A World of Difference

The village was in an uproar, filled with wailing and cries of distress; the Li Family was soon stirred by the commotion.

"You stay inside, I'll go see what's happening."

Li Xuancang's father instructed Li Ling'er and her mother to remain indoors while he stepped out to scout for news.

"Master, please be careful!"

Li Ling'er's mother wore a look of deep concern.

Though she did not know what had occurred, the villagers' wails suggested a major crisis, and she feared for her husband's safety.

"Don't worry!"

Li Xuancang's father turned, grabbed a kitchen knife, and stepped out, fully on guard.

Before long, he returned, and his wife hurried to ask him.

"Master, what happened?"

"Sigh!"

He let out a heavy breath. "The government officials are here to collect taxes. Many villagers can't pay, so their families are being dragged off for military service, and some are even selling their children."

As he spoke, his mind drifted back to a scene from two years ago.

That was when the Li Family couldn't pay their taxes, leading to Li Xuancang being forcibly taken away—a memory still vivid in his mind.

"What? Didn't the imperial court just collect taxes? Why are they collecting again?"

Li Ling'er's mother looked stunned; the taxes for the year had already been paid, so why the second round?

"According to the officials and bailiffs, the front lines have collapsed. They need more grain and supplies, and the Emperor himself ordered this levy."

Having gathered the facts, he relayed them to her.

"The front lines have fallen? Will Xuancang be in danger?"

Hearing of the defeat, she felt as if struck by lightning. Her body swayed, and she felt so dizzy she nearly collapsed to the ground.

Her husband was quick to react, catching her as she stumbled. "Xuancang is a man of fortune; he will surely be fine."

He was worried about Li Xuancang too, but he could not show it, lest he cause his wife and daughter further distress. He had to keep the family together.

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

She looked pious, pressing her palms together to pray for Li Xuancang's safety.

Just then, a clamor rose outside as the officials and the crowd drew near the Li residence.

"Let's go see."

Hearing the commotion, the family hurried out the door.

When the bailiffs and tax collectors reached the small courtyard, their expressions shifted instantly.

The tax collector, who had been sneering with a face full of fat and shouting harsh orders just moments ago, immediately put on a fawning, respectful smile and waved for the bailiffs to hold back.

He stepped forward himself, knocked gently on the gate, and spoke with extreme courtesy.

"Pardon me, is this the residence of the soldier Li Xuancang?"

The gate opened, and the parents stepped out. Looking at the group of officials who had been terrorizing the village moments ago, they remained tense but forced themselves to stay calm.

Seeing them, the tax collector's smile widened, his tone growing even more deferential.

"Master Li, Madam Li, I am the county tax collector, here under orders to collect the levy."

"We have long heard that you are the close kin of Corporal Li from the border. Since Corporal Li guards the frontier and has earned military merit, your household is protected by military status. You are exempt from all taxes and labor service. I came specifically to inform you of this, so as not to disturb you."

The tax collector was obsequious, and the bailiffs behind him had all shed their ferocity, standing in respectful silence. Gone was the arrogance and bullying they had shown the other villagers.

Seeing this, the father realized his family's standing was no longer what it once was. His tension vanished, and he gave a faint nod. "Understood."

"Ah! Very good!"

The tax collector agreed quickly, his face wreathed in smiles.

"If you encounter any inconvenience in the village, or if anyone dares to cause you trouble, just say the word. I will handle it for you. We won't disturb you any further; we shall take our leave."

With that, he and the bailiffs bowed respectfully and retreated a few paces.

The entire interaction was soft-spoken and polite—a stark contrast to the brutal, vicious behavior they had displayed toward the other villagers just moments before.

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

Watching the tax collectors and bailiffs—who had been brandishing clubs and hurling insults just moments ago—suddenly shed all their malice in the presence of the Li Family, the entire Azure Creek Village fell into a brief, deathly silence.

Everyone stared with wide eyes, filled with shock and disbelief.

They forgot to cry or wail, transfixed by this scene, at once absurd and undeniably real.

The bailiff who had just kicked Old Man Wang to the ground and cursed the villagers was now bowing his head, hands at his sides, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The tax collector who had been slamming tables and threatening to confiscate property for military service was now bowing to the parents, not daring to show the slightest offense.

A single wall separated two different worlds.

On one side, families were broken and displaced, wantonly bullied and squeezed by officials, where even mere survival was a luxury.

On the other, there was peace and security, untouched and protected, treated with the utmost respect by the very same officials.

After a moment of silence, the villagers' eyes filled with overwhelming envy and a trace of irrepressible jealousy.

"Look... look at how they treat the Li Family compared to us... it's like night and day..."

"Who could say otherwise? We're all from Azure Creek Village, so why is the difference so vast?"

"It's all because of the Li boy. He became a corporal at the border. With military status, even the imperial court has to give him face."

"If my child had such prospects, we wouldn't have to suffer like this."

"..."

Low murmurs spread through the crowd, every face etched with deep longing.

They watched the government's attitude toward the Li Family, and the envy in their eyes was nearly overflowing.

Their eyes were red, their hearts filled with bitterness.

They were all farmers facing the yellow earth and backing the sky, yet because the Li Family had a son who had earned merit at the border, they could remain unscathed in this chaotic world of crushing taxes, free from levies, forced conscription, and the tyranny of officials.

Some, watching their own kin being dragged away, looked at the Li Family and couldn't help but wipe away tears, their hearts filled with resentment and envy.

If only they had such a backer, they wouldn't have been driven to sell their children or see their families destroyed.

Others, seeing the fierce officials acting so respectfully toward the Li Family, felt jealousy quietly taking root, though it was mostly a sense of helpless longing.

They hated the injustice of the world, hated their own powerlessness, and envied the Li Family for having a fine son like Li Xuancang, who had carved out a future with his life at the border to protect his kin.

Every gaze remained fixed on the small courtyard, a tangle of shock, envy, bitterness, and jealousy.

In this chaotic world where life hung by a thread and everyone feared for their own, the peace and dignity of the Li Family were something the entire village yearned for.

They envied the Li Family's good fortune, but even more, they envied how Li Xuancang had used his own strength to carve out a sanctuary for his family amidst the chaos.