Chapter Six: A Visitor at Midnight

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“Dalong has really grown up. After the New Year, he’ll be sixteen—no longer a child.”
“It’s time to find him a wife.”
The old lady looked at Li Xiao, her eyes beginning to shine with anticipation.
Once the topic was brought up, the two women immediately found a deeper common ground.
“As his mother, you need to be more attentive. Let’s see which nearby village has a suitable girl,” the old lady said, setting down her bowl and chopsticks to discuss with Qin Dani.
“Just today, when I went back to my parents’ home, I happened to see a fine young girl at Gushan Fort. I inquired—she’s from the Chen family, the third child.”
“She’s quite pretty, with a big behind; she looks like she’d be good at bearing children.”
Qin Dani spoke with great enthusiasm.
Perhaps she had returned early just to discuss marriage prospects for Li Xiao.
“A big behind is good; it means she can bear strong, healthy boys to carry on the Li family line—that’s the most important thing,” the old lady smiled, satisfied without even having met the girl.
“Mother, if you think it’s alright, shall we send a matchmaker in a couple of days?” Qin Dani suggested.
The old lady nodded, “I think it’s fine.”
Seeing his lifelong matter about to be decided by these two, Li Xiao couldn’t hold back any longer.
He shook his head firmly. “I don’t agree.”
“Grandma, mother, I haven’t even met the girl yet. I might not even like her. How can I marry her?”
“What’s this about liking or not? Marriage is just about sharing a bed!”
“Once you’ve lived together, you’ll come to like her!” Qin Dani said in a bold tone.
The old lady supported Qin Dani, speaking earnestly, “Dalong, you have to listen to your mother.”
“Your mother and I have been through this; we know what’s best.”
“I chose your mother at a glance. After marrying your father, she bore several children—successful ones at that!”
“You’re the eldest in the family; you must find a wife who can bear sons.”
Under this relentless pressure from the two women, Li Xiao felt utterly overwhelmed.
He never imagined that even as a transmigrant, he would be pressured into marriage.
In his previous life, he at least made it to thirty before facing this; now, he was only fifteen!
This was criminal! Don’t you know?
Forcing a minor!
Li Xiao felt like his head was about to explode and resorted to mentioning his father, whom he had yet to meet in this life.
“Grandma, mother, marriage is a major life event; we need my father’s consent.”
“Shall we wait for my father to return before discussing this?”
Li Xiao had ‘awakened’ half a month ago, but before that, his father had gone off to war with his second uncle and a hundred able-bodied men.
Li Xiao could only recall his father’s image from memories of his previous life; he had never truly met him.
At hearing this, Qin Dani and the old lady immediately fell silent.
Though the family had the old master as a stabilizing force, the father’s involvement in marriage matters was indispensable.
“Alright, we’ll wait for your father to return before sending a matchmaker,” Qin Dani agreed.
After finishing the meal that had Li Xiao’s heart pounding, he returned to his room.
The Li family’s house had five main rooms: the easternmost was his parents’ room; next to it was the girls’ room.
Previously, his elder sister Dafeng and younger sister Sanfeng shared the girls’ room; after Dafeng married out, only Sanfeng remained.
With their father away at war, Sanfeng often slept in Qin Dani’s bed.
The middle rooms served as the living and dining areas, where ancestral tablets were placed. The old master and old lady lived in the westernmost room.
Thus, the western second room became the quarters for Li Xiao and his two brothers.
The room had a window on the south wall and a heated brick bed along the north wall.
Li Xiao lay on a sheepskin mattress, staring blankly at the ceiling with a look of utter despair.
“Marriage?”
“Damn it, I’ve only been here half a month and they want me to marry?”
And to a girl just fourteen—not to mention, in his previous life, that would have been a crime.

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“I don’t want to marry. I’m a golden bachelor; I’ll enjoy myself for a few more years!” Li Xiao muttered.
He wasn’t ready to be a father.
Can you imagine, a year or two from now, having a baby calling him ‘dad’?
He was still just a child himself!
At this age, Li Xiao had no thoughts of settling down.
“Hey, you two, put down those knives!”
“If you damage them, I’ll skin you alive.”
Irritated, Li Xiao shouted at his second and third brothers.
They were fighting over his cavalry saber.
The Uzi steel was tough and not easily damaged, but the real concern was their safety.
This saber was sharper than ordinary blades.
A slight cut could draw a deep, bloody gash.
“Brother, this saber looks cool. Give it to me, please.”
Sanbao grabbed the cavalry saber and ran up to Li Xiao, flattering him.
Li Xiao snatched it back and placed it where he could easily reach it.
“Get lost.”
“If you want a sword, grandpa can forge one for you tomorrow.”
“This one’s too big for you.”
Li Xiao slapped Sanbao’s face away; he had no feelings for boys.
Erhu shamelessly came closer, “Brother, my hands are big. This saber fits me perfectly. Let me play with it a bit more.”
Though two years younger, Erhu was well developed, tall and sturdy—almost an adult in size.
Only slightly shorter than Li Xiao, but more robust, and he wielded the saber vigorously.
But Li Xiao was displeased and uninterested in their antics, glaring at them, “You get lost too.”
Having subdued his two brothers, Li Xiao lay back down, lost in thought.
Nightlife in this era was dull. Married folks had some entertainment, but young men like them had to sleep early.
All kinds of things happened in dreams.
“Boom, boom…”
“Whoosh, whoosh…”
By dinnertime, the sky had already rumbled with distant thunder; now heavy rain was pouring.
Northern Frontier lay between the Tianshan and Altai mountain ranges. Since the Altai ran southeast to northwest, warm moist air from the Atlantic was blocked by the Altai, turning into rainfall.
Thus, summers here saw abundant rain, often heavy and lasting all night.
Li Xiao was gradually getting used to it.
Amid the downpour’s drumming, he drifted off to sleep.
But in the dead of night, barking dogs abruptly woke him. He snapped his eyes open and sat up sharply.
In his previous military life, night wake-up calls were common for training new recruits.
Li Xiao had grown accustomed to waking at sudden noises.
“Woof, woof, woof…”
“Woof, woof…”
Sitting on his bed, he listened quietly.
Though the rain masked the sound, the barking was urgent, from not one or two dogs but the whole village.
This was not a random occurrence; someone had entered the village.
Li Xiao glanced at his two snoring simpletons and ignored them, instead getting dressed.
He grabbed his bow and arrows from the wall and took his cavalry saber, ready to investigate.
Just then, the old master also came out of the inner room, fully dressed.

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He carried a bow on his back, a quiver of arrows, and a long sword at his waist.
The grandfather and grandson exchanged a glance, saying nothing, and left the house one after the other.
They stood at the doorway, peering out. The rain remained heavy and the night pitch black, nothing visible.
“Someone entered the village?” Li Xiao whispered, lacking his grandfather’s experience.
“Yes,” the old master nodded softly, saying only one word.
He then fetched two raincoats from inside, handing one to Li Xiao.
“Go check it out. Be careful.”
The village perimeter was only guarded by a ditch and low walls—no real defense against intruders. It was easy for thieves to sneak in but difficult to slip out.
After instructing the old lady to lock the house doors, the old master mounted his horse and, armed with bow and sword, led Li Xiao out of the courtyard.
On the street, they saw several others on horseback—also villagers who had come out after hearing the commotion.
“Third brother, any news?”
The old master spotted a man about fifty, his younger brother and Li Xiao’s great-uncle.
The Li family had settled here fifty years ago, flourishing over generations.
Li Xiao’s family was the main branch, with numerous side branches.
“Big brother, I just came out, but the noise seems to be from the north,” the great-uncle said.
“Let’s go check it out,” the old master said.
They gathered a dozen villagers on horseback, heading north together.
At a courtyard gate, they saw the door was open and lights on inside, causing the great-uncle’s face to darken.
“Trouble, this is Wang Wu’s house.”
“Wang Wu followed Dahai to the northern mountains. Only his wife and children remain at home.”
Another uncle said, “Let’s hurry inside and see if everything’s alright.”
They rushed into Wang Wu’s yard.
Sheep in the pen bleated in panic, scattering about, and the three horses in the stable neighed restlessly.
Fresh hoof prints in the muddy soil showed someone had entered recently—only one horse.
Li Xiao knew this place well—it was Tietou’s home. He had greeted Aunt Wang on his way back at dusk.
Only Aunt Wang and Tietou’s siblings were at home.
Li Xiao’s concern rose. Tietou was like a younger brother to him; he hoped no harm had come to his family.
“Come out!”
They entered the yard, and the great-uncle shouted loudly. Everyone silently nocked arrows, ready to fire if anyone moved—turning them into a hornet’s nest in an instant.
This was typical cavalry combat—mostly long-range probing shots, with close combat only when necessary or when holding a major advantage.
The old master stood silently, hand on his sword hilt, face stern, eyes coldly fixed on the house.
The scar on his face gleamed menacingly in the lightning’s glow, radiating a fierce and deadly aura.
Li Xiao stood behind him on horseback, also ready to shoot, but felt little nervousness.
Given the few intruders, their numbers and weapons meant they could easily overwhelm them.
Soon, movement came from inside, and the door slowly opened.
They prepared to surround the house, but in the flash of lightning, they clearly saw the man’s face and froze.
The great-uncle exclaimed in shock, “Xiaowuzi, it’s you?”
“I thought you went with Dahai to the northern mountains. Why have you returned?”