Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Visiting Family

With Li Tao Hua missing from the stall today, even with Third Master Tang staying to help, they still ended up flustered and scrambling from start to finish.

The ingredients that usually sold out in four hours dragged on for six.

As they packed up, Tang Yi Xiao spotted several bundles of braised meat still wrapped in oiled paper. He frowned. “Second Sister, why is there still braised meat? Did we forget to put it out earlier?”

“I saved it on purpose.” Qin Hui Yin tightened the knot on one bundle. “I need these. I’m taking them with me in a bit.” She looked toward the old man at the cart. “Third Grandpa, could you take me to the entrance of the Dam Worksite?”

Tang Yi Xiao’s eyes widened. “What are you going there for? It’s all men in there, and it’s a mess. I heard Auntie Li from the village went to see her son and they drove her off before she could even say a word.”

“You two go wait for me at the teahouse,” Qin Hui Yin said, brisk and matter-of-fact. “Listen to a storyteller, drink some tea, eat something. I’ll be right back.”

“I’m not going,” Tang Yi Xiao said at once. “Tea at a teahouse is ridiculously expensive. Even the cheapest cup costs dozens of wen. And don’t even mention their food—it’s an even worse deal. Even if we’re making money now, we can’t waste it on things we don’t need.” He planted his feet. “If you’re going to the Dam Worksite entrance, we’re going with you. Then we’ll come back together and shop.”

Tang Lu Wu nodded so hard her braids swayed.

Third Master Tang glanced at Qin Hui Yin over the cart’s sideboard. “You’re going to see that brat from the Song family?”

“Yes.” Qin Hui Yin didn’t dodge it. “He has no other relatives. No matter what, my mother used to be his stepmother, so I count as his sister. He’s still so young, and he’s already working at the Dam Worksite. I want to see how he’s doing.”

Tang Yi Xiao’s mouth twisted. “He’s strong enough to scare even the tigers in the mountains. What’s there to see?”

“You little brat.” Third Master Tang snapped the reins lightly, not at the ox but at the boy’s temper. “It’s a good thing your Second Sister has a loyal heart. Why are you trying to pour cold water on her?”

Tang Yi Xiao pressed his lips together, stubbornly silent.

Tang Lu Wu reached out and patted his shoulder. “His father is already dead. He won’t steal Mom and Yin Yin away.”

Tang Lu Wu understood Tang Yi Xiao’s feelings best. They all loved the life they had now. They didn’t want anyone—any past, any old ties—stirring up waves in their home. Song Rui Ze had once been Qin Hui Yin’s stepbrother. They’d lived under the same roof for a year, and Tang Yi Xiao couldn’t help worrying that if Qin Hui Yin started caring about Song Rui Ze, she’d stop caring about them.

The ox cart jolted to a stop at the entrance of the Dam Worksite.

Qin Hui Yin hopped down with a handful of loose copper coins and walked toward the gate.

A yamen runner in an official uniform stepped into her path, his face hard, his voice harder. “Who are you?”

Qin Hui Yin lifted her chin and put on her brightest, sweetest smile. “Elder Brother, is Constable Captain Feng here today? Brother Feng has taken care of us so much. I wanted to thank him.”

“Boss Feng’s friend?” The runner’s expression eased by a single thread. “Fine. Wait here. I’ll go see if he came.”

He disappeared behind the gate and returned not long after, shaking his head. “Bad timing. He just left. If you want him, go to the yamen and try your luck.”

Qin Hui Yin slipped five wen into his palm as if it had simply fallen there. “Thank you, Elder Brother, for making the trip for me.” Her voice softened, eyes dampening at the edges. “Elder Brother… my older brother is working inside. Could I maybe see him for a moment? If it’s inconvenient, forget it. It’s nothing important. I just… miss him.”

Her lashes trembled. She forced a bitter smile like someone trying not to cry and failing by inches. “I know you’re on duty, Elder Brother. The rules are strict. I won’t make trouble for you.”

The runner’s fingers closed around the coins. He looked at her reddening eyes and the way she swallowed her tears back like a child with nowhere to put them. Even a hardened man softened a little.

“What’s your brother’s name?” he asked.

“My older brother is called Song Rui Ze.”

This dam project wasn’t small. More than 3,000 men had been summoned. They ate, slept, and worked in the same sprawling chaos, and even the foremen in charge of each squad could only barely recognize the men under them. The yamen runners rotated in to keep order. Unless someone was one of the worst troublemakers, they couldn’t even match a name to a face.

“Song Rui Ze…” The runner frowned, thinking. “I think I’ve heard of him.”

Beyond the gate, the world was dust and muscle and stone.

Piles of rubble rose like little mountains. Brawny men worked bare-chested, faces and bodies caked in gray, sweat cutting dark tracks down their ribs as they hauled rocks. Some smashed them, some carried them, some dug earth. Some went up the mountain to cut timber, some dragged logs down with raw rope biting their palms.

Jiang Qi Bin paused and pounded a fist into his shoulder, wincing. “Brother Ze, don’t be stupid and grind nonstop. The dam foreman isn’t watching us every breath. Rest when you can.”

Song Rui Ze didn’t look up from the basket he was filling. “Your leg isn’t healed. Even if you don’t work, they won’t do anything to you.”

“If I miss a day, that’s 10 wen gone.” Jiang Qi Bin gave a humorless laugh. “My family is waiting for me to bring money home. How could I dare slack off? Besides, I’m smart. I just fill the baskets and don’t run around.” He shifted his weight carefully, guarding the injured leg. “When I get this month’s pay, I still have debts to repay. I have to work. If I don’t, my whole body feels wrong.”

Song Rui Ze said nothing.

Jiang Qi Bin followed his gaze and glanced toward Song Tie Gen not far away. “That cousin of yours is a real piece of work. He’s been spreading bad things about you everywhere. Now everyone’s avoiding you on purpose.”

His voice dropped lower, tight with anger on Song Rui Ze’s behalf. “He only dares to trip you up and play dirty. But you offended Dam Foreman Yang, and now all the hard, exhausting, filthy work is falling on you.” He swallowed, watching Song Rui Ze’s thin frame move with relentless steadiness. “Brother Ze, this can’t go on. This dam won’t be finished in a year or two. If it stays like this, how are you supposed to live?”

Song Rui Ze still didn’t respond.

Jiang Qi Bin had stopped expecting replies long ago. If not for the day he got hurt—when only Song Rui Ze had carried him to a physician and even argued with the man on his behalf—then with the coldness Song Rui Ze showed everyone, even the warmest heart would have been doused and extinguished.

But Jiang Qi Bin had seen the part no one else did. He knew Song Rui Ze was just thin-skinned. Inside, he was kinder than anyone.

A shout cut across the worksite. “Song Rui Ze! The dam foreman wants you. Get over here!”

Jiang Qi Bin’s hands stilled. “Again.” He sucked in a breath. “Who knows what he’ll do this time. Brother Ze, just soften up. Say a few nice words.”

Song Rui Ze set down the load in his hands and headed for Dam Foreman Yang’s tent.

Men watched him go with the bright-eyed satisfaction of people who had nothing else to enjoy.

For the laborers, watching Song Rui Ze get singled out by Dam Foreman Yang had become one of their few entertainments. Otherwise it was only work, work, work until even breathing felt like lifting stone.

“What do you think Dam Foreman Yang will make him do this time?”

“He’s already doing the filthiest, hardest work. His workload’s bigger than anyone else’s. It’s impressive his skinny body has held up.” Someone spat into the dust. “Even if Dam Foreman Yang hates him, he won’t dare go too far. The County Magistrate and that lord from the Capital City come to check progress all the time. If things blow up, Dam Foreman Yang won’t be able to cover it.”

“That brat isn’t human.” Another man shuddered as if it were the wind. “He finishes all that work. Just looking at him makes my back go cold.”

“Yesterday, Li Su crashed into him on purpose.” The speaker’s grin was mean with glee. “Song Rui Ze didn’t even budge—like a rock. Li Su went flying back, cracked his head, and spent one tael of silver.”

“Where’d he get that kind of money?”

“Public funds.” The grin widened. “But when wages come, they’ll deduct it from his pay. Two hundred wen a month, leaving him only 100 wen for food and everything else.”

A low whistle.

“Creepy.”