Chapter 2: The Old Residence
He pushed open the creaking cabin door.
The cramped cabin was filled with the smell of damp wood, old fish, and a faint scent of rice bran.
Chen Qing’s mother, Han, heard the noise and hurried to greet him, “A Qing, how was it… today?”
Chen Qing shook his head, his voice low: “Those people at the fish market pressed the price down again… Today, my luck was also bad. One net only caught small fish and shrimp, and I only sold them for a few coppers in total.”
Han sighed, tears welling in her eyes: “Oh… how will we live… from now on?”
She looked at the almost empty rice sack, “Now we can’t even eat brown rice, we can only chew on this rice bran… I just hope the Dragon King opens his eyes and grants us mother and son a meal to survive.”
Staple foods are classified, in order: white flour (fine grain), brown rice and sorghum flour (coarse grain), rice bran, and moldy rice.
Foods like rice, and steamed buns and noodles made from refined flour, were expensive on the market, and only wealthy households could afford to eat them daily.
Ordinary people and fishermen ate brown rice, rice bran, snails, and reed leaves mixed together. Very few could regularly eat coarse grains without other additions.
And the Chen family now found coarse grains hard to come by, with rice bran becoming their main food.
They used almost no oil daily, and salt was used sparingly. Most of the time, they used chili, wild onions, and garlic to mask the unpleasant taste.
As for the Dragon King’s bounty mentioned by Han, it was merely cold steamed buns sunk to the bottom of the river after sacrifices, retrieved and swollen like rotten flesh.
Han let out a sorrowful sigh, “Your father went to dig the canal for the clan, and there’s been no news of him since. He left us, an orphan and a widow. Fishing won’t be enough to survive…”
She looked at Chen Qing, biting her lip, and said: “How can you get by without a skill to rely on in the future? I heard Da Chun-shu say that Xiao Chun is going to Wanbao Hall to be an apprentice… A Qing, you should also find a way to learn a skill, shouldn’t you?”
For the people of Dumb Bay, being a fisherman ultimately led nowhere. The only hope of escaping this quagmire was to learn a skill to get ashore, even if it was the lowest apprentice work.
Chen Qing said in a low voice: “Learning a skill… I’m afraid it will cost a lot of money, won’t it?”
The Chen family was already poor, and whatever meager savings they had were long ago plundered by the Jinhe Gang.
This was a world where ordinary people with money would be targeted.
Old Zhang the boatman, who had a stroke of luck and earned some coppers, showed off his wealth at the Floating House and was robbed that night, and had a leg broken to boot.
The Floating House was a boat-gambling house and a brothel.
There was also the illiterate Old Qiu’s family, who were tricked into signing a fish-scale contract, and his daughter-in-law was directly sold into the Floating House.
Such incidents were ubiquitous and too numerous to mention.
Han was silent for a moment, then said with difficulty: “If it really comes to it, go to the old residence and ask your grandfather to lend some?”
The old residence?
Chen Qing shook his head inwardly, but said nothing.
After noon.
The mother and son got off the boat and walked through three long streets to Chai Yu Ward.
The fishy smell from the fishmongers’ stalls had not yet dissipated, and compared to the lingering stench of Dumb Bay, this place seemed to have a bit of Life Qi.
The Old Chen family was located in this Chai Yu Ward, running a general store.
Behind the shop was a dilapidated small courtyard, squeezed with four or five rooms.
Old Master Chen lost his wife early and raised two sons and a daughter by himself selling groceries: his eldest daughter Chen Jinhua, his eldest son Chen Wu (Chen Qing’s father), and his second son Chen Wen.
At this moment, Old Master Chen was sitting in the main hall, puffing on his dry tobacco pipe, his brows a mix of joy and worry.
Around him was Second Uncle Chen Wen’s family.
Chen Wen was Old Master Chen’s favorite youngest son. His appearance resembled Old Master Chen’s youthful delicate and fair looks, and he had never suffered much hardship since childhood.
Old Master Chen had always planned for him to take over the old residence and the shop, but Chen Wen was accustomed to idleness; he would occasionally pull goods, and when tired, he would lie at home, unable to endure hardship.
Old Master Chen’s heartache and indulgence far outweighed any blame.
To Chen Wen’s left was Second Aunt, her hair neatly coiled with a wooden hairpin, her attire much more refined than Han’s.
To his right was Chen Qing’s cousin, Chen Heng, who was five months younger than Chen Qing but robust in physique, with a hint of heroism in his brows, looking much more spirited.
On the other side, Eldest Aunt Chen Jinhua and cousin Yang Huiniang were picking and washing vegetables.
Yang Huiniang was about fifteen or sixteen years old, her features not exquisitely delicate but very pleasant to look at. Her wheat-colored skin exuded a healthy glow, and her eyes were remarkably bright and clear.
Chen Qing took all of this in. Old Master Chen was very fond of Second Uncle’s family. He himself would scrimp and save, leaving all the good food and drink for his Second Uncle’s family.
Especially for the clever and intelligent Chen Heng, he showed even more doting affection.
Yet, as the eldest grandson, his treatment was worlds apart from Chen Heng’s.
“Father!”
“Grandfather!”
The mother and son walked into the courtyard, and Chen Qing bowed respectfully to Old Master Chen.
Old Master Chen was a feudal patriarch, and his status and position were, after all, different.
Second Aunt immediately leaned forward, her tone rising, with a hint of deliberate surprise and mockery: “Oh, Eldest Sister-in-law, why do you have free time today?”
Her words were clearly implying something else.
Han pursed her lips, ignoring her sister-in-law.
Eldest Aunt Chen Jinhua looked up, glanced, and, not bothering with the two, silently lowered her head to continue picking vegetables.
Only Yang Huiniang, seeing Chen Qing, her eyes lit up slightly, called out: “A Qing!”
Chen Qing smiled and replied: “Cousin.”
In his impression, Eldest Aunt was shrewd and snobbish, but his cousin was gentle and kind.
He and his cousin had been very close since childhood.
Now his cousin was sixteen years old and had been working in a tailor shop for three years. She could already independently sew and sell embroidered handkerchiefs.
“Eldest daughter-in-law, sit.”
Old Master Chen put down his pipe and greeted them.
After a few casual remarks, Old Master Chen looked at Chen Qing and sighed: “A Qing, you also need to strive for success.”
He shook his head inwardly.
Chen Wu had been honest and simple since childhood, and Chen Qing, by extension, seemed dull and slow. In this difficult world, making a living was already hard, let alone achieving prominence.
Although Chen Qing wasn’t particularly promising, he was, after all, his grandson.
“While you’re young and strong, quickly find a livelihood.”
Second Uncle Chen Wen, adopting an elder’s authoritative stance, his tone even a bit stern, said, “You can’t let your mother worry about everything.”
Chen Qing glanced at his Second Uncle, feeling a bit speechless.
This fellow, who was living off his parents, had the nerve to lecture him?
“Father, A Qing is still young.”
Han quickly spoke, getting to the point, “So I want him to learn a skill for making a living.”
Old Master Chen heard this and nodded: “Learning a skill is a good thing. If he can master it, at least he’ll be able to make a living in this world.”
Seeing Old Master Chen’s approval, Han’s eyes lit up, and she quickly said: “Learning a skill requires a master’s fee, and we mother and son truly don’t have any spare money.”
The words were not finished, but the meaning was clear.
Old Master Chen’s eyelids twitched, and he fell silent.
When Chen Wu had split from the family, he had taken almost nothing except basic daily necessities.
Over the years, he felt a sense of guilt towards the eldest son’s family.
Especially since the eldest son went to dig the canal in place of the second son, and there had been no news of him since.
As soon as Second Aunt heard this, she immediately became alert, “Father, Chen Heng is studying martial arts at the Martial Hall, which costs a lot. This matter cannot be delayed.”
Chen Heng is studying martial arts at the Martial Hall!?
Chen Qing’s heart stirred upon hearing this.
A Martial Hall is a place where one can learn martial arts, but the tuition fees are very expensive, and most Disciples are from wealthy households in the county town.
Chen Jinhua couldn’t sit still, “Father, when did Chen Heng go to learn martial arts? How come I didn’t know?”
There was some dissatisfaction in Eldest Aunt’s tone.
Old Master Chen tapped his pipe and slowly said: “I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet, Chen Heng went to Guangchang Martial Hall to learn martial arts three months ago and has made considerable progress. If all goes well, he can participate in the Martial Examination next year.”
By the end of his sentence, Old Master Chen’s eyes were smiling.
A Wu Xiucai in Yan Country was considered to have official status, which meant their family’s taxes could be reduced, and that was a very large expense.
If he could continue his examinations and pass the Martial Examination, that would be an even greater leap, bringing glory to his ancestors. For an ordinary family, it would be like their ancestral grave emitting green smoke.
Second Aunt was as proud as a rooster, saying triumphantly, “When Chen Heng practiced his punches this morning, the Martial Hall’s instructor praised him as a good prospect!”
Saying this, she pulled out a silk handkerchief, “Feel this silk, it was given by the wife of Master Liu from the Martial Hall.”
Chen Qing saw his grandfather’s thin fingers caress the silk, and a glint appeared in his cloudy eyes.
He knew that was a material only found in the Inner City.