Chapter 36
The bandits' rampant behavior intimidated several towns, and even Dongxiang Town was affected.
Ye Jia went to town early in the morning with Yu Shi to buy groceries. They could hear whispers from the shopkeepers on the street. Everyone's face was filled with a mixture of fear and sorrow as they discussed the Zhangjiaqiao massacre. They were horrified by the bandits' brutality and despair, and heartbroken by the tragic fate of the victims. Ye Jia felt deeply distressed as he listened. He and Yu Shi hurriedly finished their shopping and returned home.
Ye Wumei cleaned the house early in the morning.
The little girl was a skilled chores keeper. She had washed and starched the family's dirty clothes, thrown into a bucket yesterday. They were now hanging on a straw rope in the yard, swaying in the wind. Knowing Ye Jia and Yu Shi would be busy these days, she did all the chores she could. In her free time, she braided Rui Jie'er's hair into two small pigtails and fed the sheep.
When Yu came back and saw how clean the place was, she couldn't help but mutter, "The little girl is quite diligent." Then she carried the big package into the house.
Besides replacing her bedding and household items, Yu also bought seeds for several common vegetables. Having tasted success growing chives in her backyard, Yu was thinking of using the large open space in her yard to grow all the vegetables she needed for daily meals. Ye Jia let her do whatever she wanted. This time, when she went shopping, Ye Jia specifically bought two bronze mirrors. One for her own use, the other for Yu's room.
Yu felt a little embarrassed when she received the mirror, and kept saying that she was so old and had no use for it.
Despite saying so, she couldn't help but smile. What woman doesn't love to be coquettish? Yu Shi, ever since she first came of age at fourteen, had spent most of her life as one of the two most beautiful women in Beijing. She was the most coquettish. Yet, someone so pampered and coquettish had fallen to her current state, managing to live a life of coarse linen and dusty clothes without a care in the world. It must be said that Yu Shi's resilience was unmatched.
After a simple lunch, several people began to tidy up the house.
Cleaning wasn't that difficult. While they were out shopping, Ye Wumei had already cleaned the house inside and out. They brought everything they could carry from home, and if they needed anything, they went to town to buy it. While it was a bit of a walk, it was much closer than in the village. They worked until 3 p.m. before they had the house tidied. Ye Jia even boiled water to scald the straw mats and hung them in the yard to dry.
Ye Jia took out all the fragrant soaps that were wrapped in boxes and baskets but not yet completely dry, and placed them one by one in a cool and ventilated place in the house to dry.
After waking up from a nap in the afternoon, Ye Jia began to think about how to make a living to support his family.
Chive and egg pancakes are definitely not easy to make anymore. After June, the chives become old and less flavorful, so they naturally don't sell as well as they did in colder weather. When the weather gets hot, people are too restless to eat. Cold dishes like pork head, which go well with alcohol, are still possible, but the profit margin isn't as high.
"Why not raise the price?" Yu felt that the price Ye Jia had set in Libei was too low. "People in Dongxiang Town are much better off than those in Libei Town. Even if the price is higher, people will still buy. I was walking around town today and saw only two cooked meat shops. Not only is the food not tasty, but it's also incredibly expensive. Our pig head meat is so delicious that customers keep praising it, so it's sure to sell well."
When the weather gets hot, cold cuts and dishes are naturally the hottest sellers. Ye Jia also wandered the streets of Dongxiang Town while shopping, and indeed, there were few places selling meat. However, as a newcomer, and having not yet figured out the rules and regulations, Ye Jia didn't dare to set up a stall.
It was too hot at noon, so Ye Jia made cold noodles.
Chili oil is impossible without chili peppers. Ye Jia stir-fried the dogwood until dry and fragrant. Crush it and mix it with sesame salt to create a spicy flavor. Making it is simple: boil a large bundle of fine noodles, drain, and rinse with cold water. Then, shred some cucumbers and carrots. Cucumbers are the modern equivalent of cucumbers, and they're best in this weather. Blanch some mung bean sprouts and some fried peanuts. Once everything is ready, add the noodles, toss with the seasoning, and enjoy.
The most important thing about cold noodles is the seasoning. Ye Jia likes the flavor of garlic, so she minces a lot of garlic and makes garlic paste, adding a little vinegar, other seasonings, and crushed cornel salt granules. Then, pouring it over hot oil, it's fragrant.
This thing goes well with rice and is refreshing. Not only was Ye Wumei so full that she couldn't even lift her head, but even Yu Shi couldn't help but add another bowl.
"This noodle is delicious in this weather." Yu was usually very particular about not overeating, and never overeats. Now, after two bowls of noodles, she was so full that she sat aside, unable to walk. "If I could sell this, it would be profitable."
Ye Wumei and Rui Jie'er were squatting on the doorstep, eating with their bowls in hand. Upon hearing this, they nodded repeatedly. Their obedient appearance was not much different from that of Rui Jie'er next to them.
The good thing about living on the border is that many fruits and vegetables from the Western Regions, which only became popular in later times, are now available on the market. Ye Jia discovered that Dongxiang Town not only has cucumbers, but also winter melons. These so-called winter melons are what we know as watermelons in later times, and are said to have been brought to Dayan by the Uighurs. However, these exotic fruits are extremely valuable. The northwestern border region enjoys geographical advantages and can see them, while only the rich and powerful in the Central Plains can afford to eat these fruits.
Ye Jia thought watermelon could help relieve the heat so she couldn't help but ask about it. However, it turned out to be so expensive that she couldn't even bring herself to buy it because her fingers were so loose.
"Jia Niang, do you want to send a message asking Yun An to go to your parents' home?" Yu had been wanting to say this ever since she heard about the attack on Yejiazhuang. It was one thing for her to dislike the Ye family as her in-laws, but it was another to give her daughter-in-law some face and care for them. Yu was worried. "So many people died in Yejiazhuang. I wonder if anything happened to the Ye family..."
When this was mentioned, Ye Wumei paused and buried her face in the bowl.
Ye Jia's brow furrowed. It wasn't just Yejiazhuang; she was also worried about Old Man Sun's family in Zhangjiaqiao. She should have stopped Old Man Sun from leaving yesterday when he was in such a hurry. She wondered if he'd run into bandits on horseback entering the village on his way back so late. If he had, it would have been disastrous. "I don't know what Uncle Sun was up to yesterday. If he'd run into bandits while driving in the middle of the night..."
Before she finished speaking, she looked at Yu, and there was silence in both of their eyes.
"I'll go to the base and ask someone later."
They were all women, too small to carry anything. Going out into the chaos would mean death. They definitely wouldn't leave Dongxiang Town at this hour. Ye Jia was a little worried about Zhou Jingchen. Although she knew he wouldn't die, even a serious injury like that was torture. She wondered who she would be safest to ask. Suddenly, she remembered that Old Man Sun's son, Sun Yushan, was also in Beiying. Now that Zhangjiaqiao had been in trouble, he probably knew more.
"I don't know what's happening with Yun'an." Mrs. Yu was more concerned about Zhou Jingchen. As the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands. Even if her son knew martial arts, he would definitely be injured if he encountered such brutal horse bandits. "He left late last night..."
Since everyone was so worried, Ye Jia didn't delay any longer. She asked Yu to take out the clothes she had prepared for Zhou Jingchen earlier, and she went to the camp under the pretext of delivering clothes to her husband.
The camp was abuzz with activity, having started the morning after the news arrived. It had been going on all day, with no result. Ye Jia went to the gate, where two sentries stood guard under the scorching sun, sweating profusely.
Seeing a woman walking towards him with a large package, he raised his eyelids lazily.
Ye Jia acted like a young wife and said that she was there to deliver something to her husband.
"Which tent are you from? What's your name? How old are you?" The two sentries had been guarding the gate for some time. Many of the people in this camp were conscripts from subordinate villages, and their families often came to bring them gifts. They were already accustomed to Ye Jia's behavior.
Ye Jia hurriedly reported Zhou Jingchen's information to him. The sentry's attitude suddenly changed when he heard it: "So it's the family of Cavalry Zhou!"
"Cavalry?" Ye Jia was a little confused. Was Zhou Jingchen a cavalryman? Wasn't Zhou Jingchen a miner? How did he suddenly become a cavalryman?
"Of course it's Zhou Jingchen, that's right." The two men were full of affirmation when they heard that the characteristics Ye Jia described matched. Ye Jia's attitude became much more respectful. One of the sentries helped take Ye Jia's package and said politely, "Brother Zhou is still in Libei Town. He's helping Qu Chang deal with the aftermath. He won't be back for ten days or half a month. Please give the things to us. When he returns, I will help pass them on."
Ye Jia: “…” It’s not a question of handing it over, but a question of possibly recognizing the wrong person.
In order to prevent them from making mistakes, Ye Jia repeatedly emphasized that Zhou Jingchen had just joined the army in May and had been in the barracks for no more than a month and a half, so he should be a small soldier.
"Brother Zhou is a capable man, unlike us roughnecks. He can ride a horse, shoot arrows, and use a gun. He is very much in the sight of the higher-ups." Seeing Ye Jia's disbelief, the sentry simply said, "Don't worry, we won't make the mistake."
...After all this time, the one with the most skill points stood out. Ye Jia was relieved to know that he was fine. So he carefully inquired about the situation in Yejiazhuang and Zhangjiaqiao.
The sentries didn't know much, but they certainly knew more than the common people outside. Military regulations forbade the casual disclosure of military secrets, but Ye Jia was lucky. The two sentries were rookies and didn't understand. When Ye Jia asked, they disclosed. They didn't know the situation in Yejiazhuang, but they knew that few people survived Zhangjiaqiao. Now, someone from the higher-ups had come down to question them.
The West and North camps clashed bitterly over this: the West camp accused the North camp of standing by and watching, treating the lives of the villagers of Zhangjiaqiao as if they were not human. The North camp sarcastically called the West camp a "good-for-nothing" who could have made such a blunder despite personally guarding the village. The military pay they were spending was worthless.
Ye Jia felt heavy in his heart after hearing this. What was the point of making a fuss now that things had come to this? Cleaning up the mess and suppressing the bandits were the top priorities.
"I wonder if there is a person named Sun Yushan in the camp?" Ye Jia asked again.
"Sun Zhangtou is not here." The sentry shook his head.
"Account head?" If Ye Jia remembered correctly, in ancient times, ten people formed a tent, and each tent had a head. Sun Yushan looked honest and simple, but he was promoted to account head in just one month? This speed surprised Ye Jia.
"Yes. Sun Yushan, the head of the Zhangjiaqiao branch."
Ye Jia pursed her lips and asked about Sun Yushan again.
"Sun Zhangtou is not here. Something happened at Zhangjiaqiao. He is in Libei Town and will not be back in the near future."
…It seemed like there was no information to be gained. Ye Jia could only give up, thanked the two men, and returned home.
Yu had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Ye Jia's expression, she knew he hadn't gotten any information. Ye Wumei had already washed the dishes and cleaned the stove. After wiping her hands and seeing nothing else to do, she went back to the backyard to chop wood. Behind the Zhou family's new house was a forest, so they could just go there and collect firewood. They could pick up dead branches and leaves and burn them. The thicker ones could be chopped with an axe and piled behind the house.
Ye Jia glanced at the sweaty little girl, and her heart softened a little: "Fifth sister, stop working and come in and rest for a while."
Ye Wumei was somewhat aware that she had offended her sister by following her out without a care in the world, but she had no other choice. She didn't want her father to randomly choose someone with the highest bid and marry her off in exchange for the bride price. Honestly, she felt that both of her sisters had been ripped off in the same way. She didn't want this to happen. She had been living here for over a day, and while Ye Jia hadn't been short of food, he hadn't been very happy to see her. Hearing Ye Jia calling her now, Ye Wumei suddenly brightened up.
She put down the axe, piled up the chopped firewood, wiped the sweat off her face and went back to the house.
Mung bean soup was simmering on the stove, ready to drink. Ye Jia always made mung bean soup when the weather got hot. Cooled with well water, it was a practical and effective way to beat the heat in ancient times when supplies were scarce.
"Then we can only wait for news from Yun'an." After listening to Ye Jia's retelling, Yu frowned tightly, "But after hearing what you said, I feel like there's something fishy going on here."
Ye Jia nodded, agreeing completely: "Looking at the attitude of the North Camp, it seems like they're just waiting for the West Camp to make a mistake."
While this may sound harsh, considering the whole situation, something is amiss. Logically, the superiors specifically assigned two captains to guard the Northwest Fortress, creating two lines of defense, so they could help each other in the event of an emergency. However, the captains of the North and West Camps were at odds. Not only were they uncooperative, they also immediately took advantage of the situation. It was as if they were deliberately exploiting each other's weaknesses to kill them.
"Mom," Ye Jia didn't want to guess, but since there were so many TV dramas about this kind of thing in later generations, she couldn't help but think too much. "Could it be that the bandits attacked the village, slaughtered the people and looted them on purpose? They retreated so cleanly..."
Not only was the retreat complete. The bandits had horses, and the barracks also had cavalry. The Cheng family's escorts in Libei Town could kill four or five bandits with their bare hands, yet the soldiers in the barracks, training daily, couldn't even catch a trace of them. Such a thing would be laughable even if it were told to others. Furthermore, since the incident, there had been no major movements from either battalion; they had only sent people to investigate and question them afterward.
Yu's heart skipped a beat, and the hand holding the hem of her clothes tightened involuntarily: "That shouldn't be the case. There are nearly three hundred lives lost in the two villages."
It's hard to say.
The room was quiet, and soon, several people in the room sighed.
Ye Jia let out a long sigh and pulled himself together. "Worrying won't change anything. It's better to cheer up and do something useful. Save more money, earn more money to buy guards, so that you can use the money to call for help when you get into trouble in the future. Tomorrow, my mother and I will go to the street early to see if there is a tile market or a morning market in Dongxiang Town."
Yu wasn't one to dwell on the past; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to endure it. She immediately cheered herself up: "That's perfect. Let's go to the street tomorrow to see if there's anything else we can grow. Although some vegetables can't be planted in the hot weather, we can still open up the wasteland behind the yard."
After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law discussed this, Ye Jia brought up something, telling them that Zhou Jingchen was a cavalryman.
"That's as it should be." Yu nodded, and said as if it was a matter of course: "Yun'an is good at riding and shooting. There is nothing in the six arts of a gentleman that he is not proficient in."
Ye Jia: “…”
After a few days of panic, Ye Jiayue felt more and more uneasy as he stayed at home and didn't know anything.
In ancient times, information was limited, and many things were unavailable. The feeling of being manipulated by others gave Ye Jia a deep sense of crisis. After much deliberation, she finally, from the whirlpool of money-making, recalled her true calling: a designer at a civil engineering design institute. Also known as an engineer, Ye Jia not only specializes in hydraulic engineering but also in mechanical carpentry.
She looked around her yard and went back to the house to take out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone that Zhou Jingchen had left at home.
The courtyard wall had to be raised at least ten feet, with spiked tiles added to the top. Spiked tiles are triangular pyramid-shaped, about three centimeters tall, with spikes resembling spiked animals or plants. High-end buildings during the Qin and Han dynasties used interlocking tube and flat tiles to effectively prevent climbing and trampling. Ye Jia planned to use both spiked flat tiles and spiked tube tiles.
It wasn't that she was timid and afraid of death, but rather that it was better to rely on oneself than on others. She could never trust her life to others. If it weren't for the incomplete materials and lack of time for research, she would have wanted to find out the □□.
As soon as the picture was finished, Ye Jia said hello to Yu and left without a moment's delay to find the brick kiln in Dongxiang Town.
At that time, there were few brick kilns producing nailed tiles, but the technique wasn't particularly difficult. If Ye Jia pointed out the ones he saw, they should be able to be fired. Of course, there was an even simpler method. Just buy quicklime and broken pottery and porcelain shards. Once the wall was high, stick the broken pieces of porcelain into the wet cement. It was quite effective, though. It was still a bit crude, and the broken pieces weren't as durable as these nailed tiles.
Ye Jia wandered around town, asking around, and found out there was a brick kiln. She handed over the drawings she had made of nailed tiles. She didn't specify what they were going to be used for, only the size and material of the tiles.
The old potter stared at the picture for a long time, not daring to promise anything. He only said, "You can give it a try. Why don't you come back in a few days and take a look?"
In any case, doing something made Ye Jia feel a little calmer.
On his way back from the brick kiln, Ye Jia ran into Old Man Sun, who was carrying two children on an oxcart. Old Man Sun looked rather disheveled, his clothes tattered and stained with dirt, his hair a mess on his head. Having not seen him for a few days, his already gaunt face had sunken, his eyes swollen like walnuts. His arm was bruised, and a child lay half-dead in his arms.
The two met at the fork in the road near Zhou's house. Old Man Sun stopped the ox cart from a distance. He walked up to Ye Jia with the child in his arms. Before he could say anything, he suddenly knelt down in front of Ye Jia.
Ye Jia was startled by him and quickly reached out to help him.
Old Man Sun refused to get up, tears streaming down his face. "...Boss, I know this request is a bit shameless. But I really have no other choice now. My wife was attacked by bandits that day, and our two children, the younger grandson hid under the bed and escaped. The older grandson was stabbed and injured like this. I am an old man with no ability, and all the money in the family was used for my wife's medical treatment and medicine. Now I can only ask you to take me in and save my life."
Ye Jia almost guessed what he had just said, and felt sad and uncomfortable.
Old Man Sun held the child in his arms, ready to kowtow to Ye Jia. His skinny body huddled in a ball. He'd been stabbed in the arm, the wound still oozing flesh. He didn't know how he'd managed to survive these past few days, but he looked truly pitiful. "I'll repay your life-saving grace with my own body. From now on, whatever the boss asks of me and my family, we'll do. Boss, please save my eldest grandson's life..."
"Have you seen a doctor?" Saving his life was urgent. Ye Jia pulled him up and asked, "What did the doctor say?"
"Libei Town is in turmoil. Every household in the town has shut their doors, and the clinic has also closed." Old Man Sun burst into tears. A single misfortune could truly break his spine. "I have no choice but to bring my children here to seek refuge with my boss."
"Yes, I understand." Ye Jiaben was worried about the Sun family. Now that this person had arrived, he quickly asked him to drive to the town. "The town clinic is still open. Don't go home yet, go to the clinic."
Old Man Sun knew that saving lives was of utmost importance, so he immediately asked Ye Jia to get in the cart and drove the ox cart to the town.
Fortunately, this place wasn't far from the town; it only took a quarter of an hour to walk there. The ox cart was in a hurry, and they arrived in no time. The clinic in Dongxiang Town was larger than the one in Libei Town, and it had more patients. When they arrived, two doctors were in charge. Seeing Old Man Sun come in, holding a child with a large wound on its abdomen, the old doctor stood up and walked out quickly.
Without further ado, the old doctor told Old Man Sun to carry the patient to the backyard. A medicine boy in the backyard quickly cleared a room for the patient. Old Man Sun hadn't slept in the past few days. His mind wandered, and he barely understood what was being said.
Ye Jia understood, listened patiently, and then instructed Old Man Sun to follow her.
After the child was laid to bed, the old doctor took one look at the child's clothes and immediately ordered the medicine boy to rip and cut them. The clothes were covered in dirt and blood, and the fabric had clung to the wound, making it look black and clumpy. He couldn't tear them off, so he had to cut them off. After the clothes were removed, the old doctor examined the wound and was somewhat relieved. "The wound is clean, like it was wiped with strong liquor?"
"I wiped it." Old Man Sun was a former soldier after all, so he naturally knew some common sense about treating external injuries. "It's so hot, the wound must have festered."
The old doctor naturally noticed the wound had festering. But this was far better than a poorly treated wound that had rotted away; it had been handled extremely well. In ancient times, there were no antibiotics or medical alcohol. Bacteria were bound to thrive in the warm weather. The old doctor wasn't particularly gentle as he re-treated the child's wound, and Ye Jia frowned at the sight.
Even an adult felt the pain just watching the child, and the child broke out in a cold sweat in the unconscious state.
But even if it hurts, the wound has to be cleaned. Otherwise, if dirt gets stuck inside, it will rot and fester. After treating the wound, the old doctor took the child's pulse. The pulse was weak and the child still had a high fever. Finally, he sighed, "If this fever doesn't go down, I'm afraid it's life-threatening."
After saying that, he stood up and went to the front to write a prescription.
Once the prescription is written, the bed must be vacated. Ancient medical clinics were not like hospitals in later times, where patients could be hospitalized for treatment. The room vacated by the doctor was where the medicine boy lived, and he would rest at night. Now that the wound had been treated and the medicine had been prescribed, the rest would have to be changed next time: "We must try our best to reduce his high fever today, otherwise he will become stupid if not killed by the fever. If the fever goes down today, his life will be in danger. Give him three bowls of medicine a day, drink after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Come back in three days to change the medicine."
After saying that, he gave instructions on how to cool the child down. Only after everyone understood his instructions did he ask Old Man Sun and Ye Jia to take the child back.
After checking the injury, he didn't get home until dusk. Yu was almost scared to death. She went to the brick kiln on East Street several times to look for Ye Jia but couldn't find him. When she saw Ye Jia's figure finally appear outside the yard, she hurried out of the house to greet him.
"Mom, I'm fine." Ye Jia knew she was frightened, but the situation was urgent and he couldn't ignore it. He reached out and patted her back, silently comforting her. He quickly moved half a step to the side to make way for the three of Old Man Sun and his family. "Mom, can you see if you can clear out a room? Uncle Sun's family is in trouble, so he'll have to stay with us from now on."
Needless to say, everyone had heard about what happened at Zhangjiaqiao. Seeing the expressions of Old Man Sun and his two grandchildren, Yu Shi naturally wouldn't stop them. She was also a soft-hearted person, and she couldn't just stand by and watch someone die without helping.
I hurried to the back with Ye Wumei to clean up. This time, it was fortunate that Ye Jia had chosen this house when he bought it. Otherwise, if it were one of those small three-room houses in town, there would probably be no room for anyone.
Mrs. Yu wasn't very good at housework, so it was always Ye Wumei who did the cleaning. Ye Wumei quickly cleared a room, and Old Man Sun carried the child inside. It was also a good thing it was summer, so there was no need for a mattress. There were plenty of straw mats at home, so they could just use one to sleep on.
Ye Jia explained the general situation to Mrs. Yu and then asked, "Do you still have the strong liquor you used to clean my husband's body last time?"
"Yes, yes," Yu said. She had kept a jar of liquor at home since she knew it could dispel a high fever. "I'll go get a bowl."
Old man Sun hasn't slept for several nights since the incident in the village, and his legs are unsteady when he walks.
Seeing that he was in such a state, Ye Jia was afraid that he would die suddenly if he didn't sleep. So she quickly asked him to take a nap nearby and asked Ye Wumei to carry the child to the main house. Ye Jia wanted to take care of the child herself, but Ye Wumei saw that she had been busy all day and had just returned. Without even taking a sip of water, she said she would take care of the child for her: "Sister, just tell me where you want to wipe, and I will watch over it."
Ye Jia looked at her for a long time, and Ye Wumei also told Ye Jia the truth in a buzzing voice: "It's so chaotic outside now. I don't dare to move out. I'm afraid of death. I just want to stay at the Zhou family. Sister, I won't eat and live for free. I will work for you."
"What do we say next?"
Ye Wumei bit her lip and said, "I took advantage of the chaos to seek refuge with you. You didn't take me away. Don't worry, sister."
Since she said so, Ye Jia didn't force it.
That night, Ye Wumei slept next to the child and wiped his body all night. At four o'clock in the morning, the child's fever finally subsided. The next day, before dawn, Ye Wumei, with dark eyes, came into the room and whispered to Ye Jia, "Sister, the child is awake."
The child's life was saved.
Old Man Sun had gotten up at daybreak. He stood outside the house, not daring to go in. After all, the room was filled with women, and it was impossible for a man like him to go in and out before dawn. Naturally, he was standing outside. When he heard Ye Wumei say the child had woken, he burst into tears of joy. He paced outside the house several times, unsure how to repay her, and his tears continued to flow.
Ye Jia got up early in the morning. Old Man Sun hesitated for a long time and wanted to give the cow to the Zhou family in front of them.
"How can I take your cow? Besides, seeing a doctor and getting medicine didn't cost that much..." It was true that the medicine and the illness cost a lot, but cows were precious things these days. A cow could be worth six or seven taels of silver. Adding the cart, it would be worth at least eight taels of silver.
"Boss, it's not just about getting medicine. I'm not going back to Zhangjiaqiao anymore, so I've come to live with you today. I know I'm going to make things difficult for you. I don't have any other skills, but I'm very familiar with this area. When I was young, I was a soldier and traveled everywhere, so I know everyone. Although the work is too heavy and I can only do rough labor, it's still of some use."
That being said, Old Man Sun was very self-aware. Ye Jia had taken his two grandchildren in without asking them to sign a personal indenture, truly a kindhearted man. After all, once he took them in, their food and drink would all be provided by the Zhou family. Even if he could do some rough labor for the Zhou family, how much would that earn him? He was taking advantage of them by using an ox and a cart.
Ye Jia was so eager to save people yesterday that she didn't think too much about it. But when he mentioned it, she naturally thought of it.
Indeed, while Old Man Sun's fifties might not seem particularly old to her, it was still considered a very old age in ancient times. No one would hire him as a laborer at that age. His two grandsons, six and four, were too old to help out with labor. Unless they were indentured to sell themselves, no one would be willing to raise them for free.
"If the boss agrees, the three of us, grandparents and grandchildren, will sign the indentures today." Ye Jia didn't mention that Old Man Sun was indeed thin-skinned. Yesterday, he'd said such things in an attempt to beg for help, practically forcing a sale. In reality, the Zhou family wasn't in a good position to keep servants, and it was the grandparents who had the audacity to force their way in.
Ye Jia said nothing, glancing at Yu. Yu had actually mentioned buying servants earlier. She had no objection. She seemed to sense Ye Jia's hesitation and was about to step in and play the villain. Ye Jia pondered for a moment before interrupting her, "Forget it, there's no need to sign this indenture. If you feel bad about it, we can write a written agreement requiring these two children to work for the Zhou family for ten years when they grow up."
Yu was stunned, but Ye Jia had already spoken.
Old Man Sun was surprised that Ye Jia didn't want their indentures, and was a bit stunned. But when he heard that Ye Jia only wanted his two grandsons to work for the Zhou family for ten years, he was surprised and even moved to tears of gratitude. He didn't say anything nice, but just knelt down and kowtowed to Ye Jia.
How could Ye Jia bear to hear someone kowtow like that? He immediately stopped him: "If it's settled, I'll write a contract."
Although people these days value their promises and keep their word, Ye Jia still trusted written words more. Ye Jia felt at ease doing this, and Old Man Sun felt at ease too. She went into the house, fetched the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone she had just used the day before, and wrote three deeds. Old Man Sun couldn't read, but Ye Jia still wrote and read to him. She wrote three copies, in duplicate, and showed them to him.
Old Man Sun trusted Ye Jia and pressed his fingerprints where Ye Jia had just instructed him to. He also pressed his fingerprints on his two grandsons. Now he felt at ease living in the Zhou family. "Boss, if there's any work in the future, just let me do it."
"You'll have your work cut out for you later. There's no rush now. Go get some rest." It just so happened that they needed to dig out the empty space in the backyard, but Ye Jia and Yu Shi didn't have the strength to do it. They were just debating whether to dig it slowly or hire someone, but now that wasn't necessary, they'd leave it to Old Man Sun.
With no work to do these past two days, Ye Jia was still exploring the business and markets of Dongxiang Town. Seeing him like that, she told him to go back and get some sleep. Old Man Sun listened to her blunt words and was truly exhausted, so he went back to bed.
Yu thought for a moment and pulled Ye Jia aside. Friendship was one thing, but whether or not to sign the indenture was another.
"It's not easy to sign a contract." Ye Jia sighed. How could she not understand that friendship is friendship? "My husband is in the barracks. Yushan from the Sun family is my husband's colleague. A few days ago, I heard the sentry shout that the boy from the Sun family is already the head of the army. He has only been in the army for more than a month and he has become the head of the army. He must be a good fighter. We bought Sun Yushan's biological father and nephew at home, so I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with my husband."
Ye Jia said this, and Yu Shi finally remembered that Old Man Sun's youngest son had come to their house for dinner in the past. That skinny boy, Sun Yushan, seemed to be someone her son really valued. She slapped her forehead and said she was too busy to notice.
Having said that, Ye Jia was about to go to East Street again.
Yu had been waiting at home all day yesterday, scaring herself to death. No matter what she said, she couldn't bear to see her go alone. Ye Jia could only say frankly, "Mom, we must spend the next two days to find out more about the situation in Dongxiang Town. Otherwise, we will run out of money and our family won't be able to survive."
Yu Shi understood, but she was still worried: "I'll go with you."
They got up early, and it was just getting light. Ye Jia stared at Ye Wumei for a long time. Ye Wumei actually wanted to follow her to the street. But if Yu Shi went, there would be no one at home. She was quite tactful and said, "Sister, I'll be at home looking after Rui Jie'er."
Ye Jia nodded and went out with Yu.
Arriving early, the streets of East Town were still sparsely populated. However, some vendors were already carrying loads and pushing carts toward East Street. Ye Jia and Yu Shi followed the vendors and, as expected, stopped in an open area ahead. A large crowd gathered at the barricades, much like the situation in Libei Town. There was a tile market, and even more people were coming to do business.
Ye Jia and Yu Shi weaved through the crowds, finding no stalls like Ye Jia's. However, a hundred steps away from the barrier was East Street. There were two noodle stalls there. They made naan and plain noodles, and the prices were a bit cheaper than in Libei Town: three wen for a naan and five wen for a bowl of plain noodles. The two towns weren't too far apart, and the food tasted similar.
Ye Jia and Yu bought a naan and a bowl of vegetarian noodles to share, but the two picky eaters couldn't even finish the little bit.
Finally, they came to a conclusion: "The breakfast stall can be run. But the price has to be lowered."
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