gnovel Chapter 17 The Feast
Chapter 17 The Feast
Food is of paramount importance to farmers who depend on the land for their livelihood; in years of famine, its importance even surpasses that of people.
"I'd rather my parents starve than eat seed grain." This is not just an empty phrase.
In years of famine, a peck of rice could cost a thousand or even ten thousand coins. (A peck of rice could feed a family of four for about three days, and a day's work would earn thirty coins.)
When a region faces a food shortage of half its population, it doesn't mean that food prices will double; rather, they will rise to a terrifying price that forces half the local population to sell their ancestral property and even their children to obtain a single grain of rice.
Shen Liushi had no concept of a seventh-rank official, but three hundred shi of grain was very clear to her. From now on, she would never have to worry about starving to death again.
Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, Shen Ce couldn't bear to disturb her. He turned to the others and said, "Let Mother sleep. She hasn't slept this soundly in years."
He closed the door, turned around, and suddenly remembered that there were still a bunch of delicate young girls in the front yard who had nowhere to go. He sighed helplessly. These teenage girls were more difficult to deal with than the official documents from this morning.
Upon arriving at the front yard, the sensible young official had already arranged more than ten girls according to their age. Shen Ce's gaze swept over each of them; some had their heads down, some had their faces turned to the side, and some had blushed with embarrassment.
That's good, that's good. Palace life hasn't extinguished their longing for an ordinary life; they still have the reactions of normal people. If they were all blockheads, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to accept it.
Shen Ce enjoyed the feeling and curiously responded to their gazes. They hadn't seen many decent men before, and soon their sallow cheeks flushed red.
"Is anyone literate?" Shen Ce felt that if they continued to exchange glances, it would give them undue misunderstandings, so he had to speak up to break the atmosphere.
"Yes, sir. I recognize them. Before entering the palace, I studied the Classic of Filial Piety, the Rites of Zhou, and the Jijiupian." The woman at the head of the group, dressed as a maid who looked to be in her early twenties, spoke boldly.
She then stepped forward, performed a curtsy, blinked her eyes, and boldly looked at him.
Shen Ce's eyes lit up immediately. Given the current shockingly low literacy rate, it would be a stroke of luck if even one of these people could read.
Just as she was about to reach out and pull him, she stopped mid-air. Given the current level of physical intimacy between men and women, pulling him like that would probably mean crawling into his bed in the middle of the night...
"What's your name?"
"My name is Peihuan."
Shen Ce frowned, looking at the person in front of him with a somewhat familiar face, and couldn't help but say, "Are you...?"
Pei Huan bowed gracefully: "This servant is a palace maid from the Prince Qi's residence. I was impressed by your esteemed presence that day, and after releasing the palace servants, I wished to serve you..."
He wasn't blinded by the sweet words of this delicate young lady. Instead, he pondered repeatedly. He had killed their young master, and although he was merely the executor, it wasn't impossible to guarantee that they wouldn't harbor resentment. What if they later added a little something to their food and drink...
"Hey," Shen Ce stomped his foot. "Li Er even dared to take the Princess Consort of Qi, what am I afraid of taking a maid?"
Shen Ce immediately helped Pei Huan up and said frankly, "Since you can read, I will temporarily entrust the management of this inner quarters to you. There is only an old woman and a young lady in the house. You can choose people according to your needs. They should be discreet, hardworking, and their appearance is not important."
"After this is over, talk to Shen Wang about the payment," Shen Ce added, then turned and glared fiercely at Shen Wang, saying, "If any scandals get out, I'll break your legs."
After saying that, she looked down at his crotch.
"I'd like to say the same to you. The Shen family doesn't have many rules. There's only one: if you're mutually attracted and go through the proper procedures, I'll support you. But if you're having an affair... don't blame me for taking you to the authorities."
After the personnel were determined and their responsibilities and compensation were settled, Shen Ce then asked Xiaoman to wake up his mother.
Abandoning the low table, Shen Ce moved a crescent-shaped stool into his home, as the kneeling posture was simply unacceptable to him.
Seeing that Shen Wang was still habitually squatting in the corner, they grabbed him by the neck and lifted him onto a stool. The whole family sat together neatly around the square table for their meal.
Having servants and a yard full of grain are the only things that make people truly feel like they are from an official family. Originally, as a newly appointed seventh-rank official, he couldn't afford such possessions. However, Li Er's rewards were too generous. With the mindset that money spent can be regained, Shen Ce sent people to bring all the good food from the West Market into his home.
A grand banquet, a family celebration! Apart from the doorman, the newly arrived maids and servants also had their own table, with chicken, duck, and mutton all laid out on it.
Shen Ce held Xiao Man in his arms and drank heartily with Shen Wang. The Xin Feng wine, which was similar to the thick wine of later generations, was very sweet, and they drank one cup after another.
Xiaoman looked up at Shen Ce, seemingly uninterested in the delicious food before her. All she knew was that her amazing brother had become an official in Chang'an and even had a house there, so she could see him every day. Thinking of this, she hugged her brother even tighter.
Shen Liu looked at everyone with a smile. Seeing the siblings enjoying themselves, she laughed and picked up a dish from the table for each of them before heading into the inner room. The two brothers couldn't stop her. She said she had a lot to say to the old man.
Seeing his mother leave the table, Shen Wang became bolder and drank even more frequently. He even put his arm around Shen Ce's shoulder and slurred, "I will make something of myself in the future and let everyone have a good meal too."
Shen Ce responded with a smile, saying that a young man's ambition should not be discouraged, even if he just wanted to treat his family to a nice meal.
As they were drinking merrily, Shen Wang suddenly suggested that he wanted to see the boxing techniques his brother had learned in the army. Shen Ce, who was also feeling quite pleased with himself, embraced Shen Wang and led him into the courtyard.
He performed a set of military boxing moves with great vigor, and his imitation of the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands was also quite convincing, drawing applause and cheers from the servants on the sidelines.
A warm summer breeze blew by, and the two brothers collapsed to the ground, grimacing as if they had been poisoned, foaming at the mouth.
After an unknown amount of time, Shen Ce woke up, rubbed his head, which was throbbing with pain, and was about to get some water when a soft, sweet voice woke him up a bit.
"My lord, please have some tea," Pei Huan knelt on the ground, holding a teacup in both hands, and presented a steaming bowl of ginger tea to Shen Ce.
Shen Ce was stunned for a moment, and then, incredibly without any resistance, he picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
Having servants who had served in the palace was very convenient. You only needed to open your arms, and from the turban to the belt, from the official robes to the black leather shoes, you didn't have to lift a finger. Someone would dress you properly.
Pei Huan finally put on the complete set of official robes after her arms had gotten sore from holding them up.
"Pah! He complains about being waited on. He's a real piece of work," Shen Ce cursed himself inwardly.
He deeply agreed that it was bad to be powerless and that he only hated not having power.