Mr. Wang prepared to depart. He first borrowed a decent set of clothes from Thirty-Two, making himself appear less shabby. Packing several large silver balls into a bundle, he attempted to sling it over his back with flair but was immediately crushed to the ground by its weight, unable to move.

He cried out, “Help!”

Several people rushed over to lift the bundle off him, freeing him at last.

Gasping for breath, Mr. Wang wheezed, “Silver—such a love-hate affair.”

Thirty-Two chuckled, “Mr. Wang, as a scholar, how could you haul so much silver alone? Besides, traveling solo is unsafe. Take some young men with you. Have them pose as your servants so you resemble a wealthy man who can afford to buy a publishing house.”

So, the group was reorganized.

Gao Chuwu was still hungover and thus exempt. Zheng Daniu carried the silver-filled bundle, and a group of young men joined to form a “servant team,” creating quite a convincing display.

Mr. Wang concocted a story: he’d served as a tutor for a wealthy lord, received generous rewards, and now aimed to purchase a publishing house to preserve scholarly heritage.

With his story set, he led Zheng Daniu and the others toward the county town.

Meanwhile, Gaojia Village finally shook off its collective hangover. Villagers rose and stretched their limbs.

Li Daoxuan saw Gao Yiye awake and summoned her to gather the few remaining Wangjia Village villagers. He informed them rain had finally graced Wangjia Village.

Regrettably, it was already late November of Year Seven of Tianqi. Winter approached, and sowing crops now was futile.

Planting so late meant seedlings wouldn’t mature before the cold; they’d perish in the coming freeze.

Li Daoxuan briefly considered plastic greenhouses but dismissed the idea. Too soon—no need for such technological leaps yet.

Unlike him, the villagers weren’t disheartened. Rain in Wangjia Village alone was joyous news. They saw no urgency to plant: autumn wheat now would disrupt spring wheat later. With winter imminent, they’d wait until spring’s renewal to return and sow properly—the true way of farming.

One Wangjia Villager looked skyward and addressed the Deity, “Since we must wait for spring to plant, why not spend this winter extending the cement road to Wangjia Village? Come spring, we could ride the Solar Vehicle back to tend our fields. Would this work, Deity?”

Li Daoxuan smiled. Clever villager indeed.

“Yiye, tell Thirty-Two to allocate cement for Wangjia villagers. Arrange short-term laborers and labor offenders to help. Let’s build our second cement road—to Wangjia Village.”

Yiye relayed the message, and Wangjia villagers erupted in cheers.

Brimming with energy, they grabbed hoes and shovels, charging toward the official road to Wangjia Village to begin digging. Dust swirled as they worked…

Amid their enthusiastic digging, a tall horse appeared on the southwestern stretch of the road. Riding it was a man in official garments, followed by a retinue of yamen runners and porters guiding carts piled high with vividly colored longbows.

Liang Shixian had arrived!

He’d come to return the bows.

Liang Shixian considered himself an upright official. Having borrowed the Li Family’s property, he was duty-bound to return it.

Thus, escorted by runners and porters, he arrived at Gaojia Village with carts carrying five hundred longbows.

Nearing the village entrance, he noticed villagers digging fiercely beside the road, kicking up clouds of dust. A gust blew grit into his face before he could react, leaving him coughing violently.

The enraged runners shouted, “How dare you, insolent peasants! Assaulting the County Lord!”

Liang Shixian immediately silenced them. “Why scold them? They were digging long before my arrival. How is this assault?”

The runners sheepishly fell silent, their flattery having backfired.

Liang Shixian offered a warm smile. “Why dig here by the road?”

Cowed by the magistrate’s presence, the villagers huddled together. “We’re doing road construction—building a path from here to our village.”

Puzzled, Liang Shixian asked, “Isn’t there already an official road?”

A villager replied, “It’s too narrow and uneven. We’re widening it and paving it into a cement road.”

“Cement road?”

Knowledgeable in many matters, Liang Shixian mentally scoured his vast learning—rare artifacts, even strange machines brought by Westerners from distant lands flickered through his thoughts. Yet, only four characters materialized:

“No such thing found.”

Swallowing his pride, he inquired, “What is a cement road?”

The villagers pointed toward the opposite end of Gaojia Village. “See over there? That gray road leading to Zhengjia Village—that’s a cement road.”

Sitting tall on his horse, Liang Shixian peered into the distance. A gray ribbon indeed wound through the mountains like a hairtail fish, stretching far beyond sight.

“How peculiar. Why this color?”

He shelved his visit to Gaojia Fortress, heading toward the cement road with his scribe and runners instead. Staring down at its surface, he mused, “Why so flat? Riding upon it must be delightful.”

The scribe observed, “As if carved from a single giant stone.”

Liang Shixian frowned. “Who could shape stone so perfectly?”

“Beyond mortal skill,” the scribe admitted.

Liang Shixian clicked his tongue in awe. “Gaojia Village truly brims with marvels. Likely another of the Li Family’s creations.” Having intended to return the five hundred bows to the Li Family anyway, he added, “Perfect timing—I shall inquire about this cement road too.”

After adjusting his robes, he approached Gaojia Fortress. Thirty-Two, alerted by a sentinel, emerged to greet him.

Polite exchanges ensued. Finally, Liang Shixian began, “I’ve come to return the five hundred bows previously borrowed. Ahem…”

Though slightly sheepish, he continued. “Several dozen bowstrings broke under my men’s use. I shall compensate the Li Family for damages… in due course.”

Thirty-Two sounded surprised. “Returning the bows so soon? Does this mean the bandits won’t return?”

Rushing with pride, Liang Shixian happily confirmed, “Repeated defeats drove them back to Huanglong Mountain. Scouts report they’ve diverted westward—toward Luochuan County.”