Chapter 127 Clan Rules

Chapter 127: Clan Rules

Even after living in the prefectural city for several years, Chang Jinhua had never seen such exquisite jewelry.

Seeing her just looking without moving, Meng Wan simply picked up one and put it on her hand. "See? How beautiful."

Chang Jinhua was startled by his movement. "Be careful."

Meng Wan said with a wry smile, "It's made of gold anyway, it won't break." He was afraid that if he bought jade or jadeite ornaments for Chang Jinhua, she would be reluctant to wear them, so he bought a pair of gold bracelets instead.

Chang Jinhua paid no heed, touching the bracelet on her wrist as if it were a fragile item, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turning up.

"You like it, right?" Meng Wan asked, hands on his hips, a proud look on his face.

This pair of bracelets was bought in Shengjing. He had even called Nie Zhiyao along, and the two of them picked them out for a long time. Together, the pair weighed about three taels, but the cost wasn't in the gold price—it was in the craftsmanship of the artisan. These weren't mass-produced by machines like in modern times; they were carefully polished and carved by a goldsmith bit by bit, each piece truly unique.

How could she not understand her child's feelings? With reddened eyes, she said, "I like it, but..."

She shifted her tone, "I'll wear just one bracelet. Keep the other for yourself."

Meng Wan had long guessed she would say that. He rolled up his slightly loose sleeve, revealing a white jade bracelet on his fair wrist—and it was one of a pair.

"I bought some for myself too, and not just one pair."

Meng Wan brought out another jewelry box and a separate long box.

These were things he had chosen after leaving the Earl of Huaien's mansion that day, after spending a night thinking at home, and then asking Nie Zhiyao to go shopping with him.

At that time, he didn't yet know where Song Tingzhou would be assigned as an official. If they stayed in Shengjing, he would inevitably have to socialize with other wives and husbands. Without a few decent pieces of jewelry, these people would immediately ostracize him at first sight.

These people were not just embroidering in the backyards; some were extremely shrewd and could even use domestic socializing to benefit their husbands in their careers.

In one's position, one must attend to one's duties. In truth, if Song Tingzhou was appointed in the capital, Meng Wan would inevitably have to deal with them. The scheming and intrigue alone were exhausting to think about—it was better to be assigned outside.

Meng Wan opened the jewelry in the box to show Chang Jinhua: headpins, hairpins, earrings, necklaces, neck rings, bracelets, waist ornaments—everything was complete. There weren't many of each style, but each piece was a fine work. Chang Jinhua could see how precious they were.

Meng Wan then opened the long wooden box in his hand. "I was going to give this to you tomorrow." To let her calm down, so she wouldn't scold him again.

Inside lay two gold-inlaid jade hairpins, similar in craftsmanship, with gold wire winding around the jade body—ornate yet noble. One was carved with a lotus flower, the other with a golden crow.

"One for each of us. This lotus one suits your age better; I'll keep the golden crow for myself." After his trip to Shengjing, he had prepared many things. Lingnan had a hot and humid climate with many poisonous insects and miasma, so he had also bought several bolts of silk fabric and medicinal herbs, leaving them at Shichun Lane to take along when they left.

"These are all valuable, fine things. It's only right for a young person like you to dress up. What a pity to waste them on an old woman like me." Chang Jinhua was still reluctant. When she returned to the village, she wore only fine cotton clothes. The patterned fabrics Meng Wan bought were only worn in the prefectural city.

"If I don't buy for you, who would I buy for? Not just you—I also have a set of silver hairpins for Bi Yun." Bi Yun was now nineteen. She had previously bought a plain silver hairpin with her own monthly allowance and hadn't changed it for years. In comparison, A Xun, the attendant serving Nie Zhiyao, dressed much more carefully. It wasn't good for a servant to be too ostentatious, but Meng Wan wasn't a stingy master either, so he bought a set for Bi Yun this time.

Holding Chang Jinhua's rough hand, Meng Wan studied her face, which looked older than her peers, and said seriously, "Mother, in the past, when husband was away studying, you alone managed the household. You were a widow with a young child, of little influence, so it was right to be cautious. You've worked hard all these years. But now it's different! Husband has been assigned as an official. You are now the mother of an official. As long as we don't commit murder or arson, we have nothing to fear. From now on, wear whatever you want, adorn whatever you please—no one will dare say a word against you."

Song Tingzhou, who had just walked in from the courtyard, also heard these words. He didn't know how to speak such intimate words to his mother, so he just uttered a firm "Hmm" and echoed in a deep voice, "Mother, Wan'er is right."

Hot tears dripped onto Meng Wan's hand. He exchanged a glance with Song Tingzhou, speechless and pained.

Chang Jinhua was not used to sentimentality. She pulled a straight face, wiped her tears expressionlessly, and said, "Give Bi Yun hers yourself tomorrow. Go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'll grind soybeans and make soy milk for you."

With that, red-eyed, she carefully wrapped the jewelry and tucked it into her bosom, then returned to the eastern room.

Song Tingzhou followed behind to see her off. "Mother, I've been assigned to the Lingnan region. The climate there... is not too good."

Song Tingzhou pursed his lips. "Mother, you..."

"I'm still in good health now. When I'm old and frail, you won't have to tell me—I won't follow you." Chang Jinhua threw these words at him without looking back.

Meng Wan poked his head out of the window: "..."

My husband has no talent for words.

That evening, the two went to bed early. The next morning, when Meng Wan woke up, he felt totally refreshed and relaxed—such a wonderful sleep.

Early in the morning, Xue Sheng had made tofu and returned. Chang Jinhua boiled soybean milk, cooked eggs, made pancakes, and cut a few small plates of pickled vegetables.

After eating, Meng Wan went to the side room to pick out gifts. Once chosen, Song Tingzhou and Xue Sheng loaded them onto their horse-drawn cart. The fabric was placed innermost—this was for family members. The rest were practical items like wine, sugar, and tea.

They first went to the village head's house. Since he was the most respected person in the village, they should pay him a proper visit. It didn't take much effort, and they didn't bring anything too valuable—just normal social calls.

An official personally coming with gifts was enough to overwhelm the village head's family. They insisted on slaughtering the half-grown fat pig they were planning to sell for money at New Year's and invited Song Tingzhou to stay for a meal.

Meng Wan quickly declined. "Uncle, we still need to visit the clan. In a few days, we'll be hosting a banquet at home, and we'll ask you to come and help keep the gift accounts. Today, we won't stay long."

The village head was literate and held authority in the village. Whenever fellow villagers held events, they asked him to keep the accounts.

Song Tingzhou passing the imperial examination and becoming an official brought merit even to the county magistrate, let alone to their village. Even if they wanted to keep a low profile, a grand banquet was necessary to celebrate.

Leaving the village head's house, they went straight to the clan. The clan leader knew they were coming and had long notified all clan members. A huge crowd gathered; the clan leader led the way and was about to bow to Song Tingzhou, but Song Tingzhou stopped him.

"Though I am now an official, I am still a member of the Song clan. After my father passed away, the elders of the clan always looked after us, the widow and orphan. Our whole family will keep that in mind."

This was just a polite remark. The Song family in Sanquan Village was poor. After generations, Song Tingzhou was the first person of status. Everyone barely scraped a living from the fields; if they managed to save some money, they wouldn't use it to help his family.

But as one clan, there was still a sense of shared honor and disgrace. As a widow, Chang Jinhua had a hard life. If she encountered any thugs or ruffians, the men of the clan would come to help without a second word.

Meng Wan gave gifts to the clan leader and several elders: fabric, tea, sugar, and wine—not expensive, but not shabby either—all practical for farming families.

The clan was now better off, having built new houses. The orphaned children without parents all lived together in one courtyard.

Last year, before they left, Meng Wan had financed the construction of a charity hall with help from the clan. The grain for these children was provided by Song Tingzhou's family, but only until the age of fourteen. After fourteen, they had to find ways to support themselves.

Song Tingzhou discussed with the clan leader, "I want to build a private school in the village and hire a student candidate to teach. All children from the clan can come to study for free. If any pass the student exam, I will continue to support them."

Having a clan school was a great honor, and since it didn't cost them anything, almost no one opposed.

The clan leader's old face broke into a broad smile. "It's so good of you to think of the clan's children."

Song Tingzhou becoming an official brought pride to every member of the Song clan. Mentioning it would earn them respect. In this ordinary northern town, they could even strut from the east end to the west end.

"The Song clan has passed down from generation to generation, sharing a common ancestor. It is only right that we support each other. However..."

Song Tingzhou changed his tone, his expression turning stern. "The clan members must be restrained. They must not speak arrogantly outside or bully others under my name. If I am impeached in court, not only will my official position be lost, but the entire Song family will be destroyed. Look at the former criminal Wu Yong of Changping Prefecture—that is the consequence."

Wu Yong's story had spread throughout Changping Prefecture and even been turned into plays. They didn't mention Wu Yong by name, but everyone knew the former prefect and how miserably his entire family had died.

The men and women in the room couldn't help but shrink back, their desire to boast and show off cooling considerably.

But Song Tingzhou knew this was only temporary. Once they tasted the convenience and temptation that came with the Song clan's rising prestige, they would gradually forget today's warning and be driven by desire.

The clan rules needed to be rewritten, and everyone must strictly follow them.

At noon, Song Tingzhou ate at the clan. In the afternoon, he would discuss the revision of the clan rules with the leader. Meng Wan took the remaining half cart of goods to the clan's dining hall.

A year had passed, and these children looked unfamiliar to him. They all shrank behind the oldest girl, peeking out at him timidly.

Meng Wan didn't have the patience to coax them, so he just said one thing: "Want some candy?"

The children's eyes immediately lit up.

The dining hall had a long dormitory; the courtyard contained three rows of long buildings, one each on the east, west, and north sides. With few children now, they lived in the south-facing row. Later, when there were more or older children, they could separate the boys, girls, and xiaoge.

Meng Wan took the outermost bundle off the cart and gave each child a small piece. The younger kids, enticed by the candy, swallowed it in one bite. The older ones, however, hesitated and hid theirs in their sleeves.

"Eat them all. If you save them, they'll melt into your clothes. Little Uncle bought you a lot. I'm leaving them all with Big Sister. Whenever you want some, just ask her."

He handed the bundle to the girl. "Take this and put it away properly. I also bought you some coarse cloth. Come back and help me unload."

"Okay, Little Uncle, I'll be right back." The girl, happy to hear about new cloth, agreed cheerfully and ran back to the house, hopping and jumping, to put away the candy.

The younger ones behaved themselves. After staring reluctantly at the candy in their sister's hands for a while, they gathered by the cart and asked Meng Wan, "Little Uncle, can we help you carry things too?" Having eaten the candy, they now dared to talk to him.

"Sure," Meng Wan said with a smile. "Little Seven, take Little Eight and Little Nine to play over there. You older ones come help me move the cloth to the west room."

The children lined up to receive bolts of brightly colored cloth. Meng Wan had chosen relatively bright dirt-resistant colors: sea blue, pine green, orange-yellow, orange-red, pomegranate red, and cherry red. Finally, there were two bundles of old clothes belonging to him and Song Tingzhou. The fabric was good; they could alter them to fit.

After moving everything, he spoke to the older children.

"Make sure to lock the doors. If you see strangers, go find an adult from the clan. If anyone bullies you, go to the clan chief."

"Soon the clan will build a school and hire a teacher. Whether you are boys, girls, or xiaoge, you must attend class diligently, understand?"

"Girls and xiaoge will have it a bit harder. Little Uncle will find some experienced women to teach you embroidery and weaving. Learn well so that in the future you can earn a living with your own skills and won't have to depend on others. Remember that?"

The children might not fully grasp his meaning, but they nodded seriously, committing his words to memory.

The couple each had a busy day and returned home. The next morning, they went to Second Uncle Song's house and gave him some cloth and other items, asking him to contact the butcher in the neighboring village to buy ten fat pigs. They would host a day-long open-house feast the day after tomorrow, inviting people from Sanquan Village and all nearby villages. No one would be turned away; it would last until evening.

They had originally planned to pick up Meng Wan's grandmother on the banquet day, but unexpectedly, Uncle Chang considerately brought her over and offered to stay and help entertain the guests.

"Your grandmother misses you. I thought since you've only been back a short time and have a lot to do at home, you might need help. So I brought your cousin and his family uninvited." Uncle Chang spoke to Song Tingzhou stiffly, his demeanor noticeably more humble.

Meng Wan said warmly, "Uncle, you've come at just the right time. Mother has been talking about you too. She was afraid of tiring you out with the banquet preparations and was planning to have you just enjoy the feast tomorrow. Since you're here, we'll have to trouble Aunt, Cousin, and Cousin's wife."

Aunt Chang's uneasy heart settled, and she beamed and took Meng Wan's hand. "Oh, look at you, why so formal? We're all family. If you need help, just tell us. Your grandmother talks about you every day. This time she'll stay with you for a few more days."

Meng Wan studied the old lady sitting on the kang talking to Chang Jinhua. She looked healthier than last time, her silver hair neatly combed. Her speech was unhurried, and there was no longer the worried look in her eyes.

Good, it seemed Aunt Chang had truly taken good care of her.

They knew they had offended Song Tingzhou and Chang Jinhua before, so they were eager to use the grandmother as a way to mend the relationship. Every time they met, they got a lot of silver. Unless they were crazy, they wouldn't mistreat the grandmother anymore; they would probably wish her to live to a hundred.

Meng Wan went back to his room and brought out a silver lock for a child and a pair of silver bracelets for adults. He called Yu Ge'er: "Yu Ge'er, come to Little Uncle."

Yu Ge'er's eyes sparkled as he ran affectionately to Meng Wan, completely unafraid.

Meng Wan put the silver lock around his neck and said to Aunt Chang, "Aunt, don't mind it; it's just a little something for the kid to wear."

"Oh, it's too generous for a child," Aunt Chang said, but she couldn't resist secretly weighing the silver lock, satisfied with the weight.

"It's nothing. We weren't home when Cousin got married. This pair of bracelets is a belated gift for Cousin's wife."

In wealthy families in Shengjing, bracelets were always worn in pairs; only very rare items were worn singly. But in the countryside, even wearing one was precious, let alone a pair.

Cousin's wife was flattered. "Thank you, Sister-in-law. This is too valuable."

Meng Wan's smile widened. "You are still young. In the future, the Chang household will need you to manage. Grandmother is getting older, so it will be up to you and Aunt."

"Don't worry, Sister-in-law. I will take good care of Grandma."