Chapter 42: 42. Chapter 42: Changing Shifts on the Sixth Day

Zeng the Third, who had also returned from his shift as a day laborer, heard this and looked toward Zeng the Eldest beside him.

"Big Brother." He leaned closer to Zeng the Eldest, about to speak, but saw his brother quicken his pace.

"Hey, Big Brother, wait for me!" He chased after him to the edge of the pit to intercept him. "Why don't we send a message home and have Sister-in-law come here too?"

"I knew you were going to say that. We're all men; if a woman comes here, how is she supposed to survive?"

Zeng the Eldest tried to bypass him, but Zeng the Third blocked his path again. "Big Brother, didn't I tell you? There are several women on the late shift. I always go to get my porridge at dusk and see those women often. I've even spoken to them. They were refugees from North Mountain County living in the westernmost pits. From what I saw, they're doing just fine; nothing has happened to them."

Zeng the Eldest pushed him away with one hand. "You don't understand. For a woman, reputation is everything. If she comes here to live among so many men, she'll be drowned in a sea of gossip later on."

"What does reputation matter? I think living comfortably matters more," Zeng the Third said, following at his heels. "You know how hard Sister-in-law has it at home. Second Sister-in-law gives her attitude every single day. Without you there, how can she have a good life? Mother favors Second Brother now and never speaks up for her. When we were working away, Sister-in-law had nothing to eat at home. Big Brother, Brother! Don't you feel for her?"

Zeng the Eldest brushed the dust off his clothes. "Mother wouldn't let your sister-in-law starve to death."

"I think even if she doesn't starve, she'll be half-dead from hunger," Zeng the Third persisted. "If we bring her here, she can eat her fill. The security here is very strict; I don't think any trouble will break out. At worst, we can beg the guard to let her work by your side. Can the two of us not protect her?"

That last sentence swayed Zeng the Eldest. If she could come here to work, though it might be tiring, she could eat her fill and save grain for the family.

Zeng the Eldest asked, "Can we even persuade the guards?"

"We have to try asking."

Zeng the Eldest summoned his courage, but the moment he saw the whip, he gave up instantly. "Forget it. A woman shouldn't come to a place like this."

"If you won't ask, I will." Zeng the Third marched straight toward the guard.

Zeng the Eldest immediately followed. "Come back! Do you have a death wish!" he cursed in a low voice, but Zeng the Third was determined and ran so fast that his brother couldn't catch him.

"Halt!" The guard snapped his whip. "What do you want?"

Zeng the Third had been acting bold a moment ago, but upon seeing the guard, he immediately shrank into a ball like a mouse seeing a cat.

However, he still managed to ask, "Officer, I want to ask something."

"Speak!"

"The conscription notice said that if women are willing, they can come too. Is that true or false?"

"Of course it's true."

At that moment, Zeng the Eldest knelt behind Zeng the Third and gripped his padded jacket.

Though terrified, Zeng the Third pressed on: "If a woman comes, can she be assigned to the same group as her husband?"

Zeng the Eldest also looked toward the guard with anticipation.

"No, she can't." Those three words instantly crushed Zeng the Eldest's hopes.

But the guard wasn't finished. "Women are naturally grouped with other women. How could they sleep in the same group as men? Don't be ridiculous."

Zeng the Eldest's hope was instantly revived. "Women with women?"

"What else? Do you think men and women have the same strength? If they come, they'll only do lighter work like digging and hauling soil; they have to be managed separately. Besides, the women coming to work are all respectable girls from good families. How could they mix with a bunch of men like you? If some handsy man took advantage of them and they went on a suicide mission out of rage, wouldn't that make things difficult for us?"

The guard's tone was as if someone owed him two taels of silver, but his words were enticing.

He spoke loudly, so not only did the Zeng brothers hear him, but everyone in the vicinity did as well.

If it was like that—men with men and women with women—then what was there to fear? They weren't noble ladies who couldn't bear to be seen. In winter, when nothing was being brought in, being able to come here to eat full meals for two months would save a lot of grain at home.

"Officer!" someone nearby called out. "My wife is a great farmhand. Can she come too?"

"Of course she can."

"Then can you grant me leave? I'll go home and bring her. My home is in Yangmen County, very close by."

"You don't need my permission for leave. Tomorrow, the shifts will rotate. Those of you on the morning shift will switch to the middle shift. After the morning laborers finish on the 22nd, you won't start work until the hour of the Sheep on the 23rd. You'll have twelve hours of free time; if you can make it back in time, you naturally can."

The nearby laborers heard this and thought, *Heavens! Such a good thing!* They had never heard of being allowed to go home for a day's rest during labor service.

Zeng the Third looked at his brother in pleasant surprise. "As soon as we finish work tomorrow, we'll go home and bring Sister-in-law here."

In the crowd, someone asked from behind, "What if someone runs away?"

The guard said, "The monk may run, but the temple remains. Your names and addresses are all on the Magistrate's desk. If someone truly fails to return on time, it's their family who will suffer the consequences."

Someone quickly added, "With such good millet to eat, I wouldn't leave even if you chased me away. Who would run?"

"Exactly! That's right!"

"Disperse, disperse. Go back to the pits to rest, brush the dust off yourselves, and you can go eat in a bit."

Thinking about going home right after work tomorrow, Zeng the Third was so happy he couldn't sleep well. The next day, he lacked energy at work and was slow with his tasks, earning him a lash from the guard.

Fortunately, the winter clothes were thick; only the outer tunic of his padded jacket was torn. He wasn't injured, just shaken. The fright woke him up, and he didn't make any more mistakes after that.

When work finally ended that day, Zeng the Eldest didn't even plan to eat; he just wanted to pack his things and head home quickly. But Zeng the Third held him back. "Big Brother, there's no rush. Let's get our food and take it back. We can leave it for Mother and the others; they can turn it into porridge and eat it for several meals."

"Right, you're the one with the foresight."

Zeng the Eldest carried his luggage to get food. Most people in the queue were doing the same.

After the two brothers got their food, they only ate two or three bites before trying to put the rest into their bundles. A guard from their group saw this and said, "Eat your fill first, then take a bowl to go."

The laborers in the kitchen all looked at the guard who spoke.

The guard holding the bowls and chopsticks became quite boastful. "Our group did more work today, so we're taking an extra bowl home. Ask the officer in charge of the food if he agrees."

Zuo Datou, who was in charge of the kitchen, tapped the rim of a pot with a ladle. "I'll authorize it."

The laborers cheered, shouting, "Officer, you're a saint!"

Someone even took the opportunity to ask, "Can we take two bowls?"

A guard in charge of the food immediately cursed, "You want to take the whole pot home!"

The laborers, who had been floating with joy, immediately became humble again.