Miao Chu

Chapter 151 Gourd
Han Li said, "Linghe Town is under the jurisdiction of Weizhou. It was originally adjacent to Huazhou. However, after the Yellow River changed its course, a large tributary passed through Huazhou and Weizhou, which blocked the road from several large towns near Linghe Town to Huazhou."

He carefully explained to Song Miao, saying, "Although it is a temporary flood, according to the situation in previous years, it will take at least half a month to recede. Right now, the river is very turbulent, boats cannot travel, land routes are blocked, and people cannot cross, so it is not good to pay much attention to it."

Upon hearing that people couldn't get through, Song Miao quickly said, "Today I met an old woman who was selling vegetables in a village under the jurisdiction of Linghe Town—is there another road that leads through?"

Han Li immediately became interested and asked, "How did you get here?"

Linghe Town was originally a large county with a large population. In the previous dynasty and the early years of this dynasty, it belonged to Huazhou. Later, because the Yellow River changed its course in the south and meandered westward, it was downgraded from a county to a town and assigned to Weizhou for easier management.

Now the Yellow River has changed its course several times, and because its course is different from before, after discussions in the court, it was decided before the end of the year to re-incorporate it into Huazhou.

However, since the imperial edict had not yet been issued, it naturally remained under the jurisdiction of Weizhou.

Soon, Granny Li was invited out.

Song Miao first pointed to Han Li, told him about his background, and then said that Huazhou was going to dig a canal to connect the water supply, but there was not enough manpower. He wanted to exchange labor with Weizhou, but was worried that the transportation would be inconvenient and the recruited people would not be able to come.

After everything was explained, she asked Granny Li about the exact location of her home, how far it was from Linghe Town, whether there were any nearby, the population of the village, how she had arrived that morning, and how she originally planned to return.

Normally, Granny Li would readily answer any questions Song Miao asked, but now, hearing her recount the whole story—that she was going to dredge a canal and dig a river—she became even more excited.

She asked anxiously, "My family's three acres of farmland were flooded. It took a lot of effort for the water to recede a bit. My wife got sick because she was exhausted from rushing to plant the crops. Everyone in the village is afraid that the summer floods will come and flood us again. If that Wang River is dredged, will it stop flooding our area?"

Han Li said, "It's not certain that there won't be any flooding. If the water level is too high, it's still possible that the dikes will overflow and flood. But in any case, it will definitely be better than it is now."

Weizhou and Huazhou are separated by the main channel of the Yellow River. Although Weizhou has the advantage of higher terrain, both sides will suffer disaster when the flood comes. It's just a matter of fifty paces versus a hundred paces.

In this world, it's always the person who suffers the most who is the most anxious.

Grandma Li's fields have been flooded every year in recent years. Such natural disasters are beyond the control of ordinary people. When she heard that the government was going to take action, she spoke frankly and without reservation, and even racked her brains to come up with ideas.

She said, “I came by a small path, which is only passable during the flood season. Even not all the locals know it. Fortunately, my son travels from village to village and knows more routes than others.”

He explained in detail how he took a boat from which tributary upstream, then crossed a mountain, and then went downstream, specifying the time of day when boatmen arrived and how long it would take.

After she finished speaking, she didn't forget to ask, "I came here to sell vegetables, so I can hurry back. But if I came here to serve in the military, I'm afraid I won't have time to go back after I finish my work. What will I do then?"

Han Li said, "We can build sheds and put some shared beds inside. Although the conditions are poor, we can manage to get by for a day or two."

He added, "Originally, lunch was included for the whole day. If that's the case, we can change it to two shifts, one in the morning and one in the evening. The morning shift includes breakfast, and the evening shift includes dinner—it just means that Mr. Song and the cooks will have to work harder..."

Song Miao didn't say anything about how tough it wasn't, but replied, "The hardship is only temporary. If we succeed, it won't be a waste of time."

Hearing Han Li speak, Granny Li exclaimed in surprise, "This time, meals are included for military service?!"

He then asked, "Does that count as having completed military service?"

It turns out that the manpower was divided into two parts. One part was conscripted from the local area to perform corvée labor. They were provided with one meal a day, and if they did well, they would receive a small subsidy. This was considered as being eligible for military service. The other part was recruited from displaced people on a daily basis. In addition to being provided with one meal a day, these people would receive a larger subsidy, but they were not considered to be eligible for military service. When they returned to their hometowns, they would still have to perform military service.

Granny Li then asked about the amount of subsidies the refugees received.

After learning the amount, she suddenly asked, "If we locals are willing to not be considered for military service and do this work as migrants, can we be paid as migrants?"

Han Li hesitated for a few moments, then nodded and said, "Yes."

They also mentioned age and physical limitations.

Grandma Li, who had been sitting, couldn't help but stand up.

She wasn't used to sitting on such a high stool, so she looked around but couldn't find a low stool. She simply moved the stool she was sitting on, found a corner, squatted on the ground, and started counting on her fingers.

After finishing her calculations, she got up and came back, saying to Han Li, "Scholar, my mother's family has more than eighty members. They can also bring three or four hundred people from the surrounding villages. They are not all able-bodied men, but they all come from the fields. Their age and strength are suitable, and they are all skilled at digging and shoveling."

“They live in the village, so it’s inconvenient for them to come and go. Scholar, if the yamen can provide them with a place to stay, even just a roof over their heads or a few planks of wood, that would be enough—as long as they are paid the same rate as refugees, I guarantee they would all be willing to come!”

He added, “I don’t know when my son will be back. If he comes back in the next couple of days, he can help bring everyone out by himself. Even if he doesn’t come back, we can call on someone with a good reputation in the clan to take the lead—why don’t we recruit people from here?”

Right now, disasters are happening everywhere, and everyone knows that there will be summer floods later. It's hard to know whether to do the work in the fields or not. We all depend on the weather and the land for our livelihood. Who wouldn't be worried?

The government doesn't give much in subsidies to the displaced people, but it's still money, and they also provide a meal. If the river channel is dug and the dikes are built, then in the end, the dikes won't break during the summer floods and the river won't overflow. It's like working for yourself and still earning money!
She was intrigued by what she heard. If she went back and learned the phrase, she was sure that more people would be willing to come and fewer would be unwilling.

Han Li then said, “I won’t ask you to work for free, old man. If you can recruit one person, bring them to Huazhou City to register and report to the river-digging site. I will pay you ten coins per person – anyone can come and collect this payment until the quota is filled.”

Granny Li was so surprised her voice almost split into two, and she hurriedly asked, "You can get ten coins just for hiring someone??"

Han Li nodded and said, "That's right."

How much money can you offer?

He had just calculated that even if he recruited three thousand people, the cost would only be thirty strings of cash. Compared to arranging for unwilling clerks to relay messages layer by layer, and having to prepare carriages, manpower, and rations for all the staff and mules, the cost would be more than half.

He added, "If you're still worried, I'll get an official document from the yamen tomorrow..."

"Don't worry! Don't worry! The scholar was introduced by Miss Song, so why would I be worried?" Granny Li immediately replied.

After she finished speaking, she seemed to think of something and became extremely anxious. She sighed repeatedly and said, "Alas, I don't even know where my son is right now! He always wanders around the villages and countryside, he knows best where people are—ten coins for a head, such a good deal! Alas! Alas!"

After sighing several times, she couldn't help but ask again, "Scholar, what's the latest time the people need to arrive? What if they arrive too late, and you've already got enough people, so you'll just have to make a wasted trip?"

Han Li thought for a moment and replied, "No, we will take anyone who comes in April, but it's hard to say after that." Before he set off, he had already memorized the basic information about the population, taxes and other things in the various prefectures and counties of the capital region, and knew how many people there were in the five counties and sixteen townships of Weizhou, and how many able-bodied men there were.

At present, the three counties of Weizhou are also recruiting laborers to repair the dikes. Only a small portion of the manpower is available. Even if several are recruited—it's just a dream—there are not enough able-bodied men to reach 20,000, and they will come in batches.

He believed he could manage such a large workforce, wave after wave.

Granny Li asked many more questions, and it was clear from her that she was an elderly woman who was now seriously planning to do something.

Han Li did not give perfunctory answers. He answered all the questions in detail and finally said, "I also need to go to Weizhou City. Tomorrow morning I will take a few people with me and follow the way you came, Grandma. I will also ask a companion to go back with you and carry an official document with me. If anyone in the village does not believe me, they can be a witness."

Granny Li naturally wouldn't refuse. She bowed repeatedly to Song Miao and Han Li, startling them into quickly stepping aside. But she stubbornly refused, insisting they accept her greetings, and said, "Young Miss Song is truly my lucky star! I must also thank Young Master Han. If I could get this money and find a good doctor to cure my daughter-in-law, I would truly... truly..."

Song Miao hurriedly returned the greeting and said, "If we can find so many people, it will be a great help to the yamen, and Young Master Han will be able to breathe a sigh of relief!"

Grandma Li hummed in agreement, then made some promises. As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and her voice became muffled. She turned away, wiped her face, and hurriedly left, making an excuse that she had something to do later.

Song Miao couldn't bear to see such an old woman shed tears. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her leave. Turning her head, she saw that Han Li also looked much more relaxed, and couldn't help but exchange a smile with him.

Han Li smiled for a while, poured her a cup of tea, and said, "I will arrange things for tomorrow later, but if it weren't for the quick thinking of stall owner Song, we wouldn't have been able to find a shortcut to Weizhou. I don't know how much more effort it would have taken. Granny Li has a head fee of ten coins per person. Stall owner Song has helped us so much. How much should we give him in return?"

Song Miao, who was already smiling, deepened her dimples upon hearing this, saying, "Young master, next time please don't keep talking about money and benefits. What you've given is already more than enough. Talking about it too much will not only damage our relationship, but you might also spoil people's appetites!"

After saying that, she picked up the teacup, raised it to him across the distance, and said with a smile, "Just consider this a thank you."

Sure enough, he picked up the tea, got up, and walked to the back.

Han Li watched her enter through the second gate until she was out of sight, then poured himself a cup of tea.

The tea had been sitting for a while and had long since gone cold. I didn't know what kind of leaves it was made with, but it wasn't proper tea leaves. It was all tea stems and broken leaves, and it tasted bitter at first and then astringent.

But Han Li took a sip and glanced at the second gate. He couldn't actually see anything. For some reason, looking at the empty second gate and the bare door frame, he felt that the tea was flavorful and more delicious than the Dragon and Phoenix Tea Balls he used to get from his senior brother. He even seemed to taste a sweet aftertaste.

After finishing his tea, he returned to the backyard and told Wu Gongshi, Lu Wenming, and others about Granny Li. He also specially selected three students to accompany him to Weizhou the next day.

After he finished explaining, he returned to his room.

At this moment, Kong Fuyang was still doing arithmetic at the table.

Han Li didn't bother him. He first took the key from the table, unlocked it, and took out a blank commendation order. Then he took out paper and pen, took the inkstone, and distributed some ink that Kong Fuyang had ground. He told him to wash up and go to bed early and not to stay up late. He also said that he had taken his things with him before leaving.

Song Miao went back to her room and tidied up a bit. She checked the proposal she had written in the afternoon, made some additions and deletions, and just as she finished writing it, she heard someone knocking on the door.

She initially thought it was Xiang Yuan who had arrived, and the courier had come to deliver the message, but when she heard the voice, it turned out to be Han Li's.

Sure enough, as soon as the door opened, the other person was standing there, handing over an envelope and saying, "This is the empty commendation order."

He added, "I'll be outside. If you want to sit down later, you'd better choose a table that's close to me."

Song Miao smiled and agreed.

After delivering the commendation order, Han Li didn't say much. He went out to the outer hall, chose a seat facing outwards where he could clearly see the door, spread out paper and ink, and began writing the proclamations and documents to be used the next day, making all the necessary arrangements.

As soon as he left, Song Miao calculated in her mind that it was almost time for the time agreed upon with the Xiang family. After thinking for a moment, she packed her things and locked the door. Suddenly, she remembered something and instead of rushing out to the outer hall, she turned back to the kitchen.

After looking around the kitchen, she finally spotted what she was looking for in a corner.

It is a gourd.

Song Miao took the gourd, opened it to look inside, smelled it, and confirmed that it was the right one. Then she found a straw rope, tied it up, and carried it out the door.

After walking a few steps, they saw a person coming from the opposite direction—it was the courier.

Upon seeing Song Miao, the man hurriedly greeted her, "Young lady, there's a man surnamed Xiang outside with a child. He said he had an appointment with you this afternoon and is coming to visit now."

Song Miao thanked him and went out of the front hall, where she indeed saw Xiang Yuan sitting with Liang Yan in the hall.

She quickly went up and greeted them.

As soon as they sat down and ordered tea, Xiang Yuan pointed at Liang Yan and said with a smile, "This rascal never wanted to say anything before. If I hadn't pressed him, I wouldn't have known that he received so much care from Miss Song. I've been busy these past few days and haven't had time to pay attention. Now that I have some free time, I might as well bring him here to sit down and express my gratitude."

He added, “The young lady came to deliver the money at noon, which made me think about it carefully. It’s true that I wasn’t careful enough. I asked her abruptly and was in a rush, which may have made you misunderstand my sincerity. After I went back, I sorted out the matter and drew up a contract.”

As he spoke, he pulled out a folded contract from his pocket and handed it to Song Miao.

Song Miao reached out and took it, but didn't open it in a hurry. Instead, she smiled and said, "Liang Yan is very patient and has a good temper. He has helped me a lot. It's not that I'm taking care of him, but it's just a give-and-take situation."

As she spoke, she placed the gourd in her hand in front of Xiang Yuan and said, "I was just about to deliver it to Master Xiang, but I was worried that I wouldn't have time. I didn't expect to run into you here, which saved me the trouble of making the trip."

Xiang Yuan stared at the gourd, paused for a moment, and asked, "What is this?"

Song Miao said, "It's just a small gift, a return gift for Liang Yan—he helped me peel garlic earlier, so I'm returning the favor with a gourd of garlic."

He added, “It’s a folk remedy my family used when I was a child: single cloves of garlic soaked in white vinegar. It’s a special remedy for nasal congestion and can also treat nasal stuffiness when you have a cold. I often see him with a stuffy nose, or when he has a lot of nasal discharge, he can feel better by opening the lid and smelling it. The garlic inside can also be eaten. The longer it’s soaked, the more effective it is.”

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　　(End of this chapter)