Chapter 96: Father and Son Kill Each Other
"Old Ding—" the village chief called out, glancing at Du Min out of the corner of his eye.
The others at the table also looked at Du Min, observing his reaction.
Du Li stood up and asked Wang Zhou to sit in his seat, saying, "We are the hosts, why are we acting like guests? My father and I went to entertain the officials. They have been running around with the third brother for two days and are exhausted. We can't treat them poorly."
As soon as he finished speaking, he walked out.
“That’s right, someone should be in charge to take care of them. It was our oversight.” Uncle Du seemed to have forgotten that his two sons were accompanying the officials. He talked nonsense without changing his expression: “Old Ding is more thoughtful. He is Magistrate Du’s father. He should be the one to greet the guests.”
"Eat up, eat up," the others urged.
Du Min smiled faintly. He picked up his chopsticks and placed a large chicken leg in Wang Zhou's bowl. He then said, "Second Sister-in-law, Eighth Aunt and the other aunts are quite good cooks. You haven't tried them yet, have you? Take some and have a taste."
Following his words, Meng Qing picked up a few bites of the dishes that had just been served but hadn't been touched and put them in her bowl, so that she wouldn't be unable to eat them later because they were poked in the food.
"Are paper-made funerary objects popular with nobles in Chang'an? Do they value paper-made funerary objects just like us common folk?" Uncle Du disapproved of her behavior and couldn't help but question her.
“That’s right, it’s not like the nobleman can’t afford painted pottery and porcelain. Amin, even if you’re grateful to your second brother and sister-in-law for accompanying you to the capital for the imperial examination, you shouldn’t make up lies.” The village chief was in a bad mood. To let a woman sit in the main seat on such an occasion was a slap in the face to him and to all the men in the village.
"Do you know about the Emperor's Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai earlier this year?" Du Min asked. "You must have heard that the Emperor issued a general amnesty."
"I heard that in a village under Pingwang Town, a murderer who was imprisoned was spared the death penalty and instead sent to the army. He even went home for a few days before being sent to the army," the village chief said.
Du Min placed another goose wing on Wang Zhou's plate. He put down his chopsticks and said, "There is one person who is not pardoned in this general amnesty. That person is the former prime minister, Li Yifu. He has committed many crimes and was dismissed from his post and demoted to the frontier two years ago. Originally, he could have been pardoned and returned to the capital when the emperor performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. However, last August, his son's father-in-law died. As his son-in-law, his son spent a lot of money to hold a grand funeral for his father-in-law. The funeral procession covered seventy miles. The local county magistrate was exhausted from helping to organize it. This county magistrate is the former magistrate of Heqing County."
"Heqing County? Isn't this the place you're going to take up your post?" Uncle Du asked.
“Yes, I became famous in Chang’an for my paper effigies of the dead. These paper effigies echo the sage’s advocacy of simple burials, which is why the sage noticed me. You could say I took office with a heavy burden on my shoulders; the sage wanted me to govern the extravagant burial practices in Heqing County.” Du Min looked at Meng Qing and said to his clansmen, “My second sister-in-law is my right-hand woman. Only if her paper effigies sell as well in Heqing County as they do in Wu County can the extravagant burial practices in Heqing County be weakened.”
“Your Du family should thank our Meng family,” Meng Chun said indignantly. “My sister and brother-in-law clearly came back with your Magistrate Du. You welcomed him away and left their family behind.”
“We’re all family, not guests.” Uncle Du reacted quickly. He looked at Meng Qing and said with a smile, “Niece-in-law, do you still consider yourself a guest? This is your husband’s family home, this is your own home.”
"No, I don't want to be a guest, nor do I want to be a host. I want to be a man. I want to be a man. Ever since I married into your Du family, I've been supporting Du Min, this golden phoenix, all the way. Today, I was almost kicked off the table just because I'm a woman." Meng Qing glanced around expressionlessly, as if comparing which of the men present had contributed more than her.
The men she saw all looked uncomfortable and somewhat annoyed, but because she was favored by Du Min, they dared not voice their opinions.
"Fortunately, Golden Phoenix has a conscience." Meng Qing glanced at Du Min with satisfaction.
Du Min chuckled inwardly, then humbly flattered her, saying, "Without you, sister-in-law, how could this golden phoenix of mine fly out of Dujiawan?"
The others fell silent. They could see that Du Min had been won over by his second sister-in-law, and his heart was completely siding with the Meng family. Their hearts were filled with mixed emotions, but no matter how unwilling they were, they dared not do anything. Du Min was no longer someone they could interfere with.
Half an incense stick later, Du Min put down his chopsticks, and the others followed suit, thus ending the meal hastily.
“I bought forty or fifty jars of wine, all of which were on the boat I took back. Uncle, why don’t you take some people to unload them? Later, you can come with me to visit each household. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my clansmen.” Du Min began to win people’s hearts.
Uncle Du let out a loud "Hey!" This was the glory that Old Ding Du should have received, but it had fallen on his head instead.
“Then we’ll go back first and boil water at home to wait for you,” one of Du Min’s uncles said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, the others got up and left.
Du Min led Wang Zhou out to see them off. After everyone had left, he said to Meng Qing, "Second Sister-in-law, you and Uncle Wang Zhou go home to rest. Wang Zhou will come with me."
“Okay.” Meng Qing was happy to let Wang Zhou experience this kind of occasion. She instructed, “Wang Zhou, these are all your clansmen. You and your third uncle can get to know them together.”
Wang Zhou nodded.
Meng Qing took Meng Chun with her and left.
Du Min didn't move. He smiled and said to the village chief, "Eighth Master, you are the most senior in our clan. I'm going to visit your house first. Please don't complain that I'm walking a short distance."
"Not at all, not at all." The village chief felt a surge of pride.
A moment later, Uncle Du arrived with his two sons, Du Li and Du Ming, and Aunt Du's son, carrying several baskets of wine.
There were six jars of wine in one basket. Du Min glanced at it and told Du Li to take one basket of wine and go inside with him.
The village chief's family gave six jars of wine, while the other families each gave two jars. When it was Uncle Du's turn, they gave ten jars, but in the end, Du Ming took the six jars back with him.
After walking around the village and visiting every household, Du Min returned home with a stiff smile on his face.
"Third brother, would you like to go back to your room and rest for a while? I've cleaned up the room where you slept before, and the bedding is all new," Li Hongguo asked solicitously.
Du Min nodded, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I'm not tired. I'll be fine after sitting for a while."
"Shouldn't we go back? The officials' boat is leaving; let's go with them," Meng Chun asked Meng Qing.
“There’s room at home, so I won’t leave if it gets late,” Li Hongguo replied. “I’ve cleaned up the room where Qiaomei used to sleep; it’s the old study of my third brother. You can sleep in that room tonight.”
"Second brother, I asked your eldest brother to have a carpenter make a new bed in the south room where you and your sister-in-law used to live. You two will have a place to sleep tonight, so don't leave." Li Hongguo continued, "The sacrificial pig and sheep will be stewed later. There will be a continuous feast. It will be very lively. You should go and take a look."
Meng Qing nodded, "Sister-in-law has everything prepared. I've already taken a nap."
Du Li looked at Li Hongguo incredulously a few times. Was this really her? Her attitude had changed so much?
Du Min felt relieved and said, "Sister-in-law, everything is ready. You can stay here. We'll leave together tomorrow."
Du Li looked at Meng Qing, who nodded, "We can't let down our sister-in-law's good intentions."
“Then let’s leave tomorrow,” Du Li agreed.
“We’ll share a bed again tonight,” Meng Chun told Du Min. He had just met Qiao Mei, a girl of eight or nine years old, and it wasn’t appropriate for him to sleep in her room.
"Okay." Du Min nodded. "Would you like to go for a walk in the mulberry fields again?"
Meng Qing's gaze swept over the elderly couple sitting under the eaves. She nodded and said, "Go, Wangzhou, take a basket. Let's go to the mulberry field to pick dates."
"Jinshu, Qiaomei, you two go too." Li Hongguo was about to send her two children away.
Jinshu refused, and said ingratiatingly, "I haven't seen my third uncle for several years, I'll stay home with him."
Li Hongguo glared at him with a dark expression.
"I'll talk to your grandparents, you don't need to come with me." Du Min waved his hand.
"Go quickly!" Li Hongguo urged.
Jinshu ran off unhappily, and Qiaomei hurriedly followed.
Du Min stopped pretending. He pushed open the door and went into the west wing. He opened the old couple's clothes chest and the wooden chest containing bedding, and emptied out all the winter clothes and quilts to look through them.
Du's mother and Du Laoding didn't see his intentions. Du Laoding even ran in with his hands raised to hit him, cursing "Ah ah ah" with his mouth open.
Li Hongguo curled her lips in a mocking smile, then quickly suppressed it. She crossed her arms and said, "Father, what good things do you have that your youngest son is eyeing? He's not looking for anything; he's looking to see if I've mistreated you."
Du Laoding froze.
Unaffected, Du Min pointed to several unpatched reed-patterned jackets and trousers and asked, "Mother, are these yours?"
Du's mother nodded expressionlessly.
“There are plenty of reeds in the village, and we don’t lack reeds, so why should I mistreat them? You’re overthinking it,” Li Hongguo said.
"It seems my parents are quite obedient and haven't upset you." Du Min looked at her, then glanced at Du Ming standing behind her.
“Your mother is honest, doesn’t cause trouble, and is hardworking. Your father is no good. The year before last, he wanted Jinshu to teach him to read. After I found out, I starved him for three days, and he behaved himself for a year. Last year, I found out again that he wanted to learn to read from the village children, so I locked him up for half a month.” Li Hongguo confessed in detail. She stared at Du Min and said, “Your father hates you quite a bit.”
Du Min looked at Du Laoding, who grinned maliciously at him, revealing a mouthful of black teeth. He gestured with his neck, his mouth opening and closing and moving.
“He said he would never let you go, not even until he died.” Li Hongguo had lived with a pair of mute people for three or four years, and could guess most of what they meant just by their gestures and lip movements.
"I'm going to be the county magistrate, aren't you happy for me?" Du Min asked.
Old Du angrily looked away. He'd become the laughingstock of the village; what was there to be happy about? No matter how great Du Min's achievements, the glory was irrelevant to him. In fact, the villagers would often use Du Min's success to belittle him. Initially, some pitied him, saying to his face that Du Min was unfilial and speaking up for him. But after the news of Du Min's passing the imperial examination arrived, and the government sent a plaque commemorating his achievement and a pole engraved with his name, those voices completely disappeared. After that day, ridicule and insults increased.
He's vicious, blind, deserves it, stupid, his only purpose is to live, and he's destined to be unlucky... The villagers, taking advantage of his inability to speak, insulted him without restraint in front of him. Even the village children would throw mud and stones at him and call him an old mute.
Two lines of tears streamed down Du Laoding's face. He hadn't slept a wink all night after learning of Du Min's return to his hometown. He had no other thoughts than hoping that Du Min would give him a kind look in front of the villagers, so that they would restrain their ugly faces out of consideration for his attitude. He went to the ferry to wait before dawn, but Du Min didn't say a word to him after getting off the boat. He didn't even care about him during the meal, praising that vile woman to the skies while trampling on his own father.
Du Laoding suddenly grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed Du Min with all his might.
"Third brother! Watch out!" Li Hongguo shouted in fright.
Du Min stood between Du Laoding and Du's mother. He had no time to dodge, so he could only pounce on the bed, grab the cattail-patterned jacket on the bed, and throw it at Du Laoding.
Old Ding missed his target. With a ferocious expression, he gripped the scissors and stabbed at the bed. Du Min could only hide against the wall in the corner. Taking advantage of the opportunity when Du's mother hugged Old Ding, he stepped over the bed and rolled out from the foot of the bed.
Du Ming then rushed in and snatched the scissors from his father's hand, "Are you crazy?"
Du Min gasped for breath, still shaken. He went over, pulled his mother away, grabbed Du Laoding by the neck, and slammed him onto the bed. "You want to kill me? You actually want to kill me?"
Old Du was panting heavily. He stared at Du Min's face and spat hard, then gave up struggling. He laughed loudly with his bloodshot eyes and said provocatively: "Do you dare to strangle me?"
Du Min understood, and he smiled, his five fingers tightening.
"Third brother, don't be reckless." Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Li Hongguo pushed Du Min and shouted, "Du Ming, pull your third brother away."
"Don't touch me!" Du Min roared violently, staring at Du Laoding and saying, "Threaten me with your life? If you die tonight, do you think the villagers will cooperate with me to keep your death a secret?"
Du Laoding understood what he meant and struggled violently in fright.
"Third brother, if you don't let go, I'm going to call your second sister-in-law." Li Hongguo was also scared. No matter how brave she was, she couldn't bear this scene. Her father wanted to stab her son to death, and her son wanted to strangle her father. This family was too terrible.
"Third brother, let go!" Du Ming started to pry Du Min's fingers apart.
Du's mother also went to pull Du Min.
"I'll go call Meng Qing back." Seeing that Du Laoding wasn't dead, Li Hongguo escaped.
"Stop! Come back!" Du Min let go of his hand and quickly walked out.
Li Hongguo pretended not to hear and fled as if her life depended on it, fearing that if she was a step too slow, Du Min would grab her and shove a knife into her hand, threatening her to kill Du Laoding.
Du Min chased after her, and Li Hongguo had almost run out of the village.
Those helping out at the ancestral hall heard the commotion and came over, asking, "Magistrate Du, what happened? Why is your sister-in-law running so fast? She didn't respond when we called her."
"She went to call Jinshu and Qiaomei back, and I said there was no rush, but she insisted that the two children come back immediately," Du Min said vaguely.
The other party immediately understood; they guessed that Du Min wanted to send something to the child.
"Is the banquet almost ready?" Du Min asked. "We need to start the banquet as soon as possible so that people from other villages can finish eating and go home early, to avoid any accidents on the way."
"No, I know the way well, nothing will happen. Go back to your room and rest, I'll call you when the meal is ready."
Du Min said he was sorry to trouble you, then turned and walked into the courtyard, returning to the west wing.
Old Ding Du had just caught his breath in bed when he saw Du Min come in, and he sat up with a start.
Du Ming swallowed hard and stepped in the middle, saying, "Third brother, if you make another move, I'll call for help."
Du Min tugged at his wrinkled clothes and said, "You're definitely on his side."
“I’m on your side, but even if I’m on your side, I can’t just stand by and watch you strangle him. He’s still my father.” Du Ming looked at Du Min, unable to tell whether he was angry or not. At this moment, he would rather Du Min be angry and curse a few times.
Du's mother waved to Du Min, pointed to her mouth, and said: "Go away, don't come back."
Du Min looked at her. Du's mother thought he hadn't understood, so she repeated herself and pointed to the door, telling him to leave.
Du Min looked away and turned to Du Laoding, asking again, "If you die tonight, do you think the villagers will dig a pit and bury you overnight so that news of your death won't leave the village?"
Yes, Du Laoding knew perfectly well that as long as Du Min promised him a great reward again, he could die quietly.
Fearing that Du Minzhen would actually take action, Du's mother pushed him out, telling him to leave immediately.
Du Min followed her lead and walked out of the courtyard. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I was just trying to scare him. If I didn't make him afraid, he would kill you."
Du's mother froze.
“He wants to harm me but can’t do anything about it. He can only try to stop me by making me observe mourning. But he can’t do it to himself, so he can only target you.” Du Min made his point clear and then tentatively asked, “Why don’t you come with me? I’ll take you to Heqing County.”
Du's mother pulled her hand away from his and stared at him coldly, not understanding how he had the nerve to say such hypocritical things in front of her. Did he think she would forgive him?
"You hate me too?" Du Min asked.
Du's mother turned and left. She wished she had never given birth to him, but she couldn't bear to see him die.
Du Min stood silently outside the courtyard.
“Amin, what are you doing standing here?” Uncle Du has arrived.
"My dad is throwing a tantrum inside, so I came out to hide for a bit," Du Min said with a wry smile.
"Just ignore him, he's never going to stay put. He'll be too old to cause trouble in a few years," Uncle Du said dismissively. "When are you leaving?"
“Magistrate Ma has prepared a Deer Cry Banquet for me. I’ll make an appearance tomorrow and leave the day after,” Du Min said. “What? You’re not going to see me off at the ferry, are you?”
Uncle Du chuckled twice, "I am planning to go, but can I?"
"The ship is expected to depart at dawn. If you rush there, you'll need to stay in the city the night before. There's no need for that. Don't bother. I'll remember the kindness of my people," Du Min refused.
“Once you leave, I don’t know how many years it will be before you come back. This trip was rushed, and you only stayed at home for one day,” Uncle Du sighed.
“There’s plenty of time ahead. If my parents pass away, I can go back to the village and stay for six years,” Du Min said without hesitation.
Uncle Du: "..."
Du Min saw his two sisters-in-law appear at the end of the village. He said seriously, "Uncle, you want to talk to me, right? What do you want to say?"
"The choice of village chief... do you think I'm suitable?" Uncle Du stopped beating around the bush.
Du Min nodded, "Eighth Master is old and too old-fashioned."
"Can you talk to me tonight? The villagers will definitely listen to what you say." That was Uncle Du's intention.
“Uncle, this shouldn’t be my responsibility. If I speak up, the villagers will criticize you for not getting the position properly. If there’s a conflict, someone will definitely point at you and say things like, ‘You wouldn’t be the village chief without your nephew.’ Wouldn’t that be incredibly frustrating?” Du Min refused again. “You’re actually capable, and I’m supporting you from behind. As long as you find fault with Eighth Master, you can bring him down and become the village chief smoothly.”
Uncle Du pondered for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll give it a try."
"Uncle, are you discussing something?" Meng Qing called out as he approached.
Uncle Du waved his hand and walked away with his hands behind his back.
Meng Qing glanced at Du Min, "What's going on?"
“It’s nothing, sister-in-law is making a mountain out of a molehill.” Du Min stepped into the courtyard and went back into the west wing.
Du Ming was still guarding inside. When he saw him come in, he said, "Third brother, let's just let it go today. You won't be coming back often after you leave, so your father won't hurt you."
Du Min glanced at his mother and said, "I've already spoken with my uncle. No matter which of our parents dies, you should go and inform him first. He'll take care of the rest."
Du's mother looked up at him, then at Du Laoding, and the arrogance on his face disappeared.
“If my mother dies, you will die before I get back. I can afford to observe two periods of mourning in three years,” Du Min said to Du Laoding. “I have an idea for you. If you ever feel like doing something rash, take a pair of scissors and stab yourself in the neck. That way, I can observe one more period of mourning.”
The hatred in Du Laoding's eyes could turn into juice.
Du Min ignored him and walked out.
"Why would someone who's perfectly fine want to die? Do you think the third brother can be threatened by you?" Meng Qing said. "If you two die, the third brother will save ten strings of cash a year for his retirement. He'll be happy and it'll save him a lot of trouble."
Old Du grabbed a pillow and threw it at her. If it weren't for this vile woman's instigation, how could the third brother have turned against him?
Meng Qing easily dodged him. She smiled at him, but her expression changed the next moment. She said, "If you want to die, then die quickly. While the trend of making paper offerings for the deceased is still going strong these years, I'll find a way to make Du Min overthrow his mourning period and not let him be affected by the mourning period."
Old Ding was so angry that he kicked the bed and pointed at her, cursing loudly.
"Third brother," Meng Qing called out to the outside.
Li Hongguo took a deep breath. Had she invited back a demon king?
"Second sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, that's enough." Li Hongguo pushed her out the door. "I'll keep an eye on things at home. Don't interfere. I won't let the old couple die. They wouldn't want to die either."
Meng Qing followed her lead and walked out. Once outside, she whispered, "You have your parents' retirement money, right? You earn quite a bit each year. Make sure they eat and drink well; they won't want to die."
Li Hongguo was shocked. She realized what was happening and asked, "You did this on purpose?"
"Father!" Du Ming cried out in surprise from inside the house.
Meng Qing was startled. She thought that Du Laoding really couldn't take the provocation and wanted to commit suicide. When she looked up, she saw him run out, run to Du Min, kneel down with a thud, grab his leg, and kowtow repeatedly.
Meng Qing subconsciously looked outside, and thankfully there was no one outside the courtyard.
Everyone else was stunned and didn't move for a moment.
"You want to shorten my lifespan?" Du Min understood his intention, and he accepted the nine kowtows without moving.
Du Laoding turned around and knelt down to kowtow to Meng Qing again. Meng Qing didn't even flinch. "This is what I deserve. Kneel. To be honest, seeing you like this makes me quite happy."
Du Laoding froze for a moment, but still insisted on bowing down.
Meng Qing counted for him, and when he had counted to nine, she gently helped him up and said, "Rise, rise quickly."
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