Chapter 16 I owe you, I owe you all…
“Mother has been sick with anger for half a month. She only recovered these past two days, so I was able to come to the city to see you.” Du Li looked weak, but he tried to sound cheerful as he said, “My third brother left home at the beginning of the month and hasn’t been back for over twenty days. I came to check on him, just in case something else goes wrong.”
Meng Qing calculated and said, "He came to see me ten days ago and brought Wang Zhou a talisman and a peach wood sword, afraid that Wang Zhou would see something evil if he went to the paper horse shop with me."
Du Li lowered his head, held the child upright, and said, "He does look like an uncle."
Wang Zhou couldn't see his mother, so he pouted and cried. Meng Qing walked to where he could see her, but didn't reach out to hug him. She teased the child, asking, "You still haven't told me why all the silkworms died, or if they got sick?"
This story begins with Li Hongguo's hunger strike. After she stopped eating, Jinshu and Qiaomei lost interest in feeding the silkworms, so the task fell to Du's mother. Those few days it rained, and Du Li and Du Ming went to the rice paddies to check the water level. On their way back, they would gather two baskets of mulberry leaves, but the two brothers only picked the leaves; Du's mother did the wiping of the rainwater off them, occasionally assisted by Du's father when he had nothing else to do. It's unclear which of the elderly couple was negligent, but they didn't wipe the water off the mulberry leaves properly and piled them thickly on the silkworm trays. The leaves stuck together, preventing air from escaping, and many silkworms suffocated.
“Overnight, half of the silkworms died from being smothered. The remaining half, whether from fright or something else, gradually contracted silkworm stunting disease and all died half a month ago,” Du Li said.
"Sister-in-law on a hunger strike? What's the matter?" Meng Qing noticed something strange in his words. She wanted to laugh but didn't dare. After a while, she honestly revealed her desire to watch the show: "After I left, your house was still so lively?"
It was quite lively. Even though she wasn't home, it wasn't peaceful at all. All the silkworms in the house died, and her mother blamed it on her, complaining that she had brought the bad luck of the Meng family back home, which was why there was discord and things weren't going well in the family.
"My parents agreed to pay for Jinshu's early education so that we would pay for it. But after all the silkworms died, the plan probably fell through again, and my sister-in-law went hungry for several days for nothing," Du Lixuan said.
Meng Qing was speechless. "The day I left, I told her something, but she hesitated and didn't dare to answer. If she had been more decisive and gone along with what I said, she would have been determined to get some money from your parents, even if it meant not letting me and my third brother go without the money. With that money, she wouldn't need her parents to support her; she could have sent Jinshu to elementary school on her own."
"She didn't have the foresight at the time. After we left, she probably regretted it and discussed it with her older brother. The two of them staged a hunger strike." Du Li admired Li Hongguo quite a bit. She dared to make amends after regretting her actions. She seemed honest on the surface, but she was actually quite shrewd and a smart person.
“Your family still has a lot of trouble to deal with,” Meng Qing said.
Du Li was delighted. When things were not peaceful at home, he could stir up trouble. But when things were peaceful, he wouldn't even have a chance to speak. If he had any opinions, the whole family would join forces to suppress him.
"If you ask me, your parents should loosen their grip and let some money go to you and your older brother, and there won't be any problems. The family's income is all in your parents' hands, and the whole family's attention is focused on that money. If one person spends more, the other person will be unhappy."
“How could that be? The law stipulates that while the parents are alive, their property should not be divided.” Du Li said subconsciously.
Meng Qing cursed him inwardly for being old-fashioned. She rolled her eyes at him and said, "My parents are still alive. Meng Chun isn't even married yet, but he's already accumulating private wealth, and my parents know about it."
Du Li was stunned by the eye roll she gave him. He forced a smile and dared not speak again, afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting her.
"Your family has sixty mu of land for permanent farming. These sixty mu are planted with mulberry, elm, and jujube trees. You and your older brother should plant a hundred more citrus trees along the edge. You two can take care of them on a daily basis, and you can split the income from selling the fruit," Meng Qing subtly advised him.
Du Li listened, but buying citrus trees required capital, which his parents certainly wouldn't be willing to provide. Judging from Meng Qing's expression, she was probably willing to pay for the citrus trees for him. However, he didn't want to use her money, and even less did he want his older brother to take advantage of him and his wife.
"I'll think about it," he said dismissively.
Wang Zhou suddenly shouted, startling Du Li and Meng Qing.
"What's wrong with him?" Du Li asked. "Did he pee?"
He was annoyed. He wanted Meng Qing to hug him, but Meng Qing ignored him, so he lost his temper.
"Let me see." Meng Qing reached out and took the child. She pointed to Du Li and said to the child, "Wangzhou, this is your father."
Wang Zhou turned his face away and snuggled tightly into her arms.
Du Li understood what the child meant. He rubbed his hands together and said awkwardly, "So young and already knows how to recognize people? Quite clever. Cleverness is good."
"How many days can you stay this time? If you stay a few more days, the child will get used to you." Meng Qing wanted him to stay here for a while. She wanted to help him recover his health. If he continued to lose weight, any illness he had could be fatal.
Du Li looked at his son, who refused to look at him, and said, "Fine, I'll stay for a few days."
"I heard from Meng Chun that her son-in-law has arrived?" Meng's mother returned.
Du Li hurried to the front yard, "Mother, it's me."
"You've lost weight again. Are you busy at home?" Meng's mother heard Meng Chun complaining at the paper horse shop about how hard his brother-in-law's life was. When she returned, she saw that it was true. The old man's clothes hung loosely on his body and could be used as sails.
“Mother, he can stay for a few days this time. Slaughter two chickens for him to nourish himself,” Meng Qing said as she came out.
"Alright, I'll catch the chicken right now and stew it at noon. There's nothing urgent this afternoon, so lunch can be a little later." Mother Meng tiptoed and rolled up her sleeves as she walked toward the chicken coop.
Du Li went to stop them, saying that the Meng family only raised ten chickens, and they didn't know if Meng Qing had killed any chickens in the past half month since he came back. If they kept killing chickens, there wouldn't be any chickens left to lay eggs.
“We’ll eat it even if we don’t kill it just for you. You child, why are you being so polite now that you’re home? Move aside, the chicken will definitely be killed…” Meng’s mother grabbed a chicken, pulled it out by the neck, and said, “Quickly close the coop gate so they don’t fly out.”
Du Li counted carefully and found that there were only six chickens left in the pen...
Mencius' mother slaughtered a chicken at noon and cooked it. The next day, she caught another chicken and slaughtered it. Du Li ate chicken for two days in a row, and he was so sick of it that he wanted to cry. On the third day, he refused to let her slaughter any more chickens, and even said that if she killed any more chickens, he would go back home.
Instead of slaughtering the chicken, Meng Qing paid out of her own pocket to buy mutton at the market near Leqiao. Du Li followed behind her, pulling her back and constantly advising, "It's getting hot, eating mutton will make you feel hot, don't buy it, don't buy it."
“You’re so skinny you’re practically a bamboo pole. You could eat a whole sheep and not get any heatiness.” Meng Qing said without turning his head. “Shopkeeper, cut three catties of mutton, the hind leg.”
"How about we buy pork? Pork is cheap..."
Meng Qing turned her head and gave him a look, and he immediately stopped arguing.
Mutton costs 25 coins per catty, and 3 catties costs 75 coins. When Meng Qing handed over the money, Du Li couldn't help but say, "Adding another 15 coins would be enough to buy a shi of rice. A shi of rice can last for a month."
"Another pound of mutton, please." Meng Qing didn't like him.
"That's enough, that's enough, I won't say anymore." Du Li took the mutton and hurriedly pushed Meng Qing away from the butcher shop.
Meng Qing glanced at him and said irritably, "You're stingy with your food and clothes, and the money you save isn't spent on yourself. Look at how you've neglected your body; you're all skin and bones."
Du Li stubbornly insisted, slapping his thighs twice and saying, "There's still quite a lot of meat left."
"Why don't you pat his butt? There's more flesh there." Meng Qing teased him. She led him to the fabric store and picked out a gray-white round-neck short shirt, a pair of black trousers, and also bought him a new overcoat and belt.
“I still have clothes at home. I had two new outfits made for us when we got married last year, but I haven’t worn them much yet. I was planning to go back this afternoon, so I didn’t bring any change of clothes.” Du Li didn’t want her to spend any more money and didn’t want to buy new clothes.
Meng Qing ignored her completely, handed over forty-eight coins, and left the cloth shop with her coarse cloth clothes.
They didn't take a boat back; the two walked all the way. Meng Qing had had enough of the stares from passersby, so when they got home, she told him to change out of his clothes. He was good-looking, but lacked presence. Wearing her father's clothes, the somber colors made him look even more oppressive, like a wandering soul.
"Next time you come to the city, wear your best clothes and dress presentably," Meng Qing instructed him.
"I went to pick mulberries in the field before I came here. I was worried that my nice clothes would get stained, so I wore my old clothes," Du Li explained.
"Can't you go back and change your clothes after picking the mulberries?" Meng Qing loosened his belt and re-tied it for him. After tying it, she took a few steps back and looked him over, saying, "You look much more energetic this way. I'll go stew some mutton. You go to the academy and see if you can run into Third Brother. Ask him to come and eat mutton with you."
"Are you still inviting him?" Du Li didn't want to go. He had already troubled the Meng family enough by staying for a few days, but they were, after all, his in-laws. As their son-in-law, it was only natural for him to take advantage of them. But if he brought his brother along for food and drinks, that would be taking advantage of them and being shameless.
"I need to see him, go quickly." Meng Qing pushed him. The hemp paper that had been soaked in ink had dried and was ready to be used for mounting. She planned to have Du Min notify Gu Wuxia to come over.
Du Li then went outside. As he walked out of Jiayu Lane, he encountered a young woman carrying a child. She lived next door to the Meng family; they were neighbors. He greeted her, "Sister Liu, are you comforting your child?"
"Yes, I brought the kids out for a walk." Aunt Liu didn't recognize him. She looked at him a few more times and asked hesitantly, "Are you the Meng family's son-in-law? I almost didn't recognize you."
Du Li noticed her scrutinizing him, and he instantly understood the meaning behind Meng Qing's words: he had come to the Yue family dressed rudely, which embarrassed Meng Qing.
As he walked towards Rulin Lane, Du Li's embarrassment hadn't faded. Upon arriving at Chongwen Academy, he patted his clothes and went up to the gatekeeper, asking, "Uncle, is Du Min at the academy? He didn't go out today, did he? I'm his second brother, may I go in and find him?"
"Looking for Scholar Du? He went back with Master Xie half an hour ago. Follow that road, turn into the second alley, and Master Xie's house is at the entrance of the alley." The doorman gave him directions enthusiastically.
Du Li thanked him, hesitated for a moment outside the academy, and then decided to go over there. When he got close to the second alley the gatekeeper had mentioned, he saw Du Min standing outside the alley grinning foolishly, as happy as if he had found money.
Du Li had never seen this side of Du Min before. He stopped and watched for a while, then walked over with a smile: "Third brother, did you find gold? You seem so happy."
"Second Brother?" Du Min snapped out of his daze, his smile fading slightly. He asked, "What are you doing here? Did you come looking for me?"
"Your second sister-in-law is stewing mutton at home and asked me to call you to come and have a good meal together. The gatekeeper of the academy said you went to Master Xie's house, so I came to check on you."
Du Min waved his hand in refusal, "I'm not going, I've already eaten at Master Xie's house."
Du Li looked up at the sky. It was not yet noon. Most families were just starting to cook. Who would eat lunch so early?
Du Min didn't explain. He walked towards the academy and casually asked, "Are they boiling cocoons and reeling silk at home? Are you here to take my second sister-in-law back to help?"
"No, you haven't been back for over twenty days, so I came to check on you because I was worried something had happened to you," Du Li said. "Your second sister-in-law needs to see you. If you're not coming to dinner with me today, go earlier tomorrow."
“Okay, I also have something to discuss with her.”
"When can you go back? Mother is sick, you should go back and see her," Du Li asked.
"Mother is sick? What's wrong? When did she get sick?" Du Min stopped and asked with concern.
"All the silkworms we raised this spring died. Mother was so upset about it that she fell ill and it took her half a month to recover," Du Li told him about her family's situation. "I asked my parents to give me money to buy a few thousand more silkworm cocoons. After paying the silk tax, we can still sell a few bolts of the woven silk. After deducting the cost of the cocoons, we can still make a profit of one string of cash. Alas... my parents are reluctant to give up. They plan to raise summer silkworms, but summer silkworms are more prone to disease. I don't want them to work for nothing again. Go back and try to persuade them, but they won't listen to me."
Du Min's face turned cold, his expression extremely unpleasant. He angrily asked, "All the silkworms died? What are you doing? With so many people in the family, can't you raise silkworms properly? More than ten thousand silkworms died? How could they all die?"
"Why are you yelling at me?" Du Li was displeased and also got angry. He accused, "You haven't raised silkworms for a single day, and you haven't even picked any mulberry leaves. What does it have to do with you if all the silkworms die?"
"It has nothing to do with me? Over ten thousand silkworms, the silk fabric they weave can still sell for four or five strings of cash after taxes, four or five strings of cash! You marry a wife who can make money and then you don't value money anymore?" Du Min was so angry that he lost his temper and started spouting nonsense. To sell a pair of paper horses, he repeatedly humbled himself in front of Gu Wuxia, racking his brains to lure Gu Wuxia to the paper horse shop. To write his policy essay, he stayed up all night reading scriptures and researching folk customs, running from temple to Taoist monastery, his legs became thin and his face was bruised from smiling so much.
“I worked so hard to sell two paper horses, but the money I earned wasn’t even enough to cover the family’s expenses.” Du Min became angrier the more he thought about it. “I’m studying hard and worrying about making money. I’m trying to ease the burden on my family, but you’re holding me back.”
Du Li didn't have time to argue with him. He looked around nervously and said, "Shut up, what are you yelling about?"
Du Min took a deep breath, swallowed his anger, and calmed down before saying, "We need to raise silkworms, as many as they can survive. We also need to buy silkworm cocoons, and make as much profit as we can."
"You make it sound so easy. Weaving silk and raising silkworms, how can the family manage? Mother will make a fuss about making your second sister-in-law go back to cook, and if she doesn't go back, your eldest sister-in-law will make a fuss too," Du Li said irritably.
"Then what do you suggest we do? You spent seven or eight strings of cash on Wangzhou's full moon celebration, and the early rice harvest is gone, and the silkworms have also failed. Are you counting on the late rice to make some money this year? How much is that?" Du Min questioned.
Du Li stared at him in astonishment. "You also have a problem with Wang Zhou holding a full moon celebration?"
Du Min turned his head away and remained silent.
Du Li felt a chill in her heart. "Du Min, I can understand if my older brother has a problem? What gives you the right to have a problem? Can you even calculate how much money you spent on your education? I'm twenty-two years old this year. I started harvesting rice when I was ten. I've been farming for twelve years. The rice and vegetables I eat are from the fields, and the clothes I wear are my older brother's hand-me-downs..."
"Shut up! Don't say anymore!" Du Min shouted, gritting his teeth and glaring. He opened his mouth several times but couldn't utter a word. Finally, wiping away a tear, he suppressed a sob and weakly said, "Yes, I owe you, I owe you all, I owe everyone in the family. Is that alright? Are you satisfied now? But what can I do? Stop studying?"
After saying that, Du Min ran away. Du Li called out twice, but seeing that he didn't turn around, he angrily kicked a stone.
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