Chapter 29: After the Righteous Mother

Feng Chuchen was overcome with excitement. She had expected her eldest aunt to be honored with a commemorative tablet, but she never imagined the Emperor would personally write the decree, even calling her the "Mother of a Thousand Infants."

For a lowly midwife at the very bottom of the social ladder, this honor was supreme.

For her descendants, it was even more of a protective talisman. Not only would their kinsmen no longer dare to bully them, but it would also mean far fewer troubles in the future.

Furthermore, the reward of five hundred taels of silver was considered a substantial amount for such an honor.

The siblings shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor's grace!"

Old Man Zhao and the others prostrated themselves on the ground, weeping. "To have the honor of hearing the imperial decree with my own ears and witnessing the Emperor's own handwriting... what glory! Our ancestral graves must be smoking with auspiciousness..."

At a moment like this, it was indeed appropriate to weep for joy.

Feng Chuchen hurriedly took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

Seeing this, Feng Buji also sniffled and said through sobs, "Auntie, the Emperor has rewarded you. What glory! We are no longer the descendants of a criminal woman, but the descendants of a righteous woman..."

He then dissolved into uncontrollable weeping.

His sharp, youthful voice was particularly poignant, moving everyone to tears.

How much suffering had this child endured after Midwife Feng passed away?

After they rose, they invited the eunuch, the bailiffs, and several influential villagers into the main room for tea.

Previously, Feng Chuchen had not expected a eunuch to come to deliver the decree, so she had only prepared red envelopes for the bailiffs. She hurriedly went into the room to pack a five-tael silver ingot in red paper; coming from a farming background, this was the extent of her capability.

Feng Buji quietly slipped a small red envelope to the eunuch, while the large red envelope went to the head bailiff.

The large envelope contained twenty small silver nuggets of two *qian* each, making it easy for the bailiffs to distribute.

The head bailiff had not expected that a household without adults could be so tactful and socially savvy.

He spoke a few kind words about Midwife Feng, but then added a warning: "Lord Li is also proud that our county has produced the 'Mother of a Thousand Infants.' He specifically instructed that Village Head Zhao and Village Head Liu must look after this pair of orphans and ensure that the Feng clan members do not attempt to murder them for profit again..."

The two village heads gave their full word. "Please rest assured, Magistrate. We will certainly restrain the Feng clan members."

Feng Changfu was so terrified his head nearly touched the ground. "This humble citizen wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare!"

Squire Zhao even recited a few lines of flowery prose: "Baima Village is a place of exceptional character and spirit, producing a righteous woman like Midwife Feng, personally honored by the Emperor as the 'Mother of a Thousand Infants.' From this day forth, the name of the Feng clan shall be renowned throughout the countryside, and their house shall bear a commemorative tablet. This old man shares in this glory and is moved to tears..."

As soon as the eunuch and the bailiffs left, the villagers surged toward the Feng house like a tide. People filled the rooms and the courtyard, eventually surrounding even the outer gates.

Banxia went out with candies and peanuts to feed the villagers who could not enter the house.

The men were accompanied by Feng Buji and Feng Changfu, while the women were accompanied by Feng Chuchen, with Auntie Wang and others serving tea and water.

Everyone shared in the glory, chatting and laughing merrily; it was more exciting and a greater source of pride for the villagers than when Squire Zhao's family produced a *juren* over a decade ago.

With the Emperor personally bestowing the title "Mother of a Thousand Infants," a tall "Righteous Woman" archway would be erected at the entrance of the village. No other village could boast such prestige.

In the future, it would be much easier for the girls of Baima Village to find good marriages.

Before long, several Feng clan relatives living in Baima Village also thick-skinnedly arrived.

Too embarrassed to enter the house, they stood in the courtyard and by the main gate.

Seeing Feng Changfu sitting in the main room, chatting and laughing with the most respected men in the village like Squire Zhao and Village Head Zhao, their eyes turned red with envy.

In their hearts, they cursed Patriarch Feng and Feng Qi a hundred times; had they known, they wouldn't have made such a fuss with them, and they could have been sitting inside too.

Although Auntie Wang and the others kept straight faces and ignored them, they did not drive them away.

Feng Chuchen had already instructed that their primary enemies were Patriarch Feng's family, and they should not provoke other clan members unnecessarily.

Village Head Zhao discussed with Feng Chuchen the arrangements for a communal feast to be held in two days.

Squire Zhao spoke up first, "Our village has produced an Emperor-sanctioned 'Mother of a Thousand Infants'; it brings honor to all our elders and neighbors. Regarding the communal feast, this old man will contribute five *guan*."

Feng Chuchen smiled and said, "We thank Squire Zhao for his generous assistance. How could we allow you to pay for our family's joyous occasion?"

Squire Zhao insisted on contributing, and Feng Chuchen could not easily refuse his kindness.

Squire Zhao was the most influential person in Baima Village; his words carried even more weight than Village Head Zhao's.

Feng Chuchen eventually relented, agreeing that her family would contribute three *guan* and Squire Zhao would contribute three *guan*.

In the future, she would send him gifts worth three *guan*. As orphans, they could not let such a favor go unacknowledged; they should repay it as soon as possible.

Five *guan* was enough to host a decent communal feast; adding another *guan* would allow for even better food.

The laughter in the room grew louder.

Village Head Zhao said, "Tomorrow, I will have my old wife lead the preparations."

Squire Zhao expressed that his eldest daughter-in-law would help, and the Feng family would provide Auntie Wang.

These three would be the primary organizers of the feast.

Feng Chuchen added, "As orphans, we are completely ignorant of major matters like building an archway. We must ask Uncle Village Head and Uncle Futang to help us arrange it."

Although Feng Changfu had not helped his own family before, he was the only member of the Feng clan who had never bullied them; he possessed a necessary moral baseline.

It is easy to produce a good person from a group of good people, but difficult to produce one from a group of bad people. One must be able to resist both temptation and pressure.

Feng Chuchen wanted to show him goodwill. Having clan members on her side was always better than being alone.

Feng Changfu was absolutely delighted. By participating in this, not only could his family earn some money, but his status and influence would also be greatly enhanced.

He originally wanted to say, "This is a great joy for our clan," but then remembered that Patriarch Feng had already pushed this great joy out of the clan's official affairs.

He changed his tone and smiled, "Midwife Feng was my elder female cousin, and you are my nephews and nieces. It is only natural that your uncle should do his utmost to help."

Village Head Zhao also said, "This is a great joy for our Baima Village; I, Zhao, have a responsibility to help."

Squire Zhao grew anxious, feeling his family could not be left out of such a major event.

He quickly added, "Include my eldest son as well."

Feng Chuchen asked Village Head Zhao to move the fifty *guan* of large coins for the archway construction to his house. Village Head Zhao would manage the money, and Squire Zhao's eldest son would keep the accounts. Since this was government funding, the final accounts had to be submitted to the yamen for inspection.

Feng Chuchen believed they would not dare to embezzle this money. As for letting them take a little extra, she would let them have it.

Feng Changfu's family would be responsible for providing two meals for the craftsmen building the archway, paying them five hundred *wen* in wages per month. In this way, his family would not only earn a net profit of six hundred *wen* every month, but they could also eat alongside the craftsmen.

As darkness fell, the guests gradually departed.

Feng Buji was already extremely exhausted, dozing in and out of sleep in his chair.

Feng Chuchen placed the imperial decree and the Emperor's handwritten calligraphy on a high altar in the east room, and locked the small chests containing the silver and large coins in her bedroom cabinet, recording the accounts carefully.

This was the glory and the safety net that her aunt had left for her descendants.

To atone for the ancestors and accumulate blessings for the descendants—it was only hard on herself.

In the future, Feng Buji could take the imperial examinations and enter government service. He was young now, but if he were older, the imperial court might even grant him a minor official position through hereditary privilege.

Banxia and Shaoyao went to the kitchen to boil a pot of noodles, and the whole family ate a joyful meal.

After dinner, Feng Chuchen asked everyone to stay.

"Our family's savings have now reached over eight hundred taels of silver. The villagers can probably guess how much money we have. Even if we converted it all into banknotes and kept it at home, it wouldn't be safe.

"This place is well-connected, and we are all women and children. What if a desperate criminal comes to rob us in the middle of the night? We must spend it as soon as possible."