The Farm Girl and the Executioner (Rebirth) 15

Chapter 15: Collecting the Reward

The execution was over, but the crowd lingered, unwilling to disperse, eagerly discussing the events around the execution platform.

The subject of their discussion was already leaving the grounds, saber in hand.

It was said that an executioner could not look back when leaving the execution grounds, or the ghost of the deceased would possess them.

Lin Shuang was jostled by the dispersing crowd. When she regained her footing, Wang Chun’er grabbed her and stuffed a few steamed buns into her hand.

“You were so scared just now you couldn’t even hold onto the buns. Here, take them.”

Only then did Lin Shuang come to her senses. Looking at the large steamed buns in her hand, which she had squeezed so hard the filling had oozed out, she thanked the other girl with some embarrassment.

When she turned her head again, she saw that Jiang Huaizhen’s figure was just a small black dot in the distance. She quickly said to Wang Chun’er, “I have something to do, I have to go. We’ll meet again if fate allows.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and chased after the small black dot.

Jiang Huaizhen carried her ghost-head saber and headed for the yamen. The quota of eight beheadings for the year had just been completed. She had to get her reward money as soon as possible.

Her father had said that few people in the yamen were clean. If you didn’t collect your reward money in time, it would be difficult to get it later.

Although the people outside were afraid of executioners, those officials and bailiffs, with the things they did, killed without shedding blood and were even more cruel than executioners. They weren’t afraid of ghosts, so how could they be afraid of a mere living person?

For the past two years, she had accumulated a lot of debt to pay for her grandmother’s medical treatment. She was waiting for this reward money to pay it off.

She first went to the Punishment Department to report. The official in charge saw her enter and smiled. “Little Jiang, you’ve done a good job on these tasks. You have your father’s style. Keep up the good work next year.”

Since Jiang Gui’s death, the Personnel Department had found several executioners over the past two years, but some had run away in fear before even stepping onto the execution platform. Those who stayed had caused many problems, and the commoners were gossiping, saying they couldn’t even find a decent beheader.

The men were found by the Personnel Department, what did it have to do with their Punishment Department?

When the list for the autumn executions came down this year, the executioner had run away. The county magistrate had scolded their entire Punishment Department. Fortunately, Head Constable Lu had recommended a young man, saying he was a descendant of Jiang Gui.

Seeing the other’s frail appearance, he had originally wanted to refuse.

But after posting the recruitment notice for a long time, not a single person had applied. He had no choice but to have Lu Qing bring the person back.

At that time, he had communicated with the County Commandant to carry out the executions in batches. If the first day didn’t go well, they would immediately recruit someone else.

Under a heavy reward, there would surely be a brave man. With a little more money, they would eventually find someone.

Unexpectedly, the first execution four days ago had been surprisingly successful, and he felt that things were stable.

He had also gone to the market square to watch just now. Although she couldn’t compare to Jiang Gui, overall, she was better than the previous ones. As a novice, it was a very outstanding performance. With time, she would definitely be no less than Jiang Gui.

Seeing her enter now, he smiled and wrote her a note. “Go to the Household Department to collect your reward.”

Jiang Huaizhen thanked him and left, carrying her saber to the Household Department.

But before she could enter, she was stopped by a yamen runner at the door, who told her to leave her saber outside.

She said nothing, placed the cloth-wrapped ghost-head saber in the corner, and then entered the room.

She presented the note and said, “I’m here to collect the reward for the execution.”

The treasurer took the note and looked up at Jiang Huaizhen, his tone somewhat sarcastic. “You really can’t judge a book by its cover—”

With that, he slowly got up to get the note re-approved by the official in charge. It took him a long time to come out. Finally, he handed her seven taels of silver fragments. “It’s all here.”

Jiang Huaizhen weighed it in her hand and asked, “Isn’t it eight taels for eight heads?”

The treasurer narrowed his eyes and repeated, word for word, “It’s all here.”

Jiang Huaizhen pursed her lips and said no more. She gathered the seven taels of silver fragments in her hand, stuffed them into her inner pocket, and turned to leave.

She heard the treasurer snort “unlucky” behind her.

She didn’t look back and returned to the Punishment Department to find Lu Qing, her face expressionless.

Lu Qing had recommended her, so he had gone to watch the executions several times. Other than the second time when he had something to do, he had been present for the other three. He was only relieved after Jiang Huaizhen had finished.

Seeing her approach, he smiled. “Huaizhen, you did a good job.”

A faint smile finally appeared on Jiang Huaizhen’s cold face. She took out three taels of silver from her robes and handed it to him. “Uncle Qing, the reward money has come down. I’ll pay you back first.”

She didn’t mention that the Household Department had skimmed her reward. Lu Qing had no money, no power, and no background. To have climbed from a small constable to the position of head constable over the years, besides his own outstanding ability, he had also endured a lot of hardship. She didn’t want to cause him trouble.

Lu Qing waved his hand. “Your family needs it urgently, so you should keep it for now. I’m not in a hurry.”

Jiang Huaizhen didn’t want to be indebted to others and still held it out.

The Lu family’s situation was not as relaxed as he made it out to be. She was just borrowing money to get through a difficult time, not relying on others long-term.

Seeing her insistence, Lu Qing had no choice but to take it. “Then I’ll take it for now. If you need it, just let me know.”

Jiang Huaizhen said, “Thank you, Uncle Qing.”

“Don’t be so polite with me. When your father was still alive, I was in urgent need of money, and he helped me a lot,” Lu Qing said.

A few years ago, his house had burned down, and his large family had nowhere to live. His child was burned and had no money for treatment. It was Jiang Gui who had given him the money.

Everyone disliked Jiang Gui for being an executioner and having a strong baleful aura, and they were unwilling to get close to him. But when Lu Qing came to him for help, and he heard it was about a child, he had given him the money without a second thought.

That was why he was willing to help when Jiang Huaizhen came to him this time.

Lu Qing took the money and smiled. “Third Aunt also went to watch your execution just now. But there was a fight in the east of the city, and she took some men to deal with it. Otherwise, she would have definitely been here to see you.”

Third Aunt Hu’s name was Hu Guiying. She was Lu Qing’s niece and had gotten a job as a small constable in the yamen through this connection. She was clever and cheerful, and very unconventional. After learning of Jiang Gui’s help to her uncle, she was very grateful to him. She had met Jiang Huaizhen before, and the two of them had gotten along well.

The uncle and niece were the only family in all of Changping County who were willing to associate with the Jiang family.

However, Jiang Huaizhen knew that her status was not well-liked, so she was extremely restrained and unwilling to get too close to anyone.

Except for Lin Shuang.

Thinking of Lin Shuang and her grandmother at home, Jiang Huaizhen said, “Uncle Qing, I have to go back now. Please give my regards to Third Aunt.”

Lu Qing knew that Old Madam Jiang was still sick at home and waved his hand. “Go on back.”

After bidding him farewell, Jiang Huaizhen left the yamen with her saber.

She had four taels of silver left out of the seven. She had to return two taels to the village chief when she got back, leaving her with only two. She felt the hard silver ingot in her pocket and sighed inwardly.

She couldn’t spend these two taels of silver recklessly. Her grandmother’s health was not as good as before, and she needed money for medicine. She was afraid that if she had a sudden illness like before, the remaining money would not be enough.

She had been thinking last night that when the reward money came in, she would buy something to nourish her grandmother. Now, it seemed that would be difficult.

Just as she was thinking, she suddenly heard someone call her name. She looked up and saw it was Lin Shuang.

Her own light green dress looked very fitting on her, adding a touch of fresh and pleasing color to the gloomy weather.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, quickly walking over.

Lin Shuang came up to her and naturally linked her arm. “I dug up some yams this morning and brought them to the apothecary to sell. I wanted to wait for you to go back together. Don’t worry, I’ve settled Grandma. It’s just the right time to go back now.”

Her unreserved closeness made Jiang Huaizhen, who was used to keeping a distance from people, stiffen slightly.

But Lin Shuang quickly let go of her hand, took out a handkerchief, and said to her, “Lower your head. You have blood on your face.”

She had clearly seen how the blood had splattered on her at the execution grounds just now.

Hearing this, Jiang Huaizhen obediently lowered her head.

The bloodstain was a bit dry, so Lin Shuang had to rub it with a little more force.

“Does it hurt?”

Jiang Huaizhen shook her head. “No.”

Only then did Lin Shuang withdraw her hand. But she saw two or three clerks pass by, and one of them suddenly turned to look at them. “Isn’t that the executioner from the market square just now?”

“Yes, it is.”

The man on the end with a small mustache suddenly smiled and pointed at Jiang Huaizhen. “I remember now. The village chief from your village brought the household register to register your wife’s name. Tsk, I didn’t expect you to be married at such a young age.”

Jiang Huaizhen froze, not knowing if their words were well-intentioned or malicious.

But one thing was for sure: the clerk in the Household Department had been drunk on the job and had carelessly messed up the registration.

Just as she was hesitating whether to tell them about the mistake, someone else chimed in, “Didn’t they say that executioners can’t get a wife? Look at his wife, she’s quite pretty.”

“Hah, if this Little Jiang looked like that rough and ugly Old Jiang, do you think this little wife would be with him?”

She opened her mouth, but was pulled away by Lin Shuang.

So she nodded at them and stepped aside to let them pass.

“Let’s go to the market to buy some things before we go home,” Lin Shuang said.

Jiang Huaizhen finally let go of the previous incident and agreed. “Let’s go to the Everlasting Peace Hall to buy medicine first, then we’ll go to the market.”

She mentally calculated how to spend the two taels of silver.

Lin Shuang said, “How much does the medicine cost?”

“When I brought Grandma to the doctor before, he said to take the same prescription for seven days first, and then he would prescribe a new one after another consultation. I didn’t have enough money last time, so I only bought five doses. I need to buy two more now.”

The gentry would usually get a three-day prescription to observe the effects and prevent the illness from changing. But for commoners like them, they would usually get a seven-day prescription to save on consultation fees.

“How much is one dose?”

“Fifty copper coins.”

Hearing this, Lin Shuang couldn’t help but be taken aback. One dose a day, that was five hundred copper coins in ten days, and a tael and a half of silver a month. No wonder Jiang Huaizhen had disregarded the village gossip and inherited her father’s profession.

If an ordinary family encountered such a situation, they would probably have given up on treatment long ago, right?

In her past life, her legs were broken and her body was poisoned. How much money did she cost every day? Yet Jiang Huaizhen had never complained to her, had taken meticulous care of her every day, and had never stopped her medicine. One could only imagine how hard she must have worked.

How much must she have cherished the lives of her loved ones?

And at that time, she wasn’t even considered a loved one.

“It’s okay. I can earn money by gathering herbs now. We’ll save up together and cure Grandma’s illness.”

Jiang Huaizhen shook her head. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“How does it have nothing to do with me? That clerk just said that we are now married in name. Of course, Great-grandmother’s illness has something to do with me,” Lin Shuang said in a low voice.

“That doesn’t count.”

As she spoke, Jiang Huaizhen carried the long saber wrapped in black cloth and walked toward the Everlasting Peace Apothecary.

“I don’t care. I’m already on your household register now. I have a share in the family’s affairs.”

As Lin Shuang spoke, she quickened her pace to catch up.