Chapter Thirty I Came to See You

After Little Ding left, the Tian family washed up and prepared breakfast. Before they could eat, Old Madam Zhou swaggered in, pushing the door wide open.

The Tian family’s courtyard gate was nothing more than a fence made from short wooden poles. Since the house was too poor to possess anything worth stealing, they never worried about thieves, and the gate was rarely locked. Anyone could simply open it and walk in.

“Grandmother, what brings you here?” Xiao’e asked coldly. She still remembered vividly the day when Tian Dabao had been forcibly driven out by Old Master Tian and Zhou. Xiao’e had already been old enough to remember things clearly at that time, and she had not forgotten the scene.

Tian Dabao was the eldest son. In the beginning, Old Master Tian and Zhou had been very fond of him. Back then, aside from Old Master Tian, Tian Dabao was the main laborer at home.

The family owned seventeen acres of land to the south of the village, inherited from their ancestors. The southern fields were barren and could only yield one crop a year. Each year during spring planting and autumn harvest, Old Master Tian would take his sons to work the fields. Of his four sons, Dabao, Erbao, and Sanbao had inherited their father’s sturdy build—tall and strong; only Sibao took after Zhou, small and frail. Among the four, Erbao and Sanbao were always shirking work, and Sibao was still young and attending school, unable to help much even when he did. Thus, in their household of more than ten people, the main burden of labor fell on Old Master Tian and Tian Dabao.

One year, however, the government enforced conscription: every family had to send at least one man for military service.

Naturally, Old Master Tian could not go; Sibao was not yet of age, so the choice fell among Dabao, Erbao, and Sanbao. Old Master Tian looked at his three sons: Erbao and Sanbao hung their heads, shrinking back, one clutching his arm, claiming an injury; the other limped, saying he’d twisted his leg working. Only Tian Dabao stood in front, silent and honest. Old Master Tian sighed and said, “Dabao, you go.” And so, Tian Dabao left with the other villagers for service.

Within half a year, Tian Dabao was carried home by fellow villagers. On the battlefield, he’d lost half of his right leg and nearly his life.

He spent months bedridden, draining nearly all the family’s savings. At first, Old Master Tian felt guilty—if he hadn’t sent Dabao, Dabao would not be crippled. But as time passed, that guilt was eroded, replaced by resentment.

Others had gone to war and all returned unscathed—why had only Dabao lost a leg? Was it not because he was useless? Once such thoughts took root, they grew rapidly within him.

At the time, Dabao’s children were all very young and couldn’t work. Little Fu had just been born, and Li was still in confinement, unable to help. Moreover, Li had always been frail and could not do much even if she tried.

Seeing Dabao’s family eat and drink without contributing, Old Master Tian was displeased. Zhou, even more so, cursed Dabao’s family daily, calling Dabao a jinx, a calamity that had ruined the family. She even clamored to sell off Little Ding and Little Ya, who were only about ten years old. Fortunately, Old Master Tian was not heartless enough to sell his own grandchildren for money and stopped her.

Erbao and Sanbao’s families also looked down on Dabao’s family. Living under the same roof, with Dabao unable to work, the burden on Erbao and Sanbao naturally increased.

Dabao’s family endured endless coldness in the Tian household, surviving on scraps. Sometimes, when even leftovers ran out, they simply went hungry, waiting for the next meal. Dabao never dared utter a word of complaint.

Misfortune seldom comes alone. That year brought a severe drought, crippling the crops. Finally, Old Master Tian resolved to divide the family.

By casting out Dabao’s family, the household would be lighter; who would willingly feed a family that couldn’t work?

Under the witness of Village Chief He, Old Master Tian and Dabao signed the papers. Given that Dabao’s family could not support themselves, Old Master Tian did not demand any yearly support, but also gave them nothing—no house, no land. They were left with nothing, to fend for themselves.

Though Dabao pleaded desperately, Old Master Tian and Zhou drove them out of the ancestral house.

On the day they were cast out, Dabao had nowhere to go. Thankfully, Village Chief He took pity and allotted a patch of land on the west side of the village for Dabao’s temporary use, to be registered in Dabao’s name should he ever afford to purchase it.

Later, Li borrowed a few hundred coins from her family, and Dabao, limping, sought help from acquaintances to build two thatched huts. They also rented two acres of poor land from Steward Xue of Landlord Xue’s family at the east end of the village. In this way, they barely managed to survive.

Though Xiao’e had been young when the family was split, she remembered it all clearly. The image of her family, driven out with nothing, lost and desolate, was burned into her memory. She could never forgive her grandparents.

Yesterday, Zhou had received twenty or thirty catties of wolf meat brought by Little Ding and Zhao Laixi. With a dozen people in the house, it was finished by last night. After breakfast this morning, Zhou stepped outside and happened to see Zhao Laixi passing by, arms full of tattered clothes. She wondered where Zhao Laixi had gotten so many clothes, and where he was going. Did they sell the wolf and get silver?

Thinking of silver, Zhou’s mind became active. She decided to go see for herself. If there really was silver, she must seize it—how dare that fool hit his grandfather and uncle! A few catties of wolf meat could not settle the matter!

So, Zhou swaggered over to Tian Dabao’s home.

Upon entering the courtyard, Zhou immediately sensed something different. There was a donkey cart, and a young woman she didn’t recognize lay on it. Had relatives come? She knew all her son’s relatives—who was this girl?

Then Zhou saw that the entire family had changed into new clothes. Had they come into money? Suspicion grew in her heart. There must be silver in the house, or how else could they suddenly buy new clothes? She knew the family’s situation better than anyone.

Seeing Xiao’e block her way, Zhou snorted coldly, shoved the frail girl aside, and barged into the house.

“Mother, what are you…” Dabao, leaning on his crutch, began.

“I just came to have a look…” Zhou didn’t say much. Once inside, she spotted the new bedding on the bed. Sure enough, they had come into money—clearly, they’d sold the wolf for a good price.

Without hesitation, Zhou squatted down and pulled out the battered wooden chest from under the bed. It wasn’t locked. Lifting the lid, her eyes lit up instantly.

There, atop some folded clothes, lay the seventeen taels of silver Little Ding had given Dabao last night.

With no proper furniture, Dabao had simply put the silver in the chest. He had not expected his mother to know the house so well as to go straight for it.

In truth, there was little else worth searching.

Seventeen taels of silver was no small sum for a peasant family; many might labor half a lifetime without saving that much. Though Old Master Tian’s family was not the poorest, they were far from wealthy. They had a bit saved up, but compared to this sum, their savings were negligible.

Zhou stuffed the silver into her bosom, her heart brimming with joy, and turned to leave without a backward glance.