Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Aunt Luo Wu is a widow, sixty-two years old this year. She has no children at home; only her nephew living next door comes to take care of her and helps wash her clothes.”

The village chief of Luoyu Village introduced the situation. After verification, the supplies were delivered to Aunt Luo Wu’s home.

Not only that, some charcoal was also allocated to her nephew’s household next door, as a reward for taking care of their relative—a well-deserved recognition.

Ji Chu also assigned several people to help repair the houses.

Especially Aunt Luo Wu’s house: it must be sealed against wind and snow, and her coal stove was thoroughly cleaned to prevent any fire hazards.

After this series of tasks, it was clear to everyone that although the county magistrate Ji was young, he handled matters with methodical precision and had considered every detail.

Luoyu Village had nearly four hundred households in total; about forty met the criteria for relief—these were the poorest families.

Many of them dared not go outside or even open their doors during winter, fearing that any warmth inside would escape, and they had no quilts or winter clothes to wear.

Without this relief effort, most of these families would likely not survive the winter.

Ji Chu looked at the wide-eyed little girl and sighed softly.

The people of Anqiu County lived a harsh life.

Once the supplies reached their hands, many villagers of Luoyu came out, staring in disbelief at the goods.

Even the village chief and local militia found it incredible.

They had thought the new magistrate’s promises were empty words, never expecting such life-saving provisions to arrive.

The local militia captain, Gong Chunrong, felt somewhat embarrassed.

He apologized for his earlier unfounded suspicions and answered every question naturally.

Ji Chu casually asked a few questions.

Luoyu Village had a private school years ago, but as students dwindled, the village teacher stopped teaching.

Gong Chunrong said, “People can barely fill their stomachs; how can they think of studying?”

Ji Chu nodded. “Indeed, eating is the primary concern.”

After some casual conversation, in a moment of enthusiasm, Gong Chunrong quickly added, “The land tax is so heavy now. If we hadn’t cultivated a few acres of wasteland, we wouldn’t have survived. Those of us able-bodied can manage, but the elderly and weak suffer greatly.”

A few more acres of land cultivated?

The village chief immediately glared at him.

“Nonsense! If anyone admits to opening wasteland today, the authorities will record it tomorrow and demand more taxes.”

He hastily explained, “We only planted some vegetable patches to fill our bellies; no wasteland was truly reclaimed.”

Ji Chu pretended not to notice and nodded, “Vegetable patches are good; they help fill the stomach.”

The imperial court offered no livelihood; they couldn’t forbid people from finding their own means to survive.

Ji Chu felt somewhat relieved that they had quietly concealed some land and planted a bit more—more food meant one less death.

Leaving Luoyu Village, the group continued on.

They visited five villages in total; conditions were similar everywhere—most people barely survived in good years, and any misfortune meant death.

When they left the last village, Huwen Village, half the villagers came out to see them off.

Especially an elderly woman from a military family. Her only son was serving far away and could not return due to military duties. Their provisions barely lasted a day or two.

Without the timely relief from the government, she said she wouldn’t know how to survive.

As for the other half of the villagers who stayed home, most lacked winter clothes and feared freezing if they ventured out.

Ji Chu sighed within, and those accompanying him felt helpless as well.

The people of Anqiu County had grown accustomed to such hardship.

For decades, life on this land had remained unchanged.

Ji Chu and his group headed toward the county’s only town.

In Huwen Village, a soldier hurried by, carrying a shoulder pole balanced with charcoal on one side and grain on the other.

He had come out from the military, went to buy supplies, and hurried back to see his elderly mother, hoping to arrive in time.

Seeing the extra food and clothing at home, he could hardly believe his eyes.

Where did this come from?

Meanwhile, Ji Chu’s party reached their final destination: Weijia Town.

This town was moderate—not the best, but better than the villages. The town magistrate was a scholar, forty-five years old this year.

He managed the town reasonably well, was a local himself, cared for Weijia Town, and was willing to do practical work.

However, when Magistrate Wei came to greet the county magistrate, his expression was not pleasant, and his reaction was rather cold.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that Magistrate Wei had already conducted winter relief on his own, providing charcoal, food, and clothes to poor local families.

Though insufficient, there was some provision.

Still, the supplies Ji Chu’s team prepared would not be turned back; they had to be distributed to the people.

Yet, seeing the old winter clothes, Magistrate Wei exclaimed, “These tattered rags as relief? How can you be so shameless?”

Everyone was taken aback.

Especially the two secretaries, Li and Fan, who exchanged glances.

Throughout their distribution, no family had rejected the items.

Ji Chu, however, understood Wei’s thoughts and simply urged him to continue.

“And this charcoal—clearly the lowest quality, producing a lot of smoke and very inconvenient.” Wei, hands behind his back, showed clear disapproval.

Ji Chu was unfazed and asked, “Magistrate Wei, may I ask if the clothes and charcoal you distributed to the poor were of medium quality?”

“Of course. If we give relief, it must be usable. How could we hand out rags?”

Ji Chu nodded. “And did they actually reach the recipients?”

“Naturally,” Wei replied.

“But do you know if those new winter clothes were worn? Or if the charcoal was actually used?” Ji Chu pressed further.

Wei frowned.

Of course they were used.

Those were good items.

Precisely because they were good, they didn’t end up with the intended recipients.

Ji Chu didn’t need to see more to understand the problem.

Seeing Ji Chu’s expression, Wei grew impatient and ordered his aides to investigate so that the scholar magistrate could see the truth.

After the inquiry, an aide reported in surprise, “Town magistrate, we asked ten households. Seven sold their winter clothes for grain, and in three households, the clothes were not worn by the elderly or weak but were on relatives.”

Why?

Though Wei had done relief before, this was the first time he heard of such a thing.

His own servants, however, seemed to know.

Wei was baffled until Ji Chu explained, “Those needing relief are poor and vulnerable. If given good items, jealousy arises. Relief guarantees their basic living standard, not an improved quality of life.”

Harsh words, but true.

The poorest wouldn’t wear fine clothes; they’d trade them for grain.

In families with many elderly, the good clothes never reached them; neighbors and relatives watched closely.

This was why Ji Chu’s relief was large in quantity but modest in quality.

If possible, Ji Chu would have given the best.

But reality had to be considered.

Wei intended to criticize the old clothes and inferior charcoal but quickly exposed his ignorance.

The officials had long grown accustomed to such things.

Nothing escaped the county magistrate’s sharp eyes!

Privately, Secretary Fan asked, “Magistrate Ji, how did you know Wei would make such a mistake?”

Ji Chu smiled. “The magistrate of Weijia Town is surnamed Wei. What does that tell you?”

It meant he was from a local prominent family.

Not only wealthy, but also a man of rank.

Such a background meant he was out of touch with the common people.

Though he meant well, he lacked practical experience.

Despite being older than Ji Chu, his administrative experience was far less.

He had held a high position in the town’s core for many years, surrounded mostly by sycophants.

After being enlightened, Wei was dumbfounded but devoted himself tirelessly to subsequent relief efforts.

Ji Chu toured the entire town and found it truly lived up to its status—much better than the villages, with slightly lighter land taxes.

Undoubtedly, having a local in charge made a difference. Previously, Zhao Jinchuan dared not allocate more wasteland to them.

This time, the relief was truly used by the poor. With Wei dispatching inspectors, problems would be minimal.

Ji Chu breathed a sigh of relief.

They had finally covered all of Anqiu County.

Snow began to fall heavily; they could not linger but had to hurry back before roads closed under the snow, trapping them away from the county seat.

Watching their hurried departure, Magistrate Wei’s heart was heavy with mixed feelings.

The new county magistrate was indeed formidable.

They had set out on the tenth day of the eleventh month and now, on the twenty-first, finally returned to the county office.

The heavy snow fell like goose feathers from the sky, signaling the true arrival of winter.

Such cold weather.

Such heavy snow.

May no one perish from hunger or cold this winter.

The clerks and attendants at the county office, just settling down to rest after their arduous journey, heard Secretary Li say, “Everyone, don’t leave yet.”

Not allowed to leave?

After such hard work, they needed rest!

Secretary Li continued, “The county magistrate instructed that the warehouse holds relief supplies for all the officials and staff here. Everyone should collect their share according to the roster. There is also a small cash supplement—not much, but enough to buy some wine.”

They also had some?!

Those who had been complaining opened their mouths in surprise.

Though the charcoal and clothes were modest, they were not wealthy people and naturally wanted the supplies.

The cash supplement could compensate for their efforts.

Secretary Li wasted no time, ordering clerk Ma Tai to distribute the goods.

Once everyone received their share, they could rest or return home.

After resting, there were still tasks to handle.

The group responded in unison,

“We will work hard!”

Following Magistrate Ji, they would not be disappointed.

With the clerks resting, Ji Chu sat briefly in his study, coughing a few times before regaining composure.

This trip had taken a toll on the health he had been nurturing.

Fortunately, he would not need to go out for a while.

He needed to write a detailed plan for the next year’s affairs in Anqiu County.

By preparing in advance, he could make further progress.

Especially the accounts of land reclamation in Anqiu County had to be balanced.

If these accounts remained unsettled, the people would never live well.

In disaster years, human tragedies would surely occur.

Ji Chu picked up his brush and wrote the character for “field.”

How to work the land was his focus.

He closed his eyes, committing his thoughts to paper.

Outside, the snow fell heavily.

A timely snow foretells a bountiful year.

He hoped for a good harvest next year.

At the very least, enough food to fill every belly.