Chapter 20: Little Uncle Is So Good

Pei Yan's nervousness was entirely justified; yesterday she had spoken of needing money to rent a house in the county town, yet today she returned with 50 guan after a single outing, inevitably leading her to suspect something untoward.

Lu Beigu said calmly, "At the book gathering today, I wrote a short story; these 50 guan are the fees a bookseller paid to purchase the copyright for the story."

Copyright is not a modern term; it emerged in the Song Dynasty alongside the widespread adoption of movable type printing, yet its meaning remains the same across ages.

Lu Beigu pulled a transcribed copy of "Floating Life in Jiangzuo" from the bottom of his satchel and handed it over: "This is the transcript."

Pei Yan glanced at Lu Beigu, then took the pages.

Though she was a woman, she had grown up in Jingcheng, the capital of Kaifeng; from childhood she had studied music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and was also well-versed in literature.

Thus, reading such a relatively accessible novel was not particularly taxing for her.

When she read the phrase "dipping the fingernail without letting it fall," a spark suddenly burst from the stove hearth beside her, startling her so much she nearly dropped the paper.

"Did you truly earn this from writing?"

She asked with skepticism, her fingertips lightly touching the edge of the jiaozi notes as if afraid they might burn her.

"Of course," Lu Beigu said, somewhat at a loss between laughter and tears.

"Sister-in-law, keep this money; first repay the debts outside, then use the remainder to rent a house, purchase household necessities, and buy things for the two children."

Pei Yan fell silent for a moment, then turned her back.

Moonlight traced her slender shoulder line; the wooden hairpin trembled slightly in her bun, while the stove fire cast her shadow upon the earthen wall, swaying like reeds in the wind.

"Sister-in-law?"

"Nothing."

She quickly wiped her face but did not reach out to take the jiaozi notes.

"Keep them safe yourself; our family owes 28 guan to outsiders. If we are to change our household registration and move to Hejiang County, we ought to repay them before leaving. As for the remainder, rent a house in Hejiang County first, and save the rest for your studies."

"Sister-in-law, now that Magistrate Li has guaranteed our household registration transfer and we have some money, can we move to Hejiang County after the festival?"

"How could it be that easy?"

Pei Yan smiled bitterly: "Setting aside the matter of our ancestors' graves, even to leave this place, we must have a guarantee letter signed by our neighbors. The people of our clan have coveted our homestead for a long time; if we do not sell the property to them at a low price when we depart, they will not sign the guarantee letter for us."

Lu Beigu was stunned, suddenly remembering this matter.

Although the Great Song did not forbid traveling abroad, whether changing household registration or seeking work, one needed a guarantee letter from one's original registration place for the authorities to recognize it.

And as the magistrate of Hejiang, the guarantee letter issued by Li Pan could only ensure that Lu Beigu's family would encounter no problems when their household registration was transferred into Hejiang County; it could not handle the matters of their departure from the Luo clan's tributary region.

Then, could one simply use one's clever little brain to privately forge a guarantee letter?

The answer was no, because the Great Song placed great emphasis on whether a person was a "good person" of clean status; Hejiang County was not far from Gulin Town, and once someone reported the forgery and it was verified, not only would the household registration transfer fail, but one might even be barred from taking the imperial examinations in the future.

"After Qingming Festival passes, return to Hejiang County and rent a house first."

Pei Yan said somewhat helplessly: "Wealth must not be flaunted; the debt was borrowed from the clan. As for the guarantee letter, if there truly is no other way, we will have to comply with them."

"With such a large courtyard and homestead, on what grounds?" Lu Beigu felt indignant.

The homestead passed down from their ancestors had excellent feng shui, and the courtyard was very spacious, with one main hall and two side halls; if truly sold, it would likely fetch over 40 guan.

"I will think of another way."

Pei Yan hummed, then suddenly asked, "I didn't quite understand that piece 'Tianhe Water'; is it truly about wine?"

"It is about wine," Lu Beigu said, lowering his voice, "and also about people."

After exchanging a few more words, the two each returned to their rooms to rest.

Having walked a great deal today and expended considerable mental energy, Lu Beigu fell asleep almost the moment his head touched the pillow.

But Pei Yan tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep no matter what.

As soon as the first watch of the fifth watch struck, she rose quietly.

In the kitchen, she brushed aside the cold ashes to relight the fire, then suddenly seemed to remember something and withdrew her hand.

—Today was the Hanshi Festival.

During the Hanshi Festival, according to custom, all fires were forbidden; she put the flint she had taken out back in its place, then went to lift the damp cloth covering the willow basket, inside which four eggs dyed green with mugwort juice were neatly arranged.

The family was poor; originally, these eggs were the festive food Pei Yan had prepared for the whole family.

However, now that they had some money, Pei Yan could not bear for her children to go without food during the festival.

So after tidying the house, she took out the hidden iron coins, placed them in a bamboo basket, and went out the door.

Before the morning mist had fully dispersed, Pei Yan had returned from the market carrying the bamboo basket.

Fresh elm coins in the basket still bore morning dew, while beside them, the honey-glazed dried apricots wrapped in oil paper glowed faintly like amber.

"Mother."

Lu Yuchi rubbed her eyes, her small hands gripping the doorframe, a tuft of fine hair sticking up.

Pei Yan quickly held a finger to her lips, pointed toward the small side room where Lu Beigu was still asleep; the little girl immediately covered her mouth, but her eyes remained fixed on the honey-glazed dried apricots, unable to look away.

"Save it for Little Uncle," Lu Yuchi said, reluctantly shifting her gaze.

"Today it is for you to eat," Pei Yan said, patting her daughter's head. "Little Uncle earned some money from writing yesterday and specifically said he wanted to buy you something to eat."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true."

"Little Uncle is so good!"

Lu Yuchi carefully used her fingernail to pinch off a tiny piece of dried apricot, popped it into her mouth, and chewed with delight; her eyes immediately curved into crescent moons. Then, holding the rest, she happily ran off to find her younger brother.

When Lu Beigu woke, he saw Pei Yan already pounding almonds beside the stone mortar in the courtyard; her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, and as the stone pestle rose and fell, the almonds gradually crumbled into snow-white powder.

She was preparing Hanshi porridge, which is generally made by boiling almonds, maltose, and japonica rice, then chilling it in the well.

Tofu had not gone out to fight today; he squatted on a peach tree branch, watching curiously, his tail hanging down and swaying back and forth.

"You're awake."

Before Lu Beigu could reply, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the door.

Seeing the group of people outside the courtyard gate, Pei Yan's expression changed slightly.

"Third Granduncle, Fourth Uncle, surely it's not right to come collecting debts on Cold Food Festival?"

Most of the neighbors in the alley had already risen; hearing the commotion now, some gathered to watch the spectacle.

After all, the vast majority of those living here were people of the Lu Shizong clan.

A "tsk" of laughter suddenly rose from the crowd; Lu Beigu's eyes were sharp, and he saw the short Aunt Wang standing on tiptoe, peering over here, her silver hairpin askew, looking just like a heron spying.

Outside the courtyard gate, Third Granduncle leaned on his cane, his withered lips pressed into a thin line, while his cloudy eyes stared fixedly at the bamboo basket on the stone table.

The sweet scent of honey-glazed apricot paste drifted in the morning breeze, making a few creditors swallow hard.

"Pei Niangzi, you have money to buy fruit paste and cold food, yet no money to repay debts—that doesn't seem right, does it?"

Fourth Uncle Lu Zongde spoke up first; a section of counting rods peeked from his sleeve, clearly prepared in advance.

Third Granduncle also spoke slowly: "Today is Cold Food Festival; the clan opens the ancestral hall to settle accounts. We didn't intend to trouble you orphans and widows, but these are hard times for everyone; every family has its own troubles, so there must be an explanation."

"Indeed!"

Fourth Uncle Lu Zongde said: "Your family owes 28 guan of cash; principal plus interest, you must repay 40 guan!"

"Fourth Uncle!"

Pei Yan gripped the bamboo basket until her knuckles turned white: "The debt borrowed last year was agreed upon at three percent interest; only a few months have passed, where does all this interest come from?"

A buzzing murmur immediately rose from the crowd.

A woman with a shrill voice interjected: "Oh my, scholarly families are so refined; they can't even calculate interest correctly? The principle of compound interest is understood even by three-year-old children!"

As she spoke, she nudged the person beside her with her elbow; immediately someone chimed in: "Exactly! I heard someone saw the Lu family boy sneaking back yesterday, his bamboo satchel bulging; who knows, maybe he stole something."

"You lie!" Pei Yan trembled with anger and was about to argue when she suddenly felt her sleeve grow heavy.

Lu Beigu had appeared in front of her at some unknown moment.

(End of this chapter)