Laba Festival

 

After the Laba festival, it would be New Year already. The New Year atmosphere is getting stronger, and the rice porridge distribution in front of the Jing family’s small restaurant and Jing’s Hotpot Restaurant is bustling. The lines are already very long, and it’s said that impoverished families from nearby villages have rushed here after hearing the news.

 

Seeing this scene, Chuxia felt compassionate, so he decided to add two more pots of porridge. At least on Laba Day, everyone should have a hearty meal.

 

Who said there were no poor families in town? Many people in the town don’t have farmland, and if they don’t have a stable job, their lives are even harder than those in the villages. Many families with a dozen or more members live in small shanties.

 

In the first-floor hall of the Hotpot Restaurant, there were several young gentlemen who were regular customers. Normally, they would go to a private room when they came, but today, for some reason, Young Master Li, who was very fashion-conscious, insisted on sitting in the main hall.

 

“Young man, add three portions of lamb to our table!” Young Master Li, who had flowers in his hair and powder on his face, shouted enthusiastically.

 

“Sure thing, Young Master Li!” Jing Feng responded promptly and quickly brought three portions of lamb to the table.

 

Today, both of the Jing family’s restaurants were distributing porridge in front of their doors, so the lantern stall was closed for the day. Jing Feng was a restless person, so when he asked if his eldest brother, Jing Yi, was busy, he came over to help.

 

Young Master Li wanted to share some news, and he said mysteriously, as if inviting others to ask him, “Have you heard about it?”

 

“No, we haven’t.” “No, what is it?” “Tell us, tell us.”

 

Seeing that his friends were eager to know, Young Master Li couldn’t help but smile and said, “I heard that the snow disaster in the Central Plains is particularly severe!”

 

This disappointed one of the young gentlemen at the table. “Oh! I thought it was something important. I already knew that. My uncle’s business doesn’t go there anymore.”

 

“That’s right, this is nothing new,” another one said, also disappointed.

 

Young Master Li saw that his friends dared to question him, so he quickly finished his sentence, “But you guys probably don’t know that the local officials there embezzled the relief food and funds meant for the people. Their homes and food supplies are gone. Tens of thousands of people have fled and become refugees. I heard that someone even organized nearly ten thousand people to go to the capital to file a complaint.”

 

Now everyone was excited because this was big news.

 

A man at the next table joined in, saying, “That’s despicable! Whether it’s a natural disaster or a man-made disaster, the hardest-hit are us common folks!”

 

Young Master Li’s intention to sit in the main hall today finally became clear. Nowadays, Da Yuan doesn’t heavily restrict public discourse, so topics of criticism like this are sure to please everyone when discussed together.

 

He continued to reveal, “I heard that the organizer is named Wu Guang, a very clever young merchant. At first, he was afraid that local officials would intercept them, so he had everyone disperse and leave. After all, who would notice them when they were all hungry and without proper clothing, just like refugees? It wasn’t until they reached the vicinity of the capital that they gathered together. But do you think it’s easy for commoners to meet the emperor? Can you guess what happened next?”

 

While discussing this crucial point, he sold a tease, attracting the urging and angry stares of the crowd.

 

He said, “At that time, Wu Guang was very cautious. He had everyone kneel outside the South Gate of the capital. He knelt at the front and shouted at the soldiers and generals guarding the gate. He even wrote a long letter accusing two provincial governors and other corrupt officials of embezzling relief supplies and funds meant for the disaster-stricken areas in the Central Plains. This caused a huge commotion. They had a large number of people, and there was a constant stream of people at the city gate, and many people from the nearby area came after hearing the news. The generals dared not make decisions on their own and immediately reported the matter up the chain of command, all the way to the emperor.”

 

At this point, a scholarly-looking man in the restaurant asked, “Could it really be reported up? Aren’t officials always covering for each other?”

 

Young Master Li nodded and said, “Xing Jurén is right; officials often protect each other. However, don’t forget, the generals guarding the city gate are under General Yue’s command. The Yue family has a long history of loyalty and patriotism, and they’ve served the country faithfully for generations. Moreover, General Yue is not someone who turns a blind eye. He follows orders from the emperor, so it could be reported. In my opinion, these people were lucky.”

 

(T/N: Jurén is an official post. Those scholars who pass 1st level of imperial examination.)

 

Jing Yi, who was listening, couldn’t help but chime in, “It’s not just luck but also the careful planning and great wisdom of this gentleman, Wu Guang. If he gains the emperor’s favor, he might have a promising future.”

 

Young Master Li, looking at Jing Yi with wide eyes, was full of admiration. “Exactly! Master Jing is spot on. It is said that when the emperor learned of this incident, he was furious. He immediately comforted the disaster victims outside the city, set up camps to distribute porridge, and invited Wu Guang and two other men to the palace. He also dispatched an urgent imperial envoy to investigate the matter.”

 

Lowering his voice, he continued, “I heard that they even sent two military units along with it, and one of them is directly under General Yue.”

 

He added, “In less than two days, the report from the imperial envoy arrived. It stated that wherever they went, countless people died of cold and starvation. Some even saw bite marks on the bodies by the roadside. The snow disaster started in early November, and the officials only started relief efforts for a few days initially. Later, as the snowfall intensified, they invested too much but eventually abandoned the efforts. They pretended not to know and deceived the higher-ups. The two heavily affected provinces conspired together, repeatedly sending urgent requests to the court for grain and money, but most of it ended up in their own pockets.”

 

The women and men in the restaurant who were moved to tears by the story before now felt righteous indignation.

 

“Thank goodness our emperor is wise. All the officials involved in this were summoned to the capital and punished accordingly. None of them were let off. I also heard that this matter even implicated the palace, it’s a deep-seated issue,” Young Master Li said without being too explicit.

 

“That’s truly despicable! These officials who held positions without doing anything, they’ve lost their conscience! So, what happened to Wu Guang and the other disaster survivors? Did those who escaped the disaster return?”

 

The discussions in the restaurant were heating up. Everyone wanted to know the outcome.

 

“Wu Guang received the emperor’s special favor and even because of him, the emperor said, ‘Merchants are better than scholars, and scholars are not worthy of scholars.’ They say the emperor’s view of businessmen has changed a lot.”

 

“As for the disaster survivors who escaped, well, the snow in the two provinces in the Central Plains hasn’t melted yet, and the reconstruction is fraught with difficulties. It’s difficult for them to return in the short term. I also heard that many of them have already sold themselves into slavery just to have food to eat. It’s unavoidable. Our province has also seen quite a few.”

 

Hearing this, Jing Yi inquired further, “Oh? Our province as well? But it’s been a month, and I haven’t seen them.”

 

The young man at Young Master Li’s table said, “I know about this. I heard that they started arriving from the south about ten days ago, heading towards Qingzhou. Our prefect in this province is kind-hearted. Anyone over ten years old and physically strong enough to fend for themselves is arranged to settle in nearby villages to cultivate the land. The government lends each person two hundred wens and provides ten jin of millet. Those with families or who can’t withstand the work are sold into slavery and are now under official supervision.”

 

Hearing this, Jing Yi was intrigued, though he didn’t show it on his face. He praised the prefect of Qingzhou.

 

The recent snow disaster had made Jing Yi, who had been somewhat lax and comfortable recently, feel more urgency. He had initially planned to be a small landlord, ensuring a steady supply of grain. However, now that he was engrossed in business, he realized that in the face of natural disasters and man-made calamities, wealth was ephemeral. Even if you had money, it might not guarantee you access to necessities. He cited the example of modern times, where two bags of banknotes could only buy ten jin of flour.

 

There was an old saying: “With food in hand, you won’t be anxious.”

 

Regarding the matter of merchant status, although Jing Yi felt that the incident involving Wu Guang might bring favorable changes for businessmen, breaking the age-old class system of scholars, farmers, workers, and merchants wasn’t so easy.

 

Coincidentally, with the situation of the disaster survivors selling themselves into slavery and the matter of buying people in the prefectural city, both issues could be resolved together.

 

In the evening, in the eastern wing of the courtyard behind the hot pot restaurant, which had essentially become Jing Yi and Chuxia’s fixed residence in town—two rooms in total, one for sleeping and one as their study—both husband and wife were soaking their feet in a basin. It was quite cozy. However, they started playfully splashing water at each other, like children, which created a mess on the floor. After the playful squabble, they locked eyes and chuckled.

 

After they were done soaking their feet, Chuxia got onto the bed. Their foot-warmers had made the bedding pleasantly warm. He pushed them to the edge of the bed, and he lay down first. Due to the cold, he wrapped himself up tightly, leaving only his eyes peeking out and blinking playfully.

 

Jing Yi walked to the side of the bed. Even though Chuxia had been covering herself up like this during the cold nights lately, Jing Yi was still charmed by his cuteness every time.

 

“Wife, your human hot water bottle is here!” Jing Yi dove into the bedding.

 

Chuxia snuggled into his arms, and his husband’s warmth was indeed comforting.

 

“Ah Yi, are you not happy today? I noticed your mood hasn’t been the same since you heard about the snow disaster,” Chuxia asked, expressing her concerns after a day of worry.

 

“No, wife,” Jing Yi said after kissing his forehead. He continued, “I just feel a bit concerned. Today, it’s the snow disaster in the two provinces of the Central Plains, but tomorrow, who knows whose turn it will be. I’m just thinking, if it were to happen to our Qingzhou, to Fuyang Town, could I ensure your safety now, protect both our families, and even our relatives and friends?”

 

Jing Yi wasn’t a saint; he didn’t aspire to be like Wu Guang. He didn’t want to be responsible for the lives of unrelated people.

 

However, for Chuxia, for the Jing family, for the Lin family, these were responsibilities he willingly accepted.

 

Even the villagers of Xiwan village, with whom he had a good relationship, if they were in trouble, he would definitely lend a helping hand.

 

“The conclusion is, I can’t,” Jing Yi said. His eyes dimmed slightly as he spoke, but before Chuxia could comfort him, he quickly regained his confidence and said, “But now I may not be able to, but I’ve already identified the direction to strive for, trust me.”

 

“Well, I’ve always believed in you. Besides, I might be able to help you now, so let’s work together!” Chuxia lifted his head from under the covers, determinedly looking at Jing Yi, even if it meant feeling a chilly breeze on his neck.

 

“Of course, thank you for helping me, darling!” Jing Yi took advantage of Chuxia lifting his head and stole a kiss from his lips.

 

With a blush on his face, they had been married for two months now, but Chuxia still wasn’t used to Jing Yi’s occasional surprise attacks.

 

Afterward, Jing Yi shared with his wife his recent plans, such as buying land, buying people, and other intentions. The burdens in their hearts were lifted, and their worries were set aside. They embraced each other and went to sleep peacefully.