Fish Meat – Chapter 5

The Ninth Year of Shenchu

Two silver ingots

Alai quickly skipped down the steps, soon reaching the foot of the mountain.

In the morning, the water room was short-staffed, so she was called up to work before dawn. Afterward, she went out with her fourth aunt and didn’t drink a drop of water until noon. She was thirsty, hungry, and sleepy, with only two coins given by her mother yesterday.

Holding those two coins, Alai was reluctant to spend them.

She knew how hard it had been for her mother after her father’s death. To remain in the Xie family, despite her mobility issues, her mother took over all the gardener tasks her father used to do.

The Xie family, although a prominent household in Suichuan, was located in the remote northwest. Among Da Yu’s forty-eight counties, it was at the bottom in terms of economic and military development. The truly wealthy and influential families had migrated to the prosperous regions like Julu and Jingji during the reign of Emperor Wen. It was said that the Xie family also considered moving south back then, but their strong lineage was rooted in Dongchun County in the north, and establishing a foothold in the south wasn’t easy. So, they stayed in Suichuan.

During the Great Famine, everyone was struggling. The Xie family, from top to bottom, cut down on expenses, leaving very little money for Alai and her mother. It was already mid-winter, and her mother still wore the thin jacket bought three years ago when her father was alive. The jacket was patched all over. Alai urged her mother several times to buy a windproof leather jacket, and her mother always agreed but never did. All the money saved was given to Alai, ensuring she was well-fed, well-dressed, and carefree.

Thinking of how her mother worked all day and couldn’t sleep at night due to leg pain, Alai’s nose tingled. She couldn’t spend these two coins casually. But even if she didn’t spend them, holding onto them was meaningless. Two coins weren’t enough to buy anything but a few steamed buns.

As Alai walked towards the market, the sound of carriages and horses grew louder. A team of knights, wearing silver helmets and riding red horses, opened the way ahead, followed by several golden-topped carriages. The people were driven aside by the knights, and Alai barely saw the exquisite copper beasts hanging from the corners of the carriages.

The convoy passed through the market and headed towards the eastern suburbs of the city.

The horse hooves trod through the snowy mud ostentatiously. The unfamiliar carriage decorations made the surrounding people speculate about the origins of these dignitaries. Alai, lost in thought, turned her head and squeezed deeper into the market.

Despite the famine, there were still vendors selling their goods in the Qixian market, though customers were few, and business was slow. Alai nimbly wove through the crowd and found the familiar steamed bun stall.

Today, Uncle Guang wasn’t there. Only his ten-year-old daughter, Xiao Jiu, was watching the stall.

The weather was too cold, and Xiao Jiu’s linen clothes let the wind through. Her dark little face was chapped with red. Her messy hair topped her head, and she wiped her nose carelessly, using her childish voice to attract customers.

“Xiao Jiu!” Alai ran to her cart and leaned on the bamboo frame. The frame was filled with steamed buns, covered with a quilt for warmth. Alai was so hungry that she could smell the soft, sweet scent of the buns through the quilt.

“Where’s your father? Why are you here alone?” Alai asked.

“He broke his leg in the field yesterday, so he couldn’t come today.”

“Broke his leg? Did you see a doctor?”

Xiao Jiu shook her head, dejected, “We don’t have spare money. You know all our money went to my mother’s treatment. Now my father is also sick, I, I…”

Xiao Jiu started to sniffle, and Alai got anxious too, “Don’t cry yet.”

Alai knew that Uncle Guang and Xiao Jiu were very diligent. Uncle Guang’s wife had been bedridden for years, and the family relied on Uncle Guang and Xiao Jiu. They had cultivated two acres of land, which became theirs according to the current agricultural law. Uncle Guang and Xiao Jiu worked hard to manage their small steamed bun stall to treat Xiao Jiu’s mother. Unfortunately, during the famine, the main laborer of the family had an accident.

“I didn’t sleep all night and only made this basket of steamed buns. Even if I sell them all, it won’t be enough for my parents’ medicine. Sister Alai, I don’t know what to do.”

Alai licked her chapped lips, her thoughts racing.

Someone behind her shouted, saying they were kicked by the passing carriage and couldn’t stand up straight. Alai glanced back at the old woman, tightened her grip on the two coins, and a flash of inspiration struck her.

Alai turned back to Xiao Jiu, “Do you trust me?”

Hearing this, Xiao Jiu immediately stopped crying and asked curiously, “I trust you. Do you have a solution?”

“You usually sell three steamed buns for one coin, right?”

Xiao Jiu nodded.

“I have two coins. Sell me twelve buns, and I’ll get you a big silver ingot in return.”

Xiao Jiu was startled, “How can twelve buns be exchanged for a silver ingot? That’s impossible.”

While Xiao Jiu hesitated, Alai had already thrown the two coins to her, wrapped twelve buns in a cloth, and rummaged through her stall.

“What are you looking for?”

“Do you have a bucket I can borrow?”

“No, only a few big bowls.”

“That’s fine. I’ll also need your shoulder pole. I’ll come back in an hour.”

Alai borrowed a bunch of seemingly random items, carried the shoulder pole, and left.

Was she going to peddle the goods? But how could twelve buns and a few bowls be exchanged for a big silver ingot? Xiao Jiu was doubtful.

Facing the cold wind, Alai carried the shoulder pole to the warm spring in the mountains three miles outside the market. She filled several bowls with sweet spring water, placed them flat in the shoulder pole, covered them with a quilt for warmth, and carefully descended the slippery mountain path towards the eastern suburbs.

Upon arrival, she saw the convoy parked not far away. Several men in cloaks stood in a deserted field. Inside the cloaks were robes embroidered with tigers and cranes—official robes. Several knights guarded the field, their faces cold and filled with killing intent.

Although the knights and carriages were low-key, without any conspicuous decorations, Alai recognized the copper beasts hanging from the corners of the carriages.

Official carriages in Da Yu had copper beasts representing their rank. Her family’s official carriage had the Hongshu beast, representing a county magistrate. The golden-topped carriages had copper beasts of the Baiyan and Shanque, indicating the presence of a governor and other county officials.

Her mother had mentioned that during famines, from the emperor to local officials, they had to personally plow the fields to pray for a good harvest. The emperor would diligently plow, and the governors would inspect, but local officials often just went through the motions. After entertaining the inspectors, they would make a show of it in the fields, leaving the mess for the farmers to clean up.

And here they were, putting on a show again.

Alai set up her stall, tearing at a steamed bun while waiting for a big catch, thinking of her sister Ah Xun.

She wondered if her sister’s mission with Master Xie to Yanzhou was going well.

In the cold, dry winter, these dignitaries, used to sitting in warm offices, were parched and exhausted after plowing for two incense sticks worth of time. The harsh northwest wind made their frail bodies shaky. With the inspector watching, they couldn’t leave immediately and had to endure.

County Deputy He, over fifty and from a humble background, had no ambitions of promotion, content to manage law and order in Qixian. Weak and coughing with every swing of the hoe, he was now thirsty and dizzy. His subordinates, seeing his state, were anxious. To appear hardworking before the inspector, He deliberately brought little food and water, all given to the higher-ups, leaving none for himself. The desolate eastern suburbs offered no nearby households for supplies.

“Search, search!” Deputy He, clutching his old waist and struggling to breathe, rasped in his subordinate’s ear, “Go outside and look! See if there’s any household further away! Oh, get me some water, I’m dying here…”

The subordinates were also in a difficult position. This desolate area was uninhabited, and even if they found a household, it would likely be struggling to survive. They couldn’t just take the people’s life-sustaining food. Driving back to the city would take at least half an hour, and by then, everyone might have left.

But they couldn’t disobey the deputy’s orders, so the subordinates began searching the vicinity, hoping for some luck.

Yet luck was on their side.

From a distance, they saw a young lady sitting under a bare tree, taking big bites of steamed cakes and large gulps of water, her exuberance making them a bit envious. When they approached, they discovered that the young lady was actually selling steamed cakes. She had a carrying pole with bamboo baskets hanging from both ends, covered with a quilt. Lifting a corner of the quilt, they could vaguely see a large bundle of steamed cakes and several bowls of water hidden inside.

The officials asked her how much the steamed cakes and water cost, saying they wanted to buy them all. The young lady refused to sell.

“My mother said that the twelve steamed cakes left over today must be sent to my grandparents. If even one is missing, she’ll break one of my legs. These bowls of water are from a warm spring I found in the mountains with great difficulty, and they’re still warm. I have to deliver them together and can’t sell them to you.”

The officials found the young lady’s naive manner amusing. She was treating a few meager cakes as if they were treasures.

“How much are you selling them for?”

“Not for sale at any price!”

The leading official squatted down in front of her, and pulled out two large, dazzling silver ingots from his bosom: “See these? They could buy your entire steamed cake shop. Take these two silver ingots back to show your mother. She’ll be so overjoyed that she won’t break your legs. Leave the water too, and you can go.”

Alai, half understanding, held the silver ingots and looked at them, while the officials took the entire carrying pole away. Magistrate He devoured the steamed cakes with the warm spring water, eating as if it was the most heavenly meal.

The silver ingots dazzled Xiao Jiu, making her jaw almost drop.

“Huh? Is this real! I’ve never seen a whole silver ingot in my life!” Xiao Jiu exclaimed in amazement while holding the silver ingots. “Sister Alai! You’re amazing! How did you do it!”

Xiao Jiu pestered Alai to teach her the experience of exchanging twelve steamed cakes for a large silver ingot. Alai’s clothes were pulled askew by her constant tugging, but she still didn’t say a word. Her mother had repeatedly warned her not to cause trouble outside. If this matter reached her mother’s ears, she’d probably get a good beating. Although her mother had trouble with her legs, the strength in her hands was unexpectedly great. She had once seen her mother, when the chopping knife broke and couldn’t be used, directly split firewood with her bare hands. Every beating from her mother left a deep impression, so no matter how much Xiao Jiu pestered, she wouldn’t say a word.

Xiao Jiu, tired of asking, saw that she was resolutely tight-lipped and stopped pressing. She just kept thanking Alai, tears welling up in her eyes: “My father and mother are saved!”

Alai grabbed a steamed cake to pad her stomach, carefully tucked the remaining silver ingot into her bosom, and was already planning how to spend it in batches so her mother wouldn’t find out. The two women at the neighboring stall were angrily complaining about something. At first, she didn’t pay attention until the words “refugees from Jixi” clearly reached her ears. She ripped at a now rock-hard steamed cake and joined the townsfolk in gathering around.

After the refugees from Jixi entered the city, they were temporarily housed at Qingshui Temple. There were so many people that this centuries-old temple couldn’t accommodate them all. The monks in the temple moved up the mountain to make room for the refugees, causing several of them to fall ill from the cold. Although the government distributed food supplies, the number of refugees was too large for the meager food to suffice. They started sneaking out of the temple at night to look for food in nearby residences. The people of Qi County were simple and charitable. Seeing many old, weak, women, and children among the refugees, they would leave food at their doors before going to bed for the refugees to take.

The two crying women were from households that had given food to the refugees. They said they lived at the foot of Nanshan Qingshui Temple. Their families had long been influenced by Buddhism, and their parents-in-law and husbands were all Buddhists who kept compassion in their hearts. Initially, the refugees were grateful and would say kind words when they received food. But gradually, the scraps left at the doors were not enough to satisfy the refugees’ hunger. They began breaking into houses at night to rob and waste food. They would eat half of the wheat rice and scatter the other half, waste more steamed cakes than they ate, take away hens raised for eggs, and slaughter them. The watchdogs were left with only bloody heads, let alone the plowing oxen and goats raised for sale. Some families even lost children to abduction or assault. With no young men at home, they couldn’t resist. The willing benefactors quickly shut their doors, unwilling to aid the victims any longer.

As the two women spoke, their crying grew even more sorrowful. One had lost her child, and the other had narrowly escaped being assaulted. The surrounding townsfolk, upon hearing such things, sighed lowly in grief, exchanged glances, feeling heartache, worry, fear, and helplessness, and began to discuss animatedly:

“What are they doing, stealing children?”

“Could it be… cannibalism?”

“Stop saying that! These beasts! How could they let them into the city! Is Sun Mingyi out of his mind! These barbaric bandits, they are nothing but savages who only know how to burn, kill, and plunder! Letting them into the city of Qixian County is like letting wolves into a sheepfold! How are we defenseless commoners supposed to live!”

Alai and Xiao Jiu stood in the crowd, their hearts pounding, gripped by the nerve-wracking fear.

“We can’t let them keep harming people like this! Let’s go! Find Sun Mingyi! Drive out this group of barbarians!” A group of people, filled with righteous indignation, was about to head to the county office. Alai and Xiao Jiu also wanted to join in to bolster the momentum. On the way, they heard the others continue to discuss:

“How could the small Qingshui Temple possibly hold twenty thousand refugees? Sun Mingyi must be out of his mind!”

(LP: I made a mistake, it should have been 20,000 not 2000!)

“I heard it wasn’t the county magistrate’s idea. He stood guard with his soldiers on the city wall for three days and nights. In the end, it was the eldest son of Prefect Xie’s family who intervened and let the people in.”

Xiao Jiu gave Alai a glance, and Alai blushed and lowered her head.

“I heard there are still refugees coming our way. Qingshui Temple can’t hold any more refugees; they are now going to other temples.”

“Other temples? Qixian only has two temples, one is Qingshui Temple in the south of the mountain, and the other is Taoyuan Temple in the north of the city.”

“Right, they went to Taoyuan Temple. Taoyuan Temple is a bit better; there aren’t many residences around it. But this isn’t a solution either. If we don’t drive out these Hu bandits, our Qixian will never have a day of peace!”

Taoyuan Temple?

Alai felt a sudden panic in her heart and stopped in her tracks.

“What’s wrong, Alai?” Xiao Jiu saw her face turn deathly pale in an instant and asked her worriedly.

“Damn it.” Alai whispered, “Damn it!”

She quickly pushed through the crowd and started running out. After two steps, she turned back, gripping Xiao Jiu’s narrow shoulders with both hands. Her warning struck Xiao Jiu’s forehead like a hammer:

“During this period, store enough food and stay at home without going out! Bolt the door and don’t open it for anyone! It’s best to have two sticks handy for defense, and protect your parents! Remember that!”

Before Xiao Jiu could react, Alai turned around again and dashed towards Taoyuan Temple.