Chapter 3

The next morning, after Song Sheng got up and stepped outside, he saw thin smoke rising from the kitchen stove.

It was customary in the countryside that on the first day after marriage, the new bride must wake early to cook.

The Song family had many members. Zhang Xinghua had three sons: Song Laoda, Song La’er, and Song Laosan.

The eldest branch, Song Laoda and his wife Madam Lin, had two sons and one gē ér. Their eldest son, Song Ping, was twenty‑one and already married, with a five‑year‑old son. Their second son, Song Feng, was twenty years old, also married, with a three‑year‑old daughter. Their third son, Song Yu, was a gē ér, sixteen years old, already betrothed but not yet married.

The second branch, Song La’er and his wife Madam Zhao, had one son and one daughter. Their eldest daughter, Song Ying, was nineteen and already married. Their younger son, Song Cheng, was sixteen and not yet married.

The third branch, Song Laosan and his late wife Madam Luo, had two daughters and one son. The eldest daughter, Song Dong, was twenty‑one and already married. The second child was Song Sheng, who had just married. The youngest was a daughter, Song Xia, fourteen years old.

Altogether, the Song household had more than ten members. If Lu Qing cooked too little, there would not be enough food. Early that morning, he went to ask advice from Sūn shì, the eldest daughter‑in‑law of the first branch and wife of Song Ping, about how much rice to prepare.

Sūn shì was kind and patiently explained to Lu Qing the things he needed to pay attention to.

From yesterday’s banquet, plenty of food was left over, so today they would eat those leftovers.

Although it was leftover food, since it came from a wedding feast, there was still plenty of meat. All Lu Qing needed to do was reheat the dishes and steam more wheat rice.

At home, Lu Qing had always been the one to cook. He had been doing chores like cooking and washing clothes since he was seven or eight.

His father died early. The parent who gave birth to him was a gē ér, and raising him alone was difficult. Later, that parent remarried.

But not long after, his stepfather also met misfortune. Villagers began to curse Lu Qing and his parent as “broom star”. Because of this stigma, even by sixteen or seventeen, Lu Qing had not been able to marry.

Fortunately, his parent always loved him deeply. For his sake, they never remarried again, choosing instead to stay with him. By relying on skillful hands, they made handicrafts to sell at the market, saving up a dowry for him.

Lu Qing woke up early—after all, it was the first day of marriage. He had to be diligent, lest his husband’s family despise him.

Before long, a fragrant breakfast was ready.

The smell of meat filled the courtyard, drawing the two children of the eldest branch, Dà Máo and Dà Niū, to the kitchen, sniffing hungrily.

The children were not shy. They said brightly: “Auntie, not only are you good‑looking, but your cooking smells delicious too!”

Lu Qing blushed at the praise and handed them some crispy scorched leaves from the edge of the pot.

Yesterday’s freshly fried crispy leaves tasted both crunchy and fragrant, sprinkled with sesame seeds. This dish had to be deep‑fried in oil, and usually people would not waste oil making it. But since yesterday was a wedding celebration, this dish was traditional for the banquet, and children loved it most.

The two children happily began eating. Just at that moment, Second Sister‑in‑law Lǐ shì returned from cutting pig grass. With everyone present, the meal could begin.

There were many people in the household, so they ate from a big communal pot. The rice was served in a large basin, piled high like a small mountain.

At that time the sun had just risen, the dew was light, and the whole family carried tables, chairs, and benches into the courtyard to eat.

Zhang Xinghua’s husband had died early, leaving her to raise three sons alone, which was very difficult. The three sons were also filial, and this was her greatest comfort.

Zhang Xinghua said: “From now on, Qing the gē ér is part of our Song family. From now on, our Song family’s hearts will be united, our strength will be combined, and our days will surely get better and better! Come, let’s eat!”

Once Zhang Xinghua spoke, the whole family began eating. Since she herself had daughters, her thinking was not strongly biased toward sons over daughters. She served bowls of meat to Dà Máo and Dà Niū. Though the two children were only five and three years old, they could already feed themselves rice and meat.

When it came to Song Sheng, Zhang Xinghua not only gave him a bowl of meat but also handed him a boiled egg: “Sheng’er, you study hard, eat more.”

Her favoritism was obvious, but the others did not react much—likely because they were used to it. Yet Song Sheng could not allow her to continue this way. Though the elder and second branches did not say anything, over time they would surely feel resentment. He did not want things to end up like in the book, where the family eventually split apart.

This dynasty had only been established for a few decades. Because of repeated changes of dynasties, wars had been frequent. Ordinary people depended on the heavens for food, and when times were bad, famines occurred. As a result, the population decreased sharply, leaving vast tracts of farmland waiting to be cultivated.

The court had laws: farmland was divided according to the number of people in a household. Both men and women could receive land, but men received more.

According to the Jingtian Decree, every male aged eighteen could be allotted ten mu of hereditary land and five mu of active land. After marriage, wives and gē ér in their husband’s household could each be allotted five mu of active land.

Hereditary land could not be bought or sold and was also called ancestral land. Active land could be rented or sold, but once a person died, the government reclaimed it.

Therefore, every family hoped for prosperity in numbers. The more children they had, the more land they could receive. For families who had farmed for generations, land was their root, so they tried to have as many children as possible.

As long as parents were alive, unless family conflicts were impossible to resolve and life could not go on, no one would divide the household. To them, dividing the household meant the decline of a large family.

In the original book, Song Laoda and Song La'er were honest and simple. Even if their mother showed favoritism, they never mentioned dividing the household. Only later, when Song Sheng was over thirty and squandered all the family property, did the first and second branches raise the issue of division. Because of this, Zhang Xinghua fell gravely ill from anger, and her health began to decline.

Seeing that his cousins and sisters‑in‑law had no eggs, Song Sheng said: “Grandmother, today there is plenty of meat and enough eggs. Let’s give everyone one egg. You should eat one too, don’t always save things for us.”

Eggs in the countryside were considered meat food. Normally, without special occasions, eggs were rarely eaten. Yesterday, because of the wedding, villagers had sent many eggs, so now the family had no shortage.

Hearing this, Zhang Xinghua smiled broadly and said: “Our Sheng really is filial. Good, everyone gets one, grandmother will eat one too.”

Although Zhang Xinghua was partial, she was never stingy toward herself. In daily life, whenever she had something good, she saved it for her family. Moreover, when she had to raise the three Song brothers alone through such hardship, she never thought of remarrying. Because of this, the sons of the Song family were all filial and respected her.

Toward Lu Qing, the new husband, Zhang Xinghua also showed concern, giving him meat and an egg. This made Lu Qing feel more secure, at least knowing the Song family did not despise him for being a ge’er.

During the meal, Song Sheng even added another piece of meat to his bowl. Lu Qing’s face flushed slightly, feeling that his husband truly treated him well.

After eating, it was time to clear the bowls and chopsticks, scrub the pot, and wash the dishes.

Lu Qing tidied up, placing the cleaned bowls and chopsticks into the basin that had been used for washing vegetables. Since the vegetable water had not yet been poured out, he first rinsed the bowls and chopsticks with it.

First Sister‑in‑law Sūn shì also helped scrub the pot and wash dishes, while Second Sister‑in‑law Lǐ shì busied herself feeding the chickens.

In no time, the bowls and chopsticks were washed, the pot scrubbed, and the kitchen cleaned.

It was now October, the autumn harvest had just ended, and it was the time of agricultural rest.

The Song family had much land, and just farming it took a long time. Without oxen and with only simple tools, even in drought they had to carry water themselves to irrigate the fields. Their harvest depended entirely on heaven.

After the meal, the men went to the fields to plant beans, rapeseed, and radishes, while the women stayed home to wash clothes, cook, and mend.

Song Sheng was on agricultural break from school, classes not yet resumed.

Seeing everyone busy, he picked up a hoe to follow his father and cousins to the fields, but the family stopped him.

“Third Brother, don’t come with us to the fields. You’ll only get your clothes dirty. Just stay home and study well.”

Even though Song Sheng had failed several times to pass the exam for xiucai (licentiate scholar), the Song family still firmly believed he was suited for studying and thought he would surely succeed in the future.

In the Jing dynasty, the treatment of xiucai was very high. Not only did they not need to kneel when meeting officials, but their entire household was exempt from population taxes. Many local gentry and wealthy families, in order to pay less tax, gave benefits to these xiucai, registering land under their names to reduce tax burdens.

More importantly, becoming a xiucai meant stepping onto the threshold of becoming a juren (provincial graduate), gaining the qualification to sit for higher exams.

If truly fortunate enough to pass as a juren, then one could change the family’s status and bring honor to the ancestors.

Therefore, even if the mother‑in‑law favored the younger uncle’s sons, Madam Lin and Madam Zhao dared not say much.

When Song Sheng saw his family forbidding him from helping in the fields, he could only look for something else to do at home.

Lu Qing happened to return from fetching water, preparing to fill the kitchen water jar. Seeing this, Song Sheng quickly went over to help.

Lu Qing looked so frail that he should not do heavy work. Song Sheng remembered that in the book, Lu Qing later developed health problems from constant heavy labor. Thinking of how the original husband had not cared for him, even making him wash clothes with icy water in the dead of winter, Song Sheng felt even more pity for him.

“I’ll help you.” Song Sheng said, lifting a bucket of water beside him. Embarrassingly, he could not lift it.

Then he watched as Lu Qing, a ge’er shorter than him, easily carried a bucket of water into the kitchen. Song Sheng was stunned.

Was his body really this weak? Couldn’t even lift a bucket of water?

Lu Qing did not laugh at him but comforted his husband: “Husband, don’t look at me as thin. I’ve had strength since childhood. I’ll do this work in the future. Your hands are for holding a brush and studying, you must not tire them.”

Sitting under the eaves, Second Sister‑in‑law Lǐ shì, who was sewing soles for men’s shoes, teased: “Qing’er ge, your husband is caring for you! Usually we never saw him help fetch water.”

Lu Qing’s face turned red, and he softly replied: “Mm…”

Song Sheng, not easily embarrassed, generously said: “Let me practice first. Next time I’ll help First Sister‑in‑law and Second Sister‑in‑law carry water buckets!”