Chapter 99 - 100: Idle
Jin Qianqian covered her mouth and chuckled. "I hear Doctor Chu is an expert at conditioning the body. He might really have a way to help Fourth Sister-in-law’s health."
"You should go with her then, Third Sister-in-law. Maybe he can make you feel sixteen again."
Though they sounded like compliments, Liu Liu felt something was off, but she couldn’t think of a good comeback.
"You’re all just standing around," Li Cuicui said, staring directly at Ancient Wen Heng. "Have you heard any news?"
"The comforting envoy personally appointed by the Holy Emperor has reportedly arrived in Dao City," Ancient Wen Heng said. "We’ll probably have news in the next few days."
"Really?"
Ancient Wen Heng nodded. "It’s news the whole city knows. If you don’t believe me, just take a stroll by the city gates. Everyone is talking about it."
"Thank the heavens. These hard times are finally coming to an end."
"..."
* * *
"The official notice is here. Tomorrow, everyone is to go to the city gates to register. We need to get a final count now. Those who want to return to their hometowns, stand to my left. Those who want to settle here, stand to my right." Gu Sanbu had aged a great deal in recent days, tormented day and night by the choice between returning home and settling in a new land.
"There’s one other important thing. The comforting envoy will be heading to the Northern Three Provinces to inspect the drought. Anyone who decides to go back can follow his procession, but you’ll be on your own for food and lodging."
"What’s the difference? We still have to walk the whole way."
"Don’t be ridiculous. At least we’ll be safe on the road. And if something really happens, the officials will lend a hand."
"If we go back now, is it suddenly going to start raining?"
"Everyone, stop arguing!" Gu Shulin shouted, his voice finally cutting through the noise. "Mr. Cha is waiting for our decision. Hurry and get in line to register! If you’re late, we’ll just put you down as returning home and report it as such."
"Ma, I’m telling you right now, my family is staying here," Gu Yuanhuo said preemptively as he saw Li Cuicui approaching. "If for no other reason, we have to think about your two grandsons."
"I’m not going anywhere," Li Cuicui declared. "Wherever you rascals go, I go. After all the hard work I put into raising you, I’m waiting for you all to take care of your old ma."
Gu Yuanhuo broke into a wide grin. "Ma, I wish you’d come around to this sooner! I’ve been worrying sick lately, afraid I’d never see you again."
"You idiot, watch your mouth!" Gu Yuanjin landed a kick on his rear. "Ma is going to live to be a hundred and enjoy being cared for by all of her sons."
"Right, right. My mistake, my stupid mouth," Gu Yuanhuo said with an apologetic smile, slinging an arm around Li Cuicui’s shoulders. "We’ll all take care of Ma together and make her the most pampered old woman in the whole clan."
Flattered, Li Cuicui’s face blossomed into a smile. "In that case, you brothers had better try to settle in the same place. I don’t want to be running all over the place looking for my sons in my old age."
’Her sons were dutiful, but there was always a rivalry between them,’ she thought. ’Especially Third and Fifth Son. Their families have been at odds with Seventh lately.’
"Ma, we haven’t even been assigned a place yet. It’s too early to talk about this. Besides, it’s not like we get to decide," Gu Yuanshui said, instantly grasping what his mother was getting at.
Li Cuicui, "..."
Perhaps because of the heated discussions they’d had before, the few who had been entertaining thoughts of returning had now changed their minds.
Watching everyone move to stand on one side, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief. At least they wouldn’t be separated.
* * *
Even though refugee groups like the one from Bainiao were given priority for resettlement, they were still scattered across several different villages.
"Where is this Gaoling Village?" Hearing the unfamiliar name, everyone had a bad feeling.
"Gaoling... High Ridge... It’s not going to be just like our Kao Mountain Village, is it? Are we just ending up right back where we started?"
Gu Sanbu clutched the official document, nervously watching the Government Official prepare to leave. "Sir, what’s this Gaoling Village in Fu County like?"
The Government Official shook his head. "We’ve never been there either. These are all locations submitted by the various County Magistrates. If they say you can be settled there, there shouldn’t be a problem."
Watching the official turn and leave, Gu Sanbu quickly called over a few young men, telling them to hurry and ask around to find out what this place was really like.
Ancient Wen Heng and Jin Qianqian didn’t want to just wait around, either. The two of them went to the city gate, once again paid the ten cents to enter, and headed straight for a bookstore.
"What can I get for you today, Mr. Gu?" Manager Qian’s eyes crinkled in a smile as he saw his two best customers appear before him again.
"I’m looking for a local gazetteer of Dao City. Do you happen to have one?"
"Please follow me." Manager Qian quickly led them to a corner. "Here are the local gazetteers for various regions. Just let me know if you need anything else."
"Thank you, Shopkeeper." Ancient Wen Heng began to browse, not limiting himself to just Dao City. After some careful selection, he had gathered more than ten books.
Seeing the large pile of books, Manager Qian quickly took up his abacus, its beads clacking as he calculated. "Your total comes to twenty-three taels and five maces."
Jin Qianqian was once again struck by how expensive education was in this era. This small stack of books alone cost as much as an ordinary commoner might earn in two years.
She didn’t let any of this show on her face, however, and readily took out the silver to pay the bill.
Seeing the young woman pay again, Manager Qian was no longer as surprised as the first time. He calmly got her change, a half silver, and asked, "Should I wrap these for you?"
"Thank you, Shopkeeper, but I can just carry them," Ancient Wen Heng said, shaking his head. He cradled the stack of books and left with Jin Qianqian.
Instead of leaving the city, they went to Tianfu Restaurant and got a small private room.
"Fu County’s location seems decent. It’s on the main route to Shangjing, only a two-day journey away," Jin Qianqian complained after she finished reading. "But there are no details about Gaoling Village, it just says it’s a village within the county’s jurisdiction. This gazetteer is such a scam."
"For now, we just need to get our household registration sorted. The general area is actually pretty convenient for us, but we’ll still have to think carefully about where we’ll actually put down roots."
Jin Qianqian silently took stock of the Silver Taels they had on them. "Do you think we should take this opportunity, while we’re still in Dao City, to get some more silver?"
"What would we trade for it?" Ancient Wen Heng asked.
Jin Qianqian’s eyes narrowed. "Remember Doctor Chu?"
Ancient Wen Heng fell silent. ’Is my memory really that bad?’
"I was thinking of selling him some medicinal herbs. We can say we found them by chance on our journey here. It’s a plausible explanation that won’t draw too much attention."
"That’s not a bad idea," said Ancient Wen Heng. "But aren’t those herbs growing so well? Wouldn’t it be a shame to sell them?"
Jin Qianqian immediately looked triumphant. "Don’t forget, I collected a lot of herbs before. I have a whole corner piled with various things that pass for wild ginseng."
"And then there’s that Purple Lingzhi we picked. Even if it’s not the legendary kind, it’s still a rarity that wealthy patrons desire. It should be worth a fair bit."