Chapter Three: Not a Good Person

Not bad. The Tian family gifted Zhang Chen a carriage along with several horses to pull it. Zhang Chen smiled and said, “I receive thirty taels of silver a month as my salary. Xia Hua, Fei Niu, each of you gets five taels. The three of us together have forty taels a month. If we budget carefully, that should be enough!”

In Fushan County’s urban market, a young boy or girl of thirteen or fourteen typically had a few dozen taels of silver. An ordinary household of five in Fushan County would spend less than three taels of silver monthly on daily expenses. With their combined monthly wages totaling forty taels, Zhang Chen, Fei Niu, and Xia Hua certainly had enough to get by.

The Tian family sent Zhang Chen to Zhang Village, and while they would not mistreat him in terms of food and clothing, they were not entirely kind. Although Zhang Chen’s dowry was worth over fifty thousand taels, they paid him only thirty taels a month. Such stinginess spoke volumes about the Tian family’s character.

Not wanting to see Zhang Chen suffer, the Tian family paid six months’ salary upfront to Zhang Chen, Fei Niu, and Xia Hua. After receiving their wages, Xia Hua promptly handed her half-year’s salary of thirty taels over to Zhang Chen with a serious expression. Fei Niu, with a grim face, did the same.

At that moment, Zhang Chen gave Fei Niu a playful kick. “These are special times. We’ll endure some hardships for a while. I’ll give you and Xia Hua one tael each as pocket money every month. After I pass the provincial exam next August, we’ll make big money. Then, I’ll raise your salary, you fatso.”

Fei Niu was Zhang Chen’s personal attendant, and Xia Hua served as his close maid. Previously, both the Zhang family and the current Tian family paid them generous wages. In Fushan County, most maids or servants earned less than one tael a month, so Zhang Chen’s monthly gift of one tael pocket money to Xia Hua was more than fair, and she had no complaints. Fei Niu, however, was less pleased, though his grievances remained unspoken.

Together, the three received two hundred and forty taels for half a year, and Tian Yachun gifted Zhang Chen an additional hundred taels. Currently, Zhang Chen had over three hundred taels. In Fushan County, one peck of rice cost about one hundred and thirty copper coins. One tael equaled roughly one thousand copper coins, and a peck weighed about eighteen pounds.

Zhang Chen bought a large quantity of grain and, with advice from Fei Niu and Xia Hua, purchased many daily necessities. Since this was the late Ming dynasty and grain prices were rising, he wisely stocked up with two horse-drawn carts full of grain. Having mysteriously arrived in the Ming dynasty, Zhang Chen realized he could not return to the twenty-first century.

Since he was here, he resolved to live well. At the fifth watch, Zhang Chen, Fei Niu, and Xia Hua boarded separate carriages and left through the north gate of Fushan County, heading more than ten miles to Zhang Village.

The government forbade vagrants from entering the county town, but many destitute people gathered near the city gates, living in makeshift huts on vacant land. Zhang Chen shook his head at the growing number of vagrants, who were as numerous as cattle.

“Young master, you should live in that large courtyard. Thirty taels a month is enough to support several guards and servants,” Zhang Dacai said. He wore a long silk robe dyed in lake blue, his hair tied with a net cap, and black leather boots. He followed Zhang Chen’s carriage on horseback.

“There are bandits in Cishan and Japanese pirates on Zhifu Island, both not far from Zhang Village. Bandits or pirates could raid Zhang Village at any time. Your guards might not be enough to repel them, but they can help you escape to safety.”

Zhang Dacai was the chief steward of the Zhang family’s commercial branch in Fushan County. Having followed Zhang Yuanyi in business for many years, he was utterly loyal to him. Despite Zhang Chen being a son-in-law to the Tian family, Zhang Dacai still respected him as Zhang Yuanyi’s eldest legitimate son.

At noon, Zhang Chen met Zhang Dacai while buying grain on East Main Street. Zhang Dacai invited him to the Zhang family’s grain store and sold him two carts of grain at cost price.

On the road from the county town to Zhang Village, many starving vagrants might try to seize Zhang Chen’s grain. Zhang Dacai volunteered to escort Zhang Chen, bringing over a dozen burly guards along.

Fearing bandits or pirates might raid the village at night, Zhang Dacai advised Zhang Chen to live in the large courtyard and hire several guards. “There are vagrants everywhere. You can pick out strong men from among them as guards. No need to pay them; just feed them.”

Zhang Dacai handed Zhang Chen several silver notes. “Young master, consider this three hundred taels a loan from your old servant. You can repay me after you pass the provincial exam.”

Zhang Chen sighed deeply. “Uncle Zhang, well—” Thin horse, ragged hair, poor spirit. He had no means to repay the notes immediately. “I’ll get familiar with the situation in Zhang Village first and then hire guards. Uncle Zhang, rest assured, my escape skills are top-notch.”

The world was growing ever more chaotic. Before he passed, Zhang Yuanyi had hired martial instructors as tutors for his three sons. Since age three, Zhang Chen trained in martial arts for over ten years.

A few years ago, Zhang Yuanyi died of illness. After the funeral, the matron Zhao dismissed all the martial instructors.

Yet the habit of morning martial practice remained; Zhang Chen usually trained after waking each day. Though once a bookworm, his body was strong.

Thus, if bandits or pirates raided Zhang Village at night, Zhang Chen had some confidence he could escape.

Vagrants along the road, spotting the grain-laden carts, stared green-eyed like starving wolves. But with over ten muscular, fierce guards beside the carts, no vagrants dared to seize the grain.

“Luckily, I met Uncle Dacai when buying grain,” Zhang Chen thought with relief. Had it just been me, Fei Niu, and Xia Hua with two carts of grain, the vagrants would have surely robbed everything and beaten us to death.

The road from the county town to Zhang Village was passable, and the journey was uneventful. At the first watch of the evening, Zhang Chen, Fei Niu, and Xia Hua, each in their own carriage and guarded by Zhang Dacai’s men, entered Zhang Village.

At a small courtyard in the village’s rear street, Zhang Dacai directed the guards to unload the grain and other items to the spots Zhang Chen specified.

Without announcement, Zheng Shizhen arrived, advising Zhang Chen to live in the large courtyard on the front street.

“This morning, the Tian family sent the property deeds and related documents for Zhang Village. It seems the Tian daughter wants to live apart from you for a few months, after which your marriage will be automatically dissolved. Young master, from now on, you should settle in Zhang Village and live in that large courtyard.”

Zhang Chen was a son-in-law to the Tian family, and by unspoken rules, after a certain period of separation, the marriage would be considered annulled.

By sending Zhang Chen to live permanently in Zhang Village, Tian Yachun clearly intended to divorce him.

Previously, Zheng Shizhen was the captain of Zhang Yuanyi’s guards, serving him for over ten years. Deeply loyal, Zheng retired to manage the large courtyard on the front street after sustaining severe injuries.

Last month, the matron Zhao recalled all the servants from that courtyard back to the county town or Dengzhou Prefecture, preparing to give the courtyard as part of Zhang Chen’s dowry to the Tian family.