Chapter 4: The Xu Family of Qingshui Town (Part 4: “Catching Bugs”)

Chapter 4: The Xu Family of Qingshui Town (Part 4: "Catching Bugs")

Xu Songshan returned to the screen after watching his eldest son leave.

At this moment, Xu Zeping was sweating profusely, unsure whether to nurse or not.

Xu Linshi's hands trembled as she held the baby. Hearing Xu Songshan's footsteps, she anxiously said, "Erlang, what should we do? The baby seems unwilling to nurse!"

Hearing Xu Linshi's words, Xu Songshan was also very anxious. He slightly lifted the curtain, glanced at the baby in the woman’s arms, and immediately withdrew his gaze, lowering the curtain. Images of the woman's exposed skin still lingered in his mind, and he struggled to compose himself... "Xinian, if it doesn't work, let's squeeze the milk into a bowl, and I'll feed him."

Xu Zeping, overhearing their conversation, felt extremely embarrassed. On one side, his stomach grumbled incessantly; on the other, adult modesty weighed heavily. In the end, he followed the infant's instinct and began to nurse.

Just as Xu Songshan turned to leave the screen, Xu Linshi joyfully called out, "Erlang, don’t go! The baby has started nursing."

Relieved, Xu Songshan found a nearby chair and sat down beside the bed. "Xinian, tomorrow, Zeli and I will go to the slave market to buy two servants. What do you think?"

Xu Linshi hesitated, wanting to say that she could manage alone.

Xu Songshan knew Xinian was worried about the expense but wanted her to be more comfortable. So, he deliberately exaggerated, "Before, you didn’t need help because your mother and Songrui were around. Now, your mother is old, and Songrui married three years ago. I have to manage the teahouse, and Zeli studies every day. You’re in confinement now. You know Rouer is five and very active. If no one watches her, she might slip out of the house and get kidnapped. What then?"

Xu Songshan’s words made sense, and Xu Linshi stopped worrying about the money, knowing Erlang spoke the truth. A few years ago, a five-year-old boy from a silk merchant’s family next door almost got kidnapped by a peddler disguised as a hawker... Luckily, their servant noticed the boy’s disappearance and rescued him from the kidnapper’s arms just in time.

The boy later recounted how the peddler lured him with pretty hairpins and then knocked him unconscious with a cloth. The kidnapper was executed by the magistrate, and his body left unburied for three days until it rotted away.

Xu Songshan’s ancestral home wasn’t in an ideal location. It was bought by his grandfather after passing the scholar examination, not their original ancestral home, which remained in Jiangping Village, guarded by a servant sent by the eldest uncle.

Although the Xu family had been scholars for generations, they hadn’t produced officials for several generations due to dynastic changes. Peace only returned during Xu Songshan’s grandfather’s generation, allowing him to start taking the exams.

Xu Songshan’s grandfather wasn’t particularly gifted in academics, so he stopped after becoming a scholar. He sold some ancestral farmland, bought land in town, and built a house for future generations to study in.

However, being just a scholar without connections in court, he couldn’t afford a prime location, settling instead for a mixed commercial-residential area rather than the scholarly West Lin Street.

Xu Songshan’s grandfather’s enthusiasm wasn’t dampened when his son showed no aptitude for studying, earning only the title of “old scholar” after twenty years of trying.

But thankfully, this old scholar excelled at something else—producing children. He solved the family’s single-lineage problem by having two sons and a daughter!

"Erlang is right; I was foolish," Xu Linshi said, remembering the old home’s location. "Tomorrow, Erlang and Zeli should pick a girl and a boy. The girl can look after Rouer and help my mother, while the boy can assist Zeli."

Xu Songshan disagreed, "Don’t worry about Zeli. Eldest Brother wrote recently, asking him to focus on his studies. His future book attendant will be chosen by Eldest Brother. You know he has better connections."

After hearing Xu Songshan’s words, Xu Linshi didn’t comment further.

By then, Xu Zeping had eaten his fill and drifted off to sleep, overcome by drowsiness.

Xu Songshan took the baby from Xu Linshi and placed him in the cradle beside the bed.

The Xu family, though scholarly, had no rule against holding grandchildren over children.

Looking at the red-faced baby in the cradle, Xu Songshan smiled lovingly, "The baby’s features resemble yours; he’ll surely grow up to be handsome."

Xu Songshan’s words were true. Xu Linshi was beautiful, with delicate eyebrows and bright eyes, a face like blooming peach blossoms. Her beauty caught Xu Songshan’s eye, and despite Xu Tangshi’s objections, he pursued her for half a year before marrying her.

Blushing at Xu Songshan’s praise, Xu Linshi was about to tease him about being too playful, but Xu Tangshi entered with chicken soup, followed by the lively Xu Zerou, her face smeared with oil. "Grandma, I want another drumstick. Can we kill another hen tomorrow for me?"

The Xu family treated Xu Zeli and Xu Zerou equally, always giving them each a drumstick when slaughtering chickens. Thus, Xu Zerou assumed there would always be drumsticks whenever chickens were killed, unaware it was part of her mother’s postpartum meal.

Seeing her daughter’s oily face, Xu Linshi beckoned her closer and wiped her face with a handkerchief. "Of course, you greedy little girl. When has Grandma ever refused you?"

Xu Zerou grinned and turned to Xu Tangshi, using her puppy-eyed charm. "Grandma is the best! I love Grandma the most."

Xu Tangshi melted at her granddaughter’s affection, her heart warming.

While Xu Zerou enjoyed family time, Xu Zeli was alone in his room, desperately reciting the "Three-Character Classic"!

Years had passed, and he nearly forgot the basic primer.

As dusk fell, the Xu family lit oil lamps, and the study door finally creaked open. "Big Brother, Grandma called us for dinner!"

Xu Zeli was relieved that his mother’s childbirth delayed dinner, allowing him to finish reciting the "Three-Character Classic."

He had a purpose for memorizing the entire text. He wanted to transfer to a private school, and this was his leverage in negotiating with his father.