Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress-Chapter 1987 - 1995: Fated to Meet Across a Thousand Miles (Part 5)
Upon Third Uncle Mu’s reminder, Niqiu regretted his words and quickly added, "Our village now has a free school, so the little kids don’t have to go to other towns to study, nor do we have to worry about not affording the tuition..."
I didn’t avoid the matter of my uncle’s family and candidly asked Niqiu, "How is our big house now? Where do they live nowadays?"
Upon hearing my question, Niqiu quickly turned to look at Third Uncle and the Clan Leader. Seeing them nod, he turned back to me and said, "Wen’er, your grandparents died long ago, your uncle went mad over ten years ago, and last year accidentally killed your aunt. This spring, when the river thawed, your uncle fell in and drowned. Now, only your two cousins remain, but both are in poor health and can’t do farm work. They’ve been surviving these years with the village’s assistance, living in destitution!"
Upon hearing that their family met their deserved fate, I no longer dwelled on the sins they committed against us in the past. Although Mu Chongcai and Mu Chongfu are still alive, they are merely existing, no longer worth my attention.
Third Uncle enthusiastically invited me to be a guest at his home, and I gladly agreed since I hadn’t eaten yet.
Upon arriving at Third Uncle’s home, Third Aunt came out to greet me, but she couldn’t recognize me anymore. After Third Uncle introduced me, Third Aunt was so emotional that she started crying, babbling about many embarrassing things from when we siblings were children...
A timid little girl over ten years old was hiding in the house; Third Uncle called her out to meet me and address me as Uncle.
This little girl was called Miss Mu Xi, daughter of Sister Cai Lian, who died of a hemorrhage when she gave birth to her.
After Cai Lian’s death, Ji Wanfu and his son took all of Third Uncle’s family’s wealth and fled. Mu Xi was raised by Third Uncle and Third Aunt and is now betrothed to the son of Brother Jiujin, who runs a restaurant in the town, set to marry in two years.
Due to my arrival, villagers worried that Third Uncle’s family might not have enough to host, and many proactively brought chicken, duck, eggs, and vegetables, while several women came to help Third Aunt tidy up.
The Clan Leader and Third Uncle sat with me in the hall, talking, while some clan elders came over, asking me questions. Amidst the conversation, I overheard them planning a clan meeting tonight. Upon inquiry, I learned that ever since the Edict arrived months ago, in honor of the Empress’s Millennium Festival, the Mu Family Village folks were exempted from all annual taxes. Everyone realized the current Empress is indeed the Scholar Family’s eldest daughter, which Third Elder Mu had mentioned before, but no one believed then.
The village producing an Empress was indeed a remarkable event; Mu Family Village’s people are overwhelmingly proud, naturally making the village a Phoenix’s nest. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
The Clan Leader felt that since the village is a Phoenix’s nest, it shouldn’t be managed like other villages. Thus, he gathered all the men’s representatives from each family to discuss. Everyone finally decided to implement a communal system where land is cultivated together, meals are shared, funds are collectively used, and clothes are worn together in the tribe, distributing grain, vegetables, and money periodically to distinguish from other villages.
I happened to be free and felt like attending the clan meeting, so after dinner, I joined the clan elders and headed to the ancestral hall at the village’s western end.
Upon arriving at the ancestral hall, I saw inside long benches paired with long tables, with the clan members neatly seated. The clan meeting usually has representatives from families; some families attend fully. Each time, everyone discusses and provides many opinions.
People sat straight as the village’s wives poured tea; in a corner of the ancestral hall, bags of rice, bundles of cabbage, and baskets of eggs were stacked.
