Lin Zezu knew of that dilapidated temple; it sat atop a small hill not far from the road he took back to the village.
Thinking that there shouldn't be any danger in broad daylight, Lin Zezu decided to follow the young beggar southward.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, the young beggar led Lin Zezu up the small hill to the front of the crumbling, ruined temple.
"Mother, I sold the book! My sister will have something to eat today!"
The young beggar scrambled excitedly into the ruin. At that moment, a woman emerged from behind a broken wall, leading a little girl by the hand.
"Fanger, how could you be so reckless? How many times have I told you that you are not to take that book out to show anyone?"
"But Mother, my sister hasn't eaten all day. Mother, look—this gentleman bought my book..."
"Absurd!"
The woman cut off the excited young beggar, reached out to pull him behind her, and then gave Lin Zezu a guarded bow.
"Sir, I am Madame Jiang. Greetings."
Lin Zezu frowned. The woman before him looked to be in her thirties; her plain cotton skirt was quite worn and patched, though she did not look disheveled.
The little girl she held by the hand appeared to be three or four years old. She was painfully thin and clearly suffering from malnutrition, yet her large, dark eyes, round as grapes, blinked as she studied Lin Zezu, a sight that tugged at his heartstrings.
"I observe that you seem to be from a scholarly family, Madame. Do you realize what this book of your husband's represents?"
"I am aware, sir. I warned Fanger not to display it easily. But as a lone widow with orphans, drifting here, I have been left with no other choice."
"I take full responsibility for all that has happened; it has nothing to do with the children. I beg you, sir, to have mercy. My children and I would be eternally grateful."
Having said this, Madame Jiang bowed deeply to Lin Zezu once more.
"You misunderstand, Madame. This is your family matter, and I have no intention of interfering. Take your book back; it is something for the children to remember their father by. Here is two taels of silver. It is not much, but I hope it helps with your immediate needs."
Lin Zezu thought to himself that this widow and her children were clearly in a desperate spot, and that the young beggar had only stolen the book to sell out of necessity. Lin Zezu did not consider himself a saint, but the little "black grape" had stirred his compassion. Consider it two taels spent for peace of mind, he figured.
"Sir, I am not a beggar. Though I have nowhere to turn, I can wash clothes, cook, or work as a servant. I only pity my two children."
"If you would not mind, could you take them in? Fanger can read a few characters; he could serve as your page. My daughter will be old enough in a few years to pour tea, fetch water, and make your bed as a maid."
"I ask for nothing else now but for my children to survive."
As she finished speaking, the woman collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Mother, I won't leave! Don't sell my sister and me! Even if I have to die, I want to stay and die with you and my sister!"
The young beggar wailed heart-rendingly, clinging tightly to Madame Jiang. The "black grape" also shed tears, clutching her mother’s other arm and sobbing.
"Mother, I'll go find food right now! I'll work like a beast of burden for others, I'll kowtow to them, just to keep you and my sister alive!"
With that, the young beggar scrambled up from the ground and dashed toward the temple entrance.
"Fanger, stay! If you act recklessly again, I will die before your eyes! Have you forgotten your father's dying words: 'Better to die than to beg'? Is this how you act as a son?"
Madame Jiang’s voice was not loud, but it was filled with severity and resolve.
Lin Zezu was stunned. He hadn't expected such a situation when he simply set out to buy a book. If not for the heart-wrenching cries of the children, he might have suspected this was a setup.
"Please rise, Madame! Even if your husband has passed, you could return to your hometown. Why have you fallen into such a state of wandering?"
"I apologize for the trouble, sir. You blame me for not explaining earlier."
"I was my husband's maidservant. I was sold into the household as a child; I don't even know who my own family is. My husband was a child of a concubine, and leaving his home as he did was a last resort. The four of us had no place left there. If I were to return, it would be like throwing myself into the jaws of a tiger."
"Last year, my husband took us north to seek refuge with his aunt in the Capital. But he drowned halfway there."
"Since then, I have traveled alone with the children, overcoming many hardships to reach the Capital. But the world is cold; his aunt wanted to sell my children behind my back."
"I had no choice but to flee her home in the middle of the night. Now, we are completely destitute."
"Fanger only stole the book from me to sell because he felt sorry for his sister."
Madame Jiang cleared up the situation in a few brief sentences. Now, Lin Zezu found himself in a predicament. From her fragments of speech, it was clear they were of a scholarly background, but those who had never lived in a wealthy, prominent household could never understand the despair that made life feel worse than death.
Furthermore, he had never bought a servant in his life—not in this life, and certainly not in his previous one. Besides, though he was about to leave his own family estate to set up his own household, he was still a commoner without an official rank, and commoners were not permitted to buy or sell servants.
"Madame, I am currently just a commoner without rank, and my own household is undergoing some changes."
"How about this: I will find a place for you to stay first. It may not be a proper house, but it will be better than this ruin. After a few days, when things have settled on my end, if you still wish to stay, I will find a way. If you do not wish to stay, you may go elsewhere, and I will not stop you. Does that sound acceptable?"
"Fanger, come here! Quickly, kowtow to your benefactor!"
After Madame Jiang spoke, she knocked her head against the ground. Seeing her mother do so, the "black grape" followed suit, pressing her forehead to the earth without getting back up. The young beggar stopped crying and knelt solemnly, saying, "Benefactor, please accept this kowtow from Fanger."
Lin Zezu did not stop them, knowing they wouldn't listen anyway. Once the three had finished, he said, "Come with me. We will go to town first. The children must be hungry—we will get something to eat."