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墨書 Inktalez
The next day, you set off inland with your money. It was said that a group of Wokou had rampaged through Yingtian Prefecture, but were ultimately defeated by the authorities. Your younger siblings felt a bit relieved, but you knew that these Pirate Wokou were not just one group.
You traveled overland and then by water until you reached Wuchang. You used half of your cash to buy a simple two-courtyard house. The walls lacked intricate carvings, but they were sturdy and durable. In case of emergencies, reinforcing and raising the walls would only take a day's work with a few extra hands.
The three rooms were enough for you and your siblings to live in, and there was space for marriage prospects as well. After settling in, the first thing you did was take your Third Brother to the ticket office to hire an apprentice.
During the journey, you guided your younger siblings' heads and taught them to recognize characters. They had never been exposed to written language before, but fortunately, they were quite bright; although they couldn't write yet, they could already guess and recognize most of the characters.
Boys from poor families often went to the docks to carry boxes and heavy loads, where they received meals and daily wages. The apprenticeship only provided meals without pay and took up time. Third Brother didn't question you about it; he simply followed Eldest Sister's advice.
He immersed himself in work, learning during his free time, and within a few months, he was promoted to a clerk. Your three younger sisters also kept busy; during the two years in Jiangnan, they gained experience by following you around and eventually went to a fabric shop to hire weavers and embroiderers.
As for you, you became a Tutor, which meant being a female teacher who taught girls how to read and write. Your first female student was the daughter of the Captain. Her father saw your self-recommendation letter on the wall; each character was beautifully written, and he immediately decided to have you teach his daughter.
Living on a boat involved battling water bandits and facing unpredictable weather. He feared that if he met with misfortune on one of his trips and left behind his daughter who was not yet ten years old, she would be left without any means of survival. Learning to read and write could prevent her from being deceived by bad people; at best, it could provide her with a livelihood. Of course, what the Captain hoped most was for his daughter to marry an official for security.
Your family of five thrived in Wuchang but also attracted envy from others. Previously, when you lived in a corner of town, people mostly just gossiped about your background and claimed you were improper. You shared some pastries you made with your neighbors, which led them to turn around and say how difficult it was for a woman like you; they began planning for your future.
However, in Wuchang, your younger siblings were all eager to excel for the sake of the family. While ambition is not inherently bad, resources are limited, which inevitably encroaches on the interests of others.
One day, a few thugs were squatting on your way home, dragging you into an alley while barking that your brother had messed with the wrong people.
Despite having lived two lifetimes and weathered many storms, your voice trembled in such a situation. You tightly closed your eyes, struggling as you loudly pleaded with them to take your money and valuables, just asking the brave men to spare your life.
But after a few dull thuds, there was suddenly silence beside you.
You opened your eyes to see a man reaching out to you, startling you so much that you hit him several times.
"Consort, I've scared off the bad guys; you don't need to be afraid anymore. I was just passing by, and if you're fine, I'll be on my way," he said softly, as if afraid of frightening you further, before stepping outside.
You recognized him as the son of Captain.
Born and raised on a ship, he had broad shoulders from braving the winds and waves. At just over ten years old, when he stood at the mouth of the alley, he nearly blocked out all the light.
The oppressive feeling made you panic for a moment.
Realizing he had saved you, you called out for him to wait. He indeed stopped in his tracks; you felt that no one would pass by so coincidentally.
It must be that Captain has a daughter and empathized with your situation as a Consort, worrying about your safety on the road and sending his son to escort you.
You gathered your clothes and stood up to brush off the dust before stepping out to thank him.
The boy had a dark complexion and rarely smiled; you noticed bruises on his forehead and neck, which made you feel even more guilty.
You mentioned wanting to invite him to Liuhe Restaurant for drinks that evening to thank him for saving you, but first and foremost, it was important to report this incident to the authorities.
You had been in Wuchang for less than a year; if you let people bully you without retaliation now, such incidents would only increase in the future.
You took the boy back home briefly before heading straight to the yamen, stating your intention to file a complaint. The constables were lazy and indifferent until they collected five taels of silver from you, after which they became more enthusiastic.
When you met the County Magistrate, you first stepped on his colleague's foot and then gave him a flattering compliment before showing weakness by presenting a generous bribe.
You explained that as a widowed Eldest Sister with several younger siblings coming from the southeastern coast where Wokou were rampant and lawlessness prevailed, you had heard that under the lordship of Wuchang County, the rivers and seas were calm and settled; thus, you decided to settle here. This past year had been good for your family until today when you encountered bandits in broad daylight.
You knew these were local ruffians who had been entrenched for years but chose to elevate their status by calling them newly arrived bandits in town, asking the magistrate to eliminate these threats for the people.
With lowered eyes and a humble demeanor, you presented your written petition detailing the appearance, height, and accent of the criminals while listing possible enemies one by one; behind it was tucked a fifty-tael silver note.
You pointed to the helpful Captain's younger son, saying he was a witness to this incident. The County Magistrate stroked his beard, looked at the thin paper in his hand, and revealed a satisfied smile, stating that he would give you a result in three days. Your younger siblings rushed over upon hearing that Eldest Sister was in trouble. At the entrance of the yamen, you smiled and told them everything was arranged, then took them along with the young captain to Liuhe Restaurant.
The young captain's name is Liang Feng. He kept pursing his lips along the way, and you caught him stealing glances at you several times. Feeling embarrassed under his gaze, you scratched your head and asked, "Haven't you ever seen a worldly-wise and scheming woman like me?" He chuckled softly and shook his head. With good food and wine on the table, you thanked him again and expressed gratitude to his father for allowing him to accompany you; otherwise, it was uncertain whether you would have made it through today without suffering some physical pain. After drinking some wine, he relaxed and said with a smile, "It wasn't my dad who sent me."
His dark pupils sparkled with light as he spoke plainly, "I wanted to come myself." Your younger siblings turned their attention to you while holding their bowls of rice, teasingly curious. You brushed it off casually, but your heart raced uncontrollably.
Third Brother had caught the eye of the ticket office owner, who intended to marry his daughter to him; now the position of Accountant also fell on him. The previous Accountant had been transferred to the owner's ticket office in Shanxi, leaving his family’s livelihood dependent on him. Now, because of Third Brother, he either had to go to Shanxi or lose his job. Furious, he found a few ruffians; unable to target the owner's prospective son-in-law or the three sisters who often gathered together, he ultimately decided to go after you when you were alone.
You all knew early on that Third Brother was going to be promoted to Accountant, but none of you expected that a vacancy in an accounting position could lead to such big trouble.
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