“Sir! I beg you! I still have to nurse my child, the baby isn’t even a year old, and there’s no one to look after them. How can I go and suffer this hardship with you!”

  “Henry Bolton household!”

  “Sir, please spare my child. I’ll go, I’ll go. I may not be able to walk, but my hands are still strong!”

  “Edward Bolton household!”

  “Heavens!!!”

  “John Foster household.”

  The entire noisy and sorrowful scene seemed to pause for a moment, and everyone turned to look to the side.

  John Foster stood at the very edge, arms crossed over his chest, his expression especially calm.

  The official looked in surprise at the burly, robust man before him. “How come I’ve never seen you before?”

  A fat man stepped forward and whispered a few words in his ear. He spoke very softly, but some of it could still be faintly heard.

  “Hunter personally approved by the county magistrate…”

  “Killed a fierce tiger…”

  “Exempt from corvée…”

  The official let out an “oh.”

  He looked down at the register in his hand. “Let his son go. Prepare now, depart shortly.”

  John Foster still stood there expressionless, unmoved in the slightest.

  But The Foster-Bolton Family’s face turned pale. She gripped her son’s hand tightly, her hand trembling slightly.

  Grace Foster gently pried her hand away, then pushed through the crowd in front of him and walked to the very front.

  He stared straight at the official, and several soldiers nearby slowly raised their crossbows.

  The crossbow bolts glinted with a cold, eerie light.

  “I can’t go.”

  “Who are you?”

  “He’s John Foster’s son.”

  “Your grandfather is exempt, but not your whole family. Go back and get ready!”

  “I can read.”

  “So what?”

  “I’ve already registered at the county law school, planning to take the clerk’s exam.”

  The official paused, narrowed his eyes, and sized up Grace again, giving him a deep look before turning back to the death register. “William Bolton household!”

  Grace returned to his mother’s side, and The Foster-Bolton Family gripped his arm again.

  The official’s furious roaring continued for a whole hour.

  As the sky gradually lightened, the torches burned with a chilling glow. A line of emaciated old, weak, sick, and disabled people, heads bowed, set off on an unknown road under the officials’ urging and curses.

  No more crying could be heard; perhaps everyone was cried out. Only the baby in its mother’s arms kept wailing, making the officials even more irritable, ordering silence several times.

  Soldiers on horseback galloped past on both sides, fresh severed heads hanging from their saddles—one was an old man with snow-white hair.

  The official mounted his tall horse, glanced at John Foster, and finally fixed his gaze on Grace, grinning with a rather terrifying smile.

  Grace responded with indifference.

  Those leaving looked back from time to time. The villagers all gathered at the entrance, staring blankly in the direction their loved ones had gone.

  A few more houses were left empty, the mud on the ground mixed with blood.

  As daylight broke, the village was already deserted. Birds perched on branches, whispering to each other, mice scurried in and out of the courtyards, and not a single person could be seen on the village road.

  ……

  “He’ll come back again. He’s already remembered me.”

  “The conscription is getting more and more frequent. They’ve come three times this month already.”

  “The first two times they didn’t come to Taolin, but this time they suddenly did. Probably someone couldn’t stand it and reported us.”

  Grace chewed up the cake in his hand and looked at his mother beside him.

  “Tomorrow, I’ll go to the county.”

  “The county…”

  The Foster-Bolton Family’s face turned bloodless again, her already pale cheeks now as if covered in frost and snow.

  Her lips trembled slightly. “Do you know how dangerous it is in the city?”

  “It’s a thousand times more dangerous than the wild boar forest… I absolutely won’t allow it.”

  She looked at John Foster. “Husband…”

  John Foster raised his head. “He’s already made up his mind, what’s the point in persuading him? Does he sound like he’s discussing? Mr. Foster has given the order, who would dare to object?”

  Her eyes were full of pleading, her tone even more humble. “Husband…”

  “Mom, it’s fine. I’ve already thought it through.”

  “I’ll pass the exam.”

  “I’ll protect you.”

  The Foster-Bolton Family lowered her head, silently shedding tears, saying nothing.

  John Foster climbed onto the roof and continued playing with the little birds he raised, thoroughly enjoying himself.

  The Foster-Bolton Family packed things for Grace, giving him careful instructions.

  “Tomorrow David Bolton will go to the city. You go with him… stick close to him on the way, don’t fall behind.”

  “You can’t enter the city without a pass, can’t eat at restaurants, can’t stay at inns. If you’re checked and can’t show a pass, you’ll be arrested. Only David Bolton in the village has a pass, so don’t offend him.”

  “Once you leave home, don’t talk to strangers, don’t eat other people’s food, don’t get into conflicts with others, just walk your own path, don’t worry about anything else.”

  “The county is dangerous. Once you get to the school, don’t step outside the county school… Watch your bundle, don’t let outsiders see what’s inside…”

  The Foster-Bolton Family said a lot, over and over.

  As she spoke, she wept several more times.

  “Grace, you must protect yourself. In this world, besides you, I have nothing else…”

  “I understand.”

  “Chirp～～～”

  A bird screeched, flapped its wings, leapt from the roof, and disappeared into the sky.