Chapter Two: The Impoverished Village of the Mo Family

Just how poor is Mo Family Village?

If you were to ask around, you would understand immediately—every village in the region, every person, has only one impression of Mo Family Village: poverty. “Better to throw your daughter into the river than marry her into Mo Family Village” has become a local saying. Any family that can get by would never willingly let their daughter marry into the hardship and destitution of Mo Family Village.

So, while every year girls from Mo Family Village are wed out, it is a rare thing for the village’s young men to take a bride. Over time, the village accumulated a great many bachelors.

But hearing is one thing—seeing is another.

Led by Uncle Li and Old Fu, Mo Dun finally witnessed the true face of Mo Family Village. A rutted, uneven dirt road cut through the village, its surface slick with household wastewater, dark and foul-smelling. On either side of the road, low thatched huts squatted miserably. A bleak autumn wind swept through, sending tufts of thatch swirling into the air.

An elderly man with graying hair rushed out from one of the huts, trying to chase down the thatch blown away by the wind. But as he watched the straw rise higher and higher, he finally gave up, cursing quietly as he returned inside.

Mo Dun let out a heavy sigh. “Let’s go!” he said, stepping carefully along the pitted path. Old Fu and Li Yi exchanged a glance, then followed close behind.

“Mo Family Village has nine hundred and sixty households, totaling three thousand five hundred and twelve people. This is your Uncle Wang’s home—he once served as your father’s personal guard and was renowned as a hero in the Artisans’ Battalion.” Old Fu pointed to a wiry, one-armed old man in front of a thatched hut.

“Uncle Wang,” Mo Dun greeted him respectfully.

“You honor an old man too much, young master!” Uncle Wang quickly returned the salute.

“That’s your Uncle Yu—people call him Master Yu. He’s unmatched when it comes to cooking fish. He was once the head cook in the army. Even the current Emperor, when he served in the military, praised Master Yu’s cooking endlessly,” Li Yi said, indicating a nearby house where a man in his forties stood.

“Hello, Master Yu!” Mo Dun called out.

“And this is…”

“And this is…”

One by one they were introduced, and Mo Dun greeted each in turn.

Word spread quickly that the young master was touring the village. Many villagers came out of their homes, eager to greet him.

“Young master, good day!”

“Young lord!”

“Little marquis!”

Each greeting was different, but every voice carried genuine respect. After all, every year Mo Dun used his stipend to support the village. Though it was the poorest village for miles around, it was also the most united.

Moreover, the Mo family practiced universal love for all living things, and the villagers supported one another. No matter how bad the famine, Mo Family Village had never lost a single villager to starvation.

Looking into the sincere, respectful eyes of the villagers, Mo Dun felt a pang in his heart. He saw that many had no complete clothing—most wore old garments patched and repatched.

And now winter was upon them, but many still wore only thin clothes. Every face was gaunt and sallow, eyes filled with hardship.

What truly wrenched the heart was that those who came out were all men. Young women were few and far between—the number of bachelors in Mo Family Village was simply too high.

“How many men in Mo Family Village remain unmarried?” Mo Dun asked in a low voice.

“Three hundred and fifty-one men over eighteen have yet to marry. From the sixth year of Wude up to last year, only twenty brides have joined the village, and this year, not a single marriage has taken place,” Li Yi replied, tears choking his words.

“Mo Family Village is just too poor. Anyone who’s able simply won’t let their daughters suffer here,” Old Fu sighed.

Mo Dun fell silent, a surge of determination rising within him. These villagers had once fought alongside his father; they were his father’s brothers-in-arms. Many of the youths were his childhood companions.

Now, these people lived in dire straits. Mo Dun felt it his duty to transform Mo Family Village.

He wanted to see the villagers live happy lives. He wanted Mo Family Village to become the richest in the land. This was not only the unfulfilled wish of this body's former master, but also his own responsibility as a modern man.

With this thought, passion flared in Mo Dun’s chest. He strode forward and climbed atop a large stone block.

“Uncles, elders, brothers—you have all suffered!” Mo Dun bowed deeply, apologizing to the villagers.

“Young lord, you mustn’t!” the villagers called out. In their minds, it was always they who saluted him, never the other way around.

“Young master, please don’t!” Li Yi and Old Fu joined in, hastening to dissuade him.

Despite their urging, Mo Dun held the bow for several moments before straightening. He looked at the sea of villagers before him, and as he lifted his head, they all fell silent, their eyes fixed on him.

“Mo Family Village is poor—so very poor!” he declared.

“Disaster strikes us year after year.”

“Our men cannot marry—no woman from another village is willing to endure our hardships!”

Mo Dun’s voice grew more impassioned with each word.

With every sentence, the villagers’ heads dipped lower. It was their pain—their shame. Faces twisted with sorrow, tears streaming silently, but none made a sound.

“But none of this can defeat us. Every elder here once followed my late father through a lifetime of battles, and every brother grew up alongside us.

He paused, watching as the villagers slowly raised their heads. Then, in a loud, clear voice, he declared: “Today I, Mo Dun, stand before you and promise: from this day forth, no one in Mo Family Village will go hungry or cold. Every one of our brothers will find a wife. I will make Mo Family Village the richest village in all of Tang!”

No more hunger or cold. Every man with a wife. The richest village in Tang—could it be possible? They were, after all, the poorest of all the villages.

Seeing their disbelief pained Mo Dun. He knew these were things they had never dared even to hope for.

He did not expect them to believe immediately, for only deeds would prove his resolve.

Looking solemnly at everyone, Mo Dun said, “I know the road will be long and hard, but I will fight alongside every one of you. I promise, as long as there is even one meal left in the Mo household, none of you will go hungry. Not only will we survive this hardest of times, but we will live better than anyone else.”

“Young master, you are righteous indeed! Even if I have to lay down these old bones, I will fight with you!” cried Li Yi. The village was at a crisis, and the young master’s resolve was nothing less than a blessing from the late lord’s spirit.

“General Mo was loyal and righteous, and the young master is the same. I, Old Yu, will follow him!” said Master Yu with conviction.

“I, Old Fu, will follow as well!” declared Old Fu.

“We’ll fight! We’ll follow the young master!”

“We’ll fight! How much poorer can we get?”

“That’s right—maybe we can carve out a new future!”

More and more villagers responded. Seeing their eyes, no longer clouded with pain and confusion but bright with hope, Mo Dun nodded quietly in satisfaction.

He raised a hand, and silence fell once more as all eyes turned to him.

“Now, I will assign tasks. Old Fu! Immediately take stock of the household’s grain reserves and distribute relief to those villagers most in need,” Mo Dun commanded.

“Yes, at once!” Old Fu replied.

Turning to Li Yi, Mo Dun said, “Uncle Li, organize labor to repair all the roads in the village. For those whose houses are badly damaged, organize teams for repairs. Anyone whose home is uninhabitable can move into the manor for now. As for wages, distribute them after the work is done—those who prefer money can have it, those who need food can take grain from Old Fu.”

“Young master, you are too generous! We’re fixing our own roads and homes—how can we ask for pay?” Li Yi shouted to the villagers.

“That’s right! How can we take the young master’s money for working on our own homes?”

“Young master, we still have grain at home; we can manage for a while.”

The villagers were simple and sincere, all voicing their agreement.

“Then just keep a record for now. When Mo Family Village prospers, we can compensate everyone. If anyone is in need, they can take what they need now,” Mo Dun said.

Coming from the future, he knew that initial enthusiasm would not last forever—sustainable motivation required ongoing income.

Li Yi considered this and agreed—it was a good solution, since some families were indeed in difficulty.

“Young master, you are wise!” Li Yi said with conviction. He had thought Mo Dun was simply acting on impulse, but now it seemed that under his leadership, Mo Family Village might truly turn things around.

With renewed vigor, Li Yi shouted, “Those from the east side, come this way with Old Wang to repair the road! Those from the west, come with me to fix the houses!”

“Alright!”

The villagers responded enthusiastically.

Never once did they doubt Mo Dun’s ability to lead them to prosperity—but none among them could have foreseen just how glorious the road ahead would be.