Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Thanks to the Pei family, the villagers had been bustling about more frequently these past few days.

In the surrounding villages, it wasn't unheard of for marriages to fall through due to incompatible birth charts, but a fortune-reading as ominous as this was truly rare.

Under the big tree at the village entrance, women were picking vegetables, doing needlework, and cracking sunflower seeds, all gathered together. Their faces were animated, and at the critical parts, they didn't even bother to stop their grandkids from eating mud balls.

It all started the day Tian Shi returned from visiting the fortune-teller in Riverside Village.

Pei Song had blurted out that he wanted Pei Jin to stay single to show filial piety, and Pei Jin, unwilling to accept that, immediately started demanding a splitting up of the family estate.

The Pei family had little farmland; their livelihood depended on Carpenter Pei's craftsmanship.

And precisely because they had no land, when Tian Shi complained earlier about being too poor to feed Pei Mu and raising him like a dog on scraps, the villagers couldn't really object.

Pei Mu wasn't even allowed to live with them. A makeshift shed behind the Pei family courtyard served as his dwelling, all because they claimed he was a jinx who'd bring bad luck to his own father—which was supposedly a terrible lack of filial piety.

Tian Shi would even blame any headache or fever on Pei Mu, sighing loudly in front of others, claiming life was too hard.

But in reality? Just looking at how chubby and well-fed her own children were revealed the real story. The Pei family wasn't really lacking; they just didn't want to spend on Pei Mu, the so-called jinx.

In Willow Mountain Village, the Pei family was the only one doing carpentry. Old Carpenter Pei's skills were mediocre, and he was an honest man who hadn't saved much.

When Pei Song took over right after his father's death, the family was indeed not well-off. Two funerals in a row, plus his subsequent marriage to Tian Shi, had drained most of their savings.

But since he was the only carpenter in Willow Mountain Village, the money he earned was more than enough for a comfortable living. Later, he became obsessed with perfecting his craft and gradually improved his skills. People from surrounding villages would even specifically ask him to do work; it's safe to say that the Pei family's wealth was all built by him over the years.

Although Pei Song took Pei Jin along when he worked, he didn't teach him everything. Whether it was because Pei Jin was a slow learner or for some other reason is hard to say. In any case, in Pei Song's eyes, everyone else in the family was just a freeloader dependent on him. Now they were clamoring to split the family and take his money—how could he possibly agree?

Pei Song claimed he didn't believe the fortune-teller, but what if? What if the bad luck really did strike him? In any case, with that doubt in mind, he was determined never to let that new bride set foot in his house.

Pei Jin had been spoiled by Tian Shi since childhood. Compared to Pei Mu, he always thought his father treated them all well. But that notion had started to waver ever since he began working with Pei Song.

His father always called him stupid but never explained things clearly. His father scolded him, and his mother would say it was for his own good, telling him to settle down and learn the trade without getting impatient.

Later, he took a beating from Pei Mu that was meant for his parents, his marriage fell through, and he ended up bedridden for three months. Yet his father thought it was only right. Only his mother occasionally comforted him, saying she would find him a new wife once he recovered.

One thing led to another, and now, resentment towards Pei Song had taken root in his heart. That feeling reached its peak the moment he heard his father say he should remain a bachelor.

Pei Jin recklessly shouted for a division of the family, claiming he was afraid that marrying someone would bring bad luck to his father.

Furious, Pei Song grabbed a wooden stick to hit Pei Jin. Tian Shi cried and tried to calm things down. Pei Jin dodged and begged, but he accidentally tripped over a broom and fell, taking a solid whack from Pei Song's stick on his right leg.

Clutching his right leg, which had been broken a year ago, Pei Jin suddenly recalled something. He roared, losing control: "Even Pei Mu can marry! Why aren't you afraid he'll jinx you? Why should I be single for life? Why?"

Pei Jin's sudden outburst instantly stunned the neighbors who had been eavesdropping.

Indeed, if a son's marriage would bring bad luck, then Pei Mu was already married, so Pei Song was probably in danger too.

After all, Pei Song's father had passed away right after Pei Mu's mother gave birth. If one day Zhong Yizhu announced good news...

Gasp...

Over at the Pei residence, Pei Song's eyes were red with rage from Pei Jin's defiance, and he kept yelling about kicking him out of the house. Pei Jin, relying on his status as the eldest son and his mother's support, kept making a scene. Meanwhile, the village was already buzzing with superstitious talk.

Old stories from nineteen years ago were being dredged up. The rumors grew more and more outlandish, with people saying that once Zhong Yizhu had a child, both he and Carpenter Pei would probably lose their lives.

Some spoke up for Zhong Yizhu, saying that Zhong Jia Xiao Ge'er was protected by Zhong Er Ye and wouldn't die, but Carpenter Pei was doomed. Pei Mu was already a jinx, and with such bad luck bearing down on the Pei family, it seemed like a dead end...

But what could be done? Could they really forbid Zhong Yizhu from having children?

One day, Zhong Yizhu was sorting beans in the courtyard when there was a sudden pounding on the door.

The wooden door banged loudly, stirring up fine dust from the ground. It was clear that the visitor meant trouble.

Zhong Yizhu didn't move. A moment later, Tian Shi's voice rang out from outside.

"You little wretch, don't think I don't know you're home! Open the door!"

Zhong Yizhu walked to the door but still didn't open it. "What do you want from me? If it's something, talk to Pei Mu. I'll send him to your place when he gets back."

Tian Shi's anger flared even more at his words, and she shrieked, "Are you doing this on purpose? Why would you send him to my house? Why! If it weren't for that jinx, our family wouldn't be in such a mess! It's all his bad luck! All his fault! He's no longer a member of the Pei family! He can never come back!"

In her extreme hatred, she kicked the door hard, but only hurt herself, letting out a pained cry and hopping on one foot, hissing.

Seeing that Zhong Yizhu still had no intention of opening the door, she wrapped a piece of paper around a rock and threw it over the courtyard wall.

Tian Shi cursed viciously, "We've cut ties with that beast Pei Mu! From now on, he has nothing to do with our Pei family. If he's going to bring bad luck, let him bring it to you and your mother! He killed his mother and grandfather, and now he's trying to kill his own father and my son! That beast! Why doesn't he just die out there..."

That day, Tian Shi had been reminded by Pei Jin's words. Later, she went to see Mr. Zhu again, frantically asking if Pei Mu was the cause and whether driving Pei Mu away would lift the curse. Mr. Zhu said he had already revealed too many secrets of fate; if he said more, he would suffer too, and told her to figure it out herself.

His vague answer made Tian Shi even more convinced that her deduction was right.

Ever since Pei Jin's engagement was called off and the family started falling apart, it all began when Pei Mu returned to the village. Pei Mu was the root of everything!

When she got home, she embellished her own conjectures and told them to Pei Song. In the past, she had only coveted the money Pei Mu brought and the exemption from the head tax. But now, it seemed Pei Mu was a worthless wretch anyway, and they couldn't get their hands on his money no matter what. The only benefit was that small exemption from the head tax, which was nothing compared to their lives. The right thing to do was to cut ties with that beast as soon as possible.

As for Pei Mu, Pei Song had always deeply loathed him. He had tried to abandon him once but didn't succeed. He couldn't very well kill him with his own hands, so he raised him like a dog.

But Pei Mu's life was tenacious; he had survived even that. Later, they sent him off to war, thinking he would die. But he came back alive.

Since that was the case, Pei Song had given him life, so Pei Mu ought to repay him. That's why when Tian Shi urged him to ask Pei Mu for money, he thought it was only natural.

And it was on that day, looking into Pei Mu's eyes, that he realized for the first time so clearly: Pei Mu really wanted to kill him.

He was terrified, but also enraged. He was his father! How dare he!

Later, Pei Mu didn't touch him, only broke Pei Jin's leg in retaliation. So Pei Song thought Pei Mu still didn't dare to kill him; after all, he was still his father.

And so their relationship with Pei Mu remained at a standstill. Pei Song didn't provoke him, but he let Tian Shi and the others push Pei Mu's boundaries.

He had raised Pei Mu for over a decade; he ought to get something back.

When Tian Shi told him her theory, Pei Song initially didn't agree. He blamed everything on Pei Mu, but in truth, he knew best how his father and Pei Mu's mother had died. What did that have to do with some curse? He felt there was no need to be afraid, but he couldn't shake a twinge of guilt.

Tian Shi nagged him so much that one night, he suddenly dreamed of his father and Pei Mu's mother.

One of them had a ferocious expression and wanted to bite him to death; the other urgently called him over, but then suddenly grabbed his neck and lifted him up.

Pei Song woke up drenched in sweat. The next day, he sent Pei Shui to fetch the village head.

The first thing he said to the village head was, "I want to sever ties with Pei Mu."

In Great Yan, filial piety was paramount. If children wanted to cut ties with their parents, it was impossible unless the parents agreed, and such behavior was considered unfilial. Conversely, if parents wanted to cut ties with their children, they didn't need the children's consent.

When it came to matters like this, Liu Youzong usually advised people to think twice, but this time he was silent for just a moment, then had someone fetch paper and brush from his house, and wrote the formal letter of disownment on the spot.

Pei Song pressed his thumbprint. There were three copies of the letter of disownment: one for Pei Song, one retained by the village head, and the remaining one meant for Pei Mu. Tian Shi said she would deliver it, so Liu Youzong said nothing more, simply sighed as he walked out of the Pei family courtyard.

The reason Tian Shi insisted on delivering the letter of disownment herself was that she knew Pei Mu was not around and wanted to take the chance to vent her anger by cursing him out. In the end, she even urged Zhong Yizhu to pack up and run away early, warning that if he didn't, Pei Mu would bring him bad luck that could kill him, and it would be too late for regrets.

Zhong Yizhu read the letter of disownment carefully from start to finish, smoothed it flat, put it away, and then went to the backyard to water the plants, paying no further attention to Tian Shi's hysterical ranting outside.

Thus, the village had plenty more gossip to chew on.

They talked about Pei Mu, who had been disowned; about Tian Shi, who seemed to have gone mad; and finally, they sighed about how pitiful the young man was—now that the Pei family had severed ties with Pei Mu, the only one Pei Mu could bring bad luck to would be Zhong Yizhu.

Idle gossip took on new twists every day.

As autumn arrived, the weather gradually turned cool, and the sun was no longer as scorching as in summer. Still, walking for a long time in the open could still leave you feeling hot.

Zhong Yizhu stood in a patch of shade, took off his straw hat, and fanned himself with it. A villager passing by eyed him with curiosity and eventually couldn't help asking, "Where are you from? What brings you to Caishi Village?"

In recent years, kidnappers had been active in the southern region, so the villagers were always wary of strangers. Zhong Yizhu looked at the man and said, "I'm from Liushan Village. I've come to find Uncle Zhao to buy some pottery."

"Liushan Village..." The speaker was an elderly villager, his expression turning from alert to suddenly gossipy as he leaned in. "The one betrothed to our Li Erniang is from your village, isn't he? I heard that family refuses to call off the engagement. Even after what Sun Tiezui said, tsk tsk, that fellow would rather split the family to marry Li Erniang?"

Zhong Yizhu shook his head, indicating he didn't know, and after bidding farewell to the disappointed-looking elder, he made his way along the route he remembered to Old Man Zhao's house.

Old Man Zhao was firing a kiln at home; when he heard someone knock, he looked over and smiled, saying, "Young man, you've come to pick up your goods? They're all ready. Come take a look."

Zhong Yizhu followed Old Man Zhao into a side room in the courtyard, which was filled with various finished jars and pottery.

On a square table in the corner, neatly arranged were dozens of small, flat-bellied jars, each about the size of a little finger.

Zhong Yizhu had come on a whim earlier, and ordering the pottery was just a pretext to cover his true intentions. But it had unexpectedly worked out perfectly, and now he could put them to use.

He paid the balance, packed the pottery jars into the basket he had brought, layering them with hay to prevent them from breaking on the road.

As he came out of Old Man Zhao's house, Zhong Yizhu happened to run into a woman carrying a child, who hurriedly crossed the threshold of the neighboring courtyard, shouting, "Mr. Sun, come quick and check if our Dogdan has lost his soul—he's been crying for hours without stopping..."

Zhong Yizhu passed by with his basket, like an uninterested outsider. He only glanced casually and didn't even pause his steps.