patrol team with bows and arrows patrolling the village, so she slept very soundly, waking up only at dawn.
When Gui Xiang opened her eyes and saw the bright daylight, she was startled, fearing she had missed the village's work hours and would incur Village Chief Dai's displeasure.
She quickly shook her son awake, who was also sleeping soundly, and said,
"Xiaojun, let's get up quickly, wash our faces, and get ready to work."
Stepping out of the shack, they saw Mei Xiang from the public mess hall loudly calling everyone to eat breakfast in the mess hall.
"Excuse me, auntie, do we have to pay for breakfast?"
Someone shyly asked.
"Yes, we don't have any silver on us."
"No need for money, it's all free white rice porridge, and meat patties too. Come quickly, it's best eaten hot."
Mei Xiang's words seemed to capture their souls.
Porridge?
Meat patties?