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Wang Dashan put on a thick sheepskin coat and walked outside, approaching the front door. Instead of opening it directly, he asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Second Brother, your elder brother. Open the door; I'm freezing out here. Let me come in and warm up before we talk!"
A man outside spoke, and it was indeed Wang Dashan's elder brother, Wang Dachuan.
Wang Dashan frowned, wondering why this elder brother had come. They had already split their household long ago, and the separation had been quite unpleasant. Ever since their parents passed away, they had hardly interacted. What could he possibly want now? He didn't want to open the door.
"Let's talk about it tomorrow."
"Hey! Dashan, I'm your elder brother. Even if we don't see each other often, you can't just leave me out here! I know you haven't gone to bed yet. Is Shun and Qingfeng's family all here? With so many people around, are you afraid of one more? I won't cause any trouble; just let me in before I freeze to death."
Wang Dachuan continued speaking, banging on the door loudly enough that it echoed.
Wang Dashan thought that he must have known there were people in his house to come knocking like this. Hearing the loud banging that attracted the barking of dogs from the neighbors, he frowned and opened the door, thinking to himself that what else could this elder brother do? Even if they fought, he wouldn't be able to win against him.
As soon as Wang Dachuan saw the door open, he hurried inside, tucking his hands into his sleeves and shrinking his neck as he grinned at Wang Dashan. "Second Brother, let's go inside; it's too cold out here. You know I can't stand the cold." After saying that, he moved ahead into the house. Wang Dashan quickly stepped forward to block him at the entrance.
Wang Dachuan craned his neck to look at the curtain behind Wang Dashan and said with a smile, "Second Brother, a few brothers are not outsiders; let me go in and say a few words."
Xie Youshun shouted from inside, "Don't come in! We're not familiar with you!"
Xie Qingfeng also called out loudly, "Exactly! I have nothing to say to you. If you have something to discuss, talk to Dashan. Once you're done, leave; I can't stand you."
They had a good relationship with Wang Dashan and had all witnessed the disputes among the Wang brothers. Naturally, they sided with Wang Dashan since they had long since severed ties with Wang Dachuan and usually remained silent when they met. Now that Wang Dachuan wanted to come in and chat, they were unwilling to engage.
Wang Dachuan seemed unbothered by their rejection and continued grinning at Wang Dashan. "Looks like you all have been drinking quite a bit; you're all tipsy now. Then I won't go in. Let's just talk here. I came to ask you something. You have to tell me the truth; we're brothers after all."
"What is it?" Wang Dashan asked, thinking how shameless this elder brother was. They were brothers? After how he treated him back then? If it weren't for his hard work over the years and risking his life hunting in the mountains a few times to earn some money, his life would have been miserable. Back when they split households, he hardly got anything; all the good things in the house went to his elder brother. How could he still claim they were good brothers?
"Wang Dachuan said, 'I heard that you guys have been helping people collect pork these days. You bought it and then sold it at a high price to others, so you must have made quite a profit, right? Why didn't you tell your big brother about this good thing? We are relatives after all. Even if you don't share the meat with me, at least let me have a sip of the soup? But you, not a word to me at all. If others find out, they'll laugh at me.'
Wang Dashan frowned even tighter upon hearing this and said, 'If they laugh at you, you'll lose a bit of face. Everyone in the village knows how we are. Don't come here talking about brotherhood with me. Also, who told you that we are collecting pork to sell to others? That's not true; we are just helping others collect pork. That little bit of money isn't worth you worrying about.'
The people in the back room were also listening to their conversation. Upon hearing Wang Dachuan's words, they all frowned as well. They had only told others that they were helping to transport pork but hadn't mentioned anything else. How did Wang Dachuan know that they were collecting and selling pork? Did he really hear something or was he just guessing?
Xiao Lihua glanced at Xie Youshun. Since they had previously wanted to keep their selling method confidential but it got out anyway, it wasn't surprising that this matter was known by someone else. Indeed, there is no wall that doesn't let the wind through.
Wang Dachuan said, 'Second brother, we have fought and quarreled before, but no matter what, we are still brothers. In the end, aren't we all just struggling together? If I had a way to make money, I would definitely call you. If you had a way to make money, you should also lend me a hand. That's how I think, but now you're getting close to outsiders; it really makes me feel uncomfortable.'
'What outsiders? Shun and Qingfeng are all my brothers. Big brother, if there's nothing else, just go. We really are just working for others to earn some wages; you wouldn't even look at this little bit of money.'
'Don't lie to me; I know you've made a fortune. If you hadn't made money, would you be here drinking and eating meat?'
Wang Dachuan's nose was keen; he caught the smell of stewed meat and also detected the scent of alcohol on Wang Dashan.
Zhang Qingfeng came out from inside, lifting the curtain with a stern face and said, 'We brothers worked hard for a month delivering goods for others. They gave us some pork as thanks; we can't divide it up and still eat together? If you want to eat some, go home and have your wife buy it! Don't think just because Dashan calls you big brother that you can ask whatever you want. Just leave; don't disturb us while we're eating.'
After Zhang Qingfeng finished speaking, he clenched one fist while rubbing his other hand, looking at Wang Dachuan as if ready to throw a punch if he dared say anything unpleasant.
Wang Dachuan didn't dare say anything more. Wang Dashan wouldn't be too harsh on him, but Zhang Qingfeng would; after all, Zhang Qingfeng had hit him before, and he still felt intimidated by him.
'Fine then! You’ve made money and forgotten your brothers; you really are something!' Wang Dachuan said as he walked out. Wang Dashan followed him outside and closed the door behind them before turning back to continue eating and drinking.
Everyone began discussing Wang Dachuan's visit. They all felt that since Wang Dachuan didn't gain any benefits from this situation, he definitely wouldn't let it go easily. If he found out about their dealings with others, everyone would start suspecting them. They lamented that no matter how much they tried to guard against it, someone always seemed to be eyeing their profits. In the end, everyone agreed that when the time came, they would deny everything; their wild guesses were useless anyway. If anyone could identify who sold them out, then they would know exactly who betrayed them.
After five families finished their meal and chatted for a while longer, they each returned home."
After leaving his second brother's house, Wang Dachuan felt increasingly uneasy. He knew that his second brother was not working for someone else this time but was running his own business. Even if he didn't know how much profit was involved, he guessed it wouldn't be small, especially since Xie Youshun and his family were involved in the venture. It was well-known throughout the village that the Xie couple made money, and with how hard they worked from dawn till dusk, he wouldn't believe they weren't making a profit.
However, despite his jealousy, Wang Dachuan couldn't just rob his second brother; after all, his second brother was stronger than him. But he didn't want them to enjoy their earnings too much; he needed to give them some trouble to let them know that crossing him had consequences. With this thought in mind, he didn't head home but took a turn towards Xie Qing Shou's house.
The next day, the Xie family woke up late. After waking up, they lingered in bed chatting until it was bright outside before getting up. After washing up, Xiao Lihua started making breakfast. She cooked corn porridge and boiled eggs, reheated the leftover flatbreads from yesterday's lunch, and sliced some pickled vegetables before calling them to eat. Once they finished breakfast, Xie Youshun went to feed the cattle, sheep, chickens, and rabbits in the backyard while Xiao Lihua sat on the kang with a small stick teaching her two sons arithmetic.
"Shitou, Mutou, you two need to study hard. Once you learn this well, I'll teach you to recognize characters so that when you go to school, you'll have a foundation."
Xiao Lihua said while patting their heads. Although she didn't expect her sons to become high officials, she hoped they could at least learn to read. It would be best if they could pass the imperial examination and earn a degree so they could be exempt from land taxes and receive some grain payments. Most importantly, even if they ended up in court one day, they wouldn't have to kneel.
Mutou blinked his big eyes while holding a small stick and asked, "Mom, what is a foundation?"
"The foundation is like the roots of a big tree. As long as we keep the roots steady, the tree won't fall and will grow tall over time," Xiao Lihua explained while stroking Mutou's head.
Mutou nodded and rubbed against Xiao Lihua's palm affectionately, saying, "Mom, we are little trees, right?"
Xiao Lihua smiled and replied, "Yes, Mutou is Mommy's little sapling."
Shitou nodded and said, "Mom is helping us pack the soil around our roots so that no matter how much water the teacher gives us later on, we won't fall over. Is that right?"
Xiao Lihua laughed at Shitou's words but also found them very fitting. She kissed him on the forehead and said, "Yes, Shitou is absolutely right."
After finishing his chores and returning to the hall to wash his hands, Xie Youshun heard their laughter inside and smiled. Just as he finished washing his hands and planned to join them, he heard someone knocking urgently on the front door. Zhang Lianxiang was outside shouting for them. Xie Youshun quickly went out to open the door.
"You need to go to Qingfeng Brothers' house! Something happened! Xie Qing Shou's family caused a ruckus; Yumiang fainted from anger!"
"I'm going right now; tell my wife!"
Xie Youshun immediately knew this was a big deal. Without returning home, he ran ahead; Xie Qingfeng's house was right in front of theirs, so he would arrive quickly.
Xiao Lihua heard the commotion and also rushed out. Realizing what had happened, she became anxious and told the two children to stay at home while she ran forward with Zhang Lianxiang. When they reached the front, they saw that Xie Qingfeng's door was open, and a woman was running out. That was Xie Qingfeng's mother, Zhang. She was jogging while muttering curses under her breath, but it was clear she was flustered.
Zhang Lianxiang shouted, "Aunt Zhang, why are you leaving in such a hurry? Did you just faint your daughter-in-law and then run away?"
Aunt Zhang replied somewhat defensively, "That's because she is weak; it has nothing to do with me! How can you, a younger generation, speak to me like that? Yumiang being like this is all your fault!"
Xiao Lihua said, "If Yumiang could learn even half of what we know, she wouldn't have fainted from anger. Aren't you the one who dotes on your youngest son the most? Where are they? They didn't leave you behind and run away, did they?"
Aunt Zhang's face alternated between red and white; Xiao Lihua was right—those two had run off first.
Zhang Lianxiang pulled Aunt Zhang back inside and said, "Since you're here today, don't leave just yet. You can go when Yumiang wakes up! After all, you're her mother-in-law; it's not easy for you to come here. Why rush off so quickly? Just wait for your good son to come pick you up!" After saying this, regardless of whether Aunt Zhang wanted to stay or not, she forcefully pulled her back.
Xiao Lihua let them tug at each other while she went inside to check on Yumiang. She saw Yumiang lying on the bed with Xie Qingfeng by her side watching over her. Xie Youshun was absent; he probably went to fetch the physician.
Xiao Lihua comforted Xie Qingfeng for a moment and then kept vigil over Yumiang. Looking at Yumiang's pale face, she thought that her health was really too fragile. She would need to ensure that Yumiang exercised properly in the future; otherwise, how could she bear children with such a weak body?
After a while, Xie Youshun returned with the physician. The physician checked Yumiang's pulse, closed his eyes and pondered for a long time, which made everyone anxious. However, they didn't dare disturb him for fear of him misreading the pulse.
"Zhao Physician, could you please say something? I've never seen you take so long to check a pulse before. Are you planning to charge my eldest son a hefty consultation fee because he seems to be living well?!" Aunt Zhang called out. She felt very guilty standing there as Zhang Lianxiang held her back from leaving.
Zhao Physician opened his eyes and glanced at Aunt Zhang before turning to Xie Qingfeng with a smile and saying, "Congratulations! It's a good sign."
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