Chapter 181: The Charity School

Wang Rong’er was an informant in the villa whom Gou Chengxuan had handed over to Hao Yuan. Hao Yuan’s instructions to her were simple: find a way to place Jia Le by Xihua’s side.

Xihua was the Huang Gai in this “bitter flesh trick”; Hao Yuan was certain of this.

But from the various intelligence he had gathered, he believed Xihua still had the potential to be turned. And Jia Le was his first move in this plan.

Jia Le was a young girl. Although she was loyal to him, her time was too short and she was too young for any subtle influence. Therefore, the task he gave Jia Le was simply to find a way to lure Xihua to meet him. He would handle the work of turning Xihua himself.

He was quite sure that Zhao Yigong was now eager to track down the mastermind and would likely instruct Xihua to swallow this bait at all costs.

“I’m just a newcomer, a young girl. It will be difficult, won’t it?”

“Don’t worry. Just do as I say, and Xihua will surely agree,” Hao Yuan said with confidence.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you, Uncle Hao.” Jia Le nodded firmly, but then she became worried again. “Will it really work?”

“It will definitely work.”

Hao Yuan thought to himself that Jia Le was transparent. Xihua probably already knew who she was; otherwise, why would she have so easily agreed to place her in the school? As soon as Jia Le spoke, Zhao Yigong would know immediately. But that didn’t matter. As long as Jia Le made a show of trying to persuade her, she would agree. Otherwise, how could she continue her act of the bitter flesh trick?

Jia Le was Jiang Gan, cooperating with Master Zhao’s bitter flesh trick. But he, Hao Yuan, was no Cao Cao.

Jia Le entered the villa without much trouble. Although the Phoenix Villa was not short of labor, Zhao Yigong, drawing from his experience in the future, believed it was wise to share some benefits with the local people and not handle everything himself. So, they also hired some local workers.

The Phoenix Villa employed many local people, and the screening process was not strict. A guarantee from a shop or the neighborhood chief was sufficient. All “hired laborers” had to spend the night in the villa, living in the dormitories of the refugee camp at the foot of the mountain. This was mainly for hygiene reasons. The hired laborers also had to undergo a purification process. Although they didn’t have to shave their heads, the procedures of bathing and receiving new clothes were the same. If they commuted daily, they might bring in parasites from the outside.

However, these local hired workers could only work in the Cihuitang at the foot of the mountain. They were not allowed to go up the mountain or enter the “restricted area” at the foot of the mountain. Only a very small number of specialized “masters” and artisans could enter the restricted area with a pass.

Jia Le put her mark on the employment contract and was taken in for purification, bathing, and changing clothes. To avoid public censure, the hired laborers were not required to shave their heads.

After bathing, as was customary, she was given a full set of clothes, from inside to out, including replacements.

“These clothes are a gift from the Master,” the servant woman who brought her in said. “After you’ve worked for a full year, these clothes will be yours. If you leave before a year is up, the cost of the clothes will be deducted from your wages.”

“I understand, madam.”

“Remember to change and wash your clothes frequently, bathe and wash your hair often, and cut your nails. The Master detests uncleanliness. There will be daily inspections. If you fail three times, money will be deducted. Be careful!” The servant woman who brought her in was a fifth-class servant who couldn’t even go up the mountain, but she still held a lot of authority in front of the new hired laborers.

“Yes, thank you for the reminder, madam.”

The Cihuitang was very large. The servant woman led her through a narrow alleyway. Jia Le saw that the walls of the refugee camp were mostly made of bamboo fences. Through the gaps in the fences, she could see rows of simple-looking houses in the courtyard. Some had bamboo-mat walls, others had wooden plank walls, but the foundations were all made of brick and stone. The roofs, however, were covered with tiles.

Although the houses were simple, there was no sign of the sewage-filled, garbage-strewn, and stinking mess of the slums. In an open space, many wooden stakes were driven into the ground with ropes stretched between them, on which hung neat rows of drying clothes and bedsheets. The people working and moving about in the courtyard were also dressed cleanly and neatly, even more so than the people in Nanxiawa. Although there were many people busy in the courtyard, there was no noise of shouting, fighting, or laughing. It was quiet, with only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the drying clothes.

“This is the Cihuitang’s poorhouse,” the servant woman said, pointing it out as she saw her interest. “This is the South First Section. Further north, there are the Second and Third Sections… divided into eight sections in total, north and south.”

“Are all of them occupied?” Jia Le asked with sincere doubt.

“Of course they’re occupied. One section can house a thousand people. They’re basically all full. You tell me how many people are here!” the servant woman said with some pride. “It’s not just these eight sections. There are also the Chastity Hall, the Orphanage… nearly twenty thousand people are surviving thanks to the Master’s kindness.”

Although Jia Le had been “educated” by Hao Yuan that Zhao Yigong was a “hypocritical” villain, seeing the orderly, peaceful, and harmonious scene with her own eyes, she couldn’t help but feel some doubt.

Jia Le was led all the way to the foot of the mountain, where there was another large courtyard with rows of houses.

“This is the Cihuitang’s charity school. You’ll be working here from now on,” the servant woman said, then shouted towards the inside, “Miss Xihua! Miss Xihua!”

“What is it?”

The door curtain was lifted, and a girl of fifteen or sixteen, with her clothes and hair impeccably neat, walked out from the first room. Her face was very serious. Jia Le knew this was probably Xihua and quickly stood behind the servant woman with her hands clasped.

“Miss Xihua, this is the Jia Le recommended by Sister-in-law Wang…” the servant woman said with a beaming smile, bowing.

Jia Le was very quick-witted and immediately curtsied. “Greetings, sister.”

Xihua nodded. “So you are Jia Le?”

“Yes, that is this servant.”

“Can you read?”

“I can read the Three Character Classic, but I can’t write…”

“That’s not bad.” Xihua nodded. “You can stay in the East Sixth House. Put your things down and come to me. There’s plenty of work for you to do.”

From that day on, Jia Le worked at the Cihuitang’s charity school. Although the school nominally used traditional primers like the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic, it actually followed the literacy education methods of Lingao. The purpose was simply to give the refugee children some basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills during their waiting period for transfer, and also to teach the orphans some “rules.”

Jia Le’s work was varied; she did almost everything. The number of children housed in the Cihuitang surprised her greatly. Every child looked well-fed and well-dressed, with clean faces and hands, free from the parasites and sores common on poor children. When they ran and played in the open space during their breaks, the happy and healthy look on their faces was something she had never seen in Nanxiawa.

The twenty-person rooms they lived in were all clean, with double-decker beds, one for each person. Everyone had a sleeping mat, a pillow, and a blanket. In her twelve years of life, Jia Le had never had her own pillow and blanket. She always shared one with her sisters, and as for pillows, they were something that had never existed.

The food was also surprisingly good. The children here had three meals a day, with plenty of rice and coarse grains. There were vegetables at every meal, and they had meat or fish once every five days. With such meals, not just in Nanxiawa, but even in the entire city of Hangzhou, few common people could eat like this. No wonder Sister-in-law Wang had said that for the refugee beggars on the street, being taken in by the Cihuitang was like going to heaven.

And this was not just one or two children, but hundreds! Jia Le was secretly amazed. How much money did this Master Zhao have! Although the Cihuitang had several benefactors, everyone knew that Master Zhao was the main person in charge, which clearly meant he contributed the most money.

This made Jia Le a little confused. What was Master Zhao’s purpose in doing such a great charity? Uncle Hao had said that some villains do good deeds either to ease their conscience or to deceive the world, to prevent people from seeing their true evil nature. But in Jia Le’s limited understanding, such a deception didn’t seem to require such a grand scale. There were many ways for rich people to do good deeds and gain a false reputation with less money. Why bother with a charity hall that required constant funding? And the scale of this charity hall was so large! Although Jia Le had no head for economics, she knew that the daily expenses here were enough for an ordinary person to work for a lifetime.

Despite her doubts, Jia Le worked diligently in the charity school. She had come with a purpose, so she was naturally extra diligent in her work. Although the management model of the Cihuitang was strict, under the Senate’s management system, the principles of “more work, more pay” and “general fairness” were guaranteed. Those who worked hard and conscientiously would not be at a disadvantage. Therefore, Jia Le’s work enthusiasm was quickly mobilized. She was capable, young, and sweet-tongued, and she soon made good friends here.

However, her key objective, to get close to Xihua, was not very successful. Xihua was very busy and had almost no free time for her to approach. At night, during rest time, she had no excuse to go to her room to talk.

Uncle Hao had clearly said that even if she didn’t seek her out, she would come to her. Why was there no movement at all now?

Just as she was feeling anxious, one evening after her shift, after dinner, she had just fetched hot water and was about to wash up when a servant woman came and told her to see Xihua immediately.

“Yes, I’m coming.” Jia Le’s heart skipped a beat, and her heart began to pound. She wondered why Xihua had suddenly summoned her. Whatever the reason, this was a great opportunity to be alone with her. With that thought, she hastily wiped her face, tidied her hair, checked her clothes, and left the dormitory for Xihua’s quarters.

Xihua lived in the small courtyard of the school’s management office. The management office was a separate courtyard, and at night, only Xihua and a few servant women in charge lived there, making it very quiet. As one of the Master’s attendants, Xihua occupied the rear chamber alone.