Chapter 95 The Golden Phoenix Returns Home
At the beginning of Chenshi (7-9 AM), the county magistrate arrived at Jiayufang with his officers. "Lord Du, your boat back home is ready, and the wine you requested yesterday has been purchased."
Du Min nodded, then looked at Meng's parents and said, "Uncle Meng, Aunt Pan, come back to the village with me today. I'll arrange a boat to take you back this afternoon."
Mencius' mother refused: "We have things to do at the paper horse shop, and we need to pack our belongings at home. We're not going."
“Go ahead. You’ve sponsored me a lot, but I’ve suffered a lot of humiliation. Today I’ll stand up for you, give you face, and let you vent your anger,” Du Min said without hesitation.
“You can go,” Meng Qing said.
Father Meng waved his hand, "Forget it, we're not going. We've already gotten a great deal by being able to go to Luoyang with you. Let's keep quiet, make our fortune, and avoid causing trouble."
Mencius' mother nodded, "Go back now. This is a matter of bringing honor to the family and ancestors. This is your glory, Du Min. Enjoy it and don't think about any other nonsense."
"Alright, if they don't want to go, then forget it. We'll leave now," Meng Qing said. "Meng Chun, are you going?"
“I’ll go,” Meng Chun nodded.
"Let's go," Meng Qing said.
The group of five went out, with Du Min leading the way. As soon as he appeared, the guards outside immediately struck a gong. Their attire was more festive than yesterday's, with red cloth tied to the gong mallets, adding to the joy.
With officials leading the way, Du Min, holding Wang Zhou's hand, led Meng Qing, Du Li, and Meng Chun to the Wumen Ferry in front of a crowd of onlookers, and boarded a large boat draped in red silk.
Meng Chun stood at the stern of the boat, looking out at the shore. It was crowded with people; what a magnificent sight!
The gong continued to sound as the boat left the ferry dock, until there was no one on the river and no houses on either bank.
Wang Zhou sat next to Du Min and said, "Third Uncle, when I grow up, I want to become an official like you."
“Alright, once you pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, your third uncle will lead a team to escort you back to pay respects to our ancestors.” Du Min smiled.
Wang Zhou smiled contentedly, pursing his lips.
"Will Wangzhou go back to Wu County to take the provincial examination?" Meng Chun interjected. "You won't be free then, so I'll come back with him."
Meng Qing nodded, "Yes, he's from Wu County, and he has to go back to Wu County to take the provincial examination."
Meng Chun looked at Wang Zhou without saying a word. He said sadly, "Wang Zhou has been gone for three years and has forgotten about his uncle. We used to be so close when he was at home."
"I haven't forgotten, I haven't forgotten." Wang Zhou quickly got up and sat down next to Meng Chun. He counted on his fingers, "I remember my uncle taking me to the river to buy things in the morning, and taking me out for a walk in the evening. I also remember us huddled together in bed, heads touching..."
Meng Qing told him all this on the return trip. He still remembered his uncle and maternal grandparents, but he had almost completely forgotten the things he had done with them.
Meng Chun was unaware of the situation. He was comforted by Wang Zhou's coaxing and hugged him, reminiscing about his childhood.
“Brother Chun, if you like children, you should get married and have one yourself,” Du Li said.
Meng Chun pretended not to hear.
"Brother Meng, why don't you get married and have children?" Du Min asked as well.
"You haven't gotten married or had children yet," Meng Chun said. "When do you plan to get married and have children? What kind of girl do you want to marry?"
Du Min shook his head, "I'm not in a hurry, I can wait another two or three years."
“I’m not in a hurry,” Meng Chun said.
“One of you holds an official position, and the other has a family business. You are both people who can choose at your own pace. There’s no need to rush. Take your time to think about what kind of girl you want to marry. Don’t pressure each other,” Meng Qing said, ending the conversation.
Seven or eight boats appeared ahead, and the sound of gongs rang out again, while the people on the opposite boat also started beating drums.
"Du Min—is that you who's back?" someone on the opposite boat shouted.
Du Min stood up and recognized familiar faces on the seven or eight boats coming towards him; they were all villagers from Dujiawan.
"It's Du Min! Our village's magistrate is back! Hurry, hurry, turn the boat around!" Uncle Du shouted.
Du Min walked to the bow of the boat and asked into the wind, "Uncle, Eighth Master, Eldest Brother, what brings you here?"
“Yesterday, a boatman I met on the way told me you’ve returned and become an official. You were in town thanking your mentor. We received the news and rushed to town before dawn to bring you back.” Uncle Du, beaming, looked at Du Min as if he were an ancestor and excitedly asked, “Good nephew, you really became an official? A county magistrate?”
“Yes, he is the magistrate of Heqing County,” Du Min replied.
"Oh my! My good nephew, how could you be so successful! You've brought honor to our ancestors! May our ancestors bless us, a golden phoenix has truly flown out of our Dujiawan!" Uncle Du exclaimed exaggeratedly.
Du Min froze, goosebumps rising all over his body.
The officers told their boats to make way, saying, "Our boat will go first, and your boat will follow behind."
"Alright, alright." Uncle Du waved his hand. "Move aside, all of you move aside, let Magistrate Du's boat pass first."
Du Min was a little embarrassed, but he smiled and nodded to the tribesmen on the boat in greeting.
He didn't return to the deck and sit down until all eight covered boats had fallen behind.
"Oh my! My good brother-in-law, how did you become so successful!" Meng Qing laughed jokingly.
"How dare you! You speak to the county magistrate of Dujiawan like that!" Du Li teased.
Du Min gritted his teeth, "Shut up."
"The county magistrate is quite imposing," Meng Qing chuckled.
Du Min clenched his fists and turned his face away from them.
Meng Qing was about to speak again when suddenly a drumbeat erupted behind her, instantly deafening her. Looking back, she saw that the drums on the eight boats following behind were all being struck, and people were shouting work chants, but all she could hear were their mouths moving; she couldn't make out what they were saying at all.
Everyone on the boats on the river looked over.
The officials stopped banging the gong and started rowing the boat quickly with their oars.
For the next hour or so, Meng Qing covered her ears and remained silent the whole way.
As Meng Qing approached Dujiawan, he saw a large crowd at the ferry crossing. He didn't recall Dujiawan being so crowded. Upon closer inspection, he indeed saw many unfamiliar faces.
"Du Min is back! I see him! Quick, quick, light the fire!"
Du Min disembarked in confusion. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the sound of bamboo whips exploding rang out behind the crowd. The eight boats that followed hurriedly started beating their leather drums, and the officials also banged their gongs heavily.
Dogs barked and cows bellowed in the village; chickens flew away and ducks fled; birds in the trees all took flight into the sky.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowd, where the voices were barely audible, Du Min was warmly welcomed into the village by his clansmen, and the officials were also invited off the boat. Only Meng Qing's family was neglected and was eventually pushed out of the crowd as they walked.
The villagers had already slaughtered the pigs and sheep, and Du Min was unable to go home. Upon entering the village, he was surrounded by the men and taken to worship his ancestors.
"Luckily, my parents didn't come," Meng Chun said.
Meng Qing shook her head, "Let's go back first. There's probably no one home. Let's have some peace and quiet."
Before she even reached her doorstep, Meng Qing saw a pole taller than the roof standing outside the Du family's courtyard. There were words carved on the pole, and when she went closer to look at it, she saw the words "Du Min passed the imperial examination in the early years of the Linde era."
Upon entering the courtyard, a plaque with gold lettering immediately catches the eye. The plaque hangs outside the main hall and reads "Jinshi Jidi" (meaning "Passed the Imperial Examination").
Meng Chun paced back and forth in and out of the courtyard a few times, and said enviously, "It's really a sight to behold. The Du family has changed its status."
“That’s right, Du Min has only seen kind faces these past two days.” Meng Qing sat down under the eaves and looked at Du Li, saying, “We shouldn’t have come back. It would have been so much quieter in the city.”
Du Li remained silent for a while before speaking, "Let's go check out the mulberry fields. The jujubes are probably sweet now; there must be some red ones at the top of the trees."
"Okay." Meng Qing nodded. "Let's go."
The four left the Du family's house and headed towards the end of the village. Before they had gone a mile out of the village, they encountered a group of people returning from ancestral worship. Du Min walked at the very front, surrounded by the crowd.
"Second sister-in-law, second brother, where are you going?" Du Min asked.
"Let's go for a stroll in Sangtian," Du Li said.
"It's almost time to eat, what are we going to do in Sangtian?" Du Min glanced at the empty village, realized the problem, said nothing, and led Wang Zhou into the village. "Second sister-in-law, second brother, little Meng, hurry up and follow us, let's go back for dinner."
Meng Qing and Du Li exchanged a glance, and then followed with Meng Chun.
"Second brother, I heard you accompanied your third brother to Chang'an to take the imperial examination?" Uncle Du then noticed Du Li.
Du Li nodded.
“That’s good, that’s good.” Uncle Du walked past him and went to Du Min’s side to continue speaking: “Min, your 500 mu of tax-free land has been allocated. I’ll take you to see it after we’ve eaten.”
"Have all of my second brother's land been allocated?" Du Min asked. "Has his land been rented out?"
“I’ve already divided them up and rented them all out. The rent is all with me. I’ll give it to you after we’ve eaten,” Uncle Du said. “I’ve handled everything you asked me to do perfectly. You can trust me to get things done.”
"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Uncle," Du Min said. "I'm in a hurry to take up my post in Heqing County. I'll be leaving early the day after tomorrow, so I won't be home for long. I'll leave you my address later. Write to me if you need anything."
Uncle Du said "Hey" twice.
The village chief squeezed in and said, "The feast is all prepared at my house. Let's go over there."
Uncle Du ultimately didn't have the title of village chief, so he was at a disadvantage in this matter and could only rush to say, "Come to my house for dinner tonight."
"We'll stew the pigs and sheep for the ancestral worship this afternoon, and then have a feast tonight so that people from other villages who come to watch the festivities can also share in the joy," the village chief said.
“Alright, thank you for your concern, Eighth Master.” Du Min nodded.
When he arrived at the village chief's house, he glanced back and saw his father staring maliciously at Uncle Du and the village chief, his face devoid of any joy.
When Du Laoding met Du Min's gaze, he immediately smiled and was about to walk over when Du Min calmly looked away.
"Second sister-in-law, second brother, young Meng, come with me to Eighth Master's house for dinner. I'll take this opportunity to introduce you to the clan. My second sister-in-law deserves most of the credit for my success today." Du Min raised his voice and said, "Eighth Master, eldest uncle, you don't know, do you? My second sister-in-law is the greatest benefactor in my life. The paper effigies she made appeared at the Emperor's Fengshan ceremony and were appreciated by the Emperor, which is why he rewarded me with an official position. Without her, there would be no Magistrate Du."
The villagers all looked incredulous.
Du Min didn't say anything more, and he gestured for Meng Qing to come forward.
Meng Qing glanced at him twice, then took the lead and walked into the village chief's house.
Du Li grabbed Meng Chun and strode to catch up, while Du Min led Wang Zhou closely behind.
The others exchanged bewildered glances. Could it really be true? Du Min wasn't the type to let himself be wronged.
"Disperse, disperse, go back now. After lunch, go to the ancestral hall to help stew the sacrificial pig and sheep. Make sure the officials' meals are arranged properly, each family contributes a few dishes, and treats them well." The village chief shooed everyone away, then called the senior men in the village to come in together. Du Laoding, being Du Min's biological father, was also allowed to enter.
The village chief's house only had one table of food and drinks prepared. The food and drinks were already on the table. The village chief glanced at Meng Qing and said, "Nephew's wife, there are only men at this table. There is no place for you. Go eat with your aunts and uncles in the kitchen. Take the children with you."
"That won't do. If my second sister-in-law sits down to eat, I won't dare touch my chopsticks for the rest of the meal." Du Min shook his head. "Which seat is mine?"
"This." Immediately, someone came to pull out a chair for him.
"Second sister-in-law, please," Du Min said.
Ignoring the stares of everyone in the room, Meng Qing calmly walked over and sat down, arranging for Du Min and Du Li to sit on either side of her, while Meng Chun and Wang Zhou sat next to Du Li.
"This is against the rules!" the village chief roared.
“What are the rules in Dujiawan? Your Magistrate Du is the rule.” Meng Qing spoke up, pointing to the empty seat next to Du Min, and asked, “Uncle, who will sit here, you or the village chief?”
Uncle Du walked over and sat down.
Seeing Du Min's attitude, the others also found places to sit down, leaving only the village chief and Du Laoding standing.
"Eighth Master, please sit down. I'm starving. I can only stay at home for one day. If we finish eating early, we can have more time to talk." Du Min ignored Du Laoding. This man would cause trouble as soon as he received a kind word, so he decided to make his attitude clear to avoid anyone being foolish enough to try to please him.
The village chief compromised and sat down in the only empty seat.
Old Ding was furious. He glared venomously at Du Min and Meng Qing, then turned and left with a dark expression.
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