Chapter 62 How cruel you are!

Chapter 62 How cruel you are!

The wine and dishes were served. Du Min took the wine pot, stood up, picked up the wine bowl in front of Meng Qing, poured half a bowl for her first, then for Du Li, and finally for himself.

Meng Qing smiled, and after Du Min sat down, she picked up her wine bowl and said, "Come on, let's toast first, wishing us a brighter future."

“The further we go, the fewer people will be able to suppress and bully us.” Du Min raised his bowl and gently tapped it against Meng Qing’s.

Du Li thought for a moment, then touched Meng Qing and Du Min's wine bowls one by one, saying, "I wish you both dreams come true."

“Say it again.” Meng Qing glared at him, “Say something related to you.”

Du Li lowered his eyes, thought seriously for a few moments, and said, "I'm quite satisfied with my life now. If I had to say what my regret is, it would be that I can't make money. Come on, wish me greater value in the future."

Meng Qing pushed her bowl and bumped it against his, then picked up the bowl and took a big gulp.

Du Li was about to tilt his head back and drink, but Du Min clicked his tongue and leaned forward to clink glasses with him, then gulped down half a bowl in one go.

"What's going on? There are only three of us, and you still want to exclude me?" Du Min complained even after drinking.

Du Li thought he was tactless and couldn't be bothered to talk to him.

"The wine is really good." Meng Qing took another sip. "I haven't had any wine in a long time, I've been craving it so much."

Du Li ladled her a bowl of mutton soup, then looked at Du Min, who handed her the bowl.

"Have some soup to warm your stomach first. Be careful not to get drunk on an empty stomach," Du Li said to Meng Qing, turning her head slightly.

"Second sister-in-law, how much alcohol do you drink?" Du Min asked.

“My parents are both good drinkers, and my younger brother and I are both pretty good drinkers.” Meng Qing took a couple of sips of mutton soup and said, “You and your second brother are not good drinkers. If we really started drinking, the two of you together wouldn’t be able to get me drunk.”

Du Min was unconvinced. "When will you let me see what you've got?"

"After you take the provincial examination this year, if you don't want your parents to know, your second brother and I will celebrate for you. Whether you pass or not, just daring to take the exam is worth celebrating," Meng Qing set the date.

Du Min took a bite of roasted mutton and chewed it a few times. He then picked up his wine bowl and gulped down a mouthful of wine, saying, "My nephew is really lucky."

He said this out of the blue, and it took Meng Qing and Du Li a few bites of food before they realized what he meant.

"What? Are you envious of Wangzhou?" Du Li asked.

"I thank you for not using the word 'jealousy,' yes, 'envy.' Aren't you envious? His days with his mother were filled with both sincerity and ritual." Du Min was genuinely envious; he envied Meng Chun, and he also envied Du Li.

“What you want, you can find in your children later; what you lack, you should give your children,” Meng Qing told him, and also told herself.

Du Min didn't quite understand the meaning of the sentence. He pondered it over and over again, but still couldn't quite grasp it.

“Come on, let’s have another one,” he said, raising his wine bowl.

Meng Qing was thinking about breastfeeding her child when she got back, so she didn't dare drink too much. After taking a sip, she handed the remaining half bowl to Du Li, saying, "You two brothers drink it. I won't drink anymore. I'll eat some vegetables."

"Didn't you say you had a good alcohol tolerance? Why did you stop drinking? This is such a spoilsport." Du Min was already quite drunk.

Du Li clicked his tongue impatiently, "Did your dad beat you senseless after you went back for half a month? Wangzhou is still breastfeeding, and your second sister-in-law can't drink too much. Come on, I'll drink with you. I'll drink you until you crawl back to the prefectural school tonight."

Du Min realized what was happening and slapped his head in frustration. "I was slow to react. I'll punish myself."

Meng Qing glanced at him. He wasn't a good drinker, but he had certainly learned a lot at the dinner table.

After that, Meng Qing just ate her food, while the remaining pound or so of wine was drunk by the two brothers. They drank more than they ate, and in the end, they didn't even finish the roasted mutton and mutton soup.

"We'll wrap up the roasted lamb and take it with us," Du Li told the shop owner.

Du Min staggered out first, and Meng Qing told Du Li before following him out, "Third brother, don't wander off."

A short while later, Du Li came out carrying a bag of roasted mutton. He handed the mutton to Meng Qing and went over to help Du Min.

Meng Qing then grabbed Du Li's arm and said, "Alright, let's go."

The three of them walked side by side in the alley. Du Li glanced at Du Min and asked, "Third brother, have you had enough to drink? Want some more?"

Meng Qing burst out laughing.

"You can't even hold your liquor, yet you're trying to challenge others to a drinking contest." Du Li mocked him. "It's only because your second sister-in-law didn't drink. If she had drunk freely, you wouldn't have been able to crawl back home tonight."

“I’m still clear-headed, I can hear what you two are saying,” Du Min reminded them.

"Not drunk yet?" Du Li asked.

Du Min didn't want to talk, and he didn't know if he was drunk or not.

As Du Min stepped out of the alley, a gust of river wind blew through him, jolting him awake and clearing his head.

"I won't drink so much in the future," he said.

"If you can't hold your liquor, you should drink less. When you're out drinking, you need to know how to pretend to be drunk. You can't use drinking to show off. If you get drunk and confused, you're handing your life over to someone else. They might throw you into the river and drown you without you even knowing who your enemy is," Meng Qing reminded him.

Du Min grunted in response.

Meng Qing and Du Li escorted him back to the prefectural academy. When they arrived at the academy, Du Min had sobered up considerably and could walk straight. He then walked into the academy by himself, without letting Meng Qing and Du Li see him in.

“Let’s go home,” Meng Qing said.

Du Li looked at his empty hands, took a few steps, and said with a groan, "Slow down, wait for me."

"What? Are you tired?" Meng Qing stopped and turned to look at him.

"I think I'm drunk."

Meng Qing nearly choked on her own saliva. She suppressed a laugh and asked, "Are you feeling the effects of the alcohol?"

"Yes, I'm feeling a bit tipsy right now." Du Li lied, his face flushed. He put his right arm around her shoulder and said, trying to suppress his embarrassment, "I'm a little dizzy, help me up."

"Hmm, you've had quite a bit tonight." Meng Qing's face ached from trying to suppress a laugh. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, asking, "Will this make it easier for you to walk?"

"right!"

On the Lantern Festival, the full moon hangs high in the sky, its radiance enveloping the earth. On the ground, there are even swaying tree shadows and moving figures. Houses, rivers, and pedestrians are all clearly visible, as if it were daytime.

Du Min turned back and saw two people with their arms around each other's shoulders, swaying as if they were drunk. The liveliness of the previous moment vanished like a receding tide, and he suddenly felt lonely, a loneliness of abandonment.

"Don't be jealous, I'll have it too," he told himself.

The next moment, he caught up with them, calling out, "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law."

Meng Qing and Du Li were startled and quickly separated, their outstretched arms returning to their respective bodies.

"Is there anything else?" Du Li turned around and asked.

“I forgot to tell you something. My money box is still in Brother Meng’s room. Just leave it there with him. I have nowhere else to put it,” Du Min said as he ran over. “I’ll go get it if I need money.”

"Is that all?" Du Li was displeased. He said gruffly, "If your house is burgled and money is stolen, we won't compensate you."

“I know that if it gets stolen, I’ll accept it,” Du Min said.

“It’s late, you should go back now,” Meng Qing said. “Your second brother and I are leaving too. We can talk about anything else another day.”

"Okay." Du Min turned back.

Meng Qing and Du Li continued walking, but this time they didn't put their arms around each other's shoulders.

As they got further away from the prefectural school, Du Li stopped and asked, "Are you tired? Let me carry you."

"I'm not tired, it's even warmer to walk. Let's hurry up, Wang Zhou must be hungry." Meng Qing had no time to be sentimental.

Du Li gritted his teeth, cursing Du Min in his heart for being such a clueless idiot.

When they got home, no one in the family was asleep yet. Meng's parents were plucking duck feathers in the kitchen, preparing food for tomorrow's meal. Wang Zhou was on Meng Chun's bed, and the uncle and nephew were imitating sheep arching their backs.

Before Meng Qing even entered the room, she heard Wang Zhou's loud laughter. She pushed open the door and saw Meng Chun lying face down on the bed, while Wang Zhou was lying on his back with his stomach pressed against Meng Chun's head.

"Greedy dog, I brought you back some roasted lamb. Do you want some?" Meng Qing asked.

Meng Chun sat up, and Wang Zhou quickly rolled over and got up.

"Do you want some? If you do, I'll have your brother-in-law steam the mutton again." Meng Qing walked in, picked up Wang Zhou, and reached into his clothes to touch him; her hand was covered in sweat.

"Are you playing so wildly with your uncle?" Meng Qing asked.

"Is my brother-in-law still eating? If he is, I won't eat." Meng Chun was worried that Du Li would be unable to sleep if he ate too much mutton, and that she would have to make him clean the chicken coop and donkey shed in the middle of the night.

"I'm not eating." Du Li came in too. "It's already heated up for you, go and eat."

Meng Chun quickly got out of bed, saying, "You're such a good brother-in-law."

Du Li smiled.

Meng Qing carried Wang Zhou back to her room to breastfeed, and when she entered the room, she asked Du Li to bring in a basin of hot water.

After feeding him, the couple wrung out a hot towel to wipe Wangzhou's sweat, changed him into dry clothes, and made him comfortable so he could fall asleep.

"Are your parents asleep?" Meng Qing asked.

"Not yet, Mom is washing the rice, and Dad is marinating the duck," Du Li replied. "Are you going to tell them tonight about canceling the Qingming Festival boat trip?"

Meng Qing nodded, "Let's say it as soon as possible."

"Should we tell him about Master Chen's plan?" Du Li followed him out.

"To be honest, they know what's going on, so they won't worry about you and me in the future."

But after hearing her words, Meng's parents both looked displeased, and even Meng Chun herself had a long face.

"So, in two more years, you'll be leaving Wu County?" Meng's father asked.

“That should be the case. When Master Chen finishes his mourning period, he will need Du Min, and he will definitely take me with him as well,” Meng Qing said.

Mencius' mother slammed down the wooden basin. "I thought I had met a mentor, but who would have thought he would be my enemy? Does he think he's so great just because he's an official? He's separated us, mother and daughter. You've hardly ever been away from me in all your life. Chang'an is so far from Suzhou. Now that you're gone, when will I ever see you again?"

“I can come back after leaving Wu County. I’m not an official, I have no duties, and I can come back for a long time,” Meng Qing said. “By then, my younger brother will be able to stand on his own. You and Dad can leave the paper horse shop to him, and I’ll take you to live with me.”

"No..." Meng Chun was about to cry, "If you all leave, what will I do?"

“You have your wife, and your wife will keep you company,” Meng Qing told him, then turned to look at her parents, “When your grandchildren grow up, you can bring them to visit me and stay for a year or two before coming back.”

"How cruel you are!" Meng Chun wiped away her tears. "Don't you feel any reluctance to leave me? Not only are you leaving, but you're also taking my parents with you, waaaah—I won't do it, I'm going too."

Mencius' father: "..."

"This is so frustrating!" Meng's mother sighed, "Shut up, stop crying! Your sister hasn't left yet."

"If you were left alone in Wu County, wouldn't you cry? She hasn't left yet, but she's already made plans." Meng Chun felt extremely wronged.

Mencius' mother was speechless.

"Alright, alright, come with me. You train a reliable apprentice to be the manager, and then you can all come with me." Meng Qing took the opportunity to propose a solution. "Can a living person die from holding their pee? If you've had enough of your peaceful lives, then come with me and open another paper horse shop in Du Min's territory to continue making money."

“That works too.” Meng Chun immediately stopped wailing.

Mencius' mother sighed, "I've really had enough of those peaceful days. Going to an unfamiliar place is nothing compared to being in my own home."

"In seven or eight years, when we're too old to move around, we can come back. It's not like we can't come back," Meng's father said. "We've never left Wu County in our lives. It's our blessing to be able to go out and see the world. Don't mention others, just look at Wang the cloth merchant and Li the cloth merchant. They've traveled all over the country and seen everything. No matter where you say, they know it. They can even be friends with Dr. Xu. Isn't that all thanks to the knowledge they've gained from traveling all over the country? So many people want this kind of blessing but don't. We're just lucky to have Qingniang. Otherwise, we'd be stuck in this old place until we die."

“Yes, my parents didn’t have that kind of luck. They originally had it, but they squandered it all,” Du Li added.

"Did you hear that?" Mencius' father said to Mencius' mother.

"Alright, alright, you're right." Mother Meng smiled. "Son-in-law, doesn't your third brother plan to bring your parents along in the future?"

“He only brings them along when he’s tired of living a comfortable life,” Du Li said.

"When we get there and go to Du Min's territory, your parents will be furious," Meng's mother chuckled.

Seeing that she had no objections, Meng's father thought for a moment and said, "Since you have this plan, we need to adjust our plans. We need to train all the apprentices in the shop to be skilled within two or three years. Those who are willing to start their own businesses can go out and work independently, while those who have no capital or connections can stay at the Paper Horse Shop and receive wages."

Meng Qing breathed a sigh of relief and said happily, "Our family can be together again, we don't have to be separated anymore."

Meng Chun glared at her resentfully, "Ha! Hypocrite! You almost abandoned me."

Meng Qing: "...I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow."

"I won't eat it, I don't care for it." Meng Chun got up and ran away.

“Give me a chance to make amends—” Meng Qing chased after him, “How about two meals? Three meals will do too.”

Meng's parents ignored the lawsuit between the siblings and went back to their room to wash up with a basin of hot water.

Du Li thought for a moment, then decided not to interfere and instead fetched a basin of hot water to wait in the room.

After a cup of tea, Meng Qing returned to his room, his mouth dry.

"Have you appeased him?" Du Li asked.

"You've calmed her down." Meng Qing splashed water on her face.

"How did you manage to appease him?" Du Li asked, arms crossed.

"Admit your mistake, apologize, say nice things, and you'll get ten free meals."

Du Li nodded, then asked leisurely, "How long have you been thinking about that idea of ​​opening a private school and taking on many students? A year? Or two?"

Meng Qing slowly raised her head.

“When I told you I wanted to go back to the mulberry fields to raise chickens, ducks and geese, did you have this idea? I remember I said we would have to go back eventually, and I wanted to go back first to leave ourselves a way out. You didn’t say a word. I was thinking of building two mud houses in the mulberry fields, and you supported me!” Du Li stomped her feet angrily. “If it weren’t for the military service, my mud houses would have been built by now.”

"I only had this idea today," Meng Qing said guiltily.

"I don't believe you," Du Li said, giving her a resentful look. "You're lying to me!"

"No. Have you washed your face? I'm going to wash my feet." Meng Qing took off her shoes.

Du Li fell silent. He bent down and splashed water on his face, but found the water was no longer hot. He then took the basin and went to the kitchen to get two ladles of hot water.

The two silently soaked their feet, then silently undressed and got into bed, quietly lying down beside Wang Zhou.

"Are you also planning to abandon me?" Unable to outlast her, Du Li broke the silence.

"No, I originally planned to go back to Dujiawan with you to raise poultry and plant fruit trees. It's only because I had no other choice that I started thinking of other ideas." Meng Qing firmly denied it. "Think about it, wasn't it after you cut off contact with your parents that I told you I wanted to take Du Min away from you? What kind of person was your third son before? He looked down on you and me. How could I dare to have such a thought?"

Du Li thought about it carefully, and it seemed to be true.

“Think about my parents’ reactions tonight. Did they seem like they already knew? If I had this idea earlier, would I have kept it to myself?” Meng Qing said again.

Du Li recalled Meng Chun's tears, and he believed it completely.

"I misunderstood you," he admitted.

Meng Qing curled the corners of her mouth slightly in the darkness.

Du Li walked around the boat and groped to grab a hand.

"What are you doing? Did you eat too much mutton?" Meng Qing asked, ruining the mood. "Just go to sleep. We might have to go north next winter. If we have another baby, you can stay and raise the child."

Du Li immediately became obedient.

After a while, he sat up and put on his clothes.

"Where are you going?" Meng Qing asked.

"I'm going to clean the donkey shed."

Meng Qing: "..."

*

The next day.

Mencius' father took his son, son-in-law, and apprentice to the boat shop to retrieve the lanterns he had left on the painted boat on New Year's Eve.

"Master Meng, didn't you say before that you would need lanterns for the Qingming Festival and asked me to save them for you? Why are you taking them back today?" the boatman asked.

“This year, Qingming Festival falls on the second day of the third lunar month, while my grandson’s first birthday is on the first day of the third lunar month. The two clash. I can’t possibly display a lot of funerary objects at my grandson’s first birthday banquet, I’m not desperate for money,” said Meng’s father.

"That's true, it was just the right time." The boatman understood.

Mencius' father took down all the lanterns and said, "We'll hire your pleasure boat to deliver the goods, so don't worry about not having business."

The boatman smiled and said, "Thank you for your patronage. Here's what we'll do: we have quite a few lanterns, and it's inconvenient for you to carry them all. I'll take them to the Wumen Ferry for you."

Meng's father did not refuse. When he disembarked, he invited, "Come and support us on the first day of the third month. No need to bring gifts, just come and have a drink."

"You're hosting it at your house?"

“Yes, my grandson lives with us, so we’re having a first birthday party for him,” Mr. Meng said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll definitely go then."

That evening, the news reached the Chen family mansion, and the steward reported to Master Chen: "The boat banquet at the Meng family's paper horse shop before the Qingming Festival has been canceled. The official explanation is that it clashed with the first birthday banquet of Miss Meng's son."

Upon hearing this, Master Chen knew that his words had worked; if it were truly for this reason, the boat banquet would have been canceled long ago.

"You should show up then and send some things to that child in your name," Chen instructed.

"Yes." Butler Chen withdrew.

In the days that followed, the Meng family saw that no one came to the paper horse shop to cause trouble, and their business was not affected. The family's worries gradually subsided, and they devoted all their attention to making paper funerary objects, no longer worrying about outside matters.

Meanwhile, the Du family in Dujiawan, far away, was increasingly worried. As February arrived, spring plowing was in full swing. The paddy fields needed to be plowed, rice seedlings needed to be bred, silkworm rearing rooms needed to be repaired, and mulberry trees needed to be fertilized. There was work to be done at home and in the fields, but there weren't enough people to help.

"Dad, Mom, go and call the second son back. You can't let me farm seventy acres of early rice all by myself. I leave before dawn every day and don't come back until the moon rises. I'm so tired I can barely lift my legs," Du Ming complained.

Old Du refused to go, saying, "You go if you want."

"What's the point of me going?" Du Ming kicked the table. "If I don't call him back, I'm not doing any work either."

“If you don’t do this, your whole family will starve and refuse to eat or drink, and your son won’t be able to go to elementary school. Or you can do what your second son did and ask your in-laws to support you, and your whole family can move there. Once everyone’s gone, I’ll be at peace.” Old Du was calm and completely unfazed by his threats.

“If we stop, who will make money for your third son? Does your third son not need money anymore?” Li Hongguo asked.

Du Laoding remained silent.

“We rent out the land, and the rent we get is enough to support him,” said Du’s mother. “If it weren’t for the fact that you two still have children to raise, we would rent out all the paddy fields, and the two of us old folks could enjoy our retirement.”

“Just call the second son back and that will solve the problem.” Du Ming returned to the original point, “Let him come back during the busy farming season, and let him go wherever he wants during the off-season.”

"Go and call them," Old Ding Du said, repeating his previous statement.

"What exactly is it about the third brother that you all fear him so much?" Li Hongguo asked again.

"I'm afraid of him?" Old Ding Du found it laughable. "He's like a grasshopper in autumn, he won't be able to jump for much longer. Just you wait and see."

Li Hongguo felt that he was bluffing. After Meng Qing, Du Li and Du Min had all fallen out with the old man, she realized that the old man was just a toothless paper tiger who only knew how to bluff.

“Don’t worry about us, just rent out the land.” Li Hongguo objected. “Keep all the paddy fields under Du Ming’s name. We’ll grow eighty mu of early and late rice, enough for our family. Rent out the rest, and you can collect the rent to support yourselves.”

“Yes.” Du Ming agreed.

"If you don't support Lao San, will he be willing to help Jinshu in the future? Will he let you benefit from his influence?" Du Laoding said unhurriedly. "Think long-term. You have to give to receive. If you're not willing to suffer a single penny of loss, who will you expect to be grateful to? You're both young and strong. When will you use your strength if not now? Wait until Lao San becomes an official? Then you'll have to work hard for the rest of your lives."

Li Hongguo and Du Ming had nothing to say to each other.

“When I’m too busy, I’ll hire temporary workers,” Du Laoding added. “It’s not like I don’t work. I know how tiring it is, and when I can’t take it anymore, I’ll pay someone to help me. I know what I’m doing, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

Li Hongguo and Du Ming had no choice but to accept it, no matter how unwilling they were. Back in the house, she said to Du Ming, "We must find out what secrets the third brother has with them. If we know, we won't have to be controlled by those two old men anymore."

"Only those five people know, where can we ask them?" Du Ming also wanted to ask, but he really couldn't find out.

Li Hongguo remained silent. She closed her eyes and pondered deeply, but she couldn't resist her drowsiness and fell asleep before she could figure it out.

*

After the Spring Equinox, spring plowing in the countryside entered a busy phase. At this time, Du Li returned home. When he arrived, only his mother was cooking.

"The first day of the third lunar month is Wangzhou's first birthday. His maternal grandparents are going to hold a first birthday banquet for him, and all of Meng Qing's uncles will be there. I came back to let you know. If you want to go, you can come and have a meal. If you don't care about losing face, you don't have to go." Du Li explained the purpose of his return while standing outside the kitchen.

"Who are you talking to?" Du's mother asked.

"you."

"who I am?"

Du Li did not answer.

"You don't even call me 'Mother' anymore? Aren't you my child?" Du's mother asked, heartbroken.

Du Li ignored that sentence, saying, "I've delivered the message. Whether you go or not is up to you."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Du's mother looked around, then picked up the broken stool blocking the door and threw it at him.

Du Li dodged away, not wanting to waste any more breath arguing, and walked out of the yard straight to Aunt Du's house behind the house.

"Third Aunt, the first day of the third lunar month is Wangzhou's first birthday. If you're free then, please come over for a meal," Du Lilai informed her. He had already given her the invitation, but whether she went or not was up to her, so as not to offend anyone over this matter.

"Are your parents going?" Aunt Du asked.

"I don't know." Du Li didn't hide anything. "You're busy, I'll go to my uncle's house again."

Aunt Du's eyes darted around, and she said, "The first day of the third month, right? I'll definitely go. If your parents aren't going, I'll go to make a show for you."

When Li Hongguo found out later, she said her family was going too.

"Go where? You're not allowed to go." Du's mother had no intention of going. "He's not even coming back, and you're still eagerly going. Do you think you're missing out on a meal?"

“The third brother will definitely go. If he goes, wouldn’t it be a laughing stock if we, as the elder brother and sister-in-law, didn’t go?” Li Hongguo said. “On New Year’s Eve, we traveled a long way but couldn’t get into the Meng family’s house. I’ll see if they let us in this time.”

Upon hearing this, Du Laoding said, "Go, all of you go."