Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Entrustment and Preparation.
In front of the village pavilion, the village assistant counted the number of people in each household in Benguli and said to the village headman:
"The only ones missing are Mrs. Xiao and her daughter."
"It's her! This vicious woman!"
Ji Fu said excitedly,
"My Ji family only has this one boy, he is our life!"
His clothes had just been torn by Jin, exposing his arms and legs in pieces. He sat paralyzed on the ground, screaming.
This Mrs. Xiao is a refugee who settled in Benguli last year. She is generous and often gives eggs and vegetables to her neighbors. Neighbors all praise her for her kindness.
Jin also liked to take advantage of such things and often interacted with her. That day, Mrs. Xiao was in her yard, playing with Ji Huhai and praising him:
"This child is a bit chubby and really likable."
Because she bought snacks like paste rings and biscuits for her little one, whenever she saw Ji Huhai playing outside, she would wave to him and give him something to eat. Ji Huhai also became close to her and often called her Aunt Xiao, Aunt Xiao, very affectionately.
Mrs. Xiao lived a better life than most families in Benguli. Everyone just assumed that she was wealthy before she fled. Now think about it, it is incredible that a woman with her daughter traveled thousands of miles from Guandong to Kuaiji, surrounded by refugees, and still managed to keep her money.
"He must have mixed in with the refugees to hide from the public!" said a villager.
Jin didn't scream, but the continuous blows left her stunned.
Ji Yuan was still wearing her wedding dress, wiping her tears beside him, and Ji Zhi also cried out of fear.
Today, the eldest daughter of the family is getting married, and Mrs. Xiao has been invited to the banquet. The family is busy, and no one cares about Ji Huhai. Jin used food to coax him in the morning, and told him to go play and stop making noise.
Later, the couple both ran out of the house, leaving Ji Zhi busy at home. The guests gradually left, and she had time to look for Ji Huhai for dinner. She couldn't find him in front of or behind the house, so she panicked.
"You debt collector!"
Ji Fu jumped up from the ground and slapped Ji Zhi in the face, "You can't even take care of your brother! I raised you for nothing!"
He came down so fast that everyone exclaimed, and when they reacted, they hurriedly stopped him and tried to persuade him.
"Let's talk it over nicely. This is your daughter, don't hurt her if you hit her again." Ji Zhi's face was swollen as if the back of his finger was thick. He covered his face with his hands and sobbed. He felt very guilty in his heart, but he didn't dare to talk back.
"A boy is like a wolf, a girl is like a mouse! How come it wasn't you who was lost? If I can't find my tiger boy, don't ever come into my house again!"
Ji Fu pointed and cursed, veins popping up on his face, and he impulsively wanted to hit someone again.
Everyone uttered a cry and could only try to stop her, but they saw the stunned Jin come back to her senses and start fighting with Ji Fu.
"It's you! You gave my daughter to the Zhao family as a concubine, and you just kept coaxing me at home! That's why we have to marry my daughter off today! Otherwise, Tiger Boy wouldn't have been lost!"
Ji Fu fought back and cursed, "Mad woman, crazy woman! You invite thieves into your home all day long, which is why today's disaster happened!"
The two sides started fighting, and their hair was a mess.
When everyone heard how much trouble was going on here, and saw that the couple was fighting but not using violence against the child, they let go, tried to persuade them, and stopped trying to stop them, letting them fight until dawn.
It was Liang Zhao, the village headman, who saw this and shouted:
"Stop! Mrs. Jin, you have beaten your husband in public. You have committed the crime of being thrown into the open! Even if your husband is not virtuous, your wife should not be disobedient. Thinking of your pain of losing your child, I will stop and I will not prosecute you.
And you, Ji Fu! A husband is the leader of his wife, but instead of setting a good example, you're fighting with your own woman. Why don't you just let go now!"
Together with two village officials, they finally pulled the man away and said:
"I will submit this case to the county court. If the thief woman hasn't left the county and can be stopped by the defenses, you can disperse to the countryside and forests and search carefully. The child may have run away to play on her own and hasn't returned yet."
"Ji Huhai——"
"Tiger boy—"
Until midnight, the dogs barked incessantly because of the torches, and all the adults in the village were unable to find the missing Ji Huhai. Mrs. Xiao's house was also deserted, and everyone gradually believed that Ji Huhai had been abducted by Mrs. Xiao.
"Mrs. Xiao once invited us to get on her ox cart and carry us to the county. It's really scary to think about it. Fortunately, my sister took us with her and preferred to walk." Ji Feng patted his chest and said with lingering fear.
"She wanted to give Xiaozhu some preserved dates, but she refused."
Jizhu thought of this and said, this Mrs. Xiao is a very kind person. She saw Jizhu and Chen Suier picking willow branches near her house and gave them food.
Ji Zhu was shy to begin with, and Ji Xu had taught her not to ask for things from strangers, so she shook her head and didn't take it.
Ji Feng held her on both sides and said, "Really? Thank goodness! Who knows if her preserved dates were drugged? You would have passed out if you had eaten them."
Then he regretted it for a moment, "I accepted two painted eggs from her earlier, thinking she was just being kind. I really shouldn't have done that. I wonder what this wicked woman was up to at the time."
Ji Huhai next door was a living person. They had been cursing and resentful of him before, but now he was gone. No one wanted to be in this situation.
A few days later, Ji Xu was worried about the reply from Youzhou, so he went to the post office to inquire about it, but returned empty-handed.
The postman Chen said, "Perhaps she received the letter and returned straight away without sending you a letter. After all, the two places are so far apart, and sending a letter by mail would cost a lot of money. If you wait a little longer, she might have arrived home."
May, commonly known as the evil month, has many taboos, such as avoiding drying bedding and mats in the sun and building houses.
Ji Xu bought five kinds of thin threads at a cloth shop: red, yellow, blue, green and purple. He braided them into rings and tied them around the wrists of the three sisters.
"This is a longevity thread. Wear it in May to ward off evil and bring good fortune." Ji Xu said.
"I will definitely bless mother to come back safely." Ji Feng said.
On May 5th, every household hangs mugwort in front of their doors.
Ji Xu also planned to pull wild mugwort from the mountains, tie it into a human shape, and hang it in front of his house to ward off the poisonous gas.
Because the library was temporarily closed, her two younger sisters were at home recently and accompanied her to pick mugwort.
I carried a basket on my back and was returning home from the mountains when I saw Wang Mazi's family also hanging mugwort. Wang Li was not tall, so he stood on a wooden table and jumped high to hang it to show off his ability.
His mother, Cao, said angrily, "Don't stop, or you'll get hurt!"
When passing by Cui's house, the aroma of rice dumplings and glutinous rice wafted out of the chimney. Cui Guangzong returned home from the iron shop with a small jar of calamus wine in his hand.
Liao met him at the gate, brushed the dust off his shoulders, and asked, "Are you tired? We've made some rice dumplings at home, and they're cooking on the cauldron. Mother will pick one for you to eat."
Then he called inside, "Sisi! Guangyao! Look who's back to reunite with us!"
Cui Guangyao and Cui Si rushed out one after another, surrounding them from the left and right.
"Brother, you're back!"
"Mom doesn't allow us to eat rice dumplings, saying she is waiting for you!" Cui Si said.
Liao patted her head and said with a smile, "You silly girl, you're making up stories about your mother again. I didn't allow you to eat any, and you even stole one just now."
They passed by behind and could not help but feel longing when they saw it. Ji Feng sighed gloomily:
"Why hasn't mother returned yet? She should have been home by the date the postman Chen mentioned."
They thought about their mother in the past, but the deceased is gone, and that longing is hidden deep in their hearts. Ever since they knew their mother was still alive, the longing that was rooted in their bones sprouted overnight and grew into a towering tree. Whenever a gust of wind blew by, they were left alone and missed their mother.
Ji Zhu clung to Ji Xu more and more, rubbing her little face against her belly, and remained silent.
Ji Huhai could not be found, the thief woman disappeared, and the main house was in a mess recently. The weeds in front of the yard were two feet high. One day, the two sisters Ji Yuan and Ji Zhi came with sickles to clean them up.
The two adults in the family don't take care of things. One lies lazily on the bed and groans, while the other always scolds his daughter in the yard, and the neighbors can hear it.
Ji Zhi didn't dare to talk back and could only clean up the house quietly.
Ji Fu was not at peace at home either. He secretly rummaged through Jin's dowry boxes and stole her pocket money.
Jin was not asleep yet and listened to it. She turned over and cursed, and was pulled and dragged. Then she was kicked in the heart and fell to the head of the bed, unable to move, holding her chest and gasping for breath.
Ji Fu got the money bag and went to Zhao's gambling house to get his money back. He cried:
"Please judge for yourself. The man from the Zhao family I found for my eldest daughter may be a concubine, but as the saying goes, it's better to be a concubine in a rich family than a wife in a poor family. What's wrong with my daughter marrying into the Zhao family and wearing gold and silver?
That woman has been constantly opposing me, offending the Zhao family, ruining her marriage, and ruining her reputation. Wouldn't it be better for her to marry a cook in the future?"
The man in the gambling house sympathized with him and said, "This woman is short-sighted and difficult to deal with!"
Until the end of May, more than two months had passed, and there was still no news. Tian had not returned home, and Ji Xu couldn't help but think a lot.
Youzhou is far away from Chang'an. When Tian went to Chang'an from the Mian River to look for his daughter, why did he end up in Youzhou?
Is it because I don't know the address and have not received her letter, or is it because I have received it but am short of money and cannot afford the postage, so I cannot reply or raise the money to go home?
Or did something go wrong on the way back?
Unfortunately, these speculations cannot be verified as we are three thousand miles away, and waiting any longer is no solution.
For this reason, Ji Xu decided to go to Youzhou to find his mother.
She moved the pickle jar in the corner of the west room and dug out the ten silver cakes from the ground.
I originally intended to use these fifty taels of silver for emergency purposes, and the situation I’m facing now is urgent.
She took out five pieces and buried the remaining five pieces back in the ground.
At dinner time, she told her sisters about her plan, "It's been more than two months. I want to go to Jixian County in Youzhou to look for mother. I'll use half of the fifty taels of silver at home to help me."
Ji Feng said, "Okay, let's go and find mother together."
Ji Xu said, "The road to Youzhou is long. You and Xiaozhu should wait for me at home. I'll ask the Chen family to take care of you while I'm gone. You should also be careful not to go out alone and don't go with strangers."
It's a long journey, and it's not convenient to take two children with you. Besides, we don't know what we will encounter. Home is better. It's safer to entrust them to the Chen family before leaving.
When Ji Feng heard this, she became anxious. "It's a long way, so I want to go with my sister. If my sister wants to take a nap on the way, I can help her with her luggage. Sister, please let me accompany you."
Xiaozhu is still young, so stay at home and study in elementary school. Don't let her fall behind in her studies. Since she's the only one here, we might as well entrust her to the Chen family for a while. The Chen family's grandparents and uncles and aunts love her dearly."
Four years ago, when her elder sister went out, she was coaxed into buying some gummi dough sticks, but her elder sister got lost. If she had not been so greedy and insisted on going with her, would her elder sister have not been kidnapped by thieves?
Before leaving last year, my mother said she would be back soon and asked her to take good care of her sister, but what she received was the news that she would be gone forever.
She was scared now and didn't dare to let her sister leave her like this. She wanted to go with her and protect her sister!
Ji Zhu said: "Xiao Zhu, don't go to other people's houses. Xiao Zhu also wants to accompany her sister. The library is temporarily closed, so Xiao Zhu doesn't need to study in elementary school."
The library was temporarily closed because Master Yang received a letter that his mother was seriously ill. He set off to return to his hometown in Qilu to fulfill his filial duties by her bedside.
If his mother passed away, and because his father had passed away early, he would mourn for his mother in Lu for three years.
Therefore, the library may not be able to reopen until three years at the latest. This is a private school run by Confucian scholars, and there are indeed many uncertain factors. It is difficult for ordinary people to study at this time.
"Xiaozhu can do things too. Don't be separated from your elder and second sisters." Jizhu begged, fearing that she would be left behind, with tears welling up in her eyes.
The two looked pitiful, and Ji Xu could not help but be moved. After thinking for a long time, he said:
"Okay! We sisters won't separate, we'll go together. But for this long journey, we must be fully prepared."
"Okay!" Feng and Zhu said in unison.
First of all, I had to take good care of my family so I wouldn't have to worry about anything. Since my sisters were going with me, there were two important things left at home:
One is the house and the livestock such as donkeys and chickens; the other is the business of the tofu shop in the county town.
"Youzhou? This is a long way to go. Are you really determined?"
The Chen family had close ties with them, and Aunt Lu was the first to know that Tian was still alive. She had been worried about them recently because Tian had not returned. Now that she heard that they were going to go look for her in person, she was extremely worried.
"I have to go there to find out the truth. I have to be shameless and entrust my family to my grandmother."
She also told her how much fodder the livestock ate every day, where she bought it, and she had left the money with Lu Ai in advance.
"If your mother needs this donkey when she goes to market, just take it out of the stable and use it as your own."
"Don't worry, we will take good care of the houses and livestock at home for you. There will be no shortage of them. If you need them, your mother will not be polite to you." said Aunt Lu.
Hearing her say this, Ji Xu felt relieved. After all, a round trip of three thousand miles would take at least two months for the Chen family.
Lu Mu was worried about her and asked, "What are your plans for the tofu shop now that you're gone? Will you close it for the time being?"
Ji Xu said, "It doesn't matter. Just do it as usual. I'll tell my mother how to make tofu. I'll have to trouble your family to make tofu for a while."
If this tofu shop is open as usual, she can make a profit of 8,000 yuan every month. Behind this is the livelihood of the four families of Chen, Wang, Deng and Liu. If one of them closes, all five families will suffer.
After considering it, she came up with two options. One was to buy slaves, but it was difficult to find slaves from decent backgrounds, which would only bring trouble. Moreover, slaves also needed supervision from their masters, and it was not possible to perfect them in a short period of time.
The second is to entrust the shop and the recipe to the Chen family. After deducting the cost, the profit of the tofu shop will be distributed to the Chen family at a rate of 30%, and a confidentiality agreement will be signed.
He came to see Lady Lu to discuss the second method. When Lady Lu heard about it, she said:
"You sound very thoughtful. However, the tofu shop in the county is your main business, unlike the scattered sales in the countryside. Helping to run it is just a contribution of manpower. If you give 30% of the profit to my family, you will earn much less.
We'll need a lot of money on this trip to Youzhou. As the saying goes, a poor family makes a rich journey. We have 20% which is more than enough. Any more would make us feel uneasy."
Their family's life is getting better and better because of Xu Nu's small business. Now Chen Gou'er has also become Wang Dianji's apprentice and is learning accounting. This is all because Xu Nu is on good terms with Wang Dianji and always speaks well of him.
Now that they are traveling far away, I just want to lend a hand, so it is not appropriate to ask for 30% profit. In the end, we agreed on 20%.
The deed was drafted by Ji Xu. Since no one in the Chen family could read, she asked the village head, a third party, to read it to the Chen family and act as a witness. Both families put their fingerprints on the deed, and the matter was settled that day.
Ji Xu taught her and Zhuang Hui Niang how to make tofu. The aunt and daughter-in-law got the hang of it quickly. The next day, they made tofu that Ji Xu taught them. It was tender, smooth, and square, and looked great.
Ji Xu said, "I have always been worried about this shop. After seeing the tofu made by my mother and aunt, I feel relieved."
He made the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law laugh, and then told them where the household utensils were and how to feed the livestock with bean dregs. He told them to choose a good day to go out, and before leaving, he would give the house key to the Chen family, so that they could travel with peace of mind.
I have entrusted the family to me, but I also have to think about the details of the trip and plan the route.
She took the map and went to Chen You's house to ask him which route was more convenient to take to Youzhou.
Since it was still May, I brought two colorful longevity threads for his two children and twenty rice dumplings.
His wife Fang was delighted and said enthusiastically:
"You're so polite! Come inside and sit down. There's no paperwork to deliver today. He's out piling in the field. I'll go get him."
Postman Chen came back, washed his face, and took a look at the map.
After all, he handled a lot of documents, saw a lot of routes, and knew the distribution of post offices in various places. He was very familiar with the route. After thinking for a while, he said:
"If you ask me, you should first travel by land to Wu County, then go all the way north to Pengcheng. Once you arrive in Pengcheng, take a canal boat to the Si River, heading west to Xingyang. Then, take the Handan Guangyang Road north to Youzhou. Ji County, the capital of Yan State, is on this road.
The roads I'm talking about are all major ones. The land routes are accompanied by highways, and there are many boats coming and going at the ferry crossings, so they are safer after all."
Ji Xu compared the stations mentioned by Chen Yuren on the map, memorized them, and asked:
"I see most of the routes are overland. Can we go there in our own ox cart? That way we can save money on hiring a cart and carry more stuff. Otherwise, we can't carry much with just human labor."
Postman Chen smiled and said, "Of course. You have your own ox cart, so it's much cheaper. Have you registered for the ox cart?"
After hearing what she said, Yin said, "Then this car won't be a problem for long trips."
"Sister, you're back. Have you decided on a route?"
At home, Ji Feng was greeted by someone.
Ji Xu said, "It's settled. I just asked the village headman to prepare a biography for the three of us sisters. However, we are leaving the county and going to Youzhou. The county court can't handle it. We need to submit it to the county governor for review. It will take seven or eight days to complete it. This is a good time to prepare your luggage."
As he spoke, he spread out the rice grains that had been drying on the bamboo winnowing basket. When he pinched them with his fingernails, he found that the cores had dried hard.
Ji Feng said, "The sun is shining, and the rice I cooked this morning has been poured out and dried in the sun."
After cooking, the rice is exposed to the sun and dehydrated, and it becomes a kind of dry food called "糒". It can be eaten by soaking it in hot water. When it is inconvenient to make a fire when traveling, you can soak it in cold water for a longer time to soften it and use it to satisfy your hunger.
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