Chapter 101: Liao Cang “Bonus Chapter for 300 Votes”

Chapter 101: Liao Cang "Bonus Chapter for 300 Votes"

Yun Cheng looked at him indifferently, "If you were my brother, you’d have had your limbs broken by now."

"..."

Du Yunzhe's face stiffened.

"When the family split, it wasn’t just the property—it was the ties between your branch and the rest of us. Otherwise, given the heinous things you've done, how could you still be living peacefully in the village?"

"Do you remember Zhao and Du Yunfu? They were tattooed and exiled to the frontier according to the law for destroying crops. If it weren't for your mother's unborn child and our grandfather protecting you, your fate would have been worse than theirs."

"Du Yunzhe, if one wants to reform, one must first learn to be content."

Du Yunzhe was completely torn apart by Yun Cheng's words, feeling lost and desperate. In his panic, he grabbed Yun Cheng's sleeve.

He was both anxious and scared, and at the same time felt wronged. He forgot his earlier plan of being tactful and poured out all the fragmented thoughts he had been harboring these days.

"Brother, I know I was wrong, truly. Please, can you speak to the Township Lord and the Scholar Master to let me join the clan school?"

"All the boys in the village are going to study, even some girls are going. Only the three of us are left out. Brother, don’t you care about us?"

"I am your closest blood brother. If I pass the imperial exams and become a high official, it will benefit you too!"

Yun Cheng remained unmoved, calmly pulling his sleeve away.

"You’ll never become a high official. Even if you did, it would be a disaster for the Du clan and the people under your rule. People with twisted minds shouldn’t be allowed to study."

Seeing that even after his sincere apology, Yun Cheng offered no hope, the resentment and frustration Du Yunzhe had been bottling up suddenly exploded.

His eyes turned red, blood rushed to his head, and he shouted hoarsely at Yun Cheng.

"Just one mistake, and my whole life is ruined? All this talk about family, brother, grandfather, uncles, it's all just a pretense to make sure I don’t succeed!"

"You got the lion’s share of the property, living in a fancy city house, studying at the best academy. Cun Lan, that wretched girl, and Yun Ying, that short-lived one, became the children of a military official. I’m the only one stuck in a rundown thatched hut in the village, not even allowed to study in the clan school that everyone else can attend."

Du Yunzhe's hands trembled with anger, "Why are you treating me like this?!"

The commotion they caused was quite loud, and many of those building the clan school looked over.

Those who didn't know the details, seeing Du Yunzhe's state, thought that Yun Cheng, as the elder brother, was bullying his younger brother.

Qiu Huanian frowned, wanting to go over and see what was happening, but Du Yunse held his hand.

"Let’s see how Yun Cheng deals with it."

Qiu Huanian paused for a moment, then nodded.

As their status and position in the village had risen, many conflicts no longer reached them.

Even though they’re from the same village, no one’s foolish enough to cross the Scholar and the Township Lord. The fear brought by the status gap was deeply rooted in the hearts of the ancient people.

Du Yunzhe had followed Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse all the way, but he didn't dare to directly plead with them, only daring to approach Yun Cheng.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Yun Cheng's face remained calm and serious, his tone steady.

"As the sage said, 'Recognizing and correcting your mistakes is the greatest virtue.' But Du Yunzhe, have you and your family truly realized your mistakes and truly want to change?"

He calmly laid out the state of Du Yunzhe’s family.

"Your family was given one mu of irrigated land and three mu of dry land. If you’d worked hard and lived frugally, with your grandfather’s occasional help, was it really not enough for you to study? After the family split, you still lazed around and wallowed in self-pity. How can you even have the nerve to blame others?"

"You want to attend the clan school, but during its construction, many villagers came to help. Did your father lift a finger to help? Did your mother even bring over a single meal? What have you done to contribute?"

"You’re always just out for yourself, never feeling guilty for the people you’ve hurt, and never trying to change. No wonder your life’s going nowhere."

Yun Cheng calmly concluded his judgment on Yun Zhe and turned to leave.

"I’ve said my piece. Even if you beg our grandfather, you won’t get into the clan school. From now on, stop bothering Brother Yun Se and Sister Hua Nian."

Yun Zhe’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Yun Cheng walking away. He clenched his fists, ready to lash out, but under everyone’s watchful eyes, he slunk back into the reeds.

Yun Cheng hesitated for a second, then sped up.

Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse were out for a stroll and caught the whole scene. After a while, they headed back home, feeling uneasy.

That same day, the clan leader heard about what happened near the school. Sitting in the main room, he glanced at the hesitant eldest family and shook his head.

"What are you thinking? Worried I’d go to Yun Se and Brother Hua to beg for Yun Zhe’s kids to get into the school? I’m not that far gone yet!"

Bao Ren laughed nervously, "I was just worried. After all, Yun Zhe should’ve been turned in to the authorities. If he not only stays in the village but also gets a free education, what would Second Brother say?"

At the mention of his second son Bao Yi, the clan leader let out a deep sigh.

"Has Bao Yi sent a new letter?"

"Still the one received ten days ago. He said the family’s doing fine and sent a fox pelt for you to make into a winter hat."

The clan leader leaned on his cane, his posture aging a bit more.

"Every year before winter, the Tatars raid the borders the most. Bao Yi’s probably only telling us the good stuff."

"Fortunately, he’s now under General Wu, with Yun Se’s connections and the goodwill we established before, he can always get some extra care."

The clan leader, growing older, often found himself lost in memories. After his second son’s family left, his regrets just kept piling up.

"Did Bao Yi mention in his letter when he would return home for a visit?"

"No, perhaps the border affairs are too pressing, and he doesn’t have time to take leave."

"...It’s better not to return, just let it be."

Bao Ren and Meng Fuyue looked to their son for help, but Yun Cheng just slightly shook his head.

"It’s almost dinner. I’ll head to town to get Brother Ling. We’ve agreed to have dinner at my uncle’s place, so don’t wait for us."

...

These days, the clan school in Du Village has attracted the attention of the entire county. Yun Zhe was not the first to cause a scene over admission eligibility.

When Wei Liuhua visited Qiu Huanian for a chat, she mentioned someone.

"My sister-in-law Qiaoxing’s son, Li Jia, also wants to attend the clan school."

Qiu Huanian had only heard of Qiaoxing but had never met her.

Because Qiaoxing, along with Zhao, had exploited Wei Liuhua by taking embroidery jobs in the city and giving them to Wei Liuhua without sharing any of the profits, Qiu Huanian didn’t have a good impression of her.

"Isn’t Qiaoxing married to a shopkeeper in the county town? Her child should be able to attend a private school there, right?"

"It used to be like that, but her husband lost his job as a manager, and recently they’ve been eagerly dropping by to ask about the clan school."

"Lost his job?"

"This actually ties back to you and Brother Hua," Wei Liuhua said cheerfully.

"Qiaoxing’s husband was the manager at Chengxiang Jewelry Shop. The owner of that shop recently approached Uncle Baoshan, wanting to ask him to have Yun Se write a plaque for them, right?"

"Soon after, the clan established new rules, and Uncle Baoshan immediately returned everything. The owner panicked, thinking he’d upset the scholar, and quickly started making inquiries everywhere."

"Through these inquiries, he found out about the things Qiaoxing’s mother and brother had done to you before. The owner didn’t dare keep Qiaoxing’s husband as the manager and let him go right away."

Qiu Huanian hadn’t expected the plaque incident to have such repercussions and shook his head with a smile.

Even though he and Du Yunse had no intention of pursuing the matter, the other party had assumed the worst and overreacted out of fear.

Wei Liuhua snorted, "Back then, Qiaoxing always looked down on us, treating me and Yunhu like beasts of burden. Now, for the sake of her child’s education, she’s suddenly all friendly and coming around. Does she think I’m a pushover?"

Her last sentence was a bit loud, and Youge, who was playing in the yard, turned around and asked, "Mother, what does 'cheap' mean?"

Wei Liuhua lightly slapped her own mouth, "Oops, Youge’s here, I shouldn’t have said that."

Qiu Huanian waved his hand, and Shanhu, understanding, picked up Youge and took him to play elsewhere.

"When we were expelled from the clan, apart from you, Yunhu, and Youge, Du Baoquan’s entire family was removed from the clan registry. Qiaoxing’s child, technically shouldn’t be allowed into the clan school."

Wei Liuhua nodded and went on chatting with Qiu Huanian about family stuff.

"After that family left, Zhao and Du Yunfu were branded and sent into exile for deliberately destroying crops. Du Yunjing teaches at a private school in the county town, and Li Guer has disappeared somewhere."

"Du Yunjing now lives alone, keeping all the family property for himself, ignoring his own father. The old man has to rely on Qiaoxing’s family. The daughter he once doted on treats him as a burden, not even giving him enough to eat, and often sends snarky messages to our house."

"...After this year’s autumn harvest, Yunhu couldn’t stand it and sent two dan of grain to Qiaoxing’s house, so the old man could finally get enough to eat."

Wei Liuhua’s expression was complex as she spoke, a mix of annoyance and resignation.

"Didn’t Yunhu discuss this with you?"

"He didn’t have the guts. He saved up the pocket money I usually gave him and quietly took on odd jobs to earn some extra money, covering the loss from selling those two dan of grain, hoping I wouldn’t notice."

Qiu Huanian wasn’t sure what to say, but Wei Liuhua smiled.

"Forget it, I don’t want to get hung up on it. Back then, Zhao mistreated us and abused Youge, and the old man looked the other way. Of course, I hated him. Now that they’ve all gotten what was coming to them, I’ll just let him eat his fill for the sake of him being Yunhu’s father."

"Even if he can eat his fill, he’s not having an easy time at Qiaoxing’s place, and it’s gotten even harder since her husband lost his job."

Having known Wei Liuhua for over a year, Qiu Huanian felt like he was seeing her in a new light today.

"Sister-in-law, you’ve got a good outlook."

"As the saying goes, Yunhu’s no saint, but he’s a cut above most," Wei Liuhua quoted with a flourish.

Qiu Huanian laughed, and Wei Liuhua joined in. After laughing, she looked at Youge playing with Shanhu in the yard and let out a long sigh.

"Yunhu and I have been through a lot together. What I value most about him is his kind heart, but a kind heart can also be a weakness. Someone like him could never bear to see his own father go hungry."

"All the past wrongs are mostly forgotten when the other party falls into hardship," Wei Liuhua shook her head. "But I’ll keep things under control."

"I have Youge, after all."

Before dinner, Yunhu came to Qiu Huanian's house to pick up Wei Liuhua and Youge.

He'd been helping out at the clan school all day, and he was soaked in sweat. He'd washed his hands in the river, but his palms were still rough with calluses.

Youge was scratched by his rough hands and struggled to avoid being held, so Yunhu quickly let go and rubbed his hands on his clothes.

Qiu Huanian came out too, and Yunhu greeted him.

Qiu Huanian nodded, "Uncle Bao Ren told me Brother Yunhu has been helping out at the clan school every day. You've been putting in a lot of effort."

Yunhu felt a bit embarrassed and smiled humbly, "The clan school is a huge deal for our village. It's the least I can do. Besides, next year my Youge will also go to the clan school to study. I can tell him his dad helped build the school he’ll study in."

Youge was eyeing the colorful sandbag made of scraps of cloth that Coral had. Qiu Huanian had Coral hand it over and promised to make it up to her with a piece of cloth later.

Youge happily clapped his hands while holding the sandbag. Qiu Huanian smiled, his tone pointed, "Even though our clan school is big, not everyone can just waltz in here to study."

"There are tons of people out there. If we let in rule-breakers, no matter how much cash I’ve got, it wouldn’t cover it."

"Since I’m close with Sister Liuhua, next year when Youge enters the clan school, I’ll personally hook him up with a top-notch set of writing materials."

Yunhu was momentarily stunned, thinking of his sister Qiaoxing who had been visiting frequently to test the waters recently, and he understood.

He fidgeted, rubbing his hands and looked at Wei Liuhua, who looked away, avoiding his eyes.

Yunhu stammered, "Township Lord, don’t worry, I understand all this. I never promised to help Qiaoxing beg her way in. The clan school has its own rules. They’ve already been removed from the clan, so how could they come back to study?"

Qiu Huanian nodded and continued, "Being filial isn’t a bad thing, but there should be a limit. Don’t just let the troublemakers get away with everything, only to hurt the people who matter most to you."

After giving Yunhu a hint, Qiu Huanian didn’t say more and turned to go inside.

Yunhu suddenly thought of something and hurriedly said to Wei Liuhua, "Liuhua, I—I—"

His face was filled with guilt and heartache, but he was too clumsy with words to explain. He could only carefully tug at Wei Liuhua’s sleeve.

Wei Liuhua sighed.

"Are you someone who can keep things hidden? Is there anything you do that I wouldn’t know about, hmm?"

Yunhu hung his head in silence. Wei Liuhua had known about him sending the grain for a while but hadn’t said anything or questioned him, which made Yunhu feel even more ashamed.

Thinking of the grievances Wei Liuhua had silently endured, he felt a pang of guilt and admitted, "It was just that one time. Qiaoxing threatened that if there was no more food, she would let our father starve to death. I… I’ll never send anything behind your back again."

Wei Liuhua smiled, "Let’s go, we’ll take Youge home."

Yunhu quickly crouched down, letting Youge ride on his shoulders with practiced ease, and hurried to keep up with Wei Liuhua.

Yunhu was tall, and Youge, riding high like a horse, looked around from his new vantage point, clapping his hands and giggling with delight.

Ahead, Wei Liuhua’s smile grew a little more genuine.

...

A few more days passed, and the clan school was nearing completion. Qiu Huanian had also ordered a large batch of desks, chairs, bookshelves, and daily furniture from the carpenter, and it would be ready for use in two or three days.

Liao Cang, the classmate Du Yunse had invited to be the teacher, had also arrived in Du Village.

Before setting off, Liao Cang had sent another letter. Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse estimated the arrival date and prepared their home to welcome the guest.

When he arrived outside Du Village, Liao Cang asked for directions. As soon as people heard he was the teacher for the clan school, they all competed to show him the way, leaving Liao Cang both amused and exasperated.

"Yun Se, why is there such a big fuss about your clan school? Could it be that every household in the village is going to study?"