Chapter 004: See money eyes open
Cough, cough. The sound of Xue Zhuang coughing is heard from the room inside, after the persistent cough, he calls out. "Father."
Xue Liang Ping and Qin Zheng ends their dealing with Madam Sheng and hurries to the inside of the room.
"Da Zhuang, don't take it to heart, your mother… she is just like that, she not picking on you solely…" Xue Liang Ping tries his best to explain.
Xue Zhuang covers his mouth for another few coughs and barely gets over them. He stretches his hand into his gown pocket and searches around, finally pulling out an ingot of silver. Then stretches his hand over, wanting to hand it to Xue Liang Ping.
"Father, if the family is disturbed like this because I came back, I might as well have been dead somewhere else…" Cough, cough. Before he can finish what he wants to say, he is seized by another round of persistent cough.
Qin Zheng takes the silver from Xue Zhuang and presses it firmly into Xue Liang Ping's hands.
But his expression is evident of his unwillingness. After giving the silver, he cannot help but grumbles. "Big Brother injured his legs, he suffered so much on the way back. He even caught a cold when we were about to reach but insisted not to spend on lodging in an inn, hardly getting better in a bunk for days, He has not yet recovered from it till now! This is the money he exchanged with his life, and he is saving it to give to the family…"
Xue Zhuang stops his coughing with great difficulty and reprimands Qin Zheng with a red face. "You said the unnecessary!"
Then turning to Xue Liang Ping, "Father, this money is given to me by my commander when I left the military. You can use it for the house, consider it my sincere piety."
Xue Liang Ping understands that the money was his payout in exchange for his handicap, he feels for his son and this pain seems to be materializing in spasm. Wiping off tears, "Da Zhuang ah, you keep this money for yourself, you will need it in the future! It is going hard in the family but there is no problem in accommodating your bowl and chopsticks*."
Madam Sheng has been eavesdropping from the side room, when she hears that there is money, her tears stop, her pain fades, she jumps up three foot high, runs directly into the room and yanks the silver ingot from Xue Liang Ping's hands.
She puts the ingot between her teeth and bites down hard. Upon testing that this is indeed real silver, she breaks into a wide smile, exposing two rows of big yellow teeth. "Aiya, is this about five taels?"
Qin Zheng watches her twiddling the silver ingot with her left hand and then her right hand, weighing it out with her right hand then her left hand. He snorts "Look carefully, that has been engraved with the feudal official's seal. It is superior quality silver, five taels exact."
The Seng Head Village is a rural and secluded village, even if there is silver going around, it is silver with impurities and a bad polish.
It is Madam Sheng's first time seeing such beautiful shiny silver, she is so delighted that she cannot stop smiling and ignores Qin Zheng's bad attitude.
"You woman, are your eyes grown only for looking at money?" Xue Liang Ping's temper raises and demands the money back with his hand stretched out.
Madam Sheng quickly stuffs the silver into her gown pocket, holding it close her and mutters "Old man, your lips open and close and said so many pretty words. This is not just about adding a bowl and chopsticks, these are two young man at their prime years, if they eat without restraint, that could be the death of me! Besides, this is son's filial piety, how does it make more sense to you to not receive it?"
"You…" In terms of eloquence, Xue Liang Ping is of no match for Madam Sheng.
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"Father, cool down, we are a family living together, isn't it the same no matter who holds onto the money. I have been away all these years and have not been beside you to take care of you, less to mention contributing anything to the family. If Father is not even willing to accept this money, do you mean to blame me?"
Xue Zhuang's dialogue has Xue Liang Ping breaking down in tears.
Madam Sheng takes this as a cue to press in for more. "Da Zhuang, it's not because you just got back that I'm picking on you, your mother died early, when I married into the family you haven't even started walking, am I not the one who brought you up? Now that you are back, I'm not expecting you to give me anything, but shouldn't you at least call me Mother for all that I have done?"
"You shut up!" Xue Liang Ping glares at Madam Sheng, pat Xue Zhuang on his shoulder and said "Son, just stay here, as long as father has food, you have a share. This is the old Xue family, I see who dare to say any nonsense!"
Madam Sheng is baffled and rolls her eyes, but when she remembers the five silver taels in her pocket her mood got better. She bothers not to say anymore, turns around and goes back to her own room.
Xue Liang Ping stays on until he calms down his sniffles and goes back to the main room to continue drinking in misery.
Only Xia Yue Chu is left, grieving over the dish that is on the floor, but they still need to eat lunch.
She decides not to find Madam Sheng for anymore eggs, simply scoops out some homemade spicy sauce, adds a little sugar and the remaining garlic sprouts and mixes them evenly, this is a flavorful side dish at least she can have a taste.
She picks off some dried red peppers from under the roof** and roasts them inside the fire stove, then rips them up into tiny pieces before topping them over the white cabbage and potato stew.
Meanwhile, Qin Zheng has cleaned up the bed desk for the meal. A huge bowl of steaming hot white cabbage and potato stew is placed at the center, it is garnished with a sprinkling of a captivating red, the aroma carries the fragrance of spice, beside it is pipping hot steamed cornmeal buns.
Placing down the last dish, the beautiful mix of white and green garlic sprouts that has been well seasoned in a spicy red sauce, this meal at least looks complete.
Qin Zheng is still reminiscing the stir-fried eggs with garlic sprouts. Taking a big bite of the cornmeal bun, with a muffled voice "Big Brother, you didn't try it just now, the fried egg that Sister-in-law made is really delicious. It's a pity I only had a nib and it was trashed by that crazy old woman."
He sips on the stew and the spiciness hits him, making him takes a deep breath but his hands continue to move unaffected. He takes a chopsticks full of the spicy seasoned garlic sprouts and stuffs it in his mouth. His eyes widen with amazement "Making it this way is delicious too, Big Brother quickly try it!"
Xia Yue Chu has a small appetite, and she eats quietly. With half of a cornmeal bun in hand, she eats it slowly with some soup, she laughs upon hearing that. "This is freshly seasoned, if it was seasoned overnight, the flavors will be even better."
Xue Zhuang says nothing but his mouth has not been idle. He has had three of the cornmeal buns and two bowls of vegetable soup. He eats them quickly with the seasoned side dish and his eyes twinkles with satisfaction.
Their journey consists of hurried meals and unsheltered nights, finally they are able to have something this satisfying.
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It is a late lunch and early dinner, when they finish the meal, Xia Yue Chu begins tidying up the dirty dishes and boiled a couple piles of water for Xue Zhuang and Qin Zheng to wash up.
Their clothes are dirty and battered and cannot be worn anymore.
Qin Zheng is young and his built is considered small, he can practically fit into the old clothes Xue Zhuang left behind before he went army.
But Xue Zhuang is tall and robust, no matter how he stretches his past clothes, it won't fit him.
Xia Yue Chu can only go to Xue Liang Ping and see if she can borrow something for Xue Zhuang to wear for emergency.
But as it turns out, Madam Sheng and Xue Qin are both out away from home. Only Xue Liang Ping is left, drunk and snoring thunderously on his brick bed.
She then goes to the east wing room to look for Madam Sun for help, and see if she could borrow some clothes from the second son Xue Li.
Madam Sun is the only one in the family, other than Xue Liang Ping, to have given kindness and warmth to Xia Yue Chu.
But many a times, she has the heart to help but helpless to help. Because they are trapped in same reality, her position in the family is as difficult as Xia Yue Chu's.
Bearing with a cruel and mean Mother-in-law every day, on top of that she has to deal with Xue Li's violent tendencies.
The root of her mistreatment, merely, is because she gave birth to two daughters consecutively.
Her elder daughter is now five years old, already she knows how to help Madam Sun with chores and look after her younger sister.
Her little daughter turns three this year, is also obedient and such a dear.
It is a pity that the Xue family prioritize sons over daughters, these two kids has yet to receive their names, has been referred to as Big Ni Er***, and Second Ni Er.
Madam Sun has not had any signs of pregnancy in the past two years, resulting in Madam Sheng's sneers. She will frequently scold the old hens for taking up the space yet does not lay any eggs, alluding that Madam Sun is that old hen.
Even so, Madam Sun persevere to be kind and honest, and takes good care of Xia Yue Chu.
Realizing that she is here to borrow clothes, Madam Sun when to the trunk and selected a few of Xue Li's clothes, giving to her both the inner wear and the outer wear.
"These are washed, take these two sets first, later when we go to the town, we can get a few feet of cloths, I'll help you make some clothes for Big Brother."
Xia Yue Chu picks the two that looks the oldest and the most washed, commendably Madam Sun loves cleanliness. Although the color has faded and there are strands of strings coming off, they are cleanly laundered.
Madam Sun rolls up the clothes and passes it to Xia Yue Chu, but suddenly heads back to the trunk and pulls out something bright red from the inside, hastily stuffs it into the rolled up of clothes.
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Translator Notes:
*To keep a set of bowl and chopsticks in the family means that there is assurance to have a place to belong and enough food to go around.
**In the Chinese culture, it is common to string up dried goods and hang them from under the roof.
***Ni Er in dialect is literally little girl (direct translation).
Translated by Yellow. Aug 2022.