Chapter 306

Chapter 307: Madam Wang Is Truly Convinced

Having seen those men peddling charcoal on the street, Xin An had already formed a guess.

Madam Wang nodded in acknowledgment: “Perhaps they thought that the allotment is larger this year and that charcoal has been rising in price by the day, so they wanted to sell it for some silver.”

Xin An said: “That they wish to sell charcoal to supplement the household is understandable. But as the head of the family, to decide to sell the fuel that keeps the family through winter means he considered the consequences. If his consideration extends only to holding out his hand again, counting on you not to abandon them, then such a person is no longer worth supporting.”

“If you soften today and give to her, tomorrow everyone will come. No one likes to suffer a loss, even if the thing in question is something he does not actually need.”

Her father had said that if you encounter a great number of refugees with nowhere to go, then even with a cart piled so high with food you could not finish it, you must never hand it out. Kindness that appears in the wrong setting turns into a sin. At crucial moments, one must be ruthless.

As for those who took their charcoal and resold it, Xin An said to send someone to the spokesmen of those households to explain: both the Marquis’s residence and the Wang residence would no longer provide any extra charcoal.

“If it truly becomes a last resort, that is another matter. But if it is merely a chance to earn a few extra coins while ignoring whether their family can survive the winter, then…” She smiled faintly and said: “All is fate, and not to be pitied.”

Madam Wang was somewhat surprised by her stance. She had thought that, young and untested by hardship, Xin An would be unable to bear others’ suffering, and that, with her wealthy and generous hand, she might put up more money to buy charcoal and distribute it.

She had not expected such resolve.

“It is only because of your generosity that I was moved to consider more for them,” Madam Wang admitted. “I had forgotten the saying that a peck of rice is a favor, but a bushel makes an enemy.”

Xin An’s smile was mild: “You know well that our Marquis’s household has no great income. The expenses everywhere are heavy. This matter fell to me, and all the expenditure has been out of my own purse, but my silver does not drop from the sky.”

“We have already done everything possible to help them, considering charcoal, rice, and flour alike. So long as nothing unexpected happens, they can pass this winter quite well.”

She had not intended to say these things, but her earlier manner had been accommodating and open-handed, and that would inevitably make people imagine too much. Had she not come today, Madam Wang would have agreed to give more charcoal. If this family received more, how could she refuse the next? In the end the whole cost would fall on her. [She may have money, but did her father earn it easily?]

“Do not worry,” she added. “I will explain this clearly to Grandmother.”

With a sigh, Madam Wang nodded. These few sentences made her reevaluate their relationship. Earlier she had indeed taken it for granted, thinking this wealthy, freehanded lady would be easy to deal with. Now it seemed she was no soft persimmon.

Xin An did not intend to dwell on the matter: “Besides asking about those familiar-looking men selling charcoal, I came today for one more thing. Has the date been set for the pre–New Year banquet you plan to give the families?”

“Last time we said my husband would come as well, but he must leave the capital for a few days. If it is in the next few days, I fear he will not make it.”

Madam Wang understood her meaning and asked: “When would Second Young Master be free?”

“About ten days from now.”

Madam Wang counted the days, then smiled: “That is not too late. Let us set it for then. We received the favor of Second Young Master and ought to thank him in person.”

Xin An smiled and said she would be responsible for the wine: “When the preparations are ready, I will have it sent over directly. As for the dishes, I will add two whole sheep. In the dead of winter, it is best to eat something hot.”

“The rest will trouble you, Madam.”

“You are too courteous,” Madam Wang said with a laugh. “There is still unspent silver from before. It is more than enough to host a banquet.”

“Keep it in your hands against the unforeseen,” Xin An replied, softening her tone. “Though we have rules, the law does not go beyond human feeling. If someone truly falls ill and comes to the door, we cannot ignore them. We cannot just stand by and watch.”

“I am a hands-off shopkeeper. Everything still depends on your efforts, and with funds in hand you will not be flustered when things arise.”

This time, Madam Wang was genuinely convinced. Moments ago she had been thinking to keep her distance; with a few words, Xin An had drawn her close again.

Before she left, Madam Wang presented Xin An with two pots of narcissus. Xin An accepted them with a smile: “Only two months ago did I learn of the capital’s custom of exchanging narcissus during the New Year. I had the gardener raise some as well. When they bloom, I will send you two pots. May everything go smoothly for you in the coming year.”

Smiling, Madam Wang saw her to the carriage, then turned back shaking her head with a grin. She thought she should have her maids spend more time talking with Second Young Madam; to learn even one or two points would be enough.

When General Wang returned, she told him what had happened: “I had thought she was soft by nature. She is not. She has the makings of a household’s ruling mistress.”

General Wang said: “She is from a merchant family and holds much silver. If she were soft by nature, who knows how badly she would have been bullied already? What the Old Marquis chose will not be poor.”

“I wonder what wine she will send. The weather is cold, and I am craving hearty meat and drink.”

Madam Wang shot him a glare: “Do not think only of eating and drinking. You must go speak to those who sold their charcoal. For the sake of a few coins, they sold the fuel that preserves life through winter. Do they not wish to live?”

“Not so much as a single jin of charcoal will be subsidized by the household.”

General Wang nodded: “It is a small matter, merely a moment’s foolishness. Rest easy.” His words were simple, but in his heart he resolved to scold them soundly. What were they doing? However short of money they were, they must not sell what keeps them alive.

At the same time, Xin An was speaking with the Grand Matron about the matter. The Grand Matron was kindhearted and said those people likely had their own compelled hardships. But she also said: “You have done all you can. As for the rest, do not interfere. Everyone has his own fate.”

As a hands-off shopkeeper of a Grand Matron, she might not be putting out money, but she could not allow a granddaughter-in-law to keep subsidizing besides. The heap of people the old man had left behind was a heavy burden. It was already more than enough that the granddaughter-in-law could manage them at all; even if the Old Master knew, he could not object.

“I do not intend to intervene further,” Xin An said. “All of them have elders above and children below. As heads of their families they should think for the whole household. After the New Year I will have Steward Fang select a few to crew on the merchant ships. The work is hard, but the wages are high. So long as they are willing to toil, supporting a family is not a problem.”

The Grand Matron was gratified: “You have thought of everything. I only hope they will remember your kindness.”

“What does it matter whether they remember or not?” Xin An said. “Whoever we hire is whoever we hire, and the wages are the same. What matters is that they can get their lives in order.”

She had never intended to demand their gratitude. Spending this money was only in case there might be a day in the future when they were of use. Even if that day never came, it did not matter; she would count it as having done a good deed.