In the evening during dinner, Mo Yan brought up the matter, and for a ti, the dinner table grew quiet.
Mo Qingze laid down his chopsticks, looking at his several children, a trace of conflict crossing his face, "This morning, Silver Tower was also discussing this matter. It’s said that the news arrived at the Imperial Case ten days ago, but only now has it spread outside. The army heading south to quell the unrest must already be on their way. It might not be long before we, the refugees who have escaped here, will be sent back by the governnt to our original hos."
"Father, does being sent back to our original hos an we have to go back to where we used to live? But Zhenzhen doesn’t want to go back; Zhenzhen wants to stay here!" Zhenzhen looked pitifully at her father. She didn’t want to return to Mo Family Village, where there were many bad people who bullied them, unlike here. Here, she could eat delicious food every day and no one would fight with her for it.
Xin Er bit her chopstick, not speaking, her eyes intently fixed on her father, clearly not wanting to return to Mo Family Village either.
Mo Family Village...
Many mories about Mo Family Village flashed through Mo Yan’s mind, and from those fragnts, she saw a girl thin and small yet resolute and determined.
As a child, her father worked away from ho to support the family. The original host, young as she was, struggled to raise her siblings as they grew up. She could endure poverty and fatigue, but she could not tolerate the an won and children in the village who insulted and cursed her family, calling them "wild bastards without a mother." This phrase almost followed the three siblings as they grew up. They even had to endure the harshness and enslavent from so despicable relatives. The mories of Mo Family Village were almost entirely grey.
Toward those people, the original host chose to ignore them, yet her heart harbored resentnt.
Even though those unbearable past events had nothing to do with Mo Yan, each ti she saw these scenes, her pity and admiration for the original host deepened. If the original host had not been so ntally strong, constantly teaching her younger siblings, the children might have been destroyed by the slander. None of the other children could possibly have done better than the original host in such distressing circumstances.
If they were to return to such an environnt, she worried the younger ones would suffer psychological trauma. Even for herself, she didn’t want to trek thousands of miles back again.
"Father knows, father knows. If it were possible, I also wouldn’t wish for you to suffer! But if the governnt decides to send us back to our original places, we’ll have no choice but to return. Otherwise, if our household registrations are canceled, we wouldn’t even be considered citizens of Great Chu," he said.
Mo Qingze felt helpless. Mo Family Village was where he had grown up, and it was impossible to say he had no attachnts there, but his three children were the most important to him. He had to consider their thoughts and if there was a way, he also wanted to try to stay in Jing City.
Upon hearing this, Mo Yan asked, "Father, in Great Chu, can the common people not relocate freely?"
Mo Qingze nodded, "Not only in Great Chu, but it’s also the sa in other states! If not for this natural disaster and calamity, our coming to Jing City would have not only required household registration but also certifications and travel permits from the village head, county city, and state prefecture. If we wanted to settle in Jing City, we would need to change our household registration from Mo Family Village to Jing City, but..."
He didn’t continue.
Thinking of people in her previous life running around until their legs nearly broke just to change a household registration, Mo Yan could guess what her father left unsaid. Even in her previous life under the Five-star Red Flag, relocating a household registration was a troubleso matter, let alone settling down under the shadow of the Imperial City Root? It would probably not only cost a substantial amount of Silver Coin but also require solid connections to do so.
"Father, don’t worry so much; we haven’t received any news just yet," Mo Yan comforted her father, and cald down her emotionally downtrodden younger siblings. If they really had to be sent back to their original place, with Space, they didn’t have much to worry about on the road. As for the gossipy won of Mo Family Village, she had plenty of ways to shut them up.
The conversation between Mo Yan and her father made Lizhong feel sowhat somber as well. He had always thought that his daughter was still in Jing City and had even planned to slowly search for her. But if they were to be sent back to their original places, he feared he might never find her in this lifeti.
Liyan quietly held her grandfather’s hand, a smile on her face. After all, wherever her grandfather went, she would go too.
That night, both family heads, Mo Qingze and Lizhong, tossed and turned, unable to sleep until dawn.
...
Mo Yan felt this matter was very important and decided to let Lin Yong and the others know to prepare themselves. If they were to be sent back to their original places, having neither grain nor money would be a great hardship for them.
Upon hearing the news, Lin Yong, the head of his clan, was surprisingly calm, but Lin Da and the others were at a loss. Lin Da blurted out:
"Yong Brother, if we are sent back to our original places, we n might be able to withstand it, but the elderly and children can’t endure such turmoil!"
The others looked expectantly at Lin Yong, hoping he could co up with a solution. They had not expected the war to be resolved so quickly. Moreover, when they had originally fled, they had no intention of returning. Now, if they were to be sent back, they feared they would lose many of their tribe mbers along the way.
Lin Yong glanced at him and asked, "So, what do you suggest we do?"
Lin Da was choked up and couldn’t speak. The governnt wasn’t his to command; how could he have any solutions?
Worried that they would start arguing, Mo Yan quickly said, "This is just speculation. Maybe the governnt will have other arrangents, right?"
Lin Yong gave a wry smile but said nothing, and Lin Da and the others, not wanting to cause panic, dared not continue their loud protests. But they knew that being sent back was only a matter of ti.
Looking at the porridge stand, where everyone was smiling and waiting with bowls in hand for their al, Mo Yan felt uncomfortable. Their lives were too fragile and couldn’t withstand a long and arduous journey.
She couldn’t help but fantasize. If a powerful figure could resolve their household registration issues at this mont, she would set up an eternal morial tablet for them and offer incense three tis daily, morning, noon, and night.
Tens of miles away, on a mountain path, dozens of divine horses, extraordinary in their beauty, raced past in a flash. Leading them, a young man in black, strikingly handso, suddenly sneezed. The subordinate following closely behind, worried, couldn’t help but say:
"My lord, are you alright?"
The beautiful man glared at him, icily ordering, "Enough talk! We are approaching Valley of Hell, signal the others to be on guard."
The subordinate’s expression tensed, he dared not speak another word, and quickly raised his right hand, making a gesture.
...
After a few days, the speculations of Mo Qingze turned into reality. The governnt posted notices at all the major city gates, which basically stated that all the people who had fled to the city must change their household registration or leave Jing City by the thirtieth day of the ninth month in Huian’s twenty-seventh year. Those who failed to comply would be treated as enemy spies!
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