Futile Devices Scans

At noon that very day, recruitment notices were posted throughout the small county. The Xiao Army had besieged Kuiyuan for a month, and Ant County had likewise been cut off from the outside world for a month. Many county residents found their households growing increasingly strained. Hearing that the position came with pay and meals, that there would be no facial tattooing, and that they could return to civilian status afterward, more than a hundred local men crowded noisily into the county yamen. Some were old, some were young, but there were not many truly fit for service—there were only eight hundred households in the entire county to begin with, and Grand Preceptor Tong had already conscripted a batch of able-bodied men eight years ago, leaving every family short-handed.

By evening, the physical examinations and selection process had ended, and only a little over fifty men had been chosen. That night they all returned home, and the next morning they were to report to the County Magistrate’s rear garden for training.

Zhang San was busy the entire day and even made a round of the city gates that night, following Wang Xu’s example. The villagers had divided themselves into day and night shifts, and the night shift had just begun work, hurrying to complete the fortifications.

He did not return to the county yamen until deep into the night. He had been so busy all day that he had not even had time to drink water. Parched, he headed straight for the kitchen’s water jar, used a wooden ladle to break the thin layer of ice on top, and scooped up some of the icy water beneath to drink.

The sound of breaking ice was somewhat loud. Cook Wu and her husband were awakened, and Cook Wu came out wrapped in her padded jacket and asked, “Boss, would you like something more to eat?”

Zhang San had skipped supper. “Whatever’s left over, Sister Wu, please bring it.”

Cook Wu brought him two flatbreads. While stuffing them haphazardly into his mouth, Zhang San headed toward Li Si’s room, intending to wake him up and clear the air—surely the little fool was pretending to sleep again.

Cook Wu hurried after him and called out hesitantly, “B-Boss, Young Master Li isn’t there…”

Zhang San frowned and turned around. “Where’s he gone now?”

“He came back at dusk and took all his bedding and pillows away. He said he’ll be sleeping at the training grounds from now on so it’ll be easier to get up for morning drills. He also said he’ll be eating over there with the soldiers.”

Zhang San: “…”

⸻

Zhang San had never imagined this: hiding from the little fool was impossible. The little fool only had to walk a few steps and he could sneak into Zhang San’s room. If he stripped off his clothes and let himself get cold for a bit, he could climb right onto Zhang San’s bed. But if the little fool wanted to avoid him, that was all too easy. All he had to do was hide among the soldiers. Because of their respective statuses as Militia Commander and Envoy, Zhang San truly could not drag him away in front of the men.

Chief Commander and Brother Xu had always said he was unruly and disregarded rules. For four years they had trained him, teaching him restraint, military discipline, propriety, and patience. Who knew whether that had been a good thing or a bad thing? The more he lived, the more stifled he felt.

Zhang San rolled around alone on the empty bed for another night, so frustrated he wanted to howl.

In just a few days, Li Si’s injuries would improve and he would leave. Their time together was so precious. Zhang San regretted it so much his guts felt twisted apart. He never should have treated Li Si coldly. He wished he could spend every moment of every day with him.

⸻

After daybreak, he planned to make some time and have a proper talk with Li Si, but he never imagined that he would not have a single free moment.

Before he had even finished breakfast, a yamen runner in charge of the North Gate project came rushing over in panic, reporting that the rubble outside the city had collapsed again, not only blocking the road once more but also injuring several laboring townsfolk.

When Zhang San arrived, the injured men’s relatives had already gathered there, and the scene was complete chaos.

The residents who had originally raised chickens, ducks, pigs, and cattle beneath the city wall also seized the opportunity to complain. “Militia Commander, you’re rebuilding the wall and tearing down our sheds. These chickens, ducks, pigs, and cattle have nowhere to go now. You have to give us another place in exchange!”

Before those matters could be settled, the craftsmen at the South Gate began causing trouble as well. It turned out there were two wealthy families in the city, both of whom had built their fortunes through woodworking and stone carving. Their families had competed against each other for generations, and each maintained its own group of craftsmen. Zhang San had recruited all of them to cut timber and erect structures, unaware that the two families were bitter enemies whose craftsmen had once fought and even killed one another. After working together for only a single day, they had started fighting again.

And that still was not the end of it. Another yamen runner came hurrying over to report that a local gentry family had fled south to stay with relatives before the war, leaving only an elderly steward behind to guard the estate. During the night, thieves had taken advantage of the old steward’s age and poor hearing and swept away all the remaining grain and scattered valuables in the house.

Before the victimized household had finished lodging their complaint, there were also neighborhood disputes, widowers sneaking around with other people’s wives, debtors refusing to repay loans, and countless other matters…

⸻

Zhang San was utterly overwhelmed. Only then did he realize how important it had been for Prefect Zhang and Chief Commander to work together as a civil-and-military pair. He pulled Liu Wu aside and said, “Let’s put the County Magistrate back in the county yamen and appoint another head constable. Separate the county yamen runners from the city guards. Let the county yamen handle all these civilian affairs while we focus on military preparations.”

Liu Wu spread his hands and snapped, “Commander, I told you that several days ago! Not only did you refuse to listen, you even wanted to confiscate the County Magistrate’s property! If you confiscate him, who’s going to be County Magistrate afterward? You? Me? Neither of us can even read—we’d be two blind fools!”

Zhang San replied, “Hey now, if you want to call yourself a blind fool, fine, but why drag me into it too? You’ve been a head constable for years. I’ve never been any sort of official. How was I supposed to know there were so many damn problems in a county…”

Liu Wu had no intention of arguing with his superior. He sighed and turned to leave. Zhang San hurriedly grabbed him and coaxed, “County Commandant Liu, Brother Liu, you can’t go yet. Hold things together here for now. The craftsmen at the South Gate are fighting again, and I still have to go deal with that…”

⸻

The County Magistrate was invited back, but he barely managed to keep up appearances. The man had always been a muddle-headed official and could not soothe public unrest. Not only was he useless, he actively made matters worse.

The county yamen originally had twenty clerks and yamen runners. When the Xiao Army invaded the south, Liu Wu had also recruited thirty veteran militia archers. Those fifty old hands all belonged to the county yamen establishment. The fifty-some new recruits, meanwhile, belonged to the militia force.

The rat-like County Magistrate would not behave himself and secretly sowed discord. As a result, the hundred or so subordinates split into factions. Some sincerely followed County Commandant Liu and Commissioner Zhang, while others continued currying favor with the County Magistrate. Personnel matters became complicated, with hidden currents swirling beneath the surface.

Zhang San had only ever served as a squad leader. Back then, military supplies and logistics were handled by his superiors, and all he had to do was obey orders and lead troops. The biggest trouble he had needed to guard against then was defeat on the battlefield or mutiny within the camp. But now military affairs, civilian affairs, personal relationships, and social obligations all demanded his attention. Even with Liu Wu assisting him wholeheartedly, he was still run ragged.

He spun like a top for three straight days. Forget seeing Li Si—he barely even knew when he fell asleep or when he woke up each day. He lived in a haze.

⸻

At noon on the third day, Elder Sister Zhang had not seen him for several days and missed him terribly, so she sent the youngest brother to fetch him home for a meal. Zhang San managed to carve out enough time for a single meal and intended to bring Li Si along. But when he arrived at the training grounds, Li Si was still drilling the new recruits, while the soldiers from the capital were also busy instructing them hand-in-hand.

Not wanting to interrupt them, Zhang San returned to his sister’s home alone.

When he stepped into the courtyard, all traces of his former vigor were gone. Dark circles ringed his eyes, his gaze was dull, and his normally wild, fluffy hair had collapsed into a greasy mess, making him look like a fallen tiger king that had just crawled out of a muddy pit.

Elder Sister Zhang found his appearance disgraceful. After the meal, she heated water and washed his hair beside the stove. He squatted in the courtyard with his head lowered, drenched from head to toe.

When Li Si got wet, he looked like a pale, clean little water ghost. When Zhang San got wet, however, pushing aside his messy black hair revealed a fiercely intimidating face beneath, complete with dark circles under his eyes. He looked like a thoroughly unlucky ghost.

The siblings squatted together in one corner of the courtyard while Brother-in-Law and Qiao Shen tidied up by the stove. As she scrubbed soap through his hair, Elder Sister Zhang quietly asked, “You’ve been this busy these past few days? Tired?”

The exhausted look on Zhang San’s face was not from physical labor but from having to think too much. Mentally drained, he sighed. “Sis, being a Militia Commander is really hard. The Chief Commander thought too highly of me. Brother Liu would probably do a better job than I am.”

Elder Sister Zhang vigorously scrubbed his hair. “You little beggar! I didn’t know you were this lacking in backbone!”

Zhang San hissed in pain. He did not even have the energy to argue back and merely rubbed soap into his hair himself.

Elder Sister Zhang asked again, “Why didn’t Fourth Brother come eat? Is he even busier than you?”

Not wanting to lie to his sister, Zhang San sighed. “He’s avoiding me lately.”

“Did the two of you quarrel? Did you say something hurtful and upset him?”

Zhang San said miserably, “What hurtful thing could I possibly have said? I’ve been so good to him! Every day I wish I could practically keep him cu— cough…”

Keep him cupped in my hands… cough.

He realized he had let something slip. With his wet head lowered, he neither dared raise it nor continue speaking.

Elder Sister Zhang had seen Li Si drunkenly burying himself in Zhang San’s arms and acting spoiled. She had also seen Zhang San carrying Li Si away as though he were a precious treasure. That was not how ordinary comrades behaved. She stopped pouring water and fell silent for a while before asking, “Tell your sister honestly. What exactly is going on between you and Fourth Brother? You’re already twenty-three. Are you not planning to marry?”

Zhang San lowered his head and replied guiltily, “I wasn’t planning to anyway…”

Originally, he had intended to be like the lifelong bachelor veterans in the army: fight wars all his life and die on the battlefield when he grew old. His comrades would collect his body and bury him somewhere. His life would be over. Why drag another person into widowhood?

The quieter Zhang San spoke, the softer his voice became. “There’s really nothing between us. He’s so innocent. There’s truly nothing… We’ve only known each other for a little over ten days. He’ll be returning soon anyway…”

Elder Sister Zhang said, “He’s innocent, but you’ve got bad thoughts brewing in your belly, don’t you? Did he discover those thoughts and start avoiding you because of it?”

Zhang San immediately shook his head, scattering water droplets everywhere. “He’s too dense for that. How could he possibly notice?”

Then, somewhat guiltily, he asked, “Sis… you… you don’t mind? You’re not going to scold me?”

Elder Sister Zhang scooped up another ladle of water and slowly poured it over his head while rubbing his hair. Only after a long while did she say, “What good would it do if I minded? You already said you never planned to marry anyway. Your brother-in-law and I can’t have children. The Zhang family line is ending here regardless.”

Zhang San replied indifferently, “So what if it ends? We’re not some noble clan. There’s no throne for us to inherit anyway—ow, ow, ow! That hurts! I’m going to go bald!”

After thoroughly washing his hair, Elder Sister Zhang handed him a towel and had him sit in the sunlight to shake out and dry his hair himself.

She pulled over a small stool and sat beside him.

It was a northern winter afternoon. The sunlight was warm but still carried a sharp bite. The siblings basked together in the light, both squinting their eyes like two large cats stealing a moment of rest amid their busy lives. The elder sister continued tidying her younger brother’s messy hair like a mother cat grooming her cub.

As she worked a comb through the tangles in Zhang San’s hair, she said, “You say he’s innocent, but from what I see, he feels the same way about you. That day when he collapsed outside our gate, it was snowing and freezing cold. He was injured, running a fever, and wearing only a single layer of clothing, yet he still insisted on going out to look for you. If you truly can’t bear to let him go, then you should sit down and have a proper talk. You’re still young and don’t understand yet. In a lifetime, finding someone who is genuinely sincere is not easy. Whether you’ve known them for ten days or ten years has nothing to do with it. Sincerity isn’t measured that way.”

Zhang San lowered his head and fiddled with a lock of hair. Quietly, he answered, “Mm.”

But what he thought was completely different from what his sister thought. His sister loved him, so naturally she placed his feelings first. He loved Li Si, so naturally he placed Li Si first. Li Si had to return to the capital and report back. No matter what feelings Zhang San had, he could not allow them to affect Li Si’s future.

In truth, he did not really believe—or perhaps he did not dare let himself believe—that Li Si’s feelings could be the same as his own.

Impossible. He just likes acting spoiled with Brother Xiao. Don’t overthink it.

He wanted to have a proper talk with Sisi, but he had never hoped the two of them could grow any closer. He only hoped that before Sisi left, during this brief and precious stretch of time, Sisi would not ignore him.

It hurt more than he could bear.

⸻

Zhang San’s hair eventually dried. Elder Sister Zhang combed it into a neat, spirited topknot and wiped his face clean. Once again, he looked like the dashing and capable Commissioner Zhang. Reinvigorated, he headed back out to patrol the Tiger King’s territory.

He remained busy until deep into the night. This time he was in no hurry to return to the county yamen to sleep. Pumping himself up, he swore that tonight he would definitely go to the drill grounds and cling to Envoy Li, Instructor Li, Leader Li—have a proper heart-to-heart with him.

⸻

The former county magistrate’s rear garden had already been renamed the drill grounds.

After being invited back to resume his duties at the county yamen, the magistrate thought he had regained a measure of authority. Gathering his courage, he sent household servants to the drill grounds, intending to remove all the calligraphy, paintings, and treasures he had collected over the years from the study.

Li Si did not care about such worldly possessions, nor did he harbor Zhang San’s bandit-like notion of robbing the rich to help the poor, so he let them take everything away. The only thing he refused to let them remove was the fine charcoal, which was needed to keep the soldiers warm at night.

The moment Zhang San arrived that evening, he heard about it from the new recruits standing watch at the gate. His heart ached with regret.

If only he’d moved everything out sooner! Since when did prey already inside a tiger’s jaws get spit back out? Besides, all of it had been squeezed out of the common people by the magistrate over many years. How could it count as private property?

Still, he had forgotten to mention it to Li Si beforehand, so what was gone was gone. Anyway, once he found an excuse to raid the magistrate’s residence someday—well, then it would all come back!

⸻

County Commandant Liu Wu was already lying fully clothed on his bed when he suddenly sneezed violently for no reason.

“It must be the Commander plotting some new scheme again,” he muttered with a headache.

Sighing like an overworked old nanny, he pulled the blanket over his head and went to sleep.

⸻

Zhang San wandered into the courtyard. Every room on both sides was dark. Not knowing where Li Si was sleeping, he carried his lantern from room to room, peering inside.

The burly soldiers filled the rooms, snoring in rising and falling chorus. Knowing that Li Si slept quietly, he only searched the more secluded corners with his lantern.

Only in the last room did he finally find a little soldier sleeping in silence in the corner of a floor bed.

The little soldier had his back to him and was curled beneath the blankets like a tightly wrapped rice dumpling. At the top of the dumpling sat a familiar round little head. His topknot was still perfectly arranged, never undone even for sleep.

If it wasn’t Li Si, who else could it be?

Setting the lantern aside, Zhang San knelt on the floor bed and reached over to poke him.

The instant Zhang San’s hand touched the blanket, Li Si opened his eyes. His sleeve dagger flashed backward in defense, only to have Zhang San catch his wrist.

“It’s me,” Zhang San whispered.

Li Si turned to look at him. His eyes were blank and dazed. His lips parted in surprise, but no words came out.

“I came to talk things through with you,” Zhang San said.

A trace of sadness appeared in Li Si’s vacant eyes as he silently looked at him.

Before either could say anything more, a sleeping soldier nearby rolled over.

Thump.

A thick leg swung right between them.

Zhang San knew this was no place for conversation. Without hesitation, he wrapped Li Si up in the blanket, rolled him into a meat roll, and scooped him up around the waist.

Li Si was long accustomed to being carried this way. One arm looped around Zhang San’s neck while the other held the lantern. Together they left the room and went out beneath the empty corridor.

The moonlight was bright and clear. Fine white stones paved the courtyard, making it look as though starlight had been scattered across the ground like snow. Winter plum blossoms and green pines filled the courtyard, each exuding an ethereal elegance beneath the moon.

Zhang San sat on the edge of the wooden corridor with his feet planted among the white stones. Then he settled Li Si onto his lap and wrapped his arms around him.

To be honest, holding each other like this through a shared blanket was surprisingly warm.

Even the night wind no longer felt cold.

Li Si’s face grew red from the warmth. Lowering his eyes, he made no effort to speak first.

Zhang San’s face was red as well, but he shamelessly held him tighter.

His voice turned hoarse.

“Talk things through with me.”

Li Si remained silent. Yet neither did he resist. He simply lowered his eyes and sat there quietly.

“Why have you been avoiding me?”

“You’ve been avoiding me for days.”

“Are your injuries any better?”

“Are you never going back to sleep at the county yamen again?”

“When do you plan to return to the capital?”

Moisture slowly gathered in Li Si’s eyes. Yet no tears fell. His eyes merely glistened as he continued saying nothing.

Zhang San sighed.

“Sisi, don’t be like this. It hurts to see.”

Li Si finally raised his damp lashes and cautiously looked at him.

At last, he spoke.

His normally clear voice was unexpectedly hoarse as well.

“Does it hurt you the same way it hurts me?”

Zhang San froze.

“…What?”

“When I think about leaving, and how I’ll never see you again, my chest hurts. Whenever I see you—even if I only hear your voice—it hurts even more. I thought that if I avoided you and stopped hearing your voice, it would get better. But even when I avoid you, it still hurts.”

Li Si slipped a hand out from under the blanket and pressed Zhang San’s hand against his chest.

Through the thick blanket, all Zhang San felt was coldness.

“It hurts here right now. I can barely breathe. Brother Xiao, have I caught some strange illness? Do you have it too?”

Zhang San could not answer.

Looking into Li Si’s confused and sorrowful eyes, he felt his own eyes begin to sting.

His elder sister’s words echoed in his ears:

“Whether you’ve known someone for ten days or ten years, sincerity isn’t measured that way.”

His trembling hand rose to cup Li Si’s face.

Unable to stop himself, he gently stroked his cheek.

“Foolish Sisi…”

Sisi gazed at him through tear-filled eyes.

After hearing words like that from him, how was he supposed to endure it?

Reason. Restraint.

All of it vanished.

Hot blood surged through him. He held back and held back, knowing he should not say it.

Yet he could not stop the words from escaping.

“Sisi, I—”

Just then Zhou Qi came sliding down from atop a decorative rockery.

“Aiya.”

Zhang San: “…”

⸻

Zhang San set Li Si down beside him and rose to his feet.

Radiating murderous intent, he strode several steps into the courtyard and drew the saber at his waist.

Baring his teeth in a savage grin, he enunciated each word:

“You. Had. Better. Have. A. Very. Good. Reason.”

Terrified, Zhou Qi immediately turned and scrambled back up the rockery.

As he climbed, he shouted at the top of his lungs,

“Boss! Boss! I was wrong! But I really do have something important!”

His shouting woke the soldiers inside the rooms, who all climbed up and poked their heads out to look.

Pointing his saber, Zhang San roared,

“Get down here! Start talking!”

Trembling atop the rockery, Zhou Qi did not dare move.

“Bo-Boss! I—I didn’t mean to interrupt you and Young Master Li! My younger brother and I were standing watch at the sentry tower when we saw something wrong outside, so I rushed over to report it…”

“What’s wrong?!” Zhang San bellowed.

“We saw dozens of Xiao soldiers on horseback across the river chasing a man. His horse got shot dead by arrows, so he abandoned it and jumped into the river. Those Xiao soldiers followed him into the water. They’re all heading toward our earthen fortress!”

Zhang San’s expression changed instantly.

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