Chapter 3

Yang Lin stood in a daze for a long time, then released Ye Xiaotian's ankle and slowly said, "When I was in power, I held great authority, like the all-fulfilling Guanyin. Whenever someone came to me with a request, I could always make them leave satisfied. But I could never ask the heavens for a son for myself."

"Perhaps it was because I did too many wicked things. In my later years, I built bridges and roads, donated to schools and the disabled, and gave large sums of alms to the temples, trying to accumulate good karma, but I still couldn't get a son. In the end, I had to adopt one from my clan."

Yang Lin sighed wistfully and said, "But he is not my own flesh and blood. I only have one daughter in this life, and her mother is my concubine, who has never been favored by my wife. I fear that after I die, my wife will mistreat them without restraint."

Ye Xiaotian asked in confusion, "So, what do you mean, Sir Yang?"

Yang Lin choked up and said, "My daughter is clever, beautiful, and adorable, but I was too preoccupied with power and never spent enough time with her. Now I deeply regret it. I have violated the law and deserve to die, but the only thing I am concerned about now is my daughter."

He slowly fixed his gaze on Ye Xiaotian and said, "I want to write a letter and ask you to deliver it to my family, so they can divide the estate according to my wishes and provide a dowry for my daughter, ensuring her life of comfort. Will you do it?"

Ye Xiaotian was surprised and said, "Is this the important matter you mentioned?"

Yang Lin nodded solemnly and said, "Yes! I held power and amassed wealth all my life, but only now do I realize what is truly important to me. This is the most important thing in my heart!"

Ye Xiaotian said with resolve, "Sure! Even without the fifty taels of silver, I should do this good deed. Of course, having money is better, ha ha! But... since it involves dividing the estate, just my word won't be enough. You need to write a letter as evidence. I'll go get the writing materials."

Yang Lin said gratefully, "Good! My home is in Jingzhou Prefecture, Huguang Province. As long as you deliver this letter, I will give you the fifty taels of silver as promised!"

Ye Xiaotian suddenly widened his eyes in surprise and said, "Jingzhou Prefecture, Huguang Province? From your tone, it doesn't seem to be in Beijing, right?"

Yang Lin gave him a strange look and said, "Jingzhou Prefecture is in Huguang Province, of course it's not in Beijing. What's the problem?"

Not in Beijing, then where? Ye Xiaotian, who had never been farther than Tongzhou, immediately imagined a wild and remote world from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*. He shook his head vigorously, "No, no, no, that won't do. I'll be lost once I leave Beijing."

Yang Lin interrupted, "Five hundred taels! I'll give you five hundred taels as a reward. That's more money than you could earn in a lifetime!"

"Five hundred taels..." Ye Xiaotian's heart raced, but the hesitation lasted only a moment before he firmly shook his head. Delivering a letter to Huguang, Huguang! In this era of poor transportation and communication, it seemed as far as the ends of the earth...

For Ye Xiaotian, who had never left Beijing, this was a daunting journey that filled him with dread. He hesitated for a moment and then refused, "It's too far. I'll wait until your family comes to Beijing and then hand over the letter..."

Yang Lin smiled bitterly and said, "I've been in prison for three years. Since I learned I would never be released, no one from my family has come. My relationship with my wife has always been distant. If I wait for her to send someone to transport my remains, who knows when that will be."

Hearing the words "thousands of miles away," Ye Xiaotian was even more reluctant and shook his head repeatedly, "I can't do it, Sir Yang. You should find someone else."

Yang Lin said, "Who else can I entrust? Is there anyone good in this vast prison?"

Ye Xiaotian's face stiffened.

Yang Lin sighed and said, "These corrupt officials in prison often use silver to have you guards buy food and supplies. I've observed that while other guards always cheat or take more money, you are the only one who keeps your word, even though you are greedy, you don't break it. That's why I can only trust you."

Ye Xiaotian shook his head and said, "Sir, you flatter me. This journey is too far. I'm just a little mudskipper in the pond by my house, who has never seen the world. I really can't do this. Goodbye!"

Ye Xiaotian bowed and turned to leave. Yang Lin called out loudly behind him, "Five hundred taels, five hundred taels! It's enough to make you rich for life. Do you want to be a small prison guard forever?"

Ye Xiaotian didn't turn back but walked quickly away, his voice clear and resonant, singing a Kunqu opera tune: "I am just a little sparrow in the four corners of the city, why should I soar in the sky like a roc? The roc doesn't understand the joy of the sparrow..."

As Ye Xiaotian's voice faded into the distance, Yang Lin stood there in a daze, leaning on the railing and listening to his voice. After a long time, he slowly raised his head and looked at the gloomy prison ceiling, sighing, "Perhaps the roc is not as good as the sparrow..."

***

Ye Xiaotian's home was on Xuanwu Street, in a small alley. His left neighbor was a hereditary executioner who also ran a general store, and his right neighbor was a hereditary undertaker who also ran a meat shop. The Ye family's house was the smallest among them.

Stepping into the small courtyard, he saw his mother, Lady Ye, holding a basket and feeding the chickens in the yard. The hens clucked happily, chasing after the scattered bran. The rooster, basking in the sun by the wall, came over and proudly pushed the hens aside.

Ye Xiaotian greeted his mother, "Mother, I'm back."

Lady Ye's face was dark, and she didn't speak. Ye Xiaotian was surprised and was about to ask when he heard a loud scolding from the west room. It was his father's voice, "You good-for-nothing! You can't even do a simple thing right."

Ye Xiaotian was surprised and asked, "Mother, who is Father scolding? Is it my brother?"

Lady Ye hesitated and then sighed heavily.

Ye Xiaotian quickly said, "I'll go see!"

Ye Xiaotian rushed to the west room, lifted the curtain, and saw his father, Old Ye, beating his brother, Ye Xia'an, with a broom. Ye Xia'an was curled up on the bed, protecting his head and face, his buttocks sticking out, neither dodging nor shouting, just letting his father hit him.

Ye Xiaotian quickly stepped forward to stop his father and said, "What's going on? Father, calm down. We're family; can't we talk things out? Brother is already married. A few words of advice are enough; why resort to violence?"

As he spoke, he gave his brother a look. Ye Xia'an, who was a twin of Ye Xiaotian but much more honest and simple, saw the look and quickly fled.

Ye Xiaotian pulled his angry father and sat him down on the bed, then sat beside him, putting his arm around his father's shoulder and said affectionately, "Father, what could my brother, who is so honest, have done to make you so angry? Why are you so upset?"

Old Ye was furious and said, "This good-for-nothing, he's driving me crazy. Tell me, what can he do? What can he do?"

Ye Xiaotian understood the situation and asked cautiously, "Is it about Brother's flour mill... not doing well?"

Old Ye slapped his thigh and said, "Not doing well? If it was just that, I'd be lucky! This good-for-nothing can't even run a flour mill. He owes a lot of money, and the business is failing. When someone pressured him, he sold the shop.

Your sister-in-law stormed back to her parents' house. Tell me, how can your brother be so useless? What's worse, he never told me a thing, making all the decisions himself. Does he even respect me as his father?"

Ye Xiaotian quickly consoled him, "Father, it's done now. Getting angry won't help. If you get sick, it will only make things worse for Brother. Business is always a mix of profit and loss. Not everyone can succeed. Don't be upset."

Old Ye was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply and said, "It doesn't matter if I'm upset or not. The important thing is that your sister-in-law is angry with your brother. Her family is better off than ours, and we had to chase after this match. Your brother is so useless..."

Old Ye's eyes welled up with tears, "It's my fault. I only have this ancestral job in the government, and two sons. I gave the prison job to you because you are more clever and won't be taken advantage of.

But I felt guilty towards your brother, so I used all my savings to set him up with a flour mill and helped him get married. I've done everything I can."

Old Ye choked up, and tears streamed down his face, "Your brother can't do anything. Being honest is no use. With a family to support, he now has no means to make a living. What will he do? It's my fault as a father..."

Old Ye covered his face, and tears continued to flow. Ye Xia'an, who hadn't gone far, was listening outside the curtain. Hearing his father's words, he felt a deep sorrow and burst into tears, "Father, don't say that. It's not your fault, it's my incompetence..."

Seeing his father cry, Ye Xiaotian's nose also turned red, but he held back his tears and said lightly, "Father, what are you doing? The neighbors will laugh at us. Brother's problem is easy to solve. Why not let him take over my job as a prison guard?"

Old Ye was stunned and shook his head, "That's not right! Xia'an caused this mess himself, how can he take your job?"

Ye Xia'an, outside the curtain, also said hesitantly, "Second Brother, that's not right. I'd rather starve than take my brother's job. If my wife leaves me, so be it. I may be useless, but I can't be ungrateful!"

Old Ye pounded the bed and shouted, "Shut up! Look at you now, so capable! Why don't you go and bring your wife back first? You good-for-nothing!"

Ye Xia'an, timid by nature, was frightened by his father's roar and fled out of the room. After scolding his eldest son, Old Ye shook his head at Ye Xiaotian, his mood calmer, "That won't work. You do your job well. There's always a way. I'll think of something for your brother."

Ye Xiaotian laughed and said, "Father, why think so much? Just do what I suggested. Actually, I was going to talk to you about this today. Even if Brother's mill was doing well, I wanted to ask you to take over my job because I have to go on a long journey."

Old Ye was surprised and asked, "A long journey? Where are you going?"

"It's like this..." Ye Xiaotian explained the whole situation and said, "Father, think about it. Just for delivering a letter, I can get five hundred taels of silver. With that, I won't need to rely on this government job. I can do anything!"

Old Ye was greatly tempted. Five hundred taels of silver was an unimaginable sum, but the journey was so far. Could Xiaotian make it?

In this era, with poor transportation and limited mobility, traveling far was very difficult. Many times, a long journey meant a permanent farewell, never to see each other again.

Only the poorest refugees, merchants who needed to trade, officials, and scholars would leave their homes. Even with the lure of five hundred taels, if it weren't for the urgent need to pay off debts, Old Ye wouldn't have considered it. But now...

After a long hesitation, Old Ye said worriedly, "Son, you've never been on a long journey. Can you make it?"

Ye Xiaotian felt a mix of anxiety and reluctance, not just about the journey but also about leaving his government job. But seeing the deep wrinkles on his father's face, could he let his hardworking father continue to struggle? And with his brother's marriage in crisis, could he stand by idly?

Ye Xiaotian said with a light heart, "Father, you underestimate me. It's just delivering a letter. How hard can it be? I want to do it! To be honest, I've never liked the prison. This is my chance."

Looking at his father's silver hair, Ye Xiaotian gently held his rough hand and said softly, "Father, I always think that no matter how much money you have, it will eventually run out; no matter how much power you have, it will eventually fade; even a great fortune can be destroyed by a disaster. A person must have real skills. With skills, even if you are penniless, you can stand up again. Let me go and gain some experience. Who knows, I might achieve great things."

Old Ye was deeply moved. Looking at his son's still youthful face and the faint fuzz on his upper lip, he suddenly felt that his son had grown up. It was a pity that Xia'an was too honest; otherwise, he should have sent the letter. Now, he could only rely on his second son.

Seeing his father calmed down, Ye Xiaotian felt relieved, but then he thought of the address of the Yang family and felt a chill, "Jingzhou Prefecture, it really sounds as far as the ends of the earth..."

P: Thank you to the readers like Konggu~Mingxi and Chidan Zhongxin for your support. As a new book, I haven't received any recommendations this week. I hope you will help spread the story with your collections, clicks, and recommendations!