The State of Affairs

Yang Ge knew the grain shop's assistant must have misunderstood him.

So he absolutely had to go back and buy that grain today!

If he didn't, he feared the assistant would report him straight to the authorities the next time he saw him...

After visiting the money house, Yang Ge easily exchanged his ten-tael silver ingot for five one-tael pieces of silver and five heavy strings of copper coins.

After all, he simply didn't dare show his Embroidered Uniform Guard badge to that miraculous creature whose name was spelled "shop assistant" but pronounced "megaphone."

He had no such concerns about the money house's shopkeeper... Whether a man qualified to manage a money house could keep his mouth shut was debatable, but he certainly understood reason and knew what mattered.

Yang Ge trusted that the words "Embroidered Uniform Guard" would make him think carefully about what he could and couldn't say.

He had to admit, carrying those heavy strings of coins felt far more satisfying than carrying a featherlight silver ingot.

Listening to the copper coins clinking and clattering against one another, Yang Ge couldn't help squeezing the bulging money pouch at his waist as he walked, his steps growing lighter and lighter.

Little Yellow copied his gait, and before long, father and child were swaggering along as though they wouldn't acknowledge even their own kin.

Nineteen copper coins for one dou of millet, so that's a hundred and ninety for one shi, and nineteen hundred for ten shi!

Thirty copper coins for one dou of barley, so that's three hundred for one shi, and fifteen hundred for five shi!

Altogether, that's thirty-four hundred copper coins!

One tael of silver is twelve hundred copper coins, so thirty-four hundred is two taels and another thousand copper coins!

Yang Ge calculated the grain bill as he walked. Once he had worked it out, he sighed. "Making money really is like catching ghosts, while spending it is like water flowing away!"

Perhaps the expense hurt too much-even his swagger grew considerably more restrained. He pondered, With this much grain, I should buy less meat. Just enough for a taste. Buy too much and it won't keep... How about buying a few young hens now and keeping them for eggs?

That way, even if meat prices rise again later, I'll still have eggs to keep my protein supply from drying up.

The old man has plenty of room. We could raise more chickens and ducks there... Right, I'll take some extra chicks and ducklings over tomorrow!

The sudden rise in grain prices reminded him of the earlier affair involving the Xie Family.

It gave him a bad feeling. He suspected the imperial court might be preparing to wage war against the Tartars again...

Otherwise, wouldn't exposing the Meritorious Nobles' collusion with the Tartars-their practice of nurturing enemies to bolster their own importance-have been a pointless tearing away of that fig leaf?

Yang Ge was considering what other supplies he should stockpile against possible upheaval when he suddenly noticed someone approaching.

The man wore an earth-gray patchwork garment so tattered that even its layers of patches couldn't preserve his decency. He was withered and skeletal, a middle-aged man so wasted away that it was impossible to tell whether he was in his thirties or early forties.

With a wisp of straw tucked into his hair, the man slowly pulled a handcart down the street, his face blank. His steps were so unsteady that he looked as though he might collapse at any moment and never rise again.

The pedestrians kept their distance, repeatedly casting him looks that might have been revulsion or pity.

For some reason, the moment Yang Ge saw the emptiness in the man's eyes, his steps slowed of their own accord.

He gradually came to a stop, watching the man stagger past him, watching the two figures-one large, one small-lying side by side on the cart, wrapped in mats.

"Brother!"

He suddenly called out softly.

As though he hadn't heard, the gray-clad man continued pulling his cart forward, one step at a time.

"Brother!"

Yang Ge hurried a couple of steps after him and caught hold of him.

The gray-clad man turned blankly toward Yang Ge, but his eyes seemed incapable of reflecting Yang Ge's figure. "You... you calling me, sir?"

His voice was so faint and distant that it seemed to come from the far side of a mountain. Had Yang Ge not been close, he wouldn't have made out the words.

Catching the faint odor of decay coming from the man, Yang Ge forced himself not to look at the two figures on the cart. "How much money do you need to bury them?"

The gray-clad man stared dazedly at him, giving no answer for a long while.

Holding Little Yellow's leash, Yang Ge waited patiently without pressing him.

Only after some time did the man reply, "Five... five hundred copper coins?"

Five hundred copper coins?

It certainly wasn't a small sum.

But how could it possibly be enough to bury both the adult and the child...

Yang Ge thought for a few moments, then used the motion of rubbing his hands against his clothes to draw two pieces of silver from his belt. Taking the gray-clad man's icy hand, he said loudly, "You have to pull yourself together and look ahead. Life will get better!"

Hearing Yang Ge's empty platitudes, the pedestrians who had slowed to watch curled their lips in contempt, turned away, and continued walking.

Feeling something unfamiliar in his palm, the gray-clad man lowered his head blankly to look at his hand.

"Don't look!"

Yang Ge kept hold of his hand and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Take the money and give them a proper burial... Don't thank me now. If you have anything to spare someday, lend a hand to someone who needs help. That will be thanks enough."

He let go of the leash and used both hands to slowly close the gray-clad man's cold, stiff hand around the two pieces of silver.

The gray-clad man still couldn't resist glancing down. From the silvery gleam between his fingers and the strange sensation in his palm, he finally realized what he was holding.

"B-benefactor!"

Choking up, he turned his hand and seized both of Yang Ge's tightly, his hollow eyes rapidly filling with tears.

Yang Ge shook his head slightly and said softly, "Live well. An elder I deeply respect once told me that those still living must carry the hopes of those who are gone. Live well, keep moving forward, and don't look back..."

With that, he forcibly freed himself from the man's stiff grip, patted his shoulder, picked up the leash, and left.

The gray-clad man stood rooted to the spot, tears streaming down his face, watching Yang Ge's back gradually disappear into the crowd. Only after a long while did his knees buckle, and he dropped to the ground with a thud, knocking his forehead hard against it three times in the direction Yang Ge had gone.

"Tch. A few words that won't fill your belly or quench your thirst, and you think they're worth kowtowing over?"

Yang Ge walked into Firewood Gate Street, leading the grain shop workers delivering his purchases behind him.

As he walked, he stroked Little Yellow's drooping head and offered reassurance. "Don't be disappointed, okay? Next time. Next time Daddy earns some money, I'll definitely buy you meat..."

"Little Yellow!"

An elderly voice called out ahead, warm with laughter.

Yang Ge looked closely and spotted Shopkeeper Liu and Liu Mang, father and son.

One tall and one short, one sturdy and one thin-the pair made an indescribably striking contrast standing together.

The short, thin one was still diligently earning money.

To support the tall, sturdy one...

The moment Little Yellow spotted Shopkeeper Liu, the tail dragging along the ground sprang upright.

Seeing this, Yang Ge simply let go of the leash.

Little Yellow took off on all four paws and flew toward Shopkeeper Liu.

"Oh my, Little Yellow, you've put on weight again! Grandpa can barely hold you anymore... Why are you wearing this thing today? Has your daddy been bullying you?"

Shopkeeper Liu caught Little Yellow with a broad smile and gently stroked the dog's head and neck. Then, as if performing a magic trick, he suddenly produced an egg and held it before Little Yellow's eyes. "Look what Grandpa brought you!"

Liu Mang stood beside them with his arms folded, rolling his eyes.