Chapter 121

Chapter 121

"Go to Prefecture City?"

"Hmm."

"This, such a long journey, and your father and I are getting on in years..." Mother Wang wasn't quite daring to agree.

Wang Youtian settled the eggs into the pan and went into the house, saying, "These years, the other brothers and sisters-in-law have done their best. It's my turn to contribute now. Let's go to Prefecture City for our old age together with you and Father."

"We're still able to work, why start living as if we're old." Mother Wang refused with her mouth, but her face had already bloomed into a smile. It was enough for her that her son had this heart; how could she really go and cause trouble for the children?

Lu Yun said, "Mother, come with us. Youtian and I bought a house in Prefecture City. There's room to live."

This time, Mother Wang was truly shocked. "You, you bought a house in Prefecture City?"

"How much silver must that have cost!"

Wang Youtian said, "Not much, really. Thanks to Third Brother's help these past few years, I partnered with my second brother-in-law to run a restaurant and made some silver. We bought the new house the year before last. It's a two-courtyard house with seven rooms in total, front and back. It's enough for our whole family to live in."

Mother Wang was so excited she didn't know what to say. "Wait until your father comes back, and you can discuss it with him."

Outside, Old Master Wang came in carrying a basket, seeing his second daughter-in-law squatting by the window eavesdropping. He opened his mouth to scold, "Second daughter-in-law, what are you doing!"

"Ah, Father, you're back!" Wang's second daughter-in-law quickly ran into the house, holding her belly.

Old Master Wang was so angry his beard seemed to blow. These two daughters-in-law were getting more and more out of hand! Putting down the tools for work, he also noticed a large carriage had appeared in the yard at some point, and just as he was guessing, he heard his third son's voice from behind him.

"Father!"

"Ah!" Wang Gou was startled, "Is Youtian back?"

"Yes!" Wang Youtian ran over to help his father feed the mule. The old man took off his hat and scratched his graying hair, looking at his son with a face full of smiles. "Are you back alone, or is everyone back?"

"Lu Yun, Jinzi, and Yinzi are all back."

Hearing that both his grandchildren were back, the old man was so happy he forgot about feeding the mule and hurried into the house.

On the kang, Mother Wang was peeling eggs for the two children. There wasn't much good food in the village, but these eggs were a rare treat.

"Father, you're back." Lu Yun immediately stood up to greet Old Master Wang.

"Sit down quickly, does Jinzi remember Grandfather?"

Jinzi was only a little over two when he left, how could he remember? He shook his head.

The nearby Yinzi, not shy, stuffed with egg, vaguely called out, "Grandpa."

"Ah! My good grandchild." Old Master Wang reached out to hug Yinzi.

Mother Wang, frightened, quickly reached out. "Your waist isn't good, put the child down quickly, don't let him fall!"

The old man's waist had been injured years ago while nailing a horseshoe, and it had never fully recovered. Lifting anything heavy would cause pain for a whole day.

"It's okay, Yinzi isn't heavy, I can carry him."

The love between generations was strong. After so many years apart, the old man had missed his two little grandchildren terribly.

Pinching his grandson's little face, touching foreheads, and tickling him, he played for a long time before putting the child down.

"It mustn't have been easy for you to come back this far. How many days did it take?"

"It took six days in total, staying at inns along the way."

Lu Yun repeated the plan to take them to Prefecture City. "Father, after some time, you and Mother should come with us. Now, both children are being taken care of by my mother. She's getting old and it's too hard for her to take care of so many children. We can't trust hiring others, so it would be best if you two could go and help."

If it was about going for old age comfort, the old couple would definitely refuse, but when it came to helping with the children, they hesitated.

Mother Wang was willing in her heart. Who wouldn't want to see the big world in Prefecture City? But Old Master Wang had other thoughts.

Although they had divided the family in recent years, the two sons still lived in the same yard, which inevitably led to friction.

Before Lu Yun left, the eldest daughter-in-law and the second daughter-in-law would gang up to bully him. Now that they were gone, the relationship between the two had cracked.

The eldest daughter-in-law, Guo, was a brainless shrew, and the second daughter-in-law, Li, was a cunning troublemaker. The two had fought openly and secretly several times. If it weren't for the old couple mediating, the brothers might have become enemies.

If they were to leave now, who knew what would happen between the two families in the future?

Wang Youtian could see his father's dilemma and quickly said, "Don't worry, we'll be home for half a month this time. You can decide whether to go after thinking it over."

"Hmm."

By now, it was almost noon. Mother Wang got down from the kang and rummaged through the chest for a string of cash. She handed it to her husband, saying, "Go to the town and buy a piece of pork, and get some food for the children."

"Alright, you kill a chicken at home and stew it for the children."

Lu Yun gave Wang Youtian a push. "Go with Father."

Wang Youtian led the horse and hitched it to their family's flatbed cart. The father and son drove the carriage to town.

Once they left, Lu Yun brought up the second sister-in-law, Li, whom he had just seen. "Is she pregnant again?"

Mother Wang nodded. "The fourth one. She got pregnant right after the third one was weaned and doesn't do any farm work now, just resting at home every day."

"What about the eldest sister-in-law?"

"She's gone back to her maternal home." Mentioning these two daughters-in-law made Mother Wang so angry, but she couldn't voice these complaints to the younger generation. She could only grumble to the old man.

Ever since the third family left, the two families had fought four or five times over dividing the land.

Everyone wanted the best fields by the riverbank, and no one wanted the lower fields on the hillside. But there was only so much land, and no matter how they divided it, someone would be unhappy. The old man was so angry that he decided not to give any of the land to his sons. Instead, he leased it to another family in the village for rent, and only then did the two families calm down.

It wasn’t long before they started eyeing Third Brother’s house again.

First, the eldest son’s wife quietly started storing their autumn grain in the house, and later, she piled other miscellaneous items there too. Her intention to occupy the house was as obvious as the ambitions of Sima Zhao—known to all.

Naturally, Li wasn’t going to let her have her way. One night, she secretly went into the house and poured water over several bags of grain. Autumn grain would mildew as soon as it got wet, and mildewed grain could be fatal if eaten!

As a result, the two families ended up in a big fight again.

Back then, old lady Wang was so worried she couldn’t eat or sleep. She wished she could just die and find some peace—these were the burdens of having children!

“How have you been doing in the Prefecture City these past years? You said you and Second Brother opened a restaurant together; how’s business?”

“The business has been pretty good. That restaurant was originally opened by our Third Brother. Later, he took on a large tavern and was too busy to manage it, so he handed the restaurant over to us two families to run.” Lu Yun paused, then continued, “When we first arrived in the Prefecture City, Third Brother not only arranged work for us but also prepared housing. We didn’t suffer at all.”

Mother Wang couldn’t help but sigh, “Your Third Brother is capable. When he first opened a breakfast stall in town, your father even helped treat a mule for him. He said Third Brother was more capable than most men. Your father never praised anyone like that.”

As they were talking, Wang Youliang and Wang Youcai returned from outside. They had gone to weed the fields in the morning and happened to come back together, so they accompanied each other.

Actually, the two brothers got along quite well when their wives weren’t causing trouble. But over the years, the disputes had become more frequent and had gradually made the brothers more estranged.

As soon as they entered the yard, they saw a carriage parked to the side. “Whose fancy carriage is that?”

Wang Youliang said, “Could it be that Third Brother is back?”

They headed straight for their parents' room, and as soon as they entered, they saw Lu Yun and his two children sitting on the kang.

“Big Brother, Second Brother.”

The eldest brother, Wang Youliang, said excitedly, “When did you guys get back? Where’s Third Brother?”

“He went to town with Father to buy food.”

“That kid must be Yinzhi, right?”

“Yes.” Lu Yun called his son over.

Yinzhi eyed the two unfamiliar uncles and then hid in Grandma’s arms.

The old lady patted his little head. “He’s just shy because he’s just come back. You two go wash your hands and join us for the meal later.”

“Yes.” The two brothers each returned to their rooms.

As soon as Li saw her husband, she grabbed him and said, “You’re back! Did you know that Third Brother’s family has returned from the Prefecture City?”

“I know. I just saw them in Mother’s room.”

“They’ve made a fortune in the Prefecture City!”

“How do you know?”

“I heard Lu Yun talking! They’ve bought a big house and opened a restaurant. They have more money than they can spend. This time, they’ve come back to take their parents to the Prefecture City to live out their old age!”

Wang Youcai took off his dirty clothes and said, “Oh, so they did.”

Li’s eyes gleamed. “Let’s go with them!”

“What nonsense are you talking? What would we do in the Prefecture City? Should we just abandon our land?”

“Are you stupid? How much can you earn from farming in a year? They’ve only been in the Prefecture City for five or six years and have already saved enough to buy a big house! A house in the Prefecture City is worth at least three or four hundred guan. We’ll never earn that much in our whole lives!”

Hearing his wife’s words, Wang Youcai was somewhat tempted.

But this wasn’t something he could decide on his own. Third Brother would have to bring it up first. If Third Brother didn’t mention it, how could he have the nerve to push for it?

Seeing that he wasn’t taking it seriously, Li became anxious. “Even if you’re not thinking about yourself, you should think about our children! Look at the two kids from Third Brother’s family—they’re fair and well-dressed in silk clothes. Now look at ours!”

Their three-year-old third son was pulled forward. He was about the same age as Yinzhi, but much shorter, darker, and thinner. He wore a tattered belly wrap that had been passed down from his older brother.

“Alright… alright, I’ll bring it up during the meal later. If Third Brother agrees, we’ll go. If he doesn’t, you can forget about it.”

Reluctantly, Li nodded and began scheming about how to get Wang Youtian’s agreement.

Half an hour later, Old Master Wang returned with Wang Youtian from town, not only with pork but also many other food items—all paid for by Wang Youtian.

The eldest and second brothers came out to greet them.

“Big Brother, Second Brother!”

“Hey, Third Brother.” It had been many years since the three brothers had seen each other, and they were all a little emotional.

They entered their parents' room hand in hand. Old lady Wang had already set the table. She had slaughtered a chicken and stewed half a pot with radishes. There were also steamed grey-flour mantou.

Wang Youtian sniffed the air and said, “I’ve been craving Mother’s cooking ever since I was in the Prefecture City. It smells so good!”

Old lady Wang smiled and handed him chopsticks. “Eat while it’s hot. Lu Yun, bring the children and sit down to eat.”

“What about Second Sister-in-law and the others?”

Wang Youcai waved his hand, “Don’t worry about her. There’s already food at home.”

But Old lady Wang still went to call her, not for her sake but for the sake of the children—after all, they were all her grandchildren.

Before long, Li came with her second and third sons. The eldest son, ten years old, was an apprentice at a carpentry workshop in town and only came back once a month.

In the main house, there were only two daughters, who had gone back to their maternal family with Guo.

The meals were served on the table, and Li shoveled the food with her chopsticks, first placing the two chicken legs into her children's bowls.

Mother Wang frowned and picked several pieces of good meat into Jinzi's and Yinzi's bowls, saying, "Eat up, dear, are you hungry?"

Jinzi started eating slowly with her chopsticks, but Yinzi, who had already had some tofu flower at a breakfast stall, wasn't very hungry and just played with a chicken claw.

In contrast, Li's three family members ate like starving ghosts reborn; before the food in their mouths was swallowed, their chopsticks were already reaching for the next piece.

Wang Youcai thought this was quite inappropriate. His brother's family had finally come back, and they hadn't even started eating before the dishes were almost gone.

"Enough, eat less. Don't act like you've never seen meat before. You'll hurt your stomach if you eat too much."

The second and third sons were both afraid of their father, so they put down their chopsticks and stopped eating.

Li immediately became unhappy. "The children only get to eat meat a few times a year. Let them eat. I see that Lu Yun and his child don't seem to like eating it either. Maybe they're used to eating chicken in the city. It'll just go to waste if it's left over."

Upon hearing this, the two children picked up their chopsticks again and stuffed food into their mouths. The third son accidentally swallowed a piece of chicken bone, which got stuck in his throat, causing him to clutch his neck and scream.

Everyone was startled and quickly took the child down, patting his back and sticking their fingers down his throat. After a long while, they managed to get the bone out, and he vomited the chicken and steamed buns all over the floor.

Wang Youcai was so angry that his face turned red. He scolded, "You narrow-minded fool, a few pieces of chicken could choke you to death. Get out of here!"

Li, holding her crying child, also began to sob. She wasn't as fierce as the eldest daughter-in-law, but her gentle blade was just as deadly.

"Yes, I am narrow-minded. I just wanted Xiao Er and Xiao San to have higher aspirations, but our family hasn't tasted meat for two months. How can we be as dignified as Jinzi and Yinzi?"

Li wiped her tears. "If the children could eat meat more often, they wouldn't be swallowing it so recklessly."

These words made Lu Yun feel uneasy, but although he felt bad, he couldn't bring himself to help.

He was only able to live the life he had now because of the support of Third Brother, and he didn't have the ability to help others. Besides, no one in the village lived differently. No one else acted like her.

After crying, Li took her two children out, and Yinzi, frightened, nestled in Lu Yun's arms, not wanting to eat anymore.

Lu Yun himself didn't have much of an appetite, so he found an excuse to go clean up the room. They would be staying here for the night and would go to Lujia Village tomorrow.

Once the three of them left, only the Wang brothers and their elderly parents were left in the room.

Wang Youliang called out to his two younger brothers, "Eat, drink."

"How have you been in Prefecture City these past few years? Are you still helping Third Brother Lu?"

"Well, sort of. I run a food business with Second Brother of the Lu family."

Wang Youcai casually inquired, "How's business?"

"Just enough to get by, enough to eat and drink." On the way here, he and Lu Yun had agreed not to show off their wealth, partly to avoid being targeted and partly because they really didn't have much money. The little silver they had was insignificant compared to Lu Yao's.

Wang Youcai wasn't satisfied with this answer and continued to probe, "You must be making a few hundred guan a year, right?"

Wang Youtian smiled. "Do you think money in Prefecture City comes easy, like it's just lying around to be picked up?"

"At least one or two hundred guan." If they could afford to buy a house in Prefecture City, they must be making a lot.

Old Master Wang frowned and said, "Why are you asking about this? No matter how much he earns, it's Third Brother's money. What does it have to do with you?"

"I'm just asking. If the business in Prefecture City is good, I'm thinking of going to take a look..."

"Slap!" Wang Gou slammed his chopsticks onto the table. "Like father, like son! Don't blame Xiao San for being narrow-minded! I see you're no different!

You can't even manage your own fields properly, and now you want to do business in the city? Tell me, what business would you do in Prefecture City?"