Chapter 20: Dividing the Wealth

Chapter 20: Dividing the Wealth

Du Li felt as if she had broken a bone. Meng Qing immediately noticed the problem and said, "Okay, as long as you've figured it out, I'll support you."

That approach won't work today. Du Li forced a smile and said, "When will you be free? If you're not free, I'll think of another way."

“I have time, I have time.” Meng Qing grabbed his hand and led him to the backyard. Under the watchful eyes of her parents, she led him up to the attic.

“I think Du Min’s shameless and scheming to climb the social ladder isn’t just about getting paper effigies and funerary objects onto politicians’ tables. Old Master Chen is a doctor at the state academy, which only allows officials and members of the imperial family to study there. However, it’s possible that when there are vacancies, the state academy might also admit talented and learned commoners. And Master Chen is a sixth-rank official. If the state academy’s enrollment quota isn’t full, with Master Chen’s recommendation, Du Min might be able to study there and potentially pass the imperial examination within three or four years.” This was Meng Qing’s guess based on her dream’s premonition. She even specifically inquired about the state academy from Supervisor Wang at the ferry.

Suzhou, as a superior prefecture, has fifty places for students in its state school. The students are between fourteen and twenty years old. Du Min is eighteen years old this year. He will stay in the state school for two years and then take the state examination. In the third year, when he is twenty-one years old, he will pass the provincial examination and become a Jinshi.

Du Li quieted down, then asked in surprise, "He has such great ambition? And such great ability?"

"Your third brother is indeed capable. He's flexible and adaptable, and most importantly, he'll seize any opportunity he gets. He's clear-headed and knows exactly what he wants." It's just that Du Min is still young and immature, prone to hesitation and indecision, which is why she tricked him. In two more years, he'll be even more slippery than an eel.

"Of course, this is just my guess. I'm advising you to think it through so you won't regret it later," Meng Qing explained subtly. Her emotions weren't quite there, and she couldn't bring herself to say the comforting words she had before.

Du Li understood. He thought about it for a while and said, "He doesn't care about my situation or understand my needs. In the future, when he passes the imperial examination and becomes an official, he will need me even less and will ignore his second brother even more, completely misunderstanding me. Whether he becomes an official or not will not change my status in the family. I still have to rely on myself."

“You’re right. Remember this thought for now, and don’t regret it no matter what happens in the future.” Meng Qing advised him, “When do you want me to go back? Once you’ve decided, I’ll take the child and come with you.”

“I need to ask my third brother first, see when he can go back. He has to go back too. With him around, my eldest brother and I are on the same side. When he’s not around, my eldest brother and sister-in-law are against me and don’t listen to anything I say.” Du Li was about to tell her about his sister-in-law scolding him for stealing eggs when Wang Zhou woke up and started crying.

"Qingniang, Wangzhou has woken up. He probably pooped. Come down and clean him up. I can't help you." Meng's mother called from downstairs.

Meng Qing ran downstairs, interrupting Du Li as soon as he finished speaking. He felt a sense of emptiness, as if he hadn't had enough, and after a few moments, he followed him downstairs.

"Go fetch water quickly," Meng Qing ordered him.

After cleaning up Du Wangzhou, Meng Qing then instructed Du Li to take all the dirty diapers that had accumulated over the day and wash them.

Seeing her son-in-law obediently carrying the basin out, Meng's mother glanced at Meng's father and said sarcastically, "That's fine too. Although your son-in-law can't help you soothe the children every day, at least he's willing to wash diapers. I gave birth to you and your brother, and your father changed your diapers a handful of times, let alone washed them. He would rather die than touch them."

When the old grievances were brought up again, Mencius' father wisely remained silent.

"Dad, Mom, I'm going back to cook," Meng Qing said. "Du Li is here to pick me up today. I haven't been back for over a month, so I want to go back to my in-laws' house to show my face. Du Min is the same; he hasn't been back for over a month either, so he also wants to go back. Du Li will go and ask Du Min when he's free, and then we'll go back together. If he's free today, we'll leave this afternoon."

"Something happened?" Mother Meng pointed upwards. "What were you two whispering about in the attic?"

Meng Qing touched her mouth. "I didn't say anything."

Mencius' mother understood. She looked around and saw nothing on the ground. She took off her shoe and threw it at him, saying, "I'll beat you to death, you shameless girl."

Meng Qing ran off laughing, and Wang Zhou giggled in her arms. The laughter of the mother and son was too abrupt in the Mingqi shop, and people on the street looked over and frowned at her.

Meng Qing covered Wang Zhou's mouth and leaned away pleadingly.

As they left the antique shop, Meng Qing loosened her hand from the child's. Wang Zhou thought she was playing with him, and as soon as she let go, he giggled, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

"So cute!" Meng Qing kissed him tenderly, and his smile grew even brighter.

"Auntie, do you know where I can buy paper offerings for funerary objects? Don't you understand? Are you from out of town? Hey, brother, you..."

“I know, the Meng family’s paper horse shop sells paper effigies and funerary objects. The shop is in the funerary objects section, there’s a row of big locust trees there,” Meng Qing interjected, enthusiastically pointing out the way.

"Meng Family Paper Horse Shop? Is it the one that makes big black paper horses? I'm asking about the one that makes paper horses," a man who looked like a butler asked.

“Yes.” Meng Qing nodded.

The man thanked him and hurried away.

Meng Qing switched arms to hold the child and said, "It seems the Gu family has gone to the door with paper horses to pay their respects."

Curious about the grand funeral at the Chen residence, Du Li went to the academy to find Du Min in the afternoon, and Meng Qing went with her. Rulin Lane and Renfeng Lane were next to each other, so after finding Du Min, they could go to Renfeng Lane together.

Du Min wasn't at the academy, so Du Li asked the gatekeeper to pass on a message. He and Meng Qing, carrying the child, went to Renfeng Lane. Without asking for directions, they followed the crowd and easily found the Chen residence. Outside the Chen residence's gate stood a row of wreaths, with six "奠" (meaning "offering sacrifice") characters lined up in a row. Paper flowers folded from paper money were dyed in black and brownish-yellow, arranged alongside the original-colored paper money, looking solemn and dignified.

Meng Qing and Du Li pretended to be passersby and walked past the Chen family mansion. They happened to see a paper horse being carried into the second courtyard... Meng Qing took two steps back. She wasn't seeing things. It really was Du Min. He was helping to carry the paper horse with mourning cloth tied around his upper arm.

"Second Sister-in-law Du?" Gu Wuxia's voice sounded behind Meng Qing. He asked in confusion, "What are you doing here? Are you looking for Du Min?"

"No, someone came to the paper horse shop to inquire about paper horses. I guessed you came to worship, so I came to see what was going on. How is it? Is the owner satisfied with the paper horses?" Meng Qing dodged the question without leaving a trace. Du Min was clearly just socializing. He didn't know how much effort he had put into entering the Chen residence. If she said she had come to see him about family matters and had delayed his plans, he would turn his back on her.

Outside the Chen residence, Gu Wuxia couldn't smile. He nodded repeatedly, "Satisfied, very satisfied. Sister-in-law Du, after the funeral at the Chen residence is over, I'll come to see you again. I want to ask you to make another pair of paper horses, exactly the same as these two."

“Okay. You go ahead with your work, I won’t bother you anymore,” Meng Qing said.

Gu Wuxia nodded and turned to walk into the Chen residence.

Meng Qing and Du Li quickly left.

I saw Du Min again a day later. He had been helping out at the Chen residence for a day and a half. The formalities of the guests' worship had been completed, and all that remained was to keep vigil over the body. The body would be kept for seven days before the burial on the seventh day of the fifth lunar month.

Du Min invited Du Li and Meng Qing to the tea house for tea. After the tea server left, he asked indifferently, "Second Brother, did you need something from me?"

"Dad wants you to go back home. Are you free today?" Du Li had been waiting anxiously for the past two days, fearing that the conflict at home had subsided.

"What happened at home again?" Du Min frowned.

“My elder brother and sister-in-law are arguing with our parents. Last month, they promised to send Jinshu to elementary school, but they've changed their minds. They say they're short on money and want to send him to school next year. My elder brother and sister-in-law are not having it, and neither of them is doing any work. Go back and try to persuade them. Whether you try to persuade our parents or our elder brother, you have to convince one of them. The weeds in the fields need to be weeded, and the silk in the house needs to be harvested.”

Du Min remained silent, too lazy to utter a sound. He was filled with annoyance; why was there always such a commotion at home? He hadn't even gone back, yet these troubles still found their way to him.

“You’re free today, right? Don’t delay us, let’s go catch the boat now, we’ll go back today and come back tomorrow, let’s get this done quickly and not interfere with my business,” Meng Qing said.

"Second sister-in-law, are you going back too?" Du Min looked at the child in her arms and said sincerely, "It's inconvenient for you to travel with a child, so you shouldn't go back."

Meng Qing looked at Du Li, who said, "The boat is going slowly, it's alright."

"You're just wasting time." Du Min said irritably, it was unclear whether he was cursing Du Li for delaying Meng Qing or blaming his family for delaying him. He stood up and said, "Let's go, let's go back now."

The three of them went directly to the ferry to take a boat. By the time they returned to Dujiawan, it was already afternoon. Under the shade of the trees at the ferry, a dozen or so men were lying down, enjoying the cool air. After chatting for a while, Du Min finally managed to leave.

"Oh, right, third brother, I told the family that your second sister-in-law brings you meals to the academy every day. Don't let it slip." Du Li said as if he had just remembered.

Du Min was unhappy, but he had no choice but to accept it.

"Open the door for me, or I'll tear it down! You're not even strong enough to start a rebellion yet, let me teach you a trick: kill your father, and then you can be in charge." Father Du was so angry that he promoted himself to a higher generation.

Upon hearing this, Du Li and Du Min immediately ran home.

"You're trying to kill me! You're saying this because you don't want me to live!" Du Ming yelled from inside.

"Father, why are you arguing?" Du Min ran in and asked.

When Du's father saw him, his eyes lit up. "Amin is back? Second son, take the door off your eldest brother's room. Let's see where he can hide now."

Du Ming knew that Du Li, that lackey, would actually obey and remove the door. He opened the door himself and said sarcastically in a loud voice, "Oh, the son-in-law who came to live with his wife is back? I thought you had settled down in the city."

"Big brother, don't go looking for trouble. Who upset you?" Du Min glanced at him with disdain.

Du Ming was stung by his gaze. He got angry, rolled up his sleeves, and pretended to hit him: "Third brother, you've got some nerve! I'm your eldest brother, don't you know about seniority? You're lecturing me now!"

"Second son, don't stop him. Let's see who he dares to lay a finger on today." Father Du was now truly enraged.

Du Ming regained his senses, withdrew his hand, and calmed down.

“Let’s go inside and talk,” Du Min said. “Let’s clear things up today and stop making trouble in the future. Only with harmony in the family can everything prosper.”

The father and his three sons entered the main hall one after the other. Li Hongguo came out from the north room and found that Meng Qing had also returned with his children. She sneered, "Oh, the little golden nuggets are back too. What rare guests!"

"Sister-in-law," Meng Qing called out, and she followed her into the main hall.

"Where is my mother?" Du Min asked.

"She cut her hand while chopping vegetables and couldn't get anything done this afternoon, so she went out to chat," said Mr. Du. He saw Meng Qing come in and ordered, "Second daughter-in-law, go catch two chickens and make chicken soup for dinner. Amin, have you had lunch?"

"Let's not talk about that now, let's talk about the present issue." Du Min was getting impatient.

Meng Qing remained seated and said, "I've been busy at my parents' house, so I should be allowed to rest when I get back to my own home. Besides, I'm holding a baby, so let my sister-in-law do the chicken-catching."

Unable to get this person to do anything else, Du's father could only order that person around. When he saw Li Hongguo, he said coldly, "Go and catch two chickens."

Li Hongguo was furious, but Meng Qing was still the same old stubborn person, always talking big and never willing to suffer any loss.

"Brother, I heard something from my second brother. You want to send Jinshu to a primary school?" Du Min asked.

"Yes, this is what my parents promised me."

"We haven't harvested a single grain of rice this year, and the entire year's harvest is almost gone ahead of schedule. I've told you before that we're short on money this year, and we'll send Jinshu to elementary school next year. Why are you so stubborn and won't listen to reason? You weren't like this before!" Father Du simply couldn't understand. His eldest son was a bit lazy, but he had always been very considerate. His second son liked to argue, and he often helped him keep him in check. He didn't know what had gotten into him this year; he was even more annoying than his second son.

"If you're short on money this year, will you be able to next year? Even if you can send Jinshu to elementary school next year, what if you're short on money the year after? Will you stop him from studying then?" Du Ming questioned.

Mr. Du also frankly said, "This is the situation at home. The annual harvest is so meager that we can only support one scholar, and that person will definitely be your third brother."

Du Min was moved, and he relieved his father's worries: "Brother, to be honest, Jinshu has no talent for studying, lacks diligence, and likes to slack off..."

“Exactly the same as your older brother,” Du’s father interjected.

Meng Qing almost burst out laughing, but she quickly lowered her head.

Du Ming was furious. He yelled, "It's because you don't know how to teach!"

Seeing that he wouldn't listen, Du Min shut up and stopped talking, as it was a waste of his breath.

No one spoke, and the room fell silent. After a moment, Du Ming spoke again: "Even if Jinshu has no talent for studying, I will still send him to elementary school. The third son is good at studying, and it is only right for the family to support his education. I won't complain about that. But you and the second son need to treat him fairly, right? That couple's son is a precious gem. When he was just a little boy, it cost seven or eight strings of cash. My two children are thirteen years old combined and haven't cost that much. The most unfair thing is that my wife raises cattle, chickens, and ducks at home, works in the fields, cooks, raises silkworms, and weaves cloth. But what about her? She doesn't do any work and goes back to her parents' home all the time. And you still praise her!"

It was the same old story again, and Du Li couldn't be bothered to listen. The thought suddenly struck him, and he realized that this was how his complaints were perceived by others.

Both Du's father and Du Min knew the truth: Meng Qing was not enjoying a good life at her parents' home. Du Min, in particular, became famous through making paper funerary objects, and no one could compare to Meng Qing's contributions to him.

The father and son remained unmoved by Du Ming's complaints.

"Dad, if you don't give me an explanation, I won't work hard for this family anymore. Anyway, I have no hope. I'll just eat, sleep, and play. If I just die one day, I'll consider this a life of comfort." Du Ming acted shamelessly. "Don't even mention taking down my door, I don't care if you demolish my house. If you don't want your reputation, you can kick me out. I'm not afraid of losing face."

Mr. Du was so angry that he was panting heavily. His son was threatening him, and everyone in the family wanted to ride roughshod over him.

"Father, send Jinshu to elementary school." Du Min didn't want to bother with such matters anymore.

“You still have to make a fuss, don’t you? As soon as your older brother makes a fuss, you immediately agree without even asking about the timeframe. Are you planning to support another scholar like you did? Did I agree to that? I’m the one who’s farming at home, right?” Du Li said, staring at Du Min with eyes full of disappointment. “You had a problem with my son’s one-month celebration, complaining that we spent money. Why are you being so generous now?”

Du Min felt guilty and weak, so he remained silent and dared not look at Meng Qing.

“It’s fine to support Jinshu’s education, but when it comes to my son, the family will also have to pay for his education, just in case you change your minds. Let’s write a contract today and have everyone put their fingerprints on it.” Du Li set the conditions. “Otherwise, I won’t work. My wife and children don’t eat at home, so it doesn’t matter if I’m full or hungry.”

With both contracts and fingerprints on the paper, Du Min looked at Meng Qing, and a sense of apprehension crept into his heart.

"You don't want me to live." Old Ding Du was about to give in, but when he heard Du Li say this, he refused. He only had two grandsons. If he lived longer, his two daughters-in-law would each give birth to two more grandsons. To send them to school, he would have to sell land and houses.

Du Min also fell silent.

"Then it's settled. I won't have to work in the fields anymore." Du Ming got up to leave.

“I have a plan, but it depends on whether Father will agree,” Meng Qing said.

Du Min knew there was a chance as soon as he heard this. He changed his sitting posture and said, "Second sister-in-law, please speak."

Du Ming sat back down.

"It's simple. It's like eating from a big pot. There's a pot of stewed chicken, and everyone sitting around is staring at the meat in the pot. Everyone is watching closely who takes the chicken leg, who eats the most meat, and who takes the most soup. But if you take out a few bowls and divide the meat into several bowls, and everyone eats from their own bowl and doesn't touch what's in the pot, there won't be so many complaints."

Mr. Du's heart skipped a beat; he sensed something was wrong. "Are you suggesting we divide the family property?"

"No, it's about dividing the wealth." Du Min understood.

"No, no, no, the money at home is for my third brother to take the imperial examination. I would never touch that money," Meng Qing denied. "I've never done farm work. I vaguely know that after the rice harvest, the land is idle. It's better for my parents to give up the right to use the land for six months. After the harvest, my eldest brother and Du Li can plant or raise whatever they want in the land. This produce belongs to them. They can earn money to support their son's education. If they lose money or don't make any, they should just work quietly and not make a sound."

"That's a great idea!" Du Min practically clapped his hands in approval; this method wouldn't harm anyone's interests.

Du Li was surprised that Du Min wasn't angry that they wanted to save money on their own.

But Du Laoding disagreed. He thought that if his two sons had their own private wealth, who would listen to him? He worried that they would become arrogant and independent and wouldn't obey him.

"No way," Mr. Du said before leaving.

Meng Qing seemed not to hear her. She asked Du Ming, "Brother, do you agree with my method?"

Du Ming nodded, "If Father agrees, I have no objection."

Meng Qing stood up, holding the child, and said, "Third brother, it's up to you. If you want some peace and quiet, then try to persuade our parents. I'm going back to my room to rest for a while."