Chapter 55 Do you want to get revenge on your parents...?
Meng Qing gently closed the door, walked over to Du Li and sat down next to him, asking softly, "What's wrong?"
Du Li was embarrassed to look at her. He stared blankly at the geese in the basket and said dejectedly, "I sold all two hundred chickens and ducks, and only these four geese are left."
Meng Qing sensed something was amiss. He had sold all the chickens and ducks, probably because he didn't plan to raise them anymore. Why not? Was it because Old Du no longer allowed him to do side jobs and accumulate private wealth?
"Your father won't allow you to accumulate private wealth anymore?" she asked.
"No, it's that I don't want to stay at home anymore, I don't want to stay in Dujiawan anymore... I, I also want to move here and live with you..." Du Li was quick to speak harshly to Du Laoding, but after leaving Dujiawan, he began to feel uneasy, worried that the Meng family would not be willing to take him in as their son-in-law for long, and also worried that Meng Qing would be unhappy that he came to seek refuge with her family.
“I’m sorry. I was the one who wanted to amass wealth. You even came back with me to help me plan so that I could freely use the income from the mulberry and paddy fields…” Du Li lowered her head and her voice grew softer and softer. “I’ve disappointed you. I’ve worked so hard for two months, and before the chickens and ducks were even grown up, I had to give up.”
Meng Qing was quite surprised. She was a little disappointed, but it didn't matter. She reached out and took his hand, saying, "I know you. For someone like you to get to this point, you must have suffered a lot of injustice."
Du Li froze, and he raised his hand to cover his face.
Meng Qing's fingers gripped his palm, and she felt scalding tears dripping onto her fingertips, seeping between her fingers. He was trembling, and her hands burned, her whole body heating up—from anger to heartache.
He cried so pitifully.
"Tell me, what wronged you?" she asked, leaning against him.
"I was forced to serve in his household. My term ended yesterday, and I returned to the village in the middle of the night. Everyone in the village woke up when they heard the noise, but they all stayed inside pretending to be asleep. When I got to my door, I saw that the candle in the west wing had gone out." Du Li turned his face away to wipe his tears, his other hand tightly holding her wet hand. After tidying himself up, he calmly said, "I discovered that my parents not only dislike me, but they probably hate and despise me. They will try every means to bleed me dry. I have to escape. The entire Dujiawan village is also an accomplice of my parents in oppressing me. Some people are secretly..." No matter how much they plead for me in front of others, when I clash with my parents, they'll choose to side with them and suppress me. I have a feeling that although I'm my parents' son, my age, seniority, and status represent their son, and no parent in the village wants to see their children controlling them. So even if they know my parents are wrong, they still have to join forces to suppress me, fearing their child will be the next me. Meng Qing, that's a hellish place that will kill me. I must escape my parents' clutches, and I must escape Dujiawan.
“You’ve escaped! Du Li, now that you’ve escaped, don’t go back.” When Meng Qing heard him describe the place where he was born and raised as a ghost cave, she realized that he seemed to have reached the edge of a cliff. If there was no way out, he might end his life when he was desperate.
“You are my husband, Wangzhou’s father, the Meng family is my home, and it can also be your home. We’ll live here as a family and not go back.” Meng Qing gave him a clear answer.
Du Li was still uneasy. "Will my parents and Chun Di dislike me?"
"No, they'd love for you to move here too," Meng Qing assured him. "You know in your heart that they won't look down on you, otherwise you wouldn't have come to rely on them. You have to trust your judgment in people."
Du Li sighed.
Meng Qing pulled him up, "Eating is the most important thing in the world, come with me to make dinner."
Before the porridge was even cooked, Meng's parents and Meng Chun returned with Wangzhou. Upon entering, they heard a goose cawing, and Meng's mother exclaimed with delight, "Wangzhou, your father is here!"
Du Li came out from the backyard, looking embarrassed, and said, "Dad, Mom, Chun Di, you're back. Dinner isn't ready yet."
“There’s no rush. Look at you, you’ve lost so much weight again. Was the work you did during your service too heavy? You should go to the city. I’ll take six bolts of silk back with you and donate it as a substitute for your service.” Mencius’ mother rattled off a string of words.
When Meng's father saw the five chickens and four geese with their claws tied in the basket, he realized that these five chickens belonged to his family. Why had Du Li brought them again? He sensed that something was wrong.
"It's alright, I have plenty of strength, being a little thin doesn't matter." Du Li stubbornly insisted in front of his father-in-law and mother-in-law, reaching out to hug Wang Zhou, "Wang Zhou, do you still remember me?"
"How could I not remember?" Meng's mother forcefully handed the child, who had turned his back to her, to him and asked, "Why did you catch chickens and geese? Are you planning to stay here for a while? How long can you stay?"
“He’s not going back.” Meng Qing finished tidying up the wood-burning stove and came out to say loudly, “Father, Mother, little brother, you’ve got what you wanted. Du Li plans to move to our Meng family’s house and won’t go back to Dujiawan anymore.”
Mencius' parents were unaware of the situation, but seeing Du Li's anxious and embarrassed expression, they immediately expressed their stance.
"That's great news! Your family of three will finally be able to live together without being separated," said Meng's father.
“Your house is overrun with demons and monsters. You should have left long ago. If you don’t run away, I’m worried you’ll become like them.” Mencius’ mother didn’t hide her disgust. She continued, “Before I got married, a Taoist priest told my fortune and said I would have two sons and a daughter. But I only had two children, and I even scolded the priest for talking nonsense. Turns out there was another son waiting here. Don’t have any other thoughts. Just think of yourself as another son in this family and live here peacefully.”
“Brother-in-law, my parents’ thoughts are my thoughts. I’m very happy that you’re moving in. That way, I won’t have to worry about my sister and Wangzhou moving away anymore,” Meng Chun said.
Du Li's throat tightened, and he couldn't speak. His worthless body had found a place to stay again. This man with no skills had actually met someone who pitied him.
Wang Zhou had been keeping his back straight, resisting contact with Du Li, when he suddenly heard a sob. He looked up and saw the familiar tears.
"Ah!" He pointed it out to Meng Qing.
Meng Qing closed his eyes. What a silly child. Who didn't see his father crying again?
Wang Zhou pointed them out one by one to Meng's parents and Meng Chun, but they all turned their faces away.
Everyone else remained silent. Wang Zhou pondered for a few moments, then raised his hand to wipe away his father's tears. His resistant posture softened, and he nestled in his father's arms.
Du Li cried out all the grievances he had suffered over the years. Looking at his son who kept wiping away his tears, he secretly vowed that he would never shed tears over these things again.
"Father, Mother, Chun-di, the fact that you're willing to take me in is the greatest blessing of my life. I know you're only kind to me because of Meng Qing. In this life, besides treating her well, I have nothing else to repay her with. In the next life, I'll be her servant, never to be a burden to her again." Du Li sincerely believed that Meng Qing marrying him was the worst thing that had ever happened to her. He humbly pleaded, "From now on, all the housework will be mine. I'll find ways to earn money and won't be a freeloader. If I do anything wrong, please point it out; don't keep it to yourself. I only have one request: please don't despise me."
Mencius' mother turned her face away to wipe her tears, "Oh dear, you child... you've made me cry. How many times have I told you? I treat you like my own son, and no one in this family dislikes you."
Meng's father took a deep breath. At this moment, he hated Du Laoding. The old man was deeply sinful. He had broken a child's spine. How could a man say such a lowly thing?
“Du Li, you are a very good person. I have no complaints about you being my son-in-law. I have never looked down on you.” Father Meng took two steps forward and patted Du Li’s back. “Come on, stand up straight. You are holding your son in your arms. He is watching you. Promise him that you will not look down on his father.”
"I'm despising myself? Yes, I'm despising myself." Du Li couldn't take it anymore. He shoved Wang Zhou into Meng's father's hands, turned around, went back to the backyard, and locked himself in his room. He broke down. "I'm even despising myself. Why do I look down on him too? I'm bullying him too..."
Meng Qing chased after them. She heard crying inside, stood there for a while, and then left.
"Let him be alone for a while," Meng Qing said.
Mencius' parents were in low spirits and had little appetite. They drank a little plain porridge and then carried Wangzhou back to their house.
"Qingniang, comfort him," Meng's mother instructed. "Wangzhou will sleep with us tonight, so don't worry about him."
"Okay." Meng Qing nodded, then told Meng Chun to remember to wash the dishes before going back inside.
The person lying on the bed didn't react to her arrival, and Meng Qing didn't speak either. She groped her way to the bedside, took off her shoes and clothes, and lay down. The person under the covers was breathing heavily, clearly not asleep, but she didn't disturb him, and quietly stayed with him.
Meng Chun washed the dishes and used the remaining uneaten porridge to feed his brother-in-law's precious goose.
The geese seemed to know that they were living under the care of their owner, and no longer acted like tyrants, craning their necks and barking at people. When someone came to feed them, they hesitated and dared not approach.
"Eat up, it's all for you." Meng Chun pushed the food bowl forward. "Don't worry, I won't kill you or look down on you. Make this your home and stay here comfortably."
One goose boldly took a bite of food, let out a honking sound, and the other three geese came over as well.
Meng Chun squatted to the side and watched. After the goose finished eating the leftovers, he went to fetch half a bucket of water and poured it into the feeding trough.
The goose stood beside the feeding trough, stretched its neck, drank a few sips of water, and then quietly drank water and preened its feathers. Meng Chun watched it for a while longer before going back inside to sleep.
The courtyard quieted down, making the house seem even quieter.
Du Li crawled out of bed, pulled the blanket over the person next to him, and said in a hoarse voice, "Aren't you cold lying like this?"
"I was worried I might bother you." Meng Qing shifted a couple of times, snuggling into a warm embrace. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tightly.
Du Li froze for a few moments, then he reached out and hugged her. "I remember at the end of spring, you told me in this room to take good care of myself, to be kinder to myself, and even kinder to myself, but I didn't take it to heart."
“You remembered it, and you did it. In just six months, you’ve already severed ties with your original family, freed yourself from the constraints of filial piety, and dared to leave that home. This is the most useful step in treating yourself well.” Meng Qing thought Du Li was very capable in this regard, even more capable than her. In her previous life, she was never able to wean herself off her family until her death.
"Really?" Du Li felt relieved. "It seems that's the case."
“Yes, you didn’t bully him.” Meng Qing poked his back and said, “If life is a roll of cloth, the you at the end of spring must be thanking you an inch away.”
“You always have a good way with words.” Du Li’s voice became nasal again as he smiled and said, “He should thank you too.”
"I also want to thank you," Meng Qing said.
"Thank me? Thank me for what?"
"Thank you for saving yourself." This also gave her the opportunity to comfort her past self.
Du Li chuckled, not understanding her meaning, and asked, "Am I that important to you?"
“Yes, you are my son’s father and my husband. I don’t want to be a widow with a child.” Meng Qing looked up at him and told him seriously, “Du Li, I want to correct something I once said. It’s not that only people who can make money have value. For many people, just being alive has value. You are alive, I have a husband, and Wang Zhou has a father. For me and for them, this is immeasurable value.”
Du Li took a deep breath, tilted his head back, and said with difficulty, "Don't make me cry again. I really don't want to shed any more tears. I'm too weak. I hate myself for being like this."
"You just cried out all the tears you held back when you were a child."
"So I really cried?" Du Li raised her hand to wipe away her tears. "You always manage to make me cry... Meng Qing, I'm so upset. Sometimes I wonder why I turned out this way. Du Min said I'm not like my family. On the way here, I thought if I were like them, I wouldn't care about these empty feelings anymore, and I wouldn't be in pain."
"If you were like your parents, I'd be the one crying every day," Meng Qing muttered, ruining the mood.
Du Li laughed through her tears, and he nudged her, saying, "Quickly thank me."
"Thank you," Meng Qing said with a laugh.
Du Li pulled up the blanket to wipe away her tears and said, "I'm not crying anymore. I'll never cry over these trivial things again."
"It's okay, cry if you feel wronged. You won't have time to cry anymore. Living in the Meng family will bring you countless good days. You won't even have the chance to cry then." Meng Qing teased him on purpose.
Du Li smiled and said seriously, "Meng Qing, I've thought it through. I really don't plan to go back to Dujiawan. You're not suited to live in the village either. We need to find a way to stay in the city and cut off any possibility of going back to the village to make a living."
"Okay," Meng Qing readily agreed.
“Chun Di isn’t married yet, and our family lives here. I’m worried that this might affect his marriage prospects. I’m concerned that we might cause him and his wife to argue, his mother and daughter-in-law to fall out, and ultimately, the family to break apart. What do you think?” Du Li asked.
Meng Qing nodded. "What are your thoughts?"
“I plan to sell the trees and the land in two years when they mature, and then use the money to rent a small courtyard and move out,” Du Li said.
"Moving out is fine, but selling the land is not. I have savings; I'm not at the point of being destitute and having to sell my land. Don't feel guilty about using my savings. I have the ability and connections to make money, which you can't match. Not only you, but many men can't match me. You don't need to be so concerned about saving face. Don't feel pressured either. I'll share the burden of making money, and you'll share the burden of raising the children and taking care of the family. It's mutual; I won't look down on you," Meng Qing explained to him.
Du Li knew she was trying to comfort him, so he forced himself to stay strong and said, "From now on, I'll take care of all the housework. I'll make sure you're well taken care of."
"Let's put that aside for now. Meng Chun's marriage hasn't even started yet, and my parents don't plan on him getting married too early. We can at least stay here and live comfortably for another two or three years." Meng Qing leaned up a bit to face him and asked, "Don't you want to get revenge on your parents?"
"How should we respond?"
"Find an opportunity to ask Du Min about it. How did he argue with your father last time, and what made him so angry?" Meng Qing had been curious before, but she didn't want Du Min to realize her gloating, so she didn't ask too much.
"You mean..."
“Du Min is your parents’ proudest creation. The most satisfying way to get revenge on them is to snatch away their carefully crafted treasure and make them turn against each other completely.” Meng Qing snorted and tempted, “Make Du Min turn against them, even sever ties, so they can taste what it’s like to be abandoned and discarded.”
Du Li was intrigued. "Okay, I'll go find out."
Meng Qing smiled, nudged him, and asked, "Are you hungry?"
"I'm hungry. Is there any food left? I've only eaten two meals since yesterday." Du Li sat up.
"There's still some porridge left. There's still a little bit of white porridge left tonight, it's probably still warm." Meng Qing was also hungry, both hungry and thirsty. She threw off the covers, sat up, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and went out.
However, the earthenware pot was washed clean, and there was no sign of white porridge in the food cupboard. Meng Qing and Du Li searched the kitchen thoroughly but couldn't find anything to eat.
"Meng Chun, did you throw away the rest of the porridge?" Meng Qing knocked on Meng Chun's door.
"Oh? Yes, I fed the geese," Meng Chun replied guiltily.
"Are you out of your mind? Didn't you notice your brother-in-law didn't eat dinner tonight?" Meng Qing asked, puzzled.
"Never mind, I'll just make another bowl of egg drop soup." Du Li pulled her away.
"Cook another bowl, I'm hungry too," Meng Qing said.
Upon hearing this, Meng Chun jumped up and said, "Brother-in-law, cook me a bowl too, I'm hungry."
"Cook two more bowls, we'll eat them too." Meng's parents were still awake; the few mouthfuls of porridge they ate that evening weren't enough, and the old couple were too hungry to sleep.
After a stick of incense had burned, everyone except Wangzhou squatted in the kitchen drinking scallion and egg drop soup.
Meng's parents and Meng Chun would glance at Du Li every now and then, but Du Li suppressed her embarrassment and pretended not to notice anything.
"I want to eat fish, shrimp and tofu porridge tomorrow morning." Meng Qing interrupted the flirtatious glances in the room and asked, "Father, Mother, Little Brother, what do you want to eat? Du Li will make it tomorrow morning."
"How many more dishes do you need? A pot of fish, shrimp, and tofu porridge will suffice." Meng's mother glared at Meng Qing, telling her not to bully others.
“Son-in-law, your mother and I have discussed it. You will also work at the paper horse shop, and we will pay you wages privately,” Meng’s father said. “As for the meals at home, we will take turns cooking. Whoever is free can come back and cook. You don’t have to be responsible for it all by yourself.”
Du Li waved his hand in disagreement, "I'm not even qualified to be an apprentice, why would I need wages? I can go and help, so I don't need wages. Dad, if you give me money, I won't go."
“We don’t need to pay him wages. He can be an apprentice, and his wages will include room and board,” Meng Qing suggested. “How about that? That way, he won’t feel guilty about living here.”
“Okay.” Du Li nodded hurriedly. “But cooking and cleaning the donkey shed and chicken coop are also my chores. I like cooking and I like cleaning the house.”
Mencius's father and mother disagreed, saying, "If you take on two jobs, you should receive two wages."
“He’s part of my family, so he gets a share of the money I get.” Meng Qing pointed at Meng Chun and asked, “Does that mean you’ll have to pay your daughter-in-law separately when he gets married? Right now, we’re three gangs. My dad and mom each earn one share, Du Li and I each earn one share, and Meng Chun each earns one share. That way, he’ll have helpers when he gets married.”
Seeing that the couple refused, Meng's father had no choice but to say, "That will do too."
"It's settled then. Don't bring this up again." Meng Qing made the decision. "It's late. Go back to your room and sleep after you've eaten."
"I'll bring Wangzhou back to sleep with us," Du Li said, missing his son.
Upon hearing this, Meng's mother went and brought Wangzhou out to him.
Meng Qing washed the earthenware pot clean and then boiled another pot of hot water to wash himself.
It wasn't until midnight that the Meng family finally quieted down.
*
The next day.
As dawn broke, Wang Zhou woke up. He immediately sensed something was wrong and groped around in the blankets for a while before confirming that there were people sleeping on both sides of him.
Du Li also woke up, but he didn't make a sound. He quietly watched Wang Zhou grope around, and even closed his eyes to let him touch his face.
"Who is he?" Meng Qing asked quietly.
Wang Zhou exclaimed "Wow!" and rolled around happily in his blankets.
“He recognized him.” Meng Qing laughed. “Dad, quickly take your son to pee.”
Du Li threw off the covers and got out of bed, carrying Wang Zhou to the chamber pot in the corner to urinate. Afterwards, he tucked the child back into bed and took the chamber pot outside.
"You two sleep a little longer, I'm going to the fish market to buy fish and shrimp." Du Li rinsed the chamber pot and brought it in again. He then took his clothes from the foot of the bed and put them on.
“It’s a bit chilly this morning, so wear something warm. There are some new winter clothes for you in the trunk, wear those,” Meng Qing said.
“I’m going to the fish market to buy fish and shrimp, why am I dressed so nicely?” Du Li ignored him and went out wearing his old cattail jacket.
"Stubborn fool," Meng Qing cursed. "Who was it that said we should be kinder to ourselves last night?"
Du Li pretended not to hear. He went to find the basket he had brought yesterday. The basket that held chickens contained the copper coins he had earned from selling chickens and ducks. He picked out two strings of chickens that were not stained with chicken droppings and strode out of the Meng family's house.
When Mencius' parents woke up, Du Li had already started cooking the porridge and cleaned the front and back yards. He was piling stones where the chicken coop used to be, intending to build a coop to keep the chickens and geese inside.
When Meng Qing and Meng Chun came out yawning, Du Li poured the fish, shrimp, and tofu into the rice porridge, added two spoonfuls of salt, boiled it twice, and then sprinkled some chopped green onions on top before serving.
"Father, Mother, there's extra fish, shrimp, and tofu porridge I cooked this morning. I'll take two bowls to Du Min later," Du Li said.
“Alright.” Mother Meng nodded. “Now that you’re here, you can still bring him meals every day like you did in the summer.”
Du Li waved her hand, "No need to see him off. It's cold, the food will get cold if I send it over. I'm just going to say hello to him and tell him about things at home."
Mencius' mother said "Oh," and then added, "Do as you please."
Du Li hurriedly drank two bowls of porridge, then filled another bowl into a food box, took the money, and hurried to the ferry. He made it to the prefectural school by boat before dawn.
Du Min had just finished getting ready and was about to go out to find something to eat when he opened the door and saw an unexpected person. He greeted him with delight, "Second Brother, what brings you here? You've lost so much weight again!"
"I made fish, shrimp and tofu porridge this morning and brought you a bowl." Du Li tapped the food box. "I also came to tell you that I've moved to your second sister-in-law's house. If you need anything and it's inconvenient to ask your second sister-in-law for help, just come to me."
"What happened?" Du Min's face darkened. "Did your parents bully you again?"
“Dad wanted the money from selling eels, but I refused. So he pretended to be sick and forced me to do his service. I only got back the night before last.” Du Li pushed him into the house to eat. “You wanted to talk to me in Sangtian last time, but I ignored you. Now I regret it. Can I talk to you this time?”
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