WSMTATMC C61

Chapter 61

Jiang Caixia was the daughter of Cao Kun’s maternal uncle. Years ago, his mother had once entertained the idea of matchmaking the two of them. But at that time, the Cao family was poor, and the uncle was unwilling to marry off his daughter into such a household, so the matter was left unsettled.

Later, Cao Kun took over the business of the runners’ guild,1 purchased a new house, and even bought a shop. At that point, Jiang Caixia’s uncle had second thoughts and again wished to marry his daughter into the Cao family.

Naturally, Cao Kun refused. His mother had once said that her brother-in-law despised poverty and favored wealth; such a person could not be bound in marriage ties. Why was the matter being brought up again today?

“Mother, how could you speak so unfairly about Lin Qiu? Did someone whisper malicious things in your ear?”

Madam Jiang said: “Does one need others to gossip about this? When the betrothal was made, why didn’t you tell me that his father was that Lin-family xiucai?”2

“You… you already know?”

This matter had begun a few days ago.

Her son was about to be married, and Madam Jiang could not contain her joy. These days, she went into town every single day to buy things.

Snacks for entertaining guests—melon seeds, candies—could not be omitted. She even bought several boxes of tea, intending to properly host her in-laws when they arrived.

That day, just like usual, she had stepped out of the house. She had only walked to the street when a ragged man suddenly grabbed her.

Startled, Madam Jiang hastily shook him off. “Who are you?!”

Lin Changbin quickly apologized: “In-law, don’t you recognize me? I am Lin Qiu’s father. Soon, we shall be family!”

Madam Jiang was dumbstruck. When the engagement had been decided, she had gone together with her son. Only Lin Qiu’s mother and younger brother had been present; she had not heard that there was a father at all.

“Perhaps you’ve mistaken me for someone else?”

The scholar Lin waved his hand. “I am not mistaken. Your son, Cao Kun, works with the runners’ guild, second branch.”

“That’s right. Then you are…?”

Lin Changbin sighed. “This is a long story. If my in-law doesn’t mind, why don’t we sit down at a teahouse?”

So the two entered a teahouse, where Lin Changbin began spinning lies. He concealed all his filthy deeds and shifted the blame entirely onto Chen Rong.

“Our family lives in West Alley. Perhaps my in-law isn’t familiar with that area. In earlier years, we were fairly well-known. I am a licensed scholar. Later, I married Lin Qiu’s mother. That woman could not manage a household, and life grew harder and harder.

Last year, I arranged a marriage for Qiu’er, but his mother refused to agree, claiming she disliked that the bridegroom-to-be was a widower. Because of this, she even quarreled with me and forced a divorce.

Tell me, is it right for a mother to harm her own child? Yet Lin Qiu sided with her and would not recognize me as his father. Now he is about to be married, but I was not even informed. I only learned of it through others—that he was marrying your son, Cao Kun.

It seems that Kun’er also has some misunderstandings about me and will not recognize me as his father-in-law. Thus, I came to find my in-law.”

Madam Jiang held her teacup, waves crashing in her heart. Longquan County was not very large; whenever something happened, word spread quickly.

She had heard rumors of Lin Changbin’s vile behavior. She had only treated them as idle gossip before, but now that this scandal had landed upon her own family, she could not help but feel revolted. Her daughter-in-law-to-be turned out to be this man’s child—her heart was uneasy.

“Then why are you seeking me out?”

“Alas, I am old now and unable to earn much money. Qiu’er follows his mother and lives in comfort. When she left, she took all the household silver with her. Now I am left alone, still with a younger son to support, and life is extremely difficult. So I was thinking…”

Before he could finish, Madam Jiang immediately rose to her feet. “I still have things to do at home. I will take my leave first.” She tossed some money onto the table and hurried out.

Lin Changbin called after her several times but could not stop her. Spitting in frustration, he had thought he could coax some silver out of this old woman, but who knew she would be such a stingy iron rooster!3

Returning home, Madam Jiang fell into endless brooding.

From the start, her son had only said that Lin Qiu’s parents had divorced and that he now lived with his mother in town. He had never mentioned that his father was a xiucai.

Had she known earlier that Lin Qiu’s father was this man, she would never have agreed to the marriage. But now the betrothal gifts had been given and the wedding was imminent—it was too late to undo anything. Her dissatisfaction only grew, so when she met her in-law earlier that day, she had been unable to put on a good face.

When Cao Kun learned the truth, he pulled over a stool and sat down. “Mother, you cannot deny Lin Qiu and his mother just because Lin Changbin is a bad man.”

“Mother knows… but children raised by such a person, what if they take after their father…”

“Lin Qiu is not like his father at all! Do you remember the first time I told you about him?”

Madam Jiang nodded. Her son had once spoken of seeing a young man at the clinic who endured stitches in his neck without making a sound, and he greatly admired that.

“That wound was forced upon him by his father. Lin Changbin tried to coerce him into marrying Fang family’s second son as a step-spouse. Qiu’er refused and stabbed his own neck with scissors rather than submit.”

“Heavens above!”

“A boy that resolute—how could he possibly be compared to that coward Lin Changbin?”

Madam Jiang fell silent. Truthfully, she was merely anxious. Her son had grown so old yet still remained unmarried, while men of his age already had children running about.

Now that he was finally about to be married, she feared he might not be marrying a good person. With no one around her to give advice, she had cornered herself into such worries.

“This is Mother’s fault. If you like, I—”

Cao Kun interrupted her gently. “It doesn’t matter. But during the wedding, you must not slight them. Qiu’er is someone I earnestly begged to marry me. If he were to change his mind, then—”

“Are you trying to scare your mother!”

“Hehe, how would I dare?”

“You brat, now that you have a spouse, you’ll forget your mother.”

“Impossible. Your son would never.”

Madam Jiang reached out and straightened his collar. “Once you’re married, your own household must come first. Put your spouse above all else. As for me, I am secondary. As long as you two live well, I shall be happier than anything.”

“Mother, your son understands.”

“After you marry, I will continue living in the old courtyard. It’s not that I have anything against Lin Qiu. It’s just that I’m accustomed to this neighborhood; I know all the neighbors here. It’s easier to talk and visit.”

“Alright then. I’ll hire a servant for you to take care of you. And this time you must not refuse.”

Madam Jiang tapped his forehead. “Earning a little silver and already showing off! Buy it if you like. I won’t interfere.”

With the misunderstanding cleared, Cao Kun finally felt relieved. But Lin Changbin’s shamelessness—spreading lies to his mother about Lin Qiu—was disgusting. Clearly, his earlier lesson had not been enough.

That afternoon, he went to the runners’ guild and found two reliable men to keep watch over the Lin household. During the days of the wedding, Lin Changbin must not be allowed to cause trouble. Once the wedding was over, then he would settle accounts with him!

That evening, everyone gathered at a restaurant for a meal. The county’s restaurant was far grander than the one in town, even a two-story building.

The first floor was the common hall with four or five tables, and the second floor had private rooms—much like modern restaurants.

Cao Kun seated his guild brothers downstairs. Those fellows could drink heavily, and once drunk they might speak recklessly. He didn’t want them to offend his mother-in-law’s side of the family.

As for Lin Qiu and his family, they were seated upstairs in a private room. During the meal, Madam Jiang arrived, her attitude much gentler than in the morning. She even took the initiative to speak warmly with Chen Rong.

Seeing the two women getting along, Wang Ying no longer worried. He only hoped his cousin’s wedding would proceed smoothly.

In the blink of an eye, the wedding day arrived. Before dawn, the old Cao courtyard was already brightly lit.

Lin Qiu had hardly slept that night. He felt excitement, but even more tension and reluctance. Once married, he would be the Cao family’s spouse. Others would no longer call him the Lin family’s young master.

Chen Rong comforted her son: “Every child must go through this day. Once Sui’er too has married, then I can truly rest easy.”

“I don’t want to leave you. Mother, why don’t you stay with me after the wedding? Live with me.”

“That won’t do. Even if your mother-in-law didn’t mind, neighbors’ tongues would wag. In time, no matter how good my temper is, I would not be able to endure it, and in the end, it would only trouble the two of you.”

Lin Qiu buried himself in her embrace, muffled: “Then I won’t marry. I can’t bear to part from you…”

“Silly child, how can you say such things? Everything is already prepared. How can you refuse now? Cao Kun is a good man. His affection for you is rare. Do not disappoint him.”

Chen Rong urged, “Wash your face, change your clothes. Later, let your second sister-in-law help prepare your face.”

After changing into his wedding attire, Wang Ying came with several children, and the room grew lively at once.

Lin Sui and Qingyun circled around Lin Qiu. “So handsome! This outfit makes big brother look truly striking.”

Qingsong muttered softly: “Handsome, but he’ll belong to someone else soon. Big brother is about to be taken away.”

That single remark struck a sore spot. Lin Sui’s smile had not yet faded before tears welled up, and soon he broke into sobs. He and his elder brother had grown up inseparably; the thought that after marriage they could not often see each other was unbearable, and he cried loudly.

Lin Qiu too could not bear to part with his younger brother. The two clung together, weeping bitterly, and soon everyone else in the room had red eyes.

Wang Ying tapped Qingsong’s head. “Don’t spout nonsense.”

Chen Qingsong stuck out his tongue and mimed sealing his lips shut.

Standing to the side, Second Sister-in-law Chen pulled them apart. “Enough of this. You mustn’t keep crying. Time is running out. The wedding procession will be here soon. Don’t miss the auspicious hour.”4

After much coaxing, the brothers finally calmed down. Then Second Sister-in-law Chen began to “open his face.” This involved using a fine cotton thread to remove facial hair and stray eyebrow hairs.

Only a person considered to have good fortune could perform this task. Second Sister-in-law Chen was married with both children and parents alive—tenfold blessings. Many families in town invited her for this work.

After his face was smoothed, they applied rouge, dotted vermilion upon his pregnancy mole,5 and instantly his features came alive with spirit.

At last, his hair was combed. The hair ornaments for young men were simple; only a silver hairpin was placed on the crown of his head. All was ready when noise suddenly erupted outside.

Crackling firecrackers rang out—Cao Kun had arrived, riding a fine steed, with a red sash across his chest!

Chen Qingyan and a group of children blocked the doorway. Since the bride’s family was small, Madam Jiang had asked several good old neighbors to help with the door-blocking and to ask for lucky money.

Cao Kun had never been much of a scholar, so instead of the usual practice of composing poems or matching couplets at the door-blocking, they set up several bamboo poles for him to leap over, one by one.

The first was only a meter high, but by the last, it reached over a man’s height. Cao Kun cracked his knuckles and easily vaulted over each one, eliciting cheers.

Smiling, he clasped his fists in salute and scattered the lucky coins he had prepared. Everyone shouted happily as they scrambled for the coins, and the atmosphere grew even more jubilant.

At the entrance, Wang Ying, Qingyun, and Lin Sui blocked the door. They had placed heavy millstones there, and only if Cao Kun moved them aside could he enter.

These stones had been prepared earlier, the lightest weighing more than a hundred jin,6 the heaviest nearly two hundred. Cao Kun rolled up his sleeves and heaved them away one by one.

Wang Ying raised his thumb. “Our brother-in-law is truly strong!”

Grinning foolishly, Cao Kun rushed into the room. After instructions from his mother-in-law and Madam Li, he finally saw his spouse.

There, seated on the bed beneath a red bridal veil, was the person he longed for. He scooped him up at once.

Lin Qiu exclaimed, “Brother Cao?!”

“No more calling me Brother Cao. From now on, call me husband.”

Lin Qiu’s heart pounded wildly. He wrapped his arms around Cao Kun’s shoulders, resting his head against his chest as he was carried into the bridal sedan.

Footnotes

1. Runners’ guild (脚行, jiǎo háng): A historical organization of porters, couriers, and transporters who provided carrying and delivery services, particularly common in late imperial China. ↩ 
2. Xiucai (秀才): The lowest degree in the imperial civil service examination system. Though not very high-ranking, it still carried considerable prestige. ↩ 
3. “Iron rooster” (铁公鸡): A slang term meaning someone extremely stingy, unwilling to part with even a single feather. ↩ 
4. Auspicious hour (吉时, jí shí): In traditional Chinese culture, marriages and major events were scheduled at times deemed lucky by the almanac. ↩ 
5. Pregnancy mole (孕痣, yùn zhì): A facial mole believed to be connected with destiny, fertility, or fortune. During weddings, it was sometimes dotted with vermilion to symbolize vitality. ↩ 
6. Jin (斤): A traditional Chinese weight unit, roughly equal to 0.5 kilograms. Thus, one stone weighed over 50 kg, the heaviest nearly 100 kg. ↩