DNS - Chapter 5
Chapter 5
In recent days, the county yamen received news that the newly appointed Changshi would be passing through Shuidong County and planned to stay for a couple of days as a guest. This happened to coincide with the arrival of the court's disaster relief grain, making He Ming extremely cautious.
He spent the entire day urging He Xingdong to be obedient, study hard, and avoid causing trouble or making mistakes in front of the Changshi. He scolded him until he couldn't lift his head, forcing him to swallow the words he wanted to say.
He Xingdong was truly afraid that Old Master Fang would get angry and marry Fang Ying off casually. With her fiery temperament, how could she possibly endure that? But He Ming had always disliked Fang Ying; upon hearing she was to be married, he was overjoyed and certainly wouldn't help him.
Anxious and restless, He Xingdong didn't know what to do and ended up seeking Fang Shifei's help.
Fang Shifei was sweeping the yard, and Lin Xingyuan was also cleaning the stove nearby. However, his movements were clumsy, making a mess of everything, and Fang Shifei had to finish the job for him.
He Xingdong followed Fang Shifei around, talking a mile a minute, but Fang Shifei remained unmoved.
"She made a mistake, so she naturally has to be punished. Besides, she'll have to get married eventually," Fang Shifei waved him away. "Don't stand here getting in my way, He Xingdong. We're not on good terms, are we?"
"You're petty!" He Xingdong said. "Why are you being so petty?"
Fang Shifei's head was starting to ache. "I said no. If you're so capable, go find Old Master Fang yourself."
He Xingdong muttered softly, "Why are you so fierce? I'm not a bad person."
Lin Xingyuan couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.
Fang Shifei simply borrowed some money from Lin Xingyuan to buy a basket of rice.
He Xingdong hadn't expected her to be short on money. He blurted out, "Old Master Fang likes you. If you help me persuade him, I'll make sure you get a bit more of the disaster relief grain that's arriving. It'll be here by the middle of August, you know. You can eat better. How about it?"
Fang Shifei suddenly stopped and stared directly into his eyes. "What did you say?"
The fierceness in her gaze made He Xingdong feel a chill in his heart, a little scared.
He Xingdong foolishly repeated, "The disaster relief grain arrives on the fifteenth of August?"
Without another word, Fang Shifei grabbed his collar and dragged him outside.
He Xingdong was startled, stumbling along, and urgently asked, "Where are you taking me?!"
Lin Xingyuan quickly dropped what he was doing and followed, saying, "Fang Shifei! You have to be discreet when you're killing someone, understand? How can you do this?"
Fang Shifei dragged He Xingdong all the way to the south of the city. This area was close to the fields outside the city walls and, unlike the bustling east, was desolate and dilapidated everywhere.
Fang Shifei kicked open a door and finally let go.
This was an abandoned, derelict house, inhabited by about twenty people. There were old people, weak people, women, and children, even infants in swaddling clothes. Their clothes were tattered, and though they looked physically sound, they were all beggars.
Hearing the commotion, a few people nervously sat up straight, clutching the things in their arms tightly. Seeing that it wasn't the yamen runners, they relaxed again.
Fang Shifei pulled He Xingdong in front of her, pointed at them, and said, "Go ask them yourself, who are they?"
He Xingdong tugged at his collar, stood up, and said, "Are you crazy? Why did you bring me here?!"
"Go see for yourself, use your own eyes. Nowadays, who is working the fields outside, women or men? And who are those people singing and feasting night after night in the city? Poor families, women who are ten months pregnant still have to go down to the fields to weed and turn the soil. They don't even have an ox at home, so they use hoes to loosen and plow the land trip after trip. The able-bodied men have all been conscripted. A few mu of land, isn't that killing people?"
He Xingdong looked at her, confused.
Fang Shifei: "Ask them why they were sent here!"
The people sitting remained silent, only looking at them with unfriendly eyes.
Fang Shifei pulled him closer, staring into his eyes, and said, "Let me tell you. The price of rice in the city has more than quadrupled, common people can't afford to eat at all, and they all say the farmers are heartless. But what's the reality? The money farmers sell to the grain merchants is less than ten percent of the price. If these people get even a slight headache or fever, they can only slowly endure it themselves. Look at Lu Geyang, isn't he an example? His father couldn't even afford a doctor just for losing a tooth. Why? Tell me, why is it like this?"
He Xingdong was speechless, muttering, "They can go out and sell privately themselves."
"Yes, they can go out and sell privately. Aren't these people doing just that? They touched upon your father's and the grain merchants' interests, so they were found guilty of some offense and driven out. Their land was confiscated, their houses were lost too. They are able-bodied, yet they can only live in this dilapidated place. Whose achievement is this? Did they want this?" Fang Shifei shouted, "Why don't they eat meat, Young Master He?! The person who drove people to their deaths is your father, and yet he says it's a natural disaster! A natural disaster couldn't harm so many people; this is clearly human evil at work!"
He Xingdong tried to break free, but Fang Shifei grabbed his collar, gritting her teeth and scolding, "Your father, as the County Magistrate of Shuidong, deserves death. Yet you're still coming to me for help with such ridiculous matters of personal affection. You even joke with me about the disaster relief funds. You're the one who's crazy. Is that your property? That's other people's lives! Get things straight before you come looking for me."
With that, she shoved him away forcefully.
He Xingdong couldn't recover for a long time, sitting there in a daze.
Fang Shifei didn't look at him again and turned to leave. Lin Xingyuan sighed, afraid that leaving He Xingdong alone in such a place would get him beaten. He went over, helped him up, and pulled him out of the west city. Then he went to chase after Fang Shifei.
Fang Shifei was unhappy when she returned home, sitting in the yard feeling stifled.
He Xingdong, oh He Xingdong, this child was both infuriating and helpless.
Lin Xingyuan saw her looking so troubled by herself and chuckled, "Is this how you scholars do things?"
Fang Shifei: "Then how do you martial artists do things?"
Lin Xingyuan: "Hit first, ask questions later."
Fang Shifei's lips curved into a smile. She looked at him, put her arm around his shoulder, and said, "Coincidentally, I have something particularly suitable for you to do."
Lin Xingyuan: "Tell me first."
"On the day Wang Changdong arrives, go search for He Ming's ill-gotten gains," Fang Shifei said. "If the matter blows up, no one will pursue it."
Lin Xingyuan didn't believe her. "You can even know where He Ming hides his ill-gotten gains? That capable?"
Fang Shifei said, "He Ming is cautious; he definitely wouldn't hide his ill-gotten gains in his own home."
Lin Xingyuan: "Why? Isn't his own home safe?"
"Do you know how the previous Changshi fell?" Fang Shifei clapped her hands and laughed. "He kept large sums of money in his home, and it was discovered by a servant. Coincidentally, this person was violent and liked to beat people. One time, the servant was punished and couldn't bear it anymore. He didn't dare to steal the money, so he threw his silver onto the street. The common people swarmed in, spreading the word far and wide. His political enemies in court seized the opportunity to submit a harsh memorial, and he was later investigated and prosecuted for corruption."
Lin Xingyuan: "..."
Fang Shifei continued, "Nor would it be in some secluded, uninhabited place."
Lin Xingyuan: "Why is that?"
Fang Shifei shook the book in her hand and said, "Because he would have to go in and out frequently. As an official, repeatedly appearing in a remote place instead of handling official duties would be too conspicuous. If by chance someone discovered it and seized the opportunity to steal it, he'd have nowhere to cry."
Lin Xingyuan sat down in front of her and said seriously, "He Xingdong, he's half a friend of yours, right? Are you really going to do this? How can you guarantee that the future will be better?"
"First of all, he's not my friend. As for the future, I can't guarantee it, but it certainly won't get worse. The situation in the Jiangnan area needs to change. If it doesn't, people will go mad," Fang Shifei said. "Don't say it's He Xingdong standing in my way today; even if it were my master, I would do the same."
Lin Xingyuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
August fourteenth, just one day before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Shuidong County had never had the custom of grandly celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. They just drank thin porridge and paid respects to the autumn moon.
However, the thin porridge was quite tasty. They would boil vegetables and meat until they were mashed into the white porridge, giving it a fresh meat flavor. In recent years, the harvest hadn't been good, so the granary would distribute a little extra rice. For people who couldn't eat their fill all year, this was a happy day.
This time, the disaster relief grain was specifically rushed to arrive on August fourteenth, so that it could be distributed before the Mid-Autumn Festival, allowing the people to have a full meal during the holiday.
Wang Changdong and Fang Shifei had exchanged several letters, and the date was finally set for today.
At noon, the escort carts entered the city gate and stopped in front of the iron gate of the grain storage. Surrounded by guards led by the County Commandant and supervised by yamen runners, the unloading was proceeding in an orderly manner.
Shortly after, the carriage of Changshi Wang Changdong also slowly drove into Shuidong County, heading towards the county yamen.
Lin Xingyuan hid in a small alley, occasionally glancing at the wide-open iron gate of the grain storage in the distance, and then at the Fatty beside him.
Fang Shifei had introduced him to a few "big brothers" who, at a glance, were clearly not decent citizens. This group had arrived in Shuidong County last month but had never appeared in front of Fang Shifei before. Probably no one would have thought there could be any connection between them.
Lin Xingyuan couldn't help but ask, "How do you know Fang Shifei?"
The Fatty wore a loose hemp robe, half his chest exposed. His face was greasy, smeared with coal ash, and dotted with black moles. Hearing the question, he said, "Met him while roaming the jianghu."
"Roaming the jianghu?!" Lin Xingyuan exclaimed. "Fang Shifei roamed the jianghu? He's wilder than me?"
"How is this wild? Fang Shifei has been to many places, you're just ignorant. Although he's young, his swordsmanship is excellent. Especially his master, he's incredibly formidable." The Fatty's face was full of flesh when he smiled, but it still couldn't hide the banditry in his eyebrows. "We traveled with him for a while when we were in trouble. Our relationship isn't particularly close. This time he paid us to help, so of course we came."
Lin Xingyuan had some thoughts.
They arrived a month ago, so Fang Shifei must have contacted them even earlier.
He quietly contacted Wang Changdong, perhaps already plotting at that time.
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