Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 152, Section 151: The Persimmon Tree of Pinyang
The village head's wife had already arrived outside the courtyard early in the morning, all dressed and ready.

It was just dawn when a woman with a child was already waiting outside.

Two of them, clutching the rough hemp corners of their clothes, asked nervously, "To meet such an important person, what about our attire...?"

It was already the most presentable one in the house, but the higher-ups still hadn't finished fixing it.

That's how coarse linen clothes are; if you wash them too little, they'll feel rough against your skin. If you wash and beat them a lot, they'll become softer, but they'll also tear easily.

Even a slight touch on a branch can cause more than a dozen tendrils to split off.

Even if it needs mending, the gaps in linen are very large when it is woven, and it is not easy to mend them completely.

Now that I'm meeting such an important person, what should I do?

The village head's wife was also worried—she had never met any noble people before, the most noble being from the Yan family, but even that was not something she could easily meet.

Hesitantly, he said, "Why don't you change into my clothes first?"

The village head hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "Since the esteemed guest specifically requests to see us, if we dress too elegantly, it might make the esteemed guest think that our Pinyang has become wealthy, which would not be good..."

He secretly instructed his wife, "I heard she's a young noblewoman. Dress simply; if the noblewoman is kind-hearted, she might give you more money and silk..."

This is just some of the clever little tricks that ordinary people use in their daily lives, and the village head's wife also thought so.

Although she was a member of the family of a pavilion chief and seemed to have a lot of authority among the common people, in reality, there was a pavilion every ten miles in the Great Qin Dynasty, and there were countless pavilion chiefs in the entire Pinyang.

Nowadays, taxes are heavy, and not all the land in the family is of high quality. With so many children, both boys and girls, it's hard to make ends meet.

If we're talking about wealth, then there's absolutely no room for arrogance.

Now, everyone was filled with trepidation, both fearful and hoping for a reward, and they waited at the side gate of the Yan residence as dawn broke.

Qin Shi was unaware of these things.

Her life is now very regular and health-conscious. Although she had been busy all day yesterday and it was inconvenient to take a bath at night, Yi Ming still rubbed her hands and massaged them carefully. Then she used a small pot to stir-fry mugwort and salt and applied it to her body. Qin Shi slept soundly all night.

By the time breakfast is finished, it's a steady six o'clock.

Oh!

She looked at her watch and thought: "I've never had such a regular schedule before, except when I was in school."

But that wasn't all. She would take walks, regulate her qi, and read (a book of bamboo slips). Because the seal script was not easy to recognize, her reading efficiency was not high.

Then came the practice of seal script, which involved copying a whole book.

There aren't actually many words, but for the sake of memorization and understanding, and for practicing calligraphy, the whole process still takes more than an hour.

Next, they would inquire about the prince and princess's daily routines.

Then I changed my clothes and went to the mourning hall to pay my respects to General Yan...

After all this commotion, by the time the trembling and numb women were finally summoned in, it was already eight o'clock.

First to enter were the families of the village head, dressed in simple, coarse cloth, followed by the families of the village elders, whose clothing ranged from coarse cloth to fine linen, and then back to coarse linen...

Qin Shi also saw that two boys, about seven or eight years old, who had been led in, couldn't help but yawn, their eyes glistening with tears.

She realized what was happening and didn't say anything at the moment, but only instructed, "I was delayed for a long time this morning, and I guess everyone has been waiting for a long time—Red Maiden, I still have some preparations to make here. Have someone arrange for them to wash up and change their clothes first."

"Let's have something simple for breakfast."

The woman sighed helplessly: She had instructed them yesterday to come back at the end of the morning, but everyone's hemp clothes were damp, and the children were yawning constantly, clearly indicating they had been waiting for a long time. When meeting a distinguished person, the other party must not have eaten, to avoid needing to use the restroom or change clothes.

Because she understood, she quickly gave the order, and the group of women and children were hurriedly taken away without even seeing the nobleman's face.

Wu Zi was laying out paper and preparing pens for Qin Shi when she whispered, "Qin Jun is really too kind."

They summoned someone for questioning and had already specified the time in advance. But the person didn't arrive on time, and now they're causing even more delay.

Qin Shi shook his head: "I am a nobleman, while they are just ordinary people. If I am even slightly displeased, they may suffer hardship and punishment, and their families may be in trouble."

"They arrived too early, not because they were ignorant, but because their families were small and weak and they couldn't handle the emotions of important people."

"If it were a court audience, then naturally things would proceed according to the appointed time, and I wouldn't need to offer any leniency. But they are just ordinary people of my Great Qin, and my summons is merely for a chat, nothing of serious importance..."

"It's just putting yourself in someone else's shoes; what's the point of talking about benevolence?"

Wu Zi nodded silently, knowing that Qin Jun was teaching her all this, and then nodded, "This servant has remembered."

"Next time you give me instructions, I will make sure to explain them clearly."

Qin Shi laughed and said, "Chi Nu must have given the instructions yesterday, and they must know them well. But such fear is only human nature, and it's alright if they can't do it."

However, when they first met, Wu Zi dared to make bold comments about the Qin royal family's ancestral temple—the Ji Temple. Now, she is noticeably more cautious and thoughtful in her speech.

It wouldn't hurt to learn more.

The Red Maiden also laughed and said, "Yes, I told the pavilion chief several times yesterday—Qin Jun, they came to wait right after the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), and now that they have been waiting for a long time, no one has refused when it comes to using the restroom."

"I also had the kitchen cook some chicken—they certainly wouldn't dare eat or drink too much, just enough to fill their stomachs for now."

She glanced at the water clock in the room: "It will be almost done in about fifteen minutes."

Qin Shi had already picked up a pencil: "It's okay, I'm just tidying up what we need to talk about today."

She needs to ask more questions about people's livelihood.

...

The Red Maiden was right. After half an hour, the servants led everyone back to the main hall, trembling with fear.

Qin Shi looked up and then smiled, "No need to be so formal, please sit down."

In the countryside, kneeling was much more casual; one could sit in any position on the mat. But now everyone was kneeling stiffly and formally. Qin Shi didn't say anything, only asking:

"As I traveled along, I saw many persimmon trees in Pinyang. Are they only found around the Yan residence, or are they found in every household and along the country roads?"

Is this such a simple question from a distinguished person? Immediately, some women boldly raised their heads, and two country children stared at her with their bright black eyes.

Qin Shi smiled again and pointed to a little girl kneeling carefully in the middle, next to a woman dressed in patched hemp clothing:
Do you dare to answer?

The other person's cheeks flushed red at first, then, feeling the gazes of the crowd, he straightened his slender body and said, "I dare! I will!"

Her clear, bright voice replied, "My grandfather said that at first only noblemen's houses had it, but when it bore fruit, it was bright red and exceptionally sweet. So the village elders asked to see the noblemen if they could take cuttings to propagate it..."

"Later, the whole of Dongxiang and the whole of Pinyang planted it."

　I'm here!!! See you next door!
　　[Grandfather: Grandfather]

　　I sent the book title, but it probably didn't pass the review, so it's not showing up.

　　(End of this chapter)