Chapter 42042 Sisters' Heart-to-heart
Du Qingtang returned to the courtyard and saw the girls preparing to set up their stall.
"Tang Ge'er is back!"
"Is the assessment difficult? Is it tiring?"
"Tang Ge'er will rest at home tonight, we can just go over there."
Du Qingtang had been in a good mood the past two days, patiently replying to each one: "It's not difficult, it's not tiring, and I have nothing to do anyway, so I'll join you."
Du Wuya wanted to persuade him again, but Du Qingtang had already put the book box in the main room and put on his jacket: "Let's go."
Du Wuya knew very well that once Tangger decided on something, no one could change his mind, so she simply kept silent, checked whether everything was ready, and set off from home.
The night market has not yet opened, and vendors gather in groups of three or five to chat.
"Will you still be setting up the stall the day after tomorrow?"
"We have to stay up all night on New Year's Eve, so why should we set up a stall?"
"I'm still coming. I want to send my son to school next year. I heard tuition is very expensive, so any extra money I can earn is good."
"How much?"
"I don't know."
"Young Master Du is here, why don't you just ask her directly?"
Everyone looked towards the location of Du Ji Snack Stall. The five siblings had just arrived and their cart had not yet stopped.
The man who said he wanted to send his son to school asked with a smile, "Young Master Du, how much does it cost to study in that academy for a year?"
Du Qingtang blocked the wheel with a stone, stood up and answered: "The academy needs six taels of silver for repairs every year."
“So expensive?!”
"The whole family must have tightened their belts and gone without food and drink to save this much money, right?"
"Not really, but studying costs money, and life will definitely not be as good as before."
Du Qingtang suggested, "You can go to a private school first. The tuition at the Li family private school is five taels a year. Then you can take the entrance exam for the academy. The top five students can be exempted from the tuition."
"so good?"
"Young Master Du, are you exempted?"
Du Qingtang nodded, and everyone exclaimed in amazement.
“That’s amazing.”
"Girls, you are so lucky to have a brother like Young Master Du!"
The girls love to hear people praising their youngest child. They say "how happy he is" but they can't stop smiling.
Being able to become a family with Tang Ge'er is their greatest luck.
Tang Ge'er is mature and steady compared to his peers, and never causes them any worries.
Sometimes, they think that Tangger is the oldest one, and always unconsciously obey her. They have to ask her first about all the big and small things in the family before they feel at ease to do them.
Tang Ge'er is their strength.
Before long, the night market opened and diners flocked in.
The vendors returned to their seats, busying themselves with their work and shouting their wares.
"Same old rules, one serving of stinky tofu, two sausages, and two pieces of seitan."
"Give me two pounds of braised pork offal. My family loves yours. We'll put it on the table the day after tomorrow, New Year's Eve."
Du Ji Snack Stall was crowded with people. The girls were busy as hell, but their foreheads were wet with sweat even in the cold winter.
Du Qingtang was still in charge of collecting money. Some old customers knew that she was a scholar and was studying at the famous Qingyuan Academy, so they deliberately touched her hands when paying, calling it a way to get some smart money.
Du Qingtang: “…”
"Young Master Du."
A male voice sounded polite and flattering. Du Qingtang looked up and saw that the man was wearing a gray short shirt and dressed like a servant of a wealthy family.
"What do you want to buy?"
"Uh..." The servant rubbed his hands, looking a little embarrassed, and said with a stiff upper lip, "My master wants to see you."
Du Qingtang's eyes flickered slightly: "From the Xie family?"
The servant nodded: "My master is the second young master of the Xie family."
"Tang Ge'er, collect the money!" Du Liuya on the other side shouted loudly.
Du Qingtang quickly reported a figure, took the money handed over by the diner, and said in a lukewarm tone: "I'm very busy, let him come over by himself."
If you need help from others, you should be humble.
The servant laughed awkwardly, his voice soft as a mosquito: "My young master has a broken leg. It's not convenient for him to come here because of the constant coming and going."
Du Qingtang: “…”
The law of nature is clear and retribution will come, this is what Xie Guang is talking about.
No matter how the servant begged, Du Qingtang never responded. The servant had no choice but to leave dejectedly.
Two hours later, Du Qingtang and the girls pushed the cart through the night market and headed home.
"Du Qingtang."
A familiar yet unfamiliar male voice sounded. Du Qingtang looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xie Guang jumping out of the carriage with the help of a servant, and walking towards her staggeringly with a cane.
The girls remembered Xie Guang, the one who had knocked out his teeth at the night market because of his foul language and angered everyone. They thought he was here to cause trouble for the youngest girl, so they stood in front of Du Qingtang with a stern face, as if they would pick up a colander to smash his head if he dared to come.
Xie Guang's eyebrows twitched twice, and he stopped a few steps away: "I'm not here to cause trouble for you."
Of course Du Qingtang knew it, but the girls didn't believe it.
Du Wuya said coldly: "If you dare to do anything, I will call for help."
Xie Guang exhaled a breath of foul air and asked directly: "What Yuan Sheng said is all false, right?"
Du Qingtang said: "I have made it very clear."
So...Du Qingtang never repaid kindness with enmity, and Xie Guang is the real villain.
Xie Guang was having trouble breathing, as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest. The anger of being deceived and used was like a vine wrapped around his heart. The feeling of suffocation made his face pale, and his body was shaking and he was about to fall down. The frightened servant beside him hurried to support him.
Du Qingtang turned a blind eye and said, "Let's go back."
The five sisters ignored Xie Guang, who seemed to have suffered a heavy blow, and pushed the cart westward.
After taking a few steps, Xie Guang's hoarse voice came from behind him.
"Du Qingtang, I...I...I'm sorry."
Du Qingtang didn't turn around. Facing the girls' questioning eyes, he just said, "Let's talk about it when we get home."
"Sir, that young master Du has left. It's time for us to go back. If we return late, the master and the mistress will be worried." The servant supported Xie Guang and said in a gentle voice.
Xie Guang nodded, and after returning home, he went to his father's study.
Xie's father was checking the accounts. When he saw him coming, he asked without even looking up, "What are you doing here?"
Even though he was mentally prepared, Xie Guang still felt uncomfortable with his father's indifference.
But he knew that it was entirely his own fault.
"I just went out to ask Du Qingtang for confirmation."
Father Xie raised his head and looked at him silently.
Xie Guang clenched his fingers and said in a difficult tone: "I was wrong."
Father Xie raised his eyebrows: "So?"
Xie Guang swallowed his saliva: "Can I know how Yuan Sheng is doing now?"
Thank you father for telling me the truth.
Xie Guang's lips moved, and finally he said, "Dad, I want to continue studying."
Father Xie was very surprised and turned to look out the window. Could it be that the moon was rising from the west today?
His son hated all those nonsense the most, and this was the first time he took the initiative to ask to study.
Seeing that Xie Guang's serious expression did not seem fake, Xie's father pondered for a moment and said, "When your leg is healed, I will send you to Hongyang Academy."
This is a helpless move.
Xie Guang's behavior at the literary meeting completely ruined his reputation and he was expelled from Qingyuan Academy. No matter how much money was offered, which private school would dare to accept him?
Those private schools that you can get into by paying money are not good either.
Xie Guang lowered his head: "Okay."
......
"Tang'er, tell us quickly, what did that bastard Yuan Sheng say!"
When Du Qingtang returned home, he was caught by the girls and questioned seriously.
Du Qingtang didn't hide anything and told him frankly, "Yuan Sheng confused right and wrong, saying that his family paid for my education, but I turned my kindness against him and harmed him. Xie Guang believed it and targeted me several times."
In fact, the second half of the sentence is true. It was she who caused Yuansheng to become infamous.
But words are not enough. She has been working hard to build her reputation in the past two months, not just for the sake of attracting attention.
The girls were so angry that their faces turned red. Du Qiya was more direct. She slammed the table, stood up, rolled up her sleeves and punched the air: "If this bastard was in front of me, I would beat him to death!"
Du Qingtang consoled him, "Everyone trusts me, and I'm not someone who will just swallow my anger. Xie Guang has been expelled from the academy, and Yuan Sheng has offended the Xie family. I'm afraid he's going to have a hard time."
The girls were still angry, but they didn't say anything more. They washed up and went to bed, cursing Yuansheng in their dreams.
-
The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month is New Year’s Eve.
The girls got up early and packed their bags to go back to the village.
There is still some food left in the kitchen, both meat and vegetables. I will use it to make a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner in the evening to reward myself for my hard work for half a month.
While I was busy, someone knocked on the door.
Du Liuya opened the door and the visitor introduced himself as the housekeeper of the Xie family.
Butler Xie brought many gifts and bowed humbly when he saw Du Qingtang. "Master Du, my second son has offended you before. The master has already reprimanded and punished him. I was asked to come here to apologize to you on his behalf. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against him."
As he spoke, he opened one of the brocade boxes, which contained neatly arranged silver bills, estimated to be several hundred taels.
Butler Xie thought that Du Qingtang, who came from a rural farming family, would definitely accept it and then generously forgive his second son.
However, this is not the case.
Du Qingtang didn't even look at the banknotes, as if they were just a few pieces of waste paper in her eyes: "Please go back. Your master has already apologized to me on behalf of Xie Guang."
Butler Xie looked bewildered. He had apologized? How could he not know?
He thought so and asked so.
Butler Xie carefully chose his words and asked tentatively, "Excuse me, Young Master Du, when did my master..."
Du Qingtang: "Yesterday."
yesterday?
Could it be that the master sent someone to deliver gifts when he went to Dahe Town?
If he had already given it to me, why did he let him...wait! Yesterday?!
A white light flashed through Butler Xie's mind. In a flash, he seemed to understand something. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes so sharp that it seemed as if he wanted to drill a hole in Du Qingtang opposite him.
Du Qingtang remained calm and repeated in a slightly heavier tone, "Thank you, housekeeper. Please go back."
Butler Xie didn't know how he left the Du family and returned to the Xie Mansion.
Seeing him return with so many bags, Father Xie frowned and asked, "What's going on? Could it be that Du Qingtang refuses to accept them?"
Butler Xie wiped the sweat from his forehead and relayed Du Qingtang's words to his master truthfully.
Father Xie had been leaning back in his chair, but upon hearing this, he sat up straight with a cold look in his eyes: "I was wrong! This isn't a lying dog, it's clearly a wolf cub!"
Butler Xie's back was covered in cold sweat. He raised his hand and gestured at his neck: "Master, Du Qingtang used the Xie family to cause the second young master to break his leg. Do you want to..."
Xie's father was indeed angry at Du Qingtang's exploitation, and the other party even spoke it out openly afterwards.
Regardless of what role Du Qingtang played in this matter, it is a fact that he made a mistake, and it is also a fact that Yuan Sheng deceived him.
If he could take this opportunity to teach the second brother a lesson and make him turn over a new leaf and become a good person, he would have suffered a loss.
Thinking of this, Xie's father shook his head and said, "Just pretend it never happened. There's no need to let the second son know."
Butler Xie secretly clicked his tongue. This Du Qingtang was really capable. He could plot against his own master and still get away with it.
He is so scheming at such a young age. What will happen when he grows up?
"Yes, I will take my leave."
......
When Butler Xie came to the door, Du Qingtang found an excuse to send the girls away, so they did not hear the conversation between the two.
Upon learning that Du Qingtang had rejected the Xie family's apology, Du Wuya had no objection, but felt very guilty: "If our family could be the same as the Xie family, Tang Ge'er would never have suffered such an injustice."
Du Qingtang put the book into the bookcase, his expression calm: "That's why I want to study."
Only by becoming an official, only by holding power, second only to the emperor, can she control her own life and death.
It is not a pleasant feeling to be slaughtered and at the mercy of others.
Du Wuya clenched her fist and said forcefully, "Tang'er, study hard. We will work hard to make money to support your studies!"
The other three girls also said confidently: "Yes, we are at home!"
Du Qingtang coughed lightly and implicitly explained Yuan Sheng's current situation with his broken limbs.
The girls pretended not to notice that she was deliberately changing the subject and applauded.
Before leaving, they did not forget to prepare enough water and food for the chicks. They would not be back until the fourth day of the first lunar month, so they could not let them go hungry.
Starting from the 25th day of the 12th lunar month, everyone went to the city to buy New Year's goods. By now, most of them had finished their shopping and were preparing for the New Year at home. Therefore, the ox cart was very deserted. Apart from Du Qingtang and his group, there were only three or five people.
The ox cart had not yet moved, and several women were chatting.
"A widower in our village died in a stinking ditch, his lower body cut open."
"Who did it? Was he caught?"
"Zhang Tiezhu's family members are all dead. He was always stealing and robbing people. Who would report him to the police? He was just thrown into the mountains with a rolled-up mat."
"This is too hasty. What if the murderer targets other people?"
Every family has a man. If someone were to be castrated and his body thrown into a stinking ditch, the wife and elderly people in the family would probably cry themselves blind.
"What murderer? He's clearly trying to get rid of a threat to the people! Most likely, Zhang Tiezhu must have offended someone. It's been over half a month, and no one else has been killed... Anyway, don't overthink it, he'll be fine."
These women all had loud voices, and the girls had never heard such words before. Their faces turned red and they lowered their heads, wishing they could dig a hole on the spot and bury themselves in it.
One of the women wanted to say something more, but was nudged by the person next to her. Then she realized that there was a girl around and shut up awkwardly.
Back at Taoyuan Village, Du Qiya asked, "Fifth sister, is Zhang Tiezhu the guy who used to hang around our village with that disgusting look in his eyes?"
Du Liuya nodded: "Yes, it's him!"
Du Qingtang frowned: "He used to come here often?"
Du Qiya gritted her teeth and said viciously, "That's right. He always looks at people with lustful eyes. Last year, he even came to our house and insisted on talking to the fifth and sixth sisters, but was kicked out by the eldest uncle from the third uncle's family."
Du Qingtang's eyes were cold. He was too gentle. He should chop it into pieces and feed it to the dog.
"Good death, it should have been long overdue."
"Don't mention unlucky things during the New Year." Du Wuya took out the key, opened the door, and assigned tasks. "You haven't been home for a month or so. First, clean the house, and then make the New Year's Eve dinner."
"good!"
The girls rolled up their sleeves and started working spontaneously.
Du Qingtang was also busy cleaning the cobwebs in the corners.
After spending the whole morning cleaning, the rooms looked brand new. Du Qingtang was just about to take a break and continue reading County Magistrate Meng's copy of "The Analects" when Fang Honghai came over.
"Tang'er, would you like to write some couplets? The two boys from the Liu family plus you, the three of us can earn some New Year's money."
On New Year's Eve, couplets have to be posted. Most villagers are illiterate and can only spend three or five cents to ask others to write them. In the past, in addition to Liu Tongsheng's two grandsons, many people also asked Yuansheng to write couplets.
This year, Yuansheng's family moved out of Taoyuan Village, and the two Liu family members were too busy to handle it, so Fang Honghai thought of Du Qingtang.
Du Qingtang readily agreed and went to Fang Honghai's home with him.
Fang's house was full of people standing inside and outside, all waiting to write couplets.
Liu Tongsheng's two grandsons had ink splashed on their faces without realizing it, and the brushes in their hands almost flew out, leaving afterimages.
They are about the same age as Du Qingtang. They study in the Li family's private school and have Liu Tongsheng to teach them one-on-one when they come back. It is estimated that they will be able to take part in the imperial examinations in the next two years.
Du Qingtang was lost in thought. Just as he sat down, someone placed four copper coins on the table. "Tang'er, I came to ask you to write a couplet."
Du Qingtang picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, wrote two couplets and handed them to the other party.
Everyone saw that Du Qingtang's handwriting was excellent, not inferior to that of the two brothers of the Liu family, and many of them came to see her.
There were more than 200 households in the village. An hour later, Du Qingtang left with 230 coins.
As soon as I arrived at the door, Aunt Du came running over with a bamboo basket on her shoulder: "Tang'er, when did you come back?"
Du Qingtang glanced at the eggs in the bamboo basket: "In the morning."
"I heard your sister went to the city with you? I'm wondering, kid, how could you be so ignorant? You don't want to live in such a big house at home, but you insist on renting a house in the city. Even if you make money from setting up a stall, you can't afford such a big deal!"
In the middle of the month, someone in the village saw the girls selling sour soup tofu at the market. When they came back, they told others about it, and soon the whole village knew about it.
Upon learning that Du Ji Snack Stall was doing very well, Second Aunt Du became extremely jealous and wished that all the money earned by those losing vendors could go into her own pocket.
As soon as he heard that Du Qingtang was back, he hurried over.
As long as she had a good relationship with the first wife, the house would eventually belong to the second wife, and the snack stand would also belong to the second wife. Aunt Du was so happy that she was very happy for a long time, and Aunt Du even thought she was crazy.
"Does it have anything to do with you?"
When Du Qingtang said this, Aunt Du thought she had misheard: "What did you say?"
Du Qingtang looked up at her, his aura overwhelming hers, and said with a half-smile: "Even if my sisters go to the county town to set up a stall, it won't be your turn to live in this house."
Aunt Du's head buzzed, and she stiffened her neck and refused to admit it. "Tang'er, what are you talking about? Your father passed away early, and your mother has moved to another family. As your aunt, I feel sorry for you and specially sent eggs here. How can you say that I want to live in your house?"
Du Qingtang: "Oh, then no."
Aunt Du choked. This damn child, no wonder Yuan Ruyi didn't want her, it was so infuriating!
"Anything else?"
Aunt Du shook her head.
"You can go now."
After saying that, he retreated to the door and closed it with a bang.
If Aunt Du hadn't retreated quickly, she would have almost had her nose pinched.
"You little bastard!"
Aunt Du was turned away and heard someone sneering behind her. She turned around and saw several people looking at her from a distance.
That look was like watching a monkey show.
"Zhang Dahua, you're too shameless! Tang Ge'er and her sister depend on each other for survival. How dare you set your eyes on her house?"
Aunt Du's face turned pale and blue, more exciting than a dyeing factory, and she said stubbornly, "I don't have any."
"Tang Ge'er has never seen you come to my house once in my life, and now you are so affectionate and offering me eggs. Ugh! The door to the main hall is not as big as your face!"
Aunt Du couldn't scold them, so she ran away with her bamboo basket.
"Tang'er, who are you talking to?"
"It's a dog from some family in the village. I guess it knew we were cooking meat and came here following the smell."
"It turned out to be a dog. I thought it was a person."
Du Qingtang laughed and went to the kitchen to help.
......
In the evening, the girls prepared the New Year's Eve dinner.
Three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, a soup, multi-grain rice, white flour pancakes, and a full bowl of sour plum soup.
Let the sour plum soup cool in the pot and save it for drinking when staying up late on New Year's Eve. Its sour taste is particularly refreshing.
"This is the first time in my life that I've had such a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner."
“It’s like a dream.”
"It will definitely get better and better in the future."
"Yes, that's right, I will!"
The girls' eyes sparkled and they enjoyed the hard-earned New Year's Eve dinner with smiles on their faces.
After eating and drinking, it’s time to stay up all night.
The five sisters sat cross-legged on the kang. The kang had been heated in advance and was so warm that they didn't need to cover themselves with quilts when sitting on it.
The girls formed a circle with copper coins and silver grains placed in the middle.
The copper coins were earned from setting up a stall two days ago. I had saved up half a box of copper coins before. I used my third brother-in-law's relationship and went to a restaurant to exchange them for one or two taels of silver.
New Year’s Eve is a good time to distribute money.
Du Qingtang held the account book in his hand, and his clear voice accompanied by sour plum soup made people inexplicably refreshed.
"I started setting up my stall on the 14th day of the twelfth lunar month, and by the 29th day, I had earned four taels of silver from the night market, and one tael of silver from the sour soup tofu, which was exactly one tael of silver per person."
As Du Qingtang spoke, he placed the silver grains in front of each person in turn.
"I just counted them. This pile of copper coins is worth 426 coins. Each of you gets 100 coins, and I keep 26 coins."
Du Wuya disapproved: "These snacks were all invented by you, Tang Ge'er. How can we take advantage of you?"
Du Qingtang readily replied, "I only go to the night market to help out occasionally. It's you who are busy day and night. This is what you deserve."
Then, without giving them a chance to retort, he counted out twenty-six copper coins and said, "You can count the rest yourself."
Du Qiya was the first to move forward. She counted out a hundred copper coins and piled them on her legs. The coins were against her ankles, making her shiver with cold. She reached out and poked Du Wuya: "Sister, it's your turn."
Du Wuya glanced at the youngest, who raised his chin slightly, signaling her to count the money quickly.
"Sixth, Eighth, let's go together."
So, the three heads gathered together and counted the coins with a clattering sound.
After counting the copper coins, he imitated Du Qiya and scattered them on his legs.
The sound is as pleasant as the crisp sound of copper coins falling into a coin box.
"You guys keep this money for yourselves. As I said before, buy whatever you want and go get whatever you need. A girl will feel confident only when she has money in her hands."
In the winter night, everything was silent, and Du Qingtang's voice seemed particularly gentle, but it made their hearts bubble with joy, and they felt as if they were lying in hot spring water, feeling extremely comfortable.
At this time, the sound of firecrackers was heard outside.
It's midnight.
Every household lights firecrackers to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.
The Du family did not buy firecrackers. The money-sharing activity at night made them more excited than the firecrackers.
"Happy New Year." Du Qingtang said.
Du Qiya stared at her blankly, holding a handful of copper coins in her hand. Suddenly, her nose felt sore and she burst into tears.
Du Qingtang, Du Wuya and the others were stunned. It was New Year's Eve, a beautiful day, why were they crying?
Before she could ask, Du Qiya rushed to Du Qingtang, hugged her, buried her face in her neck, and cried breathlessly.
Copper coins were rolling everywhere, but Du Qiya didn't even look at them.
"Tang Ge'er, I was wrong. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I shouldn't have run away without telling you. Woo..."
"I am vain and I love money. I want beautiful clothes and beautiful jewelry because I have never had them."
"I don't want to be sold to some man like my mother sells an animal. I don't want to be called a money-loser. So even if I have to be someone's concubine, I'm willing to do it."
The young girl was crying so hard that she was hiccuping. Her thin body was shaking slightly and her voice was disbelief.
"But I never thought that one day I would be able to earn my own money."
"This is completely different from being a concubine, and it's also different from doing embroidery and wood carving at home. Although it's tiring and I have to look after people's faces occasionally, this money, this silver, these copper coins, are all earned by my own hands from morning till night."
Du Qiya thought of the nightmare again, and tears fell down.
"Tang Ge'er, I already know I was wrong, but I haven't apologized to you yet."
"I also want to thank you for stopping me in time."
Thank you, thank you for saving my life.
Thank you for forgiving my ignorance.
The sound of firecrackers was deafening, but it was far less deafening than Du Qiya's sobbing voice.
Du Qingtang felt the wetness on the side of his neck, and his heart was shaken like never before.
She was so shocked that her mind was in a trance and her heart was beating faster.
Since she was born, Yuanshi not only asked her to keep her identity secret, but also often taught her the Three Obediences and Four Virtues and to carry on the family line.
Du Qingtang was very disgusted with these things, so he was not close to Yuanshi.
At the same time, she was worried about her identity being exposed and did not dare to get too close to her sisters.
Looking back on the past, three reincarnations, and the long decades, Du Qingtang suddenly realized that she didn't understand them at all.
She stopped Du Qiya out of a sense of responsibility and her own deep hatred for the identity of a "concubine".
She always thought that Du Qiya did this purely because she loved money and was vain.
However, no one would have thought that the root cause of this tragedy was her original family full of feudal ideas and Du Qiya's gender.
It turns out that she just wanted to prove that she was not a money-losing person.
For this, she paid the price with her life.
Since his rebirth, although he still has obsessions in his heart, Du Qingtang always feels that being alive is good, and dying is also okay.
Now, she has found a new meaning in life.
They, her sisters.
They are still young, inexperienced, and have not yet established their values.
There are two paths before them, one leading to better and the other to worse.
The future is uncertain, and they need someone to watch over and guide them.
Du Qingtang thought, perhaps I can take on this responsibility and do my best to complete this difficult and long-term task.
There is no one more suitable than me.
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