Chapter 67 Zhou Quanqing kowtowed loudly.
Seeing the uneasy look on Zhengji's face when he entered the room, Zeng Zhengqing immediately guessed his purpose.
"Where is my sister-in-law?" Zhengji asked, looking around.
“She went out with Huiying. Huiying is taking her to the city for a stroll.” Zeng Zhengqing put down his book. “Please sit down.”
The two men sat facing each other, brothers who were clearly the closest of friends, yet they remained silent, the rising smoke of Jiuhe incense swirling between them.
Zeng Zhengqing broke the silence first: "You have something to say to me?"
Zhengji hesitated for a moment before saying, "Brother, I want to take the exam!"
“No.” Zeng Zhengqing replied very quickly.
"Why? Is it just because of Father's last words?" Zeng Zhengji asked anxiously.
"right."
“But my uncle told me yesterday that what the Zeng family has always hoped for is for one of their descendants to pass the imperial examinations and become an official. What my father didn’t finish, I should finish!” Zeng Zhengji said vehemently.
“That’s what Uncle said, but you are Father’s son,” Zeng Zhengqing said calmly. “If Uncle has this wish, let his descendants fulfill it.”
“You know perfectly well that in this generation of the Zeng family, there are only two men, you and me. You have long since lost interest in this path, and now only I can achieve this goal!”
“Father’s words were crystal clear back then.” Zeng Zhengqing stared into Zeng Zhengji’s eyes, “Our family’s descendants will never, ever be allowed to take the imperial examinations!”
"Brother!" Zeng Zhengji cried out in anguish, "That was just one sentence from Father! Does that mean my life is doomed just because of his one sentence?"
"No, not only mine, but also your and my children, my grandchildren. They haven't even been born yet, but their lives are already confined by this sentence!"
"I'm not reconciled!"
"Brother, are you really willing to accept this? This is the main way for men in the world to make a living and establish themselves. Are you really willing to make a choice for your unborn child based on just one sentence?"
Zhengji stood up abruptly and paced back and forth in the room: "If he didn't want me to take the exam in the first place, he wouldn't have bothered to send me to school in the first place. He sent me to school and gave me the desire to prove myself, but in the end, he won't let me take the exam!"
"I am like a traveler in the desert, with a spring right in front of me, but I have no right to drink a sip to quench my thirst!"
He stopped, his face contorted with anguish: "This is too cruel for me!"
“Studying is meant to help you understand things and improve your abilities. I also studied, and I'm the same as everyone else, without having to take any exams,” Zeng Zhengqing said.
"How can that be the same?" Zeng Zhengji shouted. "The family has long since decided that you will take over the bookstore, and you are happy to accept this arrangement. But I'm different! I don't want it! But you won't let me do what I want to do!"
His voice trembled: "Brother, you've always treated me so well, why can't you think about me? Why can't I be in charge of my own life?"
Seeing his younger brother's pleading expression, Zeng Zhengqing's heart softened, and he said gently, "Zhengji, apart from this matter, as long as it's something you want to do, your brother will find a way to support you and help you achieve it."
"But all I want is to pass the imperial examination with flying colors!"
Zeng Zhengqing fell silent, leaning back in his chair.
"My stance on this point is already very clear."
Zhengji remained motionless, staring at him, his eyes gradually reddening. Without saying a word, he rushed out of the house.
The white mist inside the incense burner meandered and swirled, like endless sighs.
*
Qingduo keenly sensed Zeng Zhengqing's displeasure. When she returned yesterday and shared her spoils of war, Zeng Zhengqing was distracted and only dealt with her absentmindedly.
She didn't think much of it at first; who would be happy on the anniversary of their father's death? But later, she found that Masaki wasn't in high spirits either.
And! Every time their eyes met, Masayuki would turn his head away.
She quickly deduced that the two brothers had a falling out.
Sigh, I wonder if my father-in-law, in his spirit, would scold me as an "unfilial son" if he saw his two eldest sons awkwardly paying their respects at his grave?
This was Qingduo's first time visiting her father-in-law's grave, and she couldn't help but compare it to her mother's grave. Just by looking at the surrounding feng shui and the material of the tombstone, she could already get a glimpse of the wealth of the Zeng family in Jiangbei.
In contrast, my mother's grave was much simpler. It was just a pit dug on the hill behind our house, with a small tombstone erected.
She remembered that her father had barely managed to buy it with the little money he earned from painting.
But Dad's paintings are so valuable, why did he only buy an ordinary piece of stone back then?
Will he spend the extra money on alcohol again?
Enough, enough. Death is the end of everything. What does it matter if the tombstone is good or bad, or the feng shui of the surrounding area? These are all for those who come to pay their respects. The best place for the departed soul is to remember that person in your heart.
Actually, there's nothing wrong with my mother's grave. It's a beautiful place with clear waters, shady trees, chirping birds, and my family is all nearby.
She is not alone.
When it was time for the filial son and daughter-in-law to pay their respects, Qingduo kowtowed several times with resounding force, showing extreme piety. When she raised her head, she saw Zeng Zhengqing's surprised gaze.
"What's wrong?" she asked, bewildered.
Could she have bumped into the wrong person? She quickly glanced at the inscription on the grave—it was correct!
Zeng Zhengqing pointed to her reddened forehead: "Tap lightly, doesn't it hurt?"
Qingduo touched her forehead, "Phew!" It really hurt a bit! She replied earnestly, "It's our first time meeting, so I wanted to be polite."
She added, "Once we're more familiar with each other, I won't bang it so loudly."
Upon hearing this, Zeng Zhengqing turned his face away.
"Just laugh if you want to, why hide it!" Qingduo noticed his twitching ears. His father in heaven would be happy to see his son so happy.
Zeng Zhengqing knelt before the grave, wanting to speak with his father alone for a while. Qingduo got up and looked around, then saw Zeng Zhengji burning paper money nearby. On a whim, she went over to him.
She picked up a piece of paper money and threw it into the basin, but her eyes were fixed on Zeng Zhengji. She quietly asked, "Brother-in-law, did you and your brother have a fight?"
Zeng Zhengji paused, then said, "No."
Qingduo pouted: "Don't lie to me! It's too obvious. That's how I am when my dad and I argue. We just ignore each other!"
Zhengji looked up in surprise and asked, "You dare to argue with your father?"
What's the problem?
Qingduo almost burst out laughing: "Of course! Everyone argues when they've been together for a long time! My dad and I argue, and your brother and I argue too. Although we haven't argued much, that's because we haven't spent much time together. We'll argue eventually if we've been together for a while. What's so strange about that!"
Zeng Zhengji lowered his head and threw the paper money into the fire, watching it turn from white to black and turn into ruins as it was consumed by the flames: "I dare not argue with my father, he will definitely scold me for being rude."
Qingduo thought for a moment, then pointed to the tombstone and suggested, "Why don't you go now?"
“Now when you argue with him, he can’t yell at you anymore,” she said sincerely.
Zeng Zhengji's lips twitched slightly, and a smile unconsciously crept into his eyes. He said softly, "No wonder my elder brother has changed so much. It's hard not to be happy with my sister-in-law!"
Qingduo loved hearing that, and she smiled brightly, "Hehe, thank you for the compliment. Feel free to come find me whenever you're feeling down!"
Zeng Zhengji laughed again, and Qingduo seized the opportunity to ask, "So why were you arguing?"
Zeng Zhengji sighed: "I want to participate in next year's county examination."
"Oh, then I'll participate." Qingduo said nonchalantly.
Zeng Zhengji sighed again: "If only my brother could agree so readily like you do."
"He won't let you go?" Qingduo was very surprised.
"Yes, Father told us before he died that we shouldn't take this path." He stared intently at the brazier, the dark gray ashes seemingly filling his chest.
"Huh?" Qingduo was even more surprised. People in this world were scrambling to take the exams, all hoping to obtain an official position through it. This was the first time she had ever encountered a father who forbade his descendants from participating.
Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she realized: "Could it be related to... the cheating scandal?"
"Probably! Although there was no conclusive evidence in the end, my father's reputation was completely ruined."
Qingduo fell silent, her heart clenching. She hadn't experienced this firsthand, but just seeing her father's increasingly despondent state was enough to break her heart.
So, what kind of heart-wrenching pain must the two fathers be experiencing after going through this turmoil and losing all their pride!
He picked up the paper money and gently threw it into the fire, silently praying: "Heavens, please take good care of my father-in-law, so that he will no longer suffer over there."
Zeng Zhengji sighed and said, “Perhaps my father was disheartened and felt that fame and fortune were all empty and meaningless; perhaps he felt that this was the shame of his life and he did not want us descendants to follow this path. But whatever the reason, he tasted these bitterness, but I know nothing about it.”
"I just want to experience it firsthand, even if it means hitting a wall and feeling heartbroken, I'll accept it."
“What’s so difficult about that?” Qingduo winked at him. “Your father is no longer alive.”
Seeing Zeng Zhengji's stunned and puzzled expression, she added, "If my father were alive, I wouldn't listen to him if I didn't want to; but your father is already dead, so what are you afraid of?"
Zeng Zhengji subconsciously looked at Zeng Zhengqing's back: "But my brother... if I ignore his objections and disregard Father's last wishes, and go to take the exam on my own, my brother will be heartbroken."
“Then you shall wait,” Qingduo said, picking up a stick and stirring the brazier, causing the flames to leap up. “You just wait for him to change his mind. If you’re lucky, it’ll be tomorrow; if you’re unlucky, it could be a lifetime. I hope your brother lives to be a hundred, so at least it has to be…”
She counted on her fingers and made an "eight" gesture: "Eighty years from now!"
She patted Zeng Zhengji on the shoulder: "Brother-in-law, you must live well! You still have eighty years to endure!"
Zeng Zhengji was stunned for a moment. His eyes were initially clouded, but then they gradually cleared. Overjoyed, he straightened up and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, sister-in-law! I have learned a lot!"
“Hey? Don’t say that,” Qingduo stretched out her index finger and shook her head along with it, “It’s none of my business, it was your own decision.”
"Yes, yes. I won't implicate my sister-in-law," Zeng Zhengji quickly replied.
Qingduo glared at him: "What do you mean by 'implicated'! I don't know anything!"
Zeng Zhengji laughed and said, "Yes! Yes! I was confused!"
With his worries resolved, he felt lightheaded and cheerfully got up to leave.
Qingduo shook her head: This silly boy, it's still his father's death anniversary!
She glanced at the stack of paper money on the ground, threw it all into the brazier in one go, turned to look at Zeng Zhengqing, and saw Zeng Yong walk up to him, say something to him, and the two of them walked away together.
What's all this mystery about? Lost in thought, she didn't notice that her fingers had been burned by a sudden burst of flame.
"Ouch!" She quickly pulled her hand back and blew hard on the burn.
As she played the flute, Qingduo suddenly had a thought: Could it be that her father-in-law saw that she was disobeying Zeng Zhengji and was deliberately punishing her?
The more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt. She even began to regret giving Zeng Zhengji advice earlier. She was already frightening enough to see this living uncle on ordinary days. What if her father-in-law was really dissatisfied with her and his ghost came to her door demanding an explanation?
No! She needs to explain herself clearly right away!
Qingduo immediately ran to the grave, knelt down, and prayed with her hands clasped together: "Father-in-law, in heaven, you must see this clearly!"
This was Zeng Zhengji's own decision; it has nothing to do with me!
If you feel this matter goes against your wishes and you harbor resentment, you should still visit your brother-in-law in a dream to explain things clearly!
Please don't come after me!
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Author's Note: Next chapter will be published Thursday at 7 AM.
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