Worlds Apart

The village was in utter chaos, with chickens and dogs running wild and wails rising everywhere. The Li family was soon roused.

"Stay here at home. I'll go see what's happened."

Father Li told Mother Li and Li Ling'er to stay inside, then went out to gather news.

"Dear, be careful!"

Mother Li's face was full of worry.

Though she didn't know what had happened, hearing the villagers' wails was enough to tell her something terrible must have occurred. She feared Father Li might be in danger.

"Don't worry!"

Father Li turned, grabbed a cleaver from the kitchen, and went out on full alert.

Before long, Father Li returned home, and Mother Li hurried to ask him,

"Dear, what happened?"

"Alas!"

Father Li sighed. "The authorities came to collect taxes. Many villagers couldn't pay, so their family members were taken away to serve in the army. Some people are selling their sons and daughters."

As he spoke, Father Li couldn't help recalling what had happened two years ago.

Back then, the Li family couldn't pay their taxes either, and Li Xuancang had been forcibly taken away. It was all still vivid in his mind.

"What? Didn't the Imperial Court just collect taxes? Why are they collecting them again?"

Mother Li looked astonished. This year's taxes had already been collected, so why were they demanding them again?

"From what the constables and tax clerks said, the army on the front lines suffered a crushing defeat, so they need more food and supplies. The emperor personally ordered the tax collection."

Father Li had already found out what was going on and told Mother Li.

"The army on the front lines was defeated. Could Xuancang be in danger?"

Hearing that the army on the front lines had been defeated, Mother Li was struck as if by lightning. She staggered, her head spinning, and nearly fell to the ground.

Father Li was quick to catch her as she swayed on the verge of collapse. "Xuancang is blessed by heaven. He'll be fine."

Father Li was worried about Li Xuancang too, but he couldn't show it. Otherwise, Mother Li and Li Ling'er would only worry more. He couldn't let the family fall apart.

"Yes, yes. Xuancang will be fine. Heaven protect him, heaven protect him..."

Mother Li clasped her hands, her face devout, and prayed for heaven to keep Li Xuancang safe and sound.

Just then, a commotion rose outside. The constables and villagers were drawing closer to the Li home.

"Let's go out and see."

Hearing the commotion, the Li family hurried outside.

When the constables and tax clerks reached the Li family's courtyard, their faces changed in an instant.

The tax clerk, who had just been all jowls and bluster, scolding people harshly, immediately put on a flattering, deferential smile and waved off the constables who were about to step forward.

He went up himself and gently knocked on the courtyard gate, his voice exceedingly polite.

"May I ask if this is the residence of Squad Leader Li Xuancang?"

The gate opened, and Father Li and Mother Li came out. They looked at the officials who had just been brutalizing people around the village. Though somewhat tense, they did their best to remain calm.

Seeing them, the tax clerk smiled even more broadly and grew more deferential still.

"Master Li, Madam Li, I'm a tax clerk from the county. I've come on orders to collect taxes."

"I've long heard that you two are close family of Squad Leader Li, stationed at the border. Lord Li guards the frontier and protects our country, and has rendered meritorious service. Your household is already protected by military registration, exempt from all taxes and labor service. I've come specifically to inform you of this. I won't trouble you at all."

The tax clerk wore a fawning smile. The constables behind him had all tempered their ferocity and stood respectfully. They were nothing like the arrogant, overbearing men who had mistreated the other villagers.

Seeing this, Father Li knew his family was no longer what it had been. He quickly steadied himself, and his nervousness vanished without a trace. He nodded faintly. "Understood."

"Of course! Very good!"

The tax clerk hurriedly agreed, his face wreathed in smiles.

"If anything makes things difficult for you in the village, or anyone dares to cause trouble, just say the word. I'll take care of it for you. We won't disturb you any longer. We'll take our leave."

With that, the tax clerk led the constables back several steps, respectfully.

They spoke softly and treated the Li family with every courtesy. They were like different people from the cruel, vicious officials who had just tormented the other villagers.

Many villagers still trailed behind the officials, begging them over and over to show mercy and spare their families.

They watched the tax clerk and constables, who had just brandished clubs and hurled insults, instantly rein in all their ferocity when facing the Li family.

The officials bowed low, their faces ingratiating. The whole of Azure Creek Village fell into a brief, deathly silence.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, shocked and unable to believe what they were seeing.

They forgot to cry and wail as they watched this absurd yet all-too-real scene unfold.

The constable who had just kicked Old Man Wang to the ground and loudly cursed the villagers now stood with his head lowered and his hands at his sides, not daring to breathe too loudly.

The tax clerk who had pounded the table while forcing them to pay, threatening to confiscate their homes and send them off to serve in the army, now bowed to Father Li and Mother Li, not daring to offend them in the slightest.

A wall divided two completely different worlds.

On one side were shattered homes and lives cast adrift, with officials bullying and squeezing the people at will until even the hope of simply surviving was a luxury.

On the other side, all was safe and sound, without the slightest harm. The officials treated the family with every courtesy, protecting them so that they could live in peace and security.

After the brief silence, envy surged like a flood in the villagers' eyes, along with a trace of jealousy they couldn't conceal.

"Just look... look at how they treat the Li family. It's completely different from how they treat us..."

"Isn't that the truth? We're all from Azure Creek Village, so how can the difference be this great?"

"It's because the Li family's boy became a squad leader at the border. His military registration protects them, and even the Imperial Court has to show them respect."

"If my child could achieve something like that, we wouldn't have to suffer like this."

"..."

Low murmurs spread through the crowd. Every face was filled with deep envy.

Watching the officials' treatment of the Li family, the villagers could barely contain their envy.

Their eyes were red, their hearts aching with bitterness.

They were all farmers who bent over the earth from dawn to dusk, but the Li family had a son who had earned merit guarding the border. In this chaotic era, when taxes cut like knives, they could keep themselves out of trouble: they didn't have to pay a single coin in taxes, be seized for military service, or endure the officials' abuse.

Some gazed at the family members being dragged away, then looked back at the Li family. They couldn't help wiping away tears, their hearts full of resentment and envy.

If their own family had such a powerful backer, they wouldn't have ended up selling their children and seeing their home torn apart.

Others watched the fearsome officials treating the Li family with deference. Jealousy quietly took root in their hearts, though helpless envy made up most of it.

They hated the injustice of this world and hated their own helplessness. More than anything, they envied the Li family for having a fine son like Li Xuancang, who risked his life at the border to carve out a future and protect his family.

All eyes remained fixed on the Li family's courtyard, filled with shock, envy, heartache, and jealousy—a tangle of emotions.

In this chaotic era, when no one knew what tomorrow might bring and everyone feared for their own safety, there was no one in all of Azure Creek Village who didn't yearn for the Li family's security and dignity.

They envied the Li family's good fortune, and even more, they envied Li Xuancang for using his own strength to give his family a peaceful haven amid the chaos.