Chapter 52 What love in this world is without self-interest...?
Du Min was sitting on the edge of the field watching two cows graze when he suddenly heard someone calling him. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw two people running toward him excitedly.
“Du Min, come back quickly, the servant boy of Doctor Xu from the prefectural school has gone to your house.”
Upon hearing this, Du Min stood up abruptly.
"Hurry, hurry, Du Min, come back with me." A man ran over, excitedly grabbed Du Min, and pulled him back. "Dr. Xu's page has come to urge you to go back to the prefectural school for classes. Eighth Master wants you to go back and pack your things. You'll be going with him later."
Du Min staggered a few steps, and asked with surprise and doubt, "Is he really Dr. Xu's page?"
"Is this fake? Who would dare impersonate someone from the prefectural school to spread false information? They said that if you obediently return to class within three days, the prefectural school won't expel you," the man said loudly.
Upon hearing this, Du Min immediately realized that this person must have nothing to do with Dr. Xu, but was probably related to his second sister-in-law.
“Brother Du Min, don’t be stubborn later, and don’t say anything about not studying.” Another man warned him, “Everyone in the village is here. If you dare to talk nonsense again and stick your neck out, you’re sure to get a beating.”
“Yes, yes, last time Eighth Master wanted to beat you up but your second sister-in-law stopped him. This time, even if the Heavenly King himself comes, you won’t escape getting beaten up,” said the man pulling Du Min.
"When? The day the villagers went to the city to inquire about the news?" Du Min understood after a little thought.
“That’s strange. Brother Kun went to the prefectural school to inquire about information. Why did the gatekeeper and the students at the prefectural school say that you had dropped out?” The person pulling Du Min stopped.
Du Min's face was cold as he stubbornly said, "Before I left, I told Dr. Xu and the others that I was going to drop out of school. I took all my things with me. How is that not dropping out? Why are people still coming to my house to cause me trouble?"
The two immediately understood that the matter of dropping out of school was just Du Min's one-sided nonsense. The prefectural school did not take it seriously and allowed him to leave the academy in a fit of anger. However, seeing that he had been gone for more than ten days, they got angry and sent someone to inform him to return to the academy as soon as possible.
"You're lucky too." Having figured it out, the man holding Du Min continued to drag him along.
"They brought Du Min back." Someone ran back from the village entrance to deliver the news.
The village chief, Uncle Du, and other senior men in the village blocked the village entrance. As soon as Du Min appeared, they all spoke up and coldly rebuked him, telling him to be obedient and stop causing trouble.
“Du Min, Dr. Xu’s page is in your house. If you dare to talk nonsense in front of him later, or throw a tantrum and refuse to study, I’ll take half your life today.” The village chief warned sternly, then said gently, “As long as you behave and don’t throw a tantrum, no matter what grudge you have against your father, I will speak up for you and make your father apologize to you.”
Du Min didn't say anything, but there wasn't much resistance on his face.
The village chief noticed that he was also looking in the direction of his house, so he nodded and said, "Take him back."
The courtyard of the Du family was packed with people, men, women, and children from the entire village. When they saw Du Min, smiles appeared on their faces, like old women looking at their grandsons who had just been born.
"Child, stop throwing a tantrum and go back to school in the prefectural capital..."
"Brother Min, don't say or do anything foolish..."
“Third nephew, listen to your aunt. Staying in Dujiawan will ruin your life. Go back to school. No matter how angry you are, you can’t gamble with your future.”
"..."
Du Min stepped into the main hall amidst a chorus of admonitions. Besides his own family members, he saw a strange man, who was undoubtedly the pageboy in disguise.
“Amin—” Du’s mother carefully approached Du Min and said happily, “The people from the prefectural school have come to urge you to go back to study. You haven’t been expelled from the prefectural school yet.”
Du Min didn't refute. Finding someone to impersonate a page was already a joke, and the other party was probably laughing at him in their heart. He didn't want to make the other party watch the show any longer, so he mumbled vaguely, "I understand, I'll consider it."
The fake page was a sensible man. He stood up and said, "I have delivered the message. You can decide for yourselves. I'm leaving now."
"Sir, please wait a moment. It's already noon. Please stay for lunch," Old Ding Du earnestly urged.
"No need for formalities, sir. Please take care of your family matters first. I won't bother you any longer." The fake page took his leave.
Old Du hurriedly arranged for his two sons to see him off. He rushed back to the house to get the money, asking, "Second daughter-in-law, how much should we give to avoid losing face? One or two strings of cash? Would one string be too little?"
Meng Qing hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's fine if you don't give it to me..."
Old Ding's expression immediately changed. "I shouldn't have asked you. What do you know?"
He went back to the west wing, picked up a string of coins, and chased after him, saying, "Sir, sir, thank you for making such a long trip. I haven't even had a meal at home yet. Take this money and go back to the city to order some good dishes."
The fake pageboy hadn't expected such an unexpected bonus, so he readily accepted it, saying, "Old man, you're too kind. Please stay."
Old Ding escorted them for a while longer, instructing Du Ming and Du Li to make sure they got the person onto the boat.
"Second Brother, what did Du Min say?" Aunt Du asked impatiently.
Old Du smiled. "Looks like he's agreed."
The village chief and his men arrived as well. Upon hearing this, he instructed them, "Don't go against your son. What's shameful about giving in to your own son? Just agree with whatever he says and let him calm down first. He should go back to the prefecture and study diligently."
“I’m not going to fight him anymore. I can’t beat him. I’m behaving myself.” Du Laoding could still say with a smile. At this moment, he didn’t care about face or reputation at all. Du Min had ruined his future. He had no hope. He had lost all his pride and dignity. Compared to this, all those other trivial things were unimportant.
The village chief breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll give you face, we won't interfere in your family's affairs. Go back and spend some time comforting your son."
Du Laoding let out a soft "Hey".
"Everyone disperse, it's noon, go home and cook!" the village chief called out.
Before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea is up, everyone who had gathered outside the Du family's house has left.
Du Laoding took a few deep breaths and walked into the main hall, where he met Du Min's gaze.
"You all get out," Du Laoding said, clearing the area.
Meng Qing felt a little regretful. She glanced at the father and son, and reluctantly followed Li Hongguo and Du's mother out the door.
Old Du closed the door, and the room suddenly became much darker, which relieved the pressure in his heart. "Amin, it was your father's fault. I have reflected on my actions these past few days. It was my fault. I will not interfere in your affairs from now on. You can make your own decisions."
"You're really not going to concern yourself with my affairs anymore?" Du Min tilted his head. "You won't relapse after this period of time, will you?"
"No, I promise you, you can associate with whoever you want, and I won't say another word." Old Ding sighed and said in a low voice, "You know in your heart that I can't do anything about you."
Du Min smiled sarcastically, "How can you say you can't do anything to me? You're the one who could ruin my path to the imperial examinations."
Old Ding was speechless. After a moment of silence, he said with a wry smile, "Do you think I'm willing to do that? If I were willing, would you still be threatening me with dropping out of school?"
Upon hearing this, Du Min felt neither joy nor relief; on the contrary, he felt somewhat distressed. He leaned against the wall, looking up at the light filtering through the cracks in the window. The sunlight was intense, stinging his eyes.
"Father, is all you value the glory and fame I can bring you? The treatment I've received from you and Mother all these years is something I earned through my studies and future prospects," Du Min asked. "If I were as mediocre as my older brothers, would you treat me the same way they would?"
Old Ding frowned, not understanding Du Min's words. "Why would you think that? You've been smart and sensible since you were little, the most clever of the three brothers. If your mother and I don't love you, who will we love?"
“So the extra care I receive compared to my older brothers is measured and priced; it’s because I have value that I’m valued.” Du Min shook his head. “It’s not pure.”
Old Ding Du involuntarily got goosebumps. He shifted uncomfortably, subconsciously putting some distance between himself and Du Min. He said with amusement, "You're a grown man, not a little girl. Aren't you ashamed to say such sentimental things? What's all this talk about love? What matters is that you get the benefits."
Du Min felt as if he had been hit with a stick. He was dazed for a moment. "What's so cheesy about me saying these things to my own parents? I thought you and Mom would be the people I could trust and rely on the most. I thought you would always side with me unconditionally. I've schemed against many people, but I never thought of scheming against you. But I still ended up on this path. Why?"
Du Min turned his head to look at the person beside him. The old man was fifty-one years old this year, with gray hair and beard, loose skin, and wrinkles etched all over his body. He had always felt sorry for him and also felt guilty, guilty that his insistence on studying had brought a heavy burden to his parents.
“This spring, I asked my second sister-in-law to cooperate with me. My initial purpose was to ease the burden on the family. I wanted to make things easier for you, thinking that you and Mother are getting older and it's getting harder every year. I wanted you to work less and live a few more years so that I could have the opportunity to give you a better life.” Du Min saw tears welling up in his father's eyes, and he smirked sarcastically, saying, “But how do you see me? You think I don't need the family's money anymore, that I've become too independent, disobedient, and even plotted to use the money in my pocket to send Jinshu to school. Is this to control me?”
Old Du had forgotten about it. He waved his hand and said, "I just said it casually at the time, but your older brother and sister-in-law were pushing me too far."
Du Min was disappointed by his reaction, and he instantly lost the desire to confide in him.
Old Du lowered his guard under Old Ding's resentful words and complained, "Don't you know why my attitude towards you has changed? You disowned us after you got into the prefectural school. How could your mother and I not be heartbroken and disappointed? You've broken our hearts. We're worried that you won't be filial to us if you become successful in the future, which is why we've treated you badly. I threatened you because I was angry. You treat the Meng family better than your own parents. It chills me to the bone! You say you're our son, why are you so stubborn with us? If you had just softened your stance, would your mother and I still hold a grudge against you?"
"In short, you don't trust me, you want to control me, and you want me to submit to you," Du Min concluded. "I remember telling you that within five years, I would repay you all the money I've spent over the years, with interest. You don't need to worry that supporting my education is a losing proposition. I will no longer obey you, but I don't accept the charge of being unfilial. I will repay you for everything I owe you."
After Du Min finished speaking, he got up and opened the door.
Old Du reached out his hand, exclaimed "Hey!" as if he wanted to say something, but then suddenly remembered his purpose. He swallowed his words and asked, "You'll go to the prefectural school to continue your studies, right?"
Du Min laughed heartily and said without turning his head, "Don't worry, I will go. I will go to earn fame and fortune and bring glory to your family, Old Man Du."
Meng Qing stood outside the courtyard watching him, but Du Min ignored her this time. He walked away quickly with a cold face, and after walking a distance, he laughed loudly a few times as if venting his anger, and then strode away.
Du's mother chased after her, "Amin, where are you going? Dinner is almost ready."
Du Min seemed not to hear, and even quickened his pace.
"Second brother, second brother, hurry and catch up with your third brother, see what's wrong with him now!" Mother Du called out to her most trusted servant.
Du Li sighed and chased after him.
Two figures darted swiftly through the light and shadow created by the trees and the sun. Meng Qing watched from afar, thinking to herself that they were all fools. Those who were not valued were hoping to receive special treatment, and those who were driven by self-interest were pursuing pure love. What love in this world is devoid of self-interest?
Suddenly, a warm, chubby hand appeared on her face. Meng Qing looked away and saw Wang Zhou's face clearly. Her heart was in turmoil for a few moments.
"Ah—" Wang Zhou pressed his face against hers affectionately.
"Idiot." Meng Qing bumped her forehead against him and muttered to herself, "I don't have any love for you that isn't based on self-interest either."
A rooster chased a hen into the yard. Du's mother chased them away with a broom. Wang Zhou leaned over to look and pointed at the rooster, calling out "Goose, goose, goose."
“It’s a chicken, not a goose. Are you stupid?” Meng Qing hugged him and followed the chicken. “If you’re stupid, I… I… never mind. Who told you to be so lucky to have a mother like me? You can be stupid if you want… but you’d better not be stupid.”
Wang Zhou watched the chickens for a while, then turned and stared in the direction Du Li had left. After staring for a while and still not seeing anyone, he stretched out his finger, intending to go and look for him.
Meng Qing pretended not to understand, and just then a neighbor came over to inquire about Du Min, so she kept him company.
"Why did your brother-in-law run away again? Did he have another falling out with his father?"
"No, I heard him promise to go back to the prefectural capital to study," Meng Qing said.
"What did your father-in-law do to offend him?" the man asked in a low voice.
Meng Qing shook her head. "I don't know, but Du Min is back, you can ask him."
The neighbor turned around and saw Du Li dragging Du Min back.
“Weren’t you so smug before? Why are you running away now? You’re like a deserter, aren’t you ashamed?” Du Li mocked him.
"I'm too lazy to see him," Du Min stubbornly insisted.
“You’ll have to come back sooner or later, and you’ll have to see him eventually.” Du Li cursed again, “Why are you running away? Stay home obediently. You’re not allowed to leave today. Stay home for a couple more days, and I’ll send you back to the city in a couple of days.”
"Let go, I'll walk by myself." Du Min felt even more humiliated by being dragged along like a cow.
Du Li let go, and seeing Wang Zhou calling to him, he quickened his pace.
“Du Min is back, you can ask him,” Meng Qing told her neighbor.
The neighbor chuckled; he wouldn't dare. Nowadays, no one in the village dared to mess with this person.
When Du's mother came out again and saw that Du Min had returned, she happily went to greet her, "Min, dinner is ready, come in and eat."
Meng Qing handed the boat to Du Li, who then shook her arm and followed her inside.
Today's lunch is braised chicken. When the fake pageboy came before, Du's mother asked Li Hongguo to catch it. After the guest left, the chicken was also slaughtered and put into the oil.
This was a long-awaited, relaxed lunch. Du's mother kept piling meat into Du Min's bowl, almost fawningly urging him to eat more. But Du Min had no appetite; this was a stark contrast to the treatment he had received in recent days, and he felt nauseous.
"Second brother, you eat." Du Min handed the chicken in his bowl to Du Li, and said to his mother in a calm tone, "Mother, you eat too. Don't worry about me. I'll take whatever I want to eat."
"It's fine for me to eat or not, but I'm thinking that you'll be leaving after this meal, so you should eat more. Once you're in the city, you won't be able to eat home-cooked meals anymore," Du's mother said tentatively.
"Let's wait two more days." Du Min wanted to leave today, but he didn't know what his second brother had planned, so he chose to wait two days.
Madam Du froze for a moment, then carefully advised, "The prefectural academy has sent people to urge you. Don't delay any longer. The sooner you go, the better, so as not to upset Doctor Xu."
"The weather is nice today, we can leave this afternoon. It won't be cold sitting on the boat." The play had ended, and Meng Qing also wanted to leave.
Du Min glanced at Du Li, who seemed not to have said anything. He then said, "I'll take you back to the city."
"Father, Mother, my third brother is going to school, and I'm going back to the city to take care of him," Meng Qing said to Du's parents.
Mr. Du grunted in response.
"I'll go and herd the ducks and geese back later. Mother, please remember to feed them for me. I'll stay at my father-in-law's house for one night and come back tomorrow," Du Li instructed.
"Okay." Du's mother agreed. Seeing that her second son and his wife were going to live separately again, she felt a pang of guilt. She mumbled, "You carry two bags of rice over there."
Du Laoding glanced at her but didn't object. He looked at Du Min and asked, "Should we give Dr. Xu a gift? His page told us that if he didn't value talent, he wouldn't have given you this chance to back out."
"No need, don't interfere in my affairs," Du Min refused curtly.
Old Du was publicly humiliated, and his face fell, but he didn't dare say anything.
Du Ming and Du Li felt uneasy seeing this scene. If it were them, they would probably have kicked the person out along with their bowl.
With a "smack," everyone looked over. Meng Qing slapped away Wang Zhou's hand that was grabbing the bowl, and gave him a light glare. "Behave yourself."
Wang Zhou was clearly embarrassed by being watched by so many people; he clenched his hands, pouted, and shed tears.
Du Li pushed the rice bowl away a little, wiped the oil off Wang Zhou's hands, and coaxed, "Don't cry, or you won't be able to eat."
“He’s still young, what does he know? Just scold him, why hit him?” Du’s mother was unhappy. Although she didn’t like this grandson, she couldn’t bear to see him being beaten.
“I just patted him once, what does that count as hitting him?” Meng Qing explained. “If I had yelled at him, he might have easily knocked his father’s bowl over and smashed it on the ground.”
"He cried and you still say you hit him?" Du's mother disliked her for being argumentative.
Meng Qing didn't explain further. "Yes, I hit him, so what? I hit my own son, not yours. You're so nosy. If you have so much free time, take care of your own son."
"You..." Mrs. Du's eyes widened, "You think you're something special now?"
"You're such a busybody! Can't you be quiet and well-behaved like you were a few days ago?" Du Li said. "You beat me a lot when I was little, and even after I got married, you still beat me. Why are you suddenly so soft-hearted now?"
Du Min laughed out loud and replied, "Mother, are you trying to show off your power as a mother-in-law? I'm telling you beforehand, don't try this when I get married."
Du's mother was so embarrassed that her face turned pale, but she couldn't retaliate. She could only stop eating and silently leave the table and go out.
Du Laoding glanced at Meng Qing a few times. Du Min seemed to be her son, fiercely protecting her.
After the meal, Du Laoding went to the village to borrow a boat and asked someone to send Du Min and Meng Qing away.
Du Min and Meng Qing packed up the things they had brought back. When Du Li returned with the ducks and geese, he carried out two bags of rice and asked Du Ming to help deliver them to the ferry.
"Du Min, you're leaving?" Aunt Du San came to see him off, earnestly instructing him: "Study hard at the academy, don't worry too much about things at home, and if you're unhappy at home, don't come back too often."
Upon hearing this, the neighbors chimed in, "There's nothing wrong at home. Your older brothers are both here, so you don't need to worry about them. If you don't want to come back, then don't."
The villagers were worried that Du Min would clash with Du Laoding again if he returned. If the father and son started fighting again and Du Min threatened to drop out of school, he would probably actually drop out.
Du Min bowed and apologized repeatedly, saying, "I'm sorry for causing you all so much trouble. You've had to worry about me these past few days."
Meng Qing followed behind. Du Min's stunt had not only made Du Lao Ding afraid of him, but the villagers were also intimidated by him. Ultimately, it was because they had high hopes for him, hoping that he would bring glory to their ancestors and benefit their families.
There was a boat waiting at the ferry crossing, rowed by two men, Du Min and Du Li's cousins. They urged, "Hurry up and get on the boat. We'll get you there as soon as possible, and you can still get back before dark."
Du Li helped Meng Qing onto the boat first. Meng Qing took the child from the boat and said, "Uncle, if you don't have time to come back, stay at my mother's house. You'll come back tomorrow."
"We'll make it in time. Two people can row the boat, and we'll arrive in a little over an hour."
"Niece-in-law, I forgot something. Please tell your parents to make two paper figures for me. I'll pick them up in five days. Your third uncle's death anniversary is the seventh day of the eleventh lunar month," Aunt Du called from the shore.
"Okay, I've got it." Meng Qing replied.
Once everyone was on board, the boatman pushed off with his pole, and the boat left the ferry dock.
Watching Du Min leave with the boat, someone in the crowd said, "At least we've gotten rid of that rascal."
The others laughed.
Even Mr. and Mrs. Du smiled.
*
In the late afternoon, Meng Qing carried the child ashore and said, "Uncle, let's go back tomorrow. I'll stay at my parents' house tonight."
"No, no, I can still make it back," the boatman refused.
“I’ll get off the boat here too. I’ll take another boat back to the prefectural school later, so as not to delay Uncle and Brother from getting home.” Du Min also carried his bedding roll ashore.
Du Li and his cousin carried the rest of the boat to the ferry dock, saying, "When I get back, I'll invite Uncle and my elder brother to my place for a drink."
Upon hearing this, the uncle who was rowing the boat smiled and said, "Alright, we'll wait. Du Min, let me tell you something, as your elder brother is a reliable and capable person, and your sister-in-law is an extremely reasonable person. You should listen to them."
Du Min smiled, and after the boat left, he teased, "Second sister-in-law, you have a good reputation in Dujiawan. Listen to that, you're a very reasonable person."
"Your uncle has excellent taste," Meng Qing said happily. "You all wait here, I'll go back and call some people to come and move the things."
"I'll go call them, you wait here." Du Li stopped her from running back and forth, and pointed to Du Min, "You wait here too, I'll take you after I see your second sister-in-law off."
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