In the courtyard, the Zheng family’s matriarch was weaving a mat. Hearing the voice, she looked up. “Has the eldest son come back?” 

“Yeah, I’m back!” Zheng Beiqiu walked in with a big smile on his face.

Old Mrs. Zheng put down her work and went to greet him. “You’re finally back. Just the other day, I was telling your younger brother that you should be coming home around this time of year—and why did you bring a bag of millet?”

“I bought it in town.” Zheng Beiqiu didn’t mention running into Luo Xiu. He set down his things and washed his face first; he hadn’t brought his luggage back yet—it was all stored at a friend’s place in town, so he’d have to go back there tomorrow.

“I’ll go cook. You go inside and wait.” 

“Where’s second brother?”

Old Mrs. Zheng said as she rinsed the rice, “Your third uncle asked him to help draft a lease agreement—he’s renting out that plot of land on the back mountain. I don’t think he’ll be back for lunch. How many days will you be staying this time?”

“I’m not leaving.”

“What?” Old Mrs. Zheng snapped her head up. “You’re not going back to the barracks?”

“Yeah, I’m not going back. I’m staying home to get married.” 

“Well, well, will you still get your pay?”

Zheng Beiqiu chuckled at this. “There’s no more fighting—who’s going to pay me now?”

Upon hearing there would be no more pay, Old Mrs. Zheng’s expression darkened. She put the egg she’d taken out back in its place and picked a few pickled cucumbers from the jar, slicing them up.

Zheng Beiqiu noticed these little gestures but just smiled and didn’t make a big deal of it; the old lady was used to being frugal, and she was surely feeling reluctant to eat now that she’d heard he had no more income.

Before long, the meal was ready, and the second son of the Zheng family returned home with his wife and children.

Since they’d been out helping draft a deed, they’d been treated to a midday meal, and their faces were glistening with grease.

“Big Brother’s back!” Zheng Er ran up to him happily as soon as he saw him. “I’m back. Let your Uncle hold Niuwa.”

Zheng Yaqiu’s five-year-old son timidly hid behind his father, too afraid to step forward. Zheng Er gave his son a gentle nudge. “This is your Uncle. He used to hold you when you were little.”

Niuwa still didn’t dare to go over. Getting impatient, Zheng Er slapped him on the butt, and the child burst into tears.

Old Mrs. Zheng wasn’t pleased when she heard this. She hurried over and picked up her grandson. “Why did you hit him? He’s so little—what does he know?” 

Standing nearby, Zheng Er’s wife, holding their younger son, had a long, sour look on her face. She turned and went straight into the house, leaving the two brothers standing there awkwardly.

“Big Brother, come inside. When did you get back? Why didn’t you send a letter ahead of time?”

Zheng Beiqiu cleared his throat and said, “I decided to come back on short notice this time, so it was a bit sudden, and I didn’t write a letter.” 

“When are you going back?”

“I’m not going back. I’m thinking of fixing up the house—it’s about time I got married.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng Er froze. “Big Brother, you’re not going back to the barracks?”

“No, I’m not.”

Zheng Er wanted to ask who would pay for his education if he didn’t go to the barracks, but he was too embarrassed to say it out loud. After stammering for a while, he finally said, “It’s good that you’re back. It’s a relief not to have to worry about you fighting and killing out there…”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.” In truth, this return was indeed unexpected. By all accounts, Zheng Beiqiu had already been promoted to centurion, earning five guan in military pay each month; staying in the army to advance his career would have been more promising than coming back.

However, not long ago, while on patrol beyond the Pass, he accidentally encountered a detachment of Jin soldiers. At the time, he led a force of over eighty men and wiped out the entire detachment. More importantly, there was actually a Jin general among them—a truly great achievement!

Zheng Beiqiu had originally thought that this military achievement would earn him a promotion to company commander, but unexpectedly, someone higher up interfered and attributed all his merits to another deputy captain. In the end, he was awarded only two hundred taels of silver as compensation.

Unable to stomach this, he went to confront the deputy captain. Instead of acknowledging his claim, the other man, relying on his authority, not only refused to return the credit but also berated him as a brainless brute.

In a fit of rage, Zheng Beiqiu broke the other man’s ribs. Since he was the one who started the altercation, the general sentenced him to thirty military cane strokes, and he was unable to resist. Disheartened, he resigned from his post and returned to his hometown.

To this day, the injury to his lower back hasn’t fully healed, and he doesn’t even dare to lie flat when sleeping at night.

However, he hadn’t told his family about this incident—it wasn’t exactly something to be proud of. Anyway, he was of marriageable age now, so he figured, “If I’m coming back, I’m coming back.” 

Since Zheng Er and the others had already eaten out, only Old Mrs. Zheng and Zheng Beiqiu were present for the midday meal.

Halfway through the meal, Mother Zheng couldn’t help but speak up: “Now that you’re not going back to the barracks, where will we get the silver to pay for Second Son’s schooling? We’ve leased out all our meager land—how can we possibly afford to support him?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll open a shop in town. A little trading should be enough to cover the family’s expenses.” 

“Doesn’t trading require capital? Or do you have extra silver stashed away?”

Zheng Beiqiu’s face darkened. “Haven’t I been sending all my silver home these past few years? Where else would I get it?” In reality, he still had over two hundred taels of bonus silver on hand, but he had no intention of using that money.

“The money you’ve sent has only been enough to pay for your younger brother’s schooling—there’s nothing left over.”

“Five guan a month—I’ve sent every single fen to you. Do fifty or sixty guan a year just vanish into thin air?”

Old Mrs. Zheng’s eyes darted nervously. “You know as well as I do that education is expensive. With you away from home all these years, there have been social obligations to fulfill. Your second brother’s family—feeding, clothing, and caring for their two children—doesn’t that all cost money…?”

Zheng Beiqiu slammed his chopsticks down on the table. “What business is Zheng Er’s wife and children to me? Why should I use my silver to support them?”

Old Mrs. Zheng was startled by her eldest son’s outburst. “Keep your voice down! Why are you acting so foolish again, you child? Your younger brother passed the provincial examination; as his elder brother, do you really think I’d treat you unfairly?”

“Besides, you don’t even have a wife yet. Won’t you be counting on Niuwa and Shanwa to take care of you in your old age?”

Zheng Beiqiu was so exasperated by his mother’s words that he burst out laughing. “It’s not like I can’t have children. I came back this time to fix up the house and marry a wife—why would I need them to take care of me in my old age?”

He pulled a leather-bound ledger from his robe and laid it on the table.

“This is the money I’ve sent back to the family over the past few years—a total of three hundred and seventy taels of silver. As brothers, let’s be clear about the accounts. I’ll let the change slide, but you’d better hand over these three hundred taels of silver!”

“You—have you lost your mind? Where am I supposed to find three hundred taels of silver for you…” The commotion inside drew Zheng Er over. “Big Brother, Mother—what are you two arguing about?” 

“This doesn’t concern you. Go back inside.” Old Mrs. Zheng shooed her second son back into the house.

“Don’t go—you might as well come help us settle the accounts.” Zheng Beiqiu stood up and dragged his younger brother inside. Tall and strong, he held Zheng Er so tightly that the younger man couldn’t break free.

“You’ve been to school and know how to read—come take a look at this leather-bound ledger and tell me where the entries are wrong.”

Zheng Er picked up the leather-bound ledger out of curiosity and took a look; his expression immediately turned grim. “What… what is this?”

“It’s the silver I’ve sent home. Years ago, Mother was afraid I’d squander my military pay, so she made me send it all home to be saved for me. It’s been exactly eight years since I joined the army at sixteen. The first few years I earned very little—just a few guan a year—so I’m not counting those. But in the later years, I earned sixty guan annually. Add in the bonuses during festivals, and the total comes to three hundred and seventy taels. Is there any mistake or omission?”

Zheng Er looked it over carefully and shook his head. “There are no errors or omissions.”

“From what I remember, the tuition was five taels of silver a year. That comes to forty taels for these eight years—your older brother gave you that. Where’s the rest of the money?”

Old Mrs. Zheng, in a fit of desperation, snapped, “It’s all been spent. If you want more, go sell your own mother.”

Zheng Er tugged at his mother’s sleeve. “Don’t say such angry things. We’re all family—why bring up money like this? Just wait until I pass the exams…”

“By the time you pass the exams, how old will I be? You’ll be married with children, living a carefree and happy life, while I don’t even have a wife to keep him warm at night. Why do you have to treat me like a sucker?”

Over the years, their family had lived a very comfortable life on the silver Zheng Beiqiu sent back, and they’d never even considered that one day they’d have to pay it back.

Zheng Beiqiu hadn’t expected to be asked for money on his very first day back home. Although he knew his mother favored his younger brother, he hadn’t taken it too seriously—after all, most parents in the world favor their youngest children, so how could he, as the eldest brother, hold it against his younger brother?

But his mother had gone too far—she’d actually spent every last tael of the money he’d sent home. If she’d at least set aside a few dozen taels for his wedding, he wouldn’t have been this angry. Perhaps they never intended for him to get married at all—after all, once he was married, who would provide the silver to support them?

“Eldest brother, please don’t be angry. If you need the silver urgently, I’ll go borrow some for you. Don’t let this damage our brotherly bond…”

Before he could finish speaking, his sister-in-law, Mrs. Yang, entered the room cradling their child. “Where are you going to borrow it? Who’s going to pay it back? Zheng Er, let me make this clear: if you dare borrow that money, we’re done!”

Had she not said that, Zheng Beiqiu wouldn’t have been so angry, but the moment she spoke, he immediately overturned the table.

“I’m telling you right now, every single one of those three hundred taels of silver must be paid back to Laozi—not a single penny short!”

“Who are you calling Laozi, huh? Who do you think you’re talking down to?” Fuming with rage, Old Lady Zheng snatched up a broom and swung it straight at him. Having taken plenty of beatings like this as a child, Zheng Beiqiu couldn’t care less.

However, she’d forgotten about the injury on his lower back. The sudden blow was so painful that tears shot from his eyes. He reached out, snatched the broom from his mother’s hand, and snapped, “What gives you the right to hit me?”

“Because I’m your mother! Do you dare fight back? I gave birth to you and raised you all these years—what’s wrong with spending a little money on you?”

Zheng Er, standing nearby, tried to mediate: “Mom, don’t argue with Big Brother. It’s my fault. I still have thirty taels of silver; take that for Big Brother’s use for now.”

“No way!” his sister-in-law, Mrs. Yang, flatly refused. 

“My brother still needs silver for his wedding. Didn’t we agree this money was meant to be lent to him first?”

Zheng Er looked at his older brother with a troubled expression, which only made Zheng Beiqiu laugh. “Fine. I’m not even as good a brother to you as your brother-in-law is. And you expect me to rely on you guys to take care of me in my old age? Who knows—once you pass the provincial exam, I’ll probably be the first person you disown.”

“Eldest Brother…”

“Enough! No need to say anything else. Pay back whatever you can, and if you can’t, just write me an IOU!”

Zheng Er nudged his wife with his arm, gesturing for her to fetch the money. Since Mrs. Yang refused to do so, he had no choice but to go back to the bedroom himself. Before long, he returned with three ten-tael silver ingots and, using paper and ink, wrote out an IOU for three hundred taels.

As soon as Mrs. Yang saw it, she flew into a rage. “Didn’t you say we only had to pay back three hundred taels? Why did you write thirty taels extra?”

“This is between my brother and me—you’re just a woman, so keep your mouth shut!”

“I can’t go on living like this…” Mrs. Yang clutched her youngest son and began wailing at the top of her lungs.

Seeing this, Niuwa ran over and kicked Zheng Beiqiu’s shoe. “You scoundrel! You scoundrel! How dare you bully my mother!” Zheng Beiqiu looked at his own family and felt a deep, indescribable chill in his heart.

Over the years, he’d fought on the battlefield countless times, nearly losing his life on several occasions, only to bring back money to support their extravagant lifestyle—and yet he was the one being treated like the villain.

He tucked away the silver and the IOU, then turned and walked out the door. Zheng Er called out to him from behind, “Big Brother, where are you going?”

Old Mrs. Zheng said, “Let him go. Once he’s gone, don’t let him come back!”

Zheng Beiqiu said nothing, but before leaving, he made sure to take the bag of foxtail millet he’d just bought.