Chapter 48: Polar Reversal

At Mingxia Village, the tenant farmers had been busy for over half a year and finally had a moment to catch their breath.

Looking at the grain piled high in their own granaries, unstoppable smiles spread across their dark, thin faces.

"It's almost October, and there isn't much to do at the manor. My younger brother and I will ask the headman for permission to head to town to find some work," the man discussed with his wife while sitting on the kang bed. "Last year, heavy snow collapsed many of the large estates. Just the other day, Dalang from the Ding family in the neighboring village came back from town saying they are hiring everywhere."

The woman, deftly weaving through hemp rope, chided him, "The autumn harvest only ended a few days ago; can't you rest? If you wear yourself out, I won't have the money to nurse you back to health."

"I have to work hard. Jinhua is fifteen; in another two years, she'll be ready to marry. How can a girl get married without some dowry in her trunk?"

The woman felt a pang of worry at this. Their family were mere tenants with no house or land; their children were already looked down upon by the surrounding villages. But if they married within the tenant class of the manor, they would remain tenants for the rest of their lives.

The woman wavered, but seeing her husband's slightly hunched back, she remained silent.

"Don't forget, our family still owes the manor two sacks of wheat and five sacks of soybeans," the man said in a low voice. "The headman said he would go to the Prince's mansion to ask the Master for a one-year grace period, but what if the Master refuses?"

Indeed, if the Master refused and forcibly reclaimed the owed grain, the remaining food in their house certainly wouldn't last until the next autumn harvest.

The woman finally agreed, "Then go find some light work to do."

*How can a man who only knows heavy labor find light work?* the man thought, though he responded with a smile.

The atmosphere grew somewhat heavy. The woman quickly finished weaving the straw sandals in her hands and went to the stove to start the fire for dinner.

In the kitchen, Jinhua was kneading dough. Feeling it wouldn't be enough for the whole family, she scooped another bowl of freshly ground wheat flour.

The woman rushed forward to stop her, "This is enough." She snatched the bowl from her daughter's hands and carefully poured the flour back into the jar.

"Mother, didn't you say we'd make a few extra pancakes to celebrate the harvest?" Yinhua asked anxiously.

"Celebrate with what pancakes? We aren't some wealthy family. The grain shop pays eight wen per catty for wheat flour; if we eat it all, how will we sell it for money?" the woman lectured.

"But didn't we sell all the grain yesterday?" Yinhua said with a pout. "Father even spent money in town to have half a sack of wheat flour ground specifically so we could keep it at home to eat."

"That is for the New Year," the woman emphasized.

Seeing her sister about to argue further, Jinhua quickly cut her off and went back to kneading the dough.

"Are Uncle Tian and Auntie Tian home?"

"We are!" The woman stepped out of the kitchen to look. "Oh, it's the Li boy. What is it?"

"Auntie Tian, the Headman Sun's family said that since the sun hasn't set yet, every household should send someone who can make decisions to gather under the willow tree in front of the manor. There is an important announcement to be made."

The Tian family looked up at the sky; the sun was about to set. "What kind of important matter?"

"I don't know. I have to go notify the next house. Auntie Tian, hurry and go with Uncle Tian!" Having said that, the boy strode off to knock on the neighbor's door.

When the Tian family discussed it upon returning inside, no one could make sense of it. Old Man Tian made the decision: "Let the eldest son and his wife go."

Tian Laoda agreed, telling them not to wait for them to finish dinner before leading his wife out the door.

In front of the Mingxia Manor, most of the tenant farmers had arrived. A crowd of dozens had gathered, all speculating and whispering about what the headman was going to announce.

Some felt a sense of dread. "Could it be a rent increase?"

They had heard the manor had a new master; what if he thought the previous thirty-five percent rent was too low?

"It couldn't be," someone nearby said, startled, but then they thought: *To call everyone here so urgently this late in the day, could it possibly be anything good?*

"What should we do? If the new master really wants to raise the rent, how will our families survive?" A pessimist had already burst into tears.

For a moment, all the tenants present fell into silence.

"If the new master truly intends to raise the rent, then... then this old man will risk his life to go to the Prince's mansion and beg the Princess Consort to intervene!" an old man over fifty declared.

"What nonsense are you talking about? The new master is the County Princess, the Princess Consort's own daughter-in-law. Do you think the Princess Consort will side with you or the County Princess?" said someone who was well-informed.

What? The tenants were shocked, their faces turning pale instantly. Even the old man who had vowed to appeal to the Prince's mansion slumped completely.

They were merely tenants; they only had a shred of courage because of the Princess Consort's kindness. But facing the imperial relatives, they instinctively lost their nerve.

"Heaven is cruel! Heaven is cruel!" the old man cried, tears streaming down his face. They had finally survived a natural disaster, only to face a man-made one.

The Tian couple looked at each other, their eyes filled with grief.

Sun Qing drove his mule cart at high speed. Seeing the crowd of tenants gathered in front of the manor from a distance, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey! Make way!"

The tenants instinctively moved aside.

Sun Qing pulled the mule cart to a halt and asked the "Big Leak" (the gossip): "Is everyone here?"

The Li boy had been counting and confirmed that everyone had arrived.

Seeing the sorrowful faces of the tenants, Sun Qing was bewildered. "What's wrong with you all?"

Leaning on his cane, an old man asked in grief, "Has the County Princess issued a new order to change the land rent?"

Sun Qing looked puzzled. "How does Old Man Zhang know that?" He glanced at the Li boy. Had this "Big Leak" been spreading rumors behind his back again?

But when he had returned to the village this afternoon, he had only spoken to his wife. Could his wife have let it slip to the boy?

The Sun family saw her husband looking over and quickly shook her head. How would she dare leak news of such a major event?

Sun Qing was utterly confused.

Old Man Zhang was now convinced that the County Princess was going to raise the rent. He threw down his cane and cursed at the sky, "The heavens are heartless! Not only do they let such black-hearted people enjoy all the wealth, but they also suck the blood and meat from us common folk!" He cried out with blood-soaked words, "Rather than being ground to death, I'd rather dash my head against something and end it all!"

With that, he lunged toward the willow tree nearby.

Sun Qing shouted urgently, "Grab him!"

No one expected an old man of his age to have such a temperament. For a moment, everyone froze in shock. Only Tian Laoda noticed something was wrong, but by the time he reacted, it was too late.

In his panic, Sun Qing tripped and fell to the ground, forced to watch helplessly as Old Man Zhang drew closer to the willow tree, closing his eyes in despair.

It was over. Everything was over.

The expected thud did not come. Sun Qing opened his eyes to see Old Man Zhang lying face-down on top of someone, struggling desperately.

Overjoyed, Sun Qing scrambled up on all fours, grabbed Old Man Zhang's arms to force him up, and roared, "Old Man Zhang! Good days are right before your eyes! Why are you seeking death?!"

Old Man Zhang glared at him with resentment.

"The County Princess is virtuous! Not only has she waived your previous grain debts, but she has also reduced the land rent to twenty percent! What more do you want? Why are you making such a scene?!"

Old Man Zhang's ears rang. His lips trembled as he asked in disbelief, "You... what did you say?"

The tenants behind them, who had heard everything clearly, erupted into an uproar.

***

Zhaozhao: (Crying) So this is the kind of person I am in your hearts... So heartbroken. Need recommendation votes and monthly tickets for comfort.

(End of Chapter)