Chapter 88: Buying People at the 88th Inn

After the chili peppers cooled, Yunyin took out her small stone mill, which she hadn't used in a long time. She washed it, dried it, and ground the fried chili peppers into a medium-fine powder. She put the ground chili powder into a ceramic bowl.

Sprinkle salt, sugar, and sesame seeds into the chili powder. In a separate pot, heat oil and add scallions, ginger, and other spices. Slowly fry these ingredients over low heat until the scallions are golden brown and the aroma is fully infused.

When pouring the oil, all the ingredients should be filtered out, leaving only clear, hot oil, which should be poured into the chili powder in three batches.

Finally, add a few drops of alcohol, stir quickly and evenly to allow the alcohol to react with the product, releasing more aroma and making it easier to preserve.

The chili oil is already very fragrant. Cover it and let it sit overnight to allow it to fully react and become even more fragrant. Yunyin made a whole jar of chili oil, enough to last until next year.

She labeled the jar of chili oil and put it in the cupboard. By then, she was covered in the smell of chili, so she quickly went to change her clothes.

After changing her clothes and coming out, the sky, which had been clear just moments before, was now covered by clouds and turned gloomy. Looking at the sky, Yunyin thought, "Looks like it's going to snow again."

Fu Wang, standing beside her, chimed in, "Yes, but I wonder how long it will rain."

Before the snow started falling, Yunyin went to the woodshed to add firewood so that the two cows next door wouldn't freeze. She also fed them before returning to the main hall. At that moment, Heidou came running over and rubbed against her leg. Yunyin patted its head and said, "You must be feeling cooped up. I'll take you out for a run."

She was holding the rope of the black bean tree, about to go out, when Fu Wang saw her and followed behind her, saying, "I'll go with you."

The two people and the dog walked through the snow-covered ground. Black Bean was extremely happy, digging in the snow every now and then and rolling around in it a few times. Seeing this, Yunyin also wanted to lie down and roll around in the snow. Black Bean was just too carefree and comfortable.

Yunyin and Fu Wang locked eyes. Suddenly, he grabbed a clump of snow from the ground and threw it at Yunyin. Yunyin couldn't dodge the sudden attack, and the snow hit her clothes. The splashing snowflakes stained her eyebrows and eyes. She snorted, squatted down, and also grabbed a large clump of snow and threw it at Fu Wang. For a moment, only the laughter of the two of them and the barking of Heidou could be heard in the open space.

Hearing the commotion, Fang He ran out of the house and saw the scene. Her eyes were filled with envy, and she wanted to join in playing in the snow, but she was not familiar with Fu Wang and was hesitant to go forward. She couldn't help but think of her childhood friends in the village. Although no one in her family except her mother was kind to her when she was in Dazhu Village, the friends she made in the village were still good. Perhaps it was because they were not valued that they got along better. She wondered how they were doing now.

After tidying up the yard, Zhang Lin saw Fang He's expectant eyes, stepped forward and pulled her along, saying, "Come on, I'll play with you."

Fang He shouted excitedly, and Zhang Lin joined her in splashing around in the snow. Zheng Guilan's eyes welled up with tears when she saw this.

The group was having a snowball fight when suddenly the weather changed, and snowflakes started falling again. Yunyin stopped fighting with Fu Wang, rubbed her hands which were already a little red, and said, "Let's go back inside. It's starting to snow again."

The two men and the dog went back inside. Heidou shook itself and lay down by the stove. The taro that Cheng Yong and Feng Hai were roasting was already emitting a fragrant aroma. Seeing the two men, they greeted them, "Come and eat some taro, it's just cooked."

Yunyin sat down and took the taro. The freshly cooked taro was still a little hot, so she had to use both hands to handle it. Even her hands, which had turned red from playing in the snow, slowly recovered. She blew on the hot taro, peeled off the skin, and took a bite. The soft and glutinous texture went down her throat. It was fragrant and sweet. Compared to steamed taro, it was less moist and more powdery.

"Delicious." Yunyin took a big bite. The roasted taro became even sweeter after the moisture evaporated. She didn't want to stop after eating one and wanted to keep eating. Fu Wang handed her a roasted orange. "Eat more fruit. If you eat too much taro, you won't be able to eat dinner tonight."

Yunyin accepted everything without hesitation. The roasted oranges were delicious, and when she saw that there were also roasted chestnuts on the stove, she took one and ate it, not caring at all about not being able to eat anything that night.

Fu Wang handed her a cup of tea and said, "Have some water, aren't you thirsty?"

Yunyin took the water and drank a big gulp, then laughed and said, "I am indeed a little thirsty."

The snow was falling heavily outside, and the ground they had just cleared began to accumulate snowflakes again. Yunyin looked at the weather and sighed, "This winter is really hard to endure. Fortunately, we have prepared a lot of food, so we are not afraid of being trapped here."

Fu Wang: "Yes, this winter is indeed harder to get through than usual. I'm afraid many families won't make it through this winter."

Fu Wang was right. This winter, there was an unusually heavy snowfall, with one snowfall after another. Yunyin and the others had to clear the snow off the roof and the snow piled up on the ground from time to time. Later, the snowfall was so heavy that the cleared snow piled up into a small mountain. Because of the heavy snowfall, the official road was blocked, and the county had to send people to clear the snow from the official road.

The position of magistrate of Long'an County was vacant, and Zhou Chang was in charge of this matter. He was talking with Fu Wang when Yun Yin brought him a bowl of piping hot mutton soup and said, "County Commandant Zhou, you've worked hard. Have a bowl of hot soup to warm yourself up."

Zhou Chang took the mutton soup, exhaled a breath of stale air, and said, "Thank you very much, Madam Yun. I'll trouble you to bring a bowl of soup to my brother as well; I'll pay for it."

Yunyin waved her hand and said, "It's nothing. You were helping me by clearing the snow off the official road. What's a bowl of mutton soup? Don't talk about money. You've helped me a lot, and I haven't thanked you properly yet."

Before Zhou Chang could refuse any further, she quickly arranged for Zhang Lin to bring over a large bucket of mutton soup. The mutton soup, made from mutton bones, was snow-white and sprinkled with chopped green onions to enhance its aroma. If someone ate coriander, adding a little would make it even more fragrant.

The yamen runners who came to shovel snow were already exhausted, but after drinking Yunyin's bowl of soup, they instantly perked up and worked with more energy. Before long, most of the snow on their official road had been shoveled away.

Fu Wang smiled as he looked at the scene and asked Zhou Chang, "Where are you going later? Do you need any help?"

Zhou Chang waved his hand and said, "I would like to ask you to come and help, but thinking about what's going on in the county right now, I'd better not. Long'an County has been severely affected by this snow disaster, and the position of county magistrate is temporarily vacant. We can only work hard with our own people. We're going to Dazhu Village in a bit. I heard that it has also been severely affected. Although some people have already gone there, I guess we'll have to go to Dazhu Village after we finish here."

"Is it that serious?" Fu Wang asked, somewhat surprised.

Zhou Chang finished the soup in his bowl in one gulp, nodded to him and said, "Yes, I heard it was a snow landslide in the mountains that hit the houses of several villagers at the foot of the mountain, causing heavy losses. Some houses that were not sturdy were also hit by the snow and had their roof beams broken. There were also people injured."

“If it weren’t for the crucial importance of the official road and ensuring the smooth flow of messengers, we would have gone to Dazhu Village early this morning,” Zhou Chang sighed. “It’s really troublesome without a county magistrate. We have to ask for instructions on everything, which takes up too much time. I hope the new county magistrate can come soon.”

Mentioning the new magistrate, Fu Wang gestured with his eyes, "Do you have any news? What kind of person is the new magistrate?"

Zhou Chang shook his head: "I don't have such connections. I just heard that he is a newly appointed talent this year, but I don't know the specifics."

Fu Wang frowned and said, "Why is it that someone with no experience has come? Can he handle these things?"

Zhou Chang: "Who told us that Long'an County is poor and has no way to make money? The county magistrate has to rack his brains if he wants to achieve political achievements. Look at Du Peng, he did these things because he wanted to get promoted, and in the end he was dismissed from office."

"I just hope the new magistrate won't act recklessly, and it would be best if he listened to advice and didn't act on a whim."

Fu Wang patted Zhou Chang on the shoulder, "Brother, you've worked hard."

Zhou Chang said helplessly, "That's why I sometimes envy you. You're free to come and go as you please, unlike me, who has so many worries."

Fu Wang punched him on the shoulder. "If people heard you say that, they would just think you were showing off. Not just anyone can become an official like that."

Zhou Chang shrugged. "Back then, the superior didn't ask you to be the county magistrate of Changshui County; you refused."

Fu Wang: "I have so many brothers in the same team. I can't abandon them. We've all survived, so we should live better together so that we don't waste the life we ​​were given."

Zhou Chang shook his head: "You, you..."

After Yunyin finished serving soup to everyone, she saw that Zhou Chang and Fu Wang had finished their conversation and stepped forward to say, "County Commandant Zhou, how about having lunch here? I'll cook you something delicious."

Zhou Chang declined, saying, "We have to go to Dazhu Village later, so we really don't have time. Maybe next time."

After saying that, he shoved the bowl into Fu Wang's arms, told his men to shovel the last bit of snow to the roadside, and then headed to Dazhu Village.

Watching Zhou Chang's departing figure, Yunyin raised an eyebrow and asked, "What happened in Dazhu Village?"

Fu Wang relayed the news he had just received, and Yun Yin sighed, "The weather is not cooperating, and they are probably in trouble too. I'll make some steamed buns later and have Zhang Lin deliver them to them. Those constables also need to eat, so I'll bring them some as well."

Fu Wang put the bowl he was holding into the empty bucket and said to Yun Yin, "Well, let me grind the flour for you. Didn't you say before that there wasn't enough flour and that you needed to grind it again?"

Yunyin walked ahead and said with a smile, "Okay, grind more, and I'll make more steamed buns."

The two returned to the inn together. Yunyin went to the storeroom to get wheat, but Fu Wang quickly stopped her, saying, "Let me do this heavy work. Don't hurt your back."

Yunyin helped Fu Wang drag the bag of wheat to the mill. She said speechlessly, "I have no problem with this weight. You're just being too cautious."

Fu Wang didn't care what Yun Yin said. He pulled her aside to stop her from touching him and led the horse over to start grinding wheat.

Seeing that there was nothing for her to do here, Yunyin said to Fu Wang, "Alright, you stay here and do your work, I'll go to the kitchen to get busy."

Fu Wang wanted to keep her there to talk, but before he could even speak, Yunyin had already disappeared without a trace. He shook his head and could only continue with his work.

Yunyin returned to the kitchen and saw that Feng Hai had just come back as well. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you busy right now? If not, come and make some steamed buns for me."

Feng Hai asked in surprise, "Why are you making steamed buns at this hour?"

Yunyin: "I heard that Dazhu Village suffered a disaster and the officials have already gone there. I'm going to make some steamed buns and send them to them. I'm afraid Dazhu Village can't afford to entertain them. Although it's an order from above for them to clear the official road, it does save us trouble. It's only right that we make some food for them."

"We should also send some food to the people of Dazhu Village. They are all fellow villagers, and we shouldn't show favoritism to one another."

Seeing this, Feng Hai nodded and said, "Alright, I'll help you make it." He got up to get the flour and said to Yun Yin, "Let's call Zheng Guilan over to help. It's not difficult. With her help, we can finish faster."

When Zheng Guilan was mentioned, Yunyin remembered that her ex-husband's family seemed to be from Dazhu Village. She nodded and said, "I'll ask her."

"My lady called me?" Zheng Guilan was sweeping the snow in the yard when she heard Yunyin call her. She quickly put down the broom and went to the kitchen. When she heard Yunyin talk about Dazhu Village, she became unusually somber. Although the Fang family had treated her badly in the past, there were still some people who had been kind to her. She wondered how they were doing now.

Zheng Guilan snapped out of her daze and saw Yunyin looking at her with concern. She cheered herself up and said, "Let me help you, my wife. I can still make steamed buns."

Yunyin took out the old dough she had stored in the cabinet. When using this dough, you need to add alkaline water so that the dough won't turn sour. You have to be careful with the amount of alkaline water. If you add too little, the sour taste won't be removed. If you add too much, the dough will turn yellow and won't taste good, so you have to be extra careful.

She estimated that the dough had fermented enough and could smell a distinct sourness. She poured the appropriate amount of alkaline water onto the dough in batches, kneading it while simultaneously kneading in the flour from the work surface. She kneaded and pressed the dough repeatedly to ensure that the alkaline water was evenly distributed throughout it.

This step required a lot of effort. Yunyin kneaded a ball of dough, while Feng Hai and Zheng Guilan each kneaded a ball of dough on the other side. The three of them worked together and finally made a large basket of mixed grain steamed buns.

Although the multigrain steamed buns look grayish and not as good as white flour steamed buns, they are very fluffy because they are fermented properly and are not dry.

Yunyin handed the large basket of steamed buns to Zhang Lin, saying, "Go to Dazhu Village and distribute these steamed buns to the constables and disaster victims." Looking at Zhang Lin's much stronger physique, she was still worried that he might be bullied by someone alone. She called Ma Hao over and said, "Go with him. Come back as soon as possible."

After Zhang Lin left, Yunyin was about to go back when she saw Zheng Guilan looking worried. She comforted her, "Don't worry, let Zhang Lin go and check first. If you're really worried, you can go with him."

Zheng Guilan shook her head and said, "Forget it, I'd better not go looking for trouble. I just hope my friends are all well."

Seeing that she had calmed down, Yunyin didn't say anything more, just patted her shoulder and went back to the main hall.

Upon entering, she saw Yinshuang drawing. She raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, saying, "Why are you drawing?"

Yinshuang put down her paintbrush, covered her mouth and chuckled: "Song Shi said before that if he didn't have time, he would ask me to paint the other landscapes for him. Since the weather is nice today, I painted the snow plum blossoms. After the snow, the moisture is high and they don't dry easily."

Yunyin looked at her painting of plum blossoms blooming amidst swirling snow. It was indeed very elegant and, given the current weather, perfectly suited to the occasion.

Yunyin: "Alright, then you can keep drawing. Don't tire yourself out. I'm not in a hurry to finish this."

She took a walk around and found that everything that needed to be done had been done. Although there hadn't been any customers due to the snow, the lobby was still spotless, and even the snow on the roof had been cleared. Yunyin couldn't help but marvel at how diligent these people were.

After lunch, Yunyin was about to rest when Zhang Lin and Ma Hao stormed in, looking furious. She looked at them and called out, "What's wrong with you two? What's wrong? Did someone bully you?"

Zhang Lin took a deep breath and shook his head, saying, "No, it just so happens that the people of Dazhu Village are utterly depraved, and even County Magistrate Zhou's attempts to persuade them were futile."

Yunyin, finding Zhang Lin's explanation vague, pressed him for details: "What exactly happened? Explain yourself clearly."

Zheng Guilan also ran over and stared at the two of them, but Fu Wang calmly said, "Ma Hao, you tell me, what happened?"

Seeing that Zhang Lin was still angry, Ma Hao, though also angry, had seen many such things in his early years and was calmer than Zhang Lin. He sighed and said, "Several families in Dazhu Village suffered severe disasters and happened to run into someone who came to their village to buy people, so they thought of selling their daughters to exchange for some grain."

Yunyin frowned and said, "Doesn't the county distribute relief grain?" She had heard Zhou Chang mention it before. Although it wasn't much, it would at least help them get by. Combined with the grain they had stored up, they shouldn't have to sell their children.

This was exactly what angered Ma Hao. He clenched his fist and said, "Who says otherwise? But Fang Qing and the others said that girls are useless and that it would be better to sell them and exchange them for some grain. If there is one less person to feed, the family will be better off."

These words made Yunyin unconsciously frown. "Are there many people selling women in Dazhu Village?"

Ma Hao sighed and said, "Besides Fang Qing and the others, there are four other families who want to sell their daughters. They are not like Fang Qing, but their families are really in dire straits. They didn't have much food stored up before, and even if the county government gives them relief grain, it won't last until next spring. They want to take advantage of people coming to buy people and get some money to buy some food."

Seeing that Yunyin's brows were getting tighter and tighter, Fu Wang couldn't help but step forward and stroke them, patting her shoulder and saying, "What do you want to do? Don't look so worried. If I can help, just tell me."

Yunyin looked up at him, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I want to buy them. What do you think?"

This was the first time she had ever spoken about buying people. With Zhang Lin and the others, she had only signed contracts that did not restrict their personal freedom. Buying people was different; their lives would be in her hands. She had always worried that things would change if she stayed in Dazhao for too long, so she never dared to talk about buying people until she heard about this today.

If she hadn't heard about it, she would have had no idea whether these girls' fates were good or bad. But now that she knew, she couldn't let these girls fall into the mire. She had heard from Ma Hao that those who bought them were not from respectable families. It was only because Zhou Chang was there that they could be stopped. Next time, they might be sold to brothels.

It would have been one thing if she didn't have the ability, but now that she does, and she has the money, why not do it? She may not be able to save everyone, but saving these few would be good enough.

Fu Wang patted her head and said, "Since you want to buy it, then buy it. I'll have Ma Hao do it, so you don't need to get involved."

"Can Ma Hao do it?"

Fu Wang: "Don't underestimate him. He's very familiar with these things. You can leave it to him with confidence."

Yunyin nodded vigorously and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Fu Wang shook his head: "No need, you don't need to be so polite to me, it's too formal. We're friends."

Looking at Fu Wang who was so close to her, Yunyin took a slight step back and nodded again, saying, "I know, I'm just used to saying thank you."

Fu Wang looked at the person who was a little further away from him. He wanted to go forward but was afraid of scaring her, so he held back. He nodded and said, "It's good that you understand."

Yunyin went back to her room, grabbed a bag of money, and handed it to Ma Hao, saying, "Don't get into a conflict with them. Just bring those girls back safely."

Ma Hao took the money pouch and said succinctly, "Don't worry, Lady Yun."

Watching his departing figure, Yunyin wished him all the best.

When Zheng Guilan heard that Yunyin planned to buy those girls, she finally felt relieved. She was worried because she knew that some of the girls being sold were people who had helped her in the past. She only regretted that she was powerless to help them.

Seeing that her master had saved the children, Fang He's tense face relaxed, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face. She cheered, "I'll go prepare things for them, Master. Let them live with me."

Yunyin raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you still living with your mother? Is there enough room for both of you?"

Zheng Guilan stepped forward and said, "Madam Yun, let them live with me. They all know me and will be able to adapt more quickly. With me watching over them, you don't need to worry."

After thinking for a moment, Yunyin said, "Alright, let them stay with you. I'll give you two more blankets, and also prepare some clothes for them, as they probably don't even have any clothes to wear."

Zheng Guilan said "Okay" and went to prepare, and Fang He followed along to help.

Yunyin couldn't help but smile as she looked at them. She was about to go back and prepare some snacks when she heard Yinshuang say, "If I had met someone like you back then, I wouldn't have ended up in a brothel."

Looking into her sorrowful eyes, Yunyin stepped forward and patted her shoulder, saying, "Now that Lady Yinshuang has turned her fortunes around, even without me, you are living your life very well, aren't you?"

Yinshuang shook her head and sighed, then went back to painting. Yunyin didn't know what to say either, so she also sighed and walked down to the kitchen.

Seeing that she was a little sad, Fu Wang stepped forward to comfort her, saying, "What you said is true. Lady Yinshuang has indeed achieved what she has today through her own hard work."

Yunyin paused slightly, looked up at Fu Wang, and asked, "Do you know about Yinshuang?"

Fu Wang shook his head and then nodded. "I've only heard Lu Xuan mention it a few times. You know that Lady Yinshuang was once a famous courtesan in Chang'an. In fact, she was from an official family. Her family committed a crime and was supposed to be sent to the brothel, but her former fiancé helped her and saved her from trouble."

"If she could have married her former fiancé, she wouldn't have fallen into such a lowly status. But as the saying goes, beautiful women often have tragic fates. She was favored by a nobleman, but her fiancé abandoned her in the blink of an eye."

Fu Wang sighed and said, "As for how she ended up in prostitution and how she met Lu Xuan, I don't know. Although Lu Xuan liked Yinshuang, his family had already arranged a fiancée for him. He wanted to take Yinshuang as a concubine. Although his wife did not object, she did not say no either."

Yunyin asked in surprise, "Does Lady Yinshuang dislike Lu Xuan?"

Fu Wang: "Perhaps she likes him, but Lady Yinshuang has her pride. Even though she is already in the mud, she is unwilling to give up. She does not want to become Lu Xuan's concubine. She must also want to be free. Being forced into prostitution back then was probably the most painful thing in her heart."

Although Yunyin knew that Yinshuang had many stories, she didn't expect it to be like this. She sighed and said, "It's not easy for anyone, but now everything is getting better, and the future will definitely be smooth sailing for everyone."

"I still have some hot pot base left. On days like this, we should have a good meal. Everyone will be in a good mood after eating. Let's cook another hot pot. When Ma Hao brings those girls back, I'll cook them a clear broth. We'll still have the spicy one."

Fu Wang's eyes were gentle: "If you want to eat it, then make it. We'll listen to you. Next year, I'll help you grow more chili peppers so you can eat your fill."

Yunyin turned to look at him, "Aren't you going to do escort work next year?"

Fu Wang hummed in agreement. "I was planning to take a break. Could you take me in? I have nowhere else to go. Can I stay here with you?"