The Heir

Zhеn Niаng еntеrеd thе house саrrуing sсаllion panсаkes, pеanuts, sugar bаlls, аnd а bох оf peаr syrup candy.

Thе sсalliоn pаnсаkеs werе nаturаllу fоr Xi Gе'er. She had bоught рlentу of peаnuts—some tо keeр аt hоmе аnd sоmе to send tо Unсle Shui. Аs fоr thе pеar sуruр candу, it wаs of сourse for Grаndfather and Grаndmоthеr, while thе sugar balls werе fоr Хiaо Guаn'еr.

Хi Gе'еr, with his keеn sеnse оf smell, hаd long cаught the sсеnt оf the sсаlliоn рancakеs. He dashed to thе doorwaу in one lеaр, snаtchеd the pancakes from Zhen Niang's hand, and stuffed them into his mouth.

"Don't hog it all to yourself," Zhen Niang scolded him lightly, standing at the doorway and giving him a tap.

"I learned it from you, Second Sister. You always used to hog things," Xi Ge'er retorted, looking as though he were merely following her example.

"Have you seen me hog anything these days?" Zhen Niang shot him a sidelong glance.

"No," Xi Ge'er admitted, hanging his head.

"Then why not learn from that?" Zhen Niang pressed.

"Oh," Xi Ge'er nodded, finally understanding. He took the scallion pancakes out of his mouth, tore off the piece he had already bitten into and ate it, then wrapped the rest back in the oiled paper to share with everyone later.

As the siblings chatted, they entered the courtyard and closed the gate.

Just as the gate was closing, Xi Ge'er tugged at Zhen Niang's sleeve. "Second Sister, be careful when you go inside. Mother is angry and has been cursing you and Grandfather, calling you both fools."

"Why would Mother curse Grandfather and me out of the blue?" Zhen Niang glanced toward the house. To save money, her mother hadn't even lit an oil lamp, only a few pieces of pine bark with resin. The room was filled with smoke, and through the lifted door curtain, she couldn't make out the figures inside clearly.

"I'm not too sure either. But before you came back, Cousin Zhengyan from Ninth Uncle's family came to deliver money to us. He said it was money you were owed but didn't take, so Ninth Uncle sent him to bring it. But Grandfather chased him out and threw the money out too. When Mother found out, she got really angry and started cursing, saying you and Grandfather were both fools."

Xi Ge'er explained vaguely.

Zhen Niang understood now. It must have been the money she had returned, which Ninth Uncle had sent back again through Cousin Zhengyan.

Her reason for not taking the money was simple. No matter how high the grade of the soot pigment was, it had been produced using the tung oil from the Li Family Ink Workshop. When she had collected the tung oil, it was agreed that she would return one jin of high-grade soot pigment, and any excess would be bought back at market price.

This was part of the agreement, so in the end, she couldn't accept the fifty thousand coins. She only took the processing fee and the payment for the extra six liang of soot pigment, which amounted to a little over ten thousand coins.

Zhen Niang believed this was what she rightfully deserved.

Clearly, Ninth Uncle was not a man without integrity. Having set the price, he intended to honor it, which was why he had sent Cousin Zhengyan to deliver the money again. Unexpectedly, Grandfather had chased him away.

And Grandfather evidently shared her way of thinking.

Lost in thought, Zhen Niang led Xi Ge'er into the house. But Xi Ge'er, sly as ever, knowing his mother was in a bad mood, slipped away to the kitchen before even entering the room.

Sure enough, as soon as Zhen Niang stepped inside, before she could even speak, her mother Zhao Shi pointed a finger right at her face. "How did I give birth to such a foolish girl? That Zheng fellow treated you so poorly—why should you give him a way out? Money delivered right to your hands, and you refuse it! And your grandfather is just as foolish as you. Before, your grandmother and your father teamed up to anger me. Now, it's you and your grandfather ganging up on me."

As she spoke, Zhao Shi's eyes reddened."Mother, I wasn't just letting Manager Zheng off the hook. I accepted materials from the Li Family Ink Workshop, and the soot pigment I produced was always meant for them. The processing fee and the price for any excess pigment were all agreed upon beforehand. Although Manager Zheng was at fault, he doesn't represent the Li Family Ink Workshop. This is a matter of integrity," Zhen Niang explained, then added with a smile, "Don't worry, Mother. What happened today caused quite a stir. Even if Seventh Grandmother doesn't say anything, Ninth Uncle will surely give Manager Zheng a hard time. I haven't lost out."

"Do as you please. You always have your reasons. Call everyone for dinner," Zhao Shi sighed after a long pause, waving her hand dismissively, but she remained seated listlessly.

"Yes," Zhen Niang nodded and went into the kitchen to help set the table.

Throughout the meal, Zhao Shi ate in silence. Apart from cursing Manager Zheng for his dishonesty and wondering what would become of him, she said nothing else. After finishing, she tossed her bowl aside and retreated to her room.

Zhen Niang cleared the dishes. While washing them, she saw her elder brother carrying water inside and pulled him aside to ask, "Brother, does Mother have something on her mind?"

Li Dalang nodded, then muttered, "Today, Huaide from the Fang family at the city gate returned from Suzhou. Father entrusted him to bring back a string of cash. Huaide said Father is working at the docks on the Suzhou River, loading and unloading cargo there. Mother was upset when she heard."

So that was it. Zhen Niang understood. Mother was worried about Father. Over the years, Father hadn't been the most reliable, but after nearly twenty years of ups and downs together, their bond had grown through it all. Usually, when Father caused trouble at home, Mother gritted her teeth in frustration. But now, with Father toiling alone away from home, she couldn't bear the thought.

No wonder Mother was so angry today. Thinking of Father laboring at the docks to earn that string of cash—no easy task—while she and Grandfather had turned the money away, it was only natural for Mother to feel resentful.

"What are you two whispering about in the kitchen?" Zhao Shi came over just then, seeing Zhen Niang and Li Dalang talking, and spoke irritably. She then said to Zhen Niang, "Go check if there's still hot water in the water room. Fetch some for your grandparents to soak their feet."

"Alright," Zhen Niang nodded, picking up the large copper kettle to head out. She noticed Zhao Shi standing in the yard, sweeping back and forth with a broom.

"Mother, I heard a storyteller on the street say that from the moment a person is born, the fortune they'll enjoy and the hardships they'll endure are already destined. Father enjoyed too much fortune in the first half of his life, so now he must endure hardship. Once he's suffered what he must, he'll enjoy fortune again," Zhen Niang said.

"You and your twisted logic, girl. Fine, go fetch the water. It serves your father right to suffer—without hardship, he'd never understand how hard it is to earn money," Zhao Shi said, then remembered how hard Zhen Niang had worked on smoke generation earlier and how she'd been unfairly treated afterward. The hardships of life were not something outsiders could easily grasp.

With that thought, she steeled herself and called out to Du Shi, who was holding Xiaoguan and trying to get him to sleep, "Zhengliang's wife, these next couple of days, clear out as much space as you can in the house. Set up a couple more racks. We'll raise more silkworms this year. If we run short of mulberry leaves, we'll scour the hills—there's plenty of wild mulberry up there." Having said this, she hurried back to her room.

Du Shi didn't reply, only stood there dazed for a moment before carrying Xiaoguan back to her room.Zhen Niang then picked up the large copper kettle and headed back to the water room.

"Zhen Niang, I knew you'd come to fetch water, so I saved some hot water for you," said Uncle Shui, yawning as he sat by the stove in the water room. Seeing Zhen Niang approach, he quickly took the large copper kettle from her hands.

"Thank you, Uncle Shui," Zhen Niang said, taking a paper-wrapped packet of salted peanuts from her pocket and placing it on the stove. "Uncle Shui, these salted peanuts are for you to enjoy with your wine."

"You silly girl, why the formality?" Uncle Shui huffed, pretending to be annoyed.

"It's for good luck and blessings, Uncle Shui. You must accept it," Zhen Niang replied with a smile.

Only then did Uncle Shui squint his eyes in delight. "Alright, alright. I heard about today's events. Having a good skill is better than anything else."

Zhen Niang smiled and waved her hand dismissively before picking up the copper kettle and turning to leave. In such a small town, even the smallest news could spread like wildfire.