Grandmother Zhou

Biodata

Background

Grandmother Zhou bore seven children: four sons, one daughter, and two gers. Her daughter and both ger children had married out of the family by the beginning of the story. Following her husband’s death, she stopped working and exercised authority over the remaining household 2 22 24.

Her favoritism centered on her eldest grandson, Zhou Wenshu, and youngest son, Zhou Liufeng. She largely disregarded her third son, Zhou Sanfeng, despite his having permanently injured his leg while rescuing Liufeng. She also dismissed her fourth son, Zhou Sifeng, because he had not produced a grandson 1 24 34.

When her husband fell ill shortly after Zhou Jinian’s birth, she placed the household work on Lin Jin, Jinian’s father. Lin Jin was made to wash clothes and cook only three days after giving birth; the narrative identifies this overwork as the cause of his lasting back ailment 24 27.

Appearance

• Eyes: Triangular, with drooping eyelids 22 34.
• Mouth: Shriveled lips and gaps between her teeth 26 37.
• Feet: Described as tiny 13.
• Physical condition: Elderly and limited in her capacity for work, but vigorous enough to shove Xie Ning and strike Zhou Sanfeng 24 26 34.

Personality

Grandmother Zhou treats obedience as a family obligation and challenges to her authority as unfilial behavior. Accustomed to controlling her children through harsh words, she continues using the same methods after they become adults. Her authority is uneven, however: she intimidates the compliant third and fourth branches but struggles to control her youngest son’s outspoken wife 22 24 33.

Her preference for Wenshu and Liufeng is tied to her hopes of becoming an official’s grandmother or mother. She expects their examination success to bring prestige and tax relief, while dismissing Jinian’s prospects because he became a tongsheng more recently 24 26.

Her opposition to dividing the household also comes from fear. She has seen elderly village women become dependent on handouts from separate households and worries that her favored sons’ shrewd wives would mistreat her once she lost control. Despite her domineering behavior, Sanfeng’s account of his suffering briefly brings her to tears and an admission of fault 24 34.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xie Ning’s Marriage

At the beginning of Zhou Jinian’s reborn life, Grandmother Zhou pressures Lin Jin over taking Xie Ning into their branch as a study attendant, using Jinian’s examination travel expenses as leverage. When Lin Jin suggests dividing the household, she raises her hand to slap him. Jinian catches her wrist, preventing a blow that Lin Jin suffered in the previous timeline 1.

The study-attendant arrangement is intended to protect Wenshu’s reputation after his broken engagement to Xie Ning. Jinian instead proposes marrying Xie Ning himself, provided the eldest branch pays the attendant’s wages in a lump sum. Grandmother Zhou accepts because she believes the arrangement can preserve Wenshu’s reputation and even make him appear generous toward his cousin 2.

She ultimately pays half the wedding expenses, with the eldest branch paying the other half. Nevertheless, she excuses Xie Ning from serving wedding tea because she does not want him wandering through the house and frightening people with his appearance 8 9.

Restrictions on the Third Branch

Grandmother Zhou tries to claim the snake Xie Ning catches for her eldest son to steep in wine, presenting it as repayment for his contribution to Jinian’s betrothal gifts. She withdraws the demand when Jinian explains that it is intended to treat Sanfeng’s leg and warns that taking it could damage Wenshu’s reputation 13.

Her fear of Xie Ning’s illness leads her to exclude him from communal meals, restrict his movements, and limit his food. She considers him idle while also refusing to eat food he prepares for fear of contagion. Lin Jin’s objection to the inadequate portions only provokes her anger 13 21 22.

After Lin Jin becomes bedridden, she visits but offers no money for treatment. Meanwhile, the sixth daughter-in-law’s suggestion that Xie Ning has brought misfortune into the family makes her suspicious of him 23 24.

She later takes fish Xie Ning has caught, then scolds and shoves him for using the kitchen. When he counters that he could sell the fish to buy Lin Jin medicine, she cannot answer and instead orders him to seek permission before cooking. Her subsequent refusal to let him use the kitchen leads him to prepare medicine in the third branch’s courtyard 25 26 28.

Conflict over Earnings

Despite household expenses, Grandmother Zhou agrees to fund Wenshu’s literary banquet. She worries that five taels already spent treating her eldest son have not been returned, but Wenshu’s promises of examination success and future filial devotion persuade her to provide the additional silver 32.

A further dispute begins when she demands both payment for the household’s eggplants and half the proceeds from Lin Jin’s prepared eggplant sales. Lin Jin offers either to share the earnings from household-supplied produce or to buy the produce and keep his earnings; she rejects the choice and reaches for a broom to drive him out 33.

Sanfeng takes the broom away and demands a household division. Grandmother Zhou strikes him until he confronts her with the circumstances of his disabling injury and years of neglect. She then offers to return the silver taken from Lin Jin, admits fault, and begs Sanfeng not to divide the family. Her pleading leaves the dispute unresolved 33 34.

After Sanfeng brings home profitable eggplant-sale proceeds, she treats him more affectionately and encourages further ventures. She also gives him coins for Jinian’s paper and ink, wishing to make amends to the third branch 37.

Household Division

The decisive demand for separation comes from Liufeng, who objects to household spending after learning that Wenshu attended the scholars’ banquet. Grandmother Zhou becomes hesitant before her youngest son and offers not to fund another such outing 38.

During the division, she proposes leaving the fields undivided under Liufeng’s name in anticipation of his becoming a xiucai. The eldest and sixth branches dispute this arrangement, and the household is ultimately divided evenly. She chooses to live with Liufeng, while the other branches must provide grain and money to his household each month 39.

Liufeng’s Examination Success

When Liufeng finally earns scholar status in his tenth year of examinations, Grandmother Zhou kneels at the main-room entrance and kowtows to her deceased husband, declaring that she has raised a scholar for the Zhou family 49.

Relationships

• Zhou Liufeng — Youngest son and a principal object of her favoritism; she chooses his household as her home after the division 1 39.
• Zhou Wenshu — Eldest grandson, whose scholarly manner and promised success readily win her approval and financial support 27 32.
• Zhou Dafeng — Eldest son; she finances treatment when his injuries require care in town 21 32.
• Zhou Sanfeng — Third son; his long-standing obedience makes her eventual pleading especially difficult for him to resist 34.
• Zhou Sifeng — Fourth son; she undervalues his farming ability and disregards him for lacking a grandson 24 27.
• Lin Jin — Sanfeng’s husband and a frequent target of her demands over labor, food, and household income 1 22 33.
• Zhou Jinian — Grandson who openly resists her mistreatment of his parents and uses her concern for Wenshu’s reputation to counter her demands 1 2 13.
• Xie Ning — Grandson-in-law whom she treats as a burden because of his illness, despite accepting fish he catches and income generated through his food-making ideas 21 25 26 37.

Notable Quotes

“As long as I’m alive, I make the decisions in this family! You want to run things? Then get out of the Zhou family!” 33

“It’s my fault, Sanfeng. We can’t split up the household. I’ll give you the money back. From now on, whatever you want to do, I’ll agree. All right?” 34