Chapter 124: My God! What Kind of Society Is This?

When Tang Wei first planned to come to Sangjia Village, she hadn’t intended to stay long. But now, seeing the elderly, weak, women, and children scattered throughout the village struggling to secure even their basic sustenance, with starvation a constant looming threat, could she really turn a blind eye and walk away?

Having grown up in a harmonious socialist society, Tang Wei was an innocent homebody, oblivious to the harsher realities of life. Though neglected and overlooked by her family since childhood, she at least never lacked food, shelter, or warmth. Though the politics of Huaxia were far from perfectly just or clean, ordinary people’s lives were barely manageable, and families usually had some reserves. The darkest and most severe hardship she had witnessed was the recent scheming by the four great families of Huaxia against herself and Zixuan. Yet even that was not enough to harden her heart—to make her indifferent to others or unfeeling toward life and death. Thus, Tang Wei still carried a deep passion for life.

She had never personally experienced the cruel disparity of "lavish feasts in the rich houses while the bones of the starving lie frozen by the roadside." How could she suddenly become so cold-hearted as to let these people perish without a single effort to help?

Getting up now, these people were truly fortunate to meet someone like Tang Wei, who still retained her compassion. From this moment on, their lives would have some semblance of security.

Watching the women and elderly laboriously peeling animal hides, while children followed behind doing lighter chores, Tang Wei felt a stir within her heart. Though she had never done such work herself, otherwise she would have helped directly. Nearby, Sang Ye stood silently, watching them toil. Tang Wei suspected Sang Ye also longed to lend a hand but was held back by Sang Xiong’s orders to wait for Tang Wei’s instructions.

“Sang Ye, go help them. I have nothing to do here. You staying here is a waste of time; it’s better for you to assist them,” Tang Wei said politely.

“But… Father wants me to stay here with you. I…” Sang Ye hesitated, reluctant to defy her father’s wishes.

“It’s alright. I’m just observing here, no need to worry. If anything happens, I’ll come find you myself. Don’t worry!” Tang Wei reassured her, allowing Sang Ye to feel at ease and focus on helping rather than being torn between duty and concern.

With Tang Wei’s assurance, Sang Ye’s face brightened. “Then I’ll go help them now, Miss Tang Wei. If you need me, be sure to find me!”

Seeing the young girl’s radiant smile, Tang Wei’s spirits lifted, dispelling the gloom that had clouded her for days. “Go quickly, go quickly.”

For the rest of the time, Tang Wei moved among the villagers, watching as they worked with zeal. Her mood lightened inexplicably.

The Sang family had yet to reveal to the others that these game animals were brought by Tang Wei. No one asked either, simply grateful that their next meal was secured. Tang Wei didn’t expect thanks; even if the Sang family had kept silent, she wouldn’t have pressed to disclose the truth. Simple was best. At least, as she moved through the crowd, no one found her intrusive or bothersome. Whether the Sang family would eventually reveal the truth was none of Tang Wei’s concern. She had a clear conscience.

After briefly processing the hides and sorting the meat, valuable parts carefully separated, they loaded two carts sparsely but sufficiently. By the time they finished, dawn was near. Sang Xiong planned to set off for the town immediately. The sooner they sold these goods, the sooner they could buy grain for everyone.

So these were meant to be taken to the town market for sale! Tang Wei had thought they might keep the meat for themselves. But here, one pound of meat might fetch four pounds of grain. The villagers of Sangjia were far from even basic subsistence—how could they afford such luxury as to keep meat for themselves? Tang Wei realized she had never managed a household; she had no sense of how precious food truly was.

Before leaving, Sang Xiong gathered everyone to explain the origin of the game. When they heard how he and others were ambushed in the deep mountains by men sent by Mayor Wei, barely escaping with their lives, indignation flared—how they wished to strip Mayor Wei of his skin! But upon learning Tang Wei had saved them and brought such bounty, their faces transformed into reverence, gazing at her as if she were a goddess. Tang Wei shivered with goosebumps—the intensity of their looks was almost unbearable!

She couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly people’s faces could change. To avoid too much attention, Tang Wei decided to accompany Sang Xiong and the others to the town to see the wider world.

Sang Xiong hadn’t expected Tang Wei to want to join them, but it was for the best—their safety in body and property was more assured. Though he believed Mayor Wei wouldn’t dare cause trouble publicly for the sake of his reputation, a safer approach was always welcome.

“Are the able-bodied men in your village only a few? Why didn’t you mention them before?” Tang Wei asked during their journey.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to mention them to Miss Tang Wei, but I never imagined someone like you would care about the lives of people like us. In our experience, warriors are usually aloof, looking down on ordinary folk. When they’re in a bad mood, they might kick someone to death on the street and no one would care. I once saw a warrior lose a bet and take it out on a poor child, kicking him… So I was cautious from the start, only revealing a little. Sorry, Miss Tang Wei, please forgive me for being so guarded,” Sang Xiong apologized after explaining.

For some reason, Sang Ye quickly added, “Miss Tang Wei, please don’t blame us. We’ve never met such a kind-hearted warrior before, so we lumped all warriors together as arrogant and untrustworthy oppressors.”

“You’re quite talkative for a young girl! Are the warriors here really so self-important?” Tang Wei felt uneasy hearing this but understood their caution. Who would trust a stranger fully at first? Even after she saved them, they might suspect ulterior motives. Given their past suffering, how could they believe in pure kindness?

Though Tang Wei comforted herself with these thoughts, the suspicion lingered like a thorn in her heart, waiting for the moment it would deepen into a wound—one that would forever remind her to shed her saintly naivety and truly adapt to this harsh environment.

Unaware of Tang Wei’s inner turmoil, Sang Ye’s next words made Tang Wei furious. “I don’t know if they’re self-important, but I saw a warrior in our town’s market take a beautiful young girl despite her parents’ pleas. She was tortured to death within three days, and her body was never found. They say this is the power of warriors—if the warrior doesn’t pursue it, the parents could be imprisoned for resisting.”

Tang Wei’s body trembled slightly at this, imagining the terror the girl must have endured.

“What? Forced abduction is legal here? I refuse to believe those were true warriors. Warriors should uphold a code of honor, not commit such heinous acts,” Tang Wei declared, unable to accept this reality. Though some warriors in Huaxia were corrupt hypocrites, they at least preserved a shred of dignity and never committed such openly vile deeds. Most advocated loyalty, righteousness, honor, valor, and reputation.

Sang Xiong was puzzled. “Our national law states that the kingdom owns everything, including us—we are but slaves to the king. Warriors are the king’s guards, minor nobles protecting our land from enemies and safeguarding our people’s safety and property. They are our heroes, so whatever warriors desire, we must gladly surrender.”

“Who made such ridiculous laws? This is nonsense!” Tang Wei’s blood boiled at the mere mention of this law. She feared hearing the full extent would make her see stars.

Hearing this, Sang Xiong and the others panicked, covering their mouths hastily. “Miss Tang Wei, you mustn’t say such things aloud! If anyone overheard, even we who heard would be executed!”

They didn’t dare silence Tang Wei directly, so instinctively covered their own mouths.

“Is it really that serious? Don’t I even have freedom of speech?” Tang Wei rolled her eyes skyward. “Heavens, what kind of place is this?”

“Miss Tang Wei, we don’t understand what your freedom of speech means, but what you just said is absolutely forbidden. You’d be in big trouble if anyone found out,” Sang Xiong whispered anxiously after looking around.

Tang Wei felt defeated. There was no human rights here, not even freedom of speech. She began to regret acting on her own. From then on, every time she spoke, Sang Xiong pointed out some taboo or law she had violated. Tang Wei grew suffocated and fell silent, arriving in town wordlessly.