Chapter 33: A Good Man

"Sun Tianxiu, what are you doing here?"

"Uncle…" Sun Tianxiu called out once, then lowered her head and began sobbing again.

"What's wrong? Take your time and tell me."

"They took the land away, and Mother jumped into Fangniu Pond and died! Wuu…" Sun Tianxiu burst into loud wailing right there on the street.

Pang Yu said in astonishment, "They took the land after just a few days? Who's selling you, then?"

Sun Tianxiu raised her eyes to look at a man behind her, also a villager in appearance, around forty or so.

Seeing the Constable glaring at him with an unfriendly look, the man stammered hastily, "I'm her second uncle, I… don't blame me. Who doesn't pity the child? This lowly one didn't want to come do this sort of thing. Her father told me to. There was no other way — they didn't even have money for medicine. This lowly one has a whole big family to feed, and I can't help their family either."

Sun Tianxiu's dirty face was covered in tears. "There's nothing to eat at home, and Father still needs to buy medicine. I don't blame Father."

Pang Yu patted Sun Tianxiu on the head. Looking at the second uncle's clothing, he was clearly not from a well-off household and probably had no means to help Sun Tianxiu's family.

"Who came to take the land? There's still unharvested grain in those fields. Why didn't you delay until the end of the month, harvest the grain, and then hand it over — that would have been more worthwhile."

"Three days ago, the Tax Register Clerk and the pawnshop came together. They said they'd charge interest by the day and told them to hand over the land early, so the Sun family wouldn't be unable to pay later. They pressured her mother for a whole day. Her mother couldn't endure it and jumped into the pond that night and died. Before she was even buried, that Tax Register Clerk brought people and took the land…"

"His mother, that's vicious." Pang Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead. That day he had already felt the Lice clerk's methods were ruthless, but he hadn't expected them to be this shameless — not even sparing that bit of grain in the fields, literally driving people to their deaths.

Frowning, he looked at her second uncle and asked, "How much silver were you planning to sell her for?"

"Fifteen… it's not that I want to sell her." The second uncle glanced cautiously at Pang Yu, and seeing Pang Yu's frown deepen, quickly amended, "If the official gentleman is buying, thirteen, thirteen taels will do."

"A girl sold for only thirteen taels?" Pang Yu was somewhat shocked. A child raised so big sold for only thirteen taels — the price was truly not high. Yet even at this not-high price, he couldn't come up with it right now.

Pang Yu's difficulty wasn't just the silver. The rear quarters of the Pang family Medicine Shop were very cramped. Pang Ding didn't even have a place to sleep; at night he stayed in the shop front, two benches propping up a door plank as a bed. The medicine shop didn't need extra hands right now either.

Seeing Pang Yu silent, Sun Tianxiu kept her head down, tears falling ceaselessly.

At that moment, a merchant in a black satin Daoist Robe stopped in front of Sun Tianxiu. He was around fifty, with a ruddy complexion, clearly someone who took good care of himself normally, though he bore slight signs of travel, probably having just come off the road.

He bent down, pinched Sun Tianxiu's chin, and lifted her face, turning it side to side for a close look, squeezing her cheeks until they sank in deeply.

"What's this girl crying about? Don't cry, let this lord have a look. Her brows and eyes are decent, eyes quite bright and lively. It's fate — this old master just came back from selling goods in Anqing and decided to rest my feet here at the south gate, and how coincidental to run into you. Come with this old master to Luzhou, alright? Be a Maid for my concubine, and in two or three years you could be a bed-warmer." The Hangshang's accent had slight differences from Tongcheng's. After examining Sun Tianxiu carefully, he turned to her second uncle and asked, "How much silver for this one mouth?"

"Answering the lord, fifteen taels."

The Hangshang stood straight and waved a hand. "Ten taels will do. Let me tell you, in Luzhou Prefecture I've bought them for eight taels, even a bit older than this one. In Fengyang I once came across one for five taels, but at the time this old master was heading to Chuzhou and it wasn't convenient to take her along. When I came back, someone else had bought her — a pity, a pity. Just as bright and lively. Ten taels is a fair price."

The second uncle was a farmer, truly somewhat afraid of officials, but he had no such fear of merchants. He wouldn't lower the price, just kept shaking his head. "Raising a girl in her family isn't easy. At least fourteen taels. Sir, you're from a wealthy household and don't lack this bit of loose silver, but for poor folk it's a month's grain."

"A wealthy household's silver isn't blown in by the wind either. Business is about fairness — pay what it's worth. How about this: eleven taels."

Pang Yu crouched down and looked at Sun Tianxiu. "Do you want to go with someone and not worry about food and clothing, or stay with your family?"

Sun Tianxiu's eyes were red as she choked out, "I want to stay and take care of Father. I can plow, I can chop firewood, I can do anything. Just let me stay and take care of Father and my little brother, that's all."

The business overhead continued.

"Esteemed sir, thirteen taels and eight mace, how about it?"

"Too expensive, too expensive. This old master will be generous — eleven taels and one mace."

The two haggled above Sun Tianxiu's head. Though Sun Tianxiu hadn't seen much of the world, she knew a deal was about to be struck. She knelt and kowtowed toward Pang Yu. "Uncle, that day you gave silver to our family. Mother told me to remember. I can't repay Uncle's kindness, so let me kowtow to Uncle."

Pang Yu turned his head away, not looking at Sun Tianxiu. After a moment of silence, he stood up and stared at the Hangshang.

The Hangshang was still haggling with the second uncle on his own. "You little farmer, how can you be so harsh? I'm taking the girl away to enjoy a good life. If a bed-warmer girl bears children, it's not impossible for her to become a concubine. What if some disreputable household buys her — you'd get more silver, but you'd harm this girl for a lifetime. Is this how you act as her… what are you to her, anyway? Forget it. Eleven taels and nine mace, and this old master will just…"

"Shut your mouth!"

The Hangshang started in surprise and turned to look at the runner beside him, only to see this young runner staring at him with a dark expression.

"What are you doing in Tongcheng? What goods are you peddling? Passing through Tongcheng heading where? Did you have a broker arrange your shipment? Have the North Gorge Pass Patrol Office and the Mata Stone Inspection Office settled your commercial taxes?"

With each question Pang Yu asked, the merchant retreated a step. Only when Pang Yu finished did the merchant say, still in shock, "This old master is a law-abiding Hangshang. What are you trying to do?"

Pang Yu pulled Sun Tianxiu up from the ground and looked coldly at the Hangshang. "This old master isn't trying to do anything. This old master is going to be a good man for once today. Take your filthy money and get lost!"

……

"A word of advice, brother. If you want to buy Sun Tianxiu, buy her properly — you mustn't get entangled with the Sun family. That Sun Tianyu has a chronic illness. Besides Sun Tianxiu, there are two other children. Now that the land is gone, the Sun family has become a bottomless pit. Second Brother, once you get involved, they'll come to you every few days with some problem. Will you help or not?"

In the sweltering Archive Repository, He Xianya was drenched in sweat as he flipped through the Fish Scale Atlas while questioning Pang Yu.

The work of arresting Old Zheng had been pushed forward with great fanfare for several days. The peak of public attention had passed, and once County Magistrate Yang relented, the men of the Three Squads were all pulled back and normal work resumed. Only Pang Yu, instead of seriously preparing to take up the post of Chest Attendant, had dragged He Xianya into the Archive Repository to do hard labor.

Pang Yu pulled out a cotton handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, then said with certainty, "In the future I absolutely won't help. This is the last time. I'm not planning to buy Sun Tianxiu either. Like you said, it's a bottomless pit. So this time, I need to let her family support themselves — I have to figure out a way to get the land back."

"If you're not buying her, then why keep her in your shop?"

"This old master has no silver, how could I buy her? Wasn't it because I was afraid her second uncle would sell her off? I first gave that second uncle one tael and three mace of silver before he agreed to let the girl stay a few days. Her father's medicine was also taken for free from my family's shop. What the hell am I even doing?"

He Xianya asked cautiously, "Second Brother, have you taken a fancy to that girl?"

"This old master doesn't have that kind of perversion — such a young girl."

He Xianya let out a long breath of relief. "I knew it. How could Second Brother fancy a ten-year-old girl?"

Pang Yu inwardly agreed with He Xianya. In Pang Yu's view, the Ming dynasty was all about early marriage. Hearing He Xianya's words now, Pang Yu felt He Xianya was at least a normal person.

Then he heard He Xianya add, "She'd have to be at least thirteen or fourteen to be suitable."

Pang Yu turned his head, about to curse He Xianya a couple of times, when he heard He Xianya suddenly cry out.

"Found it! Second Capital, Third Map, Sun Family Branch Manor. The local names are Yingfeng Pass, Fangniu Pond, and Yikoujing. Seventeen mu in total. The name shows signs of alteration, with a bit of dust sprinkled on to make it look old."

Pang Yu hurried over. After looking at the registered name, he laughed. "Tampered with like this — New River Pawnshop has no small amount of nerve. Leave this matter to me later. Don't bother with this. The Service Tickets for the Bench handover still aren't ready — that can't be delayed. This afternoon, go write them at my seat."

He Xianya licked his lips and said, "I don't know what Second Brother is planning, but helping the Sun family get their land back is harder than climbing to heaven. New River Pawnshop belongs to the Wu family, and I've heard Fang Xiangqian has a share too. These aren't people we can afford to offend. And the person who altered the atlas — someone from the Household Office must be involved. One misstep, and don't go provoking some Clerk or Clerk from the Household Office…"

Pang Yu studied the Fish-Scale Map closely. "Why would I provoke the Wu family or the Fang family? Even less would I provoke the people in the Household Office. I still need to carefully analyze what I've found and think about how to use it."

"How about Second Brother uses the name of the Household Office or the County Magistrate falsely? New River Pawnshop, because of Old Zheng's connection to Yue Ji's matter, has been treading carefully around the yamen lately. They probably wouldn't be willing to come verify with the county office."

Pang Yu shook his head. "Falsely using the yamen's name over a dozen mu of land — if it's exposed, the loss outweighs the gain. The risk doesn't match the reward. This deal has only two parties: me and Liu Shopkeeper."

……

On Tongcheng's County Front Street, New River Pawnshop was so deserted that birds could perch at its door. Passersby all detoured around it, because a few days ago, during Yue Ji's funeral procession, it had stopped in front of New River Pawnshop's gate. Scattered spirit money still littered the street.

Pang Yu drew a long breath, walked alone through the main door, came before the tall counter, and said to the person inside: "Tell your Shopkeeper to come out and talk!"

The person inside raised his head, but it wasn't Shopkeeper Liu Ruogu. This man had a long, narrow face, marked with some pockmarks, and a dissolute look about him.

He grew slightly more respectful once he saw Pang Yu's Constable Uniform, scrutinized him carefully, then exclaimed, "So it's Constable Pang. Whatever the matter, just tell your brother here — your brother can decide things. Please, come inside."

Pang Yu searched his memory as well. This man had gone to South Pond Neighborhood with Liu Shopkeeper that day; he seemed to be called Yin Deng, also a Household Slave of the Wu family, nicknamed Yin Thousand Years, and had some underworld reputation in Tongcheng.

Yin Deng ushered Pang Yu into the inner room, brewed him a bowl of tea, and then they took their seats as host and guest. Pang Yu surveyed the room's layout. There was a screen on the right side; behind it, there seemed to be another inner chamber.

Pang Yu's hands pulled at his waist — a habitual gesture from the start of past negotiations, reaching to smooth the hem of a suit jacket — but grasped only air. The motion instantly turned stiff and awkward. Yin Deng watched Pang Yu with a puzzled look.

Pang Yu gave a dry Cough and patted his Blue Battle Robe. "Brother Yin, has business been thriving today?"

"Thanks to Brother Pang's good fortune, better than the past few days."

"Then I'll add one more customer for Brother Yin."

Yin Deng let out a hearty laugh. "Then a truly honored guest has arrived at our door. I must have paid respects to the right Wealth god this morning. Might I ask, is Young Master Pang looking to pawn or to redeem?"

"Redeem!"

"Oh, does Young Master Pang already have an item in mind?"

"It is precisely the South Pond Neighborhood farmland newly entered into your esteemed establishment."

Yin Deng's expression cleared in sudden understanding. "Then has Young Master Pang brought sufficient silver? The newly entered property is those seventeen mu — among them eleven mu of Banner, one mu of Fish Field, and five mu of Mound Dry Field. The total price calculated comes to no small sum of silver. Banner is priced at seven taels of silver per mu…"

Pang Yu did not blush in the slightest. "I don't have a single tael of ready silver."

Yin Deng was not the least bit bothered. "If Young Master Pang finds it inconvenient today, a few days' delay is also possible. Just leave a deposit, and I will hold it for you. Also, since Young Master Pang is one of our own, this land has another advantage…"

"That it bears no land tax." Pang Yu finished the sentence. "Because it is registered under another person's household."

Yin Deng showed no embarrassment, merely chuckled. "So Brother Pang has already inquired thoroughly. Then I, Yin, won't bother with the surface talk. The seventeen mu is actually nine and a half mu: six mu of Banner, one mu of Fish Field, and two and a half mu of Mound Field. I'll say this upfront: this year's harvest is indeed still in the ground, but it already belongs to that Lice, so it carries no value. Calculating just the land price, it's seventy-five taels. If Brother Pang wants it for himself, then seventy taels. What does Brother Pang think?"

Pang Yu smiled faintly, drew an envelope from inside his robe, and tossed it lightly onto the tea table between them. "Then let Brother Yin see whether what's inside is enough."

"Could it be that Brother Pang has prepared a Silver Note?" Yin Deng opened the envelope with a smile. Inside was a single sheet of Petition Paper covered in writing.

Yin Deng unfolded it with some surprise. The more he read, the darker his expression grew. Before he even finished, he crumpled it in one fist, raised his head, and fixed Pang Yu with a venomous glare, speaking each word deliberately.

"What is the meaning of this, Brother Pang!"