The Earth was parched and dry with cracks littered across its surface. Dead crops which haven’t yet vanished were all that was left in the large expanse of land. The sun was harsh and cruel as it burned the creatures below it, uncaring of their life and death. Hao Shoucheng and a group of farmers wore thin clothes and straw hats as they tried hard to plough the land. Using water sparingly, they were left in turmoil as they wondered if they should use the water for themselves or for their crops.
Their skins were burned and most of them felt like fainting. Sweat dripped down their back and evaporated before they could hit the ground. Not far from the farming land were crooked straw huts and a few dying trees. Children could be seen running around while women were weaving baskets and other objects. Seeing the children’s carefree smiles, Hao Shoucheng felt a sting of pain as he sighed. His vision was hazy but his hands never stopped moving. His father, Hao Zhu Lin was a few feet away from him cursing loudly while ploughing the fields. His mother was fixing up their thatched hut along with his younger siblings.
The Hao family, just like any other family in Hanzai village, weren’t well off and had to work extra hard in the summers to continue living their lives. Hanzai village, just like its name, suffered from droughts almost every year. Since it was a rural and small village, not much attention was paid to it by the emperor resulting in more severe droughts each passing year. Hanzai village had a small population of 76 people yet the food produced was only enough for about 40-50 of them. Being a small village has its own pros too even though the cons seemed to overshadow it most of the time.
Hanzai’s villagers didn’t need to pay tax whether in the form of money or crops as they were already struggling enough. It was a small burden off everyone’s shoulders but that wasn’t enough to ensure the lives of each one of them in the summers. Food rotted quickly so storing was out of the question unless they harvested such things as grains which could be kept for some time. But they also had rodents, hungry for food running around their houses and by the time they chased or killed the mice, half of the measly stored grains would be gone and the villagers would have to eat those rodents instead.
Life was hard for the people of Hanzai village. In summer, more than 10 people end up dying either due to dehydration, heat stroke, overworking or hunger. Summers were harsher than winters and the villagers dreaded and hated the season.
Hao Shoucheng felt his hands burn with each swing he made. The plough on his hands felt heavier and heavier with each passing second. He felt thirsty but looking at the waterskin around his waist, he couldn’t bring himself to take even a sip. He had been working the fields all morning yet he felt as if he didn’t even move an inch from his spot. Only a small patch of land had been ploughed and if he didn’t work faster, the seeds entrusted to him would all shrivel up and die. Not only Hao Shoucheng, even the other villagers endlessly worried themselves to the point of losing hair on this problem.
The seeds were already wrinkled and if they weren’t planted soon, the production rate of the crops would once again significantly decrease. Hao Shoucheng looked at his father who seemed to be in a much worse state than he was. Hao Zhu Lin had grown thinner these past few years. His skin was badly burnt and his hair was overgrown and shaggy. His clear yellow eyes were now dim and gloomy. His lips were cracked and parched and his ribs could be seen poking out from his shirt. Looking at the setting sun, Hao Zhu Lin decided to call it a day. He beckoned Hao Shoucheng over who immediately rushed to his side.
“Shoucheng, let’s call it a day and pack up. Your mother and siblings must be worried about you.”
Hao Zhu Lin gave Shoucheng a small smile which he returned. With a bright smile which stretched his cheeks and widened the cracks on his lips, Shoucheng hurried to assemble his things inside the small hole-filled cloth bag he always carried with him. Once he was ready, he swung his plough on one shoulder and took his father’s plough and rested it on his other shoulder.
“Papa, let’s go!”
Hao Zhu Lin held the small smile on his face as he looked at his energetic son walking forward. He shook his head and followed beside him, humming a small song.
“In the summers, Hanzai village burns,
In the winters, Hanzai village freezes,
No one to help the poor villagers,
In this life, Hanzai village dies~”
Hao Shoucheng hummed and sang along with his father, their melodious voices rang out far and wide. The song was pitiful and briefly describes the hardships of the villagers and yet they always laughed while singing. The other farmers walking behind them soon started singing along, carrying out a stronger tune which caught the ears of the rest of the villagers. Seeing the group of people with ploughs on their shoulders singing with smiles on their faces, the villagers shook their heads and welcomed them. Mother Hao and Shoucheng’s siblings were nowhere to be seen which roused the worries of the pair of Father and Son.
Separating themselves from the group, they hurried on deeper into the village before arriving in front of a hatched hut which seemed to be half-fixed. Suddenly, Mother Hao’s cries could be heard from inside the hut. In a fit of panic, Hao Zhu Lin rushed inside, frantically calling out, “Fengmeng! Fengmeng!”
Shoucheng follwed behind his father and was stunned to see what was happening. Inside, his three younger siblings were being crushed in his mother’s embrace as she held a small coin pouch. Two people who looked like officers were sitting in front of her, holding out an open scroll. Hao Zhu Lin was dumbstruck by the scene before him as he once again called out to his wife. Hao Fengmeng seemed to have heard her husband this time as she excitedly yelled at him:
“Zhu Lin! Look, look! We’re rich!”
Hao Zhu Lin looked at his wife in confusion before he felt suspicion and dread settle in his gut. He looked at the pair of officers with wary eyes before questioning his wife.
“Fengmeng, what do you mean?”
Hao Fengmeng looked at her husband’s worried expression and a hint of guilt appeared on her face. Her smile turned into a frown and she finally released her children from her suffocating embrace. Hao Zhu Lin looked at his wife’s actions with fear. A small cough brought everyone’s attention to the pair of officers who were looking at the family with bored eyes.
“I suppose you are Hao Zhu Lin, father of Hao Shoucheng?”
“Yes, that’s me…”
“Your wife has already given her stamp on this scroll. All that’s needed is your stamp along with your son’s.”
Hao Zhu Lin looked at the officer dumbfounded. He walked forward and glanced at the scroll on the officer’s hands and took a sharp intake of his breath. With wide eyes he looked at his wife who seemed to cower underneath his gaze.
“You want...You want to send our son into the imperial palace!?” Zhu Lin was astonished and disappointed in his wife. He clenched his hands and took a glance at Shoucheng who was still lost in what was happening.
Hao Fengmeng gulped before shakily responding, “Zhu-Zhu Lin, our son will have a better life in the imperial palace. A-Also now we have a lot of money and can finally move out of this place…”
Hao Zhu Lin’s face was full of disappointment which made Fengmeng lose her voice at the end. She kept her head down in shame, unable to look at her eldest son or her husband.
“Officer, I apologize but my wife seemed to have made an impulsive decision. If you don’t mind can we please go back on her decision?”
The officer rubbed his long mustache with his fingertips before evilly smirking, “Why would you want to go back on your decision? Isn’t serving the Emperor the highest honour in one's life? Or are you saying that serving the Emperor is a bad omen?” His eyes turned sharp and fierce as he smirked down on Hao Zhu Lin.
Zhu Lin cursed and ripped his hair internally as he listened to the officer’s exaggerated words. He cleared his throat and meekly smiled.
“Of course not, officer. Serving the emperor is the highest achievement commoners like us could hope to achieve. But you see, our household is in rather hard times and since Shoucheng is the eldest, he holds a large amount of responsibility.” Zhu Lin ended with a weird laugh and rubbed his hands while looking at the officer with hope and hidden anger.
The officer seemed to be deep in thought as he continued stroking his beard. “50 silver coins.”
“Huh?”
“It’ll take 50 silver coins to revoke the contract.”
Zhu Lin felt as if his soul was coming out of his body as he looked at the officer with eyes as big as copper bells. He couldn’t make a sound for a moment and all he could say was, ‘Huh?’
“I apologize but we don’t have that much money right now. Can we pay in installments?” The quiet and lost Shoucheng seemed to have finally realised what’s going on and spoke with horror laced in his voice.
“No.” The officer firmly declined his offer with that evil smile still plastered on his face. Shoucheng slightly gulped as stories of what happens in the imperial palace rang in his ears.
“I-If I- we still refuse?” He didn’t know why he was asking such a question even though the answer was clear.
“Your whole family will be punished for treason.”
Shoucheng paled. He felt a headache crawling its way through his head while tears started pricking his eyes. He glanced at his mother who didn’t dare look at him and his father who seemed frozen stiff. He took a deep breath and walked towards the officer.
“I’ll put my stamp. I’ll...become a servant for the Emperor.”
The officer’s grin grew wider as he pulled out a knife from his pocket and handed it to Shouchang. Shouchang skimmed through the writings on the scroll and didn’t know whether his heart or his private parts hurt more. He cut his thumb and spread blood all over it. He pressed his finger next to the print of his mother’s. Once he took his thumb back he looked towards his father who looked at him in disbelief. Swallowing down his tears, he gave his father a light smile and handed over the knife.
Hao Zhu Lin listlessly cut his finger and listlessly stamped his fingerprint. Satisfied, the officer now smiled gently at them.
“Young lad, we need more people like you who are willing to dedicate your whole life to the Emperor. We’ll be coming to fetch you in three days, be prepared. Goodbye.” The officer rolled up the scroll and pulled along his silent companion.
Once they left, Shoucheng collapsed on the floor. His body shook as tears ran down his face. He didn’t want to become a eunuch. He didn’t want to be separated from his family. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to die...
Trivia:
- Shoucheng's full name is Hao Shoucheng- 好 [Hao means Great/Good] 收成 [Shoucheng means harvest or crop]. His parents named him this in hope for a brighter future.
- The money system in this universe is-Gold, Copper and Silver. 100 copper coins=1 silver coin, 100 silver coins=1 gold coin.
- The village Shoucheng lives in is Hanzai Village-旱灾 [Hanzai means drought]
aaaaw so sad
