Chapter 1364 - Fourth Auntie Returns Home
Everyone thought the same way. The image of cocoons coming down and being sold for silk, white silk transforming into white silver, made everyone's brows unfurl. Although countless uncertainties lay between incubation and the silkworms "mounting the hill," and they would have to endure much fear and anxiety, at least there was hope. Everyone pinned their vague, ethereal hopes on this.
"Speaking of news, there actually is something fresh," Shen Kaibao said.
The biggest news spreading through town was that this year, for the sake of famine relief, the Prefect had issued a warrant entrusting silk and cocoon purchases in Hangzhou Prefecture entirely to the Famine Relief Bureau. Any silk guild wishing to purchase silk or cocoons had to go through them. Rumor had it the government intended to use silk and cocoon profits specifically for relieving disaster victims.
Consequently, all the licensed silk guilds had gone to Hangzhou city these past few days, reportedly to negotiate market prices with the Bureau.
Hearing this news, the originally somewhat cheerful atmosphere instantly turned cold. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing whether to be happy or afraid—they truly couldn't figure out what this news meant.
"Who collects the silk doesn't matter. As long as the market is good and they pay silver, it's fine," someone muttered after a long while.
But an old man was worried: "It's never that peaceful. Since ancient times, whenever the government touches something, us little commoners never fail to suffer."
These words won a round of silent agreement. The crowd began to stir uneasily. Some sighed; some faces had already darkened.
Tormented by life's hardships and injustices, their expectations were extremely low. They dared not hope for improvement, only praying things wouldn't get worse.
But this sudden Famine Relief Bureau involvement cast a layer of gray uneasiness over everyone's hopes. They had no heart for idle chat anymore. Taking the items they had asked Shen Kaibao to buy, the crowd dispersed in this unease.
Shen Kaibao returned to his house and drank a large bowl of rough tea—not tea leaves, but tea brewed from mulberry leaves. He took a pouch from his waist and poured the various copper coins onto the table, counting them one by one.
Running the "packet boat" brought no direct income. The boat owner charged no commission nor earned from price differences; his earnings came from free hospitality from town shopkeepers and "kickbacks" or gifts during the three festivals. For Shen Kaibao, who went to town often anyway, it was a business of convenience.
However, he would occasionally seize opportunities to make a little money on the side. This time he had made a small profit buying "mat-pasting paper." The paper shop in town had started selling a new kind, said to be shipped from Guangdong, so everyone called it "Guangdong paper." The quality was better than local handmade paper, but the price was only half. As soon as it hit the market, the original local paper became unsellable.
Shen Kaibao made a little money helping buy "Guangdong paper." Though it was a drop in the bucket, at least it showed a good omen. It was just the Famine Relief Bureau matter he couldn't figure out—his heart held a complex mix of worry and expectation.
The news that the Famine Relief Bureau wanted to collect silk and cocoons blew over like a gust of wind—raising a few ripples, then falling silent. Compared to selling silk, raising silkworms was the urgent matter. Every household was busy preparing.
The weather continued to warm. The tender leaves on the mulberry trees grew gradually larger. The groves surrounding the village flourished; from a distance, they looked like sheets of green brocade spread over dense layers of dusty white low fences. The originally empty rice paddies filled with water again; farmers with famine-colored faces began transplanting seedlings, and long-unseen draft oxen appeared. The Famine Relief Bureau had lent seeds, grain, and oxen to the countryside. Seeing green seedlings in the fields, the villagers of Jixian Village breathed a sigh of relief—as long as they could plant grain now, there was some hope for harvest in the second half of the year.
Just then, the starving temple keeper at the ruined temple at the east end of the village—collapsed to half its size long ago—suddenly vanished. Just as everyone was wondering, news came quickly: the temple property had been bought.
Before long, masons and carpenters arrived, tore the ruin down completely, and began building a house. The village's able-bodied men worked as unskilled laborers in their spare time, earning a few small coins—the foreman was stingy, knowing everyone had no money after the disaster year, and cut wages to the bone.
The house was built quickly. A brick-and-tile compound with two courtyards front and back, looking neither expensive nor cheap—somewhat like a rural landlord's residence. The villagers watched the excitement, buzzing with speculation about who would move in, because the house was built somewhat strangely and didn't fit standard layouts.
While everyone was wildly guessing the identity of the new owner, Shen Da's wife returned.
This news immediately caused a sensation. Shen Da's family was originally from this Jixian Village; he was a brother within five degrees of kinship to Shen Kaibao. The family had once been quite well-off in the village, owning several mu of mulberry land, and his wife was skilled at raising silkworms. Unexpectedly, a few years ago, too eager to get rich, they borrowed money to buy "forward leaves." The silkworms caught a disease, resulting in total loss. Not only were their land and house taken by Master Cao, but rumor had it the whole family sold themselves as servants and vanished without a trace.
Whenever villagers idled and gossiped, someone would always bring up the "Record of the Fall of Shen Da's Family" to sigh over greatly. Some comments inevitably carried the petty-mindedness of "resenting others' wealth and laughing at others' poverty." In short, Shen Da's family served as the "negative example" villagers used to educate restless "youngsters."
Because Shen Kaibao was a clan brother to Shen Da, he was reluctant to say much whenever the family was mentioned. But he also felt Shen Da's downfall was entirely his own fault. He had always been a little jealous of this cousin: richer than him, more land, even his wife was much better looking than his own. And Shen Da was such a wimp, completely unable to control his wife—that Wang Siniang's flamboyant, frivolous manner was unpleasant to watch. Served them right to be servants now; sometimes he even felt secret pleasure.
The sudden reappearance of Wang Siniang, missing from the village for so long, made a crowd of idlers squeeze onto the river jetty to watch. Sure enough, it was Wang Siniang and her husband who arrived. They were dressed decently and neatly—though not in silks and satins, they wore half-new, unpatched lined jackets and trousers, clean and sharp. The boat they came in was piled high with items covered by reed mats. It looked like they had struck it rich outside. Only, there were four burly men dressed as house guards on the boat. They looked frightening.
The boat docked at the jetty. Shen Da, seeing a crowd of fellow villagers surrounding them, felt a bit timid. Wang Siniang, however, was poised and natural, calling out "Big Brother, Sister-in-Law" all the way. Meeting children, she casually handed out candy, acting incredibly warm. Everyone had intended to laugh at them, but seeing this display, one by one they became timid and dared not step forward to say much.
Shen Da's house site had long since been sold by Master Cao to someone else, so they had no place to stay in the village. Just as everyone wondered where they planned to live, the group headed straight for the newly built residence. Chests and baskets were unloaded from the boat and carried inside one by one.
Now the whole village was in an uproar! This Shen Da family had found success as servants! For a time, opinions varied. Some felt Shen Da's daughter must have become a concubine and won the master's favor, bringing prosperity to her parents. The evidence was that none of Shen's daughters had returned.
However, by evening, several of Shen Da's distant relatives who had used the excuse of "helping unpack" to peek inside spread definitive news—it wasn't that fantastic. The house belonged to Shen Da's master. The master wanted to raise silkworms and reel silk here, and knowing Shen Da's family were sericulturists, had specifically sent them.
Shen Kaibao felt it didn't make sense—why would Shen Da's master, having nothing better to do, send his own servants to the countryside to raise silkworms and reel silk? If a rich family wanted to wear silks and satins, did they need to raise silkworms themselves? Could there be some hidden story? Just those four house guards who came with the boat looked unfriendly.
He remained wary, not even chatting much when Wang Siniang came to deliver "new house warming" cakes—cakes were something not seen for nearly a year. When brought out, the children's eyes looked ready to spew fire. The day Wang Siniang returned, some lucky children got the candy she distributed. Reportedly sweeter than rock sugar, with a sour, delicious taste words couldn't describe. Shen's grandson didn't get any and cried tears of envy just hearing his friends talk about it.
Wang Siniang didn't seem to mind Shen Kaibao's lukewarm attitude. After a few polite conventionalities, she gave the children two pieces of candy and left.
Before Wang Siniang was even out the door, the Shen children impatiently peeled the paper wrappers and shoved the candy into their mouths, making Shen Kaibao furious. He cursed a few times, making his daughter-in-law's face look uncomfortable for a good while.
However, subsequent events seemed to show that Wang Siniang's family was indeed here to raise silkworms. They began setting up sericulture equipment by the river. Only, these tools were very different from what the village had always used; they were much lighter and prettier, and there were many varieties. Just looking at them made people angry—was raising silkworms a game? Playing with these useless fancy tricks! No wonder the whole family ended up as servants!
Talk of Shen Da and Wang Siniang's return soon died down. After all, this was the "busy season." Villagers had to work the fields, prepare silkworm tools, and paste "silkworm mats." Men and women, old and young, were busy without pause. Shen Da's family was busy too.
Shen Kaibao had originally been suspicious of them, but after the local bailiff visited and said nothing, the doubts he had harbored gradually dissipated—he had too much of his own work to handle!
Several more men and women arrived at Shen Da's courtyard. Every day they were seen going in and out, carrying water, sweeping floors. They even bought lime, made a pit outside, and began slaking it. Bucket after bucket of slaked lime was carried inside to whitewash the house. Inside and out, it was painted white as a snow cave.
(End of Chapter)