Chapter Eighteen: The Xu Family's Good Hall

  Qiantang County is not big, especially for those who idle around in taverns and tea houses every day. The layout here is too small, so as long as there is a slight stir, someone will inevitably chatter endlessly.

  The aunt of the Wang family is so plump and fair, the daughter of the Liu family is so elegant and refined. The newly arrived young girl in a certain brothel, or the master of a certain silk store who is afraid of his wife - these miscellaneous things are enough to make people talk with relish.

  But in recent days, a piece of news has spread throughout Qiantang, saying that Xu Chang is going to do a good deed.

  Doing good deeds? This is truly unprecedented.

  Everyone heard that it was Xu Chang, and they couldn't help but ask whoever they met: "Which Xu Chang is it? Is it the one from Zhou Du?"

  If some people who knew the inside story couldn't help but curse: "Zhou Du is 180,000 miles away from Qiantang, how could it be him? It must be that Xu Chang, the head of our Qiantang County government."

  "Good heavens! Is Xu Bantou having a relapse or has he contracted some kind of demonic illness? Could it be that he's gone mad?"

  "When asked, the person being questioned hesitated and perfunctorily replied: 'I suppose so too. What kind of person is Xu Bantou? He's a swindler who takes advantage of others, how can he do good deeds? To be honest with you, not only are the old folks in the Xu family like this, but the younger ones aren't any better either. I heard that the young one sold fake medicine and caused someone to die. Shh, don't spread these words around carelessly, just listen to them as rumors."

  All sorts of rumors and slanders spread wildly, to the extent that even the old family on the other side knew about it. The next day, early in the morning, a nephew from the clan who ran a small business in the county came to visit, saying he was there to pay respects to his uncle, and also said that if his uncle's body was not suitable, there was a doctor in Dongxiang who was good at treating epilepsy.

  If this sentence is translated into slang, it means: Uncle, if you have a brain disease, hurry up and get treated, don't embarrass our old Xu family.

  Xu Chang was so angry that his nose was crooked, he pulled out an iron ruler and drove this nephew out. The nephew also knew Xu Chang's fiery temper, and he fled with his head in his hands.

  "These shameless things, what's wrong with me doing good deeds? Can't I, Xu Banhou, do good deeds? Qian'er, you tell me, isn't there an old saying that goes 'Yan Que' something...?"

  Xu Qian covered his face and didn't dare to smile, putting on a solemn expression as if he was mourning the death of his parents, saying: "Father, how can swallows know the ambitions of geese?"

  Xu Chang looked at Xu Qian with a nod of approval and said, "Right, that's what I mean. This group of sparrows, how can they know the mind of this swan? They say I'm crazy, but in my opinion, they're the ones who are crazy."

  Xu Qian gave a thumbs up and said, "Indeed, it's great. We won't be sparrows, we'll be swans."

  The father and son flattered each other for a while, and then Xu Chang finally felt relieved. He coldly laughed and said: "Tomorrow we'll let these blind people open their eyes wide. You shouldn't idle around either, go read your books! Your idea is not bad, but naturally, Dad will take care of these things. Your main job is to study."

  Anyway, Xu Chang and Xu Qian became popular, and then there was news that on September 15th, the Xu family father-son's Shantang would be opening.

  Under the gaze of the crowd, on the morning of September 15th, Xu Chang and his son put on new clothes. Xu Qian even found a paper fan and wore a Confucian shirt, looking very much like a young master.

  A crowd of onlookers had already gathered at the Xu family's gate, and as soon as the door opened and Xu Chang and his son came out, they were like chickens injected with blood. Everyone was so excited because they were too curious - how could someone as virtuous as Xu Chang possibly do good deeds? There must be a catch, something fishy going on inside.

  "It's out, it's out... indeed, it's a natural birth. Look, even the clothes are different from others. See, they've even hired two sedan chairs, they're of lowly origin, so they don't mind breaking the rules by riding in sedan chairs?"

  The crowd was in an uproar, watching as Xu Chang and Xu Qian got into the sedan chair. The sedan chair immediately lifted off the ground, swaying back and forth as it headed towards the city gate.

  The onlookers followed at a distance, stopping and starting as they went. Since these people had nothing better to do anyway, they were quite carefree, chatting and speculating as they tried to get to the bottom of things.

  Qiantang is a large county, and it is located in the south of the Yangtze River. Inside the city walls, it is prosperous, but outside the city walls, it is still very lively. The streets are lined with shops for several miles around, and this area is called Qinghefang. After crossing the bridge, there are magnificent buildings that everyone recognizes as the Zhang family's estate, the first noble family in Qiantang County. Although their new mansion was not built inside the city walls, it wasn't because they couldn't afford the land. The city walls were just too cramped, and this lively Qinghefang area is where this massive building, which cost thousands of taels of silver and took three years to build, has become one of the landmarks of Qiantang County.

  The sedan chair suddenly stopped at the entrance of this family's house. The onlookers were stunned and bewildered.

  How did you end up doing good deeds at Zhang's house? Does Zhang's family still need your help?

  It is worth noting that the front door of this house is just a street market, and across from it are some abandoned storefronts. The largest building among them was an inn, but since the mansion opposite the inn was built, it has greatly affected business. Now the store has closed down, and no one comes to ask about it anymore.

  But today, it seems to have been renovated a bit, but what exactly has been done, everyone is still in the dark.

  Xu's father and son got off the sedan chair here, and immediately entered the inn. Soon after, several shop assistants came out, and everyone worked together to hang a sign on the door, with the words "Accumulated Goodness Family" written on it, signed by Huang Rende.

  Who is Huang Rende? Many people were shocked at first, and then someone with a keen sense of smell slapped his thigh and said: "This is our county's teacher, Huang Rende, also known as Teacher Huang. I didn't expect that Teacher Huang would personally write a letter to them. It seems that the Xu father and son are really going to do something good. But what kind of good deed are they doing? Could it be that they're giving out porridge? No, no, there's no stove at the door, and I don't smell any porridge. I really don't know what's going on."

  Magistrate Huang's calligraphy caused a sensation, but in the eyes of later generations, a magistrate is just an official's follower, what kind of important core figure? However, in this era it was completely different. The magistrate was the official's advisor, also the official's confidant, and even the official's personal assistant. Although the county had a county lieutenant, chief clerk, and education officer, they were not necessarily more influential than the unregistered magistrates. To some extent, every word and deed of the magistrates represented the thoughts of the county's top official, and their actions often coincided with those of the county's number one leader.

  Since Master Huang wrote the inscription, it also represents the current county magistrate's intention. This Xu person put Master Huang's inscription in a prominent position on the gate, and the many implications behind it are enough to make people think deeply.

  At this moment, the buddies set up firecrackers, and Xu Qian personally ignited a stick of incense to ignite them. After the firecracker sounded, Xu Chang came out and bowed deeply to the crowd, saying loudly: "Qiantang is a land of fish and rice, and it is also a place where literature and art flourish. Even we humble people have been deeply influenced by the sages and worthies, and doing good deeds has always been my lifelong wish. Today, you can come and support us, I am grateful to Xu Mou."

  The words were spoken quite politely and got some sparse applause.

  Xu Chang finished speaking, and Xu Qian took another step forward, shaking his head and saying: "I am Xu Qian. I have always been taught by my father to be kind-hearted and do good deeds, hoping to repay the country and help those in need. As Qiantang is a strategic location, many merchants pass through here, but I often hear that some of these merchants and travelers meet with misfortune while passing through our town, dying far from home. It's pitiful that they have no place to rest their bones, even after death..."

  Everyone nodded in agreement, thinking it made sense. Many outsiders passed through Qiantang, and it was not uncommon for someone to suddenly fall ill and die there, with their hometown being thousands of miles away. By the time their family arrived to collect the body, it would be too late. Such things happened frequently, and everyone had heard about them.

  Xu Qian let out a sigh and said, "That's why my father and I bought this mansion to turn it into a charitable estate, specifically for the coffins of traveling merchants and visitors who died in a foreign land. Today is the opening day of Xu's Charitable Estate... Hey... hey... everyone come closer, don't hide."

  Xu Qian was very persuasive at first, but who knew that many people would immediately retreat as soon as they heard the two words "yi zhuang", with a look of deep fear as if they were afraid of being tainted by some bad luck.