Chapter 588 - Chapter 588: Chapter 594: Intentional Indulgence (2/2)
Of course, Han Yu understood the teasing implied in Liu Xiu’s words but didn’t mind. He did have an exceptional wife, and this was just Liu Xiu being envious. If not, he wouldn’t have coveted his wife not too long ago – that’s jealousy for you.
Since everything was agreed upon, Han Yu saw no need for changes. Liu Xiu immediately made the happy news known, which proved uplifting not just for the disabled soldiers but for the entire army.
On the battlefield, no one can predict the outcome. They all risked their lives, and such an arrangement gave them an additional safety net – a place to turn to should they have nowhere else to go.
As for returning home, only a small number entertained the thought. Most of the conscripted soldiers came from impoverished households. With new disabilities, they would only be a burden to their families, not to mention the uncertainty of their families’ survival amid the chaos and warfare.
The conditions set forth by Liu Xiu were generally accepted, except by a few with dubious intentions. If not for the General’s Wife’s willingness to take them in, they would’ve just been dismissed and sent home. No one was obliged to care for them for free; it was only right to earn their own keep through whatever work they could do.
However, such a significant matter was bound to stir discussions, and opinions varied. Liu Xiu and Han Yu didn’t actively stop these conversations but let them unfold naturally while covertly monitoring them and even encouraging the dialogue, indulging the buzz that filled the camp and led to various arguments and disputes largely rooted in differing views on the issue.
“Madam Han is truly kind-hearted. Now we can go into battle without worrying about what might come after. At the very least, we won’t end up with nowhere to turn,” a soldier said.
“Yes, I was worried that if I got injured on the battlefield, if I was disabled, I’d have nowhere to go. Now that Madam Han is willing to take in soldiers who are disabled and retire from the battlefield, it eases a significant worry,” another soldier agreed.
In another conversation, a soldier decidedly disagreed, snorting disdainfully, “Kind-hearted? That’s easy to say. If she were truly kind-hearted, she wouldn’t impose so many demands and conditions. We were injured on the battlefield; it’s only right for them to arrange a place for us. This is simply a show of false kindness. To make the disabled work is to exploit us, nothing could be more malicious.”
“Aren’t you thinking too much? I think Madam Han isn’t that kind of person. Perhaps she really means well,” the soldier was a moderate, usually indecisive, hence his hesitation.
“What good intentions? If she really had good intentions, there wouldn’t be so many restrictions. Don’t be naive!”
“Exactly, they should be taking care of us in the first place. Why should there be so many conditions? These officials are all heartless, and their wives are the same. Other than making us fight to the death, they just milk benefits from us. Where’s the real kindness in that?”