Chapter Thirty-Three: The Great Crisis

Uncle had already arrived home, displaying the gifts he’d brought in the main hall—smoked ham and cured chicken, the Four Treasures of the Study, and even a silver bracelet especially for his little sister-in-law. His generosity was striking, a complete contrast to the stinginess of the ship captain.

“Achoo!” He rubbed his nose, guessing the captain must be cursing him. Of course, Uncle had his own complaints; that fellow had been grumpy the whole journey, and it was lucky he hadn’t given him a hard time.

In truth, under Aunt’s strict management, his pockets were cleaner than his face…

“Father, Cui Cui ordered New Year’s outfits for you and Mother from ‘Tailor’s Fortune’ in the county.” Uncle offered another bundle of clothes to the old man, his face full of ingratiation.

The old man didn’t even lift his eyelids, chewing betel leaf irritably. “A good-for-nothing living off others, what’s there to show off about?”

“Father’s still angry,” Uncle said awkwardly.

“Almost. I’ll be angry to death by you!” The old man slapped the table, and Uncle quickly dropped to his knees, looking innocent.

“Father, I haven’t even had time to make another mistake yet…”

“Tell me, I sent your sister-in-law away, and less than half a month later, you send her back to me. What’s the meaning of that?” The old man glared, furious.

Elder Aunt was downstairs, cradling Jinbao. Hearing this, she hurriedly said, “Father, I only came back for the New Year. After it's over, I'll return.”

“Mind the child, you!” The old man rolled his triangular eyes. Elder Aunt was the sort whose head was stuffed with cotton—she believed anything she was told.

Uncle hemmed and hawed until Elder Aunt took Jinbao downstairs; only Father, Mother, and Sister remained in the hall. Then he let his face fall. “Father, I’m about to lose my mind.”

“What happened?” the old man asked.

“It’s just Elder Sister-in-law and Cui Cui. At first, the two sisters-in-law could be polite, but soon they couldn’t keep up the act. One is domineering, the other sensitive and quick to anger, and now things have gotten lively.”

“Let’s hear it,” his little sister said, interested.

“For example, Cui Cui couldn’t stand meat at first and asked Elder Sister-in-law to cook light meals. Later, when Cui Cui stopped feeling sick, Elder Sister-in-law still wouldn’t add oil, serving only greens, tofu, and millet cakes every meal, saying it was already better than what we eat at home.”

“That’s true,” Grandma said seriously. “If I could eat like that every day, I’d be happy as can be.”

“Yes, we find it normal,” Uncle said with a bitter smile. “But Cui Cui’s never lived this hard, so she thinks Elder Sister-in-law is deliberately mistreating her.”

“There’s also complaints about the food being too salty or bland, dry or watery, whether to put scallions or coriander… all trivial matters, but Cui Cui doesn’t see it that way. She goes back to her room and cries, and I have to comfort her at least eight times a day!”

Uncle gestured eight with his fingers, his voice near tears. “I never imagined my sweet-talking skills, which could charm a ghost, would fail me with her!”

“Serves you right!” the old man exclaimed, slapping the table. “That’s what you call suffering the consequences of your own actions!”

“Third brother, let me tell you, when Elder Sister-in-law was about to have Jinbao, she was still cooking at the stove. She never demanded special treatment,” his little sister sighed. “If you ask her to help, she’ll do things her own way, by her own standards.”

“But Cui Cui wasn’t spoiled growing up…” Uncle muttered.

“Nonsense!” The old man bristled. “Wasn’t your Elder Sister-in-law spoiled too? Her father was a deputy commander. Besides, our family wasn’t poor back then; it’s only these past two years things have gotten tight!”

“That’s right, who still spoils themselves now? Except for you,” his little sister chimed in.

“Sister, weren’t you always at odds with Elder Sister-in-law?” Uncle grumbled. “Why are you always defending her now?”

“I stand for what’s right, not for family,” his little sister replied.

“I think you stand for family, not for what’s right,” Uncle retorted. “When it’s Sister-in-law versus nephew, you choose nephew; when it’s Sister-in-law versus your sister-in-law, you choose Sister-in-law.”

“You could say that. I grew up with Elder Sister-in-law, but I’ve never spent a day with your wife,” she said coolly.

The Su family had one virtue: they were clear-headed about everything, and she was no exception…

“Enough,” the old man waved his hand, stopping his daughter from defending Elder Sister-in-law further, then spoke to Uncle. “Your wife will give birth in two months. Be patient with her for now. Let her have her way as much as she likes.”

“Cui Cui wonders if Sister could come…” Uncle glanced at his little sister. “We don’t believe in those superstitions; the child’s far enough along.”

“I don’t mind at all,” his little sister said naturally. “If Father wants me to go, I’ll go.”

“Go ahead. Be accommodating to that little ancestor. At least until the child’s born,” the old man nodded. Sisters-in-law are always closer than co-wives…

“Thank you, Father!” Uncle sighed in relief, picking up the bundle of clothes. “If you don’t like these, I’ll give them to my father-in-law.”

“Leave them!” the old man snorted. “If my son lives off others, I’m already ashamed enough. If I don’t even keep the lining, wouldn’t that be a real loss?”

~~

That night, Su Man called Su Lu into the study and handed him a key.

At his brother’s hint, Su Lu unlocked a bookcase, finding it filled neatly with volumes.

He picked up a few, all handwritten copies bound with rough yellow paper and cotton thread—at least two or three hundred in total.

“This is what you meant by ‘copying a little’?” Su Lu couldn’t help but laugh. Excessive modesty is the same as pride, and it suited his brother perfectly.

“It’s really not much,” Su Man said, hands behind his back. “The academy keeps me busy, so I only managed to copy the ‘Thirteen Classics,’ ‘Mozi,’ ‘Zhuangzi,’ ‘Guanzi,’ ‘Han Feizi’… altogether barely a million characters.”

“Barely… Brother, aren’t you being too modest?” Su Lu couldn’t help but complain.

“Not at all. I haven’t even copied a tenth of the academy’s collection,” Su Man sighed, issuing instructions. “When you enter school, keep copying books, and aim to have another bookcase full by the time you graduate.”

He spoke with yearning. “That way, when the next generation studies, they won’t be as hard up as we were.”

“Brother, you really think ahead. Is this the sense of duty of the eldest grandson?” Su Lu said, half admiring, half joking.

“You’re right.” Su Man nodded solemnly, his expression grave. “To restore our ancestors’ glory is our undeniable duty!”

Su Lu thought to himself, why does this sound so dramatic? He cautiously asked, “Brother, do you mean ancestors of our own dynasty, or those from the Song?”

“Of course, the Song!” Su Man’s face flushed with excitement, as if he’d recalled some scene. “I know it’s difficult, but it doesn’t matter. Our ancestors will help us! We will succeed!”

Su Lu was dumbfounded, finally asking, “Brother, when did you become so confident?”

“Since last night,” Su Man answered with sacred conviction.

Su Lu was about to say his brother shouldn’t force himself to joke, when the door opened and Elder Aunt peeked in. “Still not finished? Your brother has to get up early tomorrow.”

“Oh, oh…” Elder Aunt had only been home a day and Su Lu had already been scolded several times. He quickly scurried away.

Elder Aunt closed the door behind him and quietly asked Chun, “Son, did you try that thing I gave you?”

She hadn’t forgotten about that brick…

“I tried it,” Su Man replied.

“Did it work?” Elder Aunt looked at him expectantly.

“It worked,” Su Man affirmed.

“Really?” Elder Aunt’s face lit up with joy.

“Really.” Su Man nodded seriously.

“Wait a moment.” Elder Aunt became excited. “I’ll call your father over, and you can tell him again. That scoundrel keeps saying I was tricked.”

“Mother, you weren’t tricked. It’s real,” Su Man stopped her, speaking earnestly. “But the fewer people know about this, the better. If Father doesn’t believe, let him stay that way.”

“All right, all right.” Elder Aunt was quick to obey her son. “Chun is cautious, I’ll listen to you and never say a word.”

~~

Elder Aunt kept her promise, but when she returned to her room, she was strutting like a victorious hen.

Elder Uncle had just soothed Jinbao to sleep and quietly asked, “What did your son say that made you so happy?”

“Secret, none of your business!” Elder Aunt replied smugly. Now, when she looked at Elder Uncle, he seemed like a country bumpkin, and she felt a swell of superiority.

“Don’t tell me then, who cares,” Elder Uncle said, uncharacteristically gentle.

“You’re in a good mood too,” Elder Aunt teased, biting her lip and glancing at their sleeping daughter.

“Of course, my wife’s finally home. How could I not be happy?” Elder Uncle’s wrinkles softened. He’d been worried sick these days, but now he didn’t have to be the bad guy anymore…

Elder Aunt thought it was her charm and grew more coquettish. “Wait for me, I’ll wash up and be right there.”

Elder Uncle realized Elder Aunt misunderstood, and quickly coughed. “No rush for that—let’s talk business first.”

“What business must we discuss right now?” Elder Aunt poked his forehead.

Elder Uncle deftly dodged her finger. He wasn’t worried, because he was confident that in three seconds, Elder Aunt would lose all interest. He whispered, “Qiu’s tuition hasn’t been settled.”

“What?!” Elder Aunt instantly forgot everything else. “Weren’t we supposed to use the money from the sorghum sale, once the He family paid up, for Qiu’s tuition?”

“I went to the He family for the third time today and still haven’t gotten the money,” Elder Uncle said, his spirits low.

“Ah?” Elder Aunt felt like cold water had been poured over her, waking her up completely. “You haven’t gotten a single coin?”

“Not one,” Elder Uncle sighed. “The creditors filled the house, and with only a widow at home, we couldn’t press too hard.”

“This third sister-in-law really got us into trouble!” Elder Aunt said, frustrated. “If I’d known, we should have sold it to the buyers from Taiping Town. We’d get less, but at least it wouldn’t be a total loss.”

“What good does saying that do now?” Elder Uncle was frustrated too. “Wasn’t it you who complained they paid too little and insisted third brother find another way?”

“They only offered five hundred coins per bushel—that’s robbery!” Elder Aunt retorted. The couple began their endless cycle of mutual blame…

Little Jinbao, meanwhile, slept soundly, undisturbed by it all.