Chapter 149 Moving Out of the Government Office
Du Min offered tea to Meng Qing with deep affection, but when it came to Du Li, he was much more perfunctory. He reluctantly handed over a cup of tea and turned to introduce him to Yin Caiwei: "This is my second brother, you've met him before."
"Second Brother, please have some tea." Yin Caiwei handed over the tea.
Du Li felt uncomfortable. His son was still young, but he felt like a father-in-law.
He silently took the tea, took a sip, and handed a wooden box that Meng Qing had prepared for him to Du Min.
“There are only five of us in the family, a simple household, and we don’t have any special customs. Caiwei, don’t be shy, come and have breakfast with your third brother,” Meng Qing said.
“I remember my husband’s mentor came from afar. Where is he staying now? Shouldn’t we offer him tea?” Yin Caiwei asked.
Meng Qing looked at Du Min, who waved his hand, “Dr. Xu is staying at the post station, and he’s probably already left. He told me yesterday that he’s going to take his students on a tour of the prefectures and counties around Luoyang, so he won’t bother us.”
Yin Caiwei responded with an "Oh".
"Second sister-in-law, I forgot to tell you, Caiwei and I are leaving after breakfast. Tomorrow is the day for our return visit to our parents' home, and we're heading to Luoyang today," Du Min said.
Meng Qing nodded, "You guys go have your meal. I'll have your second brother prepare the homecoming gifts."
"Thank you, Second Sister-in-law. No need to trouble Second Brother. I've already told Mother Sun to make the preparations," Yin Caiwei said.
Meng Qing said "Oh," and then added, "You guys go have your meal."
Du Min and Yin Caiwei went to the dining room. Meng Qing and Du Li called Wang Zhou back to the room. She sat on the bed and asked Du Li to pack her clothes and shoes.
"Why are you tidying all this up?" Du Li asked.
“I plan to move to the Meng family’s house and then move back after my postpartum period,” Meng Qing said. “Once Lao San and his wife leave, we will move out too.”
"Okay." Du Li readily agreed and quickened his pace. For some reason, after Du Min got married and started a family, he felt like a guest whenever he entered the government office. The familiar place suddenly had ten unfamiliar faces, and the place became unfamiliar.
"Mother, do I have to move too?" Wangzhou asked.
"Move over. You can sleep at Xingjiaofang tonight and come back to class during the day," Meng Qing said. "You don't want to?"
“No.” Wang Zhou shook his head. “Why would we move?”
“Mom is about to give birth and needs your grandparents to take care of me,” Meng Qing explained. She didn’t hide anything from him. “Your third uncle and aunt are a newlywed couple. They are strangers to each other and need to spend time alone to build a relationship. If our family of four gets involved, your third aunt will have to interact with four more people, which is not an easy task for her.”
Wang Zhou flipped through the book in his hands with a rustling sound, accepting this explanation.
"Second sister-in-law? Second brother?" Du Min called out from outside, "Are you inside? We're leaving."
Meng Qing, Du Li, and Wang Zhou went out to see them off. After the carriage left, the three returned to the government office and packed their belongings.
Half an hour later, Du Li opened the door carrying two large bundles, with Meng Qing following behind carrying a small bundle.
"Wangzhou, are you all packed?" Du Li asked.
"Second Master, Second Mistress, what's going on here..." Sun Mama, Yin Caiwei's dowry wet nurse, did not leave with her. She stayed behind with her maids to pack up the dowry. When she saw this scene, she was extremely surprised.
“Aunt Sun, my family lives in Xingjiaofang. We plan to move there for a while so that my parents can take care of me during my postpartum period,” Meng Qing explained. “The master of the house will be away for the next few days, so please keep an eye on the house.”
"This...this...does the young master know?" asked Madam Sun.
Meng Qing smiled, "He'll know when he gets back."
“Wife, let’s go back to the Meng family with you. There’s no room to sleep here.” Steward Chen’s wife and two daughters-in-law came from the backyard.
"Stay one more day and help clean up the government office. We don't need you here anymore. Go back to the Meng family on your own," Meng Qing instructed.
Wangzhou came out carrying his book box. "Father, Mother, let's go."
Meng Qing nodded to Sun's mother, and then left with Du Li and Wang Zhou.
Mrs. Sun paused for a few moments, then went out to see him off.
The family of three strolled back to the Meng family home. Just as they were about to knock on the door, it opened. Meng Chun, carrying a bundle, was about to leave when he looked at the three people outside in shock.
"You've been kicked out?" he asked angrily.
Meng Qing glared at him. "Want to get beaten up? What did I say to you last night?"
Meng Chun closed the door, and he followed them to the backyard, asking, "What are you doing?"
"I already told my parents I was going to move back here to give birth and recover after childbirth," Meng Qing said. "Are you leaving?"
"Staying for two more days is fine," Meng Chun changed her mind. "What did Du Min say when you came back?"
“He didn’t know; he went back to his wife’s parents’ home with her. We left after he left,” Meng Qing said.
Upon hearing this, Meng Chun immediately decided to stay a few more days.
*
Five days later.
While the Meng family was having dinner in the pavilion in the front yard, Du Min stormed in angrily. He kicked away the goose that had run out of the water and was craning its neck to peck at him, and said sarcastically, "You've finally grown eyes! The master wants to separate from me, and you're turning your backs on me too."
"His third uncle, you're back from Luoyang? Haven't had dinner yet? Come and have some with us," Meng's father greeted his "eldest grandson."
"I'm not eating anymore, I can't eat," Du Min refused. He kicked the goose again and asked, "Second sister-in-law, second brother, what do you mean?"
"Third Uncle, don't kick my goose to death." Wang Zhou walked down from the pavilion and chased away his goose friend who had no sense of propriety.
“I’m about to give birth and I want my parents to take care of me during my postpartum period, so I’m moving back here for a while,” Meng Qing explained. “After my postpartum period, we’ll move back to the government office.”
Du Min had already heard Sun Mama give this reason when he was at the government office, and he completely disagreed with it. "How can you be so shameless? Uncle Meng and Aunt Pan are both getting on in years, and you still want to trouble them to take care of you during your postpartum period?"
“Now that there are people at home to take care of her, it’s not hard for me to look after her. I don’t even have to cook. I just help her soothe the children and talk to her,” Meng’s mother said.
“There are servants in the government office too. Aunt Pan, if you want to talk to my second sister-in-law, you can go to the government office.” Du Min said domineeringly, “Second sister-in-law, you can move back. You don’t need to stay here for a while and there for a while.”
Hearing this, Meng's mother became furious. With Du Min's despicable behavior, how could she possibly treat him like family? When her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson came to stay, he rushed in like a dog guarding a bone, trying to snatch it away. She simply couldn't understand—didn't Du Min know that Meng Qing was a daughter of the Meng family, and that it was only natural for her to return to her parents' home?
"Du Laosan, don't be so domineering. My sister wants to come back and live here. Why can't you agree?" Meng Chun couldn't take it anymore.
"Why did you move here? Were you unhappy living in the government office? Or did I offend you?" Du Min's face darkened. "Second sister-in-law, you were living comfortably in the government office before, why did you suddenly move here? Is it because I got married?"
“Because I’m going to have a baby and need to be in postpartum confinement, and Caiwei has only been married for less than a month, you’re asking her to take care of your sister-in-law during childbirth and postpartum confinement? Isn’t that making things difficult for her?” Meng Qing came down. “Third brother, you two are newly married. Isn’t it better for you to live separately as a couple? You can say and do whatever you want without having to worry about anyone else.”
Suddenly, the geese squawked loudly, and the four geese rushed aggressively toward the door. Yin Caiwei, along with her maid and servants, were about to enter when they were frightened away by the geese.
Wang Zhou hurried to chase after them, Du Min also went to herd the geese, and the others all went to help, putting the four geese into the pen.
After a flurry of activity, everyone gathered in the front hall.
Meng Qing is the kind of person who always wants people to appreciate the good deeds she does. In front of Yin Caiwei, she repeated the reasons she had brought up.
“As a woman myself, I went through the same thing. When you arrive at your husband’s family, everyone is a stranger. Although my sister-in-law and I have known each other for a long time, we have never lived together. Moreover, we come from different backgrounds, so you can imagine how different our lifestyles are. To avoid putting you in a difficult position, and to make myself more comfortable, I chose to give birth and have my postpartum confinement at my parents’ home,” Meng Qing told Yin Caiwei.
Yin Caiwei bit her lip, unsure of what to say, and looked at Du Min.
Du Min looked unhappy and said irritably, "You're just overthinking things. Why do you have to make things so complicated?"
"That's enough, don't be so disrespectful," Du Li reminded them. "It's getting dark, you should go back."
Du Min remained unmoved. "You really aren't moving back?"
"I'm not moving," Meng Qing refused again. "Go back."
Du Min glared at her resentfully, then got up and left.
Yin Caiwei was slightly taken aback. She smiled at the Meng family and followed them, lifting her skirt.
"Sister, they don't appreciate it," Meng Chun said.
"Never mind him." Meng Qing shook her head. "When are you leaving?"
"I'm leaving tomorrow." Meng Chun glanced at her belly and said, "After you give birth, send me a letter. I'll come back when the baby is a month old."
“Okay.” Meng Qing nodded.
*
Early the next morning.
Meng Chun left with Steward Chen and his two sons. Wang Zhou went out with them, but they parted ways halfway. He went to the government office to study.
As a result, he never returned. When school ended in the evening, Wang Zhou was detained by Du Min, who sent his servants to Xingjiaofang to inform them that Wang Zhou was not going back and would never return.
Once Du Li and Meng Qing received the letter and learned that Wang Zhou had been found, they stopped worrying about it and continued to live in the Meng family home. During the day, they would go out to stroll in the rice fields or visit the dye house, living a leisurely and carefree life.
Du Min's days were far from comfortable. Although Wang Zhou was being held captive in the government office, the uncle and nephew's lives were completely different from when they lived alone there. When he returned from the front office, he was greeted by a woman who didn't understand his heart. She was good in every way, and he had to pretend to be good in every way as well, to the point that he felt like a stranger to himself. His appearance made Wang Zhou want to avoid him at all costs. The uncle and nephew lived under the same roof, but they could only exchange a few words when they met in the study.
"Third Uncle, I want to go back." That morning, Wang Zhou said this while he was reading with Du Min in the study.
Du Min was silent for a moment, then said, "Go back? Isn't this your home?"
“Xingjiaofang is also my home, that house is still mine,” Wangzhou argued.
"Isn't it good to stay here?" Du Min asked. "What's wrong with it?"
I miss my parents.
“Your parents don’t miss you. It’s been seven days, and no one has come to see you,” Du Min said viciously.
Wang Zhou glared at him and retorted, "They don't want to see you."
Du Min rolled up his sleeves. "Do you want to get beaten up?"
“If you dare hit me, I dare call you my third aunt.” Wang Zhou said smugly.
Du Min stopped what he was doing and sighed wearily.
As Wang Zhou approached him, he asked probingly, "Third Uncle, are you afraid of my Third Aunt?"
“I’m worried she’s afraid of me.” Du Min sighed again. “Go find your heartless parents after school this evening.”
"Are you going?" Wang Zhou asked.
Du Min shook his head. "They are ruthless, and so am I. No one is as ruthless as me."
Wang Zhou felt that he was extremely resentful, but he ignored it. He was very happy to be able to leave this place. This was no longer the office of Magistrate Du, but the office of Prefect Yin.
At breakfast that day, Yin Caiwei noticed that Wangzhou was very happy. After she finished eating, she asked curiously, "Wangzhou, what happy event happened today? You seem so happy."
"I can go home tonight, Auntie. See you tomorrow morning."
Yin Caiwei glanced at Du Min, and seeing that he didn't object, she smiled and said, "Give my regards to your mother. I'll go talk to her another day."
"Okay." Wang Zhou nodded. "Third Uncle, Third Aunt, I'm going to class."
“I’m going out too.” Du Min put down his chopsticks. “I won’t be back for lunch. Magistrate Zhao wants to talk to me about establishing the Hundred Virtues Association. He’s treating us to lunch.”
Yin Caiwei agreed.
When Du Min returned in the evening, Wang Zhou had already left. No longer needing to worry about the child's probing gaze, he felt more at ease.
He paused when he had this feeling, and only then did he understand his second sister-in-law's good intentions.
*
The following evening.
Wang Zhou ran out of the government office after school, and as soon as he stepped outside, he saw his third uncle blocking the door. His face immediately fell.
Du Min was furious with him. "What kind of attitude is that?"
"Third Uncle, you won't let me go home again?" Wang Zhou asked with a bitter face.
“It’s getting late, I’ll take you home,” Du Min said.
Wang Zhou didn't expose his clumsy plan; he simply extended a hand.
Du Min was both annoyed and amused. He grabbed Wang Zhou's hand and pinched it hard, then led him away amidst Wang Zhou's screams.
The uncle and nephew were halfway there when they encountered Du Li and Meng Qing loitering by the roadside. The couple were peering over to watch their three children fighting crickets on the ground.
Du Min dragged Wang Zhou along, swaggering past. Wang Zhou, being mischievous, kept his mouth shut and didn't say a word. He followed Du Min and passed by the two of them, finally stopping at the alley leading to Xingjiaofang.
"Du Wangzhou, you've changed. You're not cute at all anymore," Du Min said bitterly.
Wang Zhou snorted. Who hasn't changed? He has changed too.
"Hey? Who's this?" Meng Qing saw Du Min. "Isn't this my heartless brother-in-law?"
Du Min rolled his eyes in anger and pinched Wang Zhou, "You say everything with that mouth of yours, don't you?"
Du Li quickly took a few steps and slapped his hand away, saying, "You're so rough."
Du Min ignored him and said, "I raised your son for seven days, so treat me to dinner tonight."
"Okay, let's go," Meng Qing said. "Just the two of you? Where's Caiwei? Have someone go and call her later."
"Alright, stop being so obsessed with being a good sister-in-law," Du Min said unhappily. "When she doesn't show her face, can't I even get a single meal here?"
"How can you be so ungrateful?" Meng Qing scolded him. "You're happy now that you're not calling her, but I'm going to have a falling out with her."
“I’ll go call them,” Du Li said. “Wang Zhou, come with me.”
Wang Zhou broke free from Du Min's hand and ran away with his father.
"Why is it so troublesome?" Du Min sighed. "Second sister-in-law, why are you afraid of her? I've never seen you afraid of your eldest sister-in-law."
"Love me, love my dog; fear me, love my dog," Meng Qing replied.
Du Min was appeased by the phrase "love me, love my dog," and he gave a fake laugh, "I didn't know you were afraid of me."
"There are many things you don't know." Meng Qing knocked on the door. "Little Chestnut, come open the door."
A little girl ran quickly to open the door, and Meng Qing introduced her to Du Min: "This is Steward Chen's eldest granddaughter."
Du Min nodded, glanced at the geese in the pen, and went inside with a sense of security.
After an incense stick had burned for a while, Yin Caiwei arrived with Sun's mother carrying gifts.
Mencius' mother tried to treat Du Min as her eldest grandson, saying, "Third Aunt, you're too shy. His third uncle has come so many times with nothing but a mouth, but you made up for all the courtesy he owed him. We're all family, so don't bring any gifts next time. We don't need anything. If you bring gifts again, we won't let you in."
"Listen to Aunt Pan," Du Min said.
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