Chapter 20

Eighty-eight taels of silver is no small amount, and these heavy silver ingots were now piled on the table, causing one corner of the round table to tilt slightly.

For ordinary farmers who had been tilling the land for generations, the wealth before their eyes was a peak they could hardly reach in their lifetimes. But at this moment, these astronomical sums of silver were within reach, and even though they were to be divided among eight people, it still made these children from farming backgrounds feel their hearts race with excitement.

"Is... is all this for us?" Ma Jianye asked his brother-in-law with a look of disbelief, his breathing rapid. In the warm morning light, the dazzling white light of the silver made him feel as if he were in a dream.

Ma Jianye's question was very representative, speaking for the hearts of his companions. Before they came up the mountain, they had seen Du the Great King give money to the villagers, but they never expected it to be their turn so soon. Now, everyone looked at Li Si with eager eyes, hoping to hear confirmation from this elder brother.

"Didn't the accountant just say clearly? This is what the bandit camp has distributed to you all, the reward for last night's battle!" Li Si smiled calmly. After all that had happened, his mindset was far from that of the timid young man he had been the night before. The experience he gained last night was of great importance to his life, without a doubt.

"But... but we just came up the mountain. They say no reward without merit, so this money..." As the older brother, Ma Jiangong was clearly more mature than his younger brother. Even with such a large sum before him, he could still resist the temptation of money and think about the principles of being a person.

Li Si shook his head and replied, "What do you mean by no reward without merit? Didn't you scare off the constable? Didn't you help move the supplies? Remember, once you come up the mountain, you are part of the bandit camp! Our chieftain doesn't treat you as outsiders, so why should you treat yourselves as such! Take the silver, and after you eat, you still need to help move the supplies!"

Hearing Li Si's words, everyone felt reassured. They all tried to suppress their overwhelming joy, looking at each other, and reaching out under the table to express their excitement. However, although they stared at the silver with wide eyes, no one dared to touch the silver that was right in front of them.

Li Si understood the shyness of his younger village mates, as he had been the same just the night before. He stood up, divided the silver into eight piles, and pushed them to everyone. Ma's wife, still in a state of surprise, saw her husband's actions and quickly came to her senses. She squatted down to help count the copper coins, following Li Si's example and dividing them into eight neat piles.

Ma Jiangong looked down at his sister-in-law, who was sorting the copper coins, and his heart was filled with thoughts. After everyone and his younger brother had happily taken their share of the reward, he finally made up his mind. Following his great-grandfather's earnest instructions before he left, he pushed the silver in front of him to Li Si and said with a blush, "This money is a gift for my sister and brother-in-law!"

Li Si and Ma's wife, who had never experienced such a situation before, were taken aback and clearly did not react. It was Ma's wife who first came to her senses. She glanced at her husband with a hint of pride and then turned to scold her younger brother, "Jiangong, what are you doing? If I say you're an adult, you still look like a child! If I say you're a child, you pretend to be an adult! You're my younger brother, why do you need to compete with others? Just help your brother-in-law more in the future, and I'll be happy!"

Ma Jiangong's face turned red, and he refused to take back the silver, saying, "If my sister doesn't want it, then it can be a New Year's gift for my nephew! The New Year is coming, and it's a good omen!"

Seeing his younger brother-in-law persist, Li Si's expression became tense. He looked around hurriedly to make sure no one was paying attention, then said to Ma Jiangong, "Quickly take it back, don't do this! If the chieftain sees, he might think I'm withholding your reward, and that would harm me too!"

Seeing her husband's changed expression, Ma's wife also panicked and said, "We're not going to take your brother's money, why are you so nervous?"

"Big Sister, you don't know! The chieftain just strictly warned us that anyone who withholds the reward of subordinates will be executed without mercy! If someone sees, it will be like mud falling into your pants, whether it's shit or not, it's still shit! I just became a leader, and this happens, how can I explain to the chieftain? Jiangong, don't do this, it will harm your brother-in-law too!" Li Si explained hurriedly.

Ma Jiangong was also shocked and quickly said, "I just wanted to show respect to my brother-in-law, I had no intention of harming anyone!"

Li Si smiled bitterly and sighed, "Quickly take it back! Not only are we blood relatives, but also neighbors. If I don't take care of you, the elders in the village will curse me!"

Ma Jiangong finally lowered his head and took back the silver. The others at the table all breathed a sigh of relief. They had been at a loss when they saw Ma Jiangong's actions. If they didn't follow his example, they might be treated unfairly in the future. If they did, they really couldn't bear to part with such a large sum. This money, if taken home, could support their families for years. They were truly afraid of poverty!

Thinking of their families, someone asked, "Brother Si, can I take this silver home to my mother?"

Li Si nodded and said, "Of course! Why not? But I advise you to save it up and send it down the mountain when you have more! You must understand that now is different from when you were at home, where you could do whatever you wanted. Once you're on the mountain, you must follow the rules of the bandit camp! Think about it, if anyone could leave the mountain whenever they wanted, wouldn't the camp be in chaos? So, when you have enough, I'll report to the chieftain, and we'll send some people to escort it down the mountain, which will be safer!"

Everyone found this reasonable and nodded in agreement. They understood that rewards were a regular practice, and someone asked, "Brother Si, will we get more rewards in the future?"

Li Si laughed heartily and said, "Of course! How could there not be? The chieftain cares about everyone! Think about it, even your sister-in-law, who hasn't left the mountain, gets a share. How could the bandit camp leave you out? Didn't the accountant just say this is the reward for last night? If we go down the mountain again to get supplies, there will be more rewards, just in different amounts. The exact amount each person gets will depend on the bandit camp's gains, but no matter what, you will get your share!"

Everyone was very excited, thinking that just one night had brought them over ten guan. If this continued, how much would they have in the future? Thinking of this, they couldn't help but whisper to each other, dreaming of a better future.

Seeing that everyone had no more questions, Li Si called his wife to collect their reward and happily added some dishes to the children's bowls.

...

"Under the leadership of the chieftain and leaders Du and Song, our bandit camp made significant gains last night. We obtained 6,100 taels of gold, 2,700 taels of silver, 4,600 guan of copper coins, and jewelry worth about 2,000 guan. After distributing 3,300 guan to the villagers before returning to the camp, the total value is about 67,000 guan. In terms of supplies, we brought back about 4,380 shi of grain, 110 cattle, 223 donkeys, 490 sheep, and 3,300 chickens, ducks, and geese. Other gains are still being counted, but this is the general situation. Please give instructions, Chieftain!" Zheng Qian reported to the four leaders with the data calculated by his subordinates.

"How much does each person get as a reward, and how much is stored in the treasury?" Wang Lun asked, holding a lamb chop while eating.

Without looking at the ledger, Zheng Qian reported, "As per the chieftain's instructions, 70% of the gains are stored in the treasury, totaling 46,900 guan. The remaining 15% is distributed to those who went down the mountain, averaging 14 guan 560 wen per person. The 10% for those guarding the camp, the families who contributed, and the new members averages 11 guan 100 wen per person. The leaders get 5%, averaging 837 guan and... This distribution ratio is the result of the chieftain's careful consideration. 70% in the treasury ensures the normal operation of the bandit camp. The 15% for the combat troops and 10% for the logistics are not significantly different now, but in the future, when the bandit camp grows to tens of thousands, the number of combat troops will be a small fraction of the total. At that time, the difference in rewards between combat and guard duties will be evident, which can motivate everyone to fight."

"Enough, enough, no need to go on! We are drinking, and you are still busy with the accounts, which is really hard work! The remaining money can be given to your accountants! We will actually receive 837 guan!" Du Qian interrupted before Zheng Qian could finish.

Hearing this, Zheng Qian was unsure whether to accept or not, and instinctively looked at the chieftain. Wang Lun, as if sensing his thoughts, waved his hand and said, "Make another account, and keep my 837 taels of silver for me. I'll withdraw it when needed!"

Zheng Qian felt relieved and hurriedly thanked Du Qian, then thanked the other three leaders. At this moment, Zhu Gui said with a bitter smile, "I should get 419 guan, but I'll actually take 400 guan and keep it with you, just like my brother!"

Wang Lun patted Zhu Gui's hand and raised a bowl of wine to him. Zhu Gui quickly raised his own bowl and drank it all.

"Me too! Keep it with you, and I'll take it when needed!" Du Qian, hearing Wang Lun and Zhu Gui, thought this was a good idea and followed suit.

"Haha, then mine will also be kept with you, but I wonder if there's any interest!" Song Wan joked.

Zheng Qian said with a bitter face, "Leader, do you think this is a high-interest loan? This is the public fund of the bandit camp, there's no interest for you!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Du Qian pointed at Song Wan and said, "Brother, I didn't know you were so good at making money! It's a waste not to be a landlord! Oh, what a waste!"

"To be a landlord, you still have to be wary of Du the Great King coming to borrow grain. I think it's better to follow my brother and share the money!" Song Wan laughed heartily. At this moment, he felt particularly happy. In the past, when they went down the mountain to raid, although the leaders shared half of the loot, the base was too small, and each person got at most a few dozen guan. Most of the time, it was just a few guan, which was very common. Now, getting nearly a thousand guan as a reward was much more satisfying. Although Wang Lun reduced the leaders' share from 50% to