Therefore, Xiao Ruiyuan used his salary and rewards accumulated over the years to establish shops in various places across the country, arranging for some people to learn the business under the tutelage of the shopkeepers in the capital. Once they became proficient, they were placed in the shops, where they could make a living on their own merits, preserving their dignity.
However, several years on, despite the nationwide spread of shops, the number of people they could help was limited. Most of the soldiers with injuries or health issues remained in dire poverty at the frontiers, refusing any assistance from Xiao Ruiyuan, the Great General.
To most, the soldiers' stubbornness might seem foolish and rigid, and although Mo Yan also felt there were some things not worth holding onto in the face of life and death, it was precisely because these soldiers persevered that they commanded even greater admiration.
