"By my reckoning, Qing should be back in the next couple of days, shouldn't he?"
Before Chen Qing even reached the courtyard gate, he heard his eldest sister-in-law's familiar voice. A chance to eavesdrop rarely came along, so he slowed his steps and stopped outside.
The broad-waisted, thickset woman with sallow skin in the courtyard was his eldest sister-in-law, Luo Xiu. At the sight of that familiar figure, memories flickered through Chen Qing's eyes.
He still remembered how, when he had only just begun his schooling, his eldest sister-in-law had married into the family, fair-skinned and delicate, nothing like a daughter raised by farmers.
Apparently, she had been the youngest daughter in her family and much doted on, never having worked in the fields growing up. Perhaps no one in the Luo family had imagined that, in just ten short years after marrying into his family, their daughter would be worn down like this...
"Yes, he should be back in the next couple of days."
The voice answering belonged to his mother. She was not actually that old, only in her early forties. In modern times, plenty of top celebrities her age would still be fighting over roles as young maidens, yet the woman in the courtyard looked utterly weathered. People would probably believe it if someone said she was sixty.
The sight made Chen Qing's heart ache. If not for putting him through school, the Chen Household, with its fifty mu of good farmland, should have lived very well even without his father. Why else would the whole family have been forced to move to the county town and make tofu for a living?
Since ancient times, the three hardest trades had been smithing, poling boats, and grinding tofu. How many years had it been? His mother and eldest sister-in-law had aged so much he could barely recognize them...
"Soon, soon..." His mother smiled as she poured the set bean curd into a tofu frame lined with gauze, deftly wrapping it tight and pressing it down to complete the final steps.
"Mother..." His eldest sister-in-law helped as she asked, "Qing is about to become an official. Why are you still working so hard?"
"We can't waste those dozens of pounds of soybeans we bought a few days ago..." His mother chuckled. "We'll grind this one last batch. Daughter-in-law, once this is done, it'll be nothing but good days ahead..."
"Yes, yes..." Luo Xiu answered with a smile, though uncertainty lingered in her eyes.
Her mother-in-law had coaxed her like this when she first married into the family. Once Qing became a licentiate, their good days would come. The family's fifty-odd mu of good farmland had all been slowly earned after Qing's father became a licentiate and a teacher.
So she had helped work the fields, toiling herself half to death for the sake of those good days ahead.
Qing had indeed become a licentiate, but the promised good days were not what her mother-in-law had initially described.
"Daughter-in-law, listen to me. Our Qing became a licentiate at twelve. Clearly, he has the makings of a provincial graduate. We can't settle for this now. We have to keep supporting his studies. Once he passes the provincial examination, his life won't be anything like that of an ordinary village schoolteacher. Even if he doesn't become an official, he can at least be an instructor at the county school. That's a respectable position. You have to think of the child in your belly, too. With a provincial graduate for an uncle, wouldn't your child's schooling be taken care of?"
After two years of hardship, she had wanted to lose her temper when her mother-in-law failed to deliver on her promises. But after hearing that, it had seemed to make sense. If her brother-in-law became a provincial graduate, both schooling and finding a livelihood afterward would be much easier for her child with his uncle to rely on.
And if she had a daughter, having a provincial graduate uncle supporting her would help her marry into a better family, too...
Thinking this, she had kept enduring. Qing had lived up to everyone's expectations and really had passed the provincial examination.
But the good life she had imagined still had not come. Things had not improved; they had grown worse. To send Chen Qing to the prefectural academy and then to the capital for the examinations, they had practically emptied the family coffers. Not one of their fifty mu of good farmland had been left for her and her husband. Every last bit had been sold.
The family had moved to the county town, rented a little house in an out-of-the-way spot, and started grinding tofu. That had gone on for another three years!
"Daughter-in-law..." After wrapping all the tofu, the old woman smilingly took her hand and found a place to sit.
Her tone was exceedingly warm, yet it made goosebumps rise all over Luo Xiu!
Because that was exactly the tone her mother-in-law used whenever she tricked her into continuing to work like an ox or horse...
But Qing had already become a jinshi. She had never been to school, but even she knew that passing the metropolitan examinations ought to mean their hardships were finally over, surely?
Could there possibly be some other catch?
"Daughter-in-law, our Qing has really made something of himself..."
"Yes, yes, you're right, Mother. Qing has done wonderfully!" Luo Xiu answered with a smile, her heart full of wariness.
"Now that Qing has become an official, our whole family's good days are still ahead."
Luo Xiu's heart lurched. Why were the good days still ahead?
"Originally, Master Huang said our Qing's essays weren't mature enough, and at best he would earn an associate jinshi degree. Most associate jinshi are posted to some remote place as a county magistrate. That would have been enough for our family, but Qing has done so well! According to the messenger who brought the good news, he actually placed in the second tier!"
"The... the second tier means what?" Luo Xiu's voice was beginning to tremble.
"The second tier means he has a very good chance of staying in the capital as an official!" The old woman's face shone with excitement. "The capital is a wonderful place, right beneath the emperor's feet, with all sorts of fine things! When our whole family stays there with Qing, perhaps your child could even attend the Imperial Academy. Er Ya could choose a husband in the capital, too. Any family there would be better than one in Liuzhou!"
"Really? That certainly is good news!" Luo Su answered with a smile, though there was not a trace of joy on her face.
"But..."
Luo Su's face instantly fell. She knew it. She had known there would be a "but"!
"The capital is where the emperor lives. Every inch of land is worth its weight in gold. Qing will only just be starting as an official, and his salary won't be enough. We can't give up our tofu-making trade yet. We have to get a house in the capital, don't we?"
"Ha..."
Luo Su went pale. She understood now. She and her husband would still have to buy Chen Qing a house in the capital. A house in the capital-how many years of grinding tofu would that take?
At that thought, Luo Su's pale face turned livid. Just as she was about to explode, Chen Qing, who had been eavesdropping by the gate, hastily gave a light cough. "Mother, I'm home!"
"Qing?" Delight spread across the old woman's face. Forgetting all about continuing to hoodwink her foolish eldest daughter-in-law, she hurried over and seized Chen Qing's hand. "Why have you lost so much weight? You've suffered, my child..."
Behind her, his eldest sister-in-law rolled her eyes repeatedly. Why didn't she spare some sympathy for her eldest son, who had gone out delivering goods before dawn? Chen Qing was so soft-skinned and tender that anyone who didn't know better would think he was some wealthy gentleman's pampered son. What part of him looked as though he had suffered?
"You're back, Qing?" Because of what her mother-in-law had just said, she was less enthusiastic about the returning jinshi than she had imagined she would be. Instead, she gave him a hollow smile. "Mother says you've really made something of yourself and will be serving as an official in the capital?"
Seeing his eldest sister-in-law on the verge of exploding, Chen Qing smiled wryly to himself. It had been so long, yet his mother was still just as skilled at making empty promises. She was still trying to hoodwink his sister-in-law. In modern times, she would certainly have had what it took to be an entrepreneur...
"No, no... Staying in the capital isn't something you can do just because you want to. I've been assigned a county post up north. I came back to take the family there."
"A county post? Up north?" Before his eldest sister-in-law could react, his mother exclaimed in surprise.
"Son, the messenger said you were a second-tier jinshi. How... how did you fail to stay in the capital? Did you offend someone?"
To make sure Master Huang held nothing back in his teaching, Chen Qing's mother had often sent gifts to his home. She had also heard him speak of many matters concerning the imperial examinations. According to him, the new dynasty needed men. Even if Qing only earned an associate jinshi degree, he would most likely be posted somewhere scenic. If he placed in the second tier, he would most likely be able to remain in the capital.
"Mother..." Chen Qing hurried to explain. "This round was a special examination held by His Majesty specifically to fill official posts in the north. Apart from the first tier, no one can stay in the capital!"
"Oh, how could this happen?" The old woman stamped her feet anxiously and kept muttering, "If only we'd listened to Master Huang. We could have held on another two years and let you wait for the next examination. It's all your eldest brother's fault. We'd supported you for so many years already. What was the hurry?"
His eldest sister-in-law nearly twisted her nose out of shape with anger at that. Thank goodness she had persuaded that good-for-nothing husband of hers not to keep listening to his mother. Otherwise, the whole family would still have to slave away for this brother-in-law's house in the capital!
Chen Qing could only smile helplessly and hasten to reassure his mother. "Mother, what's so good about staying in the capital? As a sesame-seed-sized official, you're surrounded by people you can't afford to offend. The salary is so low you can't even rent a house. Posted out to a county, your son will be the highest authority there. What I say goes. Our whole family can live in a spacious county yamen. Isn't that good?"
"What's good about it?" The old woman rolled her eyes at her son. "There are so many advantages to living in the capital. We might have to struggle for a few years, but the good days would be ahead!"
His eldest sister-in-law rolled her eyes again. Now, whenever she heard "the good days are ahead," she wanted to hit someone...
Chen Qing, too, looked amused as he spent a long while comforting his mother. Then he turned to his eldest sister-in-law. "Sister-in-law, where are Yong and Er Ya?"
After marrying into the family, his eldest sister-in-law had borne his eldest brother a son and a daughter, then endured so many years of hardship for his education. Though she had been lured along by his mother's empty promises, the Chen family's debt to her was real. Never mind anything else, just the dowry his mother had talked her out of was enough for him to repay... He would have to make it up to her properly from now on.
"Yong went out with his father early this morning to deliver goods. Er Ya and Hui are embroidering in their room," his eldest sister-in-law answered, pursing her lips.
Chen Qing paused. How old was Er Ya? She already knew how to embroider?
Such a little girl, studying that every day. He wondered whether she had strained her eyes...
Chen Qing sighed inwardly and quickly said, "Sister-in-law, get ready and go straight to the docks to find Eldest Brother. Tell him to stop making deliveries today and hurry home for a family reunion meal. Tomorrow morning, we'll set off for my posting!"
"So soon?" His mother paused. "But I... this whole courtyard is full of freshly made tofu..."
"Sell it cheaply to Auntie Liu next door." Chen Qing smiled and clasped his mother's callused hands, settling her into a seat as he reassured her. "They're pressing us up north. We can't afford any delays. The sooner I take up the post, the sooner I can get familiar with it. Once we're there, you can stop grinding tofu. Mother, if you get bored, you can tend the county residence's back courtyard. Make it look however you like. Don't you envy Master Huang's pond of koi? We'll keep a pond of our own!"
The old woman's eyes lit up at the mention of keeping koi, but she still asked reluctantly, "You really can't stay in the capital?"
"I can't..." Chen Qing shook his head with a smile. Before, he might have had some ambition and tried to find a way to stay in the capital and enter the Six Ministries. Now, he had no such thoughts at all. Those things he had designed loved heading for prosperous places. The royal capital and the former dynasty's Heavenly Capital would definitely be the two hardest-hit areas. Right now, he wanted to stay as far away as he could.
"Sister-in-law, have Er Ya and Yong pack their things, too." Chen Qing turned to his eldest sister-in-law. "Once we get there, I'll arrange for Yong to attend the county school. He started his schooling late, but that's all right. I'll teach him myself whenever I have time. Our family must support a second jinshi!"
"Good, good, good!" His eldest sister-in-law smiled until her eyes were mere slits. Though their family had suffered every hardship to support Chen Qing's education all these years, if it was for her own son, she would endure any amount of hardship!
"Er Ya is still young. We'll take her along and slowly teach her some manners. If need be, I'll hire a governess to teach her. Whatever happens, we must find her a good family with some means."
"Why... why spend so much hiring a governess?" His eldest sister-in-law hurriedly rubbed her hands, embarrassed yet very tempted. After all her years of suffering, she did not want Er Ya to go through the same thing. Her daughter was her own flesh and blood, too. Naturally, she hoped the girl would have a good life...
"It won't cost much!" Chen Qing said with a smile. "I've always remembered all the help you and Eldest Brother have given me over the years. Rest assured. As long as I, Chen Qing, am here, I won't let your family suffer any more injustice..."
"Listen to you..." His eldest sister-in-law's eyes reddened. "We're family. Talking like that makes us sound like strangers."
With those words from her brother-in-law, the great weight on her heart finally lifted. That wretched mother-in-law had tricked her into working like an ox or horse for years. Nine out of ten things she said could not be trusted, but one thing alone was true: Qing was not an ungrateful man!
At that thought, all her earlier grievances vanished. After waiting so many years, she could finally see the good days that wretched mother-in-law had spoken of...
"You'll set out tomorrow morning and travel by water. The court has assigned guards specifically to escort you. With them to vouch for you, you can move straight into the county yamen. Be sparing with the family's money for now. Everything else can wait until I get there..."
"You... you aren't coming with us?" his mother and eldest sister-in-law asked in surprise at the same time.
"Ah..." Chen Qing smiled. "My superiors have given me an assignment. Once I've finished it here, I'll head straight over to take up my post. Don't worry. Go ahead and settle in first."
"Son..." The old woman looked at Chen Qing in puzzlement. "What assignment could be more important than taking up your post?"
"It's all right. It isn't anything major. They're just short of people, so I'm helping an official out." Chen Qing continued to reassure his mother with a smile.
Yet inwardly, his resolve only grew firmer. His family's good days were right before their eyes. He would not allow anything to threaten his family!