Pastoral Splendor

A gentle breeze blew, and the mountains were covered in lush greenery. A young man stood on the mountain path, wearing a blue scholar's robe with specks of yellow mud splattered on the bottom. His expression was anxious, but when he saw the two Xiao sisters laughing so hard, his expression became even more serious.

"Don't take my words lightly!" Xiao Jingwei felt extremely aggrieved. He had overheard the conversation between Grandma Sijin and his grandfather, and was worried that Erhua's family would suffer, so he secretly came to warn them. But now the two Xiao sisters seemed completely unconcerned, just smiling at him. "A bowl of porridge and a bowl of rice should remind us of the hardship involved in their production; a thread and a strand should remind us of the difficulty in obtaining resources. Moreover, your family doesn't have much land to begin with. If you lose your vegetable garden, what will you do?"

"Xiao Jingwei, no wonder you couldn't pass the imperial examination!" Yan Ying smiled and pouted. "Those two sentences of yours were clearly meant to teach people to be frugal, but why did the meaning change afterward? Shouldn't you have said not an inch of land should be given up? You really need to figure out the intricacies of scholarship, to understand the transitions and connections between ideas!"

Xiao Jingwei's face flushed red. Failing the imperial examination twice was already a blow to him, but hearing Yan Ying's words now made him even more embarrassed. How could the third daughter of the Xiao family, who was illiterate, mock him like this? However, listening to Yan Ying's words, he felt that there was some truth to what she said. He looked at Yan Ying in surprise and doubt: "You can write essays too?"

Yan Ying smiled but didn't answer him directly. She just mumbled, "I once went to the next village and listened to a bit of the private school where you were studying."

Xiao Jingwei was shocked. The three girls of the Xiao family had only heard a few words, yet they spoke so confidently, implying that he couldn't even compare to a little girl! He immediately felt humiliated. He secretly glanced at the second girl and saw that she was still smiling slightly, seemingly unaware of the meaning behind Yan Ying's words. Only then did he breathe a long sigh of relief: "I'll go back first. You all need to be careful and think of a solution quickly!"

Erhua smiled sweetly at Xiao Jingwei: "Xiao Jingwei, thank you."

Her smile, like the blooming spring flowers around her, stunned Xiao Jingwei, filling his heart with a sweet warmth that made him feel slightly dizzy. He stole another glance at Erhua before swaying away.

“Sanhua, don’t be too harsh. Look, Xiao Jingwei’s face turned red just now.” Erhua looked down at the ground and said, “What you said really hit him where it hurts.”

Yan Ying laughed and pounced on her: "Oh, oh, oh, Second Sister feels sorry for you, doesn't she?"

"Stop making a fuss and think of a way to deal with Old Lady Sijin." Erhua frowned, looking worried. "They say the common people can't fight with officials, but we can't afford to offend those officials."

"So what if that old woman's relative is the clerk in the yamen? He still has to be reasonable, right? If we kill one of their sheep, we'll just compensate them with another sheep. They still want to take over our vegetable garden, ugh!" Yan Ying spat angrily. "Second sister, don't worry, I'm here. We're not afraid!"

Erhua responded, but she was still unsure. She kicked the mud on the ground and whispered, "I'll go home tonight and talk to my parents about what to do."

Yan Ying simply smiled and remained silent. It was better to figure out a solution herself than to talk to Old Master Xiao and Aunt Xiao. These officials were bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong; if pushed too far, they'd have no choice but to use the Prince Yu's official token to see if that would sway them. Yan Ying straightened up and gazed around. She could see layers upon layers of pavilions and towers in the distance, and wondered if the Prince Yu's villa was there. It certainly seemed close to Xiao Family Village.

"Second Sister, look at that house over there!" Yan Ying pointed to the pavilions and terraces: "Do you know what that place is?"

"How could I not know? Isn't that the Prince Yu's villa? Our father used to work there, and I even brought him meals." Erhua looked in the direction Yanying was pointing, quite surprised: "What's wrong?"

"Second sister, if the government really sends people, do you dare to go to Prince Liyu's mansion to ask for help?" Yan Ying tugged at Er Hua's sleeve and took out a waist token from her bosom: "Last time I went to cook for that Prince Xu, he rewarded me with a waist token, saying that if there is anything, I can go directly to him."

"Really? The young master really said that?" Erhua's eyes sparkled. "That's wonderful! With the young master backing us up, what are we afraid of that old woman Sijin!"

Yan Ying smiled and said, "Second sister, when Grandma Si Jin comes, I'll handle things at home while you go get reinforcements. We'll split up. I'm just worried you might not dare to go."

"I dare! What's there to be afraid of!" Erhua patted her chest. "Watch me!"

"Second sister, look, there's a little bamboo shoot over there!" Yan Ying looked down and saw several dark green bamboo shoot tips emerging from the ground, like chess pieces on a chessboard.

The whole family's food, clothing, and daily necessities all depend on this. This is her second pot of gold in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Yan Ying smiled and her eyes crinkled. She quickly walked over, picked up a small hoe, gently loosened the soil next to the bamboo shoot, and then pulled the bamboo shoot out. A bamboo shoot was pulled out by her.

Golden sunlight shone on the earth, and a few gray-green bamboo shoot husks lay on the gray-brown soil. Yan Ying smiled broadly as she put the small bamboo shoots into the basket, and said to Er Hua with great interest, "If that young master Xu doesn't want to come, just tell him that my family has a dish he's never eaten before: stir-fried minced pork with pickled bamboo shoots. That glutton will definitely come running because of the aroma!"

The sun was high in the sky, and the leaves of the big locust tree at the village entrance were lush and shiny. A thick layer of fallen leaves lay beneath the tree, which were scattered everywhere by the wind.

After several days of sunshine, the village roads had become much more solid. The yellow mud had dried, leaving patches of crimson stains on the surface, like unevenly applied rouge, varying in shades. Old Mrs. Sijin, carrying a basket covered with a white sheepskin towel, walked briskly along the muddy road with her grandson, Gou Dan.

"Grandma, are you really taking me to Yuzhou?" Qi Mu's eyes widened with excitement. He was going to the city and was sure he would see a lot of new things. He would definitely brag about it to Da Mu and the others when he got back.

"It can't be fake, can it?" Old Lady Sijin patted Gou Dan's head, her eyes narrowing into slits with a smile. She was very pleased with herself. Xiao Wenhua gave her twenty taels of silver, asking her to help her cousin, the registrar, to speak to him about Xiao Jingwei's matter. She caught two old hens, collected dozens of eggs, and put them in a basket, intending to tell her cousin about both matters at the same time.

Hmph, Xiao family's third daughter, let's see if you're still so stubborn then! The old lady Sijin felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction at the thought of the yamen officials coming to arrest Yanying. You dare to offend me? We'll see!

When they arrived at Xiao Laifu's house at the west end of the village, the old lady Sijin knocked on the courtyard gate: "Brother Laifu, are you home?"

"Who is it?" someone inside answered, followed by a series of clattering footsteps. The door opened, revealing a face: "Oh, it's Old Lady Sijin. What do you want with my Laifu?"

"I'd like to hire his car to go to Yuzhou City." Old Lady Sijin looked at Xiao Laifu's wife with a smile: "He should be home for dinner by now, right? He can just take a trip during mealtime, so it won't interfere with his work in the fields!"

Xiao Laifu's wife nodded: "It's alright, he just got back and is eating. Just have him go with you right away!" Xiao Family Village isn't far from Yuzhou City; the mule cart round trip takes only about half an hour, and at fifty copper coins a trip, it's not a loss. Xiao Laifu's wife urged him to quickly finish his meal, then drove the mule cart to take Old Lady Sijin into the city: "Go quickly and come back soon, I'll go irrigate our fields first!"

Xiao Laifu cracked his whip: "Old lady Sijin, where are you going?"

"I'm going to the Liangzhou County government office to find my cousin, the registrar." Old Lady Sijin climbed onto the mule cart, speaking with great pride. The sunlight shone on her sunken mouth, where a front tooth was missing, making her speech a little lisp: "Go buy some things for the house first, then wait for me at the prefect's office."

Upon hearing the old lady mention the prefectural government office, Xiao Laifu couldn't help but feel a deep respect. He quickly cracked his whip and spurred the mule cart forward. The mule cart moved with exceptional vigor, making a clattering sound as it sped along, not much slower than a horse-drawn carriage.

The mule cart stopped near the yamen. The old woman, Sijin, slowly got off the cart. Several constables at the yamen gate saw her carrying a basket and walking in with her head held high. They stopped her, saying, "What are you doing wandering around like this, old woman? Is this a place you can come to?"

Seeing the unpleasant expressions on the faces of the gatekeepers, Old Lady Sijin felt a pang of unease. She took two eggs out of her basket and said, "Brothers, I'm here to see my cousin. Please let me in. You can take these two eggs home to cook with."

The constables looked at the eggs in her hand and burst into laughter: "You old hag, trying to bribe us brothers with two eggs? Do you think we've never seen eggs before?"

Seeing the fierce looks of the constables, Old Lady Sijin was so frightened that her legs went weak. However, thinking of the vegetable garden of Old Master Xiao's family, she immediately regained her spirit: "I am the cousin of Registrar Gao. I am married in Xiao Family Village in the north of the city. I have something important to discuss with him today. You must inform him immediately."

When the constables saw that Old Lady Sijin had suddenly become spirited, they were unsure what to do. They looked her up and down and saw that she was dressed neatly and cleanly, with a small silver hairpin in her hair. She didn't seem like someone who was poor and had come to beg for money. One of the constables hesitated and said, "I'll go in and talk to Clerk Gao. Maybe she really is his relative."

"If you're so diligent, you go and say it!" Several people nearby chimed in, "I think you're just trying to suck up!"

The constable didn't argue, turned around and ran inside. He came running out a short while later, saying, "Old woman, come with me. Clerk Gao said you can come in."

The old woman puffed out her chest and glanced disdainfully at the constables standing at the door: "I told you I'm Clerk Gao's cousin, but you wouldn't believe me!" She shoved two eggs into the hand of the constable who had led the way: "Take these two eggs back and eat them as a side dish!"

The constable shoved and pushed, saying, "No need, no need!" He had already come to the yamen. If someone saw him accepting the bribe and told the prefect, he might lose his job. Besides, the old woman had only stuffed two eggs into his hand. Losing his job for two eggs was really not worth it!

Seeing that the constable resolutely refused to accept the eggs, Old Lady Sijin put the two eggs back into the basket, nodding repeatedly: "Brother, you are such a good person. I will have to say a few good words for Clerk Gao!"

The constable smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, old lady!" He led the old lady, Si Jin, through a side gate into a courtyard, which was where the clerks and officials of the yamen rested after their official duties. When they reached a room, the constable pushed the door open slightly and called out, "Registrar, the person has been brought here."

Grandma Sijin was so excited that her whole body trembled. Holding Gou Dan's hand in one hand, she pushed open the door with the other and strode inside. When she saw the white-bearded Registrar Gao sitting inside, tears welled up in her eyes. She rushed forward and called out in a high-pitched voice, "Cousin!"

If that voice had come from a young girl in her prime, it would have been very pleasant to hear, delicate and sweet, as if you could squeeze water out of it. Unfortunately, because of frequent arguments, the old woman's voice had become high-pitched and hoarse. But when she tried to be gentle, it sounded like a saw scraping against a piece of iron, grating and unpleasant, making people shiver.

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