186: Xinzhen, Qixia Town
Heyu Town.
Ever since the last battle between the two Noble Families, the Zhang Family suffered a crushing defeat and was punished by being sent Beyond the Border.
The entirety of Heyu Town had remained stable for nearly a month.
Unexpectedly, in early June, an announcement from the Town Chief's Mansion caused the entire Heyu Town to reach a boiling point.
「Town Chief's Mansion Announcement
The new town of Heyu Town has been completed, and we are currently selecting residents with various skills to move in. If you truly possess a specialized skill, housing can be allocated based on your skill, or a portion of the housing costs can be waived.
As the new town is in its initial construction phase, residents from all villages are welcome to move in with their families. Starting today, anyone who moves in within one month can enjoy a fifty percent discount on housing prices.
The new town is located at Qixia Town in Heyu Town (formerly next to Fuhe Village).」
“Why build a new town all of a sudden?”
“Does this mean our Heyu Town is going to be abandoned as the old town?”
“Abandonment isn't certain; the policy doesn't explicitly state what the new town is for. We should wait and see.”
“Hey, it seems Fuhe Village is under the jurisdiction of the new Noble Family, the Chu Family. In other words, this new town is on the Chu Family's territory.”
“They really won't let us live in peace. It hasn't even been that long, and they're pulling these shenanigans again.”
“A new town is good; maybe there will be more opportunities. I'm going to head over to that new town this afternoon to take a look. Anyone want to join?” A burly man looked at the announcement cheerfully and asked those around him.
“I will.”
“I'll go too.”
“Let's go together.”
After the burly man spoke, many responded, and most of them were on the younger side.
The burly man set a time with the others who agreed and hurried back home.
The burly man's name was Wang Hu, a Blacksmith working at the town's forge. He had seen this news on his way to work; he had long since grown tired of his current life.
Seeing the construction of the new town, his mind immediately became active. Thus, he made a snap decision to skip work for the day and go check out this new town.
He was born tall and walked extremely fast. After turning through a few alleys, he arrived home.
With a "creak," he pushed open the wooden door and entered his somewhat cramped courtyard.
A woman who was pounding clothes by the well looked up and saw him return, a faint look of surprise on her face. “Did you forget something?”
Wang Hu shook his head slightly. “I'm not working today. The town said a new town has been built, and I want to go there to see if there are any opportunities.”
The woman didn't understand what a new town was. She was a very reserved person and wouldn't say much about her husband's decisions, so she simply nodded. “Then you should go take a look first.”
Wang Hu looked at the narrow courtyard and sighed inwardly. Although he was a Blacksmith, he was merely an employee. While meeting basic needs in this town wasn't a problem, and he could even save a bit of extra money,
this money was only enough to slightly improve their daily life; it was impossible if he wanted to do something big.
It was this kind of life—not starving, but never truly full—that kept them living in this town without freedom.
After telling his Family, Wang Hu took a water flask and left, heading toward the entrance of the town.
By the time he arrived, the people he had agreed to meet had mostly gathered.
Without much small talk, they set off in groups of three to five onto the road leading to 'Qixia Town'.
It didn't matter if they didn't know the way; the announcement said that Qixia Village was very easy to find. One end of this road was Heyu Town, and the other end was Qixia Town.
As long as they followed this level road, they would eventually reach Qixia Town.
Along the way, more and more people appeared, almost like the grand occasion of a New Year's market.
However, these people from the town or other villages were all there on this day to take a look at the new town mentioned in the announcement.
Wang Hu and his group were all young men with a fast pace. In about an hour, a town bathed in the brilliant morning sunlight appeared before their eyes.
As the outline of the town emerged, even from a distance, they could already see 'skyscrapers' in this new town that were far taller than those in the old town.
These townspeople and villagers had never been anywhere far; seven-story buildings were enough to shock them, and most of the surrounding houses where residents lived were also six stories high.
Filled with a certain eagerness, the visitors couldn't help but quicken their pace, only slowing down as they approached the entrance to the town.
Up close, these buildings were even taller. Through the exceptionally bright windows, they could see figures moving inside. As they looked at the buildings, the people inside were also looking out the windows at them with curiosity.
Entering the new town didn't cost them any money; they were only warned not to damage a single plant or tree before being allowed in.
Some were entering the town, while others were leaving. Those leaving were dressed decently and carried special tools, as if they were going to perform labor.
Wang Hu remembered then that there seemed to be many fields planted with medicinal herbs on both sides of the road. Those must be the farmland of the town's residents, and they were likely going to work in the herb fields now.
So people living in such fine houses still had to work.
He walked into the town in a daze. After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped, unsure of what to do. The buildings everywhere were extraordinarily magnificent,
but his heart was filled with uncertainty. The town said it needed people with specialized skills; how should he go about inquiring? And these tall buildings with courtyards—could he really afford to buy one?
The 1.85-meter-tall man stood helplessly by the roadside for a moment. Then, adhering to the principle of "since I'm already here, I'll regret it if I don't ask," he walked toward an elderly man of the new town.
The town's residents were easy to distinguish from outsiders like them. The outsiders were observing the town with either timidity or curiosity, while the residents were looking back at the outsiders with curiosity.
Wang Hu walked up to an old man sitting on a small stool in front of a courtyard, soaking up the sun. “Elder, I'd like to ask—didn't Qixia Town have an announcement about accepting residents with specialized skills? Where should I go to handle that?”
The old man raised his bright eyes to look at Wang Hu and smiled. “Want to come to Qixia Town? Good! Follow this road inward until you reach a large plaza in the center. All matters for new residents are handled there.”
Wang Hu looked in the direction the old man pointed and then cupped his fists. “Thank you, Elder. I wanted to ask, are these houses very expensive?”
“Very expensive?” The old man shook his head. “We are the original residents, so these houses didn't cost us money. However, I don't know if they charge you outsiders. Go check at the plaza. I heard there's some kind of discount right now. Hurry, hurry—if you go too late, you might miss it.”
The old man before him knew some information, but not much.
After thanking him, Wang Hu hurriedly walked in the direction the old man had indicated.
Before long, he saw a noisy plaza crowded with people.