Volume One, Chapter Fourteen: Diligently Building a Shelter in the Valley

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After staying awake all night, fortunately still young and full of energy, and kept busy with work, he didn’t feel sleepy. After breakfast, they began working without rest through noon, continuing straight until afternoon. Under Li Shandao’s example and leadership, over a hundred men worked hard for most of the day, clearing the valley of weeds, thorns, wild trees, and stones until it was spotless.

After such strenuous labor for half a day, even youthful bodies began to feel the strain. Li Shandao felt his waist aching, back sore, and his arms barely his own, too tired to lift properly. His palms were rubbed raw with several blisters; the sweat soaking them caused sharp pain.

Yet, looking at the clean valley, a sense of accomplishment welled up inside him.

Gao Chounu was truly vigorous, showing no fatigue. Carrying a bucket of water with one hand as if it were empty, he effortlessly fetched water from the mountain stream far away and placed it before Li Shandao for washing. This bucket was also brought by Luo Zhong’s group. Though only twenty or so strong men, they brought along pots, bowls, wooden buckets, and a variety of daily necessities, well equipped with all kinds of tools. To an outsider, this did not look like a gang of bandits joining the stronghold, but more like common folk moving house!

Wang Xuda forced a smile and said, “We can’t compare to the lord. Our skin is thick and tough; mosquitoes can’t bite us.”

“Mosquitoes can’t bite, but tonight you can’t sleep at the valley entrance either,” Li Shandao instructed Yao Agui. “Yao, take two men and boil the water Chounu fetched. Share it with everyone.” He then turned to Wang Xuda and the others, asking, “Are you tired?”

Wang Xuda replied, “Tired a bit, but we can keep going.”

“Good, then let’s press on while the iron is hot. Let’s build the thatched huts and shacks.”

Li Shandao did not just talk; he had been working all along. The huts and shacks were for everyone to live in, so Wang Xuda and the others all agreed without objection. “Alright! Let’s keep going!”

There were few resources in these mountains besides plenty of trees and grass. When clearing the valley, Li Shandao had already instructed not to discard suitable tree trunks, branches, and weeds but to pile them up. Now he divided the hundred or so men into two groups: one to gather the leftover wood and begin building huts and shacks inside the valley; the other to go outside and cut more wood and gather thick grass for reinforcement.

Older or younger men who lacked strength were assigned logistics tasks like boiling and carrying water.

Under his reasonable coordination, the valley buzzed with orderly, vigorous activity without chaos.

By nightfall, three or four thatched huts and a dozen or so shacks had been built, scattered unevenly throughout the valley. Viewed in the twilight, it looked quite authentic.

Several wild fruit trees grew in the valley—peach, plum, and pomegranate trees—all left standing.

The innermost hut was built under a wild peach tree.

This was a late-blooming autumn peach tree. Though its fruit ripened in autumn, it was already flowering. Growing wild and weathered by wind and rain, its dark brown trunk was upright and simple. Among green leaves, clusters of pink blossoms bloomed like clouds at sunset, filling the air with a rich fragrance.

The hut built beside this wild peach tree was Li Shandao’s residence in the valley.

While they worked hard in the afternoon constructing huts and shacks, Xu Shiji heard about the situation. Concerned about the lack of furniture and bedding, he sent Liu Huer to the stronghold’s storage to fetch a batch, loading several large carts which were delivered to Li Shandao.

Qin Jingsi selected the best and used them in this hut.

The hut faced south and was the largest of those built, able to seat three or four people inside. The surrounding ground was leveled and sprinkled with lime to ward off snakes and insects. Chen Jinger called on Yao Agui to transplant several clumps of wildflowers and two holly bushes to plant outside the door.

Inside, the windows were few, only one at the back, but since the interior was small, the front door and back window provided sufficient light, making it quite bright. Opening the window, one faced the wild peach tree, its branches hanging by the sill.

The floor inside was also leveled and compacted.

Against the north wall stood a bed with mattress and bedding; along the south wall was a low table, with a mat laid before it, and oil lamps, brushes, ink, and paper arranged on top. By the west wall were two low stools—folding stools—with a small cabinet nearby for clothes and sundries.

The furnishings were few but adequate, a proper place to live.

The hut was newly built and still damp, so technically not yet suitable to live in. But due to urgency and lack of alternatives—except staying a couple of days at Xu Shiji’s residence, which Li Shandao declined—he decided to live there despite the dampness. His knowledge from a previous life of well-known military principles—“sharing weal and woe with soldiers”—made him unwilling to separate from his men.

Looking around, Li Shandao could not say he was satisfied.

In such a crude environment, no one would say they were very pleased—just making do.

Yet strangely, an unusual feeling arose in his heart.

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What was this feeling? He could not explain.

Was it the sense of accomplishment he had felt that afternoon, seeing the cleared valley? No.

It seemed part fear, part fulfillment. What exactly was it? Even he was confused.

But when he turned around, looking past Qin Jingsi, Wang Xuda, Gao Chounu, Chen Jinger, and the others, beyond the huts and shacks in the valley, through the valley entrance, seeing the towering cliffs and rugged ridges in the distance, suddenly he understood what this feeling was.

It was a feeling of stability.

Having arrived in this era barely two months ago, he had endured so many trials both in mind and reality.

First planning to join Li Shimin, then deciding to join the Wagang bandits; upon arriving, quickly changed identity and went down the mountain to rob; seen countless pitiful refugees on the road; in Liu family village, suddenly the bandit leaders and local gentry drank heartily!

The hijacking of the ship had setbacks, but boldly he proposed a plan; personally risking the water, boarding the ship first, witnessing for the first time in either life a man killing another—so cruelly.

Returning to the stronghold, rewarded and respected by Xu Shiji’s face, and just as Wang Bodang brought newcomers, he was suddenly promoted to brigade commander. After ten days on the mountain, he commanded over a hundred men.

So many events, so many firsts, all within these two short months.

Though appearing composed, Li Shandao had really been struggling, like a drowning man desperately searching for a straw to save himself.

One step light, one step heavy, stumbling until today.

Yes, when this hut was completed, when he subconsciously realized what it symbolized—that from now on, he had a home in this Wagang stronghold; from now on, in this chaotic late Sui period, he finally had a place to rely on.

Like a drowning man finally stepping onto solid ground.

So at this moment, inside this “nest of thieves,” he oddly felt a sense of stability.

“Damn it!” Li Shandao cursed aloud.

Qin Jingsi and the others did not know what he was thinking.

They only saw him zoning out for a moment, then looking around, suddenly cursing, leaving them bewildered.

They exchanged glances.

Wang Xuda cautiously asked, “Lord, are you not satisfied with the hut?”

Li Shandao turned his face, looked inside again, then smiled. “Very satisfied!” He pointed to the bed by the window. “This bed. Sanlang, Xu Dalang brought only two beds, right? One is for Chounu, so why did you put this one in my hut?”

Qin Jingsi said, “Er Lang, that question sounds strange. If not in your room, where else?”

“Brother Luo is the eldest. Sanlang, Chounu, you two move this bed to Brother Luo’s hut.”

Li Shandao laughed. “There’s a saying: ‘An old person at home is like a treasure.’ Brother Luo, you must be over forty now, right? Among us, you are the treasure. Since you are the treasure, how can you not be treated with respect? This bed, you move it for your use.”

How could Luo Zhong accept? He declined repeatedly.

Chen Jinger intervened. “Lord, Brother Luo is eldest, but you are the senior. No matter how much you say, Brother Luo wouldn’t dare use it. In my humble opinion, you should use it! In these mountains, there are mostly trees, but I have the skill. When I have time, I will specially make a bed for Brother Luo. Is that not enough?”

“You can make beds?”

Chen Jinger smiled. “Making a bed is not difficult.”

One of Chen Jinger’s men nearby proudly added, “Lord, you don’t know, Fifth Brother is skilled and clever. There’s nothing about daily life or gadgets he can’t handle. If he can’t, he figures it out quickly and makes it. Before we took to the hills, he was famous in our county and surrounding villages. Everyone knew of Chen Wulang’s skill.”

He said, “Brother Chen, I didn’t expect you to have this skill! Very well, I’ll follow your advice. I’ll use this bed for now. Brother Chen, when you have time, don’t just make one for Brother Luo—make more. As long as they fit in huts and shacks, place them all.”

Chen Jinger respectfully agreed.

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Li Shandao laughed again. “Brother Chen, when I say you’re clever and skilled, I truly believe it. Even these wildflowers and holly bushes you transplanted outside, that’s not something a careless person would think of.” He asked, “May I ask your order name? Is it Wuxing?”

Chen Jinger replied, “Yes, Lord. I am the fifth brother; just call me Chen Wu.”

Li Shandao nodded and asked Wang Xuda and Luo Zhong, “Wang Xian and Luo Xian, may I ask your order names?”

Wang Xuda and Luo Zhong each answered, one was third brother, the other fourth.

As mentioned before, the current custom allowed close comrades to use order names. Li Shandao said, “Then from now on, I’ll call you Fifth Brother, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother. My order is Second Brother. You don’t have to keep calling me Lord; just call me Er Lang.”

The three bowed and said together, “How dare we! How dare we!”

Twilight deepened.

The warm breeze cooled, blowing from the valley entrance, pine waves echoed on three sides of the valley, peach branches on the hut roofs swayed gently, petals drifting down.

Li Shandao looked toward the valley entrance and said, “Cheng Da, Zhang Si, why aren’t they back yet?”

Yao Agui chuckled, “Cheng Da is a cripple; how fast do you think he can walk?”

Cheng Da and Zhang Si were two of the thirteen men who came with Li Shandao to join the Wagang bandits.

About half an hour earlier, Li Shandao had sent them to the mountaintop to buy some wine and meat. He hadn’t known there was a wild market on the mountaintop. Though he had been with Wagang for over ten days, he had mostly been outside the mountains, passing the summit in haste. Only after Luo Zhong told him did he realize the mountaintop had a spontaneously formed market by the henchmen. Originally planning to send men down the mountain to buy provisions to fulfill his promise of drinking with everyone tonight, he changed his order to send Cheng Da and Zhang Si to the wild market on the mountaintop instead.

The mountaintop was not far from here, and by time calculation, they should have returned long ago, yet after half a day, they were still missing.

Li Shandao instructed, “They should be back soon. Let’s wash up first and light the fire in the kitchen. Once they return, we’ll cook meat and soup. Brothers, tonight we drink heartily... Wang Sanlang, Chen Wulang, Luo Silang, I don’t know your drinking capacity yet!”

The three said, “We are honored to be chosen under Lord’s command. We should have pooled money to treat you, but Lord has graciously provided the feast. We are grateful and will drink to the fullest tonight to serve you well!”

“We are family; no need for formalities! Tonight’s wine is for our meeting and friendship, and for working hard all day to clear the valley and build huts. From now on, brothers will have a place in the stronghold. We won’t part sober!”

While building huts and shacks, at the southeast corner of the valley, Luo Zhong and his men built two large stoves. Many weeds and debris cleared from the valley were piled nearby. They also built a water reservoir near the stoves, though it was still dry. Following Li Shandao’s orders, over a hundred men rushed outside to the mountain stream to wash, while four or five young henchmen stayed by the stoves to tend the fire.

Under Gao Chounu’s care, Li Shandao washed himself.

After a day’s toil, it was finally time to rest a bit. Twilight grew deep; the scent of peach blossoms and clusters of wildflowers drifted on the breeze. Li Shandao stretched and sat on a folding stool under a tree. Qin Jingsi and others who had finished washing sat or squatted nearby, chatting casually.

The men returning from washing arrived in small groups, bathing in the dusk as they came back into the valley.

Suddenly, those returning stopped short and looked back.

Li Shandao saw this and said, “Hmm? What’s going on? Have Cheng Da and Zhang Si come back with the wine and meat?”

Qin Jingsi rose to see and noticed several people entering from outside the valley.

Men inside and outside the valley parted to clear the way.

Among the newcomers was a white-robed, bearded foreigner, and another man who was not walking but being supported.

Qin Jingsi and the others changed expression.

Yao Agui jumped up and shouted, “Isn’t that Zhang Si being helped? Damn, why is his face all bruised? Looks like he met bandits!”