Lin Zhihuang was still lost in his thoughts. He hadn't realized before that his original brother wasn't exactly a good-tempered person.
"What? Seeing my mother being reprimanded by my father makes you all happy? Don't you know the rules? Get out of here!" Lin Zhihui, seated on Lin Zhihuang's left slammed his chopsticks on the table and scolded coldly.
Lin Zhihui was burly and strong with a narrow waist and long legs. Though he was only twelve years of age, the lad could already stand a head taller than his peers. His face was resolute and angular, and his skin was fair with a heroic demeanor, making him look much more like a young man of seventeen or eighteen.
Until now, Lin Zhihui had been eating silently, leading Lin Zhihuang to think he was sulking. But when he suddenly erupted, his anger was intimidating.
"Hui'er, they are all your father's concubines. It's not your place as a junior to reprimand them! Watch your words!" Pei Shi quickly rebuked Lin Zhihui.
"It's not for Hui'er to speak in such a manner!" Lin Zheyun frowned, scolding his wife Pei more harshly than before.
The concubines, who had been feigning pitiful looks to gain the head of the family's favor, quickly lowered their gazes. The dining hall of the main courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
Lin Zheyun treasured his eldest son quite dearly. In this family, no one except for him was permitted to scold Lin Zhihui, not even his wife Pei.
As he recognized the circumstance did not concern him, Lin Zhihuang, with his magnificent psychological control, scooped up a spoonful of abalone soup and silently watched the rest.
Without remembering the previous owner, Lin Zhihuang chose not to meddle in the drama and continued to be a mere spectator.
After scolding Pei Shi, Lin Zheyun's reprimand seemed to make everyone wary. Nobody dared utter a word again, and the dinner was eaten in silence.
Once dinner had been finished, Lin Zheyun looked across to his eldest son with a warm smile and said, "Hui' er, how is your martial arts training going with Hu Sao? Has any progress been made?
On hearing this, Lin Zhihui put down his chopsticks and looked up, his chest swelling with pride as he said, "Recently, I've mastered a new set of archery techniques with Hu Sao's help. Now, I can handle opponents who get too close with ease."
Lin Zheyun nodded in approval, his face breaking into a pleased smile. "Good, good! Keep it up! Study diligently and train hard."
"The world outside is chaotic these days.". While scholarly pursuits are noble, it's better to have martial skills. Hui'er, you have extraordinary talent in martial arts and have an unyielding dedication for that. If you had grown up in the imperial city, you would have received much attention. Alas, you've been held back by my circumstances, forced to grow up in this poor, remote county." As he spoke, Lin Zheyun's thoughts shifted to his father in Shengjing, whom he secretly blamed for their current situation.
"The child understands," Lin Zhihui replied loudly.
Lin Zheyun, drawn back to the present by Lin Zhihui's spirited response, clapped his hands in satisfaction and said, "Hu Sao has been a diligent teacher. As a reward—Cuichun, from today, you'll serve in Hu Sao's yard."
Cuichun, one of Pei's maids, froze in shock upon hearing this. Hu Sao was already in his fifties, and though skilled in martial arts, his status and appearance were far inferior to that of the household head.
Tears welled up in Cuichun's eyes, but she dared not cry. She knelt down with a forced smile and said, "Yes, I'll pack my things today and go to Hu Sao's yard to serve."
The other concubines, watching Cuichun's predicament, exchanged glances, their expressions filled with schadenfreude.
Concubines are rewarded this way—by their being sent to serve subordinates. How merciless! Lin Zhihuang watched as others reacted. Everyone seemed accepting, as if this was the way it was meant to be.
This vividly reminded Lin Zhihuang of how lowly a woman's status is in this age. He laid down his chopsticks as he lost his appetite.
In this society, aside from a wife, women were considered no better than property to men.
However, the saddest part was that even the women themselves didn't seem to find anything bad about that treatment. They had grown so accustomed to being the slaves of men that they couldn't conceive a world where their value wasn't tied to some man.
A shiver ran down Lin Zhihuang's spine. Her confused mind, struck by the bitter reality of this world, cleared. She made up her mind never to get caught in such a position again.
It is better to rely on oneself than on others. Do not assume heaven will favor you. You can only escape from oppression in this world of yours by relying on your own strength.
At the time of the winter solstice, the morning fog stood in the air so that the landscape resembled a piece of pure white cloth stained with countless spots.
The door of the grain shop opened long before. Before it opened, a long line already stood there.
All the people waiting outside the grain shop were neighbors from the various streets. They were all familiar with each other, and as they waited for the shop to open, they all started discussing the situation.
Mrs. Wang raised her voice and lamented: "This world is unbearable! The prices are outrageous! A liter of silver for grain is sold in the grain shop. That is like being robbed by the bandits!
Zhang the blacksmith joined in, "Who knows? These profiteering grain traders are all villains! They are exploiting the food shortage and making money from people's misery. As if they were to starve us to death."
You have to buy it at such a high price. If you don't, we'll starve to death!
"How can you not buy it? Have you seen the beggars outside the city? Some people who were once rich landlords have fled here. Even though they still have money, they can't even get into the city to buy grain!"
Mrs. Wang was a member of the kitchen staff in the county magistrate's house. Since she had some inside information, she leaned over and whispered to the others, "It's our county magistrate who is not letting those exiles in the city!
Good. They shouldn't be let in. If the exiles came to the city, we have no idea what destruction they would wreak. Worse, they'd eat everything that's left in the city-including grain. Then we'll starve to death. At least now, even if food is expensive, there's still some to buy. One of these days, we'll have money but no food to buy."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Those who were early in the grain shop were all set to stock up with food. The situation outside was so bad that it was essential to buy grain to prepare for the worst. This was the survival wisdom of the common people.
There, as everyone kept reflecting on the heavy costs of buying grain, there was a silence over them.
You know, these princes don't lack anything, yet they're still fighting each other. One king sends troops to another, while another forms alliances. It's like their brains have turned to mush! These nobles can't enjoy their glory and wealth in peace. What's the point of all this war? And it's us common folk who end up suffering."
"True. The Lin County magistrate of Tan County is the only one who's doing something right. In other places, when exiles come, they're driven away immediately. But here, the exiles can at least get by with some porridge, even though they can't enter the city. It's sad to think about what's happening in other places—people are freezing and starving to death as they flee."
"I pity those exiles, but who will pity us? Mrs. Wang doesn't need anyone's pity—she can manage. But for my family, we're so poor we can't even afford rice bran!"
Mrs. Wang's family had once been comparatively well-off because her husband was a carter for the county, but everything changed half a year ago when, while on duty, he was kicked by a runaway horse and became bedridden. In the aftermath of this accident, Mrs. Wang has been the only bread earner for her family.
When the grain shop finally opened up its doors, people quietened down and prepared to rush in to buy grain.
He came out with a sign, which was described as the following: "Today's grain price: Two yuan for one liter."
"Why has the price gone up again?"
The crowd shouted and protested. "Didn't the price go up to a liter of silver yesterday?
The shopkeeper, after banging his gong to silence the crowd, said loudly, "That's the price. Take it or leave it! If the county magistrate hadn't ordered us to sell a hundred stones of grain each day, we wouldn't be selling it at all!" With that, the shopkeeper rolled his eyes, put away his gong, and disappeared into the shop.
Mrs. Wang spat angrily and spun around with a scowl, her rattan basket already spilling broken vegetables.
The others, who were just as frustrated, were not as tough as Mrs. Wang. They gritted their teeth and rushed into the shop, pushing and shoving to weigh their grain.
There was no other choice. What else could they eat if not grain? It was overpriced, but what else could they do? After all, money alone wouldn't keep them fed.