Chapter 60: Brother Kaizhi of Society
The summer heat in Mingzhou is no less than that in Chang'an. During the month of cicada chirping, the following events occurred.
First, news came from Chang'an that Li Siyan summoned Xiaochuan to the palace to serve as a palace attendant.
This news was clearly spread by Li Siyan, with obvious exaggeration. Would a child of my Shen family squat and cry at the gate of Zichen Hall because he didn't want to take office? It was obvious with my toes that this must be a rumor spread by Li Siyan to trick me into going back to save Xiaochuan.
Of course I was unmoved and cursed the dog emperor in my heart: You are fooling people with such low-level rumors!
Xiaochuan has grown up and can take on the family business. I am not Zhang Qian, who treats his younger brother like a child at his age. I have my own life to live, so don't try to trick me into going back!
The second thing is that Li Siyan built a cenotaph for me in the ancestral tomb of the Shen family on the outskirts of Chang'an.
This is a bit unexpected.
I bit the cup and thought for a long time why he did this. This was unlike him. He was such a psychopath, how could he allow my belongings to be buried in the ancestral tomb?
After thinking about it for a long time without coming to a conclusion, I vaguely felt that this might be my aunt's request. Given my aunt's personality, she would definitely risk her life to reunite our family in the underworld.
If she threatened to commit suicide, Li Siyan would have no choice but to agree, because he also knew that if I were still alive, the only thing I would be worried about would be them, an orphan and a widow. If my aunt died, I would really have no reason to go back to Chang'an.
I sighed and suddenly missed them very much.
My aunt is gone now, and Xiaochuan has grown up and is about to fly far away. She is the only one left in this big house where she goes in and out three times. How is she going to live?
The third thing was not so heavy. After three months of hard work, Zhang Zhi finally achieved some success and amazed everyone at the literary meeting.
The scholars were all wondering how he suddenly got it, and they gathered around to ask him, but Zhang Zhi remembered my teachings and was not allowed to mention me in any public place, so he just smiled shyly and did not answer. In the evening, he came back and excitedly told me about his big success that day.
As usual, I offered encouragement: "This shows that you have some talent. As long as you lay a solid foundation, you will achieve greater things in the future."
Zhang Zhi had a simple and honest face and smiled with great happiness.
After seeing Zhang Zhi off at the tavern, I listened to some trivial news for a while, got up, paid the bill, and slowly walked back to my residence.
As soon as I went out, I found that today was the Qiqiao Festival. The streets were decorated with lights and it was very lively. A young girl and her husband were out for a walk, holding various exquisite Qiqiao fruits in their hands. The fruits were exquisite and lovely, and the craftsmanship was not inferior to that of the chefs in Chang'an.
Suddenly I thought of my hometown and felt lost, so I went to the stall and bought myself a bag of Qiqiao fruit.
Seeing that I was well-dressed and looked like someone wealthy, the boss said enthusiastically, "Young lady, it would be unsatisfying for you to just eat the Qiqiao fruit. Why not try some of the Sushan from my stall? It's a new and exotic product that just arrived from Chang'an, and it's perfect for your character."
"Judging from your accent, are you from Chang'an?" I asked.
"Exactly!" The other person laughed. "It's not easy to live in Chang'an. Come and make a living somewhere else."
In the spirit of caring for my fellow villagers, I agreed to buy a bowl of Sushan, but the craftsman's craftsmanship was far inferior to Yunniang's. The cheese was too astringent, the crushed ice was sticky, and it tasted very ordinary.
I suddenly felt very lonely.
During my days in Mingzhou, freedom was real, but loneliness was also real. There were no people I knew, and no familiar dishes. I talked with Zhang Zhi, Lu Chen, Tan Wei and others during the day, but when night fell, I was the only one left under the lamp. Sometimes the room was visited by rats, and I couldn't find anyone to help me drive them out. I could only fight them for three hundred rounds with tears in my eyes.
The result, of course, was that he was tortured and couldn't sleep all night. The next day, with a pair of dull walnut eyes, he went to East Street to hire a cat slave, but he didn't find one. After returning home at night, he felt even more sad.
I wouldn’t find it a problem on other days, but today is the Qiqiao Festival, and everyone on the street is in pairs, but I’m all alone, which makes me feel very unhappy.
Of the two peach blossoms that bloomed, one was pinched off and thrown away, and the other almost took my life. Experience tells me that I should not get close to men, or I will become unhappy.
I took out a Qiqiao fruit and put it in my mouth, looking into the distance.
Suddenly, a whirlwind blew past me. Before I could react, my hands were empty. My heart skipped a beat and I instinctively reached for my waist—empty again: my purse! My purse!
There are three taels of silver in it, which I earned by painstakingly painting three spring paintings!
Three books!
Without a second thought, I ran after him, shouting, "You bastard! Stop right there! Give me back my purse!"
It was obvious that the thief was an old hand. He wore a short hemp cloth jacket which was convenient for committing crimes, covered his face, and hid in the alleys. I chased him into two alleys, but saw that there was no light in front and it was pitch black. I was scared and didn't dare to chase him anymore.
Three taels of silver were gone just like that. I was so angry that I felt dizzy and rubbed my temples vigorously. I felt so heartbroken. Damn it! Did he steal my money? It was clearly the wing room of my future house!
"Shameless thief, don't let me see you next time!"
I muttered sadly, dragging my weak steps and slowly walking back to the right path.
As I walked, I gradually heard the sound of a kitten meowing, which looked very pitiful.
I suddenly thought about it and remembered what happened yesterday when I failed to hire a cat slave. Could it be that God is finally going to give me the cat that is destined for me?
A blessing in disguise!
I immediately turned around and ran towards the sound, but I didn't see the kitten, only a little girl about ten years old.
The little girl had a shrill voice and when she cried it sounded very much like an animal. Then I realized that I had misheard.
"Young lady, why are you crying?" I leaned over and asked her.
The little girl raised her eyes, pursed her lips with tears in her eyes, and without answering, she ran straight into a dilapidated house. With a slight click, her figure completely disappeared.
My purse was lost, I didn't catch the raccoon, and I saw a little girl crying on the roadside. All the bad things happened at the same time. I was in a very depressed mood and had no mood to stroll around the street. I returned home in a depressed mood.
The house was empty, as usual. I lit the lights, went up to the second floor, and stared at the night sky. The moon on Chinese Valentine's Day looked like a half-cut cake, not as round as in the middle of the month, nor as charming as at the beginning of the month. There were a few stars scattered around, but my eyesight was poor and I couldn't see clearly.
The night wind was hot and I lay listlessly by the window.
It's so boring. If Shushu or Yide could be here, it would be great. At least there would be someone to talk to. I don't know if they are doing well or if Li Siyan has made things difficult for them...
Shushu is fine, but Yide might have a hard time. He was the eunuch I promoted to the Purple Palace, and no one can protect him except me. Sigh... Moreover, he was one of the few people serving by my side that day. If he lost me, he will definitely be punished along with Huiyue...
A strong sense of guilt hit me. I closed my eyes and shook my head, telling myself not to think too much about it. Since the matter is done, I should just focus on living a good life.
Looking at the twinkling lights in the distance and Kaizhi who was making an appointment with his lover outside the yard after dusk, I closed the window and secretly made up my mind: a girl cannot live alone, I must buy a maid to accompany me!
So, before dawn the next day, I took all my belongings and went to the alley where slaves were sold with Kaizhi.
Although he said it was all his belongings, in fact he only had a pitiful two taels of silver. On the way, Kaizhi told me that two taels was really too little and could only buy a stupid and old maid who could do rough work. If he wanted to buy a delicate one, he would have to pay at least three taels.
He even told me proudly, "When the Zhang family bought me, they gave the matchmaker three taels and eight qian of silver. Tanwei is not as good as me. He is only worth three taels, hehehe."
I replied bluntly, "That's because your husband doesn't take on responsibilities! Since he doesn't take on responsibilities, of course he needs someone smart to serve him. I don't need that. I just need someone to help with the laundry and cooking."
Kaizhi's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said with a smile, "Madam, why didn't you tell me earlier? If this is all you ask, then two taels is more than enough. Do you have a favorite candidate?"
We had barely reached the main street, not even the sight of the slave market, when he asked if I had anyone in mind. First, I needed to meet the person!
I looked up at Kaizhi again.
The little bastard smiled innocently, but he was actually full of evil intentions.
"Are you asking this because you want to recommend someone to me?" I asked suspiciously, "If someone shows you kindness without any reason, they're either a traitor or a thief. You insist on coming with me to buy someone, are you trying to take advantage of this opportunity to rip me off?"
Kaizhi cried out in injustice: "Oh, Madam Wang, you have wronged me so much! I didn't mean to do that. I just wanted to introduce someone I know to you. As the saying goes, good things should be kept within the family. Madam Wang is a very good master. Rather than letting others take advantage of her, I'd rather take care of someone I know."
I snorted, "You're making a lot of noise about what you're thinking. I'm not stupid, how could I not know you?"
Kaizhi approached again with a playful smile: "Since Madam Wang has seen through it, that's great. I don't need to beat around the bush. I do have a suitable girl I want to recommend to you. She is a little older, ten years old. Her family used to run a winery. She is calm and knows how to make wine. If she were a boy, I would not be willing to give her to you, Madam Wang, and would definitely encourage our husband to buy her."
"A winery?" I recalled the price of wine in Chang'an. "It's a very profitable business. Why would a family like this want to sell their daughter?"
Kaizhi said, "Who says it's not true? The fault lies with this girl's father. Someone coveted her family's winery and tricked her father into gambling. You know, once a person gets involved in gambling, it's the end. He won't turn back until he loses everything. In less than half a year, he's ended up in disgrace. Now he's even giving up his young daughter. He's truly committing a sin."
"She's unlucky to have such a father." My sympathy was aroused, and just as I was about to move, I suddenly felt strange and turned to Kaizhi and asked, "How do you know so much about her family's situation?"
Kaizhi touched his nose and said, "Her sister and I are somewhat acquainted. You've met her too. She's the girl who brought me wine at the alley entrance last night."
I had a vague impression: "The elder sister of this family was also sold?"
"Yes, thanks to her sister's winemaking skills and her age, a tavern bought her, so at least she didn't end up in such a shabby place." Kaizhi said, "The younger sister wasn't so lucky. She waited for a few days but no one was willing to pay a high price, so they had to take her to the market to sell her."
We both sighed at the sisters' miserable fate, turned two streets and entered a dark alley.
This alley seemed to be in a different city from the clean and tidy streets outside. It was littered with garbage, discarded ropes and weeds. Many strange-looking people were squatting by the wall, looking at me with ill intentions.
I was so scared that I grabbed Kaizhi tightly: "Is this where slaves are sold? So scary?"
Kaizhi was surprised and said, "Yes, you only have two taels of silver. A proper matchmaker would charge half a tael just for finding someone. If you don't come to this black market, where can you buy it?"
I was still afraid: "Why don't I save some more money, at least to go somewhere decent..."
Kaizhi said helplessly, "My dear sister, you're already here, why are you still trying to back out? I'm here with you, what are you afraid of?"
I thought to myself that I was afraid because you were around, afraid that you would sell me off.
Kaizhi smiled and greeted a short man on the side of the road: "Hey, Brother Zhou, it's been a while. I want to ask you something. Has the little girl from the Lu Family Rice Wine Shop been sold?"
The man shook his head and pointed further into the alley. "She's still there. Her father wants to sell her to pay off his gambling debts and is demanding three taels of silver. The girl is not old enough, where can we find someone willing to pay three taels of silver?"
I glared at Kaizhi: "Didn't you say it only cost two taels? I don't have any extra money!"
The man was surprised and said, "Oh, you really found a sucker?"
Kaizhi gave me a guilty smile and whispered, "We can talk, we can talk."
He didn't give me a chance to regret and dragged me into the alley. After looking around, he pulled out a middle-aged man from a dark corner.
"Wake up!" Kaiyi changed his pleasant expression and said angrily with a sullen face, "I've brought people to buy your daughter!"
The man said sullenly, "Three taels, no bargaining."
Kaizhi sneered, "Have you been squatting here for several days? Those two cuts on your head were inflicted by a debt collector, right? Why don't you take a piss and see what kind of stuff you and your daughter are? I'll give you three taels. You'll be squatting here for the rest of your life and you won't be able to sell it!"
I pulled his sleeve because he was talking so much nonsense.
Kaizhi hinted to me not to talk too much and just watch his performance.
The man stood up and said, "Don't bother provoking me. I'm not short of money. If I can't sell it, then so be it. I'm here every day anyway. If you don't have three or two pieces, then forget it."
Kaizhi said angrily: "You are not short of money, but you still have the nerve..."
"It's you!"
Kaizhi's words were interrupted abruptly by me.
It was dim before, so I couldn't see clearly. But when the man stood up, I could clearly see his attire: a short hemp jacket, straw sandals, and a faint smell of wine dregs...
Isn’t this the thief who stole my purse yesterday!
I was furious, rolling up my sleeves and yelling, "Kaizhi! That thief stole my purse yesterday. I had three taels of silver in it! It's true that enemies meet on a narrow road, and I ran into him here. Come, help me tie up this bastard. I'm going to take him to the authorities and report him to the authorities!"
The man was startled and stammered, "I didn't...it wasn't me..."
Kaizhi frowned: "He stole your purse?"
I said, "Hurry up and search him! He hasn't changed his clothes yet. My purse must be on him. Inside is three taels of silver, ten copper coins, and the Qiqiao fruit I bought on the road!"
Kaizhi's eyes flashed, and he smiled and said, "Then things will be much easier."
Kaizhi's Qi sank into his Dantian, and he kicked the man who was trying to escape to the ground. He grinned as he rolled him, "I was wondering why you were suddenly not in a hurry to sell people anymore. It turns out you've found a new way to make money. Three taels, you're not afraid of choking on it. So, you're scared when you meet a victim? Come, go with me to the government office, and I'll show you how good prison food tastes!"
This man was truly a useless wimp. He had put up a token fight at first, but when Kaizhi summoned his cronies scattered throughout the alley, and the situation turned from a one-on-one fight into a group brawl, he quickly surrendered, rolling on the ground in tears, saying, "Gentlemen, spare me! You, don't you want my daughter? No money, I'll give it to you. Just let me go... Ah!"
"That's more like a proper talk. What were you doing before? You've wasted my new shoes."
Kaizhi kicked the man aside in disgust as if he had stepped on something dirty. He then quickly asked someone for his daughter's birth certificate, grabbed the man's thumb, and stamped a fingerprint on it.
"It's done." He handed me the indenture and grinned, "He's a thief with the will but no guts. It's his bad luck to run into you."
I was filled with grief and indignation: "I'm the unlucky one, okay? He gambled away all my three taels of silver. Three taels! I earned it by painting three spring paintings!"
Kaizhi comforted me: "At least you got a lively little girl, right? Believe me, with this girl's character and appearance, three taels is definitely a great deal."
As he was talking, he led me through many twists and turns into another alley, opened a shabby door with a key, and said softly to the person inside, "Xiaozhi, are you in there?"
A timid little head popped out from the woodshed and called out sweetly, "Brother Kaizhi."
I widened my eyes: "You...you are not the one from yesterday..."
The little girl stared at me for a while and slowly walked out of the woodshed.
Kaizhi touched the back of his head: "Have you seen it?"
I said, "My wallet was stolen yesterday. I chased the thief for two blocks and ended up in this alley for no apparent reason. I happened to see her crying."
Xiaozhi lowered his head: "Yeah."
Kaizhi said happily, "That's great! It shows that there is some kind of master-servant relationship between you two. Come, come, Xiaozhi, this is the good family I found for you, Madam Wang."
I wondered what a bad fate this was. The human trafficker I met was the thief who stole my wallet yesterday, and the girl I met was the little girl crying on the roadside last night.
Kaizhi felt he had done a great deed, and he chattered on to Xiaozhi, "Madam Wang is a scholar from Chang'an. She's served the Empress and the Chancellor before, and she's incredibly understanding. You won't need to do any heavy work, just help with the sweeping and washing. From now on, don't worry about your ungrateful father anymore, and just follow Madam Wang. Do you understand?"
Then he patted Xiaozhi on the back and said, "Silly girl, salute your new master!"
Xiaozhi looked at me nervously, but ultimately trusted Kaizhi, so she hesitantly saluted me: "Madam Wang."
I'd never met such a shy girl before. I wanted to say something, but I was afraid of frightening her. In the end, I could only sigh and say, "Your life is miserable. You were cast into slavery for no reason. I was a slave myself, and I know the pain of being forced into slavery. How about this? You serve me for five or six years, and then I'll release you. You can find a family to marry, or even make a living as a distiller. What do you think?"
Kaizhi sighed beside him, "Madam Wang is truly a kind person. Xiaozhi, look at what a good master I've found for you. You must not embarrass me, okay?"
Xiaozhi said softly, "I'll listen to you."
I felt a little bit cheated for spending three taels of silver on a timid little girl. I originally planned to pick a girl like Xiaodie, who didn't have to be very skillful at work, but could joke with me on occasion. However, Kaizhi forced me to choose someone he knew, so I had to give up.
Fortunately, Zhou Xiaozhi was quiet but serious about his work. He kept the house that the Zhang family lent me in good order. After getting to know me, we could occasionally chat.
I also gossiped to her about her sister and Kaizhi, and I learned that Kaizhi used to be their neighbor, but later his family suffered a disaster and all their wealth was gone overnight. Kaizhi didn't want to go back to his hometown in the countryside, so he begged the Zhang family to hire him and give him a job. It happened that Zhang Qian saw that he was flexible, so she hired him.
"They are all miserable people." I sighed.
Xiaozhi said, "We are all lucky. At least we are relatively clean. If we really fell into the brothel, we would be better off dead."
I felt secretly ashamed. I had really been spoiled since I was a child. Only after going out did I realize that there were so many sufferings in the world.
Compared with them, I am really much luckier.
When I was a historian in the past, I cared about justice and often felt unfair. Now I feel that life is only a hundred years long and it is not worth dwelling on the hatred of the past. The most important thing for people is the future.
From then on, I rarely thought about Li Siyan. I planned to forget the good and bad things he did to me, and the hatred between us. I just wanted to spend every day with my new friends to enjoy it.
Time flew by after the autumn. I devoted myself to teaching Zhang Zhi how to paint, and at the same time developed my spring painting career.
Sometimes once people become open-minded, they will feel that everything is going well.
Zhang Zhi's painting skills have improved greatly. He is eager to try to take the examination for the official school in Luoyang, so he comes to ask me what I think.
I read his daily articles and poems, and told him frankly that his level was only good enough to go to the academy in a small prefecture. If he wanted to go to the best academies like Chang'an and Luoyang, he would need some training. Zhang Qian did not give up. She used her connections and asked the great scholars in Xingzhou. They gave her the same answer, and she realized that what I said was all true.
So she offered to give me a raise and let me teach Zhang Zhi's poetry and prose in addition to teaching painting, but I dared not agree at all. I just said that I didn't understand it and just took a look at it when the young lady was studying.
It's not that I don't want to teach, but writing is different from painting. It requires a lot of practice. I can understand a mistress teaching a maid to paint, but who would teach writing for no reason? Are you letting a maid take the imperial examination?
Zhang Qian thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case. After all, he didn't dare to put his brother's future in the hands of a young woman, so he gave up and asked someone to find another famous teacher outside.
I have to say that the Zhang family is indeed well-off, and they actually managed to hire a master for her. However, this master is much more pretentious than me, and he doesn't accept home lessons, so he insists that Zhang Zhi attend school part-time.
After much thought, Zhang Qian felt that it was difficult to find a famous teacher, so she agreed.
This gave me a lot of free time, and I worked hard to paint spring pictures, and took on some odd jobs painting fans and screens, running fast on the road to saving money.
A few months later, I celebrated the Spring Festival with Xiaozhi, Zhang Zhi, Kaizhi and Tanwei. During the dinner, I announced my plan to buy a house, which received unanimous support from everyone.
"I've already found a house. It's right next to Willow Lane!" I said happily. "I live alone, so I don't need such a big place. A main hall and a main room will be enough. I'll invite you all to come for a drink when the time comes."
Kaizhi laughed and said, "A house that a Chang'an person would be interested in must be expensive, without any other problems."
Where does a person's sense of happiness come from? Family, love, a stable career, abundant material wealth, and a safe home.
I pulled hard on a piece of burning bamboo and thought to myself: I want all of these.
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