Old Tang was reluctant to let go of his little girl. In ancient times, the separation between men and women was generally quite strict. When his little girl got a little older, he would have to keep his distance from her. So he wanted to hold her as much as possible while she was still young.
"I'm not tired. I've been out all day and all I want to do is hug my little daughter. Oh, right, let's invite all my sons' families over for dinner tonight! After dinner, we'll give them what's due to them, and then we'll leave tomorrow."
"Okay, it's getting dark, it's about time to make dinner. Since you're not tired, take your little girl and go call them. I'll go to the kitchen and cook a few more dishes."
"Okay, Baozhu, shall Daddy carry you to your older brother's house?"
"Okay, if Father gets tired, put the pearl down. The pearl is very heavy, so don't tire Father out."
Tang Baozhu didn't feel the slightest suspicion of pretending to be young. What she loved most was the doting affection from her father and mother. She had never received it before and never expected it, but now that she had it, she couldn't bear to let go.
“Baozhu is so light, how could Father get tired?”
To prove he wasn't lying, Old Man Tang picked up the pearl and tossed it twice.
He stopped after tossing it twice, knowing he wasn't young anymore and didn't want to accidentally drop the pearl.
Old Tang carried Baozhu to his eldest son's house, where he heard his eldest daughter-in-law crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide. He pretended not to see it and said directly to his eldest son, "Come over for dinner tonight! I have something to tell you."
"I understand, Dad. Maybe we shouldn't leave. It'll be hard to see each other again later."
Old Tang knew that his sons weren't bad people; they were just selfish and only thought of their own families. He could understand that, after all, everyone had been through that phase.
“I can’t bear to see Baozhu’s future life like ours, toiling in the fields every day. I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll call you and your brothers over tonight so we can have dinner together.”
At this moment, Tang Laoda was very envious of his sister. For her future life, she actually wanted to move to the county town. Since his father had already said so much, how could he stop her?
"Alright, Dad, you go back first. I'll go call the second and third sons, they'll be here in a bit."
"You can go and call them, then your sister and I will go back first."
"Big brother, you must all take good care of yourselves from now on. Baozhu will miss you."
"Okay, okay, I know. Big brother will miss our Baozhu too."
Looking at his little sister's sensible appearance, Tang Laoda suddenly felt very wrong, thinking that he had never really liked her since childhood. It seemed that he really was wrong before.
Old Tang took the pearl and went home. Anyway, his eldest son would call his second and third sons over, so he could go home to pack his things and discuss with his wife whether they should share some of the many things with their three sons.
When he got home, he put his little girl on the floor to play by herself, then walked towards the kitchen. "Old woman," he said, "we found so many things in our house, should we give some to our sons?"
Tang Li was unwilling because she knew that her daughters-in-law were all greedy people. If they were given a little, they would want more, which would only lead to endless trouble.
“Those things were all found by my youngest daughter. I don’t have the face to give them to my son. Besides, those things are to be saved for my daughter’s dowry. You know that the family I used to work for had a daughter who started saving up her dowry from birth. We don’t have that ability to leave some good things for our daughter, but we can still manage not to touch her things.”
“The old woman is right. We’re getting old and can’t earn much money anymore. We should save as much as we can for our little girl. When we get to the capital, we’ll see if we can find some work. We’ll leave all that stuff for our little girl.”
When Old Tang heard what his wife said, he knew she was right. To avoid future trouble, he decided not to give it to her.
Standing at the door, Tang Baozhu overheard her father and mother's conversation. She was surprised to learn that her mother had once worked as a maid in a wealthy household. She figured she must have been sold into it. It seemed her own life was quite comfortable, with loving parents. She was determined to ensure her parents had a wonderful old age.
None of the three daughters-in-law came to dinner that evening. It's unclear whether their son forbade them or if they were holding a grudge and didn't want to come; only they themselves know the answer.
After finishing his meal, Old Man Tan said to his three sons, "You three brothers should divide the land and house equally among yourselves. Divide them fairly and justly, and don't cause any conflicts. I hope you three brothers can unite so that you won't be bullied by others."
"Father, don't worry, I will look after my two younger brothers."
"Yes, Dad, don't worry. I will listen to my elder brother and discuss things with everyone."
"Dad, I will listen to my two older brothers. If it's not good to stay out there, come back. There will always be food at home, and you two won't go hungry."
Tang Lao Da and Tang Lao Er quickly nodded in agreement.
Looking at the three brothers, Old Tang felt relieved, and the knot in his heart was finally untied a little. "Don't worry about your mother and me. No matter what, we can make a good life. You should also live your lives well. If you can afford it, you should send the boys in the family to school so that they can at least recognize a few words and find a better job."
"Understood, Father."
The three brothers had all considered it, but their family wasn't well-off. Since their father had said so, they could only grit their teeth and see which one had more talent before sending that one.
After their three sons left, Old Man Tang and Mrs. Tang began packing their belongings: a change of clothes, blankets and quilts for the journey, and a small stove with a pot on it so they could cook food along the way.
There were also pots, pans, chopsticks, and other kitchenware, and finally, a large bag of gold and silver jewelry. Fortunately, there were sleeping areas on the upper part of the carriage, and you could also hide things by lifting the panels. There were other places as well, as they were all double-layered.
"Honey, this carriage is a great choice. People can sleep on top, and we can store things underneath. It's so convenient."
Hearing his wife's praise, Old Tang said proudly, "I took a liking to this carriage at first sight. Otherwise, why would I buy an old one when there are so many new carriages? It's because this one can hold things, and it's not conspicuous. The journey to the provincial capital is quite a distance, so the more inconspicuous, the better."
"My husband is so thoughtful. That's good. I was thinking of not bringing my rice and flour because I was worried about where to put them. Now that we have a place to put things, we can keep all the fine grains so that our daughter won't have trouble adjusting on the road. We can also make her something nice to eat."
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