Chapter 155 Domestication

Chapter 155 Domestication

Since the Meng family were merchants and could not ride in horse-drawn carriages, Yin Caiwei hired three ox-drawn carriages. The group sat in the three carriages and soon arrived at the government office.

"Third Uncle, Third Aunt." Wang Zhou greeted them, then greeted his parents' carriage as he passed by, and finally stopped next to the last oxcart, making a gesture to help his grandmother.

Meng's mother was overjoyed and took Wangzhou's hand as they stepped off the oxcart.

“Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, let me take you inside.” Wang Zhou took Meng’s father’s hand with his other hand and thoughtfully reminded him, “We already have guests. They are the new warden and judicial officer from the yamen and their families.”

Meng's father nodded. "What was the warden's last name again?"

“Wu,” Wangzhou replied.

With Du Min and Yin Caiwei making an example of their elder brother and sister-in-law, Meng Qing's parents and Meng Chun, as her maternal relatives, were greeted politely as soon as they entered the government office.

After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Zhou led the Meng family to his room to sit, so that they wouldn't have to get up to greet any more guests.

Meng Chun lay down on Wang Zhou's bed, took off his shoes, and said, "It's still more comfortable lying down."

"Uncle, did you not sleep well last night?" Wangzhou asked.

“I’ve had a good sleep. There’s nothing to do here anyway, so I might as well sleep a little longer,” Meng Chun said, crossing her legs.

"If you have nothing to do, come and help me take care of your little nephew." Meng Qing pushed the door open and came in carrying the child. "It's too noisy outside, so I'm leaving Wangchuan here with you. This way, you'll have an excuse to take care of the child and won't have to go out to meet guests. You can go out when the banquet is about to start."

"Isn't this a bad idea? We've been staying inside the house the whole time?" Meng's father asked.

"You can go out to meet guests if you want, or come in if you don't want to greet people with a smile." Although it is Wangchuan's home ground today, the guests are actually here for Du Min and Yin Caiwei. The Meng family are businessmen, and they are looked down upon in this setting. Even if they go out to meet guests, few people will genuinely chat with them.

"Put the child in my arms." Meng Chun waved. "Anyway, I'm not going out. I'll take care of Wangchuan."

Meng Qing placed the baby, who was staring around with wide eyes, into Meng Chun's arms. As she stood up, she ruffled Meng Chun's hair. "Time flies. My second child is already a month old. I still remember the day Wangzhou turned one month old. We did something big together."

Meng Chun chuckled twice, "Sister, congratulations! Your life is getting better, and you won't have to suffer anymore."

"What's the big deal?" Wang Zhou asked, leaning over the bed. He held Wang Chuan's hand and pointed to Meng Chun. "Little brother, this is your uncle."

“He looks exactly like Wangzhou when he was little.” Meng Chun couldn’t help but look at his nephew and said, “I wonder if the two brothers will look alike when they grow up.”

“No, Wangzhou looks more like me, while Wangchuan’s nose and chin are like your brother-in-law’s,” Meng Qing said.

Meng Chun tapped Wang Chuan's chin and said, "He hasn't fully grown yet. When he grows up, he'll look like you."

Meng Qing: ...

The door was pushed open from the outside, and Du Li poked his head in. He first called out to his parents, then said, "Qingniang, come out, He Bian is here."

"Why is he here?" Meng Qing walked outside.

"Who is He Bian?" Meng's father asked.

“The manager of Luoyang Yishu,” Meng Chun replied. “He probably heard the news and rushed over to give gifts and offer his congratulations. This person is more capable than Ren Wenqiu. Ren Wenqiu knew that I came back to attend my nephew’s full moon celebration, but he didn’t do anything about it.”

"Are you still in contact with Mr. Ren? How capable is he? How many free schools does he run in Huaizhou?" Meng's father asked.

“Five shops. He’s quite capable; his paper effigies are selling very well in Huaizhou,” Meng Chun replied. “By the way, Father, I’ve also opened three paper horse shops in Huaizhou, and I’d like to buy another fifty servants from Huaizhou. When I leave in a couple of days, give me a thousand strings of cash.”

"Why did you buy so many servants?" Mencius' mother asked.

"This year, Huaizhou is experiencing drought, resulting in a reduced winter wheat harvest. The spring wheat harvest is expected to be a total loss. With such a poor year, slave prices are low. I'm taking this opportunity to buy more slaves to work at the paper horse shop. After I complete my apprenticeship, I'll send them to other places to manage the shop," Meng Chun said.

Mencius' mother frowned, "Is the drought in Huai Prefecture that severe?"

Meng Chun nodded. “The Yellow River flows through Huaizhou with a gentler current, and the siltation is much more severe than in Heqing County. The riverbed is almost level with the road surface. The water cannot enter the canals, causing the wheat in several counties to dry up. However, there are also places that have experienced flooding. I heard from the locals that the Yellow River changed its course, and the water flowed into the low-lying areas, drowning the crops there.”

Mencius' mother exclaimed, "What can we do? Life is hard for ordinary people. Will the officials be beheaded?"

"Who knows?" Meng Chun shook his head. "It's been incredibly hot in Huaizhou this year. Many people have died from the heat. Some elderly and sick people couldn't withstand the heat and died, while others, even strong men, died in the fields while carrying water to irrigate. Ren Wenqiu took advantage of this opportunity to recruit a large number of apprentices. He has no shortage of manpower and opened five free schools in half a year. There are also many funerals in various places, and business is still quite good. I followed him to learn, and in two months I opened three paper horse shops, employing forty-one apprentices. This month, I can still make a profit of twenty or thirty strings of cash."

"Business is good." Meng's mother no longer cares about twenty or thirty strings of cash, but she still remembers that in Wu County, before Meng Qing got married, the paper horse shop could only make a profit of twenty or thirty strings of cash a year.

"Can it really kill people with heat?" Wang Zhou murmured.

“People can freeze to death, and they can also die from heat,” Meng Chun said. “There are also people who starve to death. Many farmers in Wen County have sold their land to survive. I can’t buy it, but if I could, I could take the opportunity to acquire several hundred acres of land.”

Wang Zhou secretly glanced at him, and he finally understood the various ways the law suppressed merchants. Merchants had quick minds, abundant wealth, and a keen eye for finding ways to make money. If they were qualified to buy land and property, they could buy up half a county's worth of land during a drought or a flood.

"Wang Zhou?" Du Min knocked on the door. "Is Wang Zhou inside?"

"Yes." Wang Zhou got up and walked over. "Third Uncle, what's wrong?"

“Come with me to greet the guests, and I’ll show you around,” Du Min said.

Wang Zhou patted the wrinkles on his clothes and followed Du Min. When there were no guests, he told Du Min about the drought and flood in Huai Prefecture.

Du Min had heard about the drought in Huai Prefecture and, seeing Wang Zhou's interest, steered the conversation toward the matter once all the guests had arrived and were sitting together drinking tea and chatting.

Wang Zhou listened quietly. The merchants lamented that they couldn't seize the opportunity to acquire land, while the clerks were furious that the gentry and powerful families were taking advantage of the situation to amass slaves and property. He suddenly realized that when it came to wealth and profit, regardless of whether one was a merchant, gentry, or aristocratic family, once one had wealth and power, they were all devouring others.

"Third brother, the monks who chant sutras and offer blessings have arrived. Come out for a moment," Du Li said as he entered.

Du Min got up and went out, and the clerks, scholars and generals present followed him out to watch the ceremony.

Wang Zhou was a step too slow, and he couldn't squeeze in. He stood outside the hall, listening to the sound of the wooden fish being struck inside, lost in thought.

Wang Chuan was held in Meng Qing's arms as he received the monks' blessings under the watchful eyes of all the guests.

Meng Qing glanced at the simple clothes and plain hairpins mixed in with the fine clothes out of the corner of her eye, and silently prayed that she would have seven more years to dress her family in fine clothes.

The chanting ceased, and the ceremony was complete.

"Thank you all for gracing my nephew's one-month celebration today. The ceremony is now complete, please take your seats," Du Min said, stepping forward.

There were two tables in the hall, one in the study, and two more tables in the bamboo grove in the backyard, all enclosed by blue silk cloth. The servants brought by Yin Caiwei were well-trained, and in less than half an incense stick's time, all the guests were seated under the guidance of the servants.

Meng Qing and Yin Caiwei were in charge of entertaining the female guests, Wang Zhou was in charge of entertaining his classmates, and Du Min and Du Li were in charge of entertaining the male guests and the monks, respectively.

An hour later, the banquet ended and all the guests left.

Meng Qing instructed Meng Chun: "Take He Bian home and stay with him for me."

“Okay, don’t worry.” Meng Chun agreed, then walked out the door and said, “Brother He, this way.”

After the last guest left, Meng Qing stretched and went to count the gifts she had received that day. Finally, she gave all the money to Yin Caiwei, saying, "The clerks in the yamen and the scholars in the county school came to witness the ceremony because of you. Keep these gifts. When it's time to return the gifts, you and Lao San can do it for us."

Yin Caiwei did not refuse.

“You’ve been busy all day, go back to your room and rest if you’re tired,” Meng Qing said. “I’ll go back to my room and rest for a while too. When it’s cooler, I’ll go back and get all my luggage.”

Yin Caiwei nodded, "Second sister-in-law, are you satisfied with today's full moon celebration? This is the first time I've ever organized a banquet all by myself."

"Very satisfied." Meng Qing grasped her hand and said, "Thank you, Second Sister-in-law, and thank you on behalf of Wang Chuan as well."

"Oh! Don't be so polite." Yin Caiwei said happily, "Second sister-in-law, go back to your room and rest."

Meng Qing nodded and left.

Yin Caiwei returned to her bedroom and saw Du Min leaning against the couch. She brought up the question again.

"You've worked hard." Du Min reached out to her, "Shall I give you a back massage?"

Yin Caiwei wasn't buying it. "I'm officially informing you that if you want me to help with anything in the future, you have to discuss it with me beforehand. If you don't discuss it with me, I won't just not help, I won't even show my face."

After thinking for a moment, Du Min nodded in agreement.

Yin Caiwei felt a little better and left him to go back to her room to rest.

Du Min rested on the cool couch. After dozing off for a while, he felt it was about time, so he got up and knocked on his brother and sister-in-law's door. "It's time to get the luggage."

“I’ll go with him to get it. You take Wangchuan and rest inside,” Du Li said to Meng Qing.

Meng Qing pointed outside and said, "He probably has something to say, so I'll go with him."

The couple went out together and took Wangchuan with them.

Seeing this, Du Min said nothing. When they went out, they borrowed Yin Caiwei's dowry carriage, and the four of them rode back to the Meng family.

When they arrived at the Meng family home, Meng's parents were still taking a nap. Meng Qing handed the child over to Sister Wang, and she and Du Li took Du Min back to the side courtyard. As soon as they entered, she asked, "What do you want to say?"

“I am very dissatisfied with the way you are handling things,” Du Min said. “I am the head of this family, and I do not need you to please my wife.”

"You think I'm trying to please Caiwei?" Meng Qing turned around. "Isn't she the one you married? Isn't she your wife? Have I ever told you that love extends to everything connected to the house? What's wrong with me being friends with her? Do you expect me to scheme against her, make her angry and cry every day, and constantly run back to her parents' house to complain? Would that satisfy you?"

"Third brother, do you think we can't tell who we should be close to?" Du Li asked. "You're not satisfied with our way of handling things. Tell me, what do you want us to do?"

“It’s the same as before I got married,” Du Min replied. He stated clearly, “I need you all to revolve around me, not around my wife. For example, regarding the full moon banquet in Wangchuan, I brought it up, and you all agreed. I’ll handle the rest. Even if Caiwei disagrees or is unhappy, it should be me who communicates with her, not you bypassing me to discuss it with her. She can’t represent me. Our relationship should be between me and you, and between me and her, not between us and you.”

"How come you're just like Chen Mingzhang?" Meng Qing exclaimed in surprise. "Think about it, aren't you? Are you going to say next that we're playing both sides?"

Du Min's face changed from disgust. "Nonsense! Don't drag me into this with him. You're disgusting! I... I just... I don't need you to use her to maintain our relationship, and I don't want anyone else interfering in our family's life. I just don't want to have to be so reserved when I'm with the people I trust most. Second sister-in-law, I'm sure you wouldn't want this to happen either, would you?"

Meng Qing felt at ease. She knew Du Min was selfish, and she hoped to use that selfishness to bind him, just as she had taken him from Du Laoding. She wanted to use their shared hardships and indulgent support to make Du Min a vanguard paving the way for her and a pillar of support for her family, thus achieving her goal of using someone else's power to intimidate her. She truly didn't want Du Min to feel intimidated by her; she needed his complete trust so that he would listen to her advice without question.

Du Min's demands today are consistent with the goals she pursues.

“I understand, I agree.” Meng Qing said. “I also have conditions. I will be careful to keep things in check until you are satisfied, but you cannot interfere with my relationship with Caiwei. She is a good girl, and aside from our sister-in-law relationship, I am willing to associate with her.”

Du Min nodded, "I believe my second sister-in-law can handle things well. As long as I am happy, I will not interfere with your relationship."

"The second condition is that, regardless of whether your feelings are genuine or not, please treat Caiwei well. She doesn't know your character. This marriage was something you sought, so you have to be responsible for her." Meng Qing added, "I don't want to adjudicate your case every day. You need to understand that if you handle your relationship well, I won't talk about you to her without going through you."

"Okay," Du Min agreed again. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes." Meng Qing's gaze swept over him. "You're a bit short. I have something to tell you."

Du Min had no doubts. He leaned over, and the next moment he felt a sharp pain in his left ear and cried out.

Meng Qing gave him a hard tug, then released her grip. Under his shocked gaze, she reminded him, "Du Min, I'm your partner, not your servant. I don't need to obey you wholeheartedly. What do you mean you won't interfere with me if you're happy? What right do you have to interfere with me?"

Du Min felt relieved after being pinched, and he quickly admitted his mistake: "It was my fault. I was confused by anger lately. I needed something from my second sister-in-law. Thank you for your understanding, second sister-in-law and second brother."

Du Li watched silently, only responding when Du Min was mentioned. Looking at Du Min, he couldn't tell whether he was happy or sad. Du Min's emotions had been manipulated by Meng Qing, to the point that he couldn't distinguish whether interests or feelings were more compelling.

How could Meng Qing possibly bypass him to befriend Yin Caiwei, and how could he possibly revolve around Yin Caiwei?

Human emotions are truly terrifying things; they can be both soft and hard, like knives.

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Author's note: After two hours of writing, I finally got the plot I wanted.