Chapter Bonanza (4/10)

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Zheng Beiqiu hurried out, and the two of them rushed back home.

Inside the house, Zheng Xiaofeng was holding Xiaoyu and crying. Upon hearing footsteps in the courtyard, she quickly sniffed and wiped her tears away.

“Brother, you’re back.”

Zheng Beiqiu looked her up and down with a stern expression. Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, he knew she’d been crying. “What’s going on? Where’s Liu Yan?”

“He’s in town. He hit his head, and I can’t take care of him right now, so I thought I’d leave Niuniu here for a few days so you can help look after her.”

Xiao Niuniu looked at her mother anxiously, her tiny face full of unease.

Luo Xiu reached out to pick up Niuniu, stroking her hair soothingly. “What happened? How did he end up with a head injury out of the blue?”

Zheng Xiaofeng sighed and began to explain, “That day, my eldest brother helped us harvest beans all day. The next day, Liu Yan’s older brothers thought my brother would come back, so they dragged their feet until nearly noon without going out to work in the fields. Liu Yan was so angry he went to tell my father-in-law about it. My father-in-law scolded them, and that was the end of it.”

But Xiaofeng couldn’t shake the unease. The thought that things would be the same next year and the year after made her feel as if a wad of cotton were stuck in her throat—she couldn’t swallow it or spit it out, and the suffocating feeling made her miserable.

That very evening, she discussed it with Liu Yan: “Why don’t we split up? If we each tend our own fields from now on, there won’t be so many problems.”

Liu Yan also thought splitting up would be best. The next day at dinner, he brought it up with his father. Unexpectedly, before the old man could even say a word, Liu Changxian flew into a rage. He demanded to know if it was Zheng Xiaofeng’s idea, then pointed at her and berated her as a “family wrecker,” accusing her of throwing their once-harmonious household into chaos.

Zheng Xiaofeng wasn’t the type to take a loss lying down. Having been scolded, she naturally fired back, “Pah! You’ve been taking advantage year after year, so of course you’re happy to stick it out together. Liu Yan works himself to the point of back and leg pain, and I haven’t seen a single one of you show any concern.”

Liu Hai, the second son standing nearby, tried to mediate: “We’re all family. Whether you do a little more or a little less, there’s no need to take it so seriously.” 

“Don’t go playing the good guy here. Every year during the fall harvest, you’re the one who shits the most—it’s like you have a straight intestine: eat it, and it comes right out!”

“You!”

The couple from the third household stayed out of it. They’d never been fond of their eldest and second brothers to begin with, and now that the fourth brother’s family had spoken up, they were watching to see if they could split up—and just how much they could gain from a division of the family estate.

“Fourth Brother, why don’t you rein in your wife!”

Liu Yan, for once, stood his ground. “Eldest Brother, why are you blocking the division of the household? Are you afraid you won’t get your share of the benefits in the future?”

“Me, taking advantage? Back when you got married, your dowry was one guan more than any of us brothers’—why don’t you bring that up?”

Seeing them dredging up old grievances, Zheng Xiaofeng snapped angrily, “Don’t you spend enough money on a daily basis? Last time Daniu was sick, I’d just asked Mom and Dad for some money, and your son stole it right away. How can anyone act like that!”

“Bullshit! Who said it was my son Dalang who stole it?”

As the commotion in the room grew louder, someone—no one knew who—sneakily pinched Niuniu amid the shoving. The child let out a loud wail of pain, her cry changing pitch.

Zheng Xiaofeng was startled and hurriedly asked the child what was wrong.

“It hurts, my tummy hurts…” Niuniu pointed to her waist.

She lifted the child’s clothes and saw a distinct purple-and-black handprint on her waist. She immediately flew into a rage, grabbing several of the Liu brothers and scratching at them.

Two fists were no match for four hands. Fearing his wife would come to harm, Liu Yan could only shield her in his arms—only to have his eldest brother hurl a water jug at him, striking him on the head and splitting his scalp open with a two-inch-long gash.

By the time Xiaofeng finished telling this story, she was sobbing uncontrollably. “How can anyone bully someone like this? Those brothers ganged up on our Liu Yan, beating him until his head was covered in blood. He’s still dizzy and disoriented—he throws up as soon as he stands up.”

Zheng Beiqiu quickly hitched the mule to the cart. “Let’s head to town first to see how Liu Yan is doing. We’ll deal with the Liu family’s affairs later.”

Luo Xiu said worriedly, “When you get there, talk it out and don’t resort to violence. Xiaofeng, try to talk some sense into your brother—if he hurts someone and it ends up in court, we’ll be in big trouble.” 

“Yeah, I know. I’ll leave Niuniu in your care, Sister-in-law.”

“No need to be so polite with your sister-in-law. Go ahead and don’t worry—I’ll keep an eye on her.”

The brother and sister hurried off, driving the mule cart. Niuniu sucked on her finger, tears welling in her eyes, and pouted as she called out, “Mommy…” 

“Your mommy has to take care of Daddy. Niuniu, would you mind sleeping with your uncle and little brother Xiaoyu tonight?”

The little girl obediently nodded.

Luo Xiu boiled some water and washed the child’s hands and face; the cold weather, combined with her long bout of crying, had left Niuniu’s cheeks all wet with tears.

He found the clam oil her husband had bought for him earlier, scooped out a small amount, and rubbed it on the little girl’s face. Holding Niuniu in one arm while soothing Xiaoyu with the other, he finally managed to lull both children to sleep.

While undressing Niuniu, Luo Xiu spotted the bruise on her waist and gasped in distress. How despicable! How could anyone take out their frustration over adult matters on a child? No wonder Xiaofeng was so angry.

By the time Zheng Beiqiu and the others arrived in town, it was already dark.

When they arrived at the clinic, only the Liu family’s Xiao Wu was there with Liu Yan; since Liu’s parents were both elderly, they hadn’t been bothered to come. Liu Yan struggled to sit up, but Zheng Beiqiu pressed him back down and said, “Lie still for now. Does the wound on your head still hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore, but I feel a little dizzy, and everything’s blurry. I told Xiaofeng not to bother you, but she insisted on coming over, and now I’ve put you through the trouble of making this trip…”

“We’re family—no need for formalities.” Zheng Beiqiu summoned a physician and inquired about Liu Yan’s injuries.

The doctor said the head injury was quite severe; even though it had been treated with medicinal powder, there was no guarantee the internal structures weren’t damaged. He would need to rest at the clinic for two days and couldn’t move around for the time being.

“Just rest here and recover; don’t worry about anything else.”

Liu Yan sighed. “It’s my fault—I’m not capable enough, and I’ve put Xiaofeng through so much hardship because of me…”

Zheng Xiaofeng held his hand and shook her head. “If you hadn’t protected me, that teapot would’ve landed right on my head.” After spending the night at the clinic, Zheng Beiqiu took his sister back to the Liu family home early the next morning.

On the way, Zheng Beiqiu asked his sister, “Do you have your own thoughts on this matter?” 

“Liu Yan and I both want to split the household.”

“Splitting the household is easy, but what happens afterward? Will you two continue living in the same courtyard, or will you move out and live separately?”

Xiaofeng hadn’t thought this through. “Let’s split up first and figure it out later…”

“You’d better think this through. They’re already taking their anger out on Niuniu. If conflicts arise in the future, that child might end up suffering again.”

Zheng Xiaofeng thought of the injury on her daughter’s waist; her nose stung with emotion, and she couldn’t help but curse, “Those damned bastards!”

Zheng Beiqiu continued, “Although Liu Yan is on your side, he’s easily swayed. There’s no guarantee he won’t be coaxed back by his older brothers someday. Since you’re splitting up, you might as well do it completely.”

“What do you mean, Big Brother?”

“Move out. If you don’t live together, there won’t be so many conflicts.” 

“But where are we supposed to move to…?”

Zheng Beiqiu thought for a moment and said, “I remember Liu Yan worked as a cook at a restaurant for two years?”

Xiaofeng nodded. “Before he got married, he apprenticed for two years at his maternal uncle’s restaurant in town.”

“If you set up a small shop, do you think it could work?”

“Where would we get the capital?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll cover it for you guys for now—if you make a profit, it’s yours; if you lose money, I’ll take the hit.”

“No, no—you’re married now. Something this big needs to be discussed with your wife first. How can you just hand out silver without a word? What would he think of me if he found out?”

Zheng Beiqiu nodded. “You’re right. I’ll go home and discuss this with my wife, and you should talk it over with Liu Yan as well. With his constitution, he certainly can’t work the fields. Relying solely on you, a woman, to support the family will make life too difficult in the future. It’d be better to try a side business—life would be a bit easier that way.”

Zheng Xiaofeng gave her older brother’s suggestion serious thought, and the more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Back at the Liu household, Zheng Beiqiu had originally planned to give Liu Da and Liu Er a stern talking-to, but the two had been so frightened that they’d fled to their mother-in-law’s house the night before. Now, only Old Master Liu and the third son’s family remained at home.

Zheng Beiqiu found Old Master Liu and said, “Strictly speaking, this is a family matter for the Liu family, and as an outsider, I shouldn’t meddle. But I won’t stand for it unless you give a proper explanation for the injuries inflicted on my niece and brother-in-law!”

“How is the Silang?” The elderly couple had spent the entire night worrying about their son and hadn’t slept a wink.

Xiaofeng replied, “He has a tael-long gash on his head, and he was still feeling dizzy when he woke up this morning!”

Upon hearing this, Liu-niang sighed deeply. All her sons were equally dear to her—how could she not be heartbroken to see them injured?

But just as all ten fingers aren’t the same length, her heart still leaned toward her other two sons. She took Xiaofeng’s hand and said, “Your eldest and second brothers were in the wrong this time. As soon as they get back, I’ll make them go apologize to Silang.”

Zheng Xiaofeng pulled her hand away. “What good is an apology? It doesn’t even sting.” 

“Well, then, what do you want?”

“Divide the family!”

“Splitting the family isn’t something to be taken lightly… Since the eldest and second sons aren’t home, why not wait until the fourth son’s head wound heals before discussing it?”

Zheng Beiqiu said, “If they’re not home, we’ll call them back. If we wait until Liu Yan’s injury heals, they’ll probably just act like nothing ever happened!”

Seeing how resolute the brother and sister were, Father Liu could only sigh and send the third son to fetch them. If they didn’t come back, he would take it upon himself to divide the family estate. By noon, Liu Da and Liu Er had finally returned one after the other. Knowing they were in the wrong, they didn’t dare say a word to Zheng Xiaofeng and Zheng Beiqiu.

Old Master Liu said, “I had originally thought that you brothers would divide the family estate after I’m gone, but it seems now that we have no choice but to do it sooner. Eldest son, as the oldest brother, you’re supposed to look out for your younger brothers—but have you really fulfilled your responsibilities as the eldest brother all these years?”

Liu Chang kept his head down and said nothing. After beating the fourth son yesterday, he had already begun to regret it; if something were to happen to his younger brother over such a trivial matter, he would truly wish he were dead.

“Second son, over the years, for every big and small matter in your household, you’ve taken quite a bit of silver from your mother and me. We’ve been covering for you all this time, afraid others would get angry if they found out. Now that we’re dividing the estate, let’s settle all the accounts.”

As soon as Liu Hai heard this, he swallowed nervously. He’d never mentioned his private requests for money to his brothers, and now that his father had brought it up, he suddenly felt as if his pants had been pulled down. His two brothers were staring at him with icy gazes.

Old Master Liu took the land deed out of the trunk. “Our family owns a total of thirty-six mu of farmland. Each of you brothers will receive eight mu. The remaining four mu will be set aside by your mother and me for our retirement, and will be divided among the four of you after we’re gone.”

No one objected.

Father Liu then brought out an account book and a bundle of silver coins. Since the Liu family had not yet divided their estate, all the silver had been pooled into the family fund; whenever money was needed, they simply asked Old Master Liu for what they required.

“There are currently thirty-seven taels in the account. I’ll need to set aside ten taels for emergencies, and since the fifth son hasn’t married yet, we still need to prepare a dowry for him.

Over the years, the first branch has drawn a little over seven guan from me, the second branch sixteen guan, the third branch five guan, and the fourth branch three guan. Of the remaining twenty-seven guan, the first branch will receive seven guan, and the third and fourth branches will each receive ten guan. Do you brothers agree with this?”

Zheng Beiqiu thought the old man’s division was fairly reasonable, so he remained silent. Liu Ersao grew impatient. “Why aren’t we getting a single tael?”

The eldest daughter-in-law retorted, “Have you no shame? You’ve already received sixteen guan—more than the rest of us combined—and you still want more money?” Zheng Xiaofeng shot a cold glance at her two sisters-in-law; though they’d been as close as two peas in a pod in the past, now that it came time to divide the estate, they’d turned on each other. The third son’s family, however, said nothing; they simply took the money and the land deeds.

The third sister-in-law even inquired about Liu Yan’s injuries and asked Xiaofeng if she had enough money; if not, she offered to lend them some.

“Thank you, Sister-in-law. I have enough for now, but if I run short, I’ll let you know.”

After the division of the estate, Zheng Xiaofeng held the deed and the money, feeling an indescribable sense of relief; the humiliation she’d endured over the past few years had finally been avenged.

With the ten guan she received from the family division, plus the ten taels of silver her older brother had given her earlier, she now had a total of twenty taels of silver. If she leased out the family’s eight mu of farmland, that should be enough to rent a storefront in town.

She quietly made up her mind: she would follow her older brother’s advice and open a shop in town!