33 – Rules for Going Out

“Brother Da’an, Brother Da’an, are you home?”

In front of a mud house, Lu Qing shouted.

“Who is it, who’s calling me?” A tall figure ran out from the house and, upon seeing Lu Qing, was instantly delighted. “It’s you, Ah Qing… What brings you here?”

“Da’an, who is it?”

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

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

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

“Oh, it’s Ah Qing, come, come in and have a seat.”

The old man, seeing Lu Qing, was also pleasantly surprised and tried to pull him into the house for a drink.

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

“So, what do you need from me?” Wang Da’an asked.

“I want to go to the big market. Didn’t Brother Da’an say last time that if I wanted to go to the big market, I should come find you to learn some rules?”

“You want to go to the big market?” Wang Da’an was taken aback, then quickly realized, “Oh right, today is market day.”

The big market is held every five days, and today happens to be the fifth day since the last market.

“Ah Qing, what do you want to do at the big market, sell fish?” Wang Da’an asked.

“There’s no rush to sell the fish. I just want to go and take a look, understand the situation, and maybe buy some things.”

“I see, I don’t have any problem with that, but Grandpa just called for me to go gather pigweed.” Wang Da’an scratched his head.

Grandpa Wang took a few puffs of his pipe and said, “In that case, Da’an, take Ah Qing to the market. He is now the head of his family and should learn the rules for going out.”

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

He was really glad to skip the boring task of gathering pigweed.

“Let’s go, Ah Qing, we’ll talk on the way.”

Wang Da’an grabbed Lu Qing and started walking out.

At the village entrance, Wang Da’an pointed to a big tree.

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

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

Of course, he knew about this tree. It wasn’t very tall, but very sturdy, with lush foliage and a thick trunk requiring several people to encircle it.

It looked somewhat like a banyan tree from his past life.

Moreover, this tree seemed quite important.

People would often offer incense here, and the village children were strictly warned against playing near it, let alone climbing it.

Anyone caught violating this ban would receive a serious beating, and might even be made to kneel in the ancestral hall on an empty stomach.

Because of this, the village children kept a respectful distance from this tree, preferring to play elsewhere.

However, in his memories, he never found the tree’s true purpose, assuming it was only for worship and seeking peace.

Now, hearing Brother Da’an’s words, it seems there’s another use for it?

“Correct. This tree is our village’s sacred tree, also known as the ‘Trust Tree’. Everyone who leaves the village, whether for the market or the city, must leave a mark here to indicate their destination.”

“That way, if someone doesn’t come back on time, the village can trace their whereabouts based on the mark they left.”

“I didn’t know this tree had such a purpose?” Lu Qing was surprised.

He hadn’t expected the tree he somewhat feared in his original memory to have such a backstory.

“So how do we leave a mark on it?” Lu Qing asked.

“Here.”

Wang Da’an walked up and lifted a stone slab at the tree’s base.

When he returned, he had two red ropes in his hand.

Wang Da’an handed one of the red ropes to Lu Qing and pointed to the tree, saying:

“Do you see those old branches on the sacred tree? The left ones represent the market, the middle ones represent the town, and the right ones represent trips to farther places.”

“Whenever you need to go somewhere, just tie a red rope on it so that the villagers know someone has left.”

“When you return, just take down the red rope.”

“Is that all?” Lu Qing was taken aback.

He thought it would be much more complicated but didn’t expect it to be so simple.

“That’s it. What else would it be?” Wang Da’an was somewhat confused.

“Shouldn’t we hang a sign or something else? How else would everyone know who has left?” Lu Qing asked.

“Why hang a sign?” Wang Da’an was even more perplexed.

“You could write your name on the sign…”

As Lu Qing spoke, he suddenly realized they can’t read.

Sure enough, Wang Da’an grinned at his words.

“You think everyone here is like you, Ah Qing, knowing so many words? No one would write their name.”

“And it’s not that troublesome. The village is so small. If you see a red rope hasn’t been taken down, just ask, and you’ll know who hasn’t returned.”

Lu Qing thought it made sense.

His mind didn’t turn the right way for a moment, thinking it was like the old world where one could leave easily.

In fact, in such an ancient world, the villagers were very cautious about leaving the village.

Unless necessary, they wouldn’t go out easily.

Some villagers might never leave the village in their lifetime.

Children were strictly forbidden from running outside.

In these circumstances, those who left the village were not many, making it not that troublesome.

However, it made sense to Lu Qing why people would incense under the sacred tree.

Aside from worshiping, villagers prayed for the safety of those who left.

“Here, let me tie it for you.”

Wang Da’an tied two red ropes on the left branches.

“Also, there is a rule in the village: the market is not far, so you can go alone as long as you tie the red rope here.”

“But if you are going to town or farther, at least two people must go to look out for each other.”

“If no one is going to town from our village, you can ask the neighboring village to see if anyone is going there together. Our few villages have similar rules for going out.”

“Going to town is not like going to the market. More people, more safety.”

“Big Brother Da’an, is the road to town very dangerous?” Lu Qing asked, hearing the rules.

Wang Da’an paused and said, “It’s not that dangerous. In recent years, the roads have been quite peaceful, but my grandfather said that there used to be bandits. People from the neighboring village were captured and only escaped after several years.”

“Everyone thought he had died outside. Only when he escaped back did we know he was captured by bandits.”

“But that bandit group was wiped out by the Lord’s men, so the roads became peaceful again.”

“Since then, our villages have gradually established these rules for going out.”

Bandits!

Lu Qing was shocked.

As he thought, this world was not as peaceful as it seemed.

The term ‘Lord’ also caught his attention.

But Lu Qing didn’t ask further. There was plenty of time to inquire later.

After explaining the rules and tying the red rope,

Wang Da’an then led Lu Qing towards the direction of the market.