Xu Mo usually went straight home from school and never lingered outside. Now that he was a teacher, even if he couldn't make it back before dark, he should still come back late at night.
The five children stood at the door waiting for him, and even though the streets were almost empty, Xu Mo was still nowhere to be seen.
Wen Zhiyun was the most perceptive. He whispered, "You don't think eldest brother ran into some trouble at the county office, do you?"
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
Bian Wenxuan was here to help Fang Heng, so he wouldn't hurt Xu Mo, but what about the others, the Wang family?
Moreover, why should they trust Bian Wenxuan, this person who didn't even dare to tell the inside story?
Thinking it through, the few children couldn't sit still. Fang Heng grabbed his staff and led the way to the county office, followed by several younger siblings huffing and puffing as they ran, almost falling down.
Fortunately, just around the corner, they finally saw Xu Mo.
"Eldest brother, why are you coming back so late?" Fang Heng grabbed his sleeve. "Did Bian Wenxuan give you a hard time? I'll go find him right now."
Xu Mo quickly stopped this hot-tempered younger brother.
"I'm fine," he said softly. "Let's go home first."
The sky had already gone completely dark. Two oil lamps were lit in the small courtyard, adding an orange-red glow to the night.
The hired aunty had left half a pot of rice that just needed heating up before they could eat.
The eight exhausted servants next door had already fallen asleep.
As soon as Xu Mo sat down, Jiang Sheng grabbed his sleeve and anxiously asked, "Eldest brother, why are you coming back so late? Were you bullied? Did something happen?"
Question after question, not giving him a chance to breathe.
Xu Mo knew Jiang Sheng was really anxious and felt a little apologetic as he stroked her head. "It won't happen again next time."
He was just too shocked the first time he came into contact with the dossiers.
It turned out that every year in Xieyang County's single county town, tens of thousands of people would die of illness and old age, while at the same time, tens of thousands of new lives would be born. But because of the backward medical technology, many villages didn't even have doctors. Once they got sick, they could only wait helplessly for death.
If a child died, the parents could give birth again.
If the parents died, the child would become an orphan.
During this time, if the villagers took the initiative to report to the county office, the county office would register newborns and strike off the names of the deceased. But if no one reported it, there would be orphans like Jiang Sheng, who "ate from hundreds of families," wore single layers through the winter, grew up another year if they made it through, and died in the snow if they didn't make it through.
No one would report them anymore, and they didn't dare report themselves, because the government recording a person on the register meant that person had to pay taxes.
That was why Pang Dashan, although already seventeen or eighteen, still didn't dare register. He had no money and couldn't afford the taxes, so he could only be a nameless, unregistered orphan.
"According to the results of the last decade's census, Xieyang County has at least thousands of orphans," Xu Mo said in a trembling voice. "They are unnamed and unregistered, cannot find work, cannot go to school. They were beggars when small, and grew up to be beggars. When old, they died in mass graves."
Yet this would have been Jiang Sheng's fate.
The night was still gloomy. The little girl in her clean dress sat on the stool, staring blankly at her brothers' suddenly reddened eyes. She took out a handkerchief from her sleeve but quietly put it back, not knowing who to give it to.
"At least Jiang Sheng is fine now," Zheng Ruqian sniffled. "With us here, she'll be even better in the future."
"That's right, she only needs to live free of worries," Fang Heng said, turning his head away.
Wen Zhiyun didn't speak, only silently held Jiang Sheng's hand.
Chang Yan grasped her other hand under his sleeve.
"Jiang Sheng isn't a beggar anymore," the little girl said happily, blinking her big eyes. "Jiang Sheng has five elder brothers."
"But..." Jiang Sheng lowered her head again. "They don't have five elder brothers."
She was talking about the other orphans forced to wander like her.
This was also the crux of Xu Mo's anguish.
During the decennial census, most of these beggars had no money to pay taxes, so of course they didn't dare register. This vicious cycle meant they could only remain beggars their whole lives, never having residency their whole lives, suffering from cold and hunger their whole lives.
And this was just one county town in Xieyang County. In the entire provincial capital, and the whole Great Yu Dynasty, just how many people like this were there?
Chang Yan's hand hidden in his sleeve twitched slightly. His beautiful eyes squeezed shut, not daring to open.
The prosperity of the capital was so dazzling, with everyone wearing gold and silver, unparalleled in wealth and nobility. Even maidservants wore fine cotton clothes and gold and silver jewelry, throwing uneaten food to the dogs and destroying clothes they couldn't wear.
But it turned out there were people in this world who couldn't even afford coarse steamed buns, coarse cloth clothes, coveted but couldn't obtain fatty pork, and needed to pick vegetable leaves.
For a dynasty, if it didn't see clearly the lives of the lowest common people, its prosperity and decline could change in an instant.
After a long while, Chang Yan opened his eyes again. His black pupils were inscrutable.
He hissed, "Eldest brother, can we ask the Prefect to waive this year's taxes for registering residents?"
To give these beggars a year's time to work and earn money for next year's taxes.
After that, they would have names.
No longer wandering beggars who could be beaten and scolded by anyone, reduced to stealing chickens and dogs, with no dignity.
"It would be best to have no taxes below age ten," Fang Heng said with knitted brows. "Children under ten really have no way to work and support themselves."
This undoubtedly increased the difficulty.
But in order for thousands of orphans to live with dignity, Xu Mo still gritted his teeth and agreed, "I'll discuss it with the county magistrate."
He was just a teacher. The only one who could directly discuss with the Prefect was Bian Wenxuan.
Fang Heng's feelings towards the new county magistrate were truly complicated. At the mention of him, he sullenly turned his head away.
Jiang Sheng remembered what happened during the day and hurriedly climbed onto Xu Mo's lap and whispered, "Eldest brother, why was third brother unhappy today?"
The others also looked over.
Xu Mo's lips moved as he recounted what happened outside the county office that day.
Finally, he said softly, "I think that County Prefect Bian also has difficulties he cannot speak of. As long as he serves the people wholeheartedly and does not persecute us, let's leave him be."
Fang Heng didn't make a peep.
Zheng Ruqian also felt that the feeling of unknown danger was not good, and would not admit he was motivated by gossip.
"Should we continue asking County Prefect Bian?" Jiang Sheng asked in a small voice.
This time it was Chang Yan who answered. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Haven't you all thought that the things he is unwilling to say may simply be unspeakable?"
Either the relationship was unspeakable, or his motives for doing this were unspeakable.
Why did he want to help the young lady of the Wang family do this?
Given Bian Wenxuan's personality, it couldn't be threats, so it could only be affection.
What kind of affection would make one unable to speak of it?
Judging from his age and attitude, it could only be a secret, evading morals and ethics, going against righteousness.
Aunt and nephew.
