31: Han's mother

"Feng Cai, are there any women left in this village?"

Lin Yue asked uncertainly, scanning around. He saw male NPCs everywhere in the village, but very few females!

Women? Feng Cai didn't answer immediately, but pondered to himself. Was his Lord not satisfied with the carefully selected Xia sisters?

Or were they too inexperienced?

It seemed his Lord was in the prime of his life, and his Martial Power couldn't be fully displayed on the Xia sisters.

"My Lord, this old man will go to the Yihong Brothel tomorrow to buy two women."

"No, three!" Feng Cai said firmly.

His Lord was young and strong, so three should be enough. After all, the proficiency of such women was far beyond what the Xia sisters could offer.

"Yihong Brothel? Is it...?" Lin Yue asked, puzzled as to why he would buy them from there.

"It's... it's... hehehe." Feng Cai gave a knowing smile.

Lin Yue burst into laughter, then couldn't help but say, "You've been there?"

"No, this old man would never go to such a place." Seeing Lin Yue's reaction, Feng Cai immediately reined in his smile and said with a serious expression.

Could it be that even three wouldn't satisfy his Lord?

Lin Yue held his forehead, unable to help but laugh, "I mean normal women, not *those* kinds of women!"

"Ah?"

Feng Cai was a bit confused, "My Lord, why would you want *those* kinds of women?"

"It's not that *I* want them. How can a village have so few women?"

"Women hold up half the sky!"

"Are you going to make men weave? Are all the men going to be bachelors?" Lin Yue rubbed his forehead, a little speechless.

"But, this old man was in the Military Camp before, and it didn't matter without women. The young men were all full of vigor every day." Feng Cai explained.

"That's a Military Camp. Besides, even in a Military Camp, who doesn't need women? Who remains celibate their entire life?" Lin Yue grew anxious, seeing that Feng Cai still didn't understand his meaning.

"There is! This old man is one!"

Feng Cai said with a sincere expression.

Immediately, the three of them looked at Feng Cai with disbelief.

"Not even once?" Pan Feng asked cautiously.

"Yes, why would I need women?" Feng Cai asked.

"Then you're really miserable. You don't have some hidden illness, do you?" Xing Daorong said with a look of pity.

"Scram!" Feng Cai cursed, and Xing Daorong shrank his neck, saying no more.

Alright.

Indeed, sincerity was the ultimate weapon.

What Lin Yue wanted was not a Military Camp, but a stable rear, or perhaps, a paradise.

However, Feng Cai was on the elite Soldier path, recruiting only vagrants with high Martial Power or special skills. His goal, in fact, was still to build a village similar to a Military Camp!

This went against Lin Yue's vision and was not what he wanted.

"Feng Cai, the gender ratio in a village must be balanced. As the ancients said, 'yin and yang in harmony' is this very principle."

"Therefore, from now on, when recruiting vagrants, we cannot only recruit men." Lin Yue patiently explained.

"Yes, My Lord, Feng Cai has noted it." Feng Cai's mind hadn't turned the corner for a moment, but with Lin Yue's slight reminder, he understood.

He might have stayed in the Military Camp for too long and forgotten these things.

"Mm, let's go see Han Tan's family."

"Please, My Lord."

He had wanted to go yesterday, but was delayed by General Yu and his group. This was a big matter for Han Tan; having promised someone, he couldn't be careless.

Soon, Lin Yue arrived at a house. Four Soldiers were guarding the door, which must have been Feng Cai's arrangement last night.

"My Lord!" The four Soldiers saluted.

"You've worked hard.

Was this place unaffected last night?" Lin Yue asked.

"Rest assured, My Lord, all is well."

"Mm, you've worked hard, you can go back now."

"Yes!"

After seeing the four Soldiers leave, Lin Yue stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Dong dong dong!"

"Who is it?" A tender voice sounded, and then the door opened a crack. A little girl in a light yellow dress peeked out.

"Who are you?" The little girl asked.

"I am Lin Yue, here to pay my respects to Grand Aunt Sun." Lin Yue stepped back and cupped his hands.

"Please come in." The little girl, hearing they were looking for her mother, breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled, opened the door, and ran back inside.

"Lord Lin." Mother Han came out to greet him after hearing her youngest daughter's account.

"Auntie, this junior is late, please forgive him." Lin Yue bowed with the etiquette of a junior.

"Please, quickly take a seat." Mother Han nervously wiped her hands on her clothes and quickly helped him up.

After Lin Yue politely declined several times, he helped Mother Han to her seat. Once he sat down, he didn't beat around the bush and directly explained Han Tan's request for him to find his family.

Mother Han was heartbroken upon hearing this, and tears fell uncontrollably.

Then, she recounted the events of that year in detail.

Sixteen years ago, when Liaodong Commandery was still part of the Yan State, the Xiongnu people raided south, plundering and burning near Heyecheng.

Father Han, to escape the war, decided to lead his family into the mountains, but on the way, they unfortunately encountered Xiongnu Cavalry. To cover his family's escape, Father Han stepped forward and drew the Xiongnu Cavalry away.

When the Xiongnu people retreated, the family returned home safely. They waited and waited, but Father Han never returned. She went out to search, and among the corpses strewn across the fields, she barely managed to find the broken and unrecognizable remains of Father Han.

Recalling Father Han's figure as he covered their escape, she never imagined it would be their last sight. Grieving, Mother Han also had to consider their current situation.

At that time, Mother Han had three sons; the eldest was only eight, and the youngest, Han Tan, was just three. At that time, he was still called Hou Sanwazi.

She not only had three hungry boys in front of her, but she was also pregnant with another child. Her husband had died but couldn't be buried, and she had no ability to raise so many children.

Fortunately, there's always a way out. Just as Mother Han was despairing, the Yan State happened to send people to appease the common folk. An old eunuch accompanied them out of the palace. Seeing her plight, the old eunuch, unable to bear it, adopted four-year-old Han Tan, buried Father Han, and gave Mother Han five taels of silver.

This was a huge sum at the time, enough for Mother Han and her family to live for a long time. Mother Han hesitated repeatedly; though she was reluctant, for the sake of her two slightly older sons and the child yet to be born, she could only agree.

The old eunuch was kind-hearted. They initially exchanged letters, but good times didn't last. When Qin destroyed the six states, the Yan State was annihilated, and they lost contact ever since.

Mother Han's heart was filled with guilt from then on.

"Auntie, Han Tan has always been thinking of you. He's lived quite well these past years, and his adoptive father treats him very well. He's just very worried about you all." Lin Yue comforted her.

In that situation, it was hard to say right or wrong; abandoning Han Tan might have been the only choice.

"My poor little son, he was too young then, and I was afraid I couldn't keep him alive, so I sold him. It's all this mother's fault." Mother Han cried heartbrokenly, which was truly piteous.

"Mom, are you saying Third Brother is still alive?" The little girl asked in surprise.

"Yes, he is now serving in the palace. He misses you all very much, and he also wants to know whether the child Auntie was carrying back then was a sister or a brother."

"Han Tan is blessed to have such a beautiful sister." Lin Yue smiled, and the little girl listened with a shy expression.

Lin Yue took out the 100 taels of silver Han Tan had given him from his 懷 and handed it all to Mother Han, saying, "Auntie, this is what Han Tan asked me to give you."

"No, I cannot take it!" Mother Han sternly refused. No matter how Lin Yue tried to persuade her, she kept saying that she hadn't helped the child all these years, so how could she take the child's money?

Lin Yue then offered it to the little girl, but unexpectedly, the little girl also refused to accept it.

Lin Yue sighed. He couldn't bear to see Mother Han crying so pitifully. He sighed and whispered a few words to Feng Cai, handed him the silver, and then excused himself and walked out the door.

Feng Cai then took the opportunity to sit beside Mother Han and comforted her, "Sister, the child..."