Chapter 32: The Yao Family

Auntie Wang stared blankly at the small mound of earth beneath the plum tree, then looked up at the tall, slender figure, her eyes welling with heat.

Time truly flies; fifteen years had passed in the blink of an eye. The child her eldest sister had so kindly rescued back then was now capable of standing tall as the head of a household, practicing medicine, and coming here to burn incense and chant sutras in her sister's stead...

After finishing the chants, the two people and the dog left the Qingwei Reeds.

The following day, Baima Village held a communal feast.

At the beginning of noon, the Yao family arrived at the Feng residence in an ox cart.

Four people arrived: Old Man Yao, one son, two grandsons, a sack of rice, a jar of sesame oil, and two jars of sesame paste.

Feng Chuchen and her younger brother came out to greet them.

Feng Buqi’s loud voice was full of joy, "Great-uncle, Uncle, eldest cousin, second cousin!"

Old Man Yao laughed heartily, then sighed, "Zhi Niang suffered all her life. After her death, she has gained all the glory, but it is a pity she didn't get to enjoy it herself."

"Zhi Niang" referred to their eldest aunt. The siblings rarely heard this term of address, and a sense of warmth welled up in their hearts.

It felt as though they had only just realized that their aunt, like any elder, also had moments of fragility.

Old Man Yao was in his sixties, with white beard and hair, a slightly hunched back, but eyes that were bright and spirited.

His gaze was full of admiration as he looked at Feng Chuchen. "Good child, you have Zhi Niang's backbone. Zhi Niang was not afraid of hardships, and neither are you."

The eldest cousin held Feng Buqi's face and laughed, "Oh, little Buqi has actually put on weight! That's rare."

Uncle Yao said, "Zhi Niang once said that once she had paid off her karmic debts, the descendants of the Feng family would have an easier life. Sigh, it's true indeed."

The second cousin walked over, picked Feng Buqi up, and tossed him toward the sky. The thrill made Feng Buqi laugh loudly, followed by a fit of violent coughing.

Furious, Uncle Yao slapped his son a few times and scolded, "You little brat, don't let your cousin swallow the wind. Do you think he's as sturdy as you lot?"

The second cousin chuckled and set Feng Buqi back on the ground.

As they entered the house, Feng Chuchen personally poured tea for them. She recounted the grand events of the day before yesterday and presented the imperial decree and the Emperor's personal letter for them to see.

The men were startled and quickly knelt to kowtow, looking at the documents repeatedly with eyes full of worship.

"This was written by the Emperor's own hand? What glory!"

"We'll have something to brag about from now on."

"Hehe, we won't finish bragging in a lifetime."

...

At high noon, the communal feast began.

Square tables were set up all over the village, and villagers lined up to eat.

Squire Zhao, Village Head Zhao and his father Clan Leader Zhao, Village Head Liu from the neighboring village, Mr. Li from the neighboring village, and Old Man Yao—the distinguished guests—were seated at the main table, accompanied by Feng Buqi and Feng Changfu.

Feng Chuchen had privately instructed Feng Buqi that no matter how much he craved it, he was not allowed to eat meat.

All the Feng clan members from Baima Village had come, along with over a dozen members of the Feng clan from Hekou Village, who had come thick-skinnedly.

Although they were not from Baima Village, they were still kin of the Feng clan, so they were entitled to eat at this feast.

Some villagers mocked them, "Oh, you have the nerve to show up? Aren't you going to go rob the orphans of their property?"

Those people replied with flushed faces, "Don't talk nonsense. We were dragged here by Feng Qi just to make up the numbers. I didn't rob anything."

"Hehe, when Feng Qi was hitting little Buqi, I even helped him."

...

Feng Chuchen decided to let it go since no one from Great-Grandfather Feng's family was present. If that family dared to show up, she would certainly have Village Head Zhao drive them out.

A clansman whispered to Feng Changfu with a red face, "The Great-Grandfather is an elder of the Feng family. Let the boy Buqi personally invite him to the feast. It would give both sides a way to save face and make future relations easier..."

He didn't want to admit that it was Great-Grandfather Feng's son who had told him to say this before they arrived.

Feng Changfu shook his head and said, "I wouldn't dare say such a thing. If you want to say it, you go say it."

The man looked at the glistening, fatty meat on the table; if he went to say it, he feared he wouldn't be able to eat this meat anymore.

After the feast, the Yao family returned home.

Feng Chuchen gave them several pieces of cloth and two portions of brown sugar.

The siblings saw them off to the village entrance, watching the ox cart gradually fade into the distance.

Just as they returned home, Feng Changfu's wife arrived.

She whispered that a clansman had wanted Feng Buqi to invite Great-Grandfather Feng to the feast, but her husband had refused.

Feng Chuchen looked at Mrs. Zhou.

This couple were both clever people and were the only clansmen she wished to win over.

Feng Chuchen sneered, "It's a good thing he didn't come to say it; if he had, I would have chased him out along with the rest. Thank you, Auntie. I know that in this clan, only you and Uncle Futang lack those wicked intentions. I will remember your kindness."

The next day, news spread through the vicinity that Great-Grandfather Feng had fallen ill from anger.

Almost everyone was cursing him for being stupid, greedy, wicked, and unable to read the situation.

It was clearly a great event for the entire Feng clan, yet he had isolated himself from it. If he hadn't pushed those two orphans away, he would have been the one to bring the most honor to the clan, and the benefits would naturally not have been lacking.

That morning, Feng Chuchen wrapped six hundred taels of silver in two cotton padded jackets, then wrapped those in cloth and tied them to herself and Shaoyao. They sat in an ox cart at the village entrance early in the morning to head into town.

Her excuse was that her brother had run out of medicine, so she was going to Dechun Hall to buy more and to deliver some mountain goods to Old Doctor Fang.

Only after ten people were on board did the cart set off toward the capital.

The cart carried not only people from Baima Village but also from Hekou Village.

Villagers usually walked when going to the capital; only those with wealthy families or those carrying very heavy goods would take a cart.

They stopped at the West Gate. The driver, Old Man Qin, said, "I will return to the village promptly at the beginning of the Hour of the Monkey (3:00 PM). I will not wait if you are late."

Feng Chuchen and Shaoyao went to Beifu Street. They went to the money house to exchange the six hundred taels into six silver notes, and then went to the brokerage.

Only two houses were for sale in Beian Ward.

One was a two-courtyard residence in a prime location, priced at seven hundred taels; there was no need to buy such an expensive house.

The other was four hundred and twenty taels, but it was too close to the city gate, making it the noisiest part of Beian Ward, so Feng Chuchen didn't take a liking to it.

Buying a house was a major matter, so she had to keep looking.

Feng Chuchen also went to Xiangyu Pavilion and bought two pairs of blue and white porcelain vases, which cost six taels.

She would have Feng Buqi deliver them to Squire Zhao's and Village Head Zhao's homes tomorrow to thank them for their help.

She especially did not want to owe Squire Zhao the favor of those three taels.

From late August to early September, the tenant farmers successively delivered their rents to the Feng family.

After paying the taxes, they sold a portion and kept enough rent to sustain their lives for several months.

With grain in the house, one's heart is at ease; Feng Chuchen truly felt the weight of this truth.

Feng Buqi's health had improved further. He had stopped taking the lingzhi mushroom and insisted on drinking goat milk every day.

On the fourth of September, Village Head Zhao and Feng Changfu arrived at the Feng house with a blueprint.

They had already hired someone to design the memorial archway; the next step was to purchase materials and begin construction.

The main structure of the archway consisted of two pillars and a three-story central chamber, which would take more time and effort than building a house in the countryside. Work would have to stop during the coldest winter months, and it likely wouldn't be completed until around March next year.

Thus, even if they bought a house in the city, they wouldn't be able to move in until after March.

During this time, Auntie Wang went to three different homes to deliver babies.

Twice she took Banxia, and once she took Shaoyao.

Two infants were successfully delivered, but one infant died.

Even though the infant died, the midwife's fee had to be paid in full.

Receiving the large sum of money handed over by Auntie Wang, Feng Chuchen sighed inwardly.

There was nothing Feng Chuchen could have done for the deceased infant, as it was a case of severe umbilical cord constriction; the baby had already been strangled in the womb.