SLH | Chapter 50

The Ruan Family Visits

The folks in Yunxi Village may bicker and squabble on regular days, but when it comes to big events, they always band together like a tight-knit rope. Everyone worked together for two days, making the village as impenetrable as a fortress. Forget about the mindless beasts; even people from other villages would find it hard to get in.

Early the next morning, smoke rose from the Liu family’s chimney. The elderly couple from the Ruan family couldn’t stop worrying about their daughter and urged the two uncles to borrow an ox cart to head to Yunxi Village before dawn.

“Your mother is still worried, can’t even eat at home, afraid that the beast from the mountain might come down to the village,” Ruan Changhe said, feeding the ox in the courtyard, smiling as he talked to his daughter.

Li Chunhua rolled her eyes at her husband, “You speak as if you weren’t worried.”

She turned her head, holding her daughter’s hand, and teased, “Your father kept on talking the whole way here, even more than Wen Ping, my ears are about to grow calluses.”

Having married into the Liu family for so long, her parents rarely visited. Ruan Xiulian felt a bit emotional and wiped her eyes when the elders weren’t looking.

“Mom, Dad, Daniu, Erniu, and Second Sister-in-law, come inside quickly. You’ve been in the cold wind all the way, come in and have some hot tea.”

“Yes.”

Inside the main room, a brazier was burning. The two elders from the Ruan family finally felt some warmth after entering the house.

The mother and daughter were chatting inside when they saw Song Tingzhu and Xiaomei bringing in tea. They nodded and said, “Zhu Ge’er looks much better than before.”

Song Tingzhu greeted his grandmother with a smile, “I’ve been well taken care of these days.”

Li Chunhua held his hand, asking him questions. The elderly had nothing much on their minds, and the conversation eventually circled back to offspring.

Song Tingzhu noticed everyone in the room focusing on him, realizing he couldn’t brush it off. He honestly replied, “Before the snow, I went to town to check the pulse. The doctor said it’s possible to conceive, just not easy.”

Everyone in the room sighed in relief. Li Chunhua kept saying good things, patting Song Tingzhu’s hand with a loving smile, “Grandma isn’t pressuring you. I know this can’t be rushed. Your health is the most important. If it doesn’t work out, your uncles can have a couple more children and pass them on to you and Huzi.”

“You old woman, what nonsense are you talking about?” Ruan Changhe frowned, “The couple is still young. Why can’t they have a child? If you have the time, think about Ning Ge’er’s marriage. After the New Year, Ning Ge’er will be sixteen, and it’s time to start considering.”

A couple of years ago, matchmakers came to propose, but Li Chunhua couldn’t bear to let her grandson go and wanted to keep him around for a couple more years. Now he’s sixteen, and seeing others of similar age already engaged, she’s starting to worry.

Li Chunhua sighed, “It’s my fault. I should have found a good match for Ning Ge’er earlier.”

Ruan Xiulian said, “Marriage can’t be rushed, Mom. You have to choose carefully. Ning Ge’er has a gentle nature, so we need to find a family with a good temperament, especially the in-laws. Haven’t we seen enough in-laws who torment their daughters-in-law and husbands in the village?”

“Of course, Ning Ge’er is the apple of my eye. His marriage can’t be taken lightly.”

Seeing the conversation shift to other topics, Song Tingzhu realized there was nothing more for him to do. He left the main room and went to the kitchen to chat with Granny Chen.

“Granny, are your legs still hurting today?”

“They’re not hurting anymore, thanks to you and Huzi coming to massage them every now and then. They’re much better now.”

Over the past month, Granny Chen had changed a lot since Song Tingzhu first saw her. Seeing him come to chat with her made her genuinely happy.

“Did your husband’s grandparents come? Did they give you a hard time?”

Song Tingzhu smiled, “No, Grandpa and Grandma treat me very well.”

Granny Chen felt relieved, “In the village, only your in-laws are good people. The Tian and Cai families are passable, but the others are nothing.”

“Why do you say that, Granny?”

With nothing else to do, Song Tingzhu chatted with Granny Chen about family affairs.

Granny Chen lived at the edge of the village, but she knew everything that happened. Song Tingzhu listened to her for a good half an incense stick’s time and felt like he was floating when he left the room.

Liu Hu noticed his wife seemed dazed and felt worried, “Wife, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Song Tingzhu shook his head, “Granny Chen told me some things from the past, and I was a bit shocked.”

It wasn’t just shock; he hadn’t expected such secrets in this small Yunxi Village. If word got out, some families might lose sleep over it.

The Liu family cooked up quite a feast today. After a harmonious family lunch, seeing the sky turn overcast again, worried about snow on the road, the two elders hurriedly called their sons and daughters-in-law and rushed out of the village with the ox cart.

The heavy snow fell for four or five days straight. Only the day before the Little New Year did the sky clear up.

Early in the morning, every household came out with brooms to sweep the snow. The Liu family also got up early to clear the snow in front of their courtyard.

Tang Chunxing came back with tofu and didn’t even step into the yard before saying, “I just went to Aunt Cai’s to buy tofu, guess who I saw?”

Song Tingzhu was in the yard with Xiaomei and Xia Ge’er building a snowman. Hearing the question, he instinctively thought of Liu Cuie and her family.

“Who?” Liu Xiaomei was curious, rolling a snowball.

“Cui Yulan!”

“Oh.” Liu Xiaomei turned her head back, not interested.

Ruan Xiulian poked her head out of the kitchen, “Did Liu Yushu come back with her?”

“He did. The old lady is so happy. I heard she’s been shouting around the village all morning, disturbing everyone’s sleep.”

“Coming back is coming back. What’s the fuss about?”

“What else? She’s bragging about her precious grandson’s good studies, saying he’ll take the scholar’s exam in the prefectural city next February, and she’ll be the grandmother of a scholar.”

Tang Chunxing rolled her eyes, “It’s not even confirmed yet, and she’s already making it known to everyone. If he doesn’t pass, it’ll be embarrassing.”

Ruan Xiulian wiped her hands on her apron, saying, “We shouldn’t worry about these things. Eldest daughter-in-law, cut the tofu. I’ll go to the vegetable cellar to get a cabbage.”

“Alright.”

Song Tingzhu helped Xia Ge’er put eyes on the snowman, then watched the little guy throw a snowball at the courtyard wall, muttering, “The bad guy is back, defeat the bad guy!”

He couldn’t help but laugh, holding the little guy’s hand in his palm to warm it.

“The snowman is done. Let’s go inside and play. Your hands are all cold.”

Xia Ge’er nodded obediently, holding his little uncle’s hand as they went inside.

Meanwhile, in Liu Lao’er’s yard.

“Mom, you’re being foolish. That’s a thousand jin of wine. Even if it’s sold for just two or three coins a jin, that’s twenty or thirty taels of silver, enough for Yushu’s tuition for years!”

Cui Yulan didn’t know that her brother’s family had started a wine business and actually succeeded. Her mother-in-law always loved taking advantage, so why was she holding back this time, not even stepping into her brother’s yard?

She went to buy tofu this morning and wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t heard a few women talking about it!

Liu Cuie swallowed her porridge, “I’m not as shallow as you. Our Yushu is going to be an official in the future. We can’t ruin his virtues for these mundane things.”

Mundane things? Without money, what would you eat and drink? Over the years, they hadn’t stopped taking from the eldest brother’s family. Now she’s talking about mundane things.

Cui Yulan rolled her eyes internally but kept a smiling face.

“Mom, you don’t know how hard it is to make a living in town. His father and I work ourselves to the bone, and we can barely make a tael a month. Look at my hands, they’re almost worn out from washing clothes for people.”

Cui Yulan showed her hands, playing the pitiful card with her mother-in-law.

“For my son’s education, this hardship is nothing. But even if we work ourselves to death, we’re still far behind the townsfolk.”

She gave her son a look.

Liu Yushu understood, taking over the conversation, “Recently, the bookstore brought in a lot of books from the prefectural city. They say the exam content next year will come from them. Most of my classmates have bought them, but I haven’t gotten to use them yet.”

Liu Cuie couldn’t accept that. Her precious grandson couldn’t be without what others had.

“Don’t worry, dear grandson. Grandma will buy it for you.”

She glanced at her daughter-in-law. After living with her for decades, she knew her intentions. She wanted to trick her into asking the eldest brother for money. She was clear about that.

Everyone in the village thought she had changed, not eyeing the eldest brother’s business. But that wasn’t true. The master said her precious grandson was a literary star descended from the heavens and would at least become a scholar.

She was holding back, waiting for her grandson to succeed. Then the eldest brother’s family would come running, and not just money, even the wine recipe would be hers.

Thinking this, she asked her grandson, “How much does the book cost? Grandma will pay for it.”

Liu Yushu said, “Forty taels.”

“What? Forty taels?!” Liu Cuie’s eyes widened like a cow’s, “Is it made of gold that it costs forty taels?”

“It’s not made of gold, but it’s close. It’s personally compiled by a famous scholar in the prefectural city. If it’s sold out, even a thousand gold coins won’t buy it later.”

Forget a thousand gold coins, Liu Cuie had never seen a single gold coin. One gold coin was ten silver taels. An ordinary family couldn’t save ten taels in years, and even if they could, they wouldn’t exchange it for gold. It was so small; if lost, it would be heartbreaking.

Liu Yushu held the old lady, pretending to be sensible, “Grandma, don’t worry. I can manage without buying it. I can borrow it from classmates, but they might not agree and call me a country bumpkin.”

The mother and son had the old lady wrapped around their fingers, knowing exactly what words would sting her heart.

Sure enough, Liu Cuie slapped the table, shouting, “Which little brat dares to bully my precious grandson? Tell Grandma, and I’ll go to their house tomorrow to settle it!”

Liu Yushu soothed the old lady, “Grandma, don’t be angry. Take care of your health.”

Liu Cuie’s anger dissipated, and she praised her grandson, “My precious grandson is filial and smart. Even without that book, he’ll surely pass the scholar’s exam.”

Liu Yushu frowned, “I’m afraid not. The teacher said next year’s exam will have a new examiner, the scholar who wrote the book.”

Liu Cuie instinctively said, “Such a coincidence, there must be something behind it.”

Liu Yushu’s face changed, “Grandma, what are you saying? The teacher is noble and generous, spending his own money to make the books affordable for us. Originally, each book was forty-five taels. The teacher pawned his collection of paintings to the shopkeeper, reducing the price.”

“Don’t be angry, dear grandson. Grandma just said it casually.” Liu Cuie looked troubled, “But we really can’t come up with forty taels. We can barely manage ten.”

Cui Yulan interjected, “Selling the wine from the eldest brother’s family would cover it.”

Seeing the old lady’s expression soften, she added, “We’re not taking advantage of the eldest brother’s family. In fact, the eldest brother benefits from our Yushu’s success. Remember why the eldest brother was beaten and broke his leg? It was because the family was poor and had no backing. But that will change. With our big nephew looking after the family business, who would dare cause trouble?”

The second daughter-in-law made some sense. Liu Cuie pondered, and with a bit more persuasion from the mother and son, she decided to visit the east courtyard tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Liu Dasheng’s family was unaware of the old lady’s impending visit, happily gathered around the brazier, roasting sweet potatoes.

Xia Ge’er, afraid of getting burned, squatted a bit further away, occasionally asking if they were done and ready to eat. His mouth-watering expression made everyone laugh.

“They’re done, but they’re hot. Grandma will cool them down for you.”

The little guy nodded obediently, moving his stool closer as the fire died down, resting his head on Song Tingzhu’s arm, snuggling up to him.

A moment later, “Grandma, are the sweet potatoes ready?”

Ruan Xiulian sighed with a smile, “Not yet. Look at this little glutton who can’t wait.”

The little guy sniffed the aroma, swallowed, “Alright then, Xia Ge’er will wait a bit longer.”

After a little while, the little guy finally got to enjoy his much-anticipated roasted sweet potato.

Tang Chunxing, doing embroidery nearby, glanced at her brother, “The New Year is just a few days away, and we haven’t prepared all the New Year goods yet.”

Ruan Xiulian said, “The heavy snow these days made it hard, but we’ve bought most of it. What’s left is optional, and we can find substitutes.”

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted about the New Year’s preparations, keeping their hands busy.

After lunch, a villager came to buy a couplet, and seeing the Liu family with a brazier, sat down and didn’t leave.

“Xiulian, you don’t often go around the village, so you probably don’t know about the Niu family’s widow giving birth.”

Ruan Xiulian hadn’t heard and was curious, “She’s given birth already? According to the dates, she should have been due after the New Year.”

“They’ve been together for a while, just didn’t let anyone know.” The woman warmed herself by the fire, speaking animatedly, “That widow Li really gave birth to a boy. With a son by her side, she coaxed the old lady into accepting her as a concubine. In all the nearby villages, no one’s heard of anyone having a concubine. The Niu family is quite famous now.”

“How could Zhang Dahua be okay with that? She must have caused a scene.”

Tang Chunxing loved a good story. The snow and cold weather made her lazy, keeping her from going to the big banyan tree to chat with other women. Seeing the opportunity, she eagerly leaned in to listen.

“She couldn’t do anything. Widow Li gave birth to a son.” The woman leaned closer, lowering her voice, “I heard that Widow Li, even before her confinement ended, had Niu Dali sneaking into her bed at night, making quite a commotion. Just hearing it makes one’s face flush.”

After sharing something unsuitable for children, the woman leaned back, winking, “At their age, they don’t even feel embarrassed.”

“Who?” Xia Ge’er suddenly spoke up, his mouth ringed with sweet potato crumbs, his eyes full of curiosity, “Who’s not embarrassed?”

“We’re talking about our Xia Ge’er. How come you’re so cute? Come back with Grandma Wu and be her grandson-in-law, how about that?”

The little guy scrunched up his face, speaking in a childish voice, “No, Xia Ge’er is still little. No rush to get a wife.”

Wu Dayun was very fond of Xia Ge’er and continued teasing, “That’s fine too. Let your big brother Dajun come to our house as a live-in husband. Your big brother Dajun is very caring. He’ll buy you anything you want.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Ruan Xiulian couldn’t listen anymore, frowning as she changed the subject, “Didn’t Xia Ge’er just say he was sleepy? Eldest daughter-in-law, take the child to wash his face and put him to sleep. Don’t let him fall asleep in the afternoon and have trouble eating dinner.”

Understanding the cue, Tang Chunxing followed up, “Yes, he didn’t nap yesterday, and he kept Mengzi and me up all night.”

Wu Dayun believed them and finally moved her butt.

“I should head back too. I have a bunch of cabbage waiting to be pickled at home.”

After sending Wu Dayun off, Ruan Xiulian closed the courtyard door, then spat on the ground.

“Bah! Saying grandson-in-law here and son-in-law there, thinking I don’t know what she’s up to. Xia Ge’er is only going to be four after the New Year, and she’s already plotting. Always talking about how caring her Dajun is. Her Dajun is almost twelve, nearly a whole cycle older than our Xia Ge’er, and she has the nerve to say that!”

Tang Chunxing felt disgusted, holding Xia Ge’er with disdain, “A twelve-year-old who can’t even wipe his nose, always hanging around outside, just looking at him is annoying.”

“Dajun loves bullying girls and young men, pulling braids and lifting skirts. I’ve seen it several times on the way to the back mountain with Xiaoman.” Liu Xiaomei frowned.

Ruan Xiulian cursed, “That little brat!”

She quickly asked her daughter, “You and Xiaoman weren’t bullied, right?”

“No, he’s afraid I’ll tell my brothers, so he doesn’t dare bully us.”

Ruan Xiulian felt relieved, speaking harshly, “If Wu Dayun comes again, don’t let her in. Find an excuse to send her away.”

Song Tingzhu nodded.

At dinner, the family casually talked about the Niu family, treating it as entertainment. They were too busy with their own lives to worry about others.

At night, only the west room in the Liu family courtyard had a lit lamp. Liu Hu, after helping his wife wash up, cuddled her and talked about the rabbit he caught on the mountain today.

The path to the village from the back mountain was fenced off, leaving only a path for people to check the situation. It was Liu family’s turn today, and they were lucky. Others couldn’t even find a feather, but the brothers found a rabbit that ran straight into their feet, giving them a taste of catching a rabbit by waiting.

Song Tingzhu first asked if there were any signs of wild beasts. Seeing his husband shake his head, he smiled and praised him.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go to town with Big Brother to buy some things. Is there anything you want?”

Song Tingzhu thought for a moment, “Buy some nice candies and pastries for guests after the New Year.”

“Okay.”

The conversation in the room gradually quieted down, and the couple had a good night’s sleep.

－

“Isn’t the eldest coming out?”

“Even when your own mother comes, you don’t come out to greet her. I’ve never seen such unfilial behavior!”

“Hasn’t this Liu old lady stopped causing trouble for a while? Why is she here again?”

“Cui Yulan and her son just came back, and now there’s trouble. She’s probably jealous of the eldest’s successful wine-making and is stirring up trouble to get a share.”

Some women who got up early heard the commotion and pointed fingers at Liu Cuie, who scolded them back.

“It’s still early, the sky’s not even fully bright. What’s this old lady causing a fuss for?”

Ruan Xiulian was woken by the noise, muttering as she put on her coat and went out.

The east and west rooms were also woken by the increasingly loud shouting, and everyone got dressed and came downstairs.

“Mom, why are you here?” Liu Dasheng came out to the courtyard, frowning.

“Why can’t I come? Do you still remember I’m your mother? Your family made all this wine and didn’t think to send a few jars home, but gave it to outsiders first!”

“What do you mean outsiders? That’s my family.” Ruan Xiulian got angry, “The two families have cut ties. If you want to talk about outsiders, Liu old lady, you’re the outsider.”

“I cut ties with the eldest because of you, the troublemaker!” Liu Cuie, like a fighting rooster, raised her neck, “The eldest is my flesh and blood. How can I not love him? Blame it on you, the troublemaker, for giving birth to two who curse their grandmother, making me drift apart from the eldest!”

In the cold winter, with nothing to do, the villagers quickly gathered around when they heard any commotion. At this point, there were about ten women and young men standing outside the Liu family courtyard.

Opinions were divided, some saying the two families had cut ties and should live separately, others calling the Liu family unfilial, saying blood ties couldn’t be severed.

It’s easy to talk when you’re not involved, and people dared to say anything.

Even a clay figurine has some temper. Liu Laoda, seeing his mother cursing everyone, even putting a big hat on Xia Ge’er, lowered his face and said, “Mom, what did you come for today? If there’s nothing, go back. Didn’t we agree when we cut ties that the two families wouldn’t interact? Now you’re here causing trouble, aren’t you slapping your own face?”

Liu Cuie was about to explode, but remembered her daughter-in-law’s words before leaving and swallowed her anger. She acted superior, as if the eldest’s family owed her a big favor, and said:

“Yushu is going to take the scholar’s exam next year and needs forty taels to buy books. Your family should cover it first. When spring comes and Yushu passes, won’t we have a backer?”

“Sure, so you’re here to freeload, and you’re asking for forty taels, why don’t you just rob!”

Ruan Xiulian wasn’t in the mood, immediately retorting.

“Liu old lady, remember this clearly. Even if your precious grandson becomes a big official, our family won’t take advantage! And don’t think you can come and take advantage of us. Mengzi, Huzi, close the door and see her out!”

———————–

Author’s Note: Six thousand words today~

Still owe 2000, will make it up slowly hehe