Chapter 5, The Swallows Gather Mud to Build a New Home
Wang Rouhua looked at the water in the bucket that had been soiled by dirt and recalled that her son never touched hot water. Sometimes, she thought about giving this mischievous child a small lesson. She deliberately set aside some relatively hot boiled water, preparing to drop a little hot water on his small hand when he reached for it, in order to teach him a lesson and correct his bad habit of playing with water.
Fiercely snatching the withered branch from her hand, he then rolled his eyes and left
Yuan'er, the osmanthus cake cannot be fed to the fox
Wang Rouhua had her son hanging in front of her, a cast iron pot in her hand, and a small bag of grain on her back. Four purchased bamboo poles were tucked under her arm as she hurried home, always worried about the money she had hidden away.
Trembling, she walked to the corner of the wall. The guards seemed to recognize her, merely staring with their eyes, without using their large bows to shoot at her. It was only after Wang Rouhua reached the corner that she confirmed this corner truly belonged to her and her son from now on
The official's allocation of firewood money during the winter also provided a share for his own family, although it amounts to only thirty wen each year. However, considering that he and his son have to live in the city of Tokyo for a lifetime, spending five hundred wen is not unreasonable
However, this child absolutely does not touch water once it has been boiled, even if hot water is placed right in front of him, he does not touch it at all
This child loves to create trouble for himself, especially with the water bucket. Sometimes he will knock over the water bucket, and even when he falls, he remains undeterred.
Days pass by one after another
The money in hand should not be spent recklessly. When Wang Rou woke up in the morning, she stuffed all the copper coins into that small hole. Finally, gritting her teeth, she also stuffed the little fox in and looked at it before carrying her son to the market in search of a livelihood
Tie Xinyuan wore a white mourning cap on his forehead, which his mother had hurriedly sewn at the funeral clothing store. She wanted Seventh Brother to know that even in death, there were still people who remembered him
Even if a half-broken dry branch accidentally falls outside the courtyard wall, as long as Wang Rouhua goes to retrieve it, someone will immediately come out to stop her
The only trouble is that Yuan refuses to eat real food; apart from breast milk, he does not touch any of the food, whether it is the sweet osmanthus cake or the golden millet porridge, Yuan completely ignores them, which puts her in a difficult position
Indeed, on the walls of the imperial city stood fully armed guards, and in the corner of the wall, there was even a large bow and arrow set up on a rack. With her own home located at the corner, it was not just that others dared not approach; Wang Rouhua herself walked with trepidation and fear.
Wang Rouhua suddenly looked at her son and said, "My child, do you mean to say that you find this water unclean?"
The elevation of the imperial city is relatively high, and the air is quite dry. The wind blowing from the direction of Xiangguo Temple carries the lingering sound of the morning bell, which the monks ring to pray for the souls of the deceased, hoping that this distant chime can guide their spirits to the heavenly realm
Fortunately, the child is very understanding; as long as he is fed well each day, he does not cry or make a fuss. After falling to the ground once again and getting a large bump on his forehead, this child merely pouts and even reaches out his hands wanting to be held by himself
Long ago, Wang Rouhua was aware that in the Song Dynasty, human trafficking would be pursued by the authorities, but it seemed that there were no officials here to intervene
Upon returning to the foot of the imperial city, she let out a sigh. While the main road ten steps away from the imperial city was bustling with people, there was not a single soul at the foot of the imperial city, not even stray dogs or similar creatures.
Tie Xinyuan's hand was once again thrust into a bucket, and Wang Rouhua pulled her son's hand out of the bucket again
It is almost as difficult as climbing to the sky to find something in Tokyo that offers shelter from the wind and rain
The deceased have naturally come to an end, yet the living yearn immensely for the moment when the autumn wind rises. It is only after the arrival of the cold winter that the heavens will cease to take lives, allowing the living to safely survive until the next year
Wang Rouhua wandered around the market for half a day, but in the end, she returned empty-handed. She sought a job for sewing, mending, or laundry, but none could be found
Wang Rouhua sighed and stuffed the osmanthus cake back into the mouth of the fox that was clamoring around her.
The food sold from one end of the street to the other held no appeal for Tie Xinyuan; swarms of flies were breeding on it. This alone completely extinguished any thoughts he had of wanting to eat. Aside from breast milk, he felt that it would be very difficult for him to survive long enough to marry a wife and honor his mother by consuming anything from outside.
There was only a small amount of yellow earth. When Tie Xinyuan saw an old man sweeping the yellow earth off the street, he finally understood why there was so little yellow earth on the ground
A bamboo pole supporting an oilcloth became a simple shelter, which served as the dwelling place for her and her child
The arrows on the longbow are as thick as eggs, and the sharp arrowheads reflect a cold light in the sunlight, making it evident that these are lethal weapons.
I bought two more flatbreads to satisfy my hunger
Tie Xinyuan laughed heartily, placing his damp hands on his mother's face, playfully nudging his large head against her chest.
Wang Rouhua is very satisfied with her current situation. Having witnessed those who have been trafficked, she feels that her life is not bad at all. It would be even better if she could find her relatives to live together. Liu Gong has excellent knowledge and... he will definitely be able to teach Yuan'er well
Wang Rouhua is gritting her teeth and persevering; she does not intend to inquire about the whereabouts of her relatives until her own home is built. However, she still spent 500 wen to contact the clerk in Kaifeng County, transferring her and her son's household registration from Xiangfu County, which is also in Fukuo County, to Kaifeng County. In this way, she has truly become a resident of the capital city, Tokyo.
Everything here is owned by someone
Seeing her son about to stuff a piece of osmanthus cake into the fox's mouth, Wang Rouhua snatched it away, but it was still a bit late, as the osmanthus cake had already been taken from the fox's mouth
Yesterday, when I bought them, two pancakes only cost two wen, but today I need three copper coins to obtain the same two pancakes from the same vendor
The level of prosperity in Tokyo is hardly remarkable to Tie Xinyuan; the only commendable aspect is the abundance of ancient and elegant architecture that can be seen in every direction
The ground is uneven with many pits, as the emperor made an inspection tour yesterday. It is essential to have a yellow earth path, thus some traces of yellow earth can still be seen on the ground
The appearance differs greatly from that in "Along the River During the Qingming Festival"; this may be because Zhang Zeduan intentionally omitted some dilapidated shanties, filthy beggars, and the litter scattered everywhere while painting
Because they lived near the imperial city, no craftsman dared to come to the Tie family to help build the house. Wang Rouhua was aware of this, but she valued her and her children's safety even more. As a widow and orphans without the protection of relatives or a husband, it was extraordinarily difficult to survive in the Song Dynasty.
Everything costs money
Recalling how she had almost been beheaded just for leaning against the wall for a while last night, Wang Rouhua looked down on those fellows dressed in official robes from the bottom of her heart
As the floodwaters receded, the wealthy families began to leave Tokyo one after another, for they understood better than the poor that a larger population leads to a higher incidence of disease
Many young women stand in a tent wearing only a thin veil, allowing those heavily made-up madams or portly men to come in and make their selections
If Yuan Er does not eat, how can he grow into a man?
When passing by the marketplace, Wang Rouhua almost ran away. She had never seen a scene where people were treated like livestock, having their mouths pried open to inspect their teeth, and then determining their age for the purpose of purchase.
After coming out of the funeral clothing shop, Wang Rouhua held a stack of white linen in her arms. She inserted a white silk flower into her hair, as a gesture of mourning for her seventh brother. As for the funeral clothing, she would take her time to sew it once she returned to the city wall.
At this moment, the sun has already risen. Once the great sun of May breaks free from the constraints of the clouds, it indiscriminately pours out its warmth. In no time, the moisture in Tokyo is evaporated, and without moving, one feels damp all over as if being in a steamer.
Recently, there have been constant deaths in the city, with boats transporting corpses along the waterways in a continuous stream. It is said that an epidemic has already broken out in the city
The little fox whimpered, feeling wronged as it continuously called out through the iron bars of the small door. Wang Rouhua merely glanced at the little fox, then placed her son into the bathtub, breaking off a piece of flatbread to put at the entrance of the hole; as for water, there was some inside the small hole.
In Tokyo, the population is dense, and everything becomes precious; in their eyes, there is nothing that is useless
Every day, Wang Rouhua brings back a bit of building material, and thus, the rudimentary shed gradually acquired a proper roof, while the walls on both sides slowly took shape, which were made by Wang Rouhua after finding straw and mixing it with mud.
Passing by a funeral clothing store, Wang Rouhua could not help but let her tears flow. There was no place left to search for Seventh Brother's body, and no matter what, she could not allow him to become a wandering soul.
If a proper house cannot be built by the time the autumn winds rise, the mother and child will still be unable to endure this harsh winter. The summer heat in Tokyo is unbearable, and the winter will equally turn into a world of ice and snow
After purchasing some grain and an iron pot, Wang Rouhua also bought a small piece of osmanthus cake, carefully wrapping it in a handkerchief, preparing to go home and mash it up to feed her son
The white cloth is high-quality fine white fabric, and naturally, it is not inexpensive. When Wang Rouhua purchased these items for thirty wen, she did not even furrow her brow, and there was no usual process of haggling. This elevated Tie Xinyuan's satisfaction with his mother to a new height
This is all the mercy of heaven, pitying him for having lost the protection of his father, thus making him precocious
Wang Rouhua knelt on the ground with her hands clasped together, sincerely praying for her seventh brother, hoping that in his next life he would not have to suffer as he did, and also praying for Yuan'er to grow up safely, free from illness and disaster
In fact, Wang Rouhua has even more profound thoughts; once her child begins to read and write, the county school in Kaifeng County is undoubtedly the best in all of the Song Dynasty
Everything is fine
He can now crawl around with his head held high, and he can even stand up while holding onto something