Chapter 52: The Maternal Family

Cao Wumei could not stop crying. Fearing her older brothers outside might hear her, she covered her mouth and sobbed.

Zhao Xin hurriedly wiped her tears, asking in a childish voice, “Sister, what did you do? My dad says that there is no greater virtue than correcting one’s mistakes¹. If you did something wrong, just change. Don’t cry.”

Cao Wumei sniffled. “I was taken by bad people and my purity was ruined. I’ve ruined the Cao Family’s reputation. Now my nephews won’t be able to marry good wives, and my nieces won’t be able to get married at all.”

Zhao Xin’s eyes widened. “How can that be your fault? If anyone is to blame, it’s the bad people.”

“Besides, you’re just a young girl yourself. What does your nephews and nieces getting married have to do with you?” Zhao Xin was smaller than Cao Wumei, yet she kept calling her a “young girl.”

Cao Wumei replied, “You’re still young. You don’t understand that purity is very important for a woman.”

Zhao Xin tilted her head. “Is it more important than eating and drinking water?”

Cao Wumei paused, thought for a moment, and said, “It’s more important than eating and drinking water.”

Zhao Xin disagreed. She grabbed the other girl’s hand and asked, “How can anything in the world be more important than eating and drinking? My dad says that no matter how big a problem is, it shouldn’t stop you from eating. Only when you’re full and healthy can you think of a solution.”

Cao Wumei felt the little sister was too young to understand, but after crying for so long, she was exhausted. Her stomach let out a loud growl.

“Sister, you must be hungry, that’s why you’re overthinking. I’ll go get you something to eat.” With that, she dashed out.

Outside, Cao Da² was startled and asked hurriedly, “Xin’er, what’s wrong with Wu Mei?”

“Sister is hungry! I’m getting her something delicious,” Zhao Xin shouted.

Zhao Mengcheng was a bit surprised, but he still went into the kitchen to make sweet soup with poached eggs for the two girls. This was a common dish in Qingshan Village used to treat guests.

Two poached eggs floated in the hot sweet soup. The yolks were soft; a gentle poke would release the golden liquid.

Zhao Xin loved this dish. She licked her lips just looking at it.

“Take it. Come back for more if it’s not enough.” Zhao Mengcheng found her greedy expression amusing.

Zhao Xin didn’t want help. She carried the tray steadily back to the room.

Cao Da breathed a sigh of relief. He desperately wanted to follow her in to see his sister. Because of the rumors, Wu Mei had lost her appetite. She wouldn’t even eat the meat she usually loved and had grown much thinner.

Cao Wumei couldn’t stop her. Her face was a mess from crying and she didn’t dare go out, so she sat in the room and looked around.

Zhao Xin’s room was spacious. Besides the bed and wardrobe, there was a dressing table. It was neatly organized, displaying her precious hair flowers and hair ties.

Near the window stood a small set of table and chairs. A vase sat on the table with a bunch of red berries, giving the room a touch of vitality.

A painting hung on the wall, depicting Zhao Xin playing at home.

She had begged Zhao Mengcheng to paint it, and once it was finished, she hung it in her room like a treasure.

Cao Wumei looked around and once again concluded that Brother Zhao really doted on his daughter.

“Sister, it’s just sweet soup with eggs. My dad made it himself. It’s delicious, try some.” Zhao Xin entered with the bowl and chopsticks.

Cao Wumei quickly reached out to help, her face flushing. “Xin’er, you eat. I’m not hungry.”

“How can you not be hungry? Your stomach was growling,” Zhao Xin insisted.

Thinking the older girl was just being shy, she scooped up a piece of egg. “Try it. I’m not lying, it’s really good.”

Cao Wumei instinctively opened her mouth. The slightly hot egg entered her mouth, and the sweetness immediately hit her taste buds, quickly soothing her emotions.

Zhao Mengcheng had anticipated this, which was why he had added an extra spoonful of brown sugar.

“It’s good, right?” Zhao Xin began eating her own bowl, her eyes crinkling with smiles.

Cao Wumei nodded vigorously. “It’s delicious. Your dad is a great cook.”

“Of course! He’s the best daddy in the whole world.” Zhao Xin was very proud.

The two girls sat facing each other, finishing every bit of the two bowls of sweet soup and eggs, even drinking all the liquid.

Cao Wumei let out a burp and covered her mouth in embarrassment.

Zhao Xin said with a smile, “Sister, now that you’ve eaten, do you have the strength to hit the bad people?”

Cao Wumei’s expression darkened again. “The bad people have already been beheaded. I don’t know who to hit.”

“Hit whoever talks about you! My dad says that if people talk behind your back, they must be jealous of your good life.” Zhao Xin lifted her little chin. “Some people in our village are jealous of me and call me a burden. Hmph, I don’t believe their nonsense. Those people saying bad things about you must be jealous that your parents and brothers all love you.”

Hearing her firm words, Cao Wumei felt a bit dazed. “Is that so?”

“What else could it be?” Zhao Xin tossed her braids. “When our family lives well, they get jealous. If we lived poorly, they would bully us. Some people in this world just can’t stand to see others doing well.”

It was obvious she had heard this from an adult.

Zhao Mengcheng worried that because the three children had no mother, they would be gossiped about when playing in the village. He wasn’t worried about the two older boys, but Zhao Xin was young and easily bullied, so he often taught her these lessons.

Zhao Xin had been a bit confused when she heard them, but she was quite good at using them to educate others now.

She continued, “Think about it. How we live our lives has nothing to do with them, yet they hate to see us doing well. So we are good people, and they are the ones with bad hearts.”

Cao Wumei asked hesitantly, “But my purity…”

“Sister, what exactly is purity? You keep mentioning it,” Zhao Xin asked curiously.

Cao Wumei’s face turned red. She didn’t know how to explain it to the little girl.

Zhao Xin pressed on, “Is it like your clothes or pants got dirty? Can’t you just wash them?”

Cao Wumei turned pale. “Once purity is ruined, it can never be washed clean.”

She was still young after all, and she didn’t really understand what purity was either. She only knew that for a woman, it seemed to be something extremely important.

“How can it not be clean? There’s nothing in this world that can’t be washed.” Zhao Xin asked her, “Sister, who told you it can’t be washed? Was it your parents or your brothers?”

Cao Wumei said with a pale face, “Everyone outside says so.”

“Sister!”

Zhao Xin put her hands on her hips. “How can you be like this?”

Cao Wumei was intimidated by her momentum.

Zhao Xin looked at her as if she were being unreasonable. “You, your parents, and your brothers are one family. How can you ignore them and listen to the nonsense of outsiders instead? I told you, their words are just jealousy. You can’t take them seriously.”

“My sister-in-law says so too,” Cao Wumei lowered her head.

Zhao Xin replied, “Then your sister-in-law is bad too! Hmph, if my older brothers ever dare to marry a sister-in-law like that, I’ll beat them up.”

She waved her little fist.

“Sister, listen to me. We can’t be punching bags. If someone gossips about you, you have to scold them back and hit them back. What’s the point of crying at home? When you cry, they laugh, and they laugh very happily.”

Zhao Xin felt she had learned a lot from Auntie Wang and Widow He. She was itching for a chance to use her skills and almost wanted to go back with Cao Wumei to stand up for her.

Cao Wumei was stunned. “Is that allowed? Wouldn’t I become a shrew?”

“They’re allowed to scold you, but you’re not allowed to fight back? Being a shrew is better than being a punching bag.”

Zhao Xin lectured her solemnly, “My dad says that the one thing you should never be is a punching bag. Otherwise, if they bully you once and you only cry, they’ll think you’re an easy target. They’ll bully you a second time, a third time, a hundred times, until you’re bullied to death.”

“Sister, think about it. Wasn’t it because you didn’t fight back the first time they scolded you that they did it a second time?”

Cao Wumei thought back carefully. It really was true.

“It’s because you didn’t fight back that they thought you were easy to bully. If you had hit them back the first time, they would never dare to do it again,” Zhao Xin said indignantly.

Cao Wumei felt a bit dazed. “Is that so?”

“Of course it is,” Zhao Xin said firmly.

Cao Wumei added, “But they are adults. What if I can’t beat them?”

“Are you silly? If you can’t beat them, bite them! If you can’t bite them, call your parents and brothers for help. You have four brothers, and they’re all so strong and love you. They’ll definitely help you.”

She patted her little chest. “Usually, my older brothers bully me, but if anyone else dares to bully me, they’ll rush up and beat them until their faces bloom like flowers.”

She climbed onto a stool and demonstrated to Cao Wumei what it meant to make a face bloom like flowers by slapping the air back and forth.

Cao Wumei was amused. She wiped her nose and said, “Yes, my brothers really love me. Later on, they even helped me hit them back.”

“Really? That’s great!” Zhao Xin immediately praised her. “That’s how it should be. With so many people in your family, how could you let yourselves be bullied?”

Cao Wumei thought about it, but then looked troubled again. “But I don’t want to see my brothers and sisters-in-law arguing because of me.”

Zhao Xin gave her a suggestion. “Then you have to be even fiercer! That way, no one will dare to say anything, and they won’t have anything to argue about.”

Cao Wumei pondered this and felt that her little sister’s words made a lot of sense.

She asked for advice, “Sister Xin, what if I hit them and they still keep talking?”

“Then you didn’t hit them hard enough.”

Zhao Xin gave her an example. “I used to have an aunt who was very wicked. She was always saying bad things about my family. Auntie Wang scolded her, but she didn’t care. Later, Grandma He heard her and gave her a sound thrashing. After that, she never dared to do it again.”

Cao Wu Mei’s eyes lit up as she seriously considered this method.

Zhao Xin continued, “My second brother was also stolen away once, but no one in the village said he was dirty. Do you know why?”

“Is it because he’s a boy?” Cao Wu Mei asked in a low voice.

Zhao Xin replied, “Of course not. It’s because the White Dragon brought him back. They don’t dare say anything because that would be profaning the spirits. Do you know about the White Dragon?”

Cao Wu Mei naturally knew and nodded vigorously. “I know. The White Dragon saves the children.”

“My second brother is one of those children,” Zhao Xin whispered in her ear. “I know where the White Dragon is.”

Cao Wu Mei’s eyes grew even brighter.

Zhao Xin whispered, “I’ll take you to touch it. If the White Dragon is willing to play with you, it proves you are also a child serving under Guanyin³. You aren’t dirty. It’s their mouths that are dirty. When you go back, you must summon your courage and give them a good beating.”

Zhao Mengcheng naturally heard the little schemes of the girls inside. His daughter certainly had a way of brainwashing people. Right now, she was leading the little Cao girl from the backyard toward the kitchen.

He should have stopped them, but thinking of Cao Wu Mei’s experience, Zhao Mengcheng pinched the bridge of his nose and simply let them go.

The two Cao brothers had no idea their sister was being led down a different path and were still feeling grateful to Zhao Mengcheng.

“Wu Mei hasn’t wanted to leave the house lately. I didn’t expect her to be so willing to play with Xin Er. Brother Zhao, we’ve really troubled you.”

Zhao Mengcheng said politely, “It’s no trouble at all. It’s a good thing for the children to want to play together.”

Cao Da asked with a red face, “Can I bring Wu Mei over to play often in the future? She doesn’t have any playmates in town now.”

“Whenever you have time, feel free to come and play,” Zhao Mengcheng said with a smile.

He paused and then comforted them, “With a family that loves and cares for her as much as you do, Wu Mei will surely get better.”

“I hope so,” Cao Da sighed. The biggest problem was the daughters-in-law at home.

Cao Er gritted his teeth. “If anyone dares to gossip about her again, I’ll hit them even if they’re women.”

Fearing his brother was too impulsive, Cao Da stiffly changed the subject. “Your village seems to be doing alright. Many villages have suffered from disasters this year, and things aren’t going well. Even the town is quieter than in previous years.”

“Indeed. The County Magistrate said the Lantern Festival⁴ on the fifteenth won’t even be held,” Zhao Mengcheng added.

Cao Er whispered, “Our Shanghe Town is still considered lucky. It’s even worse toward Fengzhou. This year is going to be difficult.”

As the three of them discussed the topic, they all felt a sense of heaviness.

Cao Da and Cao Er were worried about their sister and kept looking into the room, but there was no movement inside.

Although they wanted to stay at the Zhao house longer, the Cao family couldn’t miss the time the city gates closed. Seeing the sky grow dark, they had to leave.

Cao Wu Mei rubbed her hand. She and Zhao Xin shared a secret now. That was the White Dragon, an immortal from the heavens.

Even an immortal liked her, so Sister Xin was right. It was just others being jealous and spreading rumors. She had done nothing wrong.

Having found her resolve, the young girl took off her small silver lock before leaving. “Sister Xin, thank you for the hair flower. I like it very much. This is for you.”

Zhao Xin was a bit tempted but still looked toward Zhao Mengcheng.

Zhao Mengcheng saw that the silver lock was worth at least one tael of silver, which was incomparable to a hair flower worth ten Wen. “This is too precious. How about this? You two can agree on a time for your next meeting, and you can bring Xin Er a gift then, alright?”

But Cao Wu Mei was insistent. “This is what I want to give to Sister Xin. Please do not refuse, Brother Zhao.”

Well, she called his daughter “sister” one moment and called him “brother” the next. The seniority was all mixed up⁵.

Before Zhao Mengcheng could refuse, Cao Da laughed and hung the silver lock directly around Zhao Xin’s neck. “Keep it. The two little sisters have a good bond. It’s just a small gift, no need to worry about the money.”

Zhao Mengcheng nodded, and only then did Zhao Xin happily offer her thanks.

Before leaving, Zhao Xin took Cao Wu Mei’s hand and whispered, “Sister, you must not let down the hopes of the White Dragon and me.”

Cao Wu Mei nodded vigorously, looking like a female general about to head onto the battlefield.

On the way home, Cao Da saw that although his sister’s eyes were red, her expression was much more relaxed. He smiled and said, “Do you like the Zhao family girl, Wu Mei? I’ll bring you to play more often in the future.”

Cao Wu Mei nodded. “Xin Er is different from other girls.”

“The Zhao girl is good-looking, just like our Wu Mei,” Cao Er praised.

Not only was Zhao Xin good-looking, but all four members of the family were quite handsome. This was very rare in a village. No wonder the Wan Family had tried to snatch their children back then.

At the thought of the Wan Family, Cao Er’s teeth itched with hatred. Even Wan San going to prison couldn’t make up for the harm done to Wu Mei.

Cao Da noticed something unusual and asked curiously, “Wu Mei, what’s wrong with your hand? You keep looking at it.”

Cao Wu Mei quickly pulled back her palm and just said it was nothing.

When she got home, she refused to wash her hand. That was the hand that had touched the White Dragon and was stained with immortal Qi.

The next morning, after eating breakfast, Cao Wu Mei suggested going out to play for a while.

Mother Cao was worried she would be bullied and wanted to stop her, but Father Cao persuaded her otherwise. “Go ahead. Don’t go too far, just play near the door.”

Cao Wu Mei nodded and went out.

Mother Cao craned her neck to look outside, worrying, “Wu Mei has finally gotten a bit better. If she goes out and hears what they’re saying, she’ll be heartbroken again.”

“She can’t stay home and never go out for the rest of her life,” Father Cao said.

Mother Cao started to cry. “I’m willing to take care of her for the rest of her life.”

“We’re all neighbors, but I never realized they were so foul-mouthed. Those heartless creatures… our sons should have smashed their pots⁶ long ago.”

The daughters-in-law had just been scolded and didn’t dare speak up, only lowering their heads and exchanging looks.

Cao Da was about to offer some comfort when he heard a commotion outside. Someone was shouting that a fight had broken out.

The brothers rushed outside, fearing their sister was being bullied again. To their surprise, they saw their supposedly fragile and bullied sister riding on top of a woman, slapping her back and forth.

Zhao Mengcheng knew nothing of the events at the Cao house.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year⁷, he took his gifts and his children and set off in a grand fashion toward Laoshan Village.

The mountain roads were difficult to traverse, especially after the snow had fallen. Soon, the shoes of all four people were a mess.

Zhao Xin’s beautiful flowered shoes were covered in mud. She pursed her lips, wishing she could walk on her tiptoes.

“It’s alright. We’ll wash them clean and dry them by the fire when we get home,” Zhao Mengcheng comforted her.

Only then did Zhao Xin nod and say, “I haven’t seen Grandma in a long time.”

“Wait a bit and you’ll see her,” Zhao Mengcheng simply picked her up.

Zhao Xin leaned into his arms with a bit of embarrassment. Now that she didn’t have to worry about her shoes, she had the mind to look at the nearby hills.

“Dad, we’re almost there,” Zhao Chun pointed to a hilltop. “Once we go around that part, we’ll be in Laoshan Village.”

Zhao Mengcheng found the location in his memory and said with a smile, “You two lead the way. I’ll follow behind.”

He was afraid of taking a wrong turn.

Zhao Chun didn’t suspect anything and ran forward quickly.

Upon entering the village, Zhao Mengcheng noticed it was far less prosperous than Qingshan Village. Thatched huts⁸ were everywhere, tile-roofed houses were rare, and not a single brick house was to be seen.

Searching his memory, the original owner had been able to marry his wife because Qingshan Village was wealthier.

Before the four of them could find the right place, a man squatting at the village entrance stood up and greeted them with surprise. “Mengcheng, you’ve finally come.”

“Brother-in-law?” Zhao Mengcheng barely recognized him. It was mainly because Liu Dahu looked much older, even more haggard and thin than he had appeared at Liu Yunniang’s funeral.

He didn’t look very spirited.

Liu Dahu put his arms around the twins and said happily, “I thought if you were coming, it would definitely be today. I’ve been waiting here specifically for you.”

Zhao Mengcheng was a bit surprised. After all, in the original owner’s memory, the Liu Clan was still associated with the image of them hitting and blaming him at the funeral.

Liu Dahu carried a twin in each arm as he walked back, shouting joyfully, “Father, Mother, Mengcheng is here with the children!”

“My dear grandchildren, let Grandma have a look at you.” Grandmother Liu called out as she walked over, hugging the two children and showering them with affection.

Grandfather Liu came over with his hands behind his back, a hint of joy appearing on his face as he looked at them. “It’s good that you’ve come. Come in and sit down.”

Aunt Liu was quick to take the things from his hands, saying, “Brother-in-law, it’s enough that you came. Don’t bring anything in the future. Sit down quickly, I’ll go make some tea for you.”

“Da Zhu, Xiao Zhu, Juanjuan, come and greet your Uncle,” Liu Dahu called out.

“Uncle.”

Zhao Mengcheng had just sat down when he noticed that the Liu Clan members didn’t look very healthy. Their faces lacked color, and they looked thin.

His mind raced. He knew they must have been affected by the floods. Logically, Laoshan Village was at the uppermost reaches of the river, so the flooding shouldn’t have been severe.

The three children looked a lot like Uncle Liu, appearing honest and simple.

“The children have grown,” Zhao Mengcheng praised. He took out the red envelopes he had prepared earlier. “Come, here is some New Year’s money from your uncle.”

The three children gave a cry of surprise and joy, only accepting the gifts after their father nodded. However, as soon as they entered the house, Aunt Liu took the money away, saying she would keep it safe for them.

Nearby, Uncle Liu also pulled out New Year’s money for the children, saying with a smile, “I was really afraid you wouldn’t come this year. I’m glad you did.”

Zhao Mengcheng paused for a moment before he understood the meaning behind those words.

According to the customs of the time, after Liu Yunniang passed away, Zhao Mengcheng was no longer required to visit the Liu family every year. It was common for such ties to be severed entirely, so it was no wonder the Liu family was so happy to see him.

Zhao Chun and the other two children clearly had a better relationship with their cousins here than with their cousins back home. They were soon playing together quite warmly.

This left Zhao Mengcheng feeling a bit out of place, but the Liu family didn’t find it strange. After all, when Zhao Mengcheng used to visit in the past, he never really had much to say to them; it was always Liu Yunniang who did most of the talking.

After a while, Aunt Liu came out carrying several cups of tea, laughing as she spoke. “It’s bean tea I roasted myself. Try it and see if it’s to your taste.”

This was the first time Zhao Mengcheng had ever tried bean tea prepared this way. He took a sip and found the flavor a bit unusual, but not unpleasant. “It’s quite good. Thank you, sister-in-law.”

“See, a scholar’s way of speaking is so refined. We’re all family, why the thanks? If you like it, take a jar back with you later. The beans are from our own fields anyway, so they aren’t worth much.”

Compared to the dull, silent Liu elders and Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu was much more talkative.

It was thanks to her constantly asking about the children and Qingshan Village that the atmosphere didn’t grow cold.

Even at the dinner table, her voice dominated as she urged everyone to eat and drink. She added, “This is all Muniang’s handiwork. Her cooking skills aren’t any worse than her sister’s, right?”

Zhao Mengcheng ate and gave a casual response.

Liu Muniang, however, blushed and retreated into the kitchen, never coming back out. She claimed there wasn’t enough room at the table and that she would eat in the kitchen.

After the meal, Zhao Mengcheng didn’t stay long and took the children to bid their farewells.

On the way home, Zhao Mao suddenly tugged at his father’s sleeve and asked in a low voice, “Dad, are you going to marry Auntie?”

“What?” Zhao Mengcheng was startled by the question. He hadn’t even gotten a clear look at Liu Muniang’s face just now.

Zhao Mao pursed his lips and added, “My cousin secretly asked me just now if it would be okay for Auntie to be our mother.”

Zhao Mengcheng frowned, inwardly blaming the Liu family for their lack of propriety. He stroked the boy’s hair. “Dad isn’t getting married. I’m just going to live my life with you three.”

Zhao Mao wanted to smile, but then felt he shouldn’t, making his expression look a bit odd for a moment.

Just then, Zhao Chun, who was running at the very front, let out a startled cry. “Dad, there’s a dead person!”

Translator’s Notes