Chapter 137 A fire burned down the road as they went to Shanghai to find their eldest daughter/sister.
"Mother, if I burn this attic down, do you think I can escape in the chaos?"
Kong Fengzheng stared intently at her mother. The more she looked at the articles her sister Kong Fengming brought back from outside, the more she felt that this so-called thousand-year-old family was a cage. She wanted to go out and see the scenery outside the Kong family, even if it meant dying immediately.
"You can't just say things like that."
Wei Sijie was shocked and instinctively covered her daughter's mouth, but her daughter broke free forcefully.
"Mother, I heard the maid talking about my marriage today."
Kong Fengzheng said softly, and Wei Sijie was taken aback—she had never heard any rumors about this. Kong Fengzheng looked at his mother’s stunned expression and smiled instead. His mother always felt that her older brother had always been the kind brother who cared for his younger sister, but people can change.
"The clan elders have already discussed it and decided that I will marry into the Chen family."
The Chen family was quite famous in Shandong, and they were considered a good match for the Kong family. Before Wei Sijie could relax, she was shocked by the next sentence and her expression changed drastically.
"The husband they found for me was the fifth son of the third branch of the Chen family, Chen Liumian."
Chen Liumian is not this person's real name; it's a nickname given to him by others. Although he is the eldest son of the family, he is a lecherous scoundrel. Before he could even eat, he started tasting the rouge on the lips of maids. He had his first woman at the age of twelve, and after he tasted the flavor of a man at the age of fifteen, he spent every day and night in brothels.
This kind of philandering has an elegant name: "Sleeping with Flowers and Willows." However, because the man only touched men and not women, he was nicknamed "Young Master Willow Sleeper." After a while, people forgot his real name and just called him Chen Willow Sleeper.
In the Kong family, Chen Liumian was used as a negative example, not because he frequented brothels, but because he had been involved in such activities before he was married and had a legitimate son, and now he didn't even have a child.
"You absolutely cannot marry this woman! I'm going to find your older brother right now!"
Wei Sijie rarely swore; coming from a scholarly family, she would never use words like "slut."
With a pale face, she was about to get out of bed. It was rare for a woman who was usually virtuous and gentle to harbor resentment towards those elders—not to mention the fifth son's terrible reputation, her daughter was only fifteen years old, while Chen Liumian was already over thirty!
"You think my elder brother doesn't know?"
Kong Fengzheng's words stopped his mother in her tracks. Seeing Wei Sijie's pale face, he sighed, but his resolve only grew stronger.
"My elder brother did indeed argue with the clan elders,"
Kong Fengzheng watched her mother cry and laugh with every word she spoke, feeling both heartache and a strange sense of satisfaction: because her eldest brother was the pillar of the family after their father passed away, her mother always made her and Kong Fengming back down when they fought with him. Although there was compensation later, the grievances at the time were real.
My mother always said that my eldest brother would support them in the future, but what about now?
The older sister ran fast, not giving the older brother a chance to reveal his true colors. Now, she's also on her wedding day, a commodity with a price tag.
"The argument is about how much benefit he will actually get after I marry him."
Kong Fengzheng felt much better looking at her mother's ashen face, but she didn't stop talking. The wound needed to be cleaned of the rotten flesh to heal. If it was dragged out and left unresolved, it would only become incurable.
Mother did favor her eldest brother, but she also genuinely loved her and her sister. Otherwise, no matter how ill Kong Fengming was, her feet would still have to be bound. No matter how pitifully she cried and begged, she couldn't just use strips of cloth to bind the sides of her feet to make a show of it and use specially made embroidered shoes to pretend that her feet were bound with three inches of golden lotus. [1]
"Mother, I've received some news."
Kong Fengzheng wanted to cry with her mother, but she had already cried all her tears when she heard the news. She was glad that she hadn't been corrupted by the so-called Four Books for Women. She had read through the letters and articles her sister sent her word for word and learned some ways to manipulate the maids and servants. Otherwise, she would have been no different from a deaf and blind person.
"Chen Liumian has already developed syphilis."
Kong Fengzheng stared intently at his mother, observing her reaction. She habitually favored her eldest brother and would find all sorts of excuses. Risk hedging was a common tactic, such as his advanced age and early death, or his long-term involvement in brothels, while Kong Fengzheng held great power... But syphilis is contagious. In this situation where hedging could not be achieved, what choice would his mother make?
When Wei Sijie heard the words "syphilis," she trembled. Her previously energetic figure suddenly became much more hunched. Although she still looked well-maintained, she appeared much more haggard at first glance.
"Your older brother..."
Wei Sijie's voice was very low, as if she were grasping at the last straw, which was then cut off by Kong Fengzheng.
“He knew, but the Chen family said that if I married into the family, I would help him get an official position.”
The Kong family is a large family with abundant resources, but the resources available to each individual are very limited. Her father died early and there was little family wealth. Her elder brother himself is incompetent, so if he wants to advance, he has to resort to some means.
"Mother, I must leave. Will you come with me?"
Kong Fengzheng had stayed in this boudoir long enough. Compared to moving to another courtyard after getting married, she still wanted to go out and see the world. Even if she died, it would be her own fate.
She was a devoted wife and mother, but her husband was still the same; living, he was nothing more than a breathing dead man.
Kong Fengzheng wasn't worried that her mother would reveal her plans. Although her mother valued her son, she wouldn't pave the way for him with her daughter. As for strengthening the guards later... she had already hidden the matches in the room. By the time the flame was lit, it would be too late.
"I……"
Wei Sijie hesitated. She had lived a life of conformity, even her name was passed down in the family according to the generational naming system. The most outrageous thing she did was not to bind her two daughters' feet and to secretly hide the things sent by her eldest daughter, Kong Fengming. She had lived in a cage for most of her life. When she heard the word "go out," the first thing that came to her mind was fear, and she wanted to refuse immediately.
But then she remembered the letters and stories Kong Fengming had sent her—the vivid descriptions, the wonderful articles, and the sense of freedom that, though sometimes oppressive, was mostly palpable. Wei Sijie began to hesitate.
"Mother, come with me, let's go find my sister."
Seeing her mother wavering, Kong Fengzheng quietly increased her stakes—her mother's love for her three children was not equal, but if the affection was added up to ten points, although her eldest brother accounted for four points, she and her sister together accounted for six points!
"If I go out alone, I might run into kidnappers, I might run into robbers, I might end up in a filthy place... Mother~"
The last word was so convoluted and twisted that Wei Sijie got goosebumps. She pushed her daughter away in annoyance and tapped her daughter's head with a look of disappointment.
"Knowing it's dangerous outside, you still want to go out?"
Wei Sijie said what she thought were harsh words, but she didn't use any force at all. No one knows a mother better than her daughter. Kong Fengzheng knew that Wei Sijie's scales were just one point away from being completely unbalanced, so he immediately abandoned all pretense of modesty and used every trick in the book to finally get his mother to nod in agreement.
"First...then...finally..."
Kong Fengzheng's plan wasn't bad, but in Wei Sijie's eyes it was still full of loopholes. The mother and daughter talked as they revised it, and their voices gradually grew louder, almost alerting the maid on night watch outside. Fortunately, it was common for the mother and daughter to talk at night, so they didn't notice anything amiss.
The two discussed until dawn before temporarily stopping. With Wei Sijie protecting him, Kong Fengzheng could occasionally sleep in without any problem. However, Wei Sijie herself was not so lucky. Being the head of the household was never an easy job. Just when she had finally sorted things out, news came that the clan elder wanted to see her.
Wei Sijie's expression softened slightly as she thought about what her daughter had said about marriage yesterday, but she let it go.
"...He is indeed a good match for Kong Shuzhi."
Kong Shu is Kong Fengzheng's official name within the Kong family, derived from the meaning of virtuous and gentle. Fengzheng is the name Kong Fengming gave her sister after she had chosen one for herself outside the family. The name reflects their sisterly bond and also expresses the hope that her sister will be strong and ambitious. Kong Fengzheng liked it very much, but within the Kong family, she could only be called Kong Shu. Even this name was envied by many women.
Most of the daughters in the Kong family did not have their own names; they were referred to by their birth order. For example, the fifth daughter would be called Kong Wu Niang.
They spoke at length about Kong Fengzheng's marriage, and the husband they had chosen for Kong Fengzheng was indeed Chen Liumian. Wei Sijie, with a tentative mindset, said that the fifth son was not a good match, but she was easily fooled by the excuse that she was just a woman who didn't know anything about outside affairs.
Wei Sijie was already regretting her hasty agreement with her daughter after calculating her own assets. She planned to postpone the marriage and find a suitable husband for Kong Fengming later. However, after being looked down upon by the elders, she smiled gently on the surface but was inwardly slapping herself hard for regret.
Run! We have to run!
This determination, even after meeting her eldest son and confirming that he was fully aware of Chen Liumian's situation, did not strengthen Kong Fengzheng's resolve when she changed her target. Knowing her mother's fickle nature and having prepared for multiple brainwashing attempts, Kong Fengming was surprised to find that her mother was much more cooperative than she had imagined.
Although he didn't know why, it didn't stop Kong Fengzheng from seizing the opportunity. The wedding date was brought closer because of the Taoist priest's fortune telling, and the guards on Kong Fengzheng's side were also much tighter... But Wei Sijie made all the decisions for these small matters.
One night, a fire broke out in the embroidered building. The girl's cries for help echoed throughout the courtyard. Everyone tried their best to put out the fire, but it was too late. Wei Sijie, with a sudden burst of strength, screamed and rushed into the fire. When the fire was extinguished and the building collapsed, all that could be seen in the ruins were two skeletons embracing each other.
Young Master Kong was devastated after losing his mother and sister overnight. Many were moved by his filial piety, but there were also rumors circulating that what pained him most was the loss of his family's wealth.
His biological mother, Madam Wei, was reluctant to part with her daughter who was about to get married. She moved all the family's possessions into the boudoir, preparing to take inventory and make dowry for her daughter. However, a fire broke out, and apart from some bulky items that were difficult to move and gold and silver that could not be melted, most of the remaining valuable items, such as luminous pearls and red coral, were gone.
Not to mention those house deeds, land deeds, debt slips, and property certificates... Don't think that all of these can be replaced; how much will actually be left is anyone's guess. This young master is no ordinary person; the days ahead...
While the Kong family was holding a grand funeral for Wei Shi and Kong Shu, Wei Sijie and Kong Fengming disguised themselves as men, carrying suitcases and boarding a train. Kong Fengming had written her work address in private letters, and they planned to go to Shanghai to meet up with someone.
The suitcase contained most of Wei Sijie's belongings, and the clothes worn by the mother and daughter also had many alterations. The gold bars and silver ingots were heavy and conspicuous, but she deliberately replaced them with lighter items such as jade and gemstones. Those valuable items that the Kong family thought had perished in the fire had actually been secretly replaced by her.
As for those items that are difficult to move, they can only be left to the eldest son. Although it won't make him extremely wealthy, it will be enough to ensure that the eldest son has no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life, as long as he changes his extravagant spending habits.
The remains in the fire were not theirs, but those of a terminally ill mother and daughter who had been secretly brought in. They couldn't afford a proper funeral and were happy to be buried as the mother and daughter of the Kong family. They died before the flames started.
The train didn't smell good, and the lack of servants made the mother and daughter uncomfortable, but they didn't regret it. They just hoped to find their eldest daughter/sister and give Kong Fengming a surprise!
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Author's Note: [1] Kong Fengzheng's Disguised Foot Binding: The strips of cloth on her feet were wrapped around the soles and insteps, with two symbolic loops around her toes to conceal them. The shoes appeared to have high soles, but the thick soles were actually hollow, with a raised section in the middle, allowing the foot to bend and slip inside. Utilizing visual effects, once worn, they were indistinguishable from shoes worn by women with bound feet unless one looked closely. (Don't say it's unscientific; the author wrote it down, and I'm just using my imagination!)
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