Chapter 052
Author: Feast of Masks
Raws: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3185016
Translated by Pill Bug
Edited by Gumihou
Just after lunch, an unexpected person arrived in the village.
A spacious and elegant horse carriage turned from the main road and into the village at the entrance. The scene was so out of place for the fairly impoverished villagers of Yuqing that it immediately caught everyone’s attention, to the point that people actually stepped out of their homes to gawk at the impressive sight.
The carriage clattered on until it came upon a bemused villager and stopped. Someone alighted from the carriage, spoke to the villager, and the carriage continued onward. Perhaps they were asking for direction?
Once the carriage was out of sight, some of the gawking villagers ran out to accost the person on the road. “Old Black Eight, what did they want? What did they ask you?”
They had to ask the question again, as Old Black Eight was still a little bemused and confused by his own encounter. Finally, he said, “They want to see the Lizheng. I think they wanted to buy something from our village, maybe?”
“Buy what?”
“How would I know?! I just overheard someone in the carriage saying something about buying some barren hill. He also muttered something about how birds won’t come and shit in this place…”
“Buy a whole hill? Tsk, isn’t that something? Let’s go check it out!”
In no time at all, news that a wealthy guest had arrived at Lizheng’s house spread across the entire village.
Just how wealthy was he?
Well, judging from the fancy carriage and horses, they had to be beyond ‘wealthy’ into ‘ridiculously rich’.
After all, this incredible fellow came all the way to their little village to purchase a hill of all things.
Presently, two people occupied the principal seats in the main hall of Zhen Lizheng’s house. These were seats that ordinary people rarely had the privilege to view, let alone sit on.
In one seat was, of course, Zheng Lizheng. The other seat was occupied by a chubby youth dressed in a grey outfit covered with intricate golden embroidery. He looked very young, about seventeen or eighteen at most, but he carried himself with considerable authority.
His clothes were not the only thing about him that sparkled brightly; the jewelled rings on his fingers reflected the sunlight so much that Zheng Lizheng’s eyes were dazzled.
Not only was his clothing dazzling, but he also wore several gemstone rings on his fingers.
At this very moment, the chubby youth was staring at the teacup before him with undisguised disdain. Zheng Lizheng guessed that the only reason why the fatty had not voiced out his disgust was that the attendant was staring menacingly at him.
Zheng Lizheng took in the situation at a glance, he [a] guessed that the attendant must have been instructed by a senior member of the mysterious wealthy family to guide the fatty or something. He eyed the fatty from the corners of his eyes. Whatever the youth was holding back was unlikely to be pleasant.
Still, regardless of his personal feelings, what could he do? In the end, he was merely a Lizheng of a tiny remote village. The best he could afford was tea served in coarse ceramic cups, nothing like those elegant porcelain gaiwan [b] used by the fancy sort.
“May I ask the purpose of your visit, young master?” To demonstrate that he, the village head, also has some refinement, Zheng Lizheng deliberately used a more formal way of speaking.
Who would have thought that this fat young master would ignore him altogether? Instead of addressing him directly, the Fatty a plump hand twice, muttering, “Wang, wait, Liu…?”
[a] Zheng Lizheng’s eyebrows shot up a little. Just what-Meanwhile, the attendant was mouthing some words at the youth, but the young master could not pick up whatever it was the attendant was trying to say. In the end, the youth snapped in frustration, “Speak out loud, man! Why are you whispering like that?” The Fatty jabbed a finger adorned with a gem the size of a pebble at Zheng Lizheng’s old face and snapped, “That’s the whatever Lizheng fellow, right?”
The attendant looked extremely mortified. Zheng Lizheng also felt his old face twitch in several different directions, “This humble one is surnamed Zheng. Young Master may address me as Zheng Lizheng.”
“Oh, so it’s Zheng Lizheng!” The chubby young master clapped his hands once before turning to his attendant, saying, “Inform that fellow, my surname is Mao.”
If the person in front of him was not so obviously well-dressed and carried himself with the air of the noble rich, Zheng Lizheng would have thrown the fat youth out. The Fatty was clearly sitting right across from him and yet insisted on speaking through an attendant. Was this the so-called ‘wealthy man’s style’?
The attendant complied, smiling as he addressed Zheng Lizheng. “My young master’s surname is Mao, and he is the young heir of the Mao family business. The young master has been sent by the master on his first assignment. If there are any missteps, we ask for your deep understanding, Zheng Lizheng.”
See that, see that? Now that’s how proper people speak, you know?!
Zheng Lizheng immediately responded with a smile and engaged in conversation with the attendant. After the two of them had a round of back-and-forth, Zheng Lizheng learned a bit about this self-important young master in front of him.
Apparently, the Mao family business was one of the largest in Xia County, also renowned throughout Pingyang Prefecture. The Mao family had a special tradition: once a son reaches adulthood, he has to set out to travel in order to prove his capability to take over the family business. This time, it was Young Master Mao’s first trip to Huyang Township, and he had taken a liking to a small hill behind Yuqing Village.
As for why Young Master Mao was interested in a barren hill in the middle of nowhere, the attendant merely smiled mysteriously without giving a clear answer. Zheng Lizheng, however, suspected it was just a rich young man’s whim for some amusement.
Well, there was really no need for him to know why the fatty wanted the mountain, so long as the person before him was willing to offer a reasonable price for that bit of useless land.
It was clear that this fellow was nothing more than a fat little lamb, trying to pretend to be a wolf in front of this old man. Well, well, this old man has tasted more salt than you’ve eaten rice!
Zheng Lizheng smirked to himself even as he smiled kindly at this arrogant little fatty, “Might I inquire how much money the young master intends to offer? You see, though that hill belongs to our village, even I, as the village chief, cannot make the decision alone. The hill is technically the property of everyone within the village. If the offer is too low, each person would only get a few coins. If that’s the case, it would be difficult…”
Zheng Lizheng affected a troubled expression, obviously fishing for a good price. His acting was fake enough that he could dismiss it as a joke if anyone were to take offence. However…
The Young Master Mao was too full of self-importance and took the bait immediately. The very obvious poverty ploy made the young master sniff with disdain as he said to his attendant, “Inform this base creature that I, your young master, have nothing but money.”
The attendant obligingly turned to Zheng Lizheng and said, “My young master says he has nothing but money.”
“Then may I know how much he’s willing to offer? At least give this poor old man an idea, so I can inform the poor villagers under me.”
Young Master Mao spoke to his attendant again, “Tell him, this young master will offer 500 taels of silver.”
500 taels of silver?
Zheng Lizheng’s smoking pipe fell out of his mouth in shock. This fat little lamb had just rolled into his lap, ready to be fleeced and slaughtered for the banquet!
The hill that Young Master Mao had his eye on was only about 50 mu in size. More importantly, it was completely barren. Since it was so close to the village, the locals had long since stripped it of the more useful trees used for firewood. Right now, the only things remaining on the hill were weeds, prickly brambles and decaying tree roots.
Zheng Lizheng had been prepared to accept 100 taels of silver, which was already an exorbitant amount… To think that the other party would offer such a ridiculous amount for that worthless bit of land.
It’s 500 silver taels, ah!
While the land technically belonged to everyone within the village and was not something he could sell without getting everyone’s approval, the hill was even less valuable than a flat wasteland. With just a bit of silver to grease the palms of the county government, a land deed could easily be obtained. The moment Young Master Mao called out 500 silver taels, Zheng Lizheng’s brain had already raced forward to calculate just how much it would cost to obtain this deed, how much would be allocated to the villagers, and, more importantly, how much he could pocket from this unexpected windfall.
“Are you not planning to sell?”
“Sell! Of course, we’re selling!”
“Very well, we only have one condition. Make sure to clear out those brambles and rotten tree roots.”
With that final remark, Young Master Mao departed from Zheng Lizheng’s house, leaving him sitting alone in a daze.
It wasn’t until villagers started trickling into the Zheng family home for information that Zheng Lizheng finally snapped out of his stupor. He ordered his son, Zheng Gaofeng, to sound the gong and call for a village-wide meeting.
Soon, the pot lid-sized gong that was hanging under the old locust tree in front of the Zheng family’s ancestral hall was struck. Those who had missed the excitement due to their afternoon naps woke up, and the ones working on chores at home lowered their tools and headed over to the Zheng residence’s large courtyard.
When there was no longer enough standing space in the courtyard, people stood outside. Even the walls and trees had people perched on them. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they formed three tight layers inside and three layers outside the place.
Curious villagers who had missed seeing the fancy carriage asked others what was going on; others, armed with partial information, eagerly relayed what they knew or had overheard. By the time Zheng Lizheng started to speak, the entire matter had more or less spread throughout the crowd.
Within the Zheng residence’s main hall, a new group of important people gathered. These were Yuqing Village’s elders, each of them being well-respected figures within the community.
According to etiquette, Zheng Lizheng should have relayed such important information to these esteemed elders first and gotten their opinion on the matter. Instead, without waiting for them to deliberate on the news, he stepped outside and announced the great news with pride.
Such an amazing opportunity, secured by Zheng Lizheng alone for the sake of the villagers, had to be announced quickly. What need was there for the elders to deliberate? It was as though he had managed to sell a worthless stick, not even fit for firewood, for 500 taels of silver. Moreover, that barren little hillside was basically a worthless place filled with worthless sticks that were practically useless to the people in the village.
Thus, as expected, when Zheng Lizheng shared the news, the villagers cheered with excitement. Not a single person objected to this exchange at all.
Yuqing Village had over two hundred households. Even after deducting the bribes meant for the county government from all that money, each family could still receive two taels of silver.
Two taels of silver! In a rural area like theirs, most families would have to live very frugally and survive on their own crops for an entire year before managing to save 2 silver taels. This was practically free money! To think that they would receive 2 whole silver taels just by clearing out a barren hill… Moreover, with so many people going up the hill, the whole place could be cleared if everyone pulled out a handful of weeds each. What an incredible deal!
000
That evening, as Zhao’er returned home from her chores, she overheard the Xue family happily making plans to join the villagers in clearing the hillside the very next day.
The main branch family were especially overjoyed. Xue Juncai’s schooling required more money, but the old couple had long since run out of silver. Although the dowry from the Zhao family consisted of actual money, Xue Cui’e was unfortunately tight-fisted and kept a death grip on her bridal gifts.
Because of these money issues, quite a bit of friction had sprung up between the old couple and the main branch over the past few days.
It even went beyond a heated argument to a quarrel, with Xue Cui’e declaring that if the old couple dared to use her dowry to support the main branch, she would tell everyone around them how her brother and sister-in-law coveted her bridal money and betrothal gifts. Only then did the argument simmer down a little.
It was right as they were in the middle of wondering how they could get their hands on money when money just fell into their laps. Therefore, it was no wonder that the main branch couple were so overjoyed, ah.
Zhou’shi from the third branch had a sour expression on her face again, but at least the fourth branch’s people managed to maintain a neutral expression. Neither couple was involved in the enthusiastic discussion. In fact, before Old Man Xue could say anything, Zhou’shi was quick to announce that her husband was too exhausted from his farming work during the day and could not help with the hillside clearing.
With the third branch unwilling, the fourth branch staying out of the matter, and the second branch… well, there was no need to mention the second branch. At any rate, with all the branch families not interested in helping, didn’t that only leave the main branch?!
Old Man Xue had been quite pleased by this unexpected news, and so was the main branch couple. Their joy had been short-lived, however, when the branch families openly refused to participate. Who would represent the family and work on clearing the hillside? According to the rules, each family had to provide at least 2 people to work on the hill in order to receive the benefits.
In fact, Old Man Xue was a bit troubled by the branch family’s unwillingness to participate in such a good thing, but as someone who has an eye towards the big picture, he declared that whoever helped out in the hillside clearing project would have a claim on the money. Naturally, the main couple was happy with this declaration. However, not long after that, they got into a quarrel, each blaming the other for showing their hand too quickly. They should have kept things vague, letting others do the work first before making a claim when money was being divided.
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Let us set the Xue family drama aside for the moment.
The next day, Yuqing Village was in a rare flurry of activity.
Men, women, the elderly and children from all households set out with their hoes, iron shovels and other farming tools towards the hill. Even the seven or eight-year-old children were armed with small vegetable-digging hoes, following behind their parents to help.
The first day of hillside clearing was the most exhausting. They had to chop down all the wild, overgrown bambles that littered the hillside. Once the brambles were cut down, each household helped itself to some brambles to be used as firewood.
On the second day, the villagers worked to get rid of any remaining brambles and wood. At the end of that day, they could finally see patches of land that had been cleared. However, that was not the least of the work. Brambles had to be taken out right at the roots. Otherwise, if even a tiny piece was left behind, the wild brambles would quickly grow back and cover the entire hill again. It was a meticulous and exhausting job.
Generally speaking, although country folk could be a little petty and gossipy, they were generally honest and hardworking. Very few tried to shirk in their work.
While this was happening, Zhao’er took the opportunity to survey the hill. She stared at the diligent workers silently before leaving.
After coming down from the hill, she called for a short meeting with Xue Qinghuai, Jiang Wu, and Gao Sheng. The group discussed matters for a while before dispersing.
It did not take long for the little hillside to be cleared of brambles and rotted tree stumps. Fortunately, this happened during the slow season, or else it would not have gotten done so quickly.
As soon as the hillside was cleared, the villagers came by to visit Zheng Lizheng. They wanted their share of the silver. Zheng Lizheng assured everyone, telling them that the distinguished nobleman would come by in a couple of days to inspect the hill and pay them money. Therefore, there was no need for them to worry.
However, after two days of waiting, there was no sign of the distinguished nobleman. Another two days later, Zheng Lizheng started to panic.
He had been so stunned by the great opportunity that fell into his lap that day that he had actually forgotten to ask for a deposit or other formal contract of agreement. He did not even know where or how to locate the man.
Of course, Zheng Lizheng could not openly reveal this bit of information. Whenever a villager came by to ask for their pay, he could only brush them off and say that the nobleman was busy and that there was no point in worrying too much.
And just like that, a day passed, two days, three and then four. Still, there was not a single sight of the noble gentleman.
By this point, the entire village was in an uproar.
It would be a lie to say that they were not tired. Moreover, although a farmer’s sweat might be cheap, it was not free.
Inevitably, rumours began to spread.
The further it travelled, the more elaborate the rumours became.
Some said that Zheng Lizheng had deliberately orchestrated the whole thing, tricking the people into clearing the barren hill for his own amusement. Apparently, Zheng Lizheng had once mentioned that the barren hill was an eyesore and a waste of space. He had even tried to convince the villagers to clear the area and plant trees for future generations. Sadly, not many paid attention to his attempts. Some villagers cited their own chores as excuses, while others quarrelled over who should do this ‘free work’ for nothing. Because of this, the hill was left as it was.
More rumours speculated that the nobleman had already handed the money to Zheng Lizheng, but he had pocketed the money with no intention of sharing the benefit with the villagers.
One after another, villagers continued to stop by the Zheng family’s house to demand answers. This unprecedented situation was a sign that Zheng Lizheng’s authority within the village was starting to waver.
Just as Zheng Lizheng’s anxiety got to the point where a string of blisters had formed on the edge of his lips, Xue Tingxiang returned for his break. By now, Zheng Lizheng spent most of his days lying on the kang bed, his wife applying cool, damp cloths on his forehead to try and reduce the heat brought on by the choking anger.
As a member of the Xue family, Xue Tingxiang first paid a visit to Patriarch Xue. Then, he accompanied the Patriarch to Zheng Lizheng’s house.
Pill Bug TL Notes:
Ouch. What did Zheng Lizheng do to deserve this?
Gumihou: Poor guy, he’s clearly the victim of someone’s scheme
Gumihou TL Notes:
[a] Slight cultural vagueness, so I added details to make Zheng Lizheng’s thoughts clearer [b] Gaiwan – literally ‘lidded bowl’, a traditional Chinese tea vessel consisting of a bowl, lid and saucer used for brewing and drinking tea. Gumi is a tea enthusiast, fufufu.
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