SFFC-C1

Chapter 1: Xiao Xie

Fengzhou County and Fengjiang County were separated by a mountain range, each belonging to a different prefecture.

Last month, Fengjiang was hit by a massive flood, forcing many civilians to cross the mountains and flee to Fengzhou for refuge.

Xie Xingheng was one of them.

Along with his elder brother and sister-in-law, he had spent a full half month on the road, bringing along his barely three-year-old nephew, who was still as skinny as a bean sprout, before finally reaching Fengzhou.

He hadn’t even had time to catch his breath or adjust to his new life before he found himself witnessing one “matchmaking” after another.

The locals used a small amount of money and grain to marry the gē’er and girls of Fengjiang.

Some families were generous and willing to give a little more money and grain. Others were stingy, and when they took advantage of the refugees, they actually called it “helping.”

Helping them save on food.

Taking advantage of people in a disaster. Absolutely shameless.

That day, their family failed to receive any relief grain.

His little nephew was so hungry that he could only whimper weakly. The endless mosquitoes had sucked away nearly all the little blood in his body, and his face suddenly turned yellow.

Xie Xingheng reached out and touched his forehead.

The child had developed a high fever.

His elder brother, Xie Gen, had protected the family throughout their journey and gotten into a fight with someone, breaking one of his legs. They had tied it up with a wooden stick for now, but they had no money for treatment.

His sister-in-law, Chen Dong, was carrying a baby, barely four months along. Her pregnancy was unstable, and after days of fleeing, both her body and mind were exhausted. She looked ready to collapse at any moment.

He wiped away his tears.

“If only I weren’t pregnant. Then I could exchange myself for some money and grain.”

The first few months after a disaster were always the hardest. Government relief took time, and some officials were incompetent. A memorial might be sent all the way to the capital, only for everyone to wait for a response.

The time it took for the request to go there and back could be enough to kill hundreds of people.

And even afterward, whether they would receive timely assistance was another matter.

It would take at least a year or two before they could properly get their lives back on track.

Xie Xingheng waved his hand.

“What are you talking about? If anyone’s going to exchange himself for money, it should be me.”

Their conversation startled Xie Gen, who had been dozing against the back basket.

“What nonsense are you two talking about?”

Xie Xingheng grinned.

“Look at me. I’m good-looking, young, unmarried, with no children holding me back. I even have academic honors and a good temper. Aren’t I a once-in-a-lifetime good man?”

Chen Dong took the battered palm-leaf fan Xie Xingheng had picked up and fanned her son, driving away the mosquitoes. She couldn’t help laughing at his words.

“Second Brother, these days, good women aren’t hard to marry, and gē’er are highly sought after too. If things weren’t so difficult, who would be willing to marry a man from somewhere else?”

Xie Gen muttered,

“Even if someone did, he’d have to marry into their family and become a son-in-law.”

After that conversation, the atmosphere in their family became a little livelier.

Xie Xingheng smiled and picked up his book chest.

“I’ll go into the city and take a look at the bookshops before it gets dark. Xiaodouzi can come with me. Once I exchange the books for some money, I’ll take him to a medical clinic to get medicine.”

Xie Gen and Chen Dong both stopped him.

One was worried about the books and the child, while the other was simply afraid Xie Xingheng would do something terrible—take Xiaodouzi away and sell him or abandon him.

His past behavior had certainly not been that of a good person.

Xie Xingheng thought about it.

He didn’t have much strength, and carrying both his book chest and a child would be too much for him physically.

“That’s true. Taking too many books at once would make it obvious that I’m desperate. I’ll take a few and ask around first. Once we have something to eat, we’ll figure out the rest.”

By leaving some of the books behind, his brother and sister-in-law wouldn’t have to worry about him running away.

It was May, and the summer heat was just beginning to rise.

Waves of heat rolled through the crowds, boiling the streets and alleys of Fengzhou County.

The refugees hadn’t entered the city. The greatest impact on the locals was the constant sound of gongs and music from all the weddings being held.

Inside and outside the city, there were two completely different worlds.

One side was ordinary human life. The other was hell.

Xie Xingheng wore the scholar’s headcloth and gown of a xiucai. After splashing some water on his face, as long as nobody got close enough to smell the sweat trapped on his body, he still looked like a respectable scholar.

The city guards didn’t stop him. They even smiled at him.

After asking for directions, he hurried all the way to Wenhe Bookshop, the closest bookshop to the eastern gate.

The moment he entered, Xie Xingheng’s eyes lit up.

Three people were standing in the main hall.

At a glance, he spotted the little gē’er standing by the counter.

He was handsome and refined, still quite young, dressed in fine silk with jade ornaments hanging around his waist. A single vermilion beauty mark between his brows was particularly striking.

When he suddenly noticed a stranger, he opened the sandalwood folding fan in his hand and covered the lower half of his face.

His peach-shaped eyes were startled but not flustered. He gave a faint nod, turned around, lifted the bamboo curtain, and disappeared into the back courtyard.

A lingering fragrance remained behind.

He truly embodied the words “young and beautiful.”

Xie Xingheng had something urgent to take care of, so the moment of enchantment passed quickly.

Unfortunately, that lingering fragrance was extremely incompatible with him.

It made the stench coming from his own body seem ten times, a hundred times worse.

He had barely taken one step forward when the shop assistant widened his eyes and held his breath.

The other scholar standing by the counter, however, was friendly. His gaze fell on Xie Xingheng’s books, and he asked gently,

“Brother, are you from Fengjiang?”

Xie Xingheng kept his distance.

He might be down on his luck, but he still had a handsome face and an open, dignified bearing. He wasn’t embarrassed by his circumstances, nor was he ashamed to sell his books.

In fact, he was already thinking about “fleecing” this scholar who looked both wealthy and kindhearted.

“Yes. My family has run out of food, so I came to ask whether you buy used books.”

He brought out some common primers, poetry collections, and travel journals.

There were also several works that the original owner had painstakingly collected from his fellow students, copying famous scholars’ writings one by one. Some were excellent works by Hanlin Academy scholars of the current dynasty and would be highly useful for the imperial examinations.

Well, technically, the original owner had copied them stroke by stroke.

Xie Xingheng was a modern person who had transmigrated into this world.

The shop assistant saw that the books had no titles and tossed them aside. He assessed the other books according to their condition.

“These are all books our shop keeps in stock. We usually pay eight qian of silver for handwritten copies. Yours are old, though, with damage and water stains along the edges, not to mention the handwriting…”

The shop assistant glanced at Xie Xingheng. A xiucai’s clothing was easy to recognize, and his tone changed.

“A xiucai’s notes are good stuff. I won’t bargain you down too harshly. The few that are well preserved can go for seven qian each. The others, six qian.”

Xie Xingheng had already familiarized himself with the currency.

One fen of silver was worth seven copper coins, while one qian was seventy.

Under the Da Qi Dynasty, one liang was seven hundred wen.

Overall, silver held its value better than copper coins, although occasionally one liang of silver could be exchanged for eight hundred wen.

He had brought five books.

One wasn’t purchased.

Two sold for seven qian each, and two for six qian each.

That came to 1,820 wen, equivalent to two liang and six qian of silver.

Silver had considerable purchasing power.

Xie Xingheng nodded.

“All right.”

Once the transaction was finished, the scholar who had been watching them put down the untitled book and asked Xie Xingheng,

“How much are you planning to sell this book for?”

Xie Xingheng already had a number in mind.

He held up five fingers.

The shop assistant asked,

“Five qian?”

Xie Xingheng looked toward the scholar.

“Master, should I put this book on your account and settle everything together?”

Xie Xingheng raised his voice.

“Five liang!”

Shop assistant: “…”

Jiang Zhiwei gave a quiet laugh.

“That’s a perfectly reasonable price. The book may be old, but the effort that went into it isn’t. Zhaoshun, pay him.”

Xie Xingheng was naturally familiar with people. He had no time for formalities today, so he exchanged some friendly scholar-to-scholar flattery with him, asked where the nearest medical clinic was, thanked him, counted the silver, put it into a bamboo tube, hung it around his neck, and hurried out while carrying it.

Jiang Zhiwei said to Zhaoshun,

“Have someone make a copy of this book for me.”

In the back courtyard, Jiang Zhiyu finished his cup of tea. Seeing that his cousin hadn’t come over, he stepped outside and paced around the courtyard.

When Jiang Zhiwei came in, he hurried over.

“Cousin, let’s go. Father is still waiting.”

A letter had arrived from the capital, and someone from the family had come to the shop to summon Jiang Zhiyu home.

He had heard that they also wanted Jiang Zhiwei to return and discuss the matter, so he had come by to bring him along.

Recently, the city was crowded with all kinds of people, and the streets were congested. Even sedan chairs couldn’t get through, so they traveled on foot whenever they went out.

Jiang Zhiyu once again raised his folding fan to cover his face, his eyes wandering around.

After turning thirteen, he had begun learning how to manage the household and oversee the family businesses, preparing himself for marriage.

His third uncle, who served as an official in the capital, had said he would find him a good match and instructed the family to raise him properly.

Although he could occasionally visit the shops to look over the accounts and amuse himself for a while, he rarely went out simply to wander anymore.

One street ahead, he saw Xie Xingheng standing outside a medical clinic, tugging back and forth with a physician.

He had none of the airs of a scholar. Even with people gathering around to watch, he wasn’t embarrassed. Instead, he pulled the physician down the steps.

“Didn’t you say that if I paid extra, you’d make a house call? Why did you change your mind the moment we stepped outside?”

The physician, unable to overpower the thin and delicate-looking Xie Xingheng, shouted,

“You never said the patient was outside the city!”

Xie Xingheng glared.

“I did!”

“You only said it after you came out!”

Xie Xingheng argued reasonably,

“But did I say it or not?”

The physician stubbornly refused to budge.

“I’m not going! I’ll refund your money!”

There were plenty of desperate people among the refugees. When hunger drove them to the brink, they were capable of anything.

There were also countless injured and sick people among those who had fled the disaster.

Without the government organizing things, physicians who went out to make house calls would inevitably be asked to help.

Should they save them or not?

And if something went wrong after an argument, who would be held responsible?

Xie Xingheng was worried about the three patients outside the city.

Then he heard the sound of drums from inside the city.

It was the closing drum.

In another half hour, the city gates would close.

“I don’t want a refund. Give me a cart and help me find two strong men. I’ll bring the patients here myself.”

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at Jiang Zhiwei.

“Cousin?”

He was kindhearted and always tended to lend a hand whenever he encountered someone in trouble. People had figured out this habit of his.

Two years ago, a group of people had repeatedly staged fake incidents to trick him out of money. His father had beaten them up after finding out.

Since then, whenever Jiang Zhiyu encountered trouble on the road, he would discuss it with someone first before acting.

Jiang Zhiwei nodded.

There were too many people on the road, and his cousin was handsome and dressed in fine clothes. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving him standing there alone, so he brought him along.

The solution Xie Xingheng proposed didn’t convince the physician.

The problem was that Xie Xingheng had nowhere to stay. If he hurried to bring the patients into the city, he might end up trying to stay at the clinic.

The physician also didn’t know whether Xie Xingheng was hiding anything about their illnesses and feared being scammed.

Xie Xingheng had entered the city alone. He couldn’t handle both ends of the situation, and even when he offered money, he couldn’t persuade the pharmacy assistants to help him find an inn.

Then his gaze shifted.

He spotted the scholar and gē’er he had encountered at the bookshop.

He gave them a distant bow, thinking that since once was a chance encounter and twice made them acquaintances, he might as well approach them directly.

“Brother, hello. May I ask your name? I’m from Fengjiang County. My elder brother and little nephew both have high fevers, and my sister-in-law’s pregnancy is unstable. We’re truly out of options. Could you help me find an inn? I’ll go out and bring them into the city right away.”

Jiang Zhiwei returned his bow.

“My name is Jiang Zhiwei. This is my cousin. Go ahead and bring them here. I’ll have a servant wait for you at the medical clinic.”

“My name is Xie Xingheng. I haven’t chosen a courtesy name yet, so you can call me Xiao Xie. I’ll be leaving for now. I’ll definitely come to your residence another day to thank you properly!”

Xie Xingheng was practical when he did things. He trusted people once he had decided to use them, but he also refused to make those helping him shoulder any risk.

He pulled out a broken piece of silver worth one liang from his bamboo tube and stuffed it into Jiang Zhiwei’s hand.

“Sorry to trouble you.”

Then he turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs:

“Three qian of silver for two strong men to help me unload some goods! Only two! Those with an ox cart or donkey cart get priority! First come, first served!”

Jiang Zhiyu was dumbfounded.

He had never seen a scholar so bold and uninhibited.

As the saying went, a generous reward would bring forth brave men.

Passersby hurriedly turned around, competing to shout,

“My family has an ox cart!”

“I have a donkey cart!”

Xie Xingheng picked the man whose home was closest and waved to them once more.

Both sides had urgent matters to attend to, so they parted ways and headed in opposite directions.

Back at the Jiang residence, Jiang Zhiwei instructed the steward to have a servant book an inn and wait at Renxin Medical Clinic for a scholar named Xie Xingheng.

When Jiang Zhiyu got home, he put away his folding fan and stretched lazily.

In an instant, his elegant and refined demeanor transformed into something languid and carefree.

“Let’s hurry. Father must be getting impatient.”

His father was in the study, his face black as the bottom of a cooking pot, his breathing heavy.

The servants waiting inside and outside didn’t dare make a sound.

Broken pieces of porcelain still littered the floor. Cups, bowls, and vases had been smashed everywhere.

Jiang Zhiyu restrained his smile, carefully stepping over the empty spaces.

“Is it a letter from Papa? Did something happen to him in the capital?”

His papa had gone to the capital with his second aunt this time to celebrate his grandfather’s birthday.

His third uncle served as an official in the capital, while their branch of the family came from merchants and had always been looked down upon.

And because his father was a fūlang, he suffered even more hardship than his second aunt.

Jiang Zhiyu walked around the table and picked up the letter, which had been dampened by tea.

There were only two brief sentences written on it:

“The Third Uncle wants to marry Xiao Yu off as a concubine to an old eunuch! Think of something—quickly!!”

Xiao Yu was his childhood name.

Jiang Zhiyu’s fingers tightened, crumpling the paper.

 

• 小魚 xiao yu — Jiang Zhiyu’s childhood nickname. The cute nickname contrasts sharply with the shocking demand to marry him off to an old eunuch.

Here yu 魚 is the character of fish, so Xiao Yu also means little fish