Thirst River Feud

Author: Zhao Gang / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: On a midnight in late autumn, the fierce wind howled with long whistles, sweeping across the land of Haoyang. Twigs and fallen leaves danced wildly in the air, and the crows perched on the trees in the Jiang Family compound fluttered about in panic, screeching as if the sky were about to collapse and the earth were about to split open. Li Qingyun and his son were startled awake from their sleep, and Jiang Xingui also found himself unable to sleep. Suddenly, the sound of gunfire filled the village, and a terrifying shout echoed across the sky, piercing everyone's eardrums: "Jiang Xingui, you bastard, listen carefully with your long ears! Within three days, if you don't bring me a sack of cash, be careful I light your son on fire!" "Jiang Xingui, you bastard, don't act tough! If you don't deliver enough cash, I'll make sure your whole family suffers forever! Even if you lock your son in an iron cabinet, I can still turn him into an eight-legged ghost!" "Jiang Xingui, you bastard, you've made your calculations! If you give me enough cash, everything will be peaceful between us; but if you dare to play tricks, the day after tomorrow next year will be the day of your family's sacrifice!" "Jiang Xingui, you bastard..." Such chaos lasted all night before gradually calming down. Jiang Xingui and his assistants were summoned to the main room by the steward Ge Zhongwen. They saw Jiang Chengfu, the head of the Jiang family, with a deathly pale face, curled up in the corner of the kang, his lips already black. Jiang Xingui quickly stepped forward, wrapped his father in a blanket, and ordered someone to bring a bowl of ginger tea for the old master immediately.
"Not now! Not now!" Jiang Chengfu waved his chubby palm tremulously. "With the fire breathing down our necks, what's the point of drinking ginger tea? People pray before Buddha, but misfortune comes from the heavens. What can we possibly do?" Jiang Xingui rolled up his sleeves, revealing a knuckles-bulging fist. "Dad, don't fear them. The bandits are desperate; they're just firing shots to scare us!"
Sun Wai also drew his gleaming Wai Bao pistol from his waist, glaring fiercely. His wide mouth almost to his ear, and he cursed furiously: "Damn it, you chicken-legged bastard! We have real weapons, how can we be scared by such tricks? Even good people have to treat evil people like gods, burning incense for them, right? Damn it, you chicken-legged bastard!"
"Things aren't that simple! These people are all ready to die for their cause. We still have to live our lives, so we need to think carefully!" Jiang Chengfu said anxiously, waving his hand.
"So, the old master should fill a sack with cash and send it over to avoid trouble at the cost of wealth." Another assistant said.
"Who are we sending it to? They fired a few shots and ran off. Do we even know their names? Where are they hiding? Jiang Chengfu lifted the blanket, looking bewildered. "Besides, where can we possibly get so much money in such a short time?"
"Even if we give them the money, what will we do if they ask for more later? A bottomless pit is hard to fill!" Ge Zhongwen said thoughtfully.
"Could this have been done by the Sixth Uncle?" Sun Wai suddenly asked.
"Not likely," Jiang Chengfu replied after a moment's thought. "I know the Sixth Uncle's personality. He usually demands things openly; he wouldn't go to all this trouble. Besides, has he ever come back empty-handed?"
"As the saying goes, know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles. Why don't we remain unchanged and see how they react, then act accordingly?" Ge Zhongwen suggested.
"Good!" Jiang Chengfu felt slightly more at ease, and his expression improved. "Our family has suffered misfortune, but it's rare for everyone to work together. We've escaped this disaster thanks to our brothers!"
Sun Wai and the others were naturally ready to fight and had no hesitation. After a little more discussion, everyone dispersed. Jiang Chengfu and his son sat facing each other, their worries unresolved. Suddenly, he remembered something. It was already over twenty years ago, but looking back, it felt like it happened just yesterday, something that would never leave his mind.
Jiang Xiangfu was the fourth son of Jiang Boda, the late Taoist official of the late Qing Dynasty. Jiang Boda was an honest and upright official, but he was seen as a thorn in the eyes of powerful officials and was frequently sidelined. Disillusioned with the bureaucracy, he retired to his hometown, Haoyang. Although Empress Dowager Cixi was reluctant to let him go, she couldn't stand the unanimous persuasion of the powerful officials and eventually granted his request.
Back in Haoyang, Jiang Boda lived a simple life of farming and weaving, teaching his sons to read and write. Though ordinary, it was a happy life. But unexpectedly, misfortune struck. Powerful officials ordered the local officials of Haoyang to sign a memorial accusing Jiang Boda of building a grand mansion, spending extravagantly, and amassing wealth that rivaled that of officials. Enraged, Empress Dowager Cixi believed Jiang Boda had extorted the people during his tenure as Taoist official and declared him guilty of heinous crimes. She immediately sent an imperial envoy to confiscate all of Jiang's family property and bring him to the capital for trial.
When the imperial envoy displayed the dozens of large sandalwood chests, which powerful officials had called a "treasure trove," before Empress Dowager Cixi, she couldn't believe her eyes. The entire wealth of a high-ranking fourth-grade Taoist official consisted of tens of thousands of books and daily necessities, with less than a hundred taels of silver! Unconvinced, Empress Dowager Cixi personally traveled to Haoyang but found that the memorial signed by officials described the "magnificent mansion" and "wealth surpassing officials" as three ordinary brick-and-tile houses and a small vegetable garden of less than two mu! Enraged, she immediately stripped the officials who had signed the memorial of their hats and beheaded the instigator. At the same time, she awarded Jiang Boda a thousand taels of gold, a thousand bolts of silk, and a thousand mu of good land as recognition of his loyalty and honesty. The court and the people celebrated the news.
By the time of the Republic of China, the Jiang family was considered the most prominent in Haoyang City. To better manage their land holdings and train their sons to run households independently, Jiang Boda divided his six sons among different villages—Wangjiabu, Liulin Garden, Lüzhuang, Songjiaji, and Caofang Village—and equally distributed the land, gold, and silver, allowing each to govern independently.
The fourth son, Jiang Xiangfu, moved to Songjiaji. Due to his skillful management and frugality, he became the most respected wealthy man within a hundred miles. Even his own brothers had to look at him differently.
One day, during lunchtime, Jiang Xiangfu discovered that his four-year-old son, Xinhui, was missing. At first, he didn't mind, thinking the child had gone to play with friends or catch dragonflies in the fields. He simply had his servants shout for him in the alleys and streets. But to his surprise, the search lasted until evening.
Now, Jiang Xiangfu and his wife were frantic. They lit torches and led all the assistants and maids, searching for miles around the village, but found nothing. That night, the couple couldn't stay home. Whenever they entered the house, it felt as if they heard their son crying and screaming in agony: "Dad! Mom! Save me!"
Thus, the night passed in a blur. The next morning, their eyes were swollen like rotten peaches. They ordered the assistants to stop all work and search for their son all day. For more than half a month, they were exhausted, searching through rivers, streams, and ditches within tens of miles, but still without news.
The banks of the Wo River were dense with forests and wolves, often sneaking out from the reeds at night to attack people and livestock. Jiang Xiangfu feared his son had met with misfortune, his heart turning cold. He struggled to stay strong and comforted his weeping wife.