Chapter 7: Seeking the Clan Elder

After spending a night at her maternal grandmother’s home, Meiniang and Chang Shun planned to return home. Wan Changsheng had promised to bring a matchmaker to their house the next day.

Meiniang’s mother was understandably worried about her daughter and grandson, as this was a significant matter that required the support of her family.

After some discussion, Meiniang’s family decided that her mother would bring her eldest son along to stay in Changjia Village for a couple of days. Once the arrangements were finalized, they would return home together. Wan Changsheng could then pick them up from her maternal family. It was not unusual for a widow to remarry, especially after being alone for five or six years.

Chang Shun thought this was a good idea. At just over seven years old, he was still a child and helpless if someone were to bully him. With his maternal uncle and aunt around, he felt more secure. His grandmother, being fifty years old, also commanded respect, and no one would dare mistreat her.

Of course, he figured that since they were getting the land and house sorted, there shouldn’t be any issues. These matters needed to be resolved quickly; otherwise, they might run into complications if delays occurred.

The next day, the matchmaker would arrive, and in the afternoon, they would pack up their belongings. The day after that, they would visit the clan elder and his maternal uncle’s home. If all went smoothly, they would be able to return with their grandmother in just one hour.

In this life, Chang Shun only wanted to live safely and peacefully until old age, earn some money, and become a carefree wealthy man. He had no desire to become an official. Being an official was akin to being a civil servant in his previous life, where time felt stagnant—barely enough to live on, and a little greed could lead to exile.

However, Wan Changsheng made valid points. Education was essential; one could not be blind to the world. In ancient times, there were annual labor duties and military service every few years. Becoming a scholar would exempt one from these burdens.

He could indeed work towards that goal.

He had excellent medical skills, both in traditional and Western medicine. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, physicians were still in demand. But to fully utilize his abilities, he would first need a good teacher.

Given Wan Changsheng’s current situation, finding a good teacher might be challenging; this required careful planning.

For now, he needed to focus on the immediate task at hand: ensuring that he and his mother could successfully proceed with her remarriage.

Yesterday, he had not hidden anything from Wan Changsheng. It was common for children in ancient times to mature quickly, and as a child who had lost his father, he had developed a keen sense of awareness. It was better to discuss marriage matters openly beforehand.

Wan Changsheng had agreed to bring a written agreement the next day for both parties to sign. His maternal uncle would act as a mediator.

The He family had an ox cart, and several of them arrived home by mid-morning.

After securing the courtyard, Meiniang’s mother instructed everyone to pack their belongings. The house would be left for the new family, but they couldn’t leave behind anything from inside. All pots and jars had to be taken, and since they had the ox cart, the rest could walk.

As Meiniang tidied her room, tears welled up in her eyes. She never expected her life to turn out so bitter. After marrying for only two or three years, her husband had passed, leaving her a widow.

She had genuinely loved her husband and had filled her heart with thoughts of him. If it weren’t for the circumstances, she would not have considered remarrying.

The He family spent most of the day packing, and by the next morning, they had organized most of the items they wouldn’t need immediately.

That day, Wan Changsheng arrived with the matchmaker. The matchmaker was merely a formality, and after discussing the matters, they quickly left the village.

Meiniang’s maternal uncle and several others began discussing the next steps with Wan Changsheng.

Since they had agreed to the marriage, they wanted to act swiftly. Once everything was settled the next day, they would bring Meiniang and Chang Shun back to the He family. However, the He family had many people and too little space. They could manage for a few days in close quarters, but eventually, it would become unmanageable.

Wan Changsheng, being a sharp individual, quickly understood the implications of what Meiniang’s maternal uncle was suggesting. He had originally proposed that they should bring Meiniang and Chang Shun back as soon as possible.

Meiniang’s maternal uncle borrowed a donkey and, after some thought and discussion with Meiniang’s mother, agreed that in five days, Wan Changsheng would go directly to the He family to escort them back. The child could wait until after the visit to return home.

With everything settled, Wan Changsheng left the village immediately. It would not be appropriate for a man to linger in a house of a widow, even with company.

Chang Shun said, “Grandmother, Uncle, Aunt, I will go speak to my cousin this evening, and early tomorrow morning, I will ask him to accompany me to see the clan elder.”

Meiniang’s maternal uncle felt a little uneasy. “Dashun, do you need me to come with you?”

Chang Shun shook his head. “I can go alone. Having too many people might complicate things.”

…

In the evening, Chang Shun visited his cousin’s house in the village and returned after a quarter of an hour.

“How did it go?” his maternal aunt asked.

Chang Shun nodded. “He agreed to accompany me to see the clan elder tomorrow. I told him I would give him the house deed before leaving.”

What he didn’t mention was that his cousin’s wife had also expressed interest in the farmland.

At that time, he had said, “Actually, I could easily refuse to give you this house. It’s quite reasonable for a widow to remarry, but I don’t want to sell it. I’m considering that your family is my cousin’s, and since you have many people but little space, I’ll let it go.”

His cousin had slapped his wife right then and there, repeatedly apologizing and quickly assuring Chang Shun that he would be waiting at the village entrance the following morning.

Only then did Chang Shun nod in agreement, keeping his composure.

People can be so greedy; once they have a chicken, they want a donkey, and once they have a donkey, they want a horse. They never stop to consider where all this good fortune comes from.

Meiniang’s maternal uncle slept beside Chang Shun that night. Looking at the small child under the blanket, he felt a pang of sadness. If his brother-in-law were still alive, this child would be studying by now and wouldn’t need to worry about such matters.

Sometimes, stepping forward on behalf of others might not be the best approach; perhaps the clan would make things difficult for him. It was different when there were no outsiders around; there was less pressure regarding face.

His two sons were growing up. Daqiangzi was already fourteen, old enough to handle things as long as the elders arranged everything for him. He had a simple, honest nature, and he was obedient and capable. The second son, Erqiang, was eleven and had been forced to study for a year but had only learned a few characters. He was now at home, doing odd jobs, but whenever he had free time, he would disappear to play.

His daughter was nine and quite obedient, but none of his three children could compare to Chang Shun. In fact, together, they didn’t have the intelligence of this one nephew.

“Dashun, Wan Changsheng is a good person. His family is simple, and you and your mother will be well taken care of. Moreover, Wanjia Village is close to Hejia Village; if you ever feel uncomfortable, you can come find me.

The reason I agreed to let him take you both to Wanjia earlier is not that my house truly can’t accommodate you; we can manage that. I just want you both to go early and start your studies. Wan Changsheng has promised to support your education.”

Chang Shun nodded obediently.

Meiniang’s maternal uncle and his wife were good people, but they lacked skills, and their family was not well-off. The two cousins had not received much education, but in the future, he could help them out.

His maternal uncle treated him well and was quite sharp, but unfortunately, he had only studied for a year. In previous years, he had worked as an assistant in a grocery store in town. Last year, their grandfather had taken a harsh stance, draining their family’s savings and borrowing a large sum from outside. Now, they had rented a grocery store in town.

Currently, his maternal uncle’s family lived there. The business was mediocre, but after paying rent and other expenses, they could still save a little over ten taels a year. He heard that they had already repaid more than half of their debts.

In the morning, Chang Shun washed up and left the courtyard. As farming began to get busy in March, he needed to get there early; otherwise, people might already be out working.

The current clan elder was also the village head, around forty years old. The previous clan elder had passed away two years ago, and his son had naturally taken over, which was common in the countryside.

The clan elder lived in the eastern part of the village, in a large courtyard with blue brick and tile buildings. He had several sons; the eldest was in his twenties and still studying in the county school, struggling to make ends meet.

Chang Shun’s cousin was already waiting not far from the clan elder’s house. Upon seeing Chang Shun, he smiled and welcomed him. As long as everything went smoothly today, they would have the house deed by afternoon. In the future, when the child grew up, they wouldn’t have to worry about building a new house.

It felt like a stroke of good luck had fallen from the sky.

Chang Shun greeted his cousin, and the two of them walked towards the clan elder’s house.