Shen Dechu tilted his head back, shot him a sidelong glance, and said smugly, “Father said that since your family is well-off now, the annual gifts you send over should be doubled—aside from those worthless things like rice, flour, and firewood, not a single item can be missing from the seasonal clothing, chickens, ducks, fish, and meat.”

Shen Zhengchu didn’t even look up. “No way. If you think rice and flour aren’t worth anything, then we won’t send any this year.”

Even the wealthiest family in the village wouldn’t dare claim they ate white rice and white flour at every meal—Shen Dechu couldn’t even get enough to eat on his mixed-grain rice, yet he actually had the nerve to say that rice and flour weren’t worth much.

Shen Zhengchu wasn’t exactly a model of filial piety, but he never failed to provide the expected annual gifts. While he might not have been the most generous in the village, among those who had split off from the family, his descendants were among the most generous in their support of their elders—not for Shen Ping’s sake, but for Grandma Shen’s.

Not to mention that when he split off from the family, it wasn’t because the old house had become too cramped—as was the case with other families—so he built a new house on the family’s land with his parents’ help. He was forced to go through with the split against his will. Far from receiving any support, the two dilapidated rooms they were allocated back then were actually purchased by Shen Zhengchu and Song Xunchun for five hundred wen.

Shen Dechu didn’t care about any of that. He was the eldest son, and his son was the eldest grandson. His father had said that whatever the Shen family owned should rightfully belong to them. Now he was simply asking Shen Zhengchu to give a little more—what right did Shen Zhengchu have to refuse?

“I’m giving you some friendly advice today, brother: just give it to them when they ask. Otherwise, Father will file a complaint against you at the county office, accusing you of being unfilial. I’ll be interested to see if Huaizhi can keep his title as a Xiucai after that.”

“It’s not like he’s an official yet—what’s there to worry about keeping his position?” Shen Zhengchu was so furious he almost laughed.

Over the years, he’d made it abundantly clear: if a scholar gained a reputation for being unfilial, it would almost certainly affect his exam performance. That was why, in addition to giving what was required, they’d been patient and accommodating all this time—all out of concern for Huaizhi.

Besides, his own mother was still alive, and the two of them still shared a single pot of food. For her sake, he simply couldn’t withhold these essentials. As for the silver they secretly gave each year—that was his mother’s personal savings. He didn’t care how she spent it, but she couldn’t be left without money. Back when Huaizhi couldn’t continue his studies and his younger brother was forced into marriage, their mother wept her heart out—yet she didn’t have a single piece of silver to her name; it was all in the hands of that biased father of theirs. At that moment, Shen Zhengchu made a firm resolution: as long as he had a single mouthful of food to eat, he would provide for his mother.

If Song Xunchun’s parents hadn’t passed away one after another over the years, he would have had to set aside a portion of that silver for them as well.

Now that Huaizhi had become a Xiucai, they no longer had to put up with such humiliation. All the generous gifts he sent each year were given right under the noses of the villagers; even if his father did go to file a complaint, Shen Zhengchu was confident that the magistrate at the county office would not believe a one-sided account.

Moreover, Shen Zhengchu harbored a somewhat inappropriate thought: between an old man who mistreats his children and grandchildren and a newly qualified Xiucai who shows filial piety toward his grandmother, parents, and even his in-laws, the latter was clearly more credible no matter how one looked at it. Even if his father had the advantage of seniority and age, there was still his mother—she would certainly stand by them.

“If Father dares to go, let him go. I’ll just wait for the county magistrate’s officers to come and take me away.”

Shen Dechu was furious, yet he dared not actually take him up on that challenge. For common folk like them, let alone the county magistrate—just the sight of a constable would make their legs tremble. How could they possibly dare to file a formal complaint? He’d only meant to scare them, but he hadn’t expected Shen Zhengchu to be so stubborn. He heaved and panted, unable to utter a word for a long while.

Seeing the stalemate, Lin Yue suddenly looked up, smiling radiantly. “Uncle, please don’t get upset. That’s just how my father is—he’s not very articulate. I have an idea that’s sure to satisfy everyone. Would you like to hear it?”

Shen Dechu, having been given a way out, was willing to give Lin Yue some face. At that moment, he didn’t even mind Lin Yue’s sharp tongue; he laughed, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. “Our Yue really does have a good head on his shoulders. Go ahead and tell me. Uncle here isn’t the kind of person who’s unreasonable—unlike some people, who are as stinky and hard as a stone in an outhouse.”

Anyone could tell this remark was aimed at Shen Zhengchu. Though the smile remained on Lin Yue’s face, there wasn’t a trace of humor in his eyes. He didn’t even stand up. Leaning back in his chair, he said casually, “Uncle, we all know Grandfather values you more. You’re the eldest son—something we can’t compare to.”

Shen Dechu nodded with great satisfaction, his gaze toward Lin Yue filled with encouragement. “Isn’t it only natural to favor the eldest son? Isn’t that how every family is?”

Pfft, what family is like that? Only your Shen family has no sense of propriety—and you still think you have some kind of good reputation. Lin Yue said, “Uncle, since that’s the case, my proposal is just right.”

Shen Dechu grew even more curious. Could it be that he wasn’t just giving grain to Mom and Dad, but to them as well?

“Grandpa values you more, so he’d definitely be happier living with you. As for these two elders, wouldn’t it be perfect if you, Uncle, and my father each took care of one? We’ll have Grandma live with us, and you won’t have to worry about the village gossip. It’s not like she’ll never go back—she’ll visit Grandpa every few days.”

In the few months since he’d married into the family, he’d often gone with Shen Huaizhi to visit Grandma Shen. Every time they went, Grandma Shen would try to give him something; just the other day, she’d even sewn a pair of shoe soles for each of them—the stitching was so fine that Lin Yue knew he didn’t possess that kind of skill himself.

Lin Yue felt his bond with Grandma Shen wasn’t yet deep enough, but people are only human. Grandma Shen had been so kind to their family—especially to Shen Huaizhi. The day before Shen Huaizhi left for the Prefectural City to take his exams, the two of them went to visit her, and Grandma Shen secretly slipped them a cloth pouch filled with copper coins. Who knows how long the old lady had been saving them up? They certainly didn’t want to accept the money, but Grandma Shen insisted they take it, saying that if they didn’t, they shouldn’t visit her anymore.

As soon as Lin Yue came up with the idea of supporting Grandma Shen on his own, he told Shen Huaizhi about it. Shen Huaizhi was stunned at first, but later he admitted that he’d had the same thought for a long time—it was just that their family wasn’t well-off right now, so he’d planned to discuss it with Lin Yue once they had some extra money.

Both of them had this idea, and naturally, Shen Zhengchu and his wife, as well as Shen Lingzhi, did too. However, there really wasn’t a single family in the village that did this—even when brothers took turns supporting their elderly parents, it was always for both parents together—so they hadn’t mentioned it. They never expected that all five members of this family would have come up with the same idea.

Shen Dechu flew into a rage the moment he heard this. He wasn’t stupid—the Shen elders were still working the fields, and on top of that, the second son provided them with grain every year; he didn’t have to spend a single wen on them—in fact, his father even supplemented their needs with his own savings. If his mother were to move in with the second son, wouldn’t he lose all that free grain?

“No way. You’re just a kid—what do you know? You don’t separate elderly parents like that. It’s outrageous.”

Lin Yue was genuinely delighted this time. “Uncle, why can’t you be a little more flexible? This isn’t about separating the elderly—they’d just be staying with us. Our two households aren’t that far apart; it’s just a short stroll over.”

“Besides, Grandpa didn’t complain that we gave him too little, so Grandma probably won’t mind either. Wouldn’t it be perfect for Grandma to live with us?”

“If we don’t send anything, she won’t complain it’s too little.”

Before Shen Dechu could say anything, Lin Yue continued, “Don’t worry, Uncle. Even if Grandma comes to live with us, we won’t neglect Grandpa. We’ll still send him gifts every year. As for this side, it’s fine if you don’t want to send anything.”

“Who said we wouldn’t send anything?”

Shen Dechu felt his mother favored the second son, but if they stopped sending gifts, wouldn’t that just invite people to talk behind their backs?

Lin Yue finally stood up, stepped forward to help Shen Dechu to his feet, and beamed, “Uncle, does that mean you’ve agreed? Oh, I knew my idea was a good one—it’s only natural that you’d agree, Uncle.”

Shen Dechu finally caught on and exclaimed, “Who said I agreed?”

Before he could say anything else, Lin Yue and Shen Huaizhi, who had followed behind, half-pulled, half-pushed him out. Lin Yue waved his hand, “Uncle, don’t worry. As soon as we get back from the county town, we’ll go talk it over with Grandma.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Shen family’s courtyard gate slammed shut with a “clang.”

Once the idea of supporting Grandma Shen was voiced, the Shen family took it as a done deal. Song Xunchun had already gotten up to tidy the house. The room where Shen Huaizhi had lived before his wedding was now piled high with odds and ends—it would be perfect to clear out for Grandma Shen, and there was even a bed ready to go.

The next day, the Shen family didn’t wait for Shen Dechu and Old Man Shen to come by again, because early in the morning, the sound of a gong rang out throughout the village, a loud “boom” that jolted everyone in the vicinity awake.

“It’s time to collect the autumn tax. Deliver the required grain to the ancestral hall before noon for on-site weighing.”

Although the deadline was noon, there were always one or two households that would drag their feet until evening. In previous years, the notice had specified a deadline before sunset, but it took until midnight to collect everything. Later, the deadline was changed to noon; although there were still delays, collection was generally completed before dark—except for that one time a few months ago when, due to a last-minute notice, the deadline was changed back to evening.

With a single gong strike and a shout from someone, it didn’t take long for everyone in the village to know about it.

This year’s autumn tax collection date was the same as last year’s, and advance notice had been given. The people of Linshui Village methodically gathered their rice and carried or shouldered it to the ancestral hall.

As they passed by the Shen family’s house, nine times out of ten they’d remark, “It’s really great to have a Xiucai in the family—they don’t even have to pay taxes.” 

“That’s for sure. If I had some extra money this year, I’d definitely send my son off to school.”

Although the Shen family didn’t have to pay taxes this year, they were still up early. Shen Huaizhi was heading to the ancestral hall to help out, while Lin Yue and a few others were going out to the fields to finish up the remaining odd jobs.

Before they knew it, the next day had arrived. Lin Yue and Shen Huaizhi got up even earlier than usual, changed into clean clothes, grabbed their deed and silver, and set off for the county office with the grain delivery convoy from Linshui Village.

Last time, Shen Zhengchu had driven the cart, and Lin Yue and his two companions had made it to the county town with ease. This time, however, things were different: the mule and ox carts were loaded with grain, so everyone had to walk.

Shen Huaizhi was carrying all the provisions and water on his back, while Lin Yue held only a bamboo fan in his hand, fanning himself a couple of times before fanning Shen Huaizhi as well.

Apart from Lin Yue, a young ger, everyone else in the group heading to the county town was a grown man. Since Shen Huaizhi was holding his hand and they were walking at the very back, no one teased them; people only called out to them when they stopped to rest.

After the group paid their taxes at the designated location, they split up. Only two men stayed behind to guard the carts, while the rest went off to various places to shop. Since they only came to the county town once a year, everyone wanted to bring back gifts for their wives, Fulangs, parents, and children.

Lin Yue and Shen Huaizhi, however, followed Shen Guangchu to another part of the county government office, accompanied by Uncle Shen. They were there to register the land deed and, while they were at it, to purchase some uncultivated land.