Chарtеr 25: Тhе Outcomе оf the Suzhou Аffair
Bасk аt hоmе, Zhеn Niang seсretly placed thоsе loаn agrееmеnts intо the stоvе аnd burnеd thеm. From thеn on, the pit lеft bу her fаther was cоnsidered fillеd. As for thе аgrееmеnt with Yоung Мaster Luо, Zhеn Niang didn’t mеntiоn it tо her fаmily, fеаring that telling thеm wоuld onlу cause unnеcessarу wоrrу.
During dinner thаt evening, as thе fаmilу gathеrеd tо еаt, Zhеn Niang thоught оf Zheng Shi, whо was аbout the sаme аgе аs her оwn mоthеr but lоoked much оlder.
“Mother, I ran intо Zheng Shi todaу—the onе who wаs оncе engaged to Uncle. She looked worn out, dressed in old clothes full of patches, and her complexion was poor. Isn’t the Zheng family running a food shop? Why is life so difficult for her?” Zhen Niang asked.
“What do you mean, difficult? Her two brothers are no good, her sisters-in-law are harsh, and even her nieces and nephews are ungrateful. You should know, she raised every one of her brothers’ children herself, but now that they’ve grown up, has any of them given her a moment’s comfort? When Old Master Zheng was still alive, her brothers at least showed some restraint. But not long after Old Master Zheng passed away, Zheng Lamei was reduced to being the fire-tender in her eldest brother’s food shop. All the dirty and exhausting chores at home are piled on her alone. It’s truly cruel,” Zhao Shi said indignantly as soon as Zheng Shi was mentioned.
For a while, only the sounds of eating filled the room, with no other noise.
After a long pause, Old Shopkeeper Li finally spoke, “Jingfu’s wife, I think you should visit Lamei when you have time. Help her with whatever she needs. After all, it was our Li family who wronged her.”
“It’s not that no one helps. The neighbors see how hard she works and often lend a hand. But the more others help, the worse her eldest brother and sister-in-law treat her. They even accuse her of putting on a pitiful act to gain sympathy, and behind her back, they mistreat her even more. After several incidents, people found it hard to intervene,” Zhao Shi added angrily.
“This is outrageous! One of these days, I’ll go and have a word with Zheng Dalang,” Old Shopkeeper Li said sternly, slapping his chopsticks on the table. He had been close friends with Old Master Zheng, and Zheng Dalang was his junior. Giving him a lecture shouldn’t be a problem.
“Enough. If you confront him, he’ll just take it out on Lamei, and her life will become even harder. Let it be. It’s fate,” Wu Shi sighed.
And so, the meal ended on a dull note.
Zhen Niang felt regretful for bringing up such an unpleasant topic.
“You, always stirring up trouble,” Zhao Shi said irritably, tapping Zhen Niang’s forehead. Her expression was also clouded with gloom.
Zhen Niang smiled apologetically but said, “Don’t worry, Mother. If we can’t help openly, we can help in secret. Keeping an eye on her is better than nothing.”
She remembered Zheng Shi’s kindness in standing up for her earlier that day.
“I’m worried about you,” Zhao Shi patted Zhen Niang’s arm. Because of Tian Benchang’s engagement to Eunuch Yan’s adopted daughter, gossip about Zhen Niang had resurfaced among the neighbors, with plenty of unkind remarks.
“Mother, don’t worry. My eldest brother is nothing like Aunt Zheng’s brothers. Besides, with my ink-making skills, I’ll always have a way to make a living, no matter where I go,” Zhen Niang reassured Zhao Shi."Mm, learn well from your grandfather." Zhao Shi patted Zhen Niang again. Originally, she hadn’t quite agreed with Zhen Niang learning ink-making—after all, it wasn’t something for a girl to do. But when she thought of Zheng Shi, Zhao Shi didn’t want her daughter to follow in Zheng Shi’s footsteps. Now she felt it was something Zhen Niang should learn, something she must learn.
"Mm." Zhen Niang nodded.
Over the next few days, Zhen Niang followed her grandfather every day, beginning a systematic study of the Li Mo ink-making method.
"Li Mo is famous for its pine soot. To obtain pine soot, you must build a kiln. Our family doesn’t have the means for that. You can collect soot pigment from oil smoke, then exchange it for pine soot at the Ink Workshop. One jin of oil smoke can be exchanged for several jin of low-grade pine soot, and you can even get two jin of medium-grade pine soot," Old Shopkeeper Li explained.
"Mm, I understand." Zhen Niang nodded. To collect pine soot by kiln-firing, bamboo tubes were used to gather the soot. The lighter smoke would rise the highest, settling at the farthest end of the bamboo tubes, while the coarser, heavier soot pigment would remain at the nearest end. In this way, after one kiln firing, the pine soot carbon would automatically be sorted into three grades: low, medium, and high.
Of course, if you wanted to exchange for high-grade pine soot, several jin of oil smoke wouldn’t even get you one jin.
Thus, for a period afterward, Zhen Niang began the tedious task of collecting soot. The soot pigment for ink mixing couldn’t be gathered in just a day or two; it required at least a month or more of accumulation, and even that was considered minimal.
For a proper ink workshop, it was normal to spend a year or more accumulating soot pigment.
The process was monotonous, but Zhen Niang found it fulfilling. Moreover, in the past few days, the family had received silkworm eggs, and every day was spent picking mulberry leaves and feeding the silkworms, keeping her so busy she barely had time to catch her breath.
She rose early each day to work, and when she was tired, she would wash her face and collapse into bed, sleeping soundly until dawn. It was a simple, steady life.
"How did it go?"
Late one night, Zhen Niang was awakened by the sound of voices. Through the cloth curtain, she could see the dim lamplight in the outer hall. The voices belonged to her mother.
"What else could happen? Uncle-in-law Jinhua is truly too much. When we first arrived, he must have gotten wind of it, so we couldn’t find Madam Su. When we asked Uncle-in-law Jinhua, he stubbornly refused to admit it, saying there was no such thing. Uncle-in-law Jinxian also washed his hands of the matter. Fortunately, Grandfather had mentioned this in a letter to Father earlier, so Father had been quietly investigating and keeping an eye on Madam Su all this time. That’s how we managed to find her. The child is already three months old, a boy..." The reply came from Eldest Brother Li, Li Zhenliang.
Big Brother was back? Zhen Niang’s drowsiness vanished. She threw on her clothes and got up, walking out to the hall. She wanted to hear how Aunt Jinhua’s situation would be resolved.
Seeing Zhen Niang come out, Li Zhenliang smiled and said, "Did I wake you, Second Sister?"
"No, the family is raising silkworms now, so I have to get up every night to check on them," Zhen Niang replied, sitting down beside Zhao Shi to listen to her brother.
In the quiet night, they could still hear the soft rustling of young silkworms eating mulberry leaves in the adjacent room.
Li Dalang nodded with a simple, honest smile.
"So how was it resolved? Are we just letting Li Jincai have his way with both women?" Zhao Shi asked indignantly.
"Mother, how could that be? This time, Aunt Jinhua actually stood her ground. She wanted to write a letter of divorce to cast off Li Jincai. But who would have thought that Li Jincai, a grown man, would kneel before Aunt Jinhua, begging for her forgiveness? He even wrote a letter of divorce on the spot, casting off Madam Su and even abandoning the child. You should have seen him—crying and sniveling, a complete mess..." Li Zhenliang shook his head. It was truly a pitiful sight.“So what happened in the end?” At that moment, Du Shi emerged from the silkworm room nearby, also asking with curiosity.
“Ah, after all, a night as husband and wife creates a bond lasting a hundred days. Uncle-in-law Jinhua had already humbled himself so much, divorced Madam Su, and even abandoned the child. Aunt Jinhua has such a soft heart—how could she bear to see that? So she forgave Uncle-in-law. This time, Uncle-in-law came back with us,” Li Zhenliang said.
“That’s good,” Zhao Shi nodded. Earlier, everyone had discussed and expected this outcome.
“What’s good about it? Aunt Jinhua treated Aunt so poorly before—she’s not a good person. Now, Madam Su gave birth only three months ago, and the child is just three months old. To divorce her just like that, to abandon the child without a second thought—it’s really chilling,” Zhen Niang muttered.
She also wondered whether Madam Su had known earlier that Li Jincai was a son-in-law who had married into the Li family. If she knew, then it was all her own doing. If she didn’t, then Li Jincai was truly despicable.
She sighed inwardly. Li Jincai was a troublemaker. This time, they hadn’t managed to kick him out for good. Who knew what trouble he would stir up in the future? But such matters were beyond her control. She could only keep a discreet eye on him from now on.
How could Zhao Shi and the others not see the truth in Zhen Niang’s words? However, it was better to tear down ten temples than to break up a marriage. Besides, in matters like these, only Li Jinhua could decide for herself. Others couldn’t help.
Thinking this, Zhao Shi shot Zhen Niang a glare to stop her from muttering further. Then she asked, “Who’s managing the tea shop in Suzhou now?”
“It’s closed. Zhengshen and Zhengyan checked the accounts—there were quite a few losses. What else could we do but shut it down?” Li Zhenliang said gruffly.
“Really? I heard it used to be quite profitable,” Du Shi remarked, looking puzzled.
“Can Li Jincai’s words be trusted?” Zhao Shi retorted irritably.
“It was all just boasting,” Li Zhenliang replied.
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
“Alright, everyone, go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow,” Zhao Shi waved her hand. Turning to Zhenliang, she added, “Eldest Son, starting tomorrow, call Zhengshen and hurry up with making the coal stoves. Quite a few people have already asked me about them.”
Lately, anyone who visited the Li family would inquire about the coal stove upon seeing it.
“Mm,” Zhenliang nodded. Before he left, he had already ordered coal stove liners from the brick kiln next to the oil mill. He could handle the rest himself. With the help of a few brothers from the city gate area, they could start working on it in full swing.
Thus, everyone returned to their rooms, and the night passed without further incident.
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