With the enormous Hakka walled compound now in place, the old perimeter wall made of Lego bricks had officially outlived its usefulness.
The new compound already came with defensive walls three zhang high, making the village's old two-zhang Lego fortification completely redundant. Worse still, when Li Daoxuan had originally installed that brick wall, it had taken up a portion of the farmland. September was approaching, and the autumn planting season was just around the corner. Every patch of cultivable land would soon be precious.
There was no reason to let a useless wall occupy farmland that could be put to better use.
Li Daoxuan reached into the box and removed the Lego bricks, along with the Pepsi-Cola can that Li Da had been using as a temporary shelter. He left the enormous pond made from a Lock & Lock container where it was, placing it on the open ground beside the new compound. The villagers still needed a reliable water source, after all.
Meanwhile, Gao Yiye and the Village Chief began organizing the housing assignments.
Gaojia Village now had slightly more than one hundred and fifty inhabitants. Under the traditional arrangement of three generations living together as one extended family, the village had barely forty households.
However, Tianzun had shown considerable generosity in his housing policy. Every married couple would count as a separate household and receive a room of its own.
In other words, the grandparents counted as one household, while the parents counted as another. Each would receive a separate room. Minor children would continue living with their parents, but adult children were entitled to private rooms of their own, even if they were still unmarried.
Under these exceptionally generous rules, all one hundred and fifty villagers needed only sixty-four rooms. There were still plenty of vacant quarters left over.
As the revered Saintess, Gao Yiye naturally received special treatment. She was assigned the uppermost floor of the tallest building, situated at the deepest end of the compound. From its balcony, she could look directly toward the heavens and communicate with Tianzun without difficulty.
The three-story structure was known as the watchtower. Its design resembled a traditional gatehouse tower built atop a city wall, giving it an excellent view over the entire compound.
Once the assignments were settled, the villagers immediately began moving their possessions out of their old shacks and into their new homes. They hung cloth curtains across the doorways and windows to provide some privacy, and before long, the entire compound was bustling with activity.
For Gaojia Village, it was practically a housewarming celebration.
---
Shan Shi'er had returned!
Accompanied by the newly recruited schoolmaster, a group of young men including Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu, and the two sculptors, Shan Shi'er hurried toward Gaojia Village. Wang Er of Baishui and his men had escorted the entire party along the way.
Among them, however, Teacher Wang was having an absolutely miserable time.
When he first accepted Shan Shi'er's silver, the scholar had assumed he'd landed himself a rather profitable teaching position. Who could have guessed that shortly after leaving the county town, Shan Shi'er would lead the group into a patch of woodland, where a gang of fierce-looking, armed men suddenly emerged to meet them?
And standing at the head of that gang was none other than Wang Er of Baishui, the notorious rebel leader whose face appeared on government wanted posters!
Teacher Wang nearly lost his soul on the spot.
Have I just been tricked into joining a bandit's hideout?
His entire body trembled. He didn't dare make a sound, much less consider running away. Instead, he obediently followed the others, his mind racing through one horrifying possibility after another.
Why would these rebels lure me here? Do they intend to drag me into the mountains and force me to serve as their military strategist, like Wu Yong in Water Margin?
I'm a respectable man! I refuse to become a mountain outlaw! Just look at how Wu Yong ended up. What a miserable fate!
No, I must remain calm. I'll pretend to cooperate for now. The moment I see an opening, I'll make a run for the county town!
With these thoughts tormenting him, Teacher Wang trudged along from dawn until noon. By then, the sun was scorching, his legs were aching, and he was so exhausted he could barely keep himself upright.
Just when he thought he might collapse, Shan Shi'er suddenly spoke.
"We're here. Hm? The village seems to have changed again."
Wang Er looked up in surprise.
"Seriously? Does Gaojia Village ever stay the same? The first time I visited, there wasn't even a wall. The second time, you'd built a two-zhang-high wall. And now, on my third visit, there's an enormous fortified compound standing here! Every time I come, this place looks completely different!"
Shan Shi'er immediately guessed that Tianzun had performed another miracle. Unfortunately, that wasn't something he could explain to Wang Er.
Instead, he smiled and cupped his fists.
"Hero Wang, we've reached our destination. There's no need to trouble you with escorting us any farther."
Wang Er returned the salute.
"Then I'll be heading back into the mountains."
Shan Shi'er reached into his bundle and took out a pouch of salt.
"Hero Wang, you refused the silver I offered last time, so please accept this salt instead. Silver is of little use to you while you're living in the mountains, but salt is something you can't do without."
Wang Er couldn't help licking his lips.
Shan Shi'er had hit the nail squarely on the head. The rebel army was desperately short of salt. They had recently raided government granaries and secured enough grain to keep themselves fed for quite some time, but salt remained a serious problem. After all, a man could survive without many luxuries, but he couldn't go indefinitely without salt.
Seeing no reason to refuse such a useful gift, Wang Er accepted the pouch and cupped his fists with a sincere expression.
"Gaojia Village has done us another great favor. Such kindness needs no elaborate words of gratitude. Should you ever need our help, simply send someone into the mountains to call for me."
With that, the two parties exchanged farewells. Wang Er led his men back into the hills, soon disappearing from sight.
The moment the bandits were gone, everyone else resumed their normal activities as though nothing unusual had happened.
Everyone except Teacher Wang.
The scholar's legs suddenly gave way. It was as if his bones had evaporated, and he crumpled straight to the ground.
Shan Shi'er turned around, startled.
"Teacher Wang! What on earth are you doing?"
"I... I thought you had tricked me into going into the mountains to become a bandit!" Teacher Wang gasped weakly. "Only now, after seeing Wang Er leave, do I finally understand that wasn't the case. The relief was so overwhelming that my legs simply stopped working!"
For a moment, everyone stared at him.
Then the entire group burst into laughter.
Shan Shi'er chuckled as he helped the scholar back to his feet.
"Teacher Wang, what sort of wild ideas have you been entertaining? We're all respectable, law-abiding people. Why would we ever become outlaws? Come along. Gaojia Village is just ahead. Once you see it for yourself, you'll understand why people call this place a hidden paradise."
The group continued onward and soon reached the outskirts of Gaojia Village.
The moment they entered Li Daoxuan's field of vision, he spotted them.
His little people had been away for two whole days. Watching them travel so far from home had genuinely stirred a bit of parental anxiety in him. Now that they had finally returned safely, he couldn't help feeling relieved.
Then he noticed a man in a faded blue Daoist robe walking behind Shan Shi'er.
Ah, the schoolmaster had arrived.
Li Daoxuan watched the returning party with a broad smile.
Gao Chuwu was the first to notice something strange. He pointed toward a dilapidated thatched hut on a nearby hillside and suddenly shouted.
"Whoa! Isn't that my house? What the hell is it doing up there?"
Without wasting another moment, he hurried toward it, covering the distance in just a few strides.
Just as he reached the entrance, the door opened. His middle-aged parents emerged, carefully carrying the family's heavy wooden bed.
The three nearly collided right at the doorway.
"Dad! Mom! What's going on? Why has our house ended up on the hillside?" Gao Chuwu asked in surprise.
His father laughed heartily.
"Tianzun has bestowed brand-new houses upon everyone in the village! Look over there, inside that enormous compound. Your mother and I are moving our furniture into our new home. You came back at just the right time, son. Take your mother's place and help your old man carry this bed!"
Gao Chuwu immediately stepped forward to relieve his mother. Father and son then set off briskly, carrying the heavy wooden bed between them.
As they walked, his father couldn't hide his excitement.
"Son, you have your own room now too! Tianzun decreed that every adult villager gets a private room, whether married or unmarried. The Village Chief assigned yours right next to ours. Hehehe! Once we're done moving this bed, you can go and bring your own bed over."
Gao Chuwu grinned from ear to ear.
"Really? I get my own room? Does that mean I can finally find myself a wife?"
His father burst into laughter.
"With a head as thick as yours, who's going to agree to marry you?"
"I may be a little thick-headed, but I'm strong!" Gao Chuwu protested. "As long as I keep doing heavy work for Tianzun and earn plenty of rewards, I'll eventually have enough wealth to take a wife!"
"Your rewards have arrived!"
Gao Yiye's voice suddenly rang out from a distance.
"Brother Chuwu! Tianzun says you've rendered great service by escorting Master Shan safely on his journey! As a reward, he has bestowed upon you five jin of white sugar, fifty jin of flour, and ten jin of pork! Hahaha..."
The final burst of laughter escaped her before she could finish properly.
There was a reason for that. Tianzun had specifically instructed her to tell Gao Chuwu that the rewards were meant to help him find a wife.
Apparently, even a Saintess had her limits when it came to keeping a straight face.
Gao Chuwu stared at her in disbelief.
"Wait... really? All that? Five jin of sugar, fifty jin of flour, and ten jin of pork?!"
His eyes practically sparkled.
"Mom! Hurry! Help me find a bride! I'll use every bit of these rewards as betrothal gifts!"