Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 20: Uncle is so nice

Pei Yan's nervousness was very justified. Yesterday she was still saying that she was short of money to rent a house in the county town, but today she went out and brought back 50 strings of cash. It was inevitable that she would think of something bad.

Lu Beigu said calmly, "I wrote a novel for today's book club. These 50 strings of cash are for the participating booksellers to purchase the copyright for the novel."

Copyright is not a modern word, but a word that appeared in the Song Dynasty with the large-scale popularization of movable type printing, but its meaning is the same in ancient and modern times.

Lu Beigu pulled out a copy of "Floating Life in Jiangzuo" from the bottom of his bag and handed it over: "This is the manuscript."

After looking at Lu Beigu, Pei Yan took the paper.

Although she was a woman of good family, she grew up in the capital city of Kaifeng. Since childhood, she not only learned music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also had some knowledge of literature and writing.

Therefore, this kind of relatively popular novel is not difficult to read.

When she read the words "沾甲不落", a spark exploded from the stove next to her, startling her so much that she almost let go.

"Did you really earn it by writing an article?"

She asked doubtfully, touching the edge of the cross with her fingertips as if she was afraid of being burned.

"Of course." Lu Beigu was a little amused.

"Sister-in-law, take this money and pay off your debts first. The rest can be used to rent a house, buy some household expenses, and buy some things for the two children."

Pei Yan was silent for a moment and turned away.

The moonlight outlined her thin shoulders, the wooden hairpin trembled gently on her bun, and the stove fire cast her shadow on the earthen wall, swaying like a reed in the wind.

"Sister-in-law?"

"fine."

She wiped her face quickly but did not reach out to take the coins.

"Keep it for yourself. Our family owes 28 strings of cash. If we move to Hejiang County, we should pay it back before we leave. As for the rest, you can rent a house in Hejiang County first, and keep the rest for your studies."

"Sister-in-law, now that we have Magistrate Li as a guarantor for the transfer and we have some money, can we move to Hejiang County after the holiday?"

"It's not that easy."

Pei Yan smiled bitterly and said, "Let's not talk about the ancestral tombs. Even if we move out of here, we still need the signed guarantees from our neighbors. These people in the clan have been coveting our family's land for a long time. If we don't sell it to them at a low price when we leave, they won't sign the guarantee for us."

Lu Beigu was stunned for a moment before he remembered this matter.

Although the Song Dynasty did not prohibit movement outside the country, people who were away from home, whether moving to a new place of residence or working, had to have a letter of guarantee from their place of origin so that the government would recognize them.

As the magistrate of Hejiang County, Li Pan's letter of guarantee could only ensure that Lu Beigu's family would not encounter any problems when moving their household registration to Hejiang County, but he had no control over the Luo family's relocation affairs from the vassal area.

So, is it possible to use your clever little brain and forge a guarantee letter on your own?

The answer is no, because the Song Dynasty attached great importance to whether a person was a "good man" with a clean identity. Hejiang County was not far from Gulin Town. Once someone reported that someone had forged a guarantee letter and it was true, not to mention moving the person's registered residence, he might not even be able to take the imperial examination in the future.

"After Qingming Festival, you can go back to Huijiang County and rent a house first."

Pei Yan said helplessly, "Wealth cannot be leaked. The debt was borrowed from the clan. As for the guarantee letter, if there is really no other way, then we can only agree to it."

"Why should I get such a big yard and land?" Lu Beigu was a little indignant.

The land passed down from their ancestors has very good feng shui, and the yard is very large, with a main house and two side rooms. If it were really to be sold, it would probably be worth more than 40 guan.

"I'll think of something."

Pei Yan hummed, then suddenly asked, "I don't quite understand the article 'Water of the Sky River'. Is it really about wine?"

"It's about wine," Lu Beigu said, "and it's also about people."

After talking for a few more words, the two of them went back to their rooms to rest.

Having walked a lot today and used up a lot of brain energy, Lu Beigu fell asleep almost as soon as he touched the pillow.

But Pei Yan tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep no matter what.

As soon as the five-o'clock gong struck for the first time, she got out of bed quietly.

In the kitchen, she pushed away the cold ashes and tried to light the fire again, but suddenly she seemed to remember something and retracted her hand.

——Today is the Cold Food Festival.

During the Cold Food Festival, fire was forbidden according to custom. She returned the flint she had retrieved to its original place and removed the damp cloth covering the wicker basket. Inside, four eggs, dyed green with mugwort, lay neatly stacked. Pei Yan's family was poor, and these eggs had originally been a holiday treat for her family.

But now that she has some money, Pei Yan can't bear to see her children go without food during the holidays.

So she got up, cleaned the house, took out the hidden iron coins and put them in a bamboo basket, then went out.

Before the morning mist dissipated, Pei Yan had already returned from the market with a bamboo basket.

The fresh elm seeds in the basket were still covered with morning dew, and the candied apricots wrapped in oil paper next to them were glowing with a faint amber glow.

"mother"

Lu Yuchi rubbed his eyes, put his small hands on the door frame, and a clump of his soft hair stood up.

Pei Yan quickly put her index finger in front of her lips and pointed at Lu Beigu who was still sleeping in the small room. The little girl immediately covered her mouth, but her eyes could not move away from the candied apricots.

"Leave it for uncle to eat." Lu Yuchi looked away reluctantly.

"I'm giving you food today." Pei Yan patted her daughter's head. "My uncle got some money from doing something yesterday, and he specifically said he wanted to buy you some food."

"really?"

"Of course it's true."

"Uncle is so nice!"

Lu Yuchi carefully pinched off a little bit of apricot with his fingernails, put it into his mouth and smacked it. His eyes immediately curved into crescents, and then he happily ran to find his brother with the rest.

When Lu Beigu woke up, he saw Pei Yan pounding almonds beside the stone mortar in the yard. She had her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and as the stone pestle rose and fell, the almonds gradually broke into snow-white powder.

This is to make cold food porridge, which is usually made by boiling almonds, malt sugar and glutinous rice and then settling it in the well.

Tofu didn't go out to fight today. He squatted on a branch of a peach tree and watched curiously, with his tail hanging down and swaying.

"Wake up."

Before Lu Beigu could answer, there was a sudden noisy sound outside the door.

Seeing a group of people outside the courtyard gate, Pei Yan's expression changed slightly.

"Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, there's no reason to come and collect debts during the Cold Food Festival, right?"

Most of the neighbors in the alley had already gotten up. When they heard the noise, some of them gathered together to watch the fun.

After all, most of the people living here are from the Lu clan.

A sudden chuckle came from the crowd. Lu Beigu had good eyesight and saw that the short Aunt Wang was standing on tiptoe to look at him. The silver hairpin in her bun was askew, like a spying ibis.

Outside the courtyard gate, Third Uncle was leaning on a cane, his dry lips pressed into a line, but his cloudy eyes were fixed on the bamboo basket on the stone table.

The sweet aroma of candied apricots wafted in the morning breeze, causing several creditors to choke on their throats.

"Madam Pei, you have enough money to buy preserved fruits and cold dishes, but you don't have enough to pay off your debts. Isn't that bad?"

Fourth uncle Lu Zongde next to him spoke first, revealing a piece of abacus in his sleeve, obviously he was prepared.

Third Uncle also said slowly: "Today is the Cold Food Festival, and the clan is opening the ancestral hall to settle accounts. I didn't mean to embarrass you, an orphan and a widow, but these days are tough for everyone, and every family has its own troubles. It's time for an explanation."

"Not bad!"

Fourth uncle Lu Zongde said, "Your family owes 28 strings of cash. You should pay back 40 strings of cash, including principal and interest!"

"Fourth Uncle!"

Pei Yan clenched the bamboo basket tightly, her knuckles turning white. "We borrowed money last year and agreed to a 3% interest rate. It's only been a few months, how can we expect such a high interest rate?"

There was a buzz of discussion in the crowd.

A woman interrupted in a shrill voice, "Oh, educated people are so sophisticated. They don't even understand the calculation of interest? Even a three-year-old child understands the principle of compound interest!"

As she spoke, she nudged the person next to her, and someone immediately echoed, "Exactly! I heard someone saw the Lu family kid sneaking back home yesterday, his bag bulging. He might have stolen something."

"You're talking nonsense!" Pei Yan was so angry that she was shaking all over. Just as she was about to argue, she suddenly felt her sleeves become heavy.

Lu Beigu had stood in front of her without her knowing when.

(End of this chapter)