Chapter 236

Chapter 236

As officials observe mourning, although it is to honor the deceased elders, life must go on. As the grief from losing their elders gradually fades, these individuals must find ways to pass the long days while being relieved of their duties and staying at home.

Xiao Family.

The women were used to living in the inner chambers. Tong Sui was an exception. When it was time to fight, she could follow the old master outside for a whole year. Once the war was over and her mood had settled, Tong Sui would seize the time to read, practice calligraphy, study history, and continue with morning archery practice and managing the household accounts. She always felt that time was never enough and never complained about having nothing to do during the long days.

Xiao Zhen could also settle down. Apart from attending fewer lessons than Tong Sui, he even planned to practice calligraphy, listen to historical accounts, and engage in archery practice with her.

Unfortunately, he had three restless cousins. The most difficult to manage were the two younger cousins who, despite having their own father, were not kept in line by him.

Xiao Zhen tolerated it when the three brothers sneaked into the rock formation to gamble with dice.

When the three brothers got dead drunk in the rock formation and ended up being shunned by their wives, squeezing into the fifth brother’s room, Xiao Zhen continued to endure.

When Xiao Yan and Xiao Ye got into a drunken fight over gambling, leaving both with bruised faces, Xiao Zhen snapped the writing brush in his hand.

Tong Sui, who was practicing calligraphy across from him, didn’t say a word.

Xiao Zhen smiled at his startled wife, "It's okay, I’ll go check it out."

And he left.

Tong Sui glanced out the window and continued practicing calligraphy with her eyes lowered.

By the time dinner was served at the Marquis’s residence that evening, Xiao Ye was missing from the table.

Xiao Zhen’s imposing presence was such that even Yan Mingxiu, who had just married into the family, and Liu Chu were somewhat afraid of him, especially since the three younger brothers had just provoked Xiao Zhen, and everyone assumed he was holding in his anger.

Fortunately, Xiao Zhen left after dinner.

Liu Chu breathed a sigh of relief, and Yan Mingxiu also looked relieved. Glancing at Tong Sui, she asked, somewhat embarrassed, "How long will Second Brother punish them?"

Xiao Zhen had locked the three brothers in the family shrine, making them kneel before the ancestors, especially the old master’s memorial tablet. For dinner, they were only given two steamed buns and a bowl of congee.

Tong Sui smiled, "He said this time they will be locked up for three days. If there is a next time, it will be ten days. And if there is another time after that, it will be a month."

Mianmian whispered, "If they’re locked up for that long, it will drive Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, and Fifth Uncle crazy."

Yan Mingxiu bit her lip, "They deserve it. I’ve already found good books for your fourth uncle, but he doesn’t care to read them. He fights and quarrels with your third and fifth uncles, and this time they even resorted to fighting."

Liu Chu spoke up for the three brothers, "Mainly, they have never stayed at home all day before. When they were in the village, they hunted, farmed, and taught villagers martial arts. Here, each of them holds proper positions, and being young and impetuous, they are certainly not used to it."

Tong Sui said, "In the end, they are just too idle."

On the day the three brothers were finally to be released, Tong Sui went with Xiao Zhen. After unlocking and opening the door, they saw Xiao Ye and Xiao She kneeling on the cushions, apparently trying to look sincere. Xiao Yan, always the honest one, didn’t even try to pretend, using the cushion as a pillow and lying on the ground.

Xiao Zhen turned away, clearly not interested in their antics.

Tong Sui smiled, "Get up, all of you."

The three stood up one after another. Since the couple was blocking the doorway, even the reckless Xiao Yan didn’t dare to push his way out and had to stand inside.

Xiao She complained, "Second Sister-in-law, they fought, but I didn’t. Why did Second Brother lock me up too?"

Tong Sui said, "You drank and gambled with them. You are equally guilty."

Xiao She said, "So, what are we supposed to do now?"

Xiao Ye: "Exactly, when Grandfather was around, he wouldn't have kept us locked up like this."

He believed that all this mourning and filial piety were just rules made up by scholars. As long as you treat your elders well while they're alive, what's the point of doing all this after they're gone?

Tong Sui: "There are things you should do and things you shouldn't. If you keep drinking and gambling, and it becomes a bad habit, your Second Brother will have to discipline you, even if he's angry about it. And you'll risk annoying your wives and damaging your marital relationships."

Xiao Ye looked at Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan looked back at him.

Xiao She: "I don't have a wife."

Tong Sui: "Do you want to annoy me instead?"

Xiao She immediately said, "No."

Tong Sui: "I've found something for you to do. As long as you follow my instructions honestly, it will not only help you pass the time but also win the favor of the entire family."

The three brothers said almost in unison, "Reading?"

Tong Sui shook her head, and as the three brothers sighed in relief, she said with a smile, "Attending lectures from a teacher."

The three brothers: "..."

Tong Sui is currently learning four subjects from Mr. Ma: Confucian classics, history, laws, and poetry. She is also practicing calligraphy and painting with Lin Ningfang.

Tong Sui wants the three brothers to join her in studying the first three subjects, which will take up most of their day. Xiao Zhen will also train with them in martial arts in the mornings and evenings, and they’ll get three days off each month.

To make this happen, Tong Sui had a classroom set up for them.

Xiao Yan: "I'm a father now; why do I still have to attend classes?"

Tong Sui: "Third Younger Brother's wife said that if you don't study, she'll take the child and go live with Elder Sister. And the same goes for Fourth Son's wife."

Xiao Yan and Xiao Ye: "..."

Tong Sui then looked at Xiao She, "If you don't study, your Second Brother and I won't speak to you."

Xiao She: "...I'll study. But I'm slow, and I have trouble remembering things."

Tong Sui didn't think Xiao She was slow at all; he just wasn't interested in these subjects. "Just show up. It's okay if you don't remember, as long as you don't cause trouble."

The three brothers, having been caught at a disadvantage, could only agree.

On the first day of class, Xiao Yuchan, Yan Mingxiu, and Madam He all gathered around to watch. With their wives watching, Xiao Ye sat up straight, but as soon as they left, he slumped over the desk and fell asleep.

Xiao Yan felt both frustrated about having to attend class and envious of Fourth Son. By lunchtime, he returned to the courtyard where his family lived. Once the wet nurse had taken the baby to nap, he sidled up to Lin Ningfang and asked, somewhat resentfully, "Fourth Son's wife went to see him. Why didn't you come to see me?"

Lin Ningfang: "If you were getting some kind of award, I'd go see you. But I don't go to those kinds of events."

Xiao Yan: "Are you embarrassed? We're all family; who doesn't know who? Fourth Son's wife comes from a scholarly family like you, and she doesn't mind that he's rough around the edges."

Lin Ningfang: "I don't think Fourth Son is that rough around the edges."

Xiao Yan: "He puts on a show. He swears like a sailor in front of us."

Lin Ningfang: "At least I haven't heard it."

Xiao Yan: "...So, in your eyes, I'm the only one in the family who's rough around the edges, and you just happened to marry me, right?"

Lin Ningfang put down the baby clothes she was working on, glanced at the man beside her, and said, "I’m not going because Fourth Son and Fifth Son are still young. If Fourth Son embarrasses himself, she can just laugh it off. But you're Third Brother, and I’m Third Brother's wife. If you make a fool of yourself, even if you don't care, I’m thin-skinned and don’t want them to laugh at me."

Xiao Yan: "I promise I won't embarrass myself."

Lin Ningfang: "Really?"

Xiao Yan: "If you don't believe me, you can go watch with them next time."

Lin Ningfang: "Alright."

At first, everything was new and exciting. Since the ladies had nothing else to do, the next day Xiao Yuchan and Yan Mingxiu went to watch the performance again, and this time Lin Ningfang joined them.

There were empty desks in the teaching hall. The sisters-in-law sat at the back.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Ye sat up straight, while Xiao She quietly slept nearby.

After a while, Xiao Ye looked back and noticed his younger sister had left, but his wife and Third Sister-in-law were still there.

A little later, Xiao Ye leaned back and fell asleep, and Xiao Yan turned around to see that Fourth Sister-in-law had left, leaving only his wife.

Xiao Yan kept an eye on the talkative Old Master Ma, all the while wishing his wife would leave soon.

But Lin Ningfang was listening very attentively.

Xiao Yan: "..."

That night, he tightly held onto Lin Ningfang. "Are you trying to torture me?"

Lin Ningfang smiled silently.

——

While the three brothers had their own struggles, Xiao Zhen faced his own challenges.

One evening, after accompanying his younger brothers in a practice session, he had just sat down in the main hall to drink tea when he heard the sound of water coming from the west room.

A Fu saw him look that way and explained, "It's hot today, so the lady bathed early."

During the hot summer, sometimes the lady would wash before dinner, sometimes after, with no fixed routine.

Xiao Zhen nodded and slowed down his tea drinking.

After more than a quarter of an hour, Tong Sui came out. With some time before dinner, she was only wearing a moon-white undershirt with a green silk jacket over it. Her black hair was wrapped in a cloth on top of her head, leaving it to dry naturally in the inner room. After almost six months of mourning, even though she ate plainly, her three regular meals and sufficient sleep had restored the weight she had lost from exhaustion the previous year. Her exposed arms were long and fair, slightly plump, with graceful muscle lines appearing when she raised them.

Tong Sui heard him come back, but it was a hot midsummer day, and the women in the inner quarters dressed like this when at home. She was no longer the shy new bride she had been when she first married Xiao Zhen. Still, the gaze Xiao Zhen cast her way made her face heat up. After all, since last February, the couple hadn't been intimate. Last year, it was because they were separated, and this year, it was due to mourning. At night, they slept in separate front and back yards to demonstrate that they were both faithfully observing the mourning period.

Tong Sui quickly went into the inner room and sat at the dressing table.

As soon as she untied the cloth from her hair, Xiao Zhen came in.

"Let me help you with that."

Xiao Zhen stood behind her, one hand on her shoulder, the other reaching for the horn comb on the table.

Tong Sui lowered her eyes.

The hand on her shoulder moved away, replaced by his hand holding her half-wet long hair.

Tong Sui then looked at the mirror and immediately met his slender, almond-shaped eyes.

Xiao Zhen: "Why is your face so red?"

Tong Sui: "I always get red after a bath."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhen looked at her pale, smooth neck and the exposed skin of her arms beneath the short sleeves, and then at the thin, pale moon-colored bodice.

Tong Sui: "Hurry up and finish combing. I need to dry off by the window, or I won’t be ready for dinner."

Xiao Zhen then sped up.

The room had a daybed, and the late afternoon sun was still bright and blinding. Tong Sui sat with her back to the setting sun, and just as she lifted her hand to gather her long hair behind her, Xiao Zhen, who had come over, suddenly wrapped one arm around her waist, grabbed her raised arm with the other, and buried his head as he pressed down.

Tong Sui clenched her teeth tightly.

Xiao Zhen pressed her against the shaded side of the window.

Tong Sui, flustered: "The door’s not even shut..."

Xiao Zhen: "With me here, who would dare to barge in unannounced?"

Tong Sui turned her head and covered her eyes with one hand. "Still, it’s not the right time. Dinner’s coming up."

Xiao Zhen: "Will it be okay at night?"

Tong Sui hit him.

Xiao Zhen: "I heard that Third and Fourth have already stopped sleeping in separate rooms."

Tong Sui: "Remind them to be careful, or they might end up with a baby. The imperial censors in the capital are keeping a close eye on things."

Xiao Zhen: "No need for me to remind."

Tong Sui thought about it and realized he was right. Lin Ningfang and Yan Mingxiu were strict with rules and would never indulge the two.

Xiao Zhen: "We've held out for half a year. Let's continue to sleep separately, or we'll become a joke to those two."

Tong Sui nodded. As the eldest, Xiao Zhen needed to set the right example.

Xiao Zhen whispered in her ear, "Separate at night, but together during the day."