Rules for Going Out

"Da'an Ge, Da'an Ge, are you home?"

Standing before an earthen house, Lu Qing called out.

"Who is it? Who's calling for me?" A tall figure ran out from inside. The moment he saw Lu Qing, delight lit his face. "It's you, A Qing! What do you need me for?"

"Da An, who is it?"

Before Lu Qing could answer, an aged voice came from within. An old man emerged from the house as well, a bamboo pipe in hand.

"Grandpa, A Qing is here!" Wang Da'an called directly.

"Wang Grandpa." Lu Qing greeted the old man.

"Oh, it's A Qing! Come, come, hurry inside and sit."

The old man was delighted to see Lu Qing too, and tried to pull him indoors for a drink of water.

"No need, Wang Grandpa. I have something to discuss with Da'an Ge, so I won't go in and disturb you."

"Right, what did you need me for?" Wang Da'an asked.

"I want to go to Da Ji. Last time, Da'an Ge, didn't you say that if I wanted to go to Da Ji, I should come find you first? There were some rules I needed to know."

"You're going to Da Ji?" Wang Da'an froze, then immediately realized. "Oh, right, today's market day."

Da Ji was held once every five days. Today was exactly the fifth day since the last market day.

"A Qing, what are you going to Da Ji for? To sell fish?" Wang Da'an asked.

"The fish aren't urgent. I want to take a look around Da Ji first, get a feel for things, and buy a few things while I'm there."

"I don't have a problem with that, but Grandpa was just about to send me out to cut pig grass." Wang Da'an scratched his head.

Wang Grandpa took two puffs from his pipe. "In that case, Da An, take A Qing there. He's the head of his household now. It's time he learned the rules for going out."

"Alright, Grandpa, don't worry. I'll definitely teach A Qing properly!" Wang Da'an said happily.

He was quite happy not to have to cut pig grass. That work was far too dull.

"Come on, A Qing. I'll explain on the way."

Wang Da'an grabbed Lu Qing and headed outside.

When they reached the village entrance, Wang Da'an pointed up at a large tree there.

"A Qing, the first rule for going out to market is right here."

"Here?" Lu Qing looked at the big tree, puzzled.

Of course he knew this tree. It was not especially tall, but it was thick and sturdy, with luxuriant branches and leaves. Its trunk was so broad that several people would be needed to encircle it with their arms.

It looked rather like a banyan tree from his previous life.

Moreover, this big tree seemed to be quite important.

Not only did people regularly offer incense to it, but the village children had been warned from an early age never to play nearby, much less climb it.

If anyone violated the ban and was caught, even a thorough beating would be considered light punishment. For more serious cases, they would be made to kneel hungry in the Ancestral Hall.

Thus, the village children kept their distance from the tree, preferring to play in the mud elsewhere rather than dare play around it.

Yet in his memories, he had found no clue to the tree's true purpose. He had only assumed that people worshipped it to pray for peace and safety.

But from what Da'an Ge was saying now, it seemed to have another use? "That's right. This big tree is our village's God Tree, and also the Letter Tree. Everyone in the village who goes out to handle business, whether to Da Ji or to the city, must leave a mark here to show where they are going."

"That way, if someone does not return in time, the village can still know where they went from the mark they left behind."

"This tree actually has a use like that?" Lu Qing was surprised.

He truly had not expected the big tree that the original owner of this body had feared somewhat to have such an origin.

"Then how do you leave a mark on it?" Lu Qing asked.

"Here."

Wang Da'an stepped forward and lifted a stone slab at the base of the tree.

When he returned, he had two Red Ropes in his hands.

Wang Da'an handed one Red Rope to Lu Qing and pointed at the tree.

"See those old branches on the God Tree? The ones on the left represent Da Ji, the ones in the middle represent the city, and the ones on the right represent traveling farther away."

"Whenever you go somewhere, tie a Red Rope around the corresponding branch. Then the villagers will know that someone has gone out."

"When you return, just take the Red Rope down."

"That's all?" Lu Qing blinked.

He had thought it would be far more complicated. He had not expected it to be so simple.

"That's all. What else would there be?" Wang Da'an looked baffled.

"Don't you need to hang a tag or some other marker? Otherwise, how would everyone know who went far away?" Lu Qing asked.

"What would be the point of hanging a tag?" Wang Da'an looked even more confused.

"You could write your name on the tag, or something like that..."

As Lu Qing said this, he suddenly came to his senses.

He had forgotten that the overwhelming majority of villagers could not read.

Sure enough, Wang Da'an grinned when he heard that.

"You think everyone's like you, A Qing, knowing so many characters? Who can even write their own name?"

"Besides, there's no need to make it so troublesome. The village is only this big. If a Red Rope hasn't been taken down, just ask around the village and you'll know who hasn't returned."

When Lu Qing thought about it, that was true.

His mind had simply failed to turn for a moment. He had assumed this place was like his previous life, where people could set out on long journeys whenever they pleased.

In reality, in an ancient world like this, villagers were extremely cautious about going out.

Unless there was a real need, they would not leave the village casually.

Some villagers might never have traveled far even once in their entire lives.

Children, even more so, were strictly forbidden from running outside.

Under such circumstances, there were not many people leaving the village in ordinary times. It truly did not need to be so complicated.

But because of this, Lu Qing also understood why everyone usually offered incense beneath this tree.

Besides worshipping the gods, what the villagers prayed for most was likely the safety of those who had gone out.

"Come, I'll tie it on for you."

Wang Da'an tied the two Red Ropes onto the branch on the left.

"Also, there's another rule in the village. Da Ji isn't far from our village, so if you're going there, it's fine to go alone as long as you tie a Red Rope here."

"But if you're going to the city or somewhere farther away, at least two people must go together so they can look after one another."

"If no one from our village is going into the city, you can ask around in the neighboring villages to see whether anyone wants to go with you. The rules for going out in our several villages are all more or less the same."

"Going to the city isn't like going to Da Ji. With more people, it's easier to look out for one another."

"Da'an Ge, is the road to the city dangerous?" Hearing these rules, Lu Qing could not help asking.

Wang Da'an paused before replying, "I wouldn't say it's dangerous. Things have been alright these past few years, and the roads have been fairly peaceful. But Grandpa said that bandits appeared on the roads before. Someone from the neighboring village was captured, and it took him several years to escape and return."

"Everyone had thought he'd already died outside. Only after he escaped back did they learn that he'd been captured by bandits."

"But supposedly, those bandits were later wiped out by people sent by the County Magistrate and the city lord, so the roads became peaceful again."

"It was also from then on that our several villages gradually established the current rules for going out."

Bandits!

Lu Qing's heart jolted.

Sure enough, this world was not as peaceful as he had imagined.

The term County Magistrate also caught his attention.

However, Lu Qing did not ask further. There would be plenty of time; he could slowly inquire about it later.

After explaining the rules for leaving the village and tying on the Red Ropes, Wang Da'an finally led Lu Qing toward Da Ji.