Zheng Beiqiu first stopped by his cousin’s house—the Liu Hua household.

Zheng An was one of the few bricklayers in the village; he had helped build Zheng Beiqu’s family home previously.

When he arrived, Liu Hua was feeding the chickens. Seeing him suddenly show up, she set down her winnowing basket and called out, “Daqiu’s here! Come on in.” 

“Is my cousin home?” Zheng Beiqiu set down the two rabbits.

“He’s here. What brings you here?”

“I saw a few rabbits by the woods this morning. I chased after them and caught them. They’re not very plump since they’ve just come out of winter, but I’ll give them to the kids to stew up some meat and satisfy their cravings.”

Liu Hua had three children; the oldest was sixteen this year, and the youngest was only nine.

“These things are a real hassle to catch. You should just take them home and eat them yourself.”

Zheng Beiqiu replied, “I don’t even have a pot. Why don’t you help me stew them, Sister-in-law? I’ll have a drink with my cousin at noon.” Upon hearing this, Liu Hua smiled and agreed, “All right, then stay for lunch.”

Inside the house, Zheng An was repairing farm tools. Upon seeing Zheng Beiqiu, he stood up warmly and greeted him. “I heard from your sister-in-law a few days ago that you’d come back. I was just thinking of inviting you over for a meal. Aren’t you heading back to the barracks this time?”

Zheng Beiqiu nodded. “No, I’m not going back. The fighting in the north has stopped. I heard the emperor of the Jin Dynasty died, and his sons are fighting over the throne—it’s a complete mess, so there won’t be any fighting at the border for a while. Plus, I’m getting on in years, and the general took pity on me and let me come back to marry and start a family.”

“It’s good that you’re back. I heard you’re building a new house—wasn’t your current one built just a short while ago?”

The house was built by Zheng Beiqiu’s father before he passed away; it’s been over ten years now. To the villagers, a house that’s over ten years old is still considered new—it’s only considered an “old house” after at least two generations have lived there.

“We’ve split the family estate. The house went to the second son, so I’m building my own place. That’s actually why I’m here today—I was thinking of asking my cousin to help me build the house after we finish planting in the spring. I’ll pay him the town rate: thirty wen a day, plus one meal.”

Zheng An playfully slapped him on the shoulder. “We’re blood brothers—how could I possibly take money from you?”

“Even among brothers, we should keep accounts clear. I can’t pay my own brother less than I’d pay anyone else. When the time comes, I’d appreciate it if you could help me find a few reliable people to build the house for me.”

“Alright, that’s no problem. But why did you split off from the family in the first place?”

Since they were family, Zheng Beiqiu didn’t hide anything from him. If he didn’t speak up about this, who knows what kind of stories his mother and the second son might be spreading behind his back.

He decided to tell him the whole story from start to finish. “I don’t think I’ve treated them badly, but I never expected them to give me any thought at all. When my mother saw I couldn’t bring home my military pay anymore, she wouldn’t even let me have a single egg to eat.”

Zheng Beiqiu gave a bitter laugh. “Think of all the money I’ve given them over the years—enough to buy thousands of old hens—and yet she treats me like this.”

After listening, Zheng An let out a long sigh. “When you weren’t home before, I didn’t have a chance to tell you this. Now that you’re back, I’m not afraid of offending anyone. Ever since my uncle died, my aunt has really been going downhill.”

“Last year, when she was leasing land, I went to inquire. Since we’re family, she should have offered it to me first, shouldn’t she? But the Zhang family offered her five wen more per mu, so your mother turned me down.”

“Daqiu, five wen—that’s only fifty wen for ten mu of land. Isn’t our friendship over all these years worth more than fifty wen?”

Zheng Beiqiu was furious but felt powerless to do anything about it. He could only pat his cousin’s arm. “Wasn’t I, his own flesh-and-blood son, kicked out with nothing to my name? When Father passed away, he told me that if we ever divided the family estate, the land would be split equally between the second son and me. But they’ve been leasing it out for ten years and haven’t given me a single penny.”

“As soon as I raised my voice, she started throwing a tantrum, dragging Father into it and accusing me of being unfilial. Cousin, tell me—what kind of mother acts like that? It’s as if I weren’t her own flesh and blood!”

Outside, Liu Hua washed the rabbit clean and put it in the pot. The second and third sons came over to help stoke the fire and cook. Her eldest daughter had already set a wedding date and usually stayed in her room weaving cloth, not liking to go out.

Liu Hua pulled her youngest son aside and said, “Go to the village and get a jug of wine on credit. Just tell them I’ll pay in a few days.”

“Okay.” The boy spotted the rabbit meat on the stove, grinned from ear to ear, and dashed out to get the wine. The second son stayed behind to chop wood and tend the fire, going about his work with great skill.

The rabbit meat was tender and fell apart after just half an hour of stewing. Liu Hua picked out the meatiest pieces, filled a large bowl to the brim, and brought it to the table for the two men to drink and eat. She set aside another bowl to take to her eldest daughter, and the three of them—mother and sons—gathered around the stove to tuck in.

Inside the house, Zheng An poured a full cup of wine for his cousin and said, “I really shouldn’t be sticking my nose into your family’s affairs, but your mother has gone way too far! Everyone in the village has seen what kind of life the second son has been living all these years. To put it simply, how many kids here have even had the chance to go to school? If you hadn’t paid for his education, would he have been able to pass the exam to become a scholar?”

Zheng Beiqiu lifted his wine bowl and took a sip. How could he not feel resentment in his heart? But no matter how much he hated them, they were still his own mother and younger brother—he couldn’t very well kill them. He could only swallow his grievances and cut off all contact with them.

“Back when my second uncle was alive, your family had it so much better. If he were still here, he would’ve helped you marry off your son long ago. You wouldn’t still be a bachelor at this age. It makes me anxious just watching you!”

Mentioning his father, Zheng Beiqiu, brought a tear to his eye. His father had always doted on him, his eldest son. From childhood onward, everything—from farming skills to hunting techniques—had been taught to him by his father. It had already been ten years since his father had passed away.

“Let’s not talk about that. Come on, let’s drink!”

The two brothers hadn’t had a proper chat in years. Their meal stretched from noon into the evening. Seeing that it was getting late, Zheng Beiqiu stood up and said, “I should be heading back. I’ve kept you here for most of the day.”

“Oh, don’t worry about taking up your time—it’s just a day of aimless busyness anyway. Don’t worry about the house; since Big Brother has agreed, you’ll definitely find someone to help you build it. When the time comes, if you’re missing anything, just let us know. Even if we can’t help with the big things, your cousin can still lend a hand with the small ones.”

Liu Hua chimed in, “That’s right. Just let us know if you need anything. There are only a few of us brothers left in your branch of the family—we shouldn’t let our ties grow distant.” Zheng Beiqiu was genuinely grateful to them. “Thank you, cousin and cousin-in-law. I’ll head back now, but if you ever need anything, give me a call.”

After seeing him off, Zheng An remarked, “My brother’s a great guy—no doubt about it. It’s just a shame he’s had such bad luck, ending up with such a clueless mother. Just wait and see—Second Aunt will regret this someday.”

Liu Hua added, “Daqiu really is a great guy. I was just thinking yesterday—what do you think about setting Luo Xiu up with him?” 

“No, no, that wouldn’t be right. It would mess up the generational hierarchy—Luo Xiu would have to call him ‘cousin-uncle’!”

Liu Hua gave him a light tap on the shoulder. “What’s with all this talk about generational hierarchy? He’s not his real cousin—why make such a big deal out of it?”

Zheng An scratched his head. “You’re right. But Changfu just passed away not long ago. Matching them up now would invite gossip. Let’s wait until Daqiu finishes building his house.”

“That’s what I was thinking, too. I was just throwing it out there—I don’t even know if these two would be a good match.”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Zheng Beiqiu stepped out the door and headed toward the east side of the river. On the way, he thought back to last night’s embrace and couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth turn up.

Unfortunately, at the time, he’d been so focused on comforting Luo Xiu that he’d completely forgotten what it felt like to hold him. Thinking about it now made his heart flutter a little, and he wanted to go see him.

As he neared Luo Xiu’s doorstep, he suddenly saw a crowd gathered up ahead, shouting and cursing—and he thought he could even make out Luo Xiu’s voice among them.

Zheng Beiqiu quickened his pace and ran over. Pushing through the crowd, he saw Luo Xiu locked in a scuffle with several women from the Zhang family across the street. Outnumbered three to one, he was no match for them; they had pinned him to the ground, scratching his face, pulling out his hair, and tearing his clothes to shreds.

The bystanders were too busy watching the spectacle to step in and break it up, just standing there as a young man—who was even pregnant—was being bullied. Zheng Beiqiu’s blood boiled instantly. He stepped forward, shoved the women aside, and pulled Luo Xiu to his feet.

Luo Xiu didn’t bother to wipe his face; he straightened his clothes first and whispered his thanks to Zheng Beiqiu.

“What’s going on here?”

Mrs. Zhang Er, hands on her hips, snapped, “What? Are you one of the men he’s been cheating on with? Are you here to stick up for him?”

“Watch your mouth.” Zheng Beiqiu glared at her, radiating such a menacing aura that Mrs. Zhang Er, startled, clutched her chest and took a step back.

The two sisters-in-law standing nearby began chattering away in a jumble. “Pfft, it’s all because he’s so loose. He just came to borrow something—that’s all he needed to do—but he had to drag Second Brother into a conversation. I’ve never seen such a shameless ger.”

Luo Xiu protested urgently, “I didn’t! I just went to borrow a saw!”

Today he’d turned over the soil in the front yard. Seeing that those few trees were getting in the way—and knowing that once the weather warmed up and the leaves grew, they’d inevitably block the bean sprouts—Luo Xiu decided to cut them down.

He went next door to ask, but his aunt didn’t have a saw, so he thought he’d borrow one from the front yard.

Zhang Er happened to be home, and while Luo Xiu was taking the saw from him, they exchanged a few words—which his wife happened to see.

The woman immediately assumed there was something going on between the two of them and, without a word of explanation, slapped Luo Xiu across the face, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. Although Luo Xiu was a decent man, he wasn’t one to take a beating lying down, so he struck back.

This caused quite a commotion. Mrs. Zhang Er immediately screamed for her two sisters-in-law to come out and join her in beating Luo Xiu. Being pregnant, he was no match for the three women; he was beaten so badly he couldn’t fight back and could only cling to his belly as he endured the assault.

Zheng Beiqiu, who knew the whole story, grabbed Zhang Er by the collar. “You call yourself a man? You just let your wife go out there and make a complete fool of herself.”

Zhang Er, of course, didn’t dare cross Zheng Beiqiu, so he hurriedly dragged his wife toward home. “Let’s go home quickly. Luo Xiu just came to borrow a saw—he didn’t say anything else.”

“Stop pulling me! Our street used to be pretty peaceful, but ever since he moved in, all kinds of filthy, stinking ruffians have been flocking here. I really don’t know what he’s got going for him—how he’s managed to get so many men circling around him. It must be his skill at pleasing men.”

Those words were truly harsh. Luo Xiu’s face flushed red as he tried to defend himself, but Zheng Beiqiu beat her to it and slapped Mrs. Zhang Er across the face. Though the slap wasn’t particularly hard, it caused her nose and mouth to bleed and loosened the teeth in her mouth.

Mrs. Zhang Er clutched her face and stared at him in disbelief. “You hit me?”

“So what if I hit you? Since your husband won’t take care of you, I’ll step in for him. Have you been eating shit and spewing it all over the place?”

“Even my husband never hit me!” Mrs. Zhang Er clung to her husband, sobbing.

“Stop making a scene. Let’s go home…” Doesn’t she know who she should and shouldn’t mess with?

Zheng Beiqiu had been a real troublemaker in the village back in the day, and after all these years in the army, who knows how much blood he’s got on his hands? If they really got into a fight with him, they’d definitely come out on the losing end.

Zhang Er pulled his wife into the courtyard. Seeing this, the two sisters-in-law hurriedly followed them out, and the onlookers, finding there was no spectacle to watch, went home. Zheng Beiqiu wanted to step forward to help him up, but fearing others might gossip about Luo Xiu, he stood there fidgeting, scratching his head and rubbing his cheeks, and asked, “Are you all right?”