What is wealth? Is it gold with which you can exchange for goods and services? Animals with which you can consume in times of little? Or is it Community, with which you can support each other through good times or misfortune?

- Kuya Tio on Community, Kuya Tio’s Guide to a Healthy and Happy Homestead.

The axe bit into the thick flesh of the tree with a solid thwack. My breath came rapidly, causing a harsh, coarse feeling in the back of my throat as I swept the sweat from my eyes. I hadn’t been out here very long and already I was down to my shirt and sweating hard despite there still being a layer of frost covering the trees and brush.

“What in the…”

I nearly screamed as I twisted around. My heart was hammering in my chest as I fell backward, where I rolled back onto my feet and backed up a few steps. The man staring down at me was intimidating. Not physically so. He was of average height and build. His chest and gut were rounded and streaks of gray in his hair and short beard gave away his age. Small white Oni-Kai horns protruded from his forehead above dark, glaring eyes. The man himself wasn’t all that scary. The sharp metal spearpoint pointed at my chest, however.

“I said, what the hells are you doing out here?” He growled.

“I-I-I was cutting down some trees.”

The man didn’t look happy with that answer. “Why?”

“To, uh, clear some space.”

His eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“What makes you think you can come out here and clear space?”

“Uh, I own it?” That came out more as a question than an answer, but it clearly wasn’t a response the man had expected.

He jabbed the spear point toward me. “Prove it.”

“I need to get to my bag?” I said, pointing to my pile of belongings next to the root cellar.

He grunted and motioned with the spear to get moving. I kept one eye on the spear as I made my way to my stuff. I realized what was going on. The abandonment of this land was so long ago that cutting down trees would make anyone suspicious. I should have stopped by and introduced myself to the neighbors. This guy was probably Shinichi’s father-in-law, judging solely because he was Oni-Kai and the other neighbor was supposed to be Kitsune. I held out the papers to him, of which he snatched them out of my hand and took a few steps back. He kept a suspicious eye on me as he struggled to open the documents. The tip of the spear dipped to a less threatening angle as he looked over the official paperwork.

“Hmmm, Han, eh? Any relation to Lo Bao Han?”

“He was my uncle.”

His face twisted for a moment, then he planted the butt of the spear in the ground and held it in the crook of his arm as he refolded the documents. My heart finally began its slow pounding descent to a normal pace. I was now covered in more sweat than when I was working and the chilly spring air was biting at my skin.

He handed the papers back. “Sorry about scaring you. Nobody has been here in nearly forty years. You should have introduced yourself first.”

“Yes, wait, forty?”

“About that, yes.”

“But my uncle bought it less than forty years ago?” The guy was considerably less scary when not pointing a spear at me. I was a hair taller and not as thick.

“Yeah, but he never got around to living here. Was going to fix up the old house.” He looked around and pointed at the shrub covered hill. “Which was there. Only thing he managed before he got reassigned was to change out the name stone.”

Well, so much for being closer to my uncle by living on the land he left me. I barely even knew the guy. Even at family gatherings, he always seemed in a rush to get to his next appointment.

The man who I was sure was Shinichi’s father-in-law, scratched at his bearded chin as he looked me over appraisingly. “Lots of work ahead of you, oh.” He held out a hand. “I am Saito Xiao. I live just through those trees.”

I returned the gesture, clasping his forearm. “Yuji Han.”

“Hmm, well, should you need anything, asking is usually free.” He said, giving me a toothy grin. I still wasn’t letting him out of my sight on account of him still having a weapon.

“Do you know where the rice paddies are? There’s supposed to be three of them.”

He looked around while scratching his beard. “Quarter Rai?”

“Yes. About that size, but I don’t know what shape.”

He nodded and pushed through the brush, using the spear more as a walking stick. I followed as he turned at several sharp angles, pausing frequently to inspect the ground. “Here. I think.” Saito said, prodding a slight, rather straight hill with the butt of the spear. “Probably the first paddy. That there.” He pointed his spear at a slight rise through the trees. “That’s probably the second. Not exactly a terrace.”

The weight of all the work ahead of me began bearing down.

“How much you want to clear before planting season?”

“All three, if possible.”

Saito shook with a deep, slow, old man laugh. “No.” He looked me up and down, shaking his head. “Not unless you’ve got a lot of money to get a crew out here.”

I had money; I did not, in fact, have a lot of money. “I had been saving up for a place of my own for a couple of years now. So I have some, but I clearly need to build a house and that’s probably going to leave me with nothing left.”

“So self sufficiency is a necessity? Hmm…” He returned to examining me and scratching at his chin. “Have you ever cultivated rice before?”

“No.” I answered honestly.

“A garden?”

“Some vegetables in pots.”

“Oh boy. This here is the berm that keeps the water in your lowest paddy. I suggest following its perimeter, you’ll find a spillway somewhere, clean it out. Then clear out the interior of the paddy of trees and brush. Don’t clear off the berm. The rotting roots will create tunnels for the water to escape. Best to work about that shortly prior to harvest. A single quarter Rai can produce enough rice for two and a half people if things are good. Things will NOT be good this year. You’re also going to need a garden. A man can not survive on rice alone.”

“What about the other paddies?”

“Hmmm.” Saito started. “Clean them out after the spring festival. Do the berms first. When you got free time. What about your taxes? You plan to pay in standards or corvée?”

“Labor if possible.”

Saito nodded. “You’ll need to see the Patriarch. It will help you understand what you’re doing here. Season’s too short here. Seeds need to be started before the final frost. You aren’t set up for that. You get me the seed, and I’ll add them to my sprouting boxes. It costs me nothing and you have your work cut out for you.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate that.” I gave the man a slight bow. He didn’t return the gesture, just stared at me appraisingly while scratching at his beard.

“Hrrmmm. I don’t have a son present, or a useful son-in-law. Make you a deal if you’re interested. I have four quarters, but I’m getting old and only tend to two of them a year. If you help me work them, we’ll plant three and at the end of the season, I’ll split half the yield of one paddy with you. It won’t cost me any extra labor if you do your part, and you won’t starve if this thing fails this year.” He prodded the berm with the butt of his spear. “Still got to put your all into your own land. My offer is for this year only.”

This was a straightforward decision. He was basically offering to teach me how to grow rice for a little extra labor and giving me a safety net. Shinichi said his father-in-law would give the shirt off his back. This wasn’t exactly the same thing as he was getting something out of the deal as well, but I was taking this deal. Again, I bowed. Deeper this time. “I would take that deal. Consider me humbled by your generosity.” I didn’t particularly like groveling to anyone, but Saito was my neighbor and he was throwing me quite a huge bone here.

Saito nodded and straightened. “Alright, enough of that. Get back to work now.” With that and a short goodbye, he wandered off through the trees back to his own property. I picked up my axe and then decided I should meet the other neighbors before a similar misunderstanding could occur.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

There were no neighbors across the road. Presumably that land was owned by the village itself and private property on that side would start another Li or two down the way. My other neighbors had a well cared for gateway and a somewhat ornately carved stone with two letters that read “Yin.” The path from the gateway was trimmed and paved. It led to a mid-sized farmhouse that was easily defined as tidy and well cared for. Besides a shed, an orderly woodpile, and a patch of bare earth that would probably be a garden, it lacked any other structures or animals. The place screamed, “we work in town.” Once on the veranda, I found and used a brass knocker shaped into a stylized fox mask. The echo of the knocker resounded throughout the veranda, but no sound of movement or anyone calling out came.

“Hello? Anyone home?”

I took a brief look at either side of the house, shrugged, and headed back to work.

***

“Good day…”

“Gwaahh!” I tripped over a fallen tree as I spun around in surprise for the second time today. I caught the winch on the faces of both Kitsune before pushing myself back up on my feet. At least no one was pointing a spear at me this time.

The man bowed. “My sincerest apologies. I did not intend to startle you.”

“It’s okay. You’re not the first today.”

The man’s triangular white fox-like ear twitched as he tilted his head. “Xiao?” He asked. “You did not introduce yourself to him first, did you?”

“I didn’t.”

The two Kitsune looked at each other and grinned.

“I assume he attempted to scare you.” Said the woman in a melodious voice. “Please do not hold it against him. He is a good man.”

“Anyway,” interrupted the man. “I am Kenta Yin. This is my twin sister.”

“Kiyoko Yin,” said the woman with a bow.

“You are the nephew of one Lo Bao Han, is that correct?”

“Ah, yes. I am Yuji Han.”

“Is this by chance the same Lo Bao Han who let the Mad King die?” Kenta asked.

This was a sketchy question. While I’ve never met someone who wasn’t happy about the King dying, it was always possible. It was also possible they would take it out on me, unlikely, but still possible. “Uh, yeah?”

Kenta nodded, put the jug he was holding in the crook of his arm, and started digging around in his pockets under his traveling robe. Kiyoko looked smug. The two were extremely similar, both on the taller end for Kitsune, about my height, not including the ears. Both had white hair, golden eyes, and similar facial features. Neither of them had the physique of farmers, instead having the strong, but more lithe forms of dancers. Kenta finally produced a silver coin and, with a frown on his face, handed it over to his sister.

“Thank you, dear brother.”

“Uh, a bet?” I asked.

“Oh yes, Kenta here said there was no way in all the hells someone stationed in Sharinzhen would ever be in the palace. Let alone the caption of the palace guard. To be fair, it does sound far-fetched.”

“Oh.” Said Kenta thrusting the jug out towards me. “This is for you. Welcome to Sharinzhen.”

“Ah, thank you.” This is way better than a spear point. “How did you know I was here?”

“This too is for you. Welcome.” Kiyoko said, holding out a box made of paper.

“Thank you.”

“You will find that gossip travels quickly in a small town.” Kenta replied to my earlier question.

“I’d, ah, offer you a seat and some tea, but…”

“Perhaps in a month or so. You will have much wood. A firepit and a bench would be well received. We can drink to your success, then.”

Kiyoko nodded her agreement. “If you need anything, do not hesitate to stop by.”

“Yes. You have a lot of work. That is hard on the body and we both are talented masseurs, among other things. For you, the first one is free.” A predatory, vulpine grin split their faces.

They both bowed and said goodbye. As they weaved through the trees, Kiyoko looked back and gave me a wink. Pretty sure they are both whores, but I’ll let time prove me right or wrong before passing judgment.

Once the twins left, I popped the top on the jug and sniffed. Probably sake, or maybe mijiu. I could never tell the difference. A quick sip confirmed it. Opening the paper box made me grin from ear to ear. “Honey cakes. Fuck yeah.” I took a slow, joyful bite of the sweet pastry. Whore or not, Kiyoko was in the lead for my favorite person in Sharinzhen.

***

I turned to see what made that damnable thwacking sound. Saito was standing behind me. Further back and smacking a tree with a branch to get my attention without scaring the shit out of me. I appreciated that. I also appreciated his lack of a spear.

“Morning.” He said cheerfully before his smile faded and he followed it up with. “You look like shit.”

I yawned. “Just tired. Didn’t sleep well.”

He frowned. “What kept you up?”

I think he was fishing for flaws in my person. Like Shinichi’s drinking issue. I suppose I wouldn’t want a neighbor like that. “Freezing my ass off, mostly.” It had been damn cold. Apparently, a root cellar was a terrible place to sleep. You couldn’t put the fire inside because it would fill with smoke and the room that kept food nice and cool also kept any idiot trying to sleep in it nice and cool.

Now Saito just looked confused. “I would have figured you had a place to rent in town?”

“I did, but the first night I was there I had to listen too’oo’ahhhh.” My brain caught up with my mouth and took control before finishing that sentence. Yeah, literally almost told him I found hearing his son-in-law rape and beat his daughter to be horribly annoying.

The sour look on his face told me he had filled in the blank. “They put you in the tenement on canyon?”

I nodded. I’m not one hundred percent sure what the street name was, but he knew, and I knew he knew.

“So, where did you sleep?”

With another yawn, I pointed at the root cellar and my small fire pit next to it. He stared at the hole, glared at me, then pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “No.” This guy really liked to tell me no. “No.” He repeated. Looking back toward me, he examined the trees and brush that I’ve already cleared, and frowned at the growing pile of logs. He nodded to himself and asked another question. “What did you eat this morning?”

“Rice.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s all I have on me right now.”

“No.” He said again. “Come.”

“What?”

“Come on, follow.” He started walking off. “Leave the axe.”

I paused, set the axe down, and followed the older man through the trees.

Saito had a nice place. The trail he had been using to get to my plot widened and branched off before reaching a fence gate. Two sheep grazed on the few bits of spring greens in a yard surrounded by fence. A handsome farmhouse with a large garden plot sat at the south. A full four quarter Rai rice paddies at the north. Several sheds, a barn, a chicken coop, wood processing area, and what looked like some type of workshop filled in the rest of the area. He walked over to the barn and opened a door, then went up a set of stairs.

“You can sleep here.” He said, pointing to a dwindling pile of hay up in the loft above the animal beds. I opened my mouth to say no. Not because I didn’t want to rough it out in a hay loft instead of a root cellar, but because I didn’t want to feel like I owed the guy that much. “You have until the spring festival. It should be warm enough by then and the planting will be done.”

I pressed my lips together and nodded. Saito walked back down the stairs and I kept on his heels. Damn, I was tired, wouldn’t mind laying down now.

“What are your plans for today?”

“Well, I need to wash my clothes and rice pot. Was planning on chopping trees all day, but I’m tired enough that I don’t know how safe that is. Might just process the ones that are already down. Also going to introduce myself to the Patriarch and get some other tools that I’m lacking.”

Saito nodded along as I followed him around to the front of his farmhouse. “There’s a stream due north. Wash up there. I’d have Wei Lin wash your clothes and cook, but she’s sick.”

“I couldn’t ask that.”

“You didn’t. For now, you’re stuck with my cooking. Just until the festival. You have a lot of work to do.”

I think I understood Saito. Shinichi was wrong. Saito wasn’t the sort to just give the shirt off his back to anyone. He was providing me with a smelly and slightly uncomfortable bed for a limited time. The thing only someone who really needed it would accept. He was going to feed me, but it came with the caveat that I had to keep working my ass off. He was going to let me use one of his rice paddies, but I needed to work on it and all the others as well. Saito knew how to help people while simultaneously weeding out those that he shouldn’t be helping. Truly, I was blessed to have him as a neighbor.

“Oh. Wei Lin, what are you doing out here?”

I paused and stared at the small pile of blankets with a face poking out. I had assumed Wei Lin was Saito’s wife. I had assumed wrong. Judging by the size and the snotty reddish face, she was maybe in her early teens. Clearly his daughter.

“Wanted sunlight.” She rasped in a scratchy, dry voice.

“Mmm, well, this is our new neighbor, Yuji Han. Yuji, my youngest, Wei Lin Xiao.”

I bowed. “A pleasure to meet you.”

She sort of bowed back. She tried to speak, but it was interrupted by a cough and the sound of sucking snot.

“You stay here.” Saito said before jumping up onto the veranda and entering the house. Saito left me with Wei Lin, who looked equally happy to sit in the morning sunlight and was ready to fall over. Getting hit with something like that now would be my ruin. Saito returned with a bowl of soup. “Here, eat that. You can return the bowl at dinner. Now go get back to work.”

I bowed to the man. “Thank you Po.” I considered calling him Kuya, but decided that was a little too familiar and he was old enough to be my father.

“Yeah, you can thank me when you’re done. Now get.”

Saito’s soup was a broth filled with various greens, meat that was probably rabbit, and a bit too much salt. It wasn’t great, but it sure beat just rice. The stream was indeed not far due north of my property. Washing clothes in freezing water sucked, but I felt a bit more awake. After a bit more work, I wrapped up and headed into the village proper to introduce myself to the Patriarch. Meng Su was a tall man with a gray beard, bright eyes and absolutely nothing else of note. He seemed the contemplative sort with a lot of beard-stroking and staring off into the distances. Reasonable for a village elder, not sure about for a Patriarch.

Trying to buy a few more tools taught me one quirk of living in a Wheel City. Sharinzhen 4 had a blacksmith. However, he didn’t actually sell anything unless commissioned. Basically, he either maintained tools or created things to be sold in the town center. I needed a shovel, and it was entirely possible that I was going to walk an hour to buy one he might have made, and then walk an hour back and past his smithy. Apparently, most businesses worked like this. Everything made was sold in Sharinzhen, the center, and that’s where you had to go to get what you needed. Kind of weird. I was too damn tired to safely chop down trees anyway, so the walk was nice, if not tedious. The walk back was more annoying. When I came to Sharinzhen 4, the other day I had been carrying everything I owned plus an axe, a saw, and a pot. Today I was only carrying a shovel, a pick, and a hoe, but I had to carry the three unruly things in my arms for an hour. Half the weight, double the pain. I yawned and got back to work.