Cheng Mu lifted her head in a daze, watching her daughter-in-law leave and securely close the doors and windows behind her. Only mother and son remained in the room, the fire in the gilded bronze basin—decorated with coiling chicken-headed serpents—crackling softly.
Cheng Shi relaxed his stiffened arms and respectfully helped Cheng Mu onto the folding chair. His earlier cold sternness melted away as he spoke gently, "Mother, it's been ten years since you last saw your son. Look at me—have I changed much?"
He had practiced this opening line under Madam Xiao's guidance at least seven or eight times, and he felt he had delivered it perfectly.
At these words, Cheng Mu burst into tears, her trembling hands reaching up to touch her son’s weathered, rough face. Heartache and resentment warred within her. "You... you heartless boy!"
Seeing the streaks of gray at his temples, she remembered the bright-eyed young man in his twenties who had left—now returned a stern, unfamiliar middle-aged general. She immediately asked how he had fared all these years, whether he had suffered any wounds, and for a while, the two exchanged tender words. But before long, Cheng Mu couldn’t help but voice her grievances again.
"You are my firstborn, the flesh of my flesh—how could I not long for you? Yet you’ve given your whole heart to your wife, leaving not a shred for this old woman!" The more she thought about it, the more it pained her. "In ten years, how many bamboo scrolls have you sent? Either fretting over Fourth Miss or writing cryptic nonsense I couldn’t understand... Do you even know how I’ve lived all this time?"
Cheng Shi grinned. "I would’ve written more, Mother, but you can’t read." Then his expression darkened. "And I didn’t want Ge Shi intercepting my words to you."
Wiping her tears, Cheng Mu said, "Must you despise her so? Just because of... that name?"
Cheng Shi’s voice turned icy. "Chuo-er wasn’t even two when she passed. And what does she do? The moment Second Miss is born, she names her Chuo, calling her 'Chuo-er, Chuo-er' day and night. What kind of malice is that?"
Cheng Mu knew of this. "Chuo" and "Chuo" were homophones—Ge Shi, foolish as she was, had assumed men valued sons above all (though Cheng Mu had once thought the same). She had meant only to provoke Madam Xiao, never realizing it was Cheng Shi who would be most wounded.
That little girl had been as delicate as carved jade, with Madam Xiao’s lovely bright eyes and Cheng Shi’s strong brows and broad forehead. Back then, Cheng Shi, a new father, had adored her beyond measure. With Madam Xiao weakened after childbirth and no extra servants in the household, he would strap the swaddled infant to his chest whenever he had a spare moment, carrying her everywhere. But those were the Cheng family’s hardest days—barely scraping by, let alone affording nourishing foods or tending to many things. Ah—
Cheng Mu was blunt by nature, and it had taken her years to gradually recognize her son’s hidden grief. But then again, Madam Xiao, for all her cleverness, had never said a word—letting Ge Shi blunder into disaster without realizing it. Truly, that woman was formidable in her patience.
"I spoke to your sister-in-law about it, but she said the name was Grandfather Ge’s wish—it wouldn’t do to defy an elder." Cheng Mu couldn’t help defending Ge Shi, though she disliked this daughter-in-law too. After all, she had arranged the marriage herself.
Cheng Shi scoffed. "She’d hide behind her father every time. If not for Grandfather Ge’s honesty and the help he gave me in the past, I’d have made Second Brother divorce her long ago!""Hmph, this kind of woman stirs up trouble for no reason, sows discord with her wagging tongue, and seems to take pleasure in seeing the whole family in turmoil. A perfectly good household is ruined by such people!" Cheng Shi grew angrier the more he thought about it. "When I visited Second Brother a few days ago, he was utterly lifeless, indifferent to everything, as if already an old man..."
Cheng Mu interjected, "Erlang has always been quiet, ever since he was a child—"
Cheng Shi cut her off. "Being quiet isn’t the same as being lifeless! Though he was taciturn as a child, he still climbed trees and shot birds. When I started my ventures, he followed me everywhere, making connections—how was he inferior to anyone else?!" As the saying goes, the eldest brother is like a father, and his younger siblings were like Cheng Shi’s own children. He could scold them himself, but he wouldn’t tolerate others looking down on them.
"Marrying that gloomy, sharp-tongued woman who nags at him day and night, pointing out how he fails at this and that—how can Second Brother accomplish anything?!" Cheng Shi slammed his palm on a small lacquer wood side table next to the folding chair, causing it to creak faintly. "We never should have been greedy for the Ge family’s wealth—it ruined Second Brother!"
Cheng Mu watched the slightly wobbling black crane-patterned lacquer wood side table—she had commissioned an identical one after seeing it in Old Madam Wan’s house next door. Every time Old Madam Wan slapped her table, even the towering General Wan would shrink into a ball, kneeling and kowtowing, pleading with his mother. She had witnessed Old Madam Wan’s temper several times and envied how she could command her son so effortlessly. Unfortunately, the table she had never gotten the chance to use was now being employed by her own son.
"Speaking of which, it’s all Mother’s fault. Back then, I was still hesitating, saying we should observe the Ge family girl’s character, but Mother couldn’t wait to agree!" The memory filled Cheng Shi with frustration. At the time, he had already displeased his mother by marrying Madam Xiao, so he hadn’t dared to insist too strongly on the Ge family match.
Cheng Mu felt guilty and sighed inwardly—her eldest son had been mature beyond his years, shouldering the family’s burdens from a young age and acting as the de facto head of the household. Whenever she faced difficulties, she had to seek his advice. How could she ever slap the table and assert her authority like Old Madam Wan?
"I know—Mother only agreed to the match because she wanted to help Uncle, eyeing the bride’s dowry! And my sister-in-law thought Yuan Yi was the one benefiting. Hmph! I, Cheng Shi, stand tall between heaven and earth. No matter how desperate, I would never use my sister-in-law’s dowry to support my new bride!" Cheng Shi listed one grievance after another. "For the sake of the Dong family’s reputation, I never exposed it, and now Uncle has the gall to act smug!"
At the mention of her brother, Cheng Mu raised her voice. "Are we supposed to just watch your uncle’s family starve to death?!"
Mother and son shared the same temper and appearance, and their roars were equally thunderous.
Cheng Shi retorted bluntly, "On the same land, others harvest ten bushels of grain, while Uncle only manages three or four. Farming has always relied on diligence for a good yield. Uncle avoids hard work yet demands fine food at every meal. After a single meal of wild vegetables or coarse grains, he comes crying to Mother—and still has the face to blame others?!"
Cheng Mu struggled to defend him. "Your uncle has never worked since childhood, and he’s frail. How could he—"
"The world is in chaos—out there, people in other provinces are exchanging children to eat! And Uncle still thinks he’s precious?! How old were we siblings when we started working?" Cheng Shi said coldly. "A-Xu was only four or five when she went up the mountain to gather wild vegetables. Once, she was nearly carried off by a wolf. Not a single one of her ten fingers was unbroken, and at night she had to learn to sew, in so much pain she couldn’t sleep. Yet I don’t recall Mother ever showing her any pity!"In any household facing hardship, the eldest son and daughter inevitably suffer the most. Cheng Mu could not argue this point, so in her haste, she seized upon another matter: "What about Xiao Feng! He also ate without working, yet you raised him all the same, even paid for his education and marriage!"
Cheng Shi raised his voice as well: "How old was Ah Feng when the Xiao family fell into ruin? Younger than our third son! By then, at least our family wasn’t starving anymore. I couldn’t bear to make our third son work, let alone Ah Feng! But how old was Uncle? How old was Cousin Yong? Lazy and gluttonous, they probably couldn’t even recognize a rice seedling if they saw one!"
Cheng Mu swallowed her anger and retorted, "Fine, let’s leave that aside. But you even helped rebuild the Xiao family! Their estate was already in ruins, their grand mansion burned to the ground by bandits, yet you insisted on restoring it—"
"Mother, enough!" Cheng Shi cut her off sharply. "This must be Ge Shi’s doing again, that gossip!"
Cheng Mu turned her head away, avoiding her son’s gaze. Cheng Shi scoffed, "I’ll say it plainly—not only did I help Ah Feng rebuild the Xiao family mansion, but I also bought back many of the fields they had sold off in their downfall. I even redeemed as many of their old servants as I could find!"
Cheng Mu pointed at him, trembling with rage. "You—you—!"
Cheng Shi smirked. "Yuan Yi said it herself back then—she would only marry a man who could help restore the Xiao family, even if it meant working like an ox or a horse. If I couldn’t do it, she’d find someone else. I agreed without hesitation." Remembering his wife’s struggles, his expression softened, and his voice grew tender. "Yuan Yi suffered so much—a noble Young Lady of the Xiao family, reduced to such desperation."
Cheng Mu, exasperated, punched her son’s shoulder hard. "You fool! That twice-married woman, her family ruined, their wealth gone—why do you treasure her so? Who else would marry her if not a simpleton like you?"
"I do treasure her!" Cheng Shi rubbed his sore shoulder, unfazed. "The first time I saw her in the Xiao family mansion as a boy, I knew she was the one. I never wanted to marry anyone else. If not for the chaos of the times, I’d never have been so lucky!"
Then he added pointedly, "And don’t act like she had no other options, Mother. Even in their decline, there were still men who wanted to marry Yuan Yi. She wasn’t like Ah Xi, who had to offer dowry after dowry just to secure a match."
At the mention of her youngest daughter, Cheng Mu’s anger deflated, leaving only a sigh.
Cheng Shi pressed on, "Yuan Yi is a heroine among women, true to her word. All these years, she’s followed me through storms and battles, through life-and-death struggles. More than once, when I was hanging by a thread, it was Yuan Yi who pulled me through!"
"Yes, yes, heaven and earth pale in comparison to your precious New bride!" Cheng Mu snapped, refusing to concede even when she knew it was true.
"Yuan Yi is indeed the best!" Cheng Shi declared loudly. "Mother, look around you. Of all the generals and marquises who’ve risen to glory these days, seven out of ten were once wealthy landowners or merchants, or came from noble families. The remaining three, though born poor, pledged themselves early to Your Majesty and earned their merit. But what about our family?"
Cheng Mu knew he spoke the truth. The Wan family next door had always been one of the great local clans. General Wan’s late father left him vast wealth, lands, and a private army—the very foundation of his success."What does starting a rebellion rely on? People and money. Even if I could rally some young men with a call to arms, what about military pay? What about provisions? And when soldiers are wounded or disabled, they need compensation and care—how can we just watch their widows and orphans starve to death? Wouldn’t that chill the hearts of others? Our family was originally just a farming household with a little surplus grain—where could we possibly get the resources?" Cheng Shi’s voice choked with emotion as he recalled those difficult times. "Though we gained some spoils and contributions from wealthy households after capturing towns, we couldn’t just strip them bare. Once our reputation was ruined, how would we be any different from bandits?!"
"And of all places, our hometown had no imperial aura. Neither Your Majesty nor any of the great heroes who roamed the land at the time were nearby." Cheng Shi was also frustrated with his hometown’s geographical location. He wasn’t an ambitious man—back then, he just wanted to quickly find a reliable leader to pledge allegiance to, serve loyally, and secure a future for himself. His hometown was beautiful with its mountains and rivers, yet somehow it never produced a leader.
"From the time Emperor Li usurped the throne and heroes across the land rose against him, to when I befriended General Wan—just over a decade—countless rebel forces were wiped out without a trace. One day, they were feasting and surrounded by beautiful women; the next, their heads were hanging from city gates or flagpoles. Their wives, children, and elders were either abandoned in the chaos of war or met untimely deaths. Yuan Yi told me we couldn’t act like bandits, seeking only momentary pleasure. There are ways for the mighty to rise and ways for the small to survive."
Cheng Shi stood up and paced the room, his voice growing louder. "Every single coin we earned back then had to be spent carefully—repairing weapons and city walls, tending to the wounded, and recruiting capable men from all over! Our family had no great reputation either—why would heroes and warriors come to us? It was only because of our good name for benevolence, compassion for the people, and treating soldiers like our own sons! Yuan Yi herself refused to eat well or dress finely, even trading captured silks and brocades for provisions. If not for that, Chuo’er... Chuo’er wouldn’t have..."
At the thought of his eldest daughter, Cheng Shi choked up again. "Even so, while fending off bandits and marauding stragglers, we also had to pacify the local villages. Only then did the powerful families and common folk of several neighboring counties begin to acknowledge my name, and I gradually established a foothold—avoiding the fate of those bandits. Mother always thinks I have money but refuse to spend it on her, not realizing how hard it was for me!"
In truth, Cheng Mu wasn’t greedy—she was just jealous after seeing her son hand everything over to Madam Xiao after their marriage. She had heard these explanations before but always felt her son was making excuses, giving money so freely to his new bride while stalling with his own mother, which only made her angrier. This time, seeing the tears in her son’s eyes, she believed him nine-tenths. Cheng Mu muttered, "Later on, didn’t a few renowned generals come to recruit you?"
"Recruit?! Hah, more like scapegoats!" Cheng Shi said coldly. "Before meeting General Wan, I suffered many losses. Those so-called ‘great generals’ with impressive titles looked down on me because of my humble origins. The polite ones would offer gold and jewels, saying they ‘invited me to discuss great matters.’ The arrogant ones just spouted empty words, not even a single grain of provisions, and expected me to obey their orders!"Cheng Shi glared at Cheng Mu and said, "Luckily, Yuan Yi was vigilant and always on guard. She told me, 'Charging into battle is easy, but choosing a worthy lord is hard.' We must never entrust our family lightly. That's why we kept you hidden in the countryside all along. If anything went wrong, Yuan Yi and I could immediately escape on swift horses. Even so, you kept complaining day and night that I 'only kept Yuan Yi by my side to enjoy life while leaving my parents and siblings to suffer in the countryside!' Later, when we befriended General Wan, didn’t I rush to bring you all here from the countryside?"
Cheng Mu’s thick-skinned face finally flushed with shame as she muttered awkwardly, "No wonder all these years, you’ve always settled our family near the Wan residence."
"Yuan Yi has sharp judgment. Those so-called 'Bandit-Suppressing Generals' before—she saw through them in just a few days. They were either boastful incompetents or ruthless tyrants who treated their subordinates like dirt. Only General Wan, though perhaps not the most talented in the world, is generous, bold, kind, and magnanimous. If I support him well, combining our strengths, we can carve out a path in these chaotic times. If not for this, how could we have survived long enough to pledge allegiance to Your Majesty?"
Speaking of his wife’s merits, Cheng Shi grew even more confident and justified: "The Wan family is the most powerful clan in Sui County. Even excluding General Wan’s private army, Old Madam Wan alone has over a hundred family generals and guards. Ordinary bandits and thieves wouldn’t dare come near—more than enough to protect the womenfolk. Yuan Yi advised me that since we’d sworn brotherhood with General Wan, it would be wise to entrust our family to them. It ensures safety and shows sincerity—a perfect arrangement."
At this point, Cheng Shi paused and fixed his gaze on Cheng Mu. "The Cheng family owes its present standing largely to Yuan Yi. Back then, in the military tent, I swore a solemn oath: if I ever betray Yuan Yi in this life, may I die a wretched death!"
He thought he had made his stance clear, but Cheng Mu, having patiently listened to her son praise his new bride for so long, could no longer hold back. She had always been stubborn, hating to be lectured with lofty principles. Even if she conceded inwardly, she would never admit it aloud.
Now, jealousy surged in Cheng Mu, and she even forgot about Uncle Dong. She snapped bitterly, "Yuan Yi this, Yuan Yi that—what about me, your mother? Have you ever considered how I’ve been living?!"
"You’ve had good food, fine clothes, wealth, and honor—what’s there to complain about?" Unfortunately, Cheng Shi had devoted all his tenderness and thoughtfulness to Xiao Yuan Yi alone and couldn’t fathom what his mother was dissatisfied with.
Tears nearly welled up in Cheng Mu’s eyes. "Of my five children, I loved Sanlang and you the most. Yet once you married, you both only cared for your wives, confiding everything to them and ignoring me. My lap is empty, my heart is empty—how could I be happy?!"
Born a peasant woman, she wasn’t afraid of hardship. But ever since her son rose to prominence, she had been kept in the dark about everything, while Madam Xiao stayed by his side, privy to all matters—making her feel like an outsider.
Cheng Shi found his mother’s complaints baffling. "This is how it is when a man builds a family. Even a hundred years from now, you’ll be buried with Father, while we sons will rest beside our wives."With a pause, Cheng Shi took in Cheng Mu's resentful expression and 'cleverly' misinterpreted it: "Since Father passed away, Mother must have felt lonely, and I understand. If Mother has someone in mind, why not remarry?" He thought that as long as his mother was happy, even if it meant providing a generous dowry, it would be worth it to ensure her happiness in her later years.
Cheng Mu's eyes, which had been as moist as the Amazon rainforest, instantly dried up like the Sahara, glaring at her son with fiery rage.
Cheng Shi, still convinced of his own magnanimity, continued, "Mother need not be shy. You've toiled tirelessly for the Cheng family, and all your children see it. If you wish to remarry, my brothers and I would have no objections. Besides, the Cheng family is small in number. If the gods bless us, and Mother bears new siblings in the future, it would be a good thing. I would treat them as my own flesh and blood!"
Finally unable to bear it any longer, Cheng Mu picked up the small black lacquered table and hurled it heavily at Cheng Shi: "You wretched boy, get out of my sight! If you die before me, I’ll make sure to find your new bride a good man to remarry and have a whole new brood of children!"
—And so ended the final words of this heart-to-heart between a mother and son who hadn’t seen each other in ten years.
...
Meanwhile, Qing Cong was gently massaging Madam Xiao’s shoulders when faint shouts could be heard in the distance. Smiling, she said, "The master and the old mistress both have loud voices. I wonder how their talk is going. I only hope the old mistress changes her mind—family should always be harmonious."
Madam Xiao curled her lips slightly. "It’s just the same old grievances. After being firm earlier, now it’s time for softness. I told the master to praise his mother’s past hardships, to speak more of how they relied on each other to survive, and to mention me and the Xiao family less. What can’t a mother and son overcome together?"
Qing Cong beamed. "The mistress is wise. The master will surely succeed this time."
Author’s Note:
Once again, please do not take the historical setting too literally—this is a work of fiction.
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