Chapter 192
Not many years after Qiu Dabiao passed away, the two Qiu brothers somehow learned the truth of the matter and clamored to take the land back.
Xiao Feng was a ger. According to the law, before marriage he was entitled to inherit the property. If he didn't find a live-in son-in-law, then after he married, these fields would revert to the Qiu clan.
If they had gone to file an official complaint, the two Qiu brothers definitely wouldn't have dared to act recklessly. Unfortunately, Meng-shi was just a woman, with courage as small as a soybean. Upon hearing that lodging a complaint would first involve receiving twenty heavy strikes, and coupled with her ignorance of the law, she was thoroughly frightened by the intimidation from the two Qiu brothers. How could she still dare to go?
A widow’s life was already difficult, and facing this situation left Meng‑shi utterly helpless.
By coincidence, Liu Gouzi sent a matchmaker to propose marriage. The two villages were not far from each other, and Liu Gouzi who traveled from village to lane castrating pigs, was somewhat well‑known in Xiaohe Village.
This man couldn't get a wife, firstly because he was poor, and secondly because his temper wasn't particularly good. It was said that when he drank, he was prone to wild, drunken fits. On a good day he might just shout and curse a bit. But when the drunken rage took hold, he would even start hitting people. He was far from a suitable match. Yet the Qiu family was pressing her urgently. Villagers survived by working the little land they had—without it, they could only wait to die. Moreover, Xiao Feng was a ger, who would have to marry out sooner or later. If she had no son, no man to be the head of the household, how would she manage when she grew old herself?
Meng-shi thought it over and finally agreed to Liu Gouzi's marriage proposal.
Not long after marrying into Xiaohe Village, Meng-shi proved fertile and soon gave birth to a little boy. With a son, Meng-shi felt she had someone to rely on. The young son needed her constant care, so she inevitably neglected Xiao Feng.
She knew Liu Gouzi treated Xiao Feng poorly, but after all, Xiao Feng wasn't his biological son. Meng-shi couldn't say much. As long as Liu Gouzi accepted Xiao Feng and gave him something to eat, she felt it was enough.
...
"He's a ger, destined to marry out one day." Meng-shi choked up: "I couldn't offend the master of the house for his sake. We women follow our husbands after marriage, how could we talk back to the master of the house."
Because a ger would eventually marry out, and because her own future security depended on her son and her husband, Meng‑shi could only stand by and watch her own flesh‑and‑blood ger being brutally beaten and abused, she didn't dare to step forward and stop it, not even once.
This was a failing of the times.
Zhao Ger’s heart felt heavy, and he suddenly remembered something Fang Zichen had once said.
This society is largely like this. Because of poverty, having experienced hunger, endured cold, suffered enough from the bitterness of poverty, people value silver and profit above all else.
Having children is the same.
That day, after the war of words with the Zhou family (Zhou Ger's family) and returning from the Liu house, Fang Zichen said: "Do you know why some people call girls and gers 'money-losing goods'?"
Zhao Ger replied at the time: "Because girls and gers will marry away."
"That's also a reason." Fang Zichen calculated for him.
From birth until the marriageable age of sixteen, the minimum cost for a child's food, drink, clothing, and all expenses totals at least ten taels of silver.
When marrying, how much is the bride price?
Mostly two or three taels, at most, no more than four taels.
Furthermore, the bride's family must provide a dowry, which costs another sum of money.
After a daughter or ger marries, if close by, they might bring a catty of meat or half a catty of wine during New Year or festivals. A catty of meat costs twelve copper coins, half a catty of wine costs eight copper coins. Throughout the year, there are only one or two festivals suitable for returning to her parents' home. Having a daughter means losing money, no wonder they're called 'money-losing goods.'
In these times, for what purpose do most people have children? It's to continue the family line, to have someone to support them in old age and handle funeral rites.
Only a small number of people have children simply to follow tradition and social expectations... In what is seen as a normal life, once you reach a certain age, you are expected to marry and have a child.
Since everyone does this, if you haven't done these two things by that age, you are made to feel like an outsider.
How many have children with the goal of 'I like children'?
In poor families, where having enough to eat is a struggle, when parents value profit above all else, children cease to be children. They become items that can be clearly priced to bring benefits to oneself.
"Many people think that in a normal family, for normal people, after marrying, one should have a child. Most of them hold that mindset. The majority's thoughts are deemed correct, while the minority's thoughts never gain acceptance, judged as deviant and heretical." Fang Zichen pressed his forehead against his, saying: "If I wanted a child, then I can definitely say it wouldn't be for the purpose of continuing the family line. The primary condition at the very least would be liking them. Because I like them, that's why I would want one. Whether it's a boy, a girl, or a ger, if it's my child, I would like them all."
Fang Zichen said this, but in this world, how many people can be like him?
Fang Zichen overheard bits in the kitchen and sighed. He had previously thought Meng-shi was no good, but now knowing Xiao Feng's 'true identity,' and recalling Meng-shi's series of actions and behaviors, he could understand just a tiny bit.
But understanding didn't mean approval or acceptance.
If this were modern times, having a daughter would be something to be happier about than having a son. An only daughter, even after marriage, would still have a duty to support her parents—her husband’s family would often contribute as well. But in this feudal, ancient time, it was different. A married daughter was like water poured out—gone for good.
If Meng‑shi did not remarry, then even if the Qiu family did not reclaim the land, once Xiao Feng married away, she would be left entirely alone, with no one to care for her in old age. She might die unnoticed, her body lying undiscovered.
No comments:
Post a Comment