I Can See Through Everything - Chapter 33

Chapter 33 Rules for Going Out

“Brother Da’an, is Brother Da’an at home?”

Lu Qing shouted in front of an earthen house.

“Who is it, who is calling me?” A tall figure ran out of the house, and was immediately surprised when he saw Lu Qing, “It’s you, Ah Qing, what do you want to talk to me about?”

“Da’an, who is it?”

Before Lu Qing could answer, an old voice came out, and an old man holding a bamboo pipe also walked out of the house.

“Grandpa, it’s Ah Qing!” Wang Da’an shouted directly.

“Grandpa Wang.” Lu Qing greeted the old man.

“Oh, it’s Ah Qing, come on, come in and sit down.”

The old man was also surprised to see Lu Qing, and wanted to pull him into the house to drink water.

“No, Grandpa Wang, I have something to talk to Brother Da’an about, so I won’t go in to disturb you.” Lu Qing quickly declined.

“By the way, what do you want to talk to me about?” Wang Da’an asked.

“I want to go to the market. Didn’t you, Da’an, tell me last time that if I went there, I’d come see you. There are some rules I need to know.”

“You want to go to the market?” Wang Da’an was startled, then realized, “Oh, yes, today is market day.”

The market runs every five days, and today is the fifth day since the last one.

“Ah Qing, what are you going to the market for? Selling fish?” Wang Da’an asked.

“There’s no rush to sell fish. I want to go to the market first, take a look around, get a feel for the market, and buy a few things.”

“I see, that’s fine with me. But Grandpa just wanted to send me out to pick grass for the pigs.” Wang Da’an scratched his head.

Grandpa Wang took two puffs of his cigarette and said, “In that case, Da’an, take Ah Qing with you. He’s the head of the family now, so he should know the rules when going out.”

“Okay, Grandpa, don’t worry, I’ll definitely teach Ah Qing!” Wang Da’an said happily.

He was happy to not have to pick grass for the pigs; that job was so boring.

“Come on, Ah Qing, we’ll talk on the way.”

Wang Da’an pulled Lu Qing out.

When they reached the village entrance, Wang Da’an pointed to a large tree at the entrance

and said, “Ah Qing, the first rule for going to market is right here.”

“Here?” Lu Qing looked at the tree, puzzled.

He knew this tree, of course. It wasn’t very tall, but it was very strong, with lush branches and leaves, and a trunk so thick that it took several people to hug it.

It looked a bit like the banyan tree in his past life.

And this tree seemed quite important.

Not only did people regularly offer incense there, but the children of the village were warned from a young age that playing nearby, let alone climbing it, was strictly forbidden.

If anyone was caught violating the rules, a beating would be the least of their punishment. At worst, they would be forced to kneel in the ancestral hall on an empty stomach.

Therefore, the children of the village gave this tree a wide berth, preferring to play in the mud elsewhere rather than play there.

However, he had no memory of the tree’s true purpose, only thinking it was a place for worshiping gods and praying for peace.

Now, from what Da’an said, it seems that there is another purpose?

“Yes, this big tree is the sacred tree of our village, and it is also a trust tree. Everyone in the village who goes out to do business, whether it is to the market or to the city, must leave a mark here to indicate where they are going.”

“In this way, if someone does not return in time, the village can still know his whereabouts based on the mark he left.”

“This big tree actually has such a use?” Lu Qing was surprised.

He really did not expect that the big tree that the original owner was a little afraid of in his memory had such a history.

“How do you leave a mark on it?” Lu Qing asked.

“Here.”

Wang Da’an walked forward and lifted a stone slab under the tree.

When he came back, he had two more red ropes in his hands.

Wang Da’an handed one of the red ropes to Lu Qing and pointed at the tree.

“See those old branches on the sacred tree? The left one represents the market, the middle one represents the city, and the right one represents going out to other places.”

“From now on, whenever you’re going out, tie a red rope around it. That way, the villagers will know someone’s leaving.”

“Just take the red string off when you come back.”

“That’s it?” Lu Qing was stunned.

He’d expected something complicated, but it wasn’t so simple.

“That’s it, what else is there?” Wang Da’an seemed confused.

“Don’t we have to hang a sign or some other symbol? Otherwise, how will people know who’s gone away?” Lu Qing asked.

“What’s the point of a sign?” Wang Da’an was even more confused.

“You can write your name on it…”

Lu Qing said this, then suddenly realized.

He had forgotten that most of the people in the village were illiterate.

As expected, Wang Da’an grinned at this.

“Do you think we’re all like you, Ah Qing, who know so many words but can’t write their own names?”

“And there’s no need to go through so much trouble. The village is so small. If you see someone with the red string still on, just ask around and you’ll know who hasn’t come back.”

Lu Qing thought the same thing.

He hadn’t understood the situation for a moment, assuming that this place was still like his previous life, where people could easily go on a journey.

In reality, in an ancient world like this, villagers were very cautious about leaving the house.

No one would go out unless it was necessary.

Some villagers may have never traveled far in their entire lives.

Children are strictly prohibited from running outside.

Under such circumstances, there are actually not many people who leave the village on a regular basis, so it really doesn’t require so much trouble.

However, in this way, Lu Qing also understood why everyone usually burns incense under this tree.

It seems that in addition to worshiping the gods, the villagers pray more for the safety of those who go out.

“Come, I’ll help you tie it.”

Wang Da’an tied two red ropes to the left branch.

“In addition, there is a rule in the village. The market is not far from our village. If you want to go, you can go alone. Just tie a red rope here.”

“But if you are going to the city or somewhere farther, then at least two people must go out so that they can take care of each other.”

“If no one from our village wants to go to the city, you can go to the next village and shout to see if anyone wants to go together. The rules for going out in our villages are similar.”

“Going to the city is different from going to the market. More people are needed to take care of each other.”

“Brother Da’an, is the road to the city dangerous?” Lu Qing asked after hearing these rules.

Wang Da’an paused for a moment before saying, “It can’t be said to be dangerous. It’s been quite peaceful these years. But my grandfather told me that bandits appeared on the road before, and someone from the next village was captured. It took several years for him to escape back.”

“Originally, everyone thought he had died outside. It was not until he escaped that they found out he had been captured by bandits.”

“But it is said that the bandits were later wiped out by the people sent by the county lord, so peace returned to the road.”

“It was also from that time that our villages gradually established the current rules for going out.”

Bandits!

Lu Qing was shocked.

Sure enough, the world was not as peaceful as he thought.

The word “county lord” also made him a little concerned.

However, Lu Qing did not ask in detail. There was still a long time to go, and he could find out slowly later.

After explaining the rules of leaving the village to Lu Qing and tying a red rope,

Wang Da’an took Lu Qing in the direction of the big market.

(End of this chapter)