Chapter Ninety-Eight Arrival in Heqing County
Du Li poured three hundred strings of cash onto the ground, saying, "Here's the money, but we still need the basket."
Du Ming ran to the granary and brought out three baskets to fill with money.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Du Laoding grabbed two handfuls of coins and ran towards the west wing. Before he even entered the door, Du's mother stopped him, snatched the coins away, and threw them back on the ground.
"Haven't you suffered enough? Can you protect yourself?" she asked silently, her mouth agape.
"Father, don't worry, this money was given to you by the third son. We won't touch it; we'll move it all back to the west wing for you later," Li Hongguo said politely.
"How much money is this? What money does the third brother need?" Uncle Du rushed over after hearing the commotion. "What happened now?"
“My parents are mute and old; a long trip would probably kill them. The third son doesn't dare take them with him to his new post in Heqing County. He's successful now, but if he goes to his post without his parents, outsiders will see him as unfilial, not letting them enjoy a comfortable life. After much thought, he decided to return all the money he'd taken from home over the years, with interest—a total of three hundred strings of cash.” Du Li, trying to protect Du Min's reputation, added, “Besides these three hundred strings, he'll also give them ten strings of cash every year for their retirement. This money will be enough for his parents to live comfortably in the countryside, so he can have peace of mind.”
Uncle Du nodded repeatedly and said, "Having a son like Amin is a blessing for his parents."
The other villagers stared enviously at the strings of yellowish-green copper coins on the ground, praising Du Min for his filial piety. Raising such a promising son was pure profit, even more profitable than lending money at exorbitant interest rates.
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Du Li picked up his basket and prepared to leave. "Uncle, I'm leaving now. My third brother and I won't be home, so please take good care of my parents."
Li Hongguo glanced at him and said, "You and Lao San aren't home, but your eldest brother and I are still here taking care of things. Don't worry, we'll definitely take good care of our parents like the masters and mistresses of a landlord's family."
Du Ming took a moment to look up, clutching the money in one hand and patting his chest with the other, saying, "If I'm not filial to my two elders, may the villagers drown me with their spit."
"I will take good care of it." Uncle Du understood what Du Li meant.
Du Li glanced at his parents one last time, then, carrying an empty basket, walked out of the house with Meng Chun, leaving this cannibalistic village.
The sky was overcast today, and as dusk fell, a mist began to rise over the river, creating a hazy, gray scene.
As the boat sailed further away, Dujiawan was gradually swallowed up by the grayish-white mist, eventually merging with it and disappearing from sight.
*
The next morning, an official boat arrived at the ferry.
Du Min was responsible for hiring people to carry the luggage and move, while Meng Qing's family went to Ruiguang Temple to say goodbye to Master Konghui.
Today, Master Konghui waited in front of the mountain gate, quietly watching a group of people come down from the mountain through the morning mist to the temple gate.
"Uncle, did you foresee that we would come today?" Meng Qing asked.
Master Konghui nodded.
"Brother, there are Buddhist temples in Luoyang too. Would you like to come with us?" Meng's father asked again. He had asked about it yesterday, but he still wouldn't give up.
Master Konghui ignored him and looked at Meng Qing, instructing him, "Take good care of your parents."
Meng Qing nodded, "My niece thanks Uncle for taking care of us all these years."
Master Konghui smiled slightly, looked at Meng Chun, and warned him sharply: "Do not be greedy, too many delusions will harm yourself and your family."
Everyone looked at Meng Chun, who blushed and lowered her head.
"Brother, what do you mean by that?" Mencius' mother asked hesitantly.
Master Konghui didn't explain. He glanced at the sky and said, "The fog is about to dissipate. You should leave now."
“Uncle, the female saint is a devout Buddhist, so Buddhism will surely flourish in the future. Buddhist temples in Luoyang will be filled with eminent monks. If you wish to exchange Buddhist teachings with others or promote Buddhism in the future, you must go to Luoyang.” Meng Qing also wanted to persuade Master Konghui to go to Luoyang.
Master Konghui seemed to be deep in thought.
"I'm leaving," Meng Qing said to her parents. "We'll meet again if fate allows. I think we'll run into my uncle in another place."
"Brother, I'll come to see you again when I return," said Meng's father.
"Let's go quickly." Master Konghui didn't seem to feel much reluctance.
The family then returned the way they came.
The front door of the house in Jiayufang was already locked. Meng's father went to take a look and told his family to go directly to the ferry. There were people at the ferry to see them off, including Dr. Xu, Master Xie, and the apprentices from the paper horse shop. Shen Yuexiu was also among them.
Mencius' mother sighed regretfully, went over to say a few words, and then boarded the boat first, leaving Meng Chun with the limited time he had.
Meng Chun didn't know what to say; he had said everything he needed to say.
"Have you changed your mind? If you nod now, I can board the ship with you immediately." Shen Yuexiu clenched her hands tightly, a smile on her lips, but her expression was tense.
Meng Chun looked up in surprise, "You shouldn't have done that..."
"You actually took it seriously? I was just kidding." Shen Yuexiu quickly interrupted him, laughing as she said, "I was just joking. I would never leave my hometown and my parents for you."
Meng Chun remained silent.
"Let's get on the ship." Shen Yuexiu took a few steps back. "Young Master, take care."
Meng Chun didn't move. He remembered Master Konghui's words: "Too many delusions harm oneself and one's family." He indeed had too many delusions. But he still left.
Shen Yuexiu also turned her back and left.
“I think Meng Chun will definitely regret it. There are few girls as brave as Yuexiu in the world. She not only had the courage to express her feelings, but she was also very wise and did not leave the paper horse shop because of her disappointment.” Meng’s mother said regretfully. When she saw Meng Chun boarding the boat, she angrily scolded, “This unlucky blind thing.”
Meng Qing chuckled, "Wait until he regrets it, then you can laugh at him."
Meng's mother shook her head; she didn't want to see Meng Chun. Upon seeing him approach, she quickly left.
Seeing that everyone had boarded the ship, Du Min didn't delay any longer. He bid farewell to Dr. Xu and Master Xie, then turned around, boarded the ship, and told the boatman that they could set sail.
Weigh anchor, hoist the sails, and the ship slowly departs from the ferry dock.
Once outside Wumen, the wind picked up, the boat suddenly sped up, and the sounds of the wind and water replaced the familiar soft Wu dialect.
Du Min stood with his hands behind his back at the stern of the boat. He looked at the city walls that were gradually losing their color and felt a sense of calm. His homeland had become a foreign land, and this place had nothing to do with him anymore.
"Third brother, it's windy on the deck, don't stay there too long," Du Li called out.
Du Min responded and left the stern, asking, "Where is my second sister-in-law? Is she with her parents?"
Du Li nodded. "Is there something you need from her?"
"...No, bring Wangzhou here, and I'll teach him to read."
Du Li and he walked down the deck together. The official boat was hired by Du Min, but the fare was paid by the Meng family. Therefore, the Meng family elders lived in the most spacious and stable aft cabin, where Meng Qing and Wang Zhou were also staying.
Meng's father and Meng Chun were standing at the top of the stairs. Hearing footsteps coming from upstairs, he turned to the other side and said, "Follow me."
Meng Chun silently followed.
The father and son arrived at the bow cabin, located below the bow of the ship. Meng's father stopped and asked, "Have you thought about what to say?"
Meng Chun remained silent.
"Fine, if you won't say it, I'll say it for you. Is it because you have so much money that you've become arrogant? Do you think you're free from financial worries and are now eyeing Du Min's future?"
"No," Meng Chun denied. "I don't have his abilities, so why would I be envious?"
“Alright, let me put it another way. You’re resentful because your sister secured opportunities for her descendants to study and become officials through marriage. Now her brother-in-law is thriving in his career, and Wang Zhou will most likely become an official in the future. You’re envious, resentful of your background, and unwilling to let your descendants follow in your footsteps and become merchants.” Meng’s father understood his son, who had grown up under his care since childhood, and since he himself often felt the same resentment and regret, he could easily guess Meng Chun’s thoughts.
Meng Chun was ashamed to admit that he had such lofty ambitions. He had no real skills and was only able to make money by crafting paper funerary objects thanks to his sister. Now that he was no longer worried about making a living, he had developed unrealistic ambitions, which was truly laughable.
“Dad, you’re overthinking it. I just don’t want to settle down yet. After getting married and having children, there will be more things to worry about. Once you’re settled down, it’ll be irresponsible to leave home and run around. I still want to travel around with my sister and see more of the world,” Meng Chun explained.
Meng's father pretended not to hear and continued, "Four years ago, when Wang Bushang moved the ancestral graves to Beiman Mountain, he told me that when I was rolling in money and the copper coins in my house were just dusty decorations, I would understand his actions. I don't have rolling in money yet, but I can already understand him. To put it bluntly, once you have a little money, you become arrogant and insatiable. Even when you don't lack money, you start to crave power and fame. Du Min went from being a poor peasant boy who had to sell his brother's marriage to take the imperial examinations to becoming a young county magistrate admired by everyone. How glorious he was! I envied him too. The day he returned, I stood on the bridge watching him and couldn't help but imagine that if my grandson could be so successful, I would laugh my head off even after I died and was buried in the yellow earth as a skeleton."
Meng Chun smiled.
“Fantasy is fantasy, and life is life. Look at Wang the cloth merchant and Li the cloth merchant, and look at the salt merchants in the county. Which of these people doesn’t have a better family background than us? They still couldn’t change their merchant status. If Wang the cloth merchant and Li the cloth merchant had a way, would they have moved their ancestral graves? They’ve given up hope in the mortal world and can only rely on their ancestors in the underworld to help them. With their examples, why aren’t you giving up?” Meng’s father looked directly at him.
The smile on Meng Chun's face disappeared, and he said in a low voice, "I know, and I understand in my heart."
Meng's father looked at him without saying a word.
"I've reached the age to get married and have children, but I don't want to. It's pointless. I haven't married yet, but I can already imagine married life, having children, raising children, and when the children are a little older, they'll learn to make paper offerings from us. When they reach marriageable age, they'll be just like me, following in my footsteps and continuing my life. Dad, do you think that's meaningful?" Meng Chun knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so he revealed the reason he didn't want to get married. "I also know that if I keep delaying, even for three to five years, things probably won't change. I'll still get married and have children. But whether it's three to five years earlier or three to five years later, the result will be the same, so why not delay? My heart is still adrift; it's not suitable for settling down. Shen Yuexiu is very good, and precisely because she's good, I can't bear to harm her."
“But if you wait another three to five years, you might not meet someone like her again. She’s a bit like your sister. Whether it was when she came to become an apprentice to learn from the master back then, or when she decided to stay at the Paper Horse Shop as a master to teach apprentices, a girl with such courage is something that many men can’t match,” Meng’s father couldn’t help but say.
“Then I’ll accept it,” Meng Chun insisted.
Meng's father sighed inwardly. This guy wouldn't turn back until he hit a brick wall. "Fine, go out and try your luck. See if you have the ability to turn things around."
Meng Chun remained silent.
After Meng's father left, he returned to the rear cabin, where only Meng's mother and Meng Qing were wiping down the tables, chairs, and beds.
"Where is Wangzhou?" he asked.
“His third uncle took him away,” Meng’s mother said. “What did your son say? Is he still stubbornly refusing to give in?”
“Just as I thought. He’s envious of other people’s success and thinks that the lives of merchants’ descendants are too mundane. He thinks that the younger generation will repeat the same path as their elders, which is meaningless.” Father Meng spread his hands. “It’s normal. He’s young. It’s good that he has ambition. Let him go out and see the world and make his own way.”
In front of Meng Chun, Meng's father spoke with a hint of suppression, but in front of Meng's mother, he stood by Meng Chun and supported him. He understood Meng's mother's expectations for having grandchildren and also understood Meng Chun's resentment as a man.
“Meng Chun is twenty-one this year, not forty-one. It won’t matter if he gets married and has children a few years later.” Meng Qing said, “Mother, don’t regret missing out on Shen Yuexiu. The wife is Meng Chun’s, and he is the one who will live the life. It has to be his choice.”
Mencius' mother shook her head, "It's no wonder he's so ambitious. You two both let him run wild, how could he not be greedy? Knowing full well that this is a dead end, you still let him go down it. Isn't this journey difficult and painful?"
“If you won’t let him have his way, why don’t you force him to agree to the marriage? Just like my in-laws, threaten him with death, and he’ll definitely listen to you.” Meng Qing lost her patience and threw down the rag, refusing to continue.
In her anxiety, Meng's mother immediately fell silent.
“He didn’t say he wouldn’t get married, so why are you urging him? What are you nagging about? Can’t he do anything else besides get married and have children? Or will he be unable to have children in a few years?” Meng Qing walked out and bumped into Meng Chun. She glanced into the cabin and said loudly, “Meng Chun, you better remember this: once you’ve made a decision, don’t go back on your word. If you say you regret it in a few years, that will be a slap in the face to the person you are now.”
Meng Chun perked up and said with a determined look, "I won't regret it, I definitely won't regret it."
Mencius' mother grabbed a comb and threw it out, yelling, "Get out of here, all of you!"
Meng Qing grabbed Meng Chun and ran away.
In a nearby cabin, Du Li heard the commotion outside subside and looked at Du Min, asking, "Is there a way for merchants to escape their lowly status?"
“Yes, one can give up their family property to become a monk or nun, obtain an ordination certificate from the government, and then cease to be a merchant,” Du Min said.
Du Li rolled her eyes at him, "Are you trying to kill off the Meng family line?"
Du Min smiled and said, "There's no need to make a fuss. On average, only one out of a hundred scholars can become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). The imperial examinations are still very difficult. He went to great lengths to change his status to a merchant. If his descendants can't become officials or go into business, and they don't have enough land, then that kind of life will be truly miserable."
"Would you be willing to accept that if it were you?" Du Li thought he was talking without any sense of the situation.
Du Min glanced at the child practicing calligraphy and said, "If it were me, I would get married this year and have a son to grow up with Wang Zhou. I would cultivate the relationship between the two cousins. If Wang Zhou becomes an official in the future, his cousin will also benefit from it."
Du Li secretly curled her lip. This was the difference between people with the surname Du and those with the surname Meng. People with the surname Du always put profit first and were meticulous in their calculations.
In the aft cabin, Meng's father comforted Meng's mother, and the elderly couple went out of the cabin to the deck to enjoy the scenery. This was the first time they had left Wu County.
Meng Qing and Meng Chun were also on the deck, the siblings sitting at the stern fishing with two fishing hooks.
"You can catch fish here? The waves are so big," Mencius' mother initiated the conversation.
Meng Qing glanced at her sideways and said in a strange tone, "Who told us to be greedy! Even if there are waves, we'll still cast our lines. What if we catch a big fish?"
Meng Chun laughed heartily.
Meng's mother laughed in exasperation, and slapped Meng Qing on the back, saying, "That's enough!"
Meng Qing smiled, deciding not to cause any more trouble. She made two more fishing hooks and handed them to the elderly couple. The family of four sat at the stern of the boat, watching the riverbank scenery recede into the distance.
*
Three days later, the official boat picked up Gu Wudong and his family of four at the Yangzhou ferry, and then headed straight for Luoyang without stopping.
They set off on the tenth day of the eighth lunar month and arrived in Luoyang on the twenty-seventh day of the ninth lunar month. Du Min visited Prefect Yin along the way and then changed carriages to go to Heqing County.
Heqing County is located north of the Yellow River, with Beiman Mountain to the south and Wangwu Mountain to the west. It faces Heyin County across the river. The only connection between the two counties is a pontoon bridge spanning the Yellow River, which is also the only way to reach Beiman Mountain.
Du Min stood at the south end of the pontoon bridge, making way for the funeral procession on the bridge. He glanced around and saw that the bridgehead, the bridge itself, and the mud along the riverbank below were covered with paper money of varying ages, the new covering the old, thicker than the fallen leaves on the ground in Chang'an in late autumn.
The Meng family members all nodded in satisfaction, believing this place would be a blessed land where paper effigies and funerary objects would flourish.
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