The scorching sun was like fire, and the earth was like a bamboo steamer. The weather was so hot that people were gasping for breath. Yuxi lay on the bed, feeling weak and weary.
Mama Bai came in with a bowl of chicken soup and told Yuxi: "Madam, this is a six-year-old hen bought from the purchasing place. It has been stewed for a day."
The weather was so hot that by the time she had finished the meat and broth of the large bowl of chicken soup, her forehead was sweating. As she had caught a cold the day before yesterday and was feeling unwell, she couldn't use ice for fear of aggravating her condition. It was also very dry here, which was particularly hard for Yuxi to bear.
Mama Lan looked at Yuxi's appearance and suggested, "Madam, why don't you go to the country estate for a couple of days? It should definitely be cooler there than here in Yu City." It would be the right time to calm down and rest by visiting the countryside. Madam hadn't been feeling well for the past few days and hadn't even had time to relax as she had been busy from morning till night. If this continued, Mama Lan feared that her Madam wouldn't be able to hold out and her body would collapse from exhaustion.
Yuxi also felt that she was too busy and didn't even have time to rest. She was not the kind of person who liked to show off, and after thinking for a while, she said, "Okay, I'll talk to the General tonight, and tomorrow, I'll go to the estate to stay for a while." As for her health, although her hands and feet were a bit cold, it wasn't a big problem, and she would be fine without any medicine for just a few days. But it was too hot and dry here, and it was hard to sleep well at night. Going to the estate to live for a while would be like going on a summer vacation.
That night, Yun Qing returned home with an ugly expression. Seeing this, Mama Lan had the sense to carry Zaozao out, leaving the couple to talk.
Yuxi got up and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yun Qing answered coldly, "The memorial I sent has been returned." The reply on the memorial said that the taxes had yet to be collected, and the Ministry of Revenue had no money because they had lent it to someone. Once they had collected the taxes, they would give the Charity Home some funds. But Yun Qing was no fool. How could he not know that these were all excuses?
Speaking of which, Yun Qing's face darkened even more as he continued, "Jiangnan had an excellent summer harvest this year, and they even said that they didn't have any money." It was clear that the Imperial Court was not willing to give them any.
After hearing these words, Yuxi couldn't help but smile. "Not to mention that Jiangnan has a good harvest this summer. Even if Jiangnan always has light winds and timely rains[1], the Ministry of Revenue will still have no money." With the corruption of officials and the arrogance and extravagant lifestyle of those nobles, it would be strange if the Ministry of Revenue still had money. But Yuxi hadn't expected that the Imperial Court would refuse to give them a single penny. It would be foolish to expect anything from such an Imperial Court.
Yun Qing added, "Now that it's already the eighth month, there will be another war soon." The war was still tolerable. They had nothing to worry about as long as they stayed in the city and didn't take the initiative to attack. But how were they going to survive this winter? These newly arrived soldiers must be issued with two sets of winter clothing!
Yuxi thought for a while before suggesting, ''He Rui, you should ask Mr Xia about this. I think he might have a solution." Mr Xia had been with Marshal Qin for over twenty years and was Marshal Qin's confidant, so he must know much more than they did.
After hearing this suggestion, Yun Qing paused and replied, "Even though Mr Xia hasn't handed in his resignation yet, I'm worried that he still wants to leave." He felt much more relaxed with Mr Xia around. If Mr Xia left, he would be swamped again.
Yuxi pointed out: "You hold him in such high esteem and are devoted to the soldiers and people of Yu City. I don't think he will leave." Mr Xia had lived in Yu City for more than 20 years, and he would probably be reluctant to leave. Otherwise, he would not have stayed until now.
Yun Qing still had this worry.
Yuxi said, "Actually, you can't rely too much on Mr Xia. When there's a chance, it's better to recruit some more competent people."
After addressing the main issue, Yuxi told Yun Qing about her plan to go to the country estate: "It's stiflingly hot these days that it's hard for me and the child to bear it. Since it's cool and refreshing at the country estate, I'm thinking of staying there until the heat is over and then coming back. It's not far anyway. It's only half a day’s journey. You should come and see us if you have the time.” Like her, Zaozao had lost a lot of weight in the last few days, and her once plump little face had begun to thin.
Yun Qing nodded. "Alright."
Early the following day, Yuxi took some people to the estate. It was a huge estate located on one of the most prestigious country estates in Yu City. As Yuxi walked over, she saw a flat road with scholar trees planted on both sides.
The scholar tree blossomed from the sixth to the eighth month. Yuxi looked at the number of scholar tree flowers in full bloom, smiled and said to Mama Lan: "Later, have someone pick some of the flowers and ask Mama Bai to make some pastries from them."
Guo Xun was leaning on his crutches as he brought Zisu over to greet Yuxi.
Yuxi looked at Guo Xun and smiled. "Just by looking at you, I know the estate has been good to you." Not only did his complexion look better, but his eyes were shining as well, so it was clear he was having a good time here.
Guo Xun smiled thoroughly. "It's still thanks to Madam for giving me this opportunity." Although he didn't understand anything at first, he humbly asked the old farmers for advice. Over the past few months, he had learned a lot and gained confidence. Now, he was very confident that he could run this estate well.
Zisu's face was also full of smiles as she ushered, "Madam, let's go inside first! The sun is shining too brightly outside." After saying that, she glared at Guo Xun. This person was really something. He couldn't even wait until everyone was inside before answering.
As Yuxi watched the couple interact, a smile appeared on her face, and she responded, "Let's go inside first!" This sun could scorch a person.
This country estate was called the Scholar Tree Estate because many scholar trees were planted throughout the estate. There was even a scholar tree at the entrance to the house where Yuxi would be staying.
Yuxi stood in front of the scholar tree and looked at it. Its trunk was so thick and strong that no person could hug it alone. One look at it showed that the tree was old.
Seeing this scene, Guo Xun explained: "Madam, the old man in this estate said that this scholar tree has lived for more than two hundred years." An old scholar tree over two hundred years old was considered rare.
Yuxi smiled and commented, "Someone must have carefully looked after it."
A noob translator, きつね, translated this noob translation. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.site. If you read this in another location other than site stated, it has been taken without the translator's permission. Please don't support this kind of act.
As soon as Yuxi entered the house, she felt cool and refreshed. This atmosphere was unsurprising as the old scholar tree blocked the sunlight, so the place was naturally cooler.
When Zisu heard that Yuxi was coming over yesterday, she had already cleaned up the house. In addition, she also used incense. Its smell could not only repel insects and but also remove unpleasant odours.
Yuxi asked Mama Lan to show Zaozo to Guo Xun and said with a smile, "This child is already over three months old, and you haven't seen her yet!"
Guo Xun seriously looked at the child and then beamed joyfully, "They look the same, really the same." The child was a completely scaled-down version of the General. The only bad thing was that she had lost some weight.
After talking for a while, Guo Xun left, leaving Zisu behind. Nowadays, Zisu's complexion was much more peaceful, which pleased Yuxi.
Since no outsiders were in the room, Yuxi asked: "How come there's no news yet?" The reason she had Zisu follow Guo Xun to the estate was, firstly, Guo Xun needed someone to take care of him; secondly, she wanted the couple to get along better to deepen their feelings; and thirdly, of course, she hoped to hear the good news from them soon.[😌]
Zisu's eyes were a little bleak as she answered, "Not yet." The couple had been married for over a year, yet nothing exciting came out of her belly.
Yuxi smiled and comforted her, "There's no rush. As long as husband and wife stay together, you will have one soon." Since they were no longer separated, and there were no problems with Zisu's body, it would only be a matter of time before Zisu became pregnant.
While Yuxi was being carefree and contented in the country estate, she was unaware of another problem at the Charity Home. This time, it was not that a child had been kidnapped, but someone had come to the door begging the Charity Home to take her child. If the gatekeeper hadn't refused to let her in, she would probably have just broken in.
Zhuye came out as soon as she heard the news. She looked at an elderly woman kneeling at the entrance and asked, "Who are you? Why have you come to the Charity Home?" The child in the older woman's arms was so thin that she couldn't look at the child any more, and the woman looked as if she were about to die.
Seeing Zhuye so well dressed, the kneeling old woman begged: "Miss, please save my grandson. My grandson is going to starve to death. Please save him!" Zhuye was not yet married and had the hairstyle of an unmarried girl, which was easy to identify.
As soon as Zhuye heard that this older woman claimed to be the child's grandmother, she quickly shook her head. "I'm sorry, we only accept orphans here, and they must be the orphans of those soldiers who died in battle, not others." By 'others', she meant orphans from the ordinary people's families.
The old woman cried, "Miss, please be merciful. This child is the only one left in our Heng family..."
Zhuye couldn't bear to see this scene, but she knew very well that she couldn't accept the child, no matter how much she couldn't bear it. After the first time, there would be a second time, and things would not go well by then. "I'm sorry, this is the rule of the Charity Home." This rule was set by Yuxi herself. It wasn't that Yuxi didn't want to help these people, but that she didn't have the ability to raise all the orphans in Yu City.
Despite the older woman's constant pleading, Zhuye turned around and entered the house. A senior woman helper noticed Zhuye's uncomfortable expression and comforted her, "Don't think too much. With so many poor people around, how can we help them all?" Had it not been for the General's and his wife's kindness, she didn't know how many of the five hundred children at the Charity Home would have survived! However, no matter how kind and capable Madam was, she could not help everyone.
Zhuye smiled bitterly. "I know. I'm just a little sad." She wouldn't have refused if she didn't know how much damage this would cause, but she still felt very sorry for the grandmother and her grandchild.
While she was talking, the gatekeeper walked in with a few big steps and reported, "Miss, that old biddy banged her head against the wall and looked like she was going to die." That older woman had looked at him with her eyes wide open. Obviously, she wanted to send her grandson to the Charity Home. But he couldn't decide on this matter either.
Zhuye quickly walked out. When she reached the main entrance, she saw that the older woman's forehead was covered in blood, and she was gasping for air. It was evident that she wouldn't make it.
When the older woman saw Zhuye, her eyes flashed with hope. Using all her strength to grasp the hem of Zhuye's clothes, she begged: "Miss, please take my grandson! My grandson's name is Heng......" Before she could finish her words, the older woman passed away.
Zhuye froze. This was the first time she had encountered something like this. This older woman didn't even hesitate to take her own life so that her grandchild would survive.
When the gatekeeper saw this scene, he spoke to Zhuye, "You don't have to blame yourself. This woman is sick. She probably knew she didn't have many days left, so she came to the Charity Home with her grandchild." This action could be regarded as finding a way for his grandson to survive. After all, everyone knew Madam Yun's reputation. With Madam Yun in charge of the Charity Home, the older woman would not have to worry about her grandchild's food and clothing. But the Charity Home didn't take in everyone's children.
Zhuye returned to her senses, looked at the older woman who was no longer breathing, and said, "Find someone to bury her properly. I'll pay for it."
The gatekeeper had no problem with this arrangement, but he looked at the crying child and asked, "What about the child?"
Zhuye was very decisive at that time as she replied: "This child cannot stay in the Charity Home. If we start taking in this one child, there will be another. If everyone follows this older woman's example, things will get messy."
The gatekeeper also knew this reasoning, but he couldn't bear it. He wondered, "Now that this child is left alone, what will he do in the future?" How could a child of four or five survive?
Zhuye said, "I'll take care of this." It was impossible not to take care of this child. She could look for other ways to solve this problem, but she could never put this child in the Charity Home. Otherwise, the rules set by Madam would just be empty words on a piece of paper[3].
Footnotes Full List
- Chinese idiom: good weather for the crops; favourable weather
- Yuxi has become a common busybody elder in every Asian family. When the target is still single: "When will you get married?" After the target is married: "When will you have children?" 😮💨 She should give them time. Guo Xun was slowly recovering from his injury and trying to stabilise his income. I think he knows that in order to have children, he needs to prove to his wife his ability to support her and their future children after he's no longer a soldier.
- Chinese idiom: Things such as rules and plans that are merely words but have no real effect.)
きつね's Basic Botanical Knowledge
I've just discovered that although they look very similar, the Chinese scholar and locust trees are two different trees. They are from the same family, Fabaceae (the bean family), but are entirely different genera and species. The Chinese Scholar Tree is scientifically known as Styphnolobium japonicum, a slightly poisonous tree native to China, although the species is identified as being from Japan (japonicum). The Locust Tree is known as Robinia pseudoacacia, a highly poisonous tree native to North Carolina. In Chinese, this tree is called 洋槐树 (yánghuáishù), which means foreign Scholar Tree.
The Chinese scholar tree got its common name from the ancient Chinese people who believed that planting the tree in their garden would bless their scholar family members to pass the Imperial Examination to become officials. It's also known as the Japanese pagoda tree because it's often found in Buddhist temples in Japan. As for the locust tree, it is said to be so-called because its pod resembles a grasshopper (locust) or a lobster. Locust comes from the Latin locusta, which refers to both the insect and the lobster.
The other noticeable difference is that the Chinese scholar tree has green pods, while the locust tree has dark brown pods.
Image Credit | Chinese Scholar Tree Pods belong to JMH and can be accessed from The Morton Arboretum, and for Locust Tree Pods image can be found on the Poison Control website.
Just to be clear, I'm not a botany student. All the information I got was provided by Mr Google. This happened because I was trying to find a pastry made from the flowers of the Chinese Scholar Tree. Here is one of the videos I could find:
They called it a locust tree flower, which confused me.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi