Chapter 5: Poverty
He Yun Sheng felt as though this dream of his had lasted far too long.
His sister had followed him up the mountain early that morning to gather firewood. In the end, she took out the pastries from her cloth bundle—the ones she hadn’t eaten at breakfast—and handed one to him. He Yun Sheng had meant to refuse, but the sweet, rich aroma filled his senses, and He Yan had already lowered her head to take a bite of her own. Almost as if bewitched, he reached out and accepted it.
He took a bite. The taste of sweetness was unfamiliar. He Sui was fiercely biased—all the good food went to He Yan, and He Yan was never one to share.
Seeing him eat so slowly, He Yan stuffed the remaining pastries into his hands and said, “You can have the rest. I’m full.”
He Yun Sheng was at a loss.
The He family consisted only of the two siblings. Back then, He Sui had been nothing more than a traveling escort delivering goods to the capital when he happened upon bandits robbing a carriage. He rescued the young lady from a scholar’s household in the capital, and thus began their happy marriage. The scholar’s family had only this one daughter, and He Sui had no parents of his own, so he willingly became a live-in son-in-law.
Though he was a live-in son-in-law, both children still took his surname.
Later, the scholar and his wife passed away one after another, and Lady He grew increasingly despondent. By the time He Yun Sheng was three, she had departed this world, leaving the three of them to rely on one another.
He Sui had been deeply devoted to his wife, and He Yan bore a strong resemblance to Lady He. Perhaps because of this, He Sui doted on her excessively. Though the He family was far from wealthy, He Sui always did his best to fulfill He Yan’s every wish. Over time, He Yan developed a rather unpleasant temperament—at least, He Yun Sheng found it impossible to feel any affection for his sister.
But ever since she fell ill, many of her actions had become baffling, and He Yun Sheng no longer knew how to face her.
“You come up the mountain to gather firewood every day?” He Yan asked him. “What do you do in the afternoon? Don’t you attend school?”
He Yun Sheng was only a year younger than He Yan, now fifteen. At that age, most children were still studying.
“After we return, I make danai cakes and sell them in the stall in the afternoon. School is out of the question,” He Yun Sheng replied offhandedly. “We don’t have the money, and I’m not cut out for it anyway. Knowing a few characters is enough.”
Though he tried to hide it, He Yan caught a flicker of regret and longing in the young boy’s eyes.
After a pause, she asked, “What do you want to do in the future?”
“Why do you ask?” He Yun Sheng eyed her suspiciously, but after a moment, he answered anyway. “Right now, I go to the martial training grounds every day. Once I pass the military examinations, I can join the city garrison. Eventually, I might even become a captain and earn a salary.”
“That’s it? Just a minor military officer?” He Yan laughed. “I thought you’d aim for something greater.”
“How?” He Yun Sheng scoffed. “You expect me to become like the Flying Goose General? We share the same surname, but he’s leagues above us.”
Hearing her own name from He Yun Sheng’s lips caught He Yan off guard. She fell silent for a moment before asking, “You know about the Flying Goose General?”
“Of course I do! Who in Great Wei doesn’t? Back then, the Flying Goose General pacified the Western Qiang, and General Feng Yun secured the Southern Barbarians. ‘North He, South Xiao’—they brought about Great Wei’s golden age of peace! Young heroes, bold and spirited! If I could become someone like them, even death would be worth it!”
He Yan burst into laughter.
He Yun Sheng flushed with anger. “What are you laughing at?”"Just chopping firewood and selling Danai cakes won't make someone like that. Back then, neither the Flying Goose General nor General Feng Yun achieved success by casually training in martial arts fields."
"I know that," He Yun Sheng flushed red, "but I..."
What young man doesn't yearn to make achievements and build a career? He Yun Sheng was at that passionate age of youth. Moreover, continuing like this would truly waste his potential.
He Yan said, "Starting tomorrow, I'll go up the mountain with you every day to chop firewood and sell Danai cakes."
"What?" He Yun Sheng jumped up from the rock, "He Yan, have you lost your mind?"
Today's incident could be dismissed as a whim, but doing this every day... Had He Yan fallen ill and damaged her brain?
Before He Yun Sheng could say more, He Yan stood up, dusting off her clothes: "If you're done eating, let's get back to work. Spring waits for no one."
He Yun Sheng: "..."
...
After the spring rain, there were over ten consecutive days of clear weather.
Qingmei had been preoccupied lately. The young mistress who used to order her around and demanded personal attendance no longer sought her out.
During the day, He Yan went out with He Yun Sheng. At night when Qingmei came to help He Yan wash up, she would be dismissed. The only time Qingmei was still needed was to comb He Yan's hair in the morning.
Qingmei worried anxiously - if this continued, would she end up being dismissed like those servants He Sui had let go? After all, the young mistress didn't need her anymore!
He Yun Sheng was equally troubled.
For over half a month now, He Yan had been going up Dragon Ring Mountain with him every morning to chop wood. She woke up even earlier than him. Not only did He Yan climb the mountain, she also tied sandbags to her wrists and ankles. He Yun Sheng had secretly weighed them - they were heavy. This was how He Yan accompanied him daily to chop wood, carrying those dreadful things.
She never complained once, as if she didn't know fatigue. Though He Yun Sheng had seen her palms - the delicate skin had been rubbed raw countless times, so she simply wrapped cloth strips around her hands.
The benefits were obvious. After half a month, He Yan could walk faster than him and chop more wood. He Yun Sheng wondered if those sandbags were truly so miraculous. Maybe he should secretly tie some on too?
Two people chopping wood was faster than one. The extra time could be used to sell more Danai cakes. As a woman, it wasn't really proper for He Yan to engage in such public business, and He Yun Sheng had reminded her. But He Yan seemed completely unconcerned. He Yun Sheng felt a headache coming on - if He Sui found out He Yan had been spending her days either chopping wood or selling cakes with him, he'd surely get whipped.
Fortunately, He Sui didn't know.
Not only did He Sui not know, he was actually quite cheerful these days. His usually quarrelsome children had grown much closer recently, able to eat at the same table and even exchange casual conversation. He Sui was very pleased, becoming much kinder to the new recruits at the training grounds. After all, domestic harmony leads to prosperity in all endeavors.
At this moment, He Yan sat before her dressing table.
Qingmei watched her uneasily.
Since recovering from her illness, He Yan had disliked looking in mirrors or playing with her cosmetics. Now that she was fiddling with them again, Qingmei grew nervous. The household finances were extremely tight recently - if He Yan wanted new lip rouge now, there simply wasn't any silver to spare.He Yan sifted through the fragrant powders and hair creams on the table, feeling a headache coming on. These items had already been used and couldn't be sold for money. After rummaging a bit more, she found several hairpins and pieces of jewelry.
They were all made of silver, of mediocre quality—nothing like what she had used back in the Xu family. But she couldn't afford to be picky now.
She gathered all the jewelry and handed it to Qingmei.
"Take these to the pawnshop. A final sale—we'll get more money that way."
Qingmei's eyes widened. "But... but..."
"We're very poor right now," He Yan patiently explained. "These can't be eaten."
She needed to pawn the jewelry to scrape together some silver, preferably enough for He Yun Sheng's school fees.
Since she had taken over the body of the eldest Miss He, she ought to at least do something for the He family. Only after settling these matters could she focus on her own affairs.
Such as settling an old score.
Yan Yan: Broke to the point of despair...
(End of Chapter)
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