Chapter 20

Madam Qian hurriedly drew back the curtain. "Ziang, quickly take down the straw coats."
Mu Wanqing had five sets of straw raincoats on her supplies list; those not needed for the moment were lashed to the top of the carriage.
Mu Ziang sprang up and quickly pulled out several of the straw coats.
Straw coat, bamboo hat, wooden clogs, the three treasures of a rainy day.
The father and son had just finished dressing and had draped an oiled cloth over the mule when the sky darkened and a bolt of lightning split the air. In an instant, pea-sized raindrops began to pelt down.
Second Master Mu hurriedly led the mule, lest it bolt in fright.
He and his two sons flanked the carriage. "Madam, you and the girl stay safely inside the carriage. Nothing will happen."
The rain grew heavier, a curtain falling from the sky; the cold wind drove the drops into their faces and made them shiver.
There was an oiled cloth over the mule-cart roof, and the windows and curtains had been reinforced with another layer of oiled cloth, no matter how fierce the storm, it could not get into the carriage.
Inside it was as warm as spring. The little clay stove hissed and boiled ginger tea, and Mu Wanqing and her mother cozied up under the warm blanket, wonderfully comfortable.
Mu Wanqing pressed her face to the slit in the window and looked out. Seeing her father and brothers standing in the wind and rain to guard them filled her with warmth.
Though the road of exile was long and fraught with danger, it was a comfort that kin could rely on one another.
They had prepared thoroughly that morning, so everything proceeded in an orderly fashion; all was under control.
The others were not so fortunate; the caravan had fallen into chaos.
In the howling wind and rain, people scattered like startled flies.
Most had no rain gear and no carriage to shelter in. The wasteland was bare, no village ahead, no inn behind.
Screams and cries rose on all sides.
The official escorts had prepared; one by one they donned straw coats to maintain order.
They formed a ring of carts and ordered everyone to stay inside it; no one was to run about.
Anyone who dared attempt to flee would be killed on the spot.
The exiles took a few lashes; the pain sobered them, and they could only crouch with their heads down as the torrential rain soaked them through. In no time they were drenched, shivering with the chill.
The main branch of the Mu family had also been caught unawares by the sudden downpour. They had prepared only ten straw coats, far too few for everyone.
The only fortunate thing was that Old Madam Mu had earlier complained the donkey cart was open to the sun in autumn, so she had the younger generation prop four bamboo poles and drape an oiled cloth to make a canopy.
Eldest Master Mu, as head of the household, immediately gave the straw coats to the male members of the family and put one on Old Madam Mu. The women holding small children were arranged under the canopy to shelter from the rain, while the men sat in a circle outside clutching bamboo poles to guard them.
The concubines, however, fared badly; there was nothing for them. With limited space, they could only stand helplessly in the rain.
Crowded together, Old Madam Mu was at the center, yet she still felt cold; a chill went to her bones, leaving her deeply uncomfortable.
The wind and rain plastered everyone's faces wet; they could hardly open their eyes, trembling with cold, forced to huddle together for warmth.
For a time the rain seemed to form a continuous sheet, as if the sky had opened a hole.
The storm battered the canopy; the bamboo poles keeled and swayed, and the whole shelter seemed ready to collapse, making everyone's heart race.
Old Madam Mu clutched her collar and looked up at the canopy, her brow creasing. "Eldest, this rain is too heavy. It looks like the canopy won't hold."
Eldest Master Mu's eyes filled with worry; he chastised himself, he hadn't expected such a sudden, savage storm.
If he'd known, he would have found a way to get a proper cart.
Now he envied those who had carriages and mule-carts more than anything.
But he was the family's pillar and could not show the slightest fear. "Mother, don't worry. Storms come in bursts, it will pass soon."
Old Madam Mu looked longingly at the blue-cloth mule cart not far away.
Right now, being in a carriage would be so comfortable. A thought flashed through her mind.
"Eldest, go and speak to the Second. Tell him to sell us the mule cart… we'll pay double."
With her old temper she would normally seize whatever she wanted, but Mu Wanqing was too fierce, she admitted she couldn't force it from her.
Third Master Mu, his lips purple from the cold, brightened at the idea. He wanted a place in the mule cart as well. "Yes, yes, we'll pay. If double won't do, we'll pay triple."
Eldest Master Mu's mouth twitched. "Would he sell now? Would Mu Wanqing agree?"
Everyone fell silent.
They had come to understand: the second household was run by Mu Wanqing.
Old Madam Mu felt that if this continued she'd surely fall ill from the cold.
The older you get, the more you fear death.
"You go. By any means, make the Second agree. As for Mu Wanqing, she's only a junior, you don't need to speak to her."
Eldest Master Mu could only smile wryly. Don't speak to her? Was he expected to drag someone out of the carriage?
But his mother would not be swayed.
Still, he wanted the mule cart too; even a slim chance was worth taking.
He rose, set his bamboo hat on, and stepped into the driving storm.
The pea-sized drops stung his face. Eldest Master Mu shielded his face with his hand and, stepping unevenly, made his way toward the mule cart, passing relatives who were struggling through the tempest at every turn.
These clan members were ordinary folk, their relatives no better off; they brought only food and clothing. They were so poor it rattled, who could afford a straw raincoat?
By the time Eldest Master Mu reached the mule cart assigned to the second household, his hands and feet were soaked through, a chill rising from his soles.
"Second brother, I... want to buy your cart. Name your price."
Second Master Mu wiped the rain from his face and asked, puzzled, "Big brother, have you lost your mind?"
Mule carts were expensive, indispensable for household travel, impervious to wind, rain, or snow. (That last bit was what his daughter kept saying.)
Eldest Master Mu, flustered, tried cajoling him, "I'll pay three times the price. You can use the money to buy three carts, three! Each nephew one, there won't be a shop like this after we leave the village..."
Second Master Mu wasn't that foolish and shot back, "Then why don't you buy the three carts yourself?"
Eldest Master Mu:...
The trick failed, what now? He felt exhausted.
He had to relent, "Then let Mother and the children shelter in the cart for a while, they're freezing."
Second Master Mu still refused, "Our carriage is cramped; it only holds two people."
Without missing a beat Eldest Master Mu said, "Then have Wanqing and her mother get down. They're healthy and well-fed; the old woman won't hold out much longer..."
There it was again, brazenly insisting others make sacrifices. It had become a habit; one careless moment and the truth showed.
Second Master Mu's laugh was edged with anger. Make my wife and daughters stand in the rain and hand over the carriage? On what grounds? "I can only lend you two straw coats."
Thanks to Mu Wanqing's habit of buying everything in fives, they happened to have two spare straw raincoats.
Eldest Master Mu looked at him in disappointment. "Second brother, how can you be so cold and heartless, watching people die and doing nothing?"
A figure ran through the rain. On closer look, it was Sixth Aunt, she was wearing a straw coat, her hair loose and utterly bedraggled.
She choked as she spoke, "Brother Zhongping, could my Xiao Ya squeeze into your cart? She's had diarrhea these past two days; another soaking and she'll..."
She'd had four sons and only one precious, soft little granddaughter, whom she doted on all the more.
Children of three or four were the most likely to die young.
The curtain was swept aside and Mu Wanqing reached out. "Bring the child to me."
Sixth Aunt hadn't expected her to be so agreeable; she was overcome with gratitude, eyes rimmed red.
She opened her straw coat to reveal the child's pale face.
The child had been well protected; her clothes were dry.
Mu Wanqing took the child, feeling her forehead, not feverish.
Then she felt the hands and feet, icy cold. This couldn't go on.
Xiao Ya remembered the aunt who fed her fragrant meat buns, she loved that aunt dearly.
She smiled up at her sweetly and, in a babyish voice, called, "Auntie."
Mu Wanqing's heart melted at the sight. She tucked the child into the quilt. "Auntie will pour you some ginger tea, drink it and your tummy won't hurt."
"Aaaaah!" A terrified scream rang out not far away.
Eldest Master Mu snapped around. The bamboo pole finally gave way; the canopy was torn off by the gale. The main house's womenfolk and children were exposed to the downpour, instantly drenched to the bone, left like drowned dogs in the rain.
Children's wails and women's screams turned everything into chaos.
Eldest Master Mu grew desperate and seized Second Master Mu's arm. "Second brother, I'm begging you, help me. For our sake as sons of the same father."
"Well..."
A hand reached out from inside the carriage. "Lend those two straw coats to Mu Jinyao and Mu Rongxue."
Those two had no coats and stood uncovered in the storm, shivering from the cold.
"Bring over any children under six."
Among the next generation of the Mu family, only the two sons of the principal branch had married, producing four children; the rest were unmarried.
She meant those four children.
No matter the grievances of the older generation, they had nothing to do with the children.
She had done all a charitable person could.
Eldest Master Mu brightened. "Third girl, you're a good lass. We were wrong before, just lend us the cart for a while, will you?"
He was pushing his luck. Mu Wanqing sneered, "Eldest Master Mu, do I look like a fool who can be swayed by a few words into self-sacrifice? You don't think that because I'm willing to care for some children I'll forget past grievances, do you? I remember exactly how you treated me."
"Those were old things. How can family hold grudges overnight?" Eldest Master Mu tried to persuade her. "Third girl, your grandmother is old and muddled, treat her as if she's ill..."
Mu Wanqing had seen through him long ago, insufferably thick-skinned, always grandstanding as if generous to others; in plain terms, a hypocrite.
"My birth grandmother is dead. As for that woman, when she tried to sell me to the jailers while I was imprisoned, our ties were severed forever."
Having said that, Eldest Master Mu was at a loss. "Second brother, you're head of the household, speak up."
Second Master Mu glanced at the torrential rain, then at the wailing descendants of the main house, he was speechless.
If they had time to dilly-dally, they might as well go back and take charge.
"The mule cart isn't mine, I can't decide."
Eldest Master Mu was dumbfounded. The cart has an owner? He couldn't understand. "You're the elder, everything in the second household belongs to you, including your children."
"Whoever's stronger in our family makes the calls," Second Master Mu dismissed the argument. "As you can see, Wanqing is a hundred times more capable than I am."
Eldest Master Mu was furious to the point of spitting blood, how could someone be so shameless?
Aren't you afraid of being disgraced if you say that aloud?
Second Master Mu didn't care. He'd always been indecisive and had little worldly experience after years shut away in the manor.
Mu Wanqing was forceful and brilliantly clever; with her around, he never had to lift a finger.
By listening to his daughter, he prospered, he dined well and luck followed.
Eldest Master Mu was simultaneously amused and angered by the father-daughter pair, but he was helpless.
He was head of the Mu clan, yet also the family's offender; those affected by his deeds bore him no respect.
His prestige lay in ruins; he had long since lost the unquestioned authority he once held.
He could only slink back, holding two straw raincoats.
Mu Jinyao's clothes were soaked through, revealing her delicate curves; her lips had gone white from the cold. She stared for a moment. "She specifically gave them to us?"
"Yes."
The two cousins exchanged a look, their expressions tangled.
Mu Wanqing had truly taken the principle of keeping favors and grudges clearly separated to the extreme.
She had cracked a fissure in the Mu clan's unity; everyone was starting to think for themselves.
At that moment, Mu Wanqing looked down at the exiles sprawled in the torrential rain, pursed her lips slightly, and a flash of eager anticipation passed through her eyes.
The moment she'd been waiting for had finally arrived!
The worst of times often hide a sliver of opportunity.