CHAPTER 1488: CHAPTER 1405: WHAT KIND OF WORLD IS THIS

In the controlled area of the Tang Empire, in the Shu Territory, a once peaceful and harmonious village has now become somewhat bustling with noise.

Ever since the soldiers of the Tang Empire stationed themselves here, many people from nearby have gathered around, beginning to set up stalls to sell goods and find some money-making jobs.

It is always possible to make money around the military of the Tang Empire. Only the military of the Tang Empire is willing to spend money to purchase things from the local people.

When other countries’ armies are in need of something, their first thought is to seize, not purchase. After all, once someone has a gun, their logical thinking tends to undergo some unexpected changes.

The streets, which were not very spacious originally, are now crowded with various kinds of vendors. They sell all sorts of things, including... themselves.

Some people are willing to sell their labor to help the military of the Tang Empire construct nearby roads and repair houses, while others prefer simpler ways to quickly earn a lot of money.

Providing some indescribable services to the garrison of the Tang Empire can make a woman rich quickly. A woman can even support a whole family of people through her body.

There is a woman in this village who does just that. She is moderately attractive and has two young children and three elderly people to support, so she chose a way that people look down on to earn enough money.

The soldiers of the Tang Empire pity her and covet her body, so they are willing to spend money on her.

This woman obtained canned food, candies, grain, and a considerable amount of money from the soldiers of the Tang Empire.

The local natives of the surrounding territory look down on such a woman, yet they dare not gossip about the soldiers of the Tang Empire, so they talk behind her back, saying the woman is dirty.

But this woman does not argue; she has no other skills and can only rely on this way to earn some food for her already fragmented family.

Her first man was killed by the people of Qin Country, and her second man was taken away by the people of Qin Country to be a soldier and never returned. When she married her second man, she was already taking care of the mother of the first man. Now she has to also raise the parents of the second man and the two children of the second man.

In chaotic times, only a woman knows how bitter it can be.

Today, the woman was beaten; a man, who returned to the village, was grabbing the woman by the hair and repeatedly slapping her head.

The surrounding villagers gathered, gloatingly watching the woman kneeling and wailing with her head in her hands. They had long been looking forward to this day, to see a big scene, to watch a spectacle, a topic to talk about for a year.

"You slut! Slut!" The man, who had been taken by the Qin soldiers, returned, enduring countless hardships to come back. But on the first day of his return, he learned that his woman had become a "prostitute."

Looking at the clean clothes in the house, the two white and chubby children, and the three elderly well taken care of, the man slapped the woman even more viciously.

Compared to when he left, the whole village was cleaner. The soldiers of the Tang Empire even forcefully stipulated that no one was allowed to defecate or urinate on the streets.

This kind of regulation seemed so civilized, but in the eyes of the returned man, this cleanliness was even more ironic—what good was a clean world when his woman was no longer clean?

Because the commotion was so great, soldiers of the Tang Empire quickly arrived, intending to maintain order, but upon witnessing this situation, they were unsure of how to intervene.

Perhaps someone among them had visited this village’s quite famous "Oiran," and now that her husband had returned, how could they have the face to mediate?

So the usually efficient soldiers could only stand in the crowd, arms behind their backs, and watch as the man vented his discontent.

Everyone felt a kind of indescribable emotion inside; as the man beat and the woman wailed, the scene became all the more ironic.

"What kind of world is this." One soldier couldn’t take it anymore and muttered softly. Truth be told, he had also visited the woman and even left more money and things.

At that time, he thought the woman’s man was never coming back, so everything seemed justified. Now that this scene unfolded, he too felt aggrieved. He had never imagined this day would come and was not prepared to face it all.

"Disperse, don’t you all have anything better to do?" The young village official, just assigned here, walked into the crowd with a somber face and scolded in a not-so-loud voice.

Then everyone scattered like birds and beasts, because no matter what, this newcomer was well respected by everyone. He was genuinely working hard for the village, and everyone knew it in their hearts.

Although the man looked grim, he said nothing more, dragging the woman back to their home. Standing nearby, the elderly and the sobbing children nodded slightly at the young village official to thank him, then followed them back.

The few remaining awkward guards embarrassedly saluted the young man and promptly left.

In the distance, heavy machinery continued to operate; a wide avenue was soon to open, and this village was about to undergo a transformation, a real transformation.

Deep drainage ditches lined both sides of the asphalt road, and the trees that had been planted were arranged in two straight rows, extending along the road into the distance.

Countless workers were tirelessly working; they could earn twice as much as before, and their work would leave a lasting mark on their hometown.

The Dragon Banner of the Tang Empire fluttered at the entrance of the camp in the distance; the war prisoners of Qin Country no longer had their once arrogant demeanor, now working obediently as if they had never been fierce.

The war was not yet over, but traces of the war were almost nowhere to be seen here. Only the wounds left by the war still occasionally pained the people of this place.

That evening, the woman died.

The next day, the woman’s second husband also died, committing suicide in his room. It seemed to be due to regret, or perhaps shame, or maybe... fear. He had killed his woman, and according to the laws of the Tang Empire, unless there were special circumstances, murder was punishable by death.

They left behind three helpless elderly and two children to stay in a world that seemed unfriendly to them.

The remaining days must go on; they can only continue.