Chapter 52

Song Xingren sat on a chair with his wife, Gao shi, crying with Li shi. Beside Li shi, there were only Song Zijin, Fāng shi, and Zhāng shi, who had been persuaded to go cook by her.

Song Xingyi entered the room, and Song Xingren sighed, "Fourth brother, I haven't really asked much of you in the past. Third Brother... you can't just watch as my family falls apart."

Song Zijin gave a signal to Song Dingxiang and pulled her arm off the kang, saying, "Grandpa, grandma, I will go to the kitchen with Second Sister to boil some hot water for Third Granduncle and Third Grandaunt."

"What's going on?" Song Dingxiang couldn't help but ask as they came into the kitchen.

Fāng shi, anxious, said, "What else? Our family's tradition is that once a family member is established and successful, they can split off. But it seems that his side is trying to break up the family. It's like they are accusing us of stealing without any evidence."

"Mom, lower your voice," Song Dingxiang pulled Fāng's arm and said to Song Zijin, "San-ni'er, you explain."

Song Zijin said, "This morning, didn't you give them new assignments? She said she was tired of being bossed around and went back home. Her eldest daughter-in-law felt unjustly treated, so she secretly brought her daughter back to her maternal home and called her family over. When they heard about it, they were happy and said they wouldn't tolerate being treated unfairly even if they don't benefit from it. They even threatened to split the family, causing chaos for a while."

Song Dingxiang said to Fāng shi, "I'm also puzzled. Didn't Fifth Auntie and Eight Auntie families already split off? Why is my Third Granduncle saying that the family is falling apart?"

Fāng shi pursed her lips and said, "What else could it be but greed? Ever since Xú Qiáng became the county magistrate, her ego has soared. Then your third Granduncle and third Grandaunt had the idea to bring back the two sons who had split off. Fifth Uncle was a bit reluctant, but it seems Eight Uncle was willing, saying he would take care of the elderly in the future, causing a conflict with his wife. Eight Auntie said they could reunite, but she still holds onto the money that is rightfully hers, refusing to share it publicly."

Song Dingxiang, still not understanding, asked, "What? Have they already reunited as a family? How does that concern our family whether they split off or not?"

Fāng shi exclaimed, "You dense-headed person, why can't you understand? It's that Eight Auntie's two sons wanted to split off, mainly because the daughters-in-law felt embarrassed, the men were kicked out by the Xú family and had nothing to gain, yet your Eight Aunt still refuses to share the money, causing discomfort."

Song Dingxiang finally understood and sneered, "These are the words left by our ancestors. If he doesn't listen to them, that's another matter. Why is he blaming our family? I'll go check." With that, she scooped up a pot of hot water and headed back into the room.

Song Zijin followed closely behind and, after a few steps, noticing that the people in the kitchen couldn't hear them, she became a bit nervous and said, "Second sister, I have something to tell you."

Song Dingxiang was taken aback and said, "What's the matter?"

Song Zijin scratched her head and said, "Wait until Third Granduncle and Third Grandaunt leave, then you come to my room and I'll tell you."

Song Dingxiang laughed and said, "Alright, it's rare for you to find me to talk privately." After that, she went to the main room.

In the main room, both Li shi and Song Xingyi had unpleasant expressions. Song Dingxiang entered with a smile and poured hot water for Song Xingren and Gao shi, saying, "It's rare for Third Granduncle and Third Grandaunt to come to our house, this is the first time in so many years."

Gao shi's cheeks twitched and she said, "Go away, adults are talking, why are children meddling?"

Song Dingxiang said, "I didn't mean to meddle, I just overheard something from outside that seemed to involve me."

Li shi said, "Your Third Grandaunt meant for your two sisters-in-law to go back to work."

Song Dingxiang said, "I didn't stop them from going to work, it's just that Eight Auntie said that working for our family is a waste of effort. I thought maybe it was because they weren't paid or something. I specifically went to check the accounts with Sister Jin Qiao, but didn't find any deductions."

Gao shi said unhappily, "Fourth sibling, what's going on? Is it now that your family is led by Song Dingxiang?"

Li shi smiled and said, "It's not like that. However, the wool workshop, the pickled vegetable workshop, those were all set up by Dingxiang with her own money, and the silver was given by someone else. The industry belongs to the Zhou family, not the Song family. Normally, Dingxiang can't handle so much, that's why she asks for help from the family."

Gao shi coldly snorted, "How come it doesn't sound like that to me? Wasn't the wool workshop profitable?"

Song Dingxiang laughed and said, "Who told Third Grandaunt this? If you heard it from someone, go find them, why come to our house?"

Gao shi was about to say something, but was stopped by Song Xingren, who said, "Ah, we're not here to investigate anything, we just... Can we let Dingxiang's sisters-in-law go out and work? After all, it's a matter of the women's honor, it's just..."

Song Dingxiang said, "I think Third Granduncle is right, it is indeed a matter of the women's honor. If they're not doing a good job, I wouldn't let my sisters-in-law take the blame, that would be humiliating for them. Everyone in the workshop is from the village, who wouldn't know whose family they belong to? Currently, the two sisters-in-law are missing four pairs of gloves, Eight Auntie said it was because of their poor skills. Third Granduncle, think about it, if it were your workshop, would you still want someone like that?"

Song Xingren said, "But they are your sisters-in-law after all, even though they have separate households, they still carry the Song family name. If they don't care about their own reputation, how will others see us?"

Song Dingxiang sat on the edge of the kang with a smile on her face and said, "Third Granduncle is right, I also think the same way. I just wanted to give the two sisters-in-law a different job, to practice their skills and avoid gossip. Eight Auntie kept insisting that they were working for nothing and decided to leave."

Gao shi couldn't help but say, "Dingxiang, your household produces so many pairs of gloves in a day, who would care if a few were missing?"

Song Dingxiang glanced at her and slowly said, "I don't think so. Working is like farming, we work hard all year, and when it's time to harvest the crops, every family inspects the fields multiple times, afraid of missing anything. If our own crops are so precious, why would we be careless about other people's work and not pay attention? If this were outside, we wouldn't even earn a penny, we might even lose money. It's because we are all family, that's why I didn't say anything."

"Why, why can't you understand anything? Do you want to see your Third Granduncle's family ruined before you're satisfied?"

Gao shi stood up angrily, "I know my family is poor, we can't make money like your family, we don't expect any help from you. Now that we're working hard, saying we're not giving face? Wasn't it the case that when your sister had trouble, people from all families came to help, didn't my family reciprocate? Since you have work to do now, complaining won't change that. After all, helping family is everyone's responsibility. Did we bring your sister back, by the way?"

Song Dingxiang's face darkened and she said, "What does Third Grandaunt mean? Why can't I understand? When my sister got into trouble, every family helped. Didn't my family return the favor?"

"How can you say that my family hasn't helped yours? Didn't my father help Fifth Uncle and Eighth Uncle? Didn't your family works at my workshops and ask everyone to come work? Why is it that everyone else's work is fine, but Eight Auntie family's work is so lacking? Why blame my family instead of her?"

Her face darkened as she got off the kang and walked to Gao shi's side, saying, "If they want to sever ties, I'm willing to help with Third Granduncle and Third Grandaunt, willing to help with Fifth Uncle's family, but I'll tell you something unpleasant, I really don't want to help with Eight Auntie's family."

"Why, Third Grandaunt, do you not understand? Why did I fall into the water back then, why did the Xu family break off the engagement, do you and Third Granduncle really not know anything about it? If you don't know, go ask Eight Auntie, ask her what Song Taohong did! I tried to help and ended up with blame? What am I aiming for?!"

Gao shi was embarrassed, her face turning red, and neck thick. She quickly turned to Li shi and Song Xingyi, "Oh my, I'm so shameless, being scolded like this by a little girl? Both of you just watch, watch how your Third Sister is being embarrassed like this?"

Song Xingyi touched his tobacco pipe and said, "Third Sister, back then I didn't let Dingxiang worry about it because we all share the same family name, we're all from the Song family. When I was young, it was Third Brother who raised me, and I've always remembered that."

"But why did Dingxiang hang herself back then, do Third Brother and Third Sister really not know? Why did Dingxiang change work with your family's Eighth, do you really not know? If you don't know, go back and ask your daughter-in-law, then everything will be clear."

"Third Brother, Third Sister, I really haven't done anything to wrong you all these years. Back then, I risked everything to trade, with only my wife watching over the house, we had everyone's support. Do you still remember what Third Sister said when I said taking Third Brother to trade would bring in more profit?"

Gao shi shrugged, "When was that? I can't remember."

Song Xingyi sighed and said, "Third Sister may not remember, but I do. Back then, Third Sister said she would rather scrape a living from the earth for her whole life than let my Third Brother go and die. She even said I was bad-hearted, that trading was such a tiring and risky job, why was she only concerned about Third Brother and not calling on Big Brother or Second Brother, right?"

Song Xingren coughed and said, "Youngest brother, that's all in the past, what's the use of bringing it up now?"

Song Xingyi continued, "What's the use of bringing it up now? Didn't Third Sister say that our family never helped our brothers even when we made money? Why didn't I call on Big Brother or Second Brother, because they had jobs in town at that time. Why didn't I call on Fifth Brother or Sixth Brother, because they were still young, and Sixth Brother wasn't married yet. Not to mention myself, our Second Brother learned how to slaughter pigs, he wanted to teach your two sons. But what happened? He didn't succeed, does that mean our family didn't help yours?"

Song Xingren couldn't help but light his pipe and smoke, thick smoke billowing out of his mouth, causing Song Dingxiang to cough uncontrollably.

Song Xingyi sighed again, "Third Brother, you actually understand in your heart. Today, you shouldn't have come to my house for this matter, you won't find anything on Dingxiang. As for your repeated claim about the family breaking up, that's just what our parents left behind, saying that once we're married, we can split the family, there's no need for such formality. Why is it when it comes to me that it becomes a mistake of our family?"

Gao shi grumbled, "In so many villages, I haven't seen any family wanting to split up once they get married, I haven't seen anyone pushing their sons out."

Li shi chuckled and said, "Third Sister, what do you mean by pushing sons out? In our family, we've already split up, our Third Son got married just a year ago and I already sent him out. Even though we live together, I don't interfere in the children's affairs, I just help take care of grandchildren. When you first came here arguing for me to mediate, what can an old woman like me do?"

Gao shi retorted, "Your family is doing well after splitting up because you have money, if you didn't have money, would your son be willing to stay with you?"

Li shi laughed even more and said, "Third Sister, is it just these past two years that my family has money? Not only can my son earn money, my grandchildren can too. They even share their earnings with me. It's not a matter of whether they are willing to follow me and their grandfather, it's not about the money. A person, if they do no wrong, don't cause trouble in the family, work hard themselves, how can they not live a good life?"

Gao shi, seeing that she couldn't gain an advantage, suddenly slapped her thigh and started crying, "Oh, my life, why is it so bitter..."

Song Xingyi, with a serious face, said, "Third Sister, don't cry in my house. If you cry again, I will call Big Brother, Second Brother, Fifth Brother, and Sixth Brother, and we'll all have a discussion together."

Song Xingren kicked Gao shi's leg and angrily said, "What are you crying for? You manage everything inside and outside the house, what have you accomplished now? Get up, let's go, don't embarrass yourself here!"

Gao shi let out a small cry from being kicked, stopped crying, but had an unwilling expression on her face.

Song Xingren stood up and said, "Fourth Brother, Third Brother truly didn't know about those things you mentioned, and if I knew I wouldn't have come here, I will go back and ask your Third Sister what's going on, so that there won't be any misunderstandings between us brothers."

Song Xingyi waved his hand and said, "Third Brother, if there's anything to say, those workshops are not under my control now. Not to mention Dingxiang has already been married off, I, as an old man, can't be in charge of everything. Even if she hadn't been married off, the family is already split, everyone's prosperity depends on their own abilities. If they are willing to help each other, it's good, if not, we can't force it. Third Brother, do you agree with this reasoning?"

Song Xingren's face turned red and white in turns, and he hesitantly said, "Hey, after all, we all have the surname Song, why divide things up like this? If Third Brother is at fault, don't hold it against, I... Third Brother will go back and ask, ask properly." With that, he grabbed Gao shi and left.

Song Xingyi didn't get off the kang to see them off, his shoulders hunched slightly for a moment, with a look of deep grievance on his face.

Li shi glanced at him and said to Song Dingxiang, "Hurry up and open the door curtain, open the window wider, the room is full of smoke, how can the children come in for dinner later?"

Song Dingxiang quickly lifted the door curtain and opened the window, took a fan from the cupboard and started fanning the smoke out.

Song Xingyi got off the kang, dryly smiled at Li shi and said, "My smoking habit has been revived by Third Brother, I'll go outside for a few puffs." With that, he buried his head and walked out the door.

Song Dingxiang stopped what she was doing, and after a moment of silence, she looked at Li shi and said, "Grandma, was I too harsh with Third Granduncle and Third Grandaunt just now?"

Li shi gathered up the scraps of cloth and said, "It's not your concern, your grandpa is feeling uneasy. Although it's the women who manage the household, the ultimate decision-makers are still the men, right? When your Eighth Aunt did those things, did your third Granduncle truly not know? When his wife and daughters-in-law brought things from our house to theirs, could he truly not know? He just thinks we're all soft-hearted and his family is poor, making us all yield to his family. When he is caught red-handed, he blames his wife, saying it's her fault, portraying himself as a clean and virtuous man of the Song family... Hmph, your grandpa sees things clearly, that's why he's feeling uneasy."

Song Xingyi stood in the backyard, gazing at his newly sprouted tobacco seedlings. He then turned his eyes to his grandchildren frolicking outside the fence.

After taking a few puffs of his pipe, he put it away and stood there, hands behind his back. His eyes, peering through the fence, seemed lost in the distance, filled with a sense of loneliness.

Fang shi's booming voice echoed through the courtyard, "Dinner is ready! Heidan, go get your mother and aunt. Goudan, where's your mother? Call her back for dinner! She has no sense of time, look how dark it's getting. She won't come back unless we call her."

The once somber courtyard suddenly came alive with the sound of Fang shi's voice.

Song Dingxiang no longer paid attention to her grandparents' house. She helped Fang shi and Zhang shi set the table, then kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the kang, sitting next to her grandmother, Li shi.

Bai shi came over with her child, pretending not to notice the tension in the room, and simply smiled as she showed her mother-in-law her granddaughter.

At the dining table, it was still the same old dishes - stewed dried pumpkin, dried green beans, dried eggplant, a plate of large soy sauce with onions and radishes, a large plate of spicy and sour shredded potatoes, and a large plate of stir-fried bean sprouts.

However, because they were all cooked in lard oil, they still tasted fragrant and sweet.

After finishing the meal, Song Dingxiang picked up her sewing basket and bid farewell to Fang Shi before heading to Song Zijin's room.

Song Zijin exuded a nervous vibe all over her body. When Song Dingxiang entered the room, she quickly looked around, closed the door, and lowered her voice, "Sister, I, I'm scared..."

Song Dingxiang was startled by her appearance and asked quickly, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Almost in tears, Song Zijin took out a box from her cabinet, opened it to reveal a stack of letters. "Sister, I, I don't know what to do. He used to just slip these into my hands and leave, but today... that boy snatched my handkerchief, I, I'm truly scared."

Song Zijin had turned sixteen this year, but she had not yet found a suitable match. However, Li shi was not in a hurry as good matches were kept for later, and because Zhang Shi worried that if Song Zijin got married, Song Dingxiang would have no one to talk to at home.

The main goal was to save up a dowry for Song Zijin so that she could marry well.

By the light of the oil lamp, Song Dingxiang unfolded each letter, her expression growing increasingly grim. These letters could almost be considered love letters in ancient times, some filled with poorly written poems that were irritating to read.

They were signed by someone called Qinglian Shanren, though it was unclear who this Qinglian Shanren really was.

Song Zijin recounted all these matters in detail.

In fact, since last year, there has been a boy around ten years old who has been calling Song Zijin out and giving her these kinds of letters. He even said that if she wanted to reply, she should wait for him to come next time and he would take them back together.

At first, Song Zijin was a little moved after reading the letters, after all, she was a girl in her prime, how could she not have any thoughts?

However, she did not reply to the letters, just wanting to see what the person in the letters had to say.

After several letters, the content of the letters became more explicit, mentioning things like lotus feet and lotus arms, which disgusted Song Zijin. Originally, she did not want to go on these arranged meetings anymore, but the boy who delivered the messages was a ruffian and said that if Song Zijin didn't go, he would shout it out loud.

This frightened Song Zijin, so she had no choice but to reluctantly accept these indecent items.

But today, after the boy delivered a letter, he suddenly took advantage of her distraction and snatched the handkerchief from her waist and ran off. Song Zijin chased him for a few steps but couldn't catch up.

She was afraid of being seen by others, so she could only return home feeling anxious.

"What a bold boy!" Song Dingxiang was furious upon hearing this.

If this had happened in modern times, it would be different. Even if teenage boys and girls exchanged love letters, if caught by a teacher, they would just be scolded by their parents.

But this was ancient times, if Song Zijin's reputation were to be tarnished, what would happen to her?

And most importantly, not knowing who the man was, what he looked like, how old he was, his family background, whether he was married - all these were unknown!

And Song Dingxiang felt that a man who could write such letters was definitely not a good person!

Song Dingxiang asked, "When does that boy usually come?"

Song Zijin replied, "Usually it's about every ten days to half a month. Every time he comes, he first places a piece of wood under our wall. I can tell he's come by looking at that piece of wood..."

Song Dingxiang chuckled, "Under our wall? What about the first time?"

Song Zijin explained, "The first time, he intercepted me halfway when I was going out. I thought it was just a game back then, but now, sister... I'm scared."

"You know you're scared, that's good. How long has it been since you started feeling scared?" Song Dingxiang glared at her, "Ok, don't worry, leave this to me. When he comes next time, just tell me."

Before this ruffian boy arrived, the Song family was already bustling. Wu shi's daughter-in-law and daughter were working in the wool factory, and because of what Zhu Shi did, there were always people mocking them.

Song Jiaoxing was still unmarried, and she couldn't bear this kind of mocking, so she came home crying. Then Wu shi sought out Zhu Shi and the two got into a physical fight, tearing at each other fiercely.

In the end, the outcome was that the Wu shi family erected a new fence, enclosing their own courtyard and opening a new door at the back of their house, deciding not to use the same door as the Eight family anymore.

And it didn't end there, the daughters-in-law of Zhu Shi's family also came looking for their mother's family, demanding to split from Zhu Shi. They said it was the rule set by the Song family ancestors, and it wouldn't be allowed to continue otherwise.

The argument drew a crowd, and one elderly woman kept calling Zhu Shi a thief and accusing her of leading her son astray and causing trouble for her daughter.

"They want to split the family for the sake of your son, so he won't be led astray by a crook like you, and to spare my daughter from suffering!"

The incident was just a small commotion in the Song Dingxiang household, but Fang Shi was eager to join in the fun and eagerly recounted the whole thing to everyone when she got back, gesturing excitedly.

Song Xingyi originally listened with amusement, but once Fang Shi left, he spoke to Li shi with a serious tone, "Third Brother's household is really... how are they living these days? Such a well-formed family, look at the trouble they've caused."

Li shi replied, "How are they living? Who isn't living off the grains? Why are you so concerned about how they are living? Forget it, it's all over now. Look, even Eldest Brother and Second Brother's families didn't intervene to help. Their daughter-in-law has probably offended too many people these years. Now, even her family refuses to benefit from being associated with her and wants to split, it shows..."

It's likely that they haven't benefited at all in these two years, but instead Zhu Shi has taken advantage of them, leading to this situation, right?

Just as the commotion in the Song family's third household settled down, Song Zijin found Song Dingxiang, "Second Sister, that boy has come."

——— Song Dingxiang: Can't they just earn money properly? Why do they have to cause trouble? Are they unable to make their hard-earned money work for them?

Zhou Yinuo: Hello everyone, do you still remember me? Well, I'm still staying in the north, so don't forget about me!