chapter xiii – the plight of the people

“Xiu Mei, go inquire which village this mountain belongs to.” Wei Ruo commanded.

“Good.”

Xiu Mei jogged towards the direction of someone, most of the people working in the nearby fields were locals, asking them would be able to get the answer Wei Ruo wanted.

Not a moment Xiu Mei came back, told Wei Ruo this mountain named Xiaoyang Mountain, is not far away from a village called Yue Ying industry, because the terrain is relatively steep, the cost of reclaiming terraces is too large, it has been deserted, the village villagers are on that mountain to cut firewood.

“Did you ask them if they were willing to sell?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Of course I asked.”

Xiu Mei had been by Wei Ruo’s side for so many years, how could she not know Wei Ruo’s thoughts.

“I asked the man although not Yue Ying village, but he said that as long as the price is right, the villagers will certainly agree to sell, these years because of the Japanese things, the people of Xing Shan County are not good, Yue Ying village is even more bitter, other villages still have a few acres of fields that can be cultivated, Yue Ying village are inconvenient to cultivate the barren mountains.”

“Uh-huh.”

Sister Zhang couldn’t help but laugh out loud as she listened to the master-servant duo’s conversation from the side.

“Big Miss, you don’t think you want to buy this Little Yang Mountain, do you?”

“Just asking to find out what’s going on.” Wei Ruo casually said.

“Ask can, is to buy the idea of the mountain Miss still put inside the stomach, our school lieutenant’s house is also in the come to xingshan county three years before buying the steamed bread mountain, even if the people of xingshan county now have a bad day, the price of that a mountain can not be too low, less than a thousand taels of silver don’t even want to think about it.”

“One thousand taels …… that is indeed quite a lot of silver.” Wei Ruo murmured, looking thoughtful.

“It’s good that you know, Missy. If you miss your days in the countryside, then take a walk to Steamed Bun Mountain and look at your own family’s fields, but don’t ever get your hands on them yourself again like you used to, those longtime laborers are going to laugh if they see you!”

Planting vegetables in the mansion, only the people in their mansion know about it, and the shame is also at home.

If she couldn’t help but do the same outside, then this person would have to be disgraced throughout Xing Shan County.

“Yeah.”

Wei Ruo didn’t confront the Sister this time and really turned around and went back to Steamed Bun Mountain.

After a few skirts near the base of the mountain, it was time to head back.

###

In the school lieutenant’s residence, Wei Qingwan was supervising Wei Yi Lin’s copying of Xuezhi.

Wei Yi Lin has been active and playful since he was a child, and is not a study material.

Today just because in the school hall fight was sent back by the gentleman, learned that Yun was very angry, punished him to copy the “learning and”, Wei Qingwan is responsible for supervision.

Wei Yi Lin flattened his mouth, very reluctant, did not write a few words, and his eyes looked around from time to time.

“Yi Lin you write faster, otherwise you won’t be able to finish writing when it gets dark, and you’ll go hungry if you can’t eat dinner by then.” Wei Qingwan said with a heartbroken face.

“Three times is too many! Sister, my good sister, help me copy, you can imitate, you can imitate my handwriting, Mother won’t be able to tell.” Wei Yi Lin pouted and begged Wei Qingwan to help herself.

“It won’t work ……,” Wei Qingwan had a difficult look on her face.

“Sister! My good sister! You’re the only good sister I’ve ever had!”

Hearing this “only”, Wei Qingwan was moved.

In her family today, her little brother was the only one who was devoted to her, and she didn’t want to lose his fondness and trust in her.

“That …… is fine then.” Wei Qingwan said, “But I’ll only help you copy it once, and you still have to copy the remaining two times yourself.”

“No problem!” Wei Yi Lin immediately cheered up, “I knew that my sister loves me the most, not compared to that newcomer, who doesn’t know what to do day in and day out, and today actually begged mother to let her go out again.”

“She went out? Where did she go?” Wei Qingwan was surprised.

“Went to the north of the city, said she went to see the planting of the fields, don’t you think she’s strange? If she likes farming so much, she should just stay in the countryside, why come back.” Wei Yi Lin said with disgust.

“Did Mother accompany her there?” Wei Qingwan asked after her.

“She’s the one who went on her own, Mother’s so busy with all the things she has to worry about at home, she doesn’t have time to go with her to do that kind of thing!”

“This way ah ……,” Wei Qingwan pondered, her expression slightly downcast.

Seeing Wei Qingwan reveal a sad expression, Wei Yi Lin hurriedly consoled, “Sister, don’t worry, although Mother is quite good to her as well, I’m sure that Mother is the same as me in her heart, she definitely likes you far more than Wei Ruo!”

Wei Qingwan shook her head, “It doesn’t matter, she has suffered in the countryside all these years, it’s only right that her parents treat her better. It’s me who owes her, how can she still ask father and mother to treat me better than her?”

“Sister you just think too much, too much for other people.” Wei Yi Lin flattened his mouth and said helplessly.

“We’re family, it’s only right that I think of everyone, Eilin you’re not so young anymore, it’s time to think of your father and mother more and stop making trouble.”

“I know know know.” He promised with his mouth, but in actuality, he didn’t take it to heart at all.

###

On the way back from the north of the city, Wei Ruo looked at the scenery along the way through the carriage’s window.

She saw many beggars who were begging along the streets, more than anywhere else she had ever been.

The streets were not as bustling as she had imagined the county to be, and they were not even as lively as the town of Wyoming North.

When I asked Sister Zhang, I learned that many of them were local fishermen, who had ended up here because they couldn’t fish due to the Japanese invasion and lost their livelihood.

In addition, these years the weather is not good, the wind does not adjust to the rain, rice production has been greatly reduced, farmers owed income, some of the bottom of the thin is also reduced to the point of begging for a living.

Knowing the reason, Wei Ruo once again looked at those ragged, bone-thin beggars, and her mood couldn’t help but sink a little lower.

Especially when their eyes met with her, a richly dressed thousand-dollar lady riding in a carriage accompanied by slaves, Wei Ruo, a soul from the modern era, couldn’t help but tremble lightly.

There was no more light in their eyes, and when they looked at Wei Ruo, their eyes were empty and numb, with no jealousy or hatred, as if they had already accepted this life of suffering.

After walking a bit more, Wei Ruo saw a vendor who was selling seafood.

When I asked, I learned that the fishermen had gone out in the middle of the night to catch them at the risk of being killed by the Japanese.

But it didn’t sell very well because everyone was not doing so well, and there was a big basket left over.

Wei Ruo looked at those seafood are very fresh, let Xiu Mei buy all of them.

When she heard Wei Ruo say that she would buy them all, the traveling companion, Sister Zhang, immediately revealed her wide-eyed stare, and then said to Wei Ruo as politely as possible, “Missy, seafood isn’t cheap, nowadays there are fewer people selling seafood, and the price is higher, this big basket will cost at least two taels of silver!”

Where did Wei Ruo get the money to buy so many things?

Don’t take the stuff, can’t pay for it, and lose face with the school captain’s office.

Or else they’d go ahead and take credit and have someone go to the lieutenant’s office to collect the money, and then the lieutenant’s office would have to pay for her capricious behavior.

“Well, I know, I’ll use my own personal money.” Wei Ruo could see that Sister Zhang was worried about something.

Private money? Where did she get the money?