Chapter 113

Chapter 113

After several rounds of drinks, everyone felt a pleasant buzz. The children, having eaten their fill, went off to play in the east wing, leaving the adults to converse freely.

The first topic to arise was the recent flood.

Chen Qingyan and the others hadn't experienced it firsthand and didn't realize the severity of the disaster—especially Qing Song and Qing Huai, who simply thought the family had moved to the prefectural city because the floodwaters had ruined the crops.

Wang Ying then began to recount the events in detail.

"The rain started in mid-June. It poured continuously for three days straight, and the river near the manor rose to over three feet deep—almost overflowing into the fields."

That small river usually only reached an adult's knee. When Old Liang had lived at the manor, he often caught fish and shrimp there.

"Seeing how heavy the rain was, I worried the fields would flood. I gathered the villagers to dig mud and build levees, hoping to save the crops if possible—though I knew it might not work. But by afternoon, the rain grew even heavier. It was as if the sky had been torn open, raining cats and dogs. I immediately decided we should head for the hills for safety, fearing that if the water surged suddenly, it would be too late to escape."

Chen Qingyan quietly gave him a thumbs-up. Wang Ying’s decisiveness and intelligence were something even he admired; in such a situation, he would never have thought to lead the entire village, young and old, up the mountain to take shelter.

Uncle Chen chimed in, "The master sent me to notify everyone in the village to head for the mountains. Coincidentally, Manor Head Chen mentioned there was a cave on the back hill where we could take shelter from the wind and rain. As soon as I heard about it, I hurried back to tell the master."

Wang Ying continued, "Early the next morning, everyone packed their things and went up the mountain. A few households in the village didn’t follow us. Chen Xi tried to persuade them but gave up when they refused. Little did we know that by afternoon, the roads would be completely submerged?"

Liang Boqing said, "That must have been due to a dike breach. Once the water flows fast, it can flood an area in half a day."

"At the time, we had no idea the Yellow River had breached its dikes. We thought it was just the heavy rain. The next day, when Tian Ju and the others went down to check things out, the water had already risen almost to the rooftops. Those who hadn’t escaped in time were carried off by the floodwaters—no one knows where they ended up…"

Everyone sighed sadly. In the face of natural disasters, people are as powerless as ants. Fortunately, Wang Ying’s quick thinking had helped the others avoid disaster.

Li Shi took a sip of tea and said, "Even on the mountain, it wasn't peaceful. The cave was damp and cold, but at least it offered shelter from the wind and rain. Yet after two days, a group from a neighboring village tried to take it over."

"What? How could such a thing happen!" Chen Qingyan was shocked. Wang Ying had never mentioned this during their time at the experimental farm.

Wang Ying explained, "It started when a man from our manor tried to take advantage of the chaos to harass a widow. I kicked him out. Coincidentally, he ran into refugees from Zheng Village on the mountain and led them back, intending to seize the cave. Luckily, our village had more people, and everyone was armed with farming tools and knives. The intruders were too scared to enter and eventually left."

Even now, Wang Ying still gets chills recalling the incident. In such a tense situation, a bloody fight could have broken out at any moment. Fortunately, the people from Zheng Village were too intimidated to act.

"We stayed on the mountain for four days until the rain stopped. When we came down, we found the manor was wrecked, with mud over a foot deep. Our villa had been washed away, leaving only a few walls standing."

Liang Boqing’s heart sank at the memory. That small courtyard had been so lovely. Looking back over the years, his two years at the Chen Manor had been a period of easy living.

Wang Ying said, "With the manor uninhabitable, we decided to return to the town. But when we got there, we found it was just as bad. The flood had collapsed most of the houses, leaving nine out of ten homes empty. The bodies of the drowned lay in the streets, with no one to bury them.

Fortunately, the old house was built strong and mostly undamaged. Only the main room in the front courtyard was half-collapsed, and parts of the courtyard wall had been washed away. We repaired it after returning."

Everyone listened with heavy hearts. Though described briefly, they could sense how difficult those times had been.

"Things were tough in town too. First, the survivors had no food. Luckily, our storeroom still had plenty of grain that hadn’t been washed away. I arranged for it to be transported to the manor so they could replant right away and have food by autumn."

Others might not have known, but Chen Qingyan was aware—that grain must have come from A Ying’s experimental farm.

The rest of the story was familiar: Magistrate Wang had sent someone to bring them to the prefectural city.

Liang Boqing sighed deeply after hearing the account. "At first, none of us realized how serious the flooding was. With news being slow to travel, we didn’t take it seriously. Later, Deputy Prefect Wang from Jizhou sent me a letter saying that the Yellow River had breached downstream. Only then did I understand the severity and asked him to send someone to check on things."

"We also owe thanks to Magistrate Wang for sending help. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to enter the city on our own."

Chen Qinghuai asked, "Why not?"

"With floods occurring in many places, refugees who had lost everything flooded into the prefectural city. Thousands gathered outside the walls, and some areas were dealing with outbreaks. The clerks guarding the city didn’t dare let anyone in."

Everyone sighed again upon hearing this.

Liang Boqing said, "We must properly thank Wang Yi for his help. He went to great lengths to assist on both ends. Tomorrow, Chen Qingyan, you’ll come with me to visit him and thank him properly."

"Yes!"

After discussing matters back home, they turned to Chen Qingyan’s journey. The three of them shared the most memorable experiences with the family.

As the ancients said, "Traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books."

Though the journey had its hardships, it broadened their horizons. Many things they hadn’t understood from books became clear during their travels.

At one point, the three of them shared poems they had written along the way. Wang Ying wasn’t much of a poet, but could still discern the quality of the verses.

Compared to before, the three had improved significantly. Their poems were no longer superficial but carried deeper meaning—what Old Liang referred to as having “a solid framework.”

Having slept during the day, no one felt particularly tired. They chatted late into the night before heading to their rooms.

Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan walked hand in hand into their room. Yuanbao was already asleep in his small bed. The two loosened their hair, removed their outer robes, extinguished the lamp, and lay down to rest.

"This is wonderful. Just lying beside you feels so comforting," Chen Qingyan murmured, nuzzling into Wang Ying’s neck and wrapping an arm around his waist, completely relaxing.

Wang Ying held his hand and patted it gently. "Me too."

It had been nearly four years since his crossing over. Wang Ying never imagined he would develop such a strong bond and feelings for him.

In his previous life, due to his parents’ influence, he had thought he would never marry or have children, and was pessimistic about love.

Yet an unexpected event had brought him to this unfamiliar dynasty, where he was fortunate enough to meet Chen Qingyan.

From this moment on, their bond grew even stronger, transforming from lovers to life partners who would understand and accompany each other for a lifetime.

*

The next morning, Liang Boqing rose early and, accompanied by Chen Qingyan, brought along prepared gifts to visit the Wang family.

It was the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month. The prefectural office was already on break, and Deputy Prefect Wang was at home receiving visiting friends. When he heard Liang Boqing had arrived, he immediately stood up and went out to greet him personally.

"Boqing, when did you return? Come inside!"

Liang Boqing followed him into the main hall, where servants quickly brought hot tea.

"I arrived yesterday morning. After resting for a day, I came to see you and brought some specialties from Yangzhou."

The gifts included two rolls of high-quality brocade, precious medicinal herbs, and some southern preserved fruits.

Deputy Prefect Wang said with mild reproach, "Why so formal between us? You didn't need to bring gifts."

"I must thank you for your help. Without you, my young disciple’s family wouldn’t have been able to enter the city."

"It was nothing worth a special visit." Deputy Prefect Wang had the gifts taken away and began catching up with Liang Boqing.

The two had first met when Wang Yi had been demoted to Jizhou as the Sihu (a minor official).

At that time, Liang Boqing, disillusioned with the imperial examinations, had been traveling through Jizhou. Sharing a love for poetry and art, the two quickly became friends.

During that period, Wang Yi, unhappy with his career prospects, often took Liang Boqing on trips to explore the famous mountains and rivers around Jizhou. They composed many poems and songs, building a strong friendship.

Over twenty years had passed, yet their bond remained as strong as ever. That was why Deputy Prefect Wang had been willing to pass along messages and send help for Chen Qingyan’s family.

Chen Qingyan knelt and bowed his head to the ground. "Please accept this junior’s respects."

"Get up quickly. Even without my help, your husband would have found a way to support his family."

Liang Boqing laughed and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"That young Wang Ying is quite remarkable. Not long after arriving in the city, he opened a shop. Now word’s gotten around that he’s my nephew, and I gave him the nod to open it."

Chen Qingyan was startled and said, "I beg your pardon, sir!"

He had no idea A Ying was so bold as to open a shop using Magistrate Wang’s name.

Liang Boqing, however, didn’t mind and laughed heartily. "That child has always been like this. You’ll have to bear with him a little."

"Oh, it’s no big deal. Even if he hadn’t used my name, I would have helped him anyway. But it’s even better that he can stand on his own—saves me the worry. You know how severe this flood has been. Liu Wenzhou was demoted by the emperor to Liuzhou in a fit of anger. That place is desolate, nothing but swamp gases and bad air—it’s no different from exile."

"I heard about it on the way. The punishment was severe, but he had it coming. For so many years, he never sent anyone to inspect the Yellow River embankments, causing so many people to suffer."

Wang Yi smiled bitterly and said, "Talk about bad timing. If it hadn’t been for the heavy rain, he would have been recalled to the capital next year. Now it’s too late for regrets, and it’s dragged me down too—I won’t be transferred for three years."

"At our age, you should really kick back."

"I’d like to, but will the folks counting on me let me? With four sons and a dozen-plus grandsons, if I can’t secure a future for them, how can I rest easy?"

Liang Boqing frowned. "Every generation finds its own way. Can you help them for a while, or for a lifetime? When we old folks are gone, won’t they have to rely on themselves?"

Only Old Liang could say such things and have Wang Yi take them to heart. If anyone else brought it up, Wang Yi would have long blown his top.

Truth be told, none of Wang Yi’s sons had achieved much. At best, they made it to xiucai (county scholar) but could go no further.

"Sigh, I can’t pin my hopes on my sons anymore. I just pray that a few of my grandsons will amount to something."

Liang Boqing felt somewhat helpless. The older his old friend got, the less carefree he became compared to his younger days.

"Enough about me. Are your disciples planning to sit for the exams next year?"

"Yes, Qing Yan and Qing Huai will sit for them first. Qing Song is still young—he can wait a couple of years; it’s not too late."

"These youngsters are clever and talented. They don’t seem like ordinary people. If they can achieve top honors, I’ll bask in their glory."

The more passing scholars a prefecture produces in the provincial-level exams, the better its evaluation. In the Autumn Examinations two years ago, Jizhou only had seven passing scholars, ranking ninth among the seventeen prefectures nationwide—a middling result.

Suzhou ranked first with thirty-three passing scholars, while Yangzhou came in second with thirty-one.

The lowest-ranked prefectures were backwater regions, where it was possible not to produce a single passing scholar. Once assigned to such a place, making a name for yourself in one’s lifetime would be next to impossible!