Chapter 61
After two days, Fang Yu was once again lively and energetic. Being ill had spoiled his appetite for greasy foods, and after eating plain porridge and simple dishes for two days in a row, now that he was well, his appetite had returned along with his health.
Early in the day, he had begged Qiao Hezhi to make him three kinds of dumplings—beef, pork, and shrimp fillings—and he ate an entire steamer's worth in one go.
"Now that my appetite for meat is back, it's wonderful."
"Let's have something with meat for lunch. Honestly, I feel like my stomach's gone completely bland."
Qiao Hezhi watched him eat with a complete lack of table manners, shaking his head with a smile. He then served Fang Yu another bowl of century egg and lean meat porridge, worried he might choke. "We have to go to Mother and Father's place at noon. The almsgiving starts later this afternoon. Although the servants are handling all the arrangements and we don't need to worry, we still have to make an appearance, don't we? If you're craving meat, why not wait until dinner? I’ll cook something then, or we could just eat out in town instead."
"Going back and forth is already busy enough. I don't want you to have to cook again on top of that. Let's just eat something simple outside, not at some grand restaurant with drinking."
Qiao Hezhi nodded. Seeing Fang Yu halfway put down his chopsticks, he asked, "Are you full now?"
"What, are you going to make me go check the account books already?"
"No rush for that. You can check them tomorrow since there's nothing else planned. But there is one matter I think you've forgotten. I couldn't decide on it myself, I need to know your thoughts." Qiao Hezhi said, "Those two that Mother-in-law bought back before are still locked up at home. What does my husband plan to do with them?"
"Oh, right. Now that you mention it, I'd forgotten all about that."
That day, Fang Yu had been filled with rage and very much wanted to send those two shameless people who had slandered Qiao Hezhi to the authorities and into prison. But once his anger cooled and he thought it over carefully, it didn't seem appropriate either.
Involving the authorities would mean a loss of face. Now that they were considered a respectable scholarly household with standing, at the end of the day, this was an ugly matter involving their own family servants. If it actually went to the officials, people would secretly say the Fang family lacked control over their servants, allowing cunning servants to dare plot against their master. That kind of reputation would have been disastrous.
Furthermore, the two servants had never actually poisoned anyone, so they wouldn't receive the most severe punishment. After careful consideration, he decided it was best to handle the matter himself.
"Find an out-of-town trafficker and sell those two off to another place, making sure they can never return to Yuncheng." Fang Yu pondered a moment. "Sell them cheaply as having violated major family rules, so that even if they go elsewhere, they can only be low-level servants. 'Human greed is never satisfied, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.' These two have impure intentions."
Qiao Hezhi's thoughts aligned perfectly with Fang Yu's. Upon hearing the decision, he too felt it was a suitable resolution. "Then let's have the servants take care of it."
The two tidied up and headed towards Hufengjing. It was just after the autumn harvest, so the streets were full of tenant farmers delivering rice and grains, and villagers buying and selling grain. A light rain fell, making the bluestone paving on the streets glossy and slick. Farmers burdened with their grain, found it hard to hold umbrellas; wearing bamboo hats and straw raincoats, they appeared thoroughly worn by their labor.
"Look, there's already a long line over there. Later, our family will be distributing grain in that spot."
Fang Yu looked in the direction Qiao Hezhi pointed. On the southeast street, there was an empty shopfront the Qiao family used for such affairs, similar to the shop their own family had set aside to liaise with tenant farmers. After news was spread, people had come early to queue for the distributions.
The Qiao family had spared no expense. After all, within the entire clan, they only had one Jieyuan son-in-law. For this almsgiving, they had bought and slaughtered five fat pigs, prepared two hundred jin of grain for distribution, over eighty bolts of coarse cloth, and also cooked two large pots of porridge and a whole steamer of mantou.
[mantou (馒头): plain, white, steamed wheat bun without any filling or stuffing]
When the two arrived, servants were busy dividing the meat. To ensure more people received some, the pork had to be divided into strips of about two or three liang each. Even this amount could satisfy a craving.
[1 liang = 50 grams]
"Son-in-law, see if this is enough? If not, I can have people add more."
"Father-in-law, what you've prepared is already exceedingly generous. There's truly no need to add more. Originally, this should have been prepared by your son-in-law, yet I've let Father-in-law bear the toil."
"We're one family; why speak such formal words?" Qiao Xinnian said. "We did almsgiving in previous years too, just adding a bit more this year."
Fang Yu pulled Qiao Xinnian aside and said quietly, "Father-in-law, did you purchase all this grain?"
"Of course I bought it. Our family are merchants, we don't own land, we can only buy."
"Father-in-law, do you have proper records of all these grain purchase transactions?"
"What's the matter?"
"I've recently received news that the authorities might start investigating illegal land sales. If Father-in-law has any land under your name, I'd like to be aware. If you have no land, that's naturally good. Just ensure you have proper accounts for every grain purchase and sale, so if they come checking, the accounts will match up."
Qiao Xinnian nodded upon hearing this. The court investigated such matters every so often, and these were times when merchants relied on connections and timely information. This year, Qiao Xinnian had also benefited from his connections, but: "Son-in-law, you are very thorough. However, our Qiao family has never engaged in these illegal activities. Since the court forbids merchant households from acquiring land, being caught is a serious crime. Even if we might desire to buy it in our hearts, we haven't dared to engage in such dealings."
"That's good then." Fang Yu smiled. "Father-in-law is cautious in all matters, which puts my mind at ease."
"What are you two discussing over there? Everything on this end is nearly prepared. The grain, meat, and cloth are being transported to the distribution site. We should make our way over as well."
Fang Yu took Qiao Hezhi's hand. "Alright, let's go."
When the two arrived again at the shop they had passed earlier, it was already teeming with people. Those holding bowls and grain sacks had spontaneously formed four lines, with the line for receiving meat being the longest.
Wealthy families like the Fang family ate meat at two out of three meals daily, and ate lavishly and with variety. Commoners were different, not only eating just two meals a day, but also only getting meat on festivals. Such an opportunity to receive meat for free might not come once in two or three years.
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