With five people in the household, there was no way for everyone to stay cooped up inside one room. Chen Laoda went to the kitchen to fetch hot water. When he came out and saw Lu Yang, he was startled, then glared angrily at him. “What did you do to Father?!”
Lu Yang looked at him and smiled.
“Don’t be in such a hurry. If you still haven’t learned to be polite, you’ll be the next one.”
Chen Laoda had no idea what Lu Yang had done. He opened his mouth, his eyes still wide, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh.
Then he took another look at Lu Yang’s clothes and manner, and a sense of familiarity struck him. He immediately remembered—this was that Boss Lu, that Lu Fulang, the relative who had married a xiucai!
Chen Laoda pointed at him again. “You—you—you swapped marriages! I’m going to tell Father!”
Old Man Chen had long had his eye on that shop of Lu Yang’s. Before, he had wanted to latch onto him as a relative, hoping to take advantage and get support. Now that he realized it was Lu Yang, wouldn’t it be easy to ask?
If he went to Lu Yang for silver, he could arrange a marriage proposal.
Lu Yang let him go. Chen Laoda ran into the room and shouted for quite a while, saying Lu Yang had come, saying Lu Yang had originally swapped marriages, saying that shop belonged to him.
Lu Yang didn’t see Old Man Chen’s reaction. What he did see was Lu Sanfeng rushing out of the room in a fury. From another room, Chen Laomo’s wife also came out, her gaze sizing him up, her eyes full of calculation.
Lu Sanfeng opened her mouth and started cursing him. “You’ve got some nerve! Such a cruel heart! You’ve made it big and now you look down on your father and brothers. You treat people like monkeys—pretending not to recognize them when you meet, tricking them into the mountains. I’m going to the yamen to report you!”
Lu Yang stood where he was, unmoved.
“Third Aunt, you’re confused. They went into the mountains of their own accord. They were drunk and wanted to go up the mountain to have fun. They got frightened up there. You’re frightened too now?”
Lu Yang hadn’t come today to quarrel. All those past entanglements—he was here to cut them off cleanly.
He said to Lu Sanfeng, “I don’t have time to argue with you about nonsense. I want to see Uncle by marriage. Or do you think, in this household, someone else gets to make the decisions?”
Chen Laomo’s wife jumped in, “What do you want to see him for? Father isn’t clear-headed anymore. Even if you see him, you won’t be able to talk things through!”
Lu Yang didn’t even look at her. His gaze stayed fixed on Lu Sanfeng.
He was completely different from before. Wealth nourished a person, confidence nourished a person. Aside from his looks, there was nothing left of the Lu Yang who had once scraped by in the Chen household.
After meeting his eyes for a moment, Lu Sanfeng looked away, then turned and led him inside.
Old Man Chen and Chen Laomo had already been washed several times, changed into clean clothes. They were still saying they needed more water to wash their hair—both of them felt as though wild bees were buzzing by their ears. When the family couldn’t find any, they insisted the bees were hidden in their hair.
It had only been three days. They hadn’t really been harmed—just shut in a small room, unaware of time, with no diversion, short of food and clothing, and frightened out of their wits. After resting at home for a while, they would recover.
The two of them leaned against the heated brick bed. When Lu Sanfeng came in, she stood by the edge of the bed. Lu Yang shifted aside, making room, and let Chen Laoda come in as well.
Chen Laoda didn’t want to enter. Lu Yang let him be.
Lu Yang looked the two of them over. As the saying went, old ginger was spicier. The younger one still looked terrified, trembling, as if his soul had been left behind in the mountains. The older one had already regained his composure. There was lingering fear in his eyes, his body still shaking, but his mind was clear.
Lu Yang called out, “Uncle by marriage, long time no see.”
Old Man Chen stared at him without making a sound.
Lu Yang continued, “I remember the kindness of you raising me. But how you raised me—you know it, and everyone in your family knows it. Just treat it as though you raised a draft animal. It worked for you all these years, and in the end you even sold it for a high price of twenty taels of silver. You should be satisfied.
“You’re certainly unhappy in your heart. I’m not an unreasonable person either. You kept me alive, and I remember that kindness. Your family is in trouble now, so I’ll lend you a hand. If you agree, make a sound.”
Old Man Chen was the type who bullied the weak and feared the strong. When he could press someone down, he was fierce and frightening. When he couldn’t, he was just an ordinary old man. He stared at Lu Yang for a long while. Lu Yang showed no sign of yielding or currying favor at all, and Old Man Chen finally deflated.
He asked, “How are you going to help?”
Lu Yang pointed out a clear path for him. “Your tofu workshop can earn thirty to forty taels of silver a year. Once it’s running, if you grit your teeth and endure a bit, there’s no need to seek handouts—you can live well enough on your own. Laomo is useless. Back when he was in the county, he caused trouble, competing and fighting with others, and lost your family business. You couldn’t bring yourself to discipline him properly, so let the eldest teach him a lesson instead. Send Laomo to the countryside. The house in Chenjia Bay is still there—let him farm.”
Before he even finished, Chen Laoda loudly agreed. “Right, he should be sent to the countryside to farm!”
Lu Yang shot him a glance. Chen Laoda nodded excitedly, urging, “Go on, go on.”
Chen Laomo himself hadn’t recovered at all. Hearing this, he was still trembling on the brick bed. It was Chen Laomo’s wife outside who started shouting her objections.
Lu Yang didn’t care whether she agreed or not. He signaled to Chen Laoda.
Chen Laoda immediately ran out, dragged Laomo’s wife into a room, locked her inside, and wouldn’t let her come out.
When he came back, Lu Yang continued, still looking at Old Man Chen.
“You have two sons. You have a craft and a workshop. At your age, you should be enjoying life already. Because Laomo kept committing wrongs, you’re still toiling away even now. You can’t blame me for that, and you can’t blame the eldest either. Who’s going to support you in old age? Laomo is a hopeless mess. Are you still planning to keep chilling the eldest’s heart? You might as well split the family sooner rather than later.
“There’s only one tofu workshop. If you split it up, you won’t be able to live. Let me do the math for you. A farming household spends no more than three taels of silver a year to get by. From now on, don’t let them meddle in the workshop. Let the eldest be a bit more generous and give them four hundred copper coins a month—four taels and eight hundred coins a year. That’s enough for the two of them to raise their child and live. They can farm and grow vegetables too. You’ll save on expenses in the county. Both sides benefit.
“Give the tofu workshop to the eldest, and the eldest will support you in your old age. You can still work—don’t rush to become grand elders. Send that couple off, and the three of you can run the workshop together.”
Lu Yang then looked at Chen Laoda and said, “If the tofu workshop is given to you, you must run it properly. Don’t rush to seek a wife or marry a husband. Count the copper coins you have at home—calculate expenses and income so you know where you stand. Marriage is about living a life together. It’s best if the person is good-looking and capable, but if not, you need to be realistic. A family workshop means the whole family works. If you’re willing to support someone and work harder yourself, that’s fine too. Have the matchmaker find someone steady and devoted to the household. Looks alone won’t do.”
After hearing all this, Chen Laoda knew Lu Yang was favoring him. He was so moved that his eyes filled with tears. “Yang Ge’er, I knew you still had the eldest brother in your heart!”
Lu Yang didn’t have him in his heart at all. There wasn’t a good person in this family—Chen Laoda was simply the most suitable to take charge.
As for how Old Man Chen and Lu Sanfeng would be provided for in old age, Lu Yang didn’t care.
If their own son wouldn’t support them, why should he?
Old Man Chen poured a bucket of cold water over Chen Laoda. “There’s no land at home. To farm, you have to buy fields. The back courtyard of the workshop can’t house so many people. You’ll need silver to marry, silver to rent a place. In a little over three months, the rent is due again—thirteen taels of silver. There aren’t many soybeans at home; you’ll have to buy beans. You don’t buy beans by the pound or two. If you listen to him, if he really wanted to help you, why doesn’t he just give you the money directly!”
Chen Laoda’s expression stiffened, and he looked at Lu Yang.
Lu Yang continued talking to him, carefully running the numbers.
“What Uncle by marriage said is all reasonable and true. Even if the tofu workshop isn’t given to you, the household still has to spend this money. So tell me—do you want the workshop?”
Of course Chen Laoda did.
Lu Yang went on with the detailed calculation. “We won’t count this month’s silver. Starting from the ninth month—ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth—four months. Is it hard to save up thirteen taels of silver? That’s just a bit over two taels a month. With what’s left over, you can buy soybeans. You can get through this year just fine.
“As for farmland, don’t be afraid of buying land—but that comes later. Let them open up a plot in the courtyard to grow vegetables. With Laomo the way he is, he can’t even grow vegetables properly. Would you dare let him farm grain? Put that aside for now. For these few months, just focus on doing business honestly. Save up next year’s rent, buy more beans. Start fresh in the new year. Whether you rent a courtyard to live in or first arrange a marriage, both are fine.
“Based on the tofu workshop’s income, around the middle of next year you’ll be able to get married. You’re not like Laomo, that rule-breaking thing. Would you let someone enter the household already pregnant? If your wife isn’t pregnant, she can make do working in the workshop for half a year. Marry in the middle of the year, rent a small courtyard by year’s end, move into a new home. In the new year, you’ll have a wife, your own little household, and a workshop. Think about it—doesn’t that sound like a good life?”
