Compared to Liu Xin, whose beard and hair looked ready to fly off in anger, Liu Yuan was quite calm. He seemed to be used to this kind of treatment, not even showing an expression of sorrow or anger. He just said with a grin, "Well then, Father, Mother, we will take our leave now," and then led Liu Zhen and the others out.

The younger generation was still a bit bewildered. Except for Liu Zhen, even the eldest, Liu Nan, didn't quite understand why their grandfather had suddenly flown into such a rage and driven their father and them out. The younger second sister, Liu Wan, sucking on her finger, had her eyes glued to the jar of malt candy that Madam Yu had brought into the room from the moment they entered. Even as she was led out, she kept turning her head to look back, very reluctantly.

Once outside, Madam Zhang no longer needed to hide her emotions. She raised her head, her tone still tinged with resentment, "How could Father be like this? It's not like Eldest Brother's talent is that outstanding. He only became a County Clerk because Father ran around pulling strings for him. But for you, he's only willing to find you the post of an Outpost Attendant!"

Liu Yuan didn't answer her. Instead, he picked Liu Zhen up again and said, "Ah Zhen, it seems we won't be able to borrow any books from Grandfather. When we get back, I'll have your big brother lend you his books from the village school."

Towards this eldest daughter, Liu Yuan showed a bit more favoritism than he did towards his two younger daughters. This was not only because Liu Zhen resembled his deceased mother and was his first daughter, but also because she was usually precocious and sensible. When coaxing others, she could be incredibly sweet-tongued. She understood the family's situation and never made excessive demands, even seeming a bit more clever and smart than her elder brother Liu Nan, who was a full four years older.

Just like now, even though she couldn't borrow the book, Liu Zhen didn't cry or make a fuss. Instead, she asked, "Father, what is an Outpost Attendant?"

Liu Yuan: "There's an outpost every ten li. You know of the Outpost Head, right?"

Liu Zhen nodded.

He continued, "Under the Outpost Head are the Outpost Attendant and the Constable. One is in charge of opening, closing, and sweeping, while the other is in charge of arresting thieves."

Liu Zhen: "..."

She got it. So, the job her grandfather had introduced to her old man was to be a cleaner under a street sanitation captain!

No wonder her old man was unwilling, and her stepmother was so furious!

Just imagine: two brothers, born of the same father. The elder goes to the county to be the director of a cultural and historical archives bureau, while the younger is thrown out to be a cleaner. Who would be happy with that? Whose heart could be at peace?

She glanced at her old man again and saw that his expression was nonchalant, not angry like her stepmother's.

"Father, I won't borrow books from Grandfather anymore. Later, I'll ask Big Brother to borrow some from his teacher."

Liu Yuan chuckled, "It's fine if you want to borrow from Grandfather, but we can't this time. We'll come again next time, and Father will definitely borrow them for you before your grandfather gets angry."

Liu Zhen was a little speechless. Was her old man actually taking pleasure in provoking their grandfather?

"Father, Grandfather isn't good to you, and he isn't good to us. He definitely won't lend us the books. Don't try to borrow them next time, either. I don't want Grandfather to scold you; you'll be sad."

His daughter's mature words made Liu Yuan unable to help but smile. He stroked her hair again, "My Ah Zhen is so sensible. But Father is used to being scolded by Grandfather. I'm not sad."

Liu Yuan wasn't lying. Not a trace of sorrow from being discriminated against or given the cold shoulder could be seen on his face. It was clear his mental fortitude was very strong. It was also possible that he was used to being cursed at and no longer hoped to be valued by his father like his elder brother, so he had simply decided to write himself off.

Seeing him like this, Madam Zhang couldn't stay angry either and changed the subject, "The apricot blossoms behind our house are in full bloom. Just now, Ah Zhen was even saying she wanted to pick them to make something to eat!"

Liu Yuan: "...What's so good to eat about apricot blossoms? Is my Ah Zhen just greedy? Wait until tomorrow, Father will bring some malt candy back for you all."

Liu Zhen blinked hard, trying to use her tender young face to feign some innocent cuteness. "Cold-dressed apricot blossoms! Just like Mother said, add a little shepherd's purse, and it's delicious! We can eat it with porridge!"

Liu Nan volunteered, "Little Sis, I'll take you to catch fish! Fish tastes much better than apricot blossoms!"

Clearly, this kid was also tired of eating bean rice every day.

But there was no helping it. When Liu Yuan left the family home, he wasn't given any land. With a primary mother and a primary elder brother present, they would never have allowed such a thing to happen.

Liu Zhen's family was currently raising two pigs and a dozen or so chickens. The pigs had to be kept for breeding—the sow was already pregnant but hadn't given birth yet—while the hens had to be kept for eggs. The piglets and chicks could be sold once they grew up. These were important sources of income for the family and could not be eaten casually. The Liu family would only slaughter a pig or a chicken for a meal during festivals or the New Year.

Usually, Madam Zhang would occasionally take her handwoven fabrics to trade for a bit of meat. Their vegetables were wild greens they picked, along with some they grew in their own yard. Adding to that the dowry from the late Madam Zhou, and now supplemented by Madam Zhang's own dowry, they were just able to maintain a middling life for the family. If they wanted to live more comfortably, it would only be possible if Liu Yuan could find a job.

The Liu family's grandfather was not going to help them anymore; Liu Zhen knew this very well. For him to offer her father a cleaner's job was already the utmost he was willing to do.

Anything more was out of the question.

The family of six walked along the road home. Thanks to Liu Zhen's interruption, the heavy atmosphere from just after leaving the Liu household had dissipated quite a bit. Liu Wan, having overheard her father's promise to buy malt candy, kept pestering him about it. Liu Yuan didn't mind and continued to tease her with his words. The adults and children were tangled in a playful bunch, their laughter and noise carrying far into the distance.

In the distance, three or four people approached from the other side of the road. Liu Yuan and Madam Zhang took a look and saw they were acquaintances.

"Uncle Yao, Aunt Yao!"

This area was part of Chunze Village in Xiang Town. In Chunze Village, almost everyone knew the Liu family. The Yao family lived next door to Liu Xin's family, and as fellow villagers, they were all very familiar with each other. The Yao couple had naturally watched Liu Yuan grow up.

"Ah Yuan, have you just been to visit your father?" the old elder asked, supported by his son, greeting Liu Yuan and his family with a smile.

"Yes," Liu Yuan replied with a smile.

The elderly Madam Yao also greeted Madam Zhang and Liu Zhen's group kindly.

But the two young men supporting the elders were not so polite. They were the Yao family's sons. Liu Yuan's background was common knowledge in Xiang Town, no secret at all. The two of them looked down on Liu Yuan's behavior of staying home and idling all day. Country folk were not good at hiding their feelings, and their words and actions revealed traces of contempt and ridicule. They also didn't want their parents to have anything to do with Liu Yuan's family. Before the Yao couple could say more than a few words, the sons were already helping their parents to hurry away.

This made Madam Zhang feel both ashamed and angry. She knew that most people in Xiang Town, just like those two men, looked down on Liu Yuan. It wasn't just because of his status as the son of a concubine, but also because they felt that a grown man like him was just hiding away at home, loafing around all day, making him nothing but a useless good-for-nothing. Many people even called him Liu the Useless behind his back.

In the Qin Dynasty, 'useless' did not mean a hooligan or a scoundrel, but rather that the person was very incompetent.

Quite clearly, in the eyes of many of the honest, duty-bound people of Xiang Town, and even in the eyes of his own father and primary mother, Liu Yuan was just such a useless person.

It wasn't that Madam Zhang hadn't thought of making Liu Yuan find a job. She had even considered asking her own family to let her husband go into business with her brothers, but Liu Yuan had flatly refused.

Surrounded by such gazes every day, Madam Zhang felt she couldn't bear it. She decided to have a good talk with her husband and try to persuade him again that night when they went to bed.

However, being discriminated against didn't mean Liu Yuan had poor relationships with people. As soon as they got home, they found two men standing at their door, holding things in their hands. They looked like they had been waiting for quite some time, chatting to pass the time.

Seeing Liu Yuan return, both men happily came forward to greet him.

"Big Brother!"

"Big Brother!"

Liu Yuan laughed heartily, left his wife and children behind, and quickened his pace to walk ahead, clapping each of them on the shoulder.

"What brings you two here?"

"We've brought good news for you, Big Brother!" The more refined one, An Zheng, said with a smile on his lips, bowing to Madam Zhang. "Greetings, Sister-in-law!"

The man beside him, Xu Zhongfang, also said loudly, "Greetings, Sister-in-law!"

Madam Zhang quickly curtsied in return and said with a smile, "Little Brothers, you must have been waiting long. Please, come in and rest. I'll get you some water!"

With that, she passed them and took the children inside first.

Liu Yuan and the others followed them inside and sat down.

Once in the house, An Zheng put down the wine and food he was carrying. Liu Yuan saw it and said, "It's enough that you came, why bring things with you? Are you afraid I'd let you go hungry?"

His feigned anger only made An Zheng smile, while the outspoken Xu Zhongfang had already blurted out, "Big Brother, guess what good news Second Brother has brought you?"

Seeing the irrepressible joy on his two brothers' faces, Liu Yuan thought for a moment and joked, "Could it be that Ziying has earned the appreciation of his superior and is getting another promotion?"

Xu Zhongfang laughed. "It is indeed a promotion, but it's not Second Brother who's getting promoted, it's you, Big Brother!"

Liu Yuan was taken aback. "I am but a humble commoner. Where would an official post come from? Don't make such jokes!"

An Zheng smiled. "Zhongfang isn't joking with you. The other day, I was chatting with County Assistant Liu and learned that the post of Constable at Beisi Outpost was vacant, and the Outpost Head had not yet reported a candidate for succession. So I went to request an audience with the County Magistrate and recommended you, Big Brother, to him. The County Magistrate was very straightforward and agreed at once. He issued the official document on the spot. I've even seen the document. I estimate it will arrive at Beisi Outpost tomorrow."

As mentioned before, the Constable was at the same level as the Outpost Attendant, both being subordinates under the Outpost Head. If the Outpost Attendant was like a street sanitation captain, then the Constable was like a local police precinct chief. In a small place, both the captain and the chief would be commanders without troops, having to do the cleaning and the arresting of thieves themselves. However, Xiang Town was not small, so there were two even lower-ranking subordinates under them.

Previously, Liu Xin had wanted Liu Yuan to be a cleaner, and of course, he wasn't happy about it. But a Constable was different. No matter what, it was an official position in the Qin government. As minor as the post was, it still came with two subordinates. It sounded much better than being a cleaner, not to mention it came with a salary. For the current Liu family, this was simply a joyous event!

This was truly wonderful news. Liu Yuan was overjoyed upon hearing it. "Really?"

It wasn't just Liu Yuan; even Madam Zhang, who had been listening from behind the cloth curtain for a long time, couldn't help but beam with joy. She immediately lifted the curtain and walked in, holding a wooden tray with three cups of plain water on it.

"Our home is simple, we don't even have any wine. Please don't mind, Little Brothers." She said with a radiant smile, placing the cups in front of the three men.

Xu Zhongfang laughed heartily. "With such good news, what's the use of water? We should naturally have a few drinks. Second Brother brought wine long ago, it's perfect for the occasion!"

An Zheng smiled. "I know the post of Constable is a humble one and it's beneath you, Big Brother. I hope you won't mind."

"How could I? How could I!" Liu Yuan said repeatedly, rubbing his hands together. He had just come from his father's place, where he had been thoroughly berated, only to return home and have his good brothers bring him such wonderful news.

Xu Zhongfang said to Madam Zhang, "We'll have to trouble you, Sister-in-law, to plate these side dishes. The three of us brothers will not go home until we're drunk tonight!"

Madam Zhang smiled. "Please wait a moment, Little Brothers. I'll go right away."

Originally, she didn't find An Zheng very agreeable. It was because Liu Yuan, An Zheng, and Xu Zhongfang were all friends from the same town. When An Zheng was young, his family's situation was not very good, and Liu Yuan, despite his own awkward position in the Liu family at the time, had often helped An Zheng in private. Later, Liu Yuan joined the army, and Xu Zhongfang went with him. When the two of them returned five years later, Xu Zhongfang, whose family owned a small plot of land, went back to being a farmer. But An Zheng, for reasons unknown, had become a granary clerk in the county. His starting point was suddenly much higher than that of Liu Yuan and Xu Zhongfang.

The man who once needed her husband's help had, in the blink of an eye, become a prominent figure that commoners like them had to pay respects to. Whenever Madam Zhang thought of this, she felt a sour taste in her heart. She was especially dissatisfied that for so many years, although An Zheng still maintained contact with their family, he never once mentioned helping his brother find a post.

But now, that dissatisfaction had long since vanished into thin air. Madam Zhang wouldn't even admit that she had complained to Liu Yuan about An Zheng multiple times. In high spirits, she picked up the small bamboo basket on the table and went inside to prepare.

Liu Yuan's joy was in no way inferior to Madam Zhang's. "You two should stay the night. Though this place is small, there's no problem hosting you. It's been a long time since we three brothers have talked all night. No refusing today!"

An Zheng smiled. "We're just afraid of disturbing Sister-in-law and our nieces!"

Liu Yuan waved his hand. "None of that fuss! Didn't you see your sister-in-law's expression just now? Even if you asked her to go sleep outside with the pigs tonight, I bet she'd be willing."

An Zheng and Xu Zhongfang burst into laughter at his teasing words.

Liu Yuan glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw a figure faintly visible behind the door curtain. He called out with a laugh, "A little girl has learned to eavesdrop, have you? Get in here!"

Having been discovered, Liu Zhen stuck out her tongue and walked out from behind the curtain in a poised manner.

"Ah Zhen greets her two uncles!"

An Zheng's face lit up. "Ah Zhen has grown so big! The last time I saw you, you were only this tall. It's a pity my family only has boys, no clever and cute daughter like this!"

Xu Zhongfang's way of showing affection was more direct. He reached out with his large palm and roughly ruffled Liu Zhen's hair. "The little lady is very clever. Good!"

Madam Zhang brought out the warmed wine and side dishes. Liu Zhen saw that it was some pickled pig ears and head meat.

Attracted by the aroma of the wine and food, Liu Nan also started peeking in from the doorway. Liu Yuan didn't have the same patience for him as he did for his daughter and directly shooed him back into his room. Liu Nan could only retreat with his head hung low. The younger Liu Wan and Liu Zhuang didn't even get to come out and had fallen asleep under Madam Zhang's care.

Only Liu Zhen was lucky enough to be allowed to stay. She sat obediently in her father's lap, not disturbing the adults' conversation from beginning to end, nor did she impatiently reach for the side dishes on the table. The quiet and steady demeanor she displayed made Xu Zhongfang and An Zheng, who also had children at home, click their tongues in wonder.

Xu Zhongfang pointed to the pig ears and asked her, "Ah Zhen, do you want to eat some?"

Liu Zhen: "Yes." One must be realistic.

No matter how much self-control she had, after nearly half a month without the smell of meat, her saliva had already begun its rapid secretion procedure.

Xu Zhongfang teased her, "Then call me Father. If you call me that, I'll give you some to eat."

Liu Zhen shook her head with integrity. "No."

Xu Zhongfang: "Why not? Don't you really want to eat it?"

Liu Zhen blinked. "Riches and honors cannot corrupt. You are my uncle, so Ah Zhen can't disregard the facts just because she wants to eat!"

At these words, Xu Zhongfang nearly died laughing. "Oh, 'Riches and honors cannot corrupt!' A bowl of pig ears can be called riches and honors! Big Brother, this daughter of yours is much more interesting than my kids!"

An Zheng, however, frowned. "Ah Zhen, how do you know that phrase?"

Liu Zhen: "I heard Grandfather say it."

The Liu family was said to be descended from Jianming, the son of Emperor Yao, and their ancestors had even held important posts in the Western Zhou dynasty. Of course, by that logic, eight or nine out of ten people in the lands of China were descendants of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. However, when her great-grandfather Liu Yun was alive, he was not only an Elder San but also a teacher at the village school. To this day, the main Liu family house still contained many book slips left by their ancestors, which was an extremely precious treasure in an era where books were scarce. Therefore, pushing all the blame onto her grandfather was never a bad idea.

An Zheng said to Liu Zhen with a serious expression, "Ah Zhen, in the future, unless you are in front of us, do not speak carelessly. It's best to say things like 'Riches and honors cannot corrupt' as little as possible."

Before Liu Zhen could ask, Liu Yuan said, "Why is that?"

An Zheng: "Big Brother, have you forgotten that last year Qin Shi Huang ordered the burning of books?"

Liu Zhen was originally a little confused. She didn't expect that after showing off like all transmigrators do, she would not only fail to get praised but would instead receive a solemn warning. She also felt as if she had forgotten something. It wasn't until she heard this sentence that she finally remembered. That's right, living in this poor, remote place with poor access to news, she had actually forgotten the two major historical events that happened in succession during this period!

Last year was the burning of books, so this year should be the burying of scholars.

The burning of books—what books were burned?

Privately collected copies of the Book of Odes, the Book of Documents, and various books from the Hundred Schools of Thought outside of Legalism. This included The Mencius, the source of the phrase "Riches and honors cannot corrupt" that Liu Zhen had just quoted.

Of course, for every policy from above, there was a countermeasure from below. The country was vast, so there were always some fish that slipped through the net. Furthermore, the former Six States were resentful of Qin Shi Huang's rule, so it wasn't as if no one secretly hid books. For instance, Liu Zhen had seen that her grandfather's family still had a hidden scroll of the Tao Te Ching. Given the Liu family's status in Xiang Town, as long as Grandfather Liu didn't hand the book over to the officials himself, it was impossible for the government to come to their home to confiscate it. Some classics survived this way.

As a primary target of the crackdown, Confucian doctrine was directly related to the edict to burn books. An Zheng couldn't control whether other people had private collections, but if a little girl was heard quoting Mencius and someone with ill intentions decided to make an issue of it, it could very well bring disaster. That was why he warned Liu Zhen not to speak carelessly.

After understanding the cause and effect, Liu Zhen could only sigh: living in ancient times was truly difficult! Not only was there nothing to eat and nothing to play with, but you also had to be careful with your words. It reminded her of how some people in later generations always complained about the lack of free speech, but they were never arrested for saying this or that was wrong with the country. If they tried that in the Qin Dynasty, dying a hundred times wouldn't be enough!

Between dying a high-profile death and living a low-profile life, Liu Zhen decisively chose the latter.

Transmigration is risky; one must speak with caution.