Chapter 9

Xiang Dagen’s face softened slightly as he said, “Father, you saw it too. Look at how mother treats Xiufang and the children. 

When I came back in the evening, the second and third branches had meat and cooked rice, but my children were only drinking plain porridge with wild vegetables, without oil or salt. 

When I wasn’t home in the past, they lived like this. I can’t accept it. If it continues like this, we might as well not live together.”

Xiang Laotou frowned and said, “What are you talking about? Your mother only said a few harsh words because she cares about the silver. You are her son—how could she treat you badly? These years, there have been disasters everywhere. 

Every family is struggling. It’s just plain porridge with sweet potatoes and wild vegetables. Very few people can afford meat. 

The salted pig’s head is being boiled to be shared with the main branch. It just so happens that you came back before we could deliver it. You know your mother—she’s all about money. 

When you lost the silver, she caused a scene. You’re a grown man, why are you still quarreling with a woman?”

Mrs. Xiong, who had been listening to the fire, knew that once her husband was up against his father, he wouldn’t win.

It wasn’t just Xiang Dagen; even she couldn’t win an argument with this old man. The old lady had a sharp tongue and could at least say something back, but the old man remained silent most of the time. 

Only when the old lady ran out of things to say did he quietly emerge from behind and deliver a sudden blow with his words.

Sure enough, when Xiang Laotou spoke, Xiang Dagen didn’t know how to rebut. He could only question him about Pear Blossom’s situation: “What happened with Pear Blossom? How could you do something like this while I was away?”

“Who are you listening to? Who would do such a thing to their own granddaughter? Even tigers won’t eat their own cubs. Pear Blossom is always greedy for food. She ran off to the city on her own. 

Her simple mind was deceived by others. When she returned, fearing she’d be scolded, she blamed her grandmother. Don’t just listen to one side of the story—it’s breaking my heart to hear you doubt your parents.”

Pear Blossom, who had been stoking the fire, protested, “I’m not lying. Just now, Granny said that right in front of you. Dad, do you believe me or them?”

Xiang Dagen stood silently.

Xiang Laotou looked at Pear Blossom with dark, unreadable eyes, then turned to Xiang Dagen and said, “Parents should not separate their family. Don’t bring up the matter of dividing the family again. If this gets out, the Xiang family will become a laughingstock. Besides, the government has issued a decree that children should not talk about dividing the family, or they’ll be jailed. You’re my son, and I can’t bear to see you end up in jail. So, don’t bring this up again.”

His words seemed to be for Dagen’s benefit, but the underlying threat was clear. Dagen felt like his father was a stranger to him.

However, the government’s decree was indeed real, and Dagen had no rebuttal. He could only say, “I won’t bring up the division of the family for now. 

But Father, please consider letting someone from the second or third branches go in my place to serve in the army. I’ve had enough of it after twenty years.”

Xiang Laotou sighed and said, “Big Brother, it’s not that I don’t want to. The main branch doesn’t have any scholars. The second branch has Sanlang and Wulang, and the third branch has your third brother and Erlang. 

These children are all talented. The future of the Xiang family depends on them. If one of them becomes a scholar and a high-ranking official, our family can be freed from the military service system. That would be good for all of us.”

Xiang Dagen shook his head. “Even if someone from the second or third branch becomes a scholar, they can be freed from military service, but the main branch will still have to continue serving. What does that have to do with me? Since that’s the case, why should I bear the responsibility for the second and third branches?”

“Dagen, you’re being foolish. If someone from the second or third branch becomes an official, they’ll easily help the main branch get released from military service. Why make things so complicated?”

Xiang Dagen laughed bitterly. “I can’t count on that. And don’t mention my third brother, who has studied for years and still hasn’t passed the exams. How long do I have to wait for him to become a scholar? I can’t wait any longer. Besides, I have two sons. I can send them to study, and who knows? Maybe one of them will pass the exams in the future.”

Xiang Laotou shook his head. “It’s not that I’m unwilling to send Daniu and Erniu to study. It’s just that the village’s teacher assessed their potential and said they don’t have the talent. They won’t be able to study well, so I gave up on it. 

You see Pear Blossom—Daniu is as simple as a fool, and Erniu is a little better, but the siblings aren’t much different from each other. It’s better to give the opportunity to the children from the second and third branches.”

Each time Xiang Dagen raised a point, Xiang Laotou countered it, leaving Dagen frustrated. Now, his father was openly calling his children dumb, which made him even more upset. He said, “Even if the children of the main branch can’t study well, my second brother and Dalang didn’t study either. They could still serve in the army. Why do I have to go?”

Xiang Laotou patted his shoulder and said, “Our family’s tradition is that the eldest son is responsible for supporting the military. It’s been passed down like this, and I don’t want to break the rule. Besides, you’re the eldest, so you should take care of your younger siblings and nephews. How can you always be calculating for yourself?”

Mrs. Xiong lowered her head and stood aside, feeling a chill in her heart when she heard the word “family tradition.” Every time they reached a critical point, they would always use these two words, pressing heavily on the eldest branch of the family, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t shake it off. There was no way to reason with them.

The crime of violating the family tradition would be something people would use to slander them, and with the mouths of both the old couple and the other branches of the family, the reputation of the eldest family could be ruined for miles around.

Even if Dagen didn’t have rebellious thoughts, he still had to consider the children. Now that the children were all grown, if they let the reputation deteriorate, how would they ever find good marriages for Daniu, Erniu, and Pear Blossom and Xinghua?

Xiang Dagen had nothing more to say. Nothing seemed to work. He felt like he was being burned alive, but he couldn’t argue with his father. He could only express his frustration, saying, “We won’t talk about the matter of dividing the family for now, but the food in our family from now on must be the same as the other two branches. If there’s meat, it should be shared. You can’t eat meat while we only get the soup.”

Xiang Laotou nodded, “Of course, it’s always been like this in our family.”

“And about Pear Blossom’s marriage, I must give my permission for it to count. Otherwise, don’t even think about continuing to serve in the military. Even if I have to risk my life, I’ll make sure that our family will never have peace again!”

Xiang Laotou’s expression flickered slightly, but he still said seriously, “You’re that girl’s father, so her marriage is naturally your decision. Don’t worry about it.”

Xiang Dagen found it hard to be reassured. He now fully understood the situation his family had been in all these years, the life they had lived, and how his parents had controlled them so tightly.

He hadn’t known it before, but now that he understood, how could he remain calm?

The difficult thing was that this time, he only had three days off before he had to go back to the army. If he didn’t go, he would be treated as a deserter. The family’s issues had to be thought over carefully.

With this in mind, he could only suppress his dissatisfaction and say, “I understand, but I’m really starving. We need to get dinner first. Father, will you stay and eat with me, or go rest?”

Xiang Laotou smiled kindly and said, “You’ve come back rarely, so I won’t disturb you and the children. Enjoy your time together.”

After saying this, he turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Mrs. Xiong listened to his footsteps gradually fade away and sighed, “It seems the family can’t be divided.”

Xiang Dagen felt guilty, “It’s all my fault. I’ve dragged you into suffering with me.”

Mrs. Xiong shook her head, “I’m fine at home. It’s you who suffer in the army. Right now, there’s no war, but if war breaks out, who knows what you’ll have to endure?”

Xiang Dagen comforted her, “It’s fine. Looking at the way things have been these past few years, it seems like there won’t be any war. I’m just going to the army to work. But don’t worry, I’ll keep the military salary for us, and it’ll be used to marry off Daniu and Erniu in the future.”

Mrs. Xiong was pleased to hear this but still worried, “What will you say when your parents ask for it?”

“If they don’t want to give it, there are plenty of excuses. Like those in the army, they spend their salary on drinking, and by the end of the year, they haven’t saved much to send home. In contrast, the family ends up having to send them money to keep serving. 

I’ve been foolish these years, just saving up to send home so you could live a better life, unwilling to spend on food or medicine. But now, all the money I saved, my wife and children haven’t seen a penny of it. What was I working for?”

Mrs. Xiong breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this: “Now that you see it clearly, I’m content. Before, I was always worried you’d think I wasn’t raising the children well or didn’t respect your parents. All these years, I haven’t even argued with them.”

“You’ve really worked hard.” Xiang Dagen felt deeply guilty. When he first met Mrs. Xiong, she had been a tough, bold woman, but after marrying into his family, she had endured so much because of him, suffering like this.

“It’s nothing difficult. Every family has its struggles. But now that the children are older, they can help a lot. It’s just that we’re apart so much. The kids only see their father a few times a year, and during holidays, they’re not as happy as other children.”

Xiang Dagen lowered his head, feeling a pang in his heart, “I’ll think of something. This year, I’ll ask for a few more days off. When I come back next time, I’ll find a way for the second and third branches to send someone over. If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to divide the family. Even if I have to go to prison, it’s better than spending my whole life stuck in the army.”

Mrs. Xiong couldn’t bear the thought of her husband going to prison, but seeing him come to his senses made her happy. Looking at the water boiling, she said, “You’ve been busy all day. Did you cut the meat?”

Xiang Dagen smiled, “It’s done. I’ve cut half of the pig’s head, half braised and half stir-fried. I’ll bring it over later. Call the kids to eat before they go to bed.”

Pear Blossom had been listening to their conversation, and upon hearing her father finally come to his senses, she felt very happy. She helped with the work, and in less than half an hour, the meal was ready. The three of them brought the food to the west room, called up Daniu, Erniu, and Xinghua, and shut the door to have a big meal together.

Mrs. Xiong leaned over to Xiang Dagen and whispered in his ear, telling him how Pear Blossom had stolen pig’s feet and intestines from the kitchen the night before. Xiang Dagen widened his eyes, looking at Pear Blossom with admiration.

“This girl has more guts than I do. She’s doing things right.”

He was still worried about leaving for the army the day after tomorrow. What would happen to his wife and children left at home? Would they be like before, eaten dry by Mrs. Xiang and the second and third branches? But seeing his daughter’s abilities, it reassured him a little.

Mrs. Xiong smiled, “Since Pear Blossom came back from the city yesterday, she’s gotten much stronger. This morning, she caught a few rabbits and left them at Widow Dong’s house. Next time we can have another meal.”

“Good girl, well done. In the future, if anyone dares to bully your mother or your brothers and sisters, just use your fists. Do it and get it over with.”

“Yes, Father.” Pear Blossom replied with a smile, initially worried that her father might scold her because of the events over the past two days, but unexpectedly, she received support, so she no longer had any concerns.
Xiang Dagen looked at Pear Blossom’s clear black-and-white eyes, and suddenly a thought flashed through his mind. He straightened up and stared at his eldest daughter, asking, “Pear Blossom, you’ve always told me that when I return in the evening, you’ll hold my arm. That silver—”

Pear Blossom grinned and pulled something from her chest, waving it in front of him.

Xiang Dagen’s jaw nearly dropped—wasn’t that the small cloth pouch with a few silver coins he had hidden?

It took him a while to come to his senses, and then he was overjoyed.

“Pear Blossom, you’re truly a good daughter of mine, hahaha, wonderful—wonderful—I’ve been in the army for twenty years, trained for so long, and yet I didn’t even notice when you little thief took my purse. You’re truly my good daughter; it’s worth it.”

Mrs. Xiong, seeing her husband’s reaction, smiled and placed a piece of meat on his plate, saying, “Now you believe what Pear Blossom said, about being kidnapped and then running back on her own, right?”

Xiang Dagen shook his head. “I believe it. Pear Blossom has never lied. It’s just that I’m too tongue-tied to argue with them. I couldn’t understand how this child managed to escape. Now, it seems my daughter is no soft persimmon.”