Despite its grand name, Dafeng Village wasn't big at all, with just over a hundred households. In Aunt Kang's words, it was the kind of place where if you farted at one end, they could smell it at the other.
The news that Widow Xie had taken Ji Huan home spread throughout the village in less than half a day.
Putting aside what everyone else was saying, Aunt Kang was currently in her own courtyard, indignantly spewing a stream of curses in the direction of Widow Xie's house.
"You thieving bastard! You damn jinx! Isn't it enough to bring ruin to your own house? You just have to meddle in other people's business! I see what it is—you're getting desperate now that you don't have a man at night. What, has Wang Laizi not climbed over your wall lately? Can't handle it anymore...? You dare cross me? Pah! You shameless, stinking whore, I hope you rot from the inside out..."
Aunt Kang's cursing was legendary in the village; she could go on for days without ever repeating an insult.
She was stomping her feet, thoroughly enjoying her tirade, when she was caught off guard by someone entering the courtyard. A closer look revealed it was none other than her precious fourth son!
Aunt Kang immediately forgot all about Widow Xie and hurried over to take the small bundle from his hands, as if she were afraid he might tire himself out. In reality, it only contained a few changes of clothes for washing.
"Oh, my dear son, why are you back so early? Don't you usually come home in the evening? Are you thirsty? Are you hungry? Have you had lunch? It's only been a few days, how come you look so haggard..."
Aunt Kang followed behind him, showering him with a constant stream of doting questions. When Ji Liantang stopped in the main hall, she bent over and began brushing the dust from the hem of his robe and the tops of his shoes.
Hearing the commotion, the other two households followed them in. Mrs. Zhu took in the scene and couldn't help but purse her lips in silent disapproval.
Ji Liantang clasped his hands and bowed to Ji Qingshan.
Country folk didn't usually bother with such formalities, but he was an educated man, after all. If he were to enter officialdom in the future, proper family customs and etiquette had to be established.
Ji Qingshan stroked his beard, clearly enjoying the gesture. The gloomy expression he had worn for days finally cleared.
"You're back. Sit down and rest. Let your mother make you something to eat."
Aunt Kang, who was busy brushing Ji Liantang's sleeve, didn't have a free hand. She shot a glare at her two daughters-in-law. "Are those eyes in your head just for show? Can't you see your brother-in-law is starving? Get to the kitchen! My son, you must be exhausted after such a long journey..."
'What meal are we supposed to be making at this hour?' Mrs. Zhu complained inwardly, not moving an inch.
Yang glanced at her, then at her mother-in-law, before lowering her head and leaving the room to get to work.
Ji Liantang had already eaten at a restaurant in town with his classmates and wasn't actually hungry, but he didn't say anything to stop them. In his view, such trivial matters weren't worth mentioning.
Seeing Aunt Kang still fussing over him, endlessly brushing him off, he frowned.
"Mother, who were you cursing at just now? How many times have I told you not to get involved with those coarse village women? It's undignified!"
If there was anyone in the entire family who could keep Aunt Kang in check, it was Ji Liantang.
Being scolded by her son to her face, Aunt Kang felt a little embarrassed.
"I remember everything you've told me. To preserve your dignity, I don't even bother with those old shrews anymore. But this time, it's that Widow Xie... She took that jinx home. It's a clear slap in the face to our Ji Family..."
Aunt Kang wanted to offer a few more excuses, but seeing his expression darken, she sheepishly fell silent.
'This child is wonderful in every way, but the older he gets, the more obsessed he is with appearances. He finds me coarse and thinks I embarrass him. He wasn't like this before. I remember when he was little, whenever I got into a fight with the other villagers, he'd stand on the side, clapping and cheering me on.'
Aunt Kang felt a pang of disappointment, but then a thought struck her. 'My son is a child student now. Times have changed. In the future, I'm going to be a Scholar's mother, then a scholar's mother! I absolutely cannot embarrass him.'
Just as she was about to declare her resolve, Ji Liantang changed the subject.
"Wasn't Wuan..." He paused, finding the word 'sold' difficult to say.
Aunt Kang, who knew her son's mind better than anyone, immediately recounted the events of the past few days.
His expression grew more and more solemn as he listened. "Father, I have something to discuss with you..."
Ji Qingshan gave a cough, and Ji Liansong, Ji Lianhuai, and a reluctant Mrs. Zhu all exited the main hall.
Once the door was shut, Ji Liantang finally let his worried expression show.
"Father, Mother said that by... giving Wuan away, there would be Silver Coin. What are we to do now? Mr. Tan's birthday is in just five days, and the reason I came back was precisely..."
Aunt Kang couldn't bear to see her son worried, and her hatred for Ji Huan flared up once more.
"It's all that useless jinx's fault, otherwise we'd have had thirty taels of Silver in hand by now! But son, it's just a birthday celebration. A decent gift should be enough. How could you possibly need so much Silver?"
"Mother, what do you know!" Ji Liantang said, annoyed. "This Mr. Tan's older brother is a county school teacher. As long as I can get into Mr. Tan's good graces and he's willing to put in a good word for me with his brother, and then I get a few pointers from the county school teacher, I'm guaranteed to pass the county exam next year!"
When neither Ji Qingshan nor Aunt Kang spoke, Ji Liantang let all his frustration show. 'They're just farmers, after all,' he complained inwardly. 'Their vision doesn't extend beyond their own little plot of land.'
"It's not that I don't understand the family's struggles. But in this day and age, you can't forge connections without Silver Coin. And without connections, no matter how talented you are, you'll be struck from the pass list! Father, Mother, I know my scholarship is as good as anyone's, yet I've failed again and again these past few years. It's not for any other reason than a lack of someone to give me a boost! Now I finally have a connection to pursue, but we're short on Silver Coin. I... I'm so useless!"
The motion of Ji Qingshan's hands, rolling his dry tobacco, gradually slowed to a stop. After a long silence, he said to Aunt Kang, "Go to the east room... and bring out that box."
Taking out thirty taels at once was practically a death sentence for Aunt Kang.
But the Silver was for her precious son, what could she do? She understood now: if they didn't give Mr. Tan a gift, her fourth son would just fail again.
'She couldn't stand in her fourth son's way.'
Aunt Kang went to the east room and returned a moment later carrying a small box. As she handed it to Ji Liantang, she felt a pain as if her own flesh were being carved away.
"...My dear son, this is your father's and my funeral savings. You..."
Ji Liantang took the box, his expression immediately shifting from worry to delight.
'He didn't really believe this was his parents' funeral savings. They said that every time, telling him to be frugal. But whenever he needed Silver next, didn't they always manage to come up with it?'
Ji Liantang nodded vaguely, not forgetting to repeat the lines he had already spoken a thousand times before.
"Don't you worry, Mother. Once I become a Scholar and later an official, I'll be incredibly filial to you and Father. You'll be the esteemed father of an official, and you'll be a titled lady. Even the County Magistrate will have to dismount from his carriage to greet you..."
The beautiful future her son painted made Aunt Kang grin from ear to ear, and even Ji Qingshan's lips curved into a slight smile.
In the west wing, Mrs. Zhu was grumbling.
"You just watch. Fourth Brother came back this time to get money, I'm sure of it! Just yesterday, I saw Mother close the door to the main hall and sneak off to the east room to do who-knows-what. She must have been getting it ready for her 'precious son' ahead of time..."
She had stubbornly remained in the main hall just now, wanting to see it with her own eyes, but he had managed to get rid of her with just a few words.
The more she thought about it, the more stifled she felt. She turned and saw Ji Lianhuai sprawled on the kang bed, nearly asleep. Furious, she slapped him hard. "Are you even listening to me!"