Chapter 10, Spring begins tonight
Ding Hao fell silent for a moment and gently said, "I am thinking about how I can forever leave this Ding family courtyard, stand tall, and live the life I want to live"
Understanding this point, Ding Hao was even less willing to stay in the Ding family. Here, he saw no hope for a better future; if he wanted to change his life, he had to leave this place. However, could he truly bear to abandon Yang, the woman who, though not his biological mother, had shown him profound kindness? Once he left, with nothing in his hands, what could he possibly do?
If you can't collect the rent and resort to violence, who will be willing to farm your land next year? Hitting someone? If they get injured, it leads to a lawsuit. Even if you manage to settle it, won't it still cost you money? Who would you be at odds with? Therefore, for the familiar tenants, the landlord must host a banquet during major festivals and also distribute seasonal gifts such as cured meat and liquor.
The truly unfortunate ones are the household slaves. One type is the household slave who has signed a contract of servitude, like Yang Daniu. The other type is the children of household slaves, who are born into servitude. From the moment they are born, they are destined to serve this family. Although these individuals are technically free, due to their parents and elders, coupled with the fact that they have never left this environment since childhood, they completely lack the ability to be independent, thus effectively becoming household slaves themselves.
When a person falls ill, their temperament becomes fragile. This son is disappointing, yet he is after all the youngest son whom I cherish the most. He runs off several hundred miles, and I truly cannot rest easy. Moreover, the eldest son is escorting grain to the General's residence in Guangyuan to deliver military supplies, and it is uncertain whether he will return in time for the New Year. I need to perform rituals for the gods and ancestors, and I cannot be without a son by my side. With this thought in mind, although my expression is stern, I still agreed.
From a distance and up close, the sound of firecrackers occasionally rings out; today is New Year's Eve. At this time, everyone in the residence has taken a break, leaving only the maids and servants in the inner courtyard busy with a few scattered tasks. Ding Hao leisurely settles down, lying on the high straw pile in the courtyard, gazing up at the azure sky while basking in the sun. He digs a hole in the straw pile, lying inside it comfortably, with the sun shining above and the wind unable to reach him, feeling very warm
"Fool, what are you thinking?" came the voice of Xue Liang from a nearby straw pit.
The gentry landlords are not the government; if they are not the powerful families with the authority of life and death, the tenants would have much more room to negotiate and bargain with them. When encountering shrewd tenants, issues such as arrears, requests for concessions, unauthorized harvesting, production suppression, retaliatory eviction, resignation from tenancy, cessation of cultivation, rent evasion, or even transferring tenancy, as well as bullying, litigation, and the exchange of "wet valleys" and "thin valleys" can certainly cause considerable distress for the landlords
In previous years, Steward Yan Jiu was responsible for representing the Ding family in hosting banquets for tenants and long-term workers, distributing New Year gifts to them. However, he is no longer at the residence. It is said that the second young master took a carriage from the Ye family and went to his uncle's house in Xiongzhou. Loyal Steward Yan Jiu immediately rushed to see Master Ding, bowing his head in request to be sent to Xiongzhou to bring back the young master.
Ding Ershao has gone to Xiongzhou, which made the work of Xue Liang and Ding Hao much easier. Each day, they fed the mules and horses, chopped and organized the fodder, and cleaned the third courtyard, leaving them with little else to do.
"I am more than willing," Xue Liang chuckled, rolling his eyes towards a cloud in the sky, smacking his lips and saying with infinite longing: "Ah Dui, tell me... what exactly is the experience of sleeping with a woman? I see that when Liu Guan Shi talks about it, he gets all animated, and I just can't understand. Is the pleasure of sleeping with a woman really better than eating fatty pork? I just can't figure it out..."
The managers are also busy, preparing for the annual festival, stocking up on goods, and organizing various rituals for deities and ancestors. There are numerous details to attend to, such as the offerings of three animals and five animals, the six grains and eight vegetarian dishes, incense, candles, rice, and fruits. Guavas cannot be placed on the table, and fish must have scales... There are too many intricate and varied matters to consider, keeping them in a flurry of activity.
As a result, some young married women and the courtesans from the brothel were quite anxious for a long time. Although they were too embarrassed to appear in person, most of them sent their trusted maids to the pharmacy to purchase some cleansing and detoxifying herbs to take back. They only bought the expensive ones, not the appropriate ones. With the arrival of the Spring Festival, the business of various pharmacies flourished significantly.
Ding Hao rested his arm on his forehead, gazing at the blue sky, and said softly, "I am thinking about how I can leave this Ding family courtyard."
To bring disgrace upon a person of status and dignity, and to topple a lofty maiden who is detached from the mundane world, are both actions that can evoke a sense of pleasure and accomplishment. Thus, following the enthusiastic promotion by the small waiter Yin Erpeng, who was slapped at Baifeng Building, the scandal of the second young master of the Ding family, Ding Chengye, being impotent and afflicted with a venereal disease, spread throughout Bazhou City. Moreover, various versions of the tale proliferated, further tarnishing the image of the second young master of the Ding family. Therefore, following the enthusiastic promotion by the small waiter Yin Erpeng, who was slapped at Baifeng Building, the scandal of the second young master of the Ding family, Ding Chengye, being impotent and afflicted with a venereal disease, spread throughout Bazhou City. Moreover, various versions of the tale proliferated, further tarnishing the image of the second young master of the Ding family
Typically, when the tenant farmers and laborers face various ailments, the landowners will do their utmost to provide some medicinal assistance. The laborers are similarly inclined; they are "alive in their hands." If the employer and the laborers are at odds, the laborers may not dare to openly resist, yet they have numerous ways to engage in passive resistance, such as subtly manipulating their agricultural work. Ultimately, it is the employer who suffers during the autumn harvest. Therefore, on the first and fifteenth of each month, they offer some small treats, during festivals they provide some grain, and at the end of the year, they give a red envelope. These are all strategies employed by far-sighted gentry and landlords to retain those honest, diligent laborers.
During festivals and holidays, it is customary for wealthy landlords to invite tenants and laborers to banquets and distribute gifts of seasonal goods to them. This practice is common in the households of affluent gentry and landlords. Unlike the portrayals in films where men oppress women and treat tenants and laborers as if one person could serve the role of two, there are no landlords who threaten their tenants with armed servants wielding whips during rent collection. In fact, any landlord who is excessively harsh towards their laborers and tenants will soon find themselves in decline.
After many years of friendship, Li Yuchang harbored some resentment. Although he put on a brave face and apologized to Li Yuchang, ultimately easing their relationship, the lingering fear left Li Yuchang with a somewhat cold demeanor. The bond between them was no longer as close as it had once been. With so many issues intertwined, Ding Tingxun felt depressed and, after excessive fatigue, finally developed a high fever
Then I don't want it, Xue Liang's arrogance has come up: "Ah Dai, if one day you really have great abilities, help me find a wife."
Ding Hao chuckled and said, "Look at your prospects. Fine, if I have money, I will help you find a wife, no, I will find you two."
"What are you going out for? At this hour, where can you go? Today is New Year's Eve, and tonight is the celebration. We can enjoy a feast again today." Xue Liang rubbed his belly and sighed contentedly, "If we could eat this well all year round, how wonderful that would be..."
The main doors of the courtyards in the Ding family have begun to display Spring Festival couplets with red paper and yellow characters, along with images of the God of Wealth and the character for 'Fortune.' Inside the house, colorful New Year paintings are posted, and beautiful paper cuttings adorn the window frames. These activities have kept the entire household quite busy for a while.
Ah? What did you say? What's wrong with your back? Did you hurt it while carrying the pork? I told you not to carry such a large piece of fatty pork; you are just showing off...
Xue Liang crawled out of the grass pit, resting his pig-like, round black face on the edge of the straw pile, and looked at Ding Hao with concern: "If your waist is injured, you must not be careless. If you're not careful, it could lead to lasting problems, and you won't be able to do heavy work for the rest of your life. How about I go get some medicinal liquor and give you a massage?"
He propped up his chubby chin with both of his plump hands and said with a dreamy expression: "They say that if a man has never even touched a woman in his lifetime, he can't be considered a real man. After this year, I will be twenty, yet I haven't even laid a finger on a woman."
If such a servant encounters a kind master, it may be bearable; otherwise, they truly face harsh treatment and abuse, their status being a hundred times lower than that of the free tenants and laborers. It was only at this moment that Ding Hao realized his position was even more degraded than that of the tenants and laborers. The tenants and laborers are free people, while they are slaves, which is a fundamentally different relationship.
On the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, the Ding family begins their cleaning, tidying up the environment, washing various utensils, dismantling and cleaning bedding and curtains, sweeping the courtyard, dusting off dirt and cobwebs, and clearing the ditches and drains. Following this, they prepare for the New Year by stocking up on goods such as chicken, duck, fish, meat, tea, wine, oil, sauces, snacks from both the north and south, and sweets and fruits. They also need to prepare gifts for visiting relatives and friends during the New Year, as well as purchasing new clothes and hats.
A warm feeling surged in Ding Hao's heart as he reached out to remove a piece of straw stuck to Xue Liang's chin, softly saying: "Brother, if one day I have the ability, I will ensure that you enjoy a feast of fish and meat every day, and live comfortably for the rest of your life"
Thus, Yan Jiu immediately set off for Xiongzhou, and the task of hosting the tenants and laborers, as well as distributing the New Year goods, fell to the kitchen steward Liu Ming. Due to his connection with Madam Yang, Steward Liu was quite familiar with Ding Hao and Xue Liang. Since he was in charge of the kitchen and feared he might be overwhelmed, he borrowed these two individuals from the steward of the outer courtyard. As a result, the two of them enjoyed several days of lavish feasting under Steward Liu's guidance
At this time, Ding Tingxun fell ill. His second son, unworthy of his lineage, brought him great shame, especially with such a disgraceful habit. There was no opportunity to explain, nor could he deny it. Thus, wherever he went, he felt that people were pointing and whispering behind his back. As a local magnate with extensive connections, there were many places he needed to visit during the New Year, making it impossible for him to stay home. Consequently, the opportunities for embarrassment increased.