Chapter 39: Rumors

Zhao Mengcheng followed Liu Bingkun over. Outside the Old Village Chief’s house, a crowd of villagers had already gathered, each one looking grim.

“Mengcheng, you’re here. Come in quickly,” Liu Fengshou called out as soon as he saw him.

When Zhao Mengcheng stepped inside, he saw that the one collecting grain was an old acquaintance—it was Bailiff Zhang, the same man who had once tipped him off outside the yamen.

“Brother Zhang, you’re the one collecting grain this time?” Zhao Mengcheng greeted him.

Bailiff Zhang had gotten much tanner but still gave him a smile. “I knew you were from Qingshan Village, so I swapped assignments to come here.”

Seeing that they knew each other, the Old Village Chief immediately gave Zhao Mengcheng a meaningful look.

Zhao Mengcheng got straight to the point. “I don’t know what the rules are this year, but you know my family has no land or fields. We really can’t come up with any grain.”

Bailiff Zhang glanced at the Old Village Chief. “I wasn’t finished earlier. This year, it’s best to pay in grain. If you want to use silver instead, it has to be calculated based on the current grain prices in the county town.”

“You all probably know the grain prices there—higher than what we pay when collecting here in the village. Using silver isn’t worth it.”

The villagers were shocked. Grain prices in the county had skyrocketed. How could they possibly come up with that much silver?

Liu Fengshou let out a sigh of relief and said quickly, “Good thing we didn’t sell our grain. We can still use it to pay the tax.”

Others started to panic. Liu Fengping nearly jumped up and blurted out, “Wasn’t there talk about a tax exemption? Why are you still here collecting? Are you trying to bully us country folk?”

Bailiff Zhang’s face darkened instantly. “Who are you to accuse me of that? Say one more word and I’ll drag you to the magistrate.”

Liu Fengshou quickly pulled his brother aside and apologized repeatedly. “Sorry, my brother’s not right in the head. Please don’t take it to heart, sir.”

Even so, Bailiff Zhang’s expression remained cold, no longer as friendly as before.

The Old Village Chief shot them a glare and said, “Everyone in Qingshan Village is law-abiding. We’ve always paid our taxes on time and in full. You can rest assured.”

Bailiff Zhang nodded. “We’ll start taking inventory now. The sooner it’s collected, the sooner we can all be at ease.”

With the Old Village Chief taking the lead, and since this was something they dealt with every year, the process quickly fell into order.

Even though paying in silver was a loss, Zhao Mengcheng still chose to do so. Grain was hard enough to buy now, let alone in the future.

Bailiff Zhang had no objections. He pulled him aside and said privately, “This whole mess—we’re just following orders from above. Someone’s got to play the bad guy.”

“You’ve worked hard, Brother Zhang. We understand.”

“Glad you get it. Orders from above are strict. Otherwise, I’d have tried to help you out.”

“I’ve got the silver ready. I wouldn’t want to put you in a tough spot.”

After handing over the silver and getting registered, Zhao Mengcheng returned to Bailiff Zhang’s side. “Brother Zhang, has the lord returned?”

Bailiff Zhang nodded and warned him quietly, “His Lordship came back in a foul mood, threw a huge tantrum. If you want to see him, I’d suggest waiting a few days.”

“Thanks for the heads-up,” Zhao Mengcheng sighed inwardly. So Lord Huang’s plan for a tax exemption had failed after all.

Bailiff Zhang saw him as a scholar and someone even Lord Huang wanted to recruit, so he was happy to chat.

“Of all the villages I’ve been to, yours is actually one of the better ones. A few folks don’t know any better, but at least we managed to collect smoothly.”

“The villages before this one… sigh, I don’t even want to talk about it. The tax isn’t going to me, but they cry and scream like it is. After all that fuss, they still have to pay.”

Zhao Mengcheng could only sigh. The taxes in Great Zhou were heavy, like a mountain pressing down on the people.

Just as they were talking, someone suddenly burst into loud sobs in the courtyard.

Zhao Dasao was rolling on the ground, wailing, “Heavens, are you really leaving us no way out? Our whole field’s flooded, not a single crop survived. How are we supposed to pay taxes?”

She beat her chest and cried, “Might as well take my life and be done with it!”

Zhao Wencheng stood nearby, leaning on a cane, his face dark and gloomy.

Only now did Liu Fengping realize the seriousness of the situation. He collapsed to the ground, pale as a sheet, but didn’t dare make a scene.

The Old Village Chief frowned. “Zhao Laoda, didn’t I tell you not to sell your grain? I said it over and over, and you wouldn’t listen. What’s the point of crying now?”

Zhao Wencheng said in a low voice, “Village Chief, we really don’t have any grain left.”

The Village Chief replied, “Then pay in silver. Your family sold your daughter and your grain. You should still have some silver left.”

Zhao Wencheng muttered, “Most of it’s gone. My leg injury needs treatment, and Mancang’s schooling costs money too.”

“So what, you’re saying you won’t pay taxes?” The Old Village Chief narrowed his eyes at him.

Zhao Wencheng looked up and suddenly turned to Zhao Mengcheng. “Second Brother gets along well with the bailiff. Why not ask him to help plead our case?”

The Old Village Chief hadn’t expected this and snapped, “You must be out of your mind. In this situation, no one’s face is worth that much.”

“Then let him cover it for now. I’ll pay him back when I have the money,” Zhao Wencheng said.

The Old Village Chief was stunned by his shamelessness and entitlement. He took a puff from his pipe. “You two already severed ties, and you still have the nerve to say that?”

“Well, I don’t have any money,” Zhao Wencheng said stubbornly.

The couple hadn’t expected that the promised tax exemption would vanish, and now they had to pay. Without grain, they’d need even more silver. Most of their money had gone to Zhao Mancang, and they truly had nothing left.

Zhao Wencheng set his sights on Zhao Mengcheng, convinced that he had good connections and still had money. Suddenly, the severed ties no longer mattered—he decided Zhao Mengcheng had to help.

The Old Village Chief laughed in exasperation. “Do you know what happens if you resist taxes? You’d better think it through.”

The commotion drew Bailiff Zhang over. His eyes widened. “Who’s refusing to pay taxes?”

Zhao Wencheng shrank back at the sight of the official, unable to say a word.

Bailiff Zhang had seen it all before. He snorted, “Listen up, all of you. Tax collection is an imperial edict from the Great Zhou court. Anyone who refuses will be arrested and sent to perform corvée labor¹. Think carefully about the consequences.”

Zhao Wencheng trembled. Zhao Dasao, who had been wailing and rolling, scrambled to her feet.

The Old Village Chief glared at him in disappointment. “Go scrape together some silver, now.”

Liu Fengping left with a dark expression, heading toward Liu Fengshou’s house. Clearly, whenever trouble came, he could only turn to his big brother.

As for the Liu family’s lawsuit, that was another matter.

Zhao Wencheng hobbled home on his cane. The couple gathered all their money and counted it, still short by over three taels of silver.

“What do we do? We don’t have enough,” Zhao Dasao cried.

“If we’d known they’d still collect grain, we shouldn’t have sold ours. Now look—what we got from selling it isn’t even enough to pay the tax.”

Zhao Wencheng snapped, “All you do is cry. You’ve cried this household into ruin.”

“Then what do you suggest? Are you going to do corvée labor, or send our son? Can you bear that?” Zhao Dasao shouted through her tears.

Of course Zhao Wencheng couldn’t. Corvée labor wasn’t like regular work. It was brutal, and coming back alive was already lucky.

“Let’s go ask Second Brother.”

“Yes, yes, he’s building a new house. He must have money.”

Zhao Dasao hurried to support him as they headed out. But when they arrived at the Zhao family’s new house, they found the doors locked and no one inside.

“Mengcheng, your big brother’s really out of options. Open the door and help us out. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.”

“Achun, Amao, open the door for your uncle.”

Zhao Wencheng shouted loudly.

Still, there was no response from inside.

Even Auntie Wang heard the ruckus from afar and came out yelling, “What are you doing, wailing like that? Mengcheng’s at the Village Chief’s place. What’s the point of coming here?”

“If Mengcheng’s not home, his three kids must be. There’s got to be silver in the house,” Zhao Wencheng said.

Auntie Wang laughed in disbelief. “So you knew he wasn’t home and came here on purpose to bully his kids?”

“Get lost, now. If you don’t, I’ll make you. I’m not putting up with this nonsense.”

Zhao Dasao shouted back, “Who are you to meddle in Zhao family business? You got something going on with Zhao Mengcheng or what? Why else would you take his side?”

Auntie Wang, furious at the slander, grabbed a bucket of dirty water and dumped it on her. “Let’s wash that filthy mouth of yours.”

Soaked to the bone in the dead of winter, Zhao Dasao lunged to fight.

Just then, the Wang family’s door opened, and out stepped two burly men—Wang De and Wang Ming, both tall and broad. With them standing there, Zhao Dasao didn’t dare move.

Auntie Wang spat, “If I hear you spouting nonsense again, I’ll rip your mouth off.”

Zhao Wencheng and his wife slunk away in shame.

They didn’t dare go to the Village Chief’s house to find Zhao Mengcheng. The bailiff clearly supported him, and the Old Village Chief wouldn’t speak up for them either. The two of them were all bark and no bite, and they knew better than to poke the tiger.

Out of options, Zhao Wencheng gritted his teeth. “Let’s go to town and find Mancang. He still has silver.”

The couple leaned on each other, not even bothering to change clothes, and set off for town.

Only then did the Zhao family’s front door creak open. Auntie Wang saw it and chuckled. “So you were home after all.”

Zhao Chun poked his head out and only breathed a sigh of relief once he was sure the Zhao couple had left. “Dad said before he left that they’d definitely come knocking. He told us to lock the door and ignore them when they did.”

Auntie Wang couldn’t help but laugh. “Your dad was spot on. That’s exactly the right thing to do. You three are still the younger generation. If you got into a shouting match with them, it would only damage your reputation.”

“If they dare show up again, just come call Grandma. I’ll give them a piece of my mind for you.”

“Thank you, Grandma Wang!” the three kids chorused.

Auntie Wang chuckled and headed home.

“Ma, those three kids next door have changed so much. They all look a lot chubbier now,” Wang De, who rarely came home, remarked.

Auntie Wang shot him a glance. “That’s because Mengcheng knows how to be a father. He earns money and doesn’t hesitate to buy good food for his kids. And you? You’re almost twenty and still not married. What, are you waiting for a fairy maiden to fall from the sky?”

Wang De immediately deflated. “Ma, not this again…”

“Why can’t I bring it up? We’re just farmers, and you insist on finding a city girl. You think someone from the city would even look at you?”

The more she spoke, the angrier she got. “You dragging your feet is one thing, but you’re holding up Ming too. How can your younger brother get married if his older brother is still single? Is he supposed to stay a bachelor like you?”

Wang De stayed silent, sneaking a glance at his brother. Unfortunately, Wang Ming couldn’t help him either.

Auntie Wang went on, “It’s all my fault. I lost three children in a row back then, so when I finally had you, I spoiled you rotten. Now you don’t listen to a word your parents say.”

Seeing his mother start to wipe away tears, Wang De quickly tried to comfort her. “Ma, don’t worry. I promise I’ll bring you a daughter-in-law next year.”

Auntie Wang paused. “Really?”

“Of course it’s true,” Wang De coaxed.

Only then did Auntie Wang stop crying. She asked, “Why are you back all of a sudden? It’s not a holiday. Business at the shop not doing well?”

“Business is too good, actually.”

Wang De lowered his voice. “Ma, something’s not right lately. Anything edible in the shop sells out fast, and prices are skyrocketing.”

“I heard the shopkeeper say the wholesale prices are rising like crazy too. Things like millet, red beans, green beans… they’re almost out of stock.”

Wang Ming was startled. “Wasn’t it just a price hike before? It wasn’t supposed to be serious.”

“It got serious in just the past few days,” Wang De said, pointing outside. “Might be related to the tax collection.”

Wang Ming immediately understood. Not long ago, there were rumors everywhere about tax exemptions. With higher profits from selling grain, many people were willing to sell.

Now that the rumors had been debunked, the situation had changed drastically.

“Good thing we listened to Mengcheng,” Wang Ming sighed. At least Qingshan Village wouldn’t suffer too badly this year.

Wang De’s eyes flickered. “You mean Zhao Mengcheng next door? I never realized he had such foresight.”

Wang Ming immediately launched into an enthusiastic explanation. Anyone listening might’ve thought Zhao Mengcheng was his real brother.

“Alright, alright, stop. Now you’re even dragging the White Dragon into it. You sound possessed,” Wang De said, half-believing, half-doubting.

But he didn’t have time to dwell on it. He got up to leave. “Ma, I’ve said what I came to say. I need to get back to work. The city has everything, so don’t worry. If anything comes up, just come find me at the shop.”

When Zhao Mengcheng returned home, he spotted Wang De’s figure in the distance.

“Dad!” Zhao Chun ran out to greet him. “They really did come. Good thing I locked the door early and refused to open it.”

Zhao Mao explained, “They wouldn’t leave at first, but Auntie Wang came out and scolded them until they left.”

Zhao Xin added, “I want to learn how to scold people like Auntie Wang.”

Zhao Mengcheng laughed and patted the three kids on the head. “Well done. People like that are nothing but trouble. Best to keep your distance.”

He had calculated that Zhao Wencheng wouldn’t dare demand money in front of Bailiff Zhang, which was why he’d deliberately stayed a bit longer.

“Who was that guy who just walked by? He looked familiar,” Zhao Mengcheng asked.

Zhao Chun quickly replied, “That was Uncle De from next door. He works in the city, so he’s not home often.”

“So it was him,” Zhao Mengcheng nodded. The name rang a bell, something flitting through his mind that he couldn’t quite grasp.

The grain collection was noisy and chaotic, lasting until the early hours of the next day before everything was tallied.

Bailiff Zhang didn’t sleep all night. As soon as the counting was done, he ordered the grain to be hauled away.

The Old Village Chief invited him to stay for a meal, but Bailiff Zhang declined. “We need to get back as soon as possible. The officials are pressing us.”

He added, “Your village was very proactive in paying taxes. I’ll report this to Lord Huang. You’ll definitely earn some credit for it.”

The Old Village Chief wasn’t interested in credit, but he was worried. “Why the rush this year? Sir, if you hear anything about what’s going on outside, please let us know.”

“Of course. I’ve got a bit of a connection with Zhao Mengcheng too.”

Before leaving, Bailiff Zhang added, “As long as you’ve got grain in hand, there’s nothing to fear. The families next door who sold off their grain are all crying now.”

The Old Village Chief took his words to heart.

After a sleepless night, the old man looked even more aged. He turned to the villagers. “You all heard what the bailiff said. Keep your heads clear. Nothing is more important than having enough to eat.”

Liu Fengshou nodded repeatedly. “We’ve learned our lesson. We won’t dare make the same mistake again.”

He got a headache just thinking about the foolish thing his brother had done.

Few families in Shanghe Village sold their grain. Most still had enough to eat even after paying taxes. At worst, they could tighten their belts and make it through to next year.

Among the crowd, Zhao Laoda and his wife looked ashen. Yesterday, they had rushed to the city to find their son, hoping to get a few taels of silver to tide them over.

But when Zhao Mancang heard what they wanted, he only asked if the villagers were still selling grain.

Once he learned they weren’t, his attitude changed. He claimed all his silver had gone into greasing palms and that he didn’t have a single coin left.

Zhao Laoda and his wife had no choice but to leave the academy in shame. In the end, they sold their two mu of land to scrape together enough silver.

After the flood, many were selling land, so even good farmland fetched low prices. Their two mu only brought in five taels of silver, far less than what Zhao Mengcheng’s land had sold for back then.

The couple blamed the heavens and the earth, but no one paid them any mind.

As the bulk of the grain was hauled away, the atmosphere in Shanghe Village changed dramatically.

When Zhao Mengcheng took the kids up the mountain to gather mushrooms again, he found the hills swarming with people. Anything edible was being stripped clean. The front side of the mountain was nearly bare.

On the way, he ran into Auntie Wang. She explained, “With less grain at home, everyone’s getting anxious. They’re all thinking about digging up some wild goods to store away for winter.”

After all, they could still find things now. Once winter came, it would be too late.

Zhao Mengcheng said, “Auntie, I know a spot with plenty of wild goods. Come with me.”

“Oh, I couldn’t,” Auntie Wang lowered her voice. “We’ve got enough to eat. I just didn’t want to stand out by not coming. Didn’t want people getting ideas.”

Zhao Mengcheng replied, “What’s there to be shy about? The mountain doesn’t belong to me. Come on, this way. There’s more than enough over there. You can bring a few more folks too.”

Auntie Wang couldn’t argue with him, so she followed, calling a few of her close friends along.

With the help of his Golden Finger, Zhao Mengcheng knew the mountain like the back of his hand and quickly led them to a bountiful spot.

The women who came along were delighted. “We thought the whole mountain had been picked clean. Who knew there was still so much here? Mengcheng, we’re taking all this!”

“Go ahead. It’s not like I planted it,” Zhao Mengcheng joked. “If you don’t take it, it’ll just be left for the rabbits.”

He took the kids to a nearby area to pick mushrooms, mostly to stay out of the way, since the group was all women.

Among them was Widow He. She was a thin, wiry woman who looked older than Auntie Wang but was actually younger.

She’d been raising her son alone for years. Though the villagers helped, it had been tough.

Once on the mountain, she buried herself in work and quickly filled a basket.

Auntie Wang tried to persuade her, “Now that Shuiqing is earning wages, you two have enough to get by. Don’t wear yourself out like this.”

Widow He smiled. “It’s all thanks to Mengcheng. He’s the one looking out for the village.”

Ever since He Shuiqing started earning money, they occasionally had meat on the table. Life was much better than before. Both mother and son were deeply grateful to Zhao Mengcheng, to the point they wished they could move in with him.

Still, she added, “Shuiqing’s saved a little, but we only have two mu of land. That’s not much. He’ll need to get married someday.”

“Children and grandchildren have their own blessings.”

“Didn’t you get all worked up when De wouldn’t get married?”

As they chatted, their hands didn’t slow. In no time, several baskets were full. It was a rare and fruitful haul, and everyone was in high spirits.

Then they looked over and saw that Zhao Mengcheng’s basket was only half full.

“Here, take some of ours. We’ve got more than we can carry,” Auntie Wang called out.

Widow He had already picked up her basket, ready to dump some into his.

Zhao Mengcheng smiled and waved them off. “This is enough for us. The kids said they’re craving something sweet, so I’m taking them to look for wild persimmons.”

“Where are you going to find those now?” Auntie Wang tried to dissuade him.

The wild persimmon trees on the front side of the mountain had long been picked clean.

To everyone’s surprise, Zhao Mengcheng disappeared with the kids for a while, then came back with a bag full of bright red persimmons.

Auntie Wang exclaimed, “There really are some!”

Zhao Mengcheng handed a few over. “You ladies should try them too.”

The women hesitated, each only taking one and not eating it right away. It was clear they planned to take them home for their children.

Auntie Wang was no exception. In her eyes, Wang Ming was still a child too.

Zhao Chun couldn’t wait. He wiped a persimmon clean and took a big bite. The next moment, his whole face scrunched up.

Zhao Mao and Zhao Xin were about to eat theirs too, but after seeing their brother’s reaction, they didn’t dare take a bite.

“Dad, why does this persimmon taste so awful?” Zhao Chun was on the verge of tears.

“Silly boy,” Auntie Wang said with a laugh, “you have to bury persimmons in rice for a while to ripen them. Otherwise, they’re all astringent.”

Zhao Mengcheng held back a laugh. “We’ll ripen them at home before you eat them.”

Zhao Chun stuck out his tongue. Even though the one in his hand was bitter, he couldn’t bring himself to throw it away and just held onto it.

Zhao Mengcheng glanced over and said, “We can try mixing it with vinegar and some seasoning at home. Might taste better.”

“Really?” Zhao Chun perked up instantly.

Zhao Mengcheng wasn’t entirely sure. He’d never eaten such bitter wild persimmons before. “We’ll find out when we try.”

Zhao Mengcheng walked ahead with the three kids, while the women followed behind with baskets on their backs. Seeing the way he handled the children, the women couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.

“Who would’ve thought Mengcheng, a man, would be so patient with kids.”

“Right? If it were my husband, he’d have smacked them already, yelling and scolding. No way he’d be fussing over mixing persimmons.”

“Not many men are willing to take kids up the mountain like that.”

“All three kids have put on weight. He must be raising them well.”

Auntie Wang sighed. “Yunniang really had no luck. Such a good man, and she left so early.”

“Tell me about it.”

Someone lowered her voice and asked, “Has Mengcheng thought about finding someone new?”

“There’s no elder in his household now. Since your families are close, you should help him look.”

“It hasn’t even been a year since Yunniang passed. I don’t think Mengcheng has that in mind. Better to wait a couple of years,” Auntie Wang sighed again.

Truthfully, she had been especially close to Liu Yunniang. They’d been like mother and daughter. It was a shame Yunniang had passed so suddenly.

Watching Zhao Mengcheng and the three children walking ahead, Auntie Wang grew worried. He seemed like a good man now, but what if he remarried and the stepmother changed everything?

Because of that, Auntie Wang wasn’t keen on matchmaking for him. It felt like a betrayal to Yunniang.

The group made their way down the mountain in a lively procession. When others saw how much they’d gathered, they couldn’t help but ask about it enviously.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t keep it to himself. There were so many mushrooms, and he couldn’t eat them all. If they weren’t picked soon, they’d spoil anyway, so he simply told the villagers where to find them.

The villagers were delighted and all planned to head up the mountain too.

Zhao Dasao also went up the mountain with a basket to gather mushrooms. But after working half the day, she’d only found a few scattered ones. Now, when she spoke, her tone was full of sourness. “Some people would rather help outsiders than look after their own family. And we’re supposed to be blood brothers.”

Zhao Mengcheng gave her a sidelong glance and said flatly, “We cut ties.”

“Exactly. You two haven’t been family for a year now, and now you want to talk about being brothers? Shameless,” Auntie Wang scoffed.

Zhao Dasao’s face turned red with anger. She pointed at them and started yelling, “Who asked you to speak? Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on between you two. I bet you’re having an affair. Otherwise, why would he share this kind of good stuff with you?”

“A man and a widow going up the mountain alone? Who knows what filthy things you were doing up there. You think everyone else is blind?”

Zhao Mengcheng’s face darkened, and he was about to explode.

But someone moved faster than him. Widow He let out a shriek and charged forward. Though small, she leapt up and pinned Zhao Dasao down, raining punches on her.

“You filthy-mouthed hag! You dog-faced wretch! I’m gonna teach you a lesson today!”

“I’ve lived my whole life with a clean conscience. I’ve never done anything shameful. How dare you slander me!”

Translator’s Notes