Chapter 8

"Why has my son been so gloomy since he came back?" Chen Mother looked at her son, who had been in deep thought since his return, which made her very worried.

"There's nothing, just some things I can't figure out." Chen Mo shook his head. Before he figured it out himself, he didn't want to tell his mother about it.

"Oh?" Chen Mother looked at her son and smiled, "Why don't you tell your mother? Did something happen in the city this time?"

"Um, kind of." Chen Mo nodded and said, "Mother, have you heard of officials colluding with bandits?"

"Of course, I have." Chen Mother nodded.

"Shouldn't officials serve the people? Why would they collude with bandits who harm the people?" Chen Mo asked.

"There are many reasons." Chen Mother didn't treat him like a child. She knew her son had more responsibilities than other children and was more sensible. If he was thinking about something, it was likely he had encountered a similar issue. After some thought, she said, "But they can be roughly divided into three types."

"Oh?" Chen Mo straightened up and looked at his mother.

"The first type is for profit. Officials provide some convenience to the bandits, and the bandits share part of their loot with the officials. This is the simplest but also the most despised type."

Chen Mo nodded. This was what he had always thought, but it wasn't the answer he was looking for.

"But this is also the most complex and common type." Chen Mother seemed to recall something from the past and sighed, "Though it is despised, most people do it. The difference is that some do it secretly, while others do it too openly."

Young Chen Mo couldn't understand, and Chen Mother didn't explain further. Many things are hard to truly comprehend until one encounters them. She hoped her son would never have to face such things.

"As for the second type, it can be seen as a compromise." Chen Mother smiled, "It's hard to eliminate those bandits who have turned to a life of crime."

"Why is that?" Chen Mo asked, puzzled.

"Bandits in this world can be divided into three categories. The first type has no fixed abode and wreaks havoc wherever they go, burning, killing, and looting, committing all kinds of evil. This type is the main target of the government's efforts to eliminate them. The second type is mountain bandits. They gather in the mountains and have their own territory. Although they also plunder, they are not as bloodthirsty as the wandering bandits. Sometimes they even help the surrounding villagers. These mountain bandits are not a major threat and have the advantage of the terrain. When the government troops come to clear them out, they scatter into the wilderness, and when the troops leave, they regroup. Most county towns don't have the strength to eliminate them on their own, and gathering a large force would consume a lot of resources and might not succeed. Therefore, as long as these people don't go too far, the government will turn a blind eye, which is a form of compromise."

"Sometimes, these mountain bandits even make deals with the local villages." Chen Mother added with a smile. "As for the third type of collusion, it involves officials using bandits to strengthen their own position and to demand military supplies and troops from the court. You don't need to know too much about this for now; it's rare to encounter."

Chen Mo nodded. The mountain bandits the village head encountered should be the second type. He felt a sense of relief, as the village head wasn't a bad person for making deals with them if even the government couldn't handle them.

"Mother, what is the third type of bandits you mentioned earlier?" Chen Mo, having resolved his doubts, looked at his mother curiously.

"Those are usually not called bandits. They hide among the people and even have deep connections with the government. They appear to be ordinary merchants, but they secretly do evil things, such as trafficking in people, smuggling salt, and weapons." Chen Mother's mood became heavy as she spoke.

"What is trafficking in people?" Chen Mo asked, feeling that this was related to his experience in the city.

"Our laws actually allow the sale of people. During famine years, some families who can't survive will sell their children. This kind of sale is generally recognized by the government and is called 'peaceful sale.' However, famine years don't happen every year or in every place, but the trade in people is very profitable. Therefore, some people secretly use threats and inducements to force people to sell themselves, which is called 'trafficking.' Some even kidnap people directly, which is called 'abduction.' 'Trafficking' and 'abduction' are different but similar, and both violate the law."

"Mother, you know so much." Chen Mo was amazed.

Chen Mother just smiled. The Chen family, though fallen, was still considered a scholar family. Having lived half a lifetime, she naturally knew more than the naive child.

"Mother, I remember you once said our family was a scholar family?" Chen Mo suddenly asked.

"Once, we were." Chen Mother sighed. They had blood ties with the Chen family of Hepu, and the connection wasn't too distant, only two generations. But the distance between those two generations was so great that by Chen Mo's generation, it was almost impossible to maintain any contact.

"Can you read, Mother?" Chen Mo's eyes suddenly lit up.

"I can read a little." Chen Mother nodded, "Do you want to learn?"

"Yes." Chen Mo nodded eagerly. Reading and writing were sacred things, and Chen Mo had always wanted to learn. But maintaining their livelihood had been difficult, and the young shoulders had to bear the responsibility of supporting the family, leaving no energy for learning. As he grew older, his desire to read increased, and the family's situation improved. After seeing the beauty of the outside world and learning about the past glory of the Chen family, Chen Mo naturally didn't want to live an ordinary life. So at this moment, Chen Mo was more eager to learn and to understand the world better.

"Your father taught me some, but I didn't learn much." Chen Mother sighed, thinking of something. "If you want to learn, I will teach you."

"Thank you, Mother!" Chen Mo was overjoyed.

"You, this child..." Chen Mother smiled and shook her head, "Before dawn tomorrow, I will teach you one sentence. You just need to remember and write it down."

"Yes!" Chen Mo nodded excitedly.

That night, Chen Mo couldn't sleep. Thinking about learning from his mother the next day and also learning martial arts from Uncle Wang, Chen Mo was filled with excitement. He tossed and turned until late at night before finally falling asleep...