Chapter 213 Cleansing the Inner Quarters

Chapter 213 Cleansing the Inner Quarters

Du Min and Vice Minister Yin were talking in the main hall when Yin Caiwei walked in with a happy expression. He casually asked, "What's the good news?"

“My second sister-in-law promised to take me with her when she goes to collect grain, and I’ll go with her to trade in old things,” Yin Caiwei said. “Husband, please give me a list of farmers and merchants in Hanoi County who rent sheep without interest.”

Vice Minister Yin shook his head helplessly and said to Du Min, "Son-in-law, Caiwei has a strong personality and has caused trouble for you and the Princess. Please be more tolerant of her."

Du Min did find it troublesome, but he wouldn't complain in front of his father-in-law. He smiled and said, "It's just a little extra trouble, it's what I should do."

Yin Caiwei felt nauseous and couldn't stay any longer. "Father, I'm going to the backyard to talk to Mother."

“Go on, spend a couple more days with your mother, we should be leaving too.” Vice Minister Yin was about to depart. “The provincial examinations are in March, and the Ministry of Personnel is busy, so I can’t stay in another place for long. Thanks to the Lady of the County and the Empress’s favor, we were able to come here and see that you are doing well, which puts our minds at ease.”

Yin Caiwei paused, realizing that this parting might be the last time they met.

Vice Minister Yin waved his hand, "Go talk to your mother."

Yin Caiwei lowered her head and walked away.

Du Min's heart stirred, and he said, "Father, could you please deliver something to Prime Minister Zheng for me? Last year when he came to Huaizhou, he was quite optimistic about the paper mill. Now that the paper mill is producing paper, I've prepared two boxes of paper. Could you please deliver them to him for me?"

Vice Minister Yin glanced at him and said, "Your paper mill produces hemp paper. Does Prime Minister Zheng even consider it?"

"The paper may be of poor quality, but the sentiment behind it is what matters." But Du Min couldn't deny this fact. He thought for a moment and said, "I'll talk to the master about adding some silk floss and other fibers to the pulp to see if we can make toilet paper as soft as a handkerchief. If we can, I'll send him a few more boxes. Dad, if we succeed, I'll send you a few more boxes too."

"Don't give it to me, I don't want it, and I can't afford it." Vice Minister Yin refused. "Paper mixed with silk can be used as toilet paper? You'll be impeached. It's not only extravagant, but also disrespectful. Paper is for writing, not for unclean things."

Du Min: "...Will I really be impeached?"

"It might not be the case for others, but it's certain for you. Both the Lu and Xu families are watching you closely, eager to find something to do with you and punish you." Vice Minister Yin wasn't just trying to scare him; he warned him, "Be careful that Prime Minister Zheng doesn't impeach you first, using that as an excuse to distance himself from you."

"Thank you for reminding me, Father-in-law." Du Min cupped his hands in thanks, immediately abandoning the idea.

Minister Yin was satisfied, and he suggested, "Shall we go for a walk?"

On a snowy day with a biting wind blowing, Du Min didn't want to go out at all. It was too cold; he had already had his fill of the cold wind after returning from Shanzhou a few days ago.

"I'll go get the library key from my second sister-in-law. Shall we go to the library to read some books?" Du Min suggested.

“Alright.” Vice Minister Yin nodded.

Du Min got up and went to Qingzhu Courtyard, where he learned that the academy was also open during the New Year, and there were still students studying diligently inside. He went to Fenglin Courtyard to call Wang Zhou, and together with Vice Minister Yin, they went to the academy.

When Wang Chuan heard the news, he also wanted to go, but Du Min refused to take him because he couldn't read.

Meng Qing and Du Li packed up and took their youngest son to the library to see the parrots.

On the first day of the new year, a heavy snow fell, and the streets were sparsely populated, with very few footprints in the snow. But when the carriage turned into the bookstore and paper shop, it was as if it had pierced through the thin mist and entered the market from the woods, and the sound of people could be heard in the wind and snow.

Three stalls were set up in the snow outside the library. The food stall selling soup noodles had a roaring fire, and peeled hemp stalks were piled up to the height of a person on both the north and south sides. The three stall owners huddled under the bundles of firewood, warming themselves by the fire. Hearing the sound of hooves, the three of them peeked out one after another. After seeing who it was, they all looked nervous, afraid of being driven away.

Du Li got out of the car and glanced at the scene. He then picked up Wang Chuan and helped Meng Qing out of the car.

The family of three entered the bookstore, the carriage turned around and left, and the three stall owners breathed a sigh of relief and shrank back under their bundles of firewood.

After a cup of tea, Du Li came out carrying several burlap sacks. He walked to the soup noodle stall and handed the sacks over, saying, "Go to a nearby house and borrow a needle and thread to sew the sacks together and put them on top to keep out the snow."

“Young master, we’re not cold.” The soup dumpling vendor stood up nervously, waving his hands frantically. “We’re warming ourselves by the fire, we’re not cold, it’s even warmer than at home.”

Du Liduo sized him up and noticed the thick calluses on the man's hands—hands used for farm work, not for running a small business. He put down the sack and asked, "Where do you live? Do you live around here?"

The stall owner stammered a few times, his face turning red, but he couldn't say anything, his eyes constantly glancing into the library.

“Yes, we’re from around here, all three of us.” Another taller old man stood up and pointed to another stall. “That stall selling noodles is mine. We just arrived today. Are we not allowed to set up a stall? We’ll leave right away.”

A thin boy, wrapped in a baggy coat and trousers, ran out of the library. He rushed to Du Li and said in a panic, "Young master, my father and I will leave now. Please spare us this time."

Du Li's suspicions were confirmed. The calluses on the man's hands and the hemp stalks piled on both sides of the stall confirmed that he was a farmer and not allowed to set up a stall to do business.

"The yamen runners in the county government office will be on leave from the 26th of the twelfth lunar month until the end of the Lantern Festival," Du Li revealed. During this period, there will be no city magistrate patrolling. He looked at the handsome young man and asked, "Do you know where the Prefect's residence is? If not, ask around. When you get there, tell the gatekeeper you're looking for Madam Yin. Explain your family's situation and ask her to get you some suitable clothes. Madam Yin is organizing a charity event, and she has plenty of old clothes, shoes, and bedding."

The faces of the people present lit up immediately. The old man who had helped them out earlier asked, "Young master? Could we also ask for some old clothes?"

“The charity helps poor families. If you are sure your family really needs a few sets of winter clothes, just leave your name. Once Mrs. Yin has verified it, she will notify you to pick them up if you meet the requirements,” Du Li explained.

"If we weren't poor, we wouldn't be out in the snow on the first day of the new year to earn a few coins," the old man said.

Du Li didn't say anything; he had already given them the way. He turned and walked back to the library.

The three stall owners and a skinny boy watched his retreating figure until he disappeared from sight. Then they discussed going to the Prefect's residence.

"It's the first day of the new year, isn't it inappropriate for us to come here and beg for money?" the boy hesitated. "How about we wait a few days?"

“If we wait a few days, it might not be your turn. Let’s go now.” The old man made the decision. “I know that young man. He is the husband of Lady Meng and the older brother of Lord Du. We’ll just say that he sent us. Madam Yin certainly won’t blame us.”

"Let's hurry up while it's still early, before dinnertime, so we can sell dinner when we get back," another old man said.

"Ali, you go too, I'll stay here and watch the fire," said the soup dumpling vendor.

The young man hesitated for a few seconds, then left with the two stall owners.

Du Li watched from the second floor. Seeing this, he quietly closed the window and tiptoed downstairs, not daring to disturb the scholars inside who were leaning, standing, or sitting.

There were three study rooms upstairs and one study room downstairs. In all four places, there were scholars eager for knowledge. Du Li roughly counted at least forty people. When he arrived at the aviary in the backyard, he was about to say that these people loved reading too much when he saw that there were also scholars in the aviary holding books and reciting words. Parrots stood on their shelf and mumbled along with them.

Wang Chuan didn't dare to speak loudly in this environment. He huddled together with a small yellow parrot to share the melon seeds he had brought.

Meng Qing was talking to the bookstore owner. After the weather got cold, two reed curtains were added to the outside of the bamboo wall to block the wind and cold, which made the bird room dark and bad for both people and birds. She asked the owner to open a few windows on the bamboo walls on both sides and cover them with paper to block the wind.

The shopkeeper immediately led his assistant to cut the curtain, cut out a few holes in it, and then covered the holes with paper, making the bird room much brighter.

After everything was finished, it was already dark, and Meng Qing and Du Li took Wang Chuan and prepared to leave.

As Du Li walked out of the library, he saw scholars standing in front of three stalls, waiting to buy food.

Once in the carriage, he told Meng Qing about what he had discovered.

"The stall owner who sells soup dumplings is a doting father. He brings his child to the library to read, but he's also thinking about setting up a stall outside to earn some money."

Meng Qing nodded, "Families like this will get better and better. When they are united, even hardship won't be so hard."

The cart wheels creaked and groaned in the snow. As Wang Chuan listened to the sound, his eyes slowly narrowed, and his head nodded little by little.

"Oh! How did the parrot fly out?" Meng Qing suddenly pulled open the car curtain.

"Where?" Wang Chuan suddenly opened his eyes. "Where?"

"It just flew by." Meng Qing pushed him to the window. "See if you can see it."

Wang Chuan peeked out and looked around, but didn't see a single parrot.

When they arrived home, Du Li jumped out of the car first. He picked up Wang Chuan, who smelled of birds, and helped him change his clothes and wash up so that he could go straight to sleep after dinner.

"Second sister-in-law, where is my second brother?" Yin Caiwei, who had been making plans for a long time, came out to greet them when she heard the noise. She said, "More than an hour ago, two old men and a boy came to collect old clothes and shoes. Were you the ones who were helping me promote my business?"

"It's your second brother." Meng Qing took off his cloak and handed it to the maid, asking, "How did you deal with him?"

“I went to see Uncle Meng and Aunt Pan. The two elders can wear silk now, and they won’t wear their old clothes anymore. I thought they would definitely not want to throw them away. When I went to ask, I found out that I got a whole cartload of clothes, shoes and old quilts.” This was Yin Caiwei’s first gain, and she was quite happy. “I gave each of the three people who came to visit two sets of padded jackets and trousers, and left my address. In a couple of days, I will personally take people to see their home.”

"This is hard work," Meng Qing said.

"It won't be hard for long. I'll take my time to look around and find someone reliable. Then I won't have to go myself." Yin Caiwei also felt it was hard work, but she couldn't just stand there. If she made a fool of herself, she would never be able to hold her head high in front of Du Min again.

"Wear warm clothes when you go out, and bring several servants with you. If you're going to the countryside outside the city, have the third brother accompany you," Meng Qing instructed.

Yin Caiwei hesitated for a moment, then nodded to indicate that she understood.

Days passed, and after the fourth day of the first lunar month, Mr. and Mrs. Yin were about to leave.

On the eve of his departure, Du Min handed two boxes of hemp paper delivered by the paper mill to his father-in-law. As if he had suddenly remembered something, he said, "Father, you and Mother need someone to take care of us on our way back, right? Let Granny Sun come back to Chang'an with you to take care of Mother, so she can reunite with her children and grandchildren."

Vice Minister Yin glanced at him thoughtfully, then asked directly, "What did she do?"

"She manages the affairs of the backyard. Under her management, the mansion is like two separate households, with two courtyards, one in front and one behind, and the servants in the two courtyards have grievances against each other." Although Du Min is not often at home, he knows everything about the mansion. Granny Sun is hostile to his second sister-in-law, and she also treats Meng Qingmai's servants with ambiguity. If Yin Caiwei wants to interfere in matters outside the mansion, he will interfere in matters inside the mansion.

“That old hag has had it too easy.” Vice Minister Yin sneered. “I’ll talk to your mother-in-law later and have her take Granny Sun away.”

The next morning, Sun's mother silently carried her luggage and got into the car with Yin's mother.

Yin Caiwei didn't ask a single question about it, seemingly believing her mother's words about not having a servant to attend to her.

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Author's note: See you tomorrow night.