Chapter 45

It was still possible to return to the Lis for lunch; Zhou Chengkang usually didn't come home at noon, preferring to grab a few bites on the hill. Ever since they married, both of them had been busy and hadn't really taken a proper rest.
Li Qinghe didn't go home either; she pushed the door open and asked with a smile, "Wanwan, when did you get back?"
Zhao Wanwan's smile was sweet, and as she stepped closer Li Qinghe noticed she'd powdered her face and looked a bit more refined. "I just arrived. I was going to come invite you, but I saw you passing by. Sister, I'm sorry I wasn't there for your wedding!"
"It's all right." Li Qinghe waved her hand. "Where's Father?"
"He's in the back yard planting vegetables." Zhao Wanwan pointed behind them and pulled Li Qinghe inside. "Sister, let me tell you, the county town is so bustling, there are so many good foods and entertainments, and the fabrics and jewelry! I couldn't take it all in. If I had money, I'd buy ten things, maybe more."
"All of this is new! They look lovely." Li Qinghe said sincerely.
Zhao Wanwan smiled with some pride. "My husband bought them for me."
"That's nice." Li Qinghe suppressed her curiosity, she was wondering where the silver had come from; earlier the Hu family had even wanted the Lis to give their dowry as travel money. She asked casually, "Are you still taking work in town?"
Zhao Wanwan smiled. "I'm going tomorrow."
Oh, so the silver wasn't much. If they'd really come into money, why would she go back to do hired work?
"Next year, I'm going back to the county town," Zhao Wanwan said eagerly. "Sister, you should come with me then."
"I'm not going." Li Qinghe shrugged. "There's too much to do at home."
After being inside for a while and seeing no one else besides Zhao Wanwan, Li Qinghe grew curious and asked, "Is your husband back yet?"
"No, he's still in the county town. He found a new tutor, that tutor has produced many successful candidates; almost every county exam list has one of his students." Zhao Wanwan's eyes shone. "My husband was just a hair's breadth away this year; he'll definitely pass next year."
"Congratulations." Li Qinghe turned to leave, planning to check on Li Fu in the back yard, with Zhao Wanwan following. "I bought some meat; stay for dinner later."
Zhao Wanwan assumed Li Qinghe was going home. "I'll go see Father."
In the back yard, Li Fu was sowing seed. When he saw the two women approach his face softened. "You two haven't seen each other in ages, have a good chat."
Li Qinghe took the seeds from his hands. "I'll help you."
Zhao Wanwan stood to the side; her clothes were indeed fine but entirely unsuitable for work. She simply watched the two of them with a pensive look, then suddenly said, "Sister, could you lend me some silver?"
"No." Li Qinghe didn't even ask why; she didn't look up before refusing outright.
Zhao Wanwan was surprised. "You won't even ask what it's for?"
"What else could it be for?" Li Qinghe chuckled. "You said yourself the county town is bustling and expenses are high; with your husband living there that's not the sort of place where a little silver will do." When they'd finished sowing that patch, Li Qinghe stepped out of the bed and asked with a smile, "I don't really understand, it's the same kind of hired work. Wages in the county must be much higher than here. Why do you come back?"
She could see it: Hu Yanxi had dressed Zhao Wanwan up like that to send her back to help borrow money.
"There are things you don't know," Zhao Wanwan waved her hand and lowered her voice. "Scholars must be genteel; poverty is tolerable, but you can't be seen doing servant's work. If people find out Yanxi's wife is a dish-washer, how would they look at him?"
Li Qinghe had no answer to that.
But if they relied only on the wages of Hu's mother and Zhao Wanwan, it certainly wouldn't be enough for Hu Yanxi. The mother-in-law and wife working a month wouldn't equal one of his meals. If she had her say, with such thin means he shouldn't be staying in the county town.
"Father, what do you think?" Seeing her fall silent, Zhao Wanwan turned to look at Li Fu digging in the ground.
Say what?
Wasn't she trying to get Li Fu to agree, so she could then ask him for silver?
To be honest, Li Qinghe felt bad inside and showed some of it on her face. "Father's money is for his old age," she said. It's not for you to take and spend.
At that, Li Fu nodded in agreement. Zhao Wanwan frowned. "Fine if you won't help, sister. But why must you control Father's money too?"
"Because he's my father, of course." Li Qinghe stood her ground. Li Fu didn't have much saved; if she had a hand in squandering it, who would pay when a sickness came?
She had never intended to ask Li Fu for money, but if someone planned to borrow his savings she wouldn't remain ignorant, and if she knew, she certainly wouldn't agree. Of course, if Li Fu himself was willing, she wouldn't stop him.
But clearly, Li Fu had no intention of riding on the coattails of that scholar son-in-law; he only wanted to live his quiet life after marrying his daughter off.
"He's my father too." Zhao Wanwan was not polite in return. After a trip to the county town she'd grown bolder and even dared to argue with Li Qinghe. "If he were a stranger, I wouldn't even speak to him."
So I'm supposed to feel honored that she borrowed money? That's the sort of thinking Meihua has: help those you can, only the close ones, and later on you won't be able to lend a hand even if you want to.
"I don't have much silver either," Li Fu said. "I spent five taels on your dowry back then. It's been over half a year; last autumn's grain went to two weddings, your mother and I are nearly out of food, and from next month we'll have to buy grain. You can't expect to take the money I was going to use to buy grain, can you?"
Zhao Wanwan looked embarrassed. "Father, I, I was thinking, by this time next year everything will be fine."
That kind of thinking was dangerous, who could promise they'd pass an exam next year?
Li Fu waved a hand. "You came back in a hurry. I haven't asked about your uncle yet, has he come back?"
When asked about Qian Laiwen, Zhao Wanwan's face paled. "Not yet. My uncle asked me to pass along that he's going to stay in the county, like my husband, and he wanted me to tell the Qian family to hurry and send him a small present. I haven't been to the Qian household yet; I'll go speak with them soon."
It was the lean season between harvests, just as Li Fu said. Many families had already run out of grain and had to buy food to eat, no household had spare cash.
So there was no meal; they wanted to ask her for money, Li Qinghe couldn't lend it, and she couldn't eat. She took her leave and went home. Li Fu didn't stop her, telling her to return another day.
Li Qinghe went back home and cooked for herself. Zhou Chengkang came back unusually early; he'd brought firewood and had managed to catch a wild chicken.
"Don't go into town tomorrow; we'll eat this wild chicken ourselves," Zhou Chengkang said with a smile.
"Let's build the house sooner." Li Qinghe suggested. If people knew she had money from selling fish, they'd keep coming to borrow.
If she had money she could have lent some to Zhao Wanwan, but she wouldn't have enough for herself. If she lent it all away she'd be stuck living in this courtyard. She'd be a fool to sacrifice herself for others.
Besides, they say you help in an emergency, not to keep someone in permanent need. If Zhao Wanwan truly needed money to save her life, she'd move a little aside and spare some. But they were counting on Hu Yanxi passing his exams and repaying them. Saying he'll surely pass next year is easy, passing the county exam is no small thing.
When they left they swore Hu Yanxi would certainly pass. But what if, ten or even eight years later, he still hadn't? If Hu's mother and daughter-in-law didn't earn enough to cover expenses, the debt would roll up like a snowball, and that silver would be gone for nothing.
Even though she felt a little guilty about not lending anything to Zhao Wanwan, Li Qinghe told herself it might be for the best that the money was used up.
They had talked about building a house before; hearing this, Zhou Chengkang nodded and smiled. "All right."
The next day they went to the fallow land. After walking the area they picked a foundation spot not far from the pond, the yard would open right onto the pond, the chicken coop to the left, and more fallow land behind.
Once the foundation was decided, the two of them cleared a patch to plant vegetables, and Zhou Chengkang sent men up the mountain to select suitable timber for window lattices, doorframes and the roof ridge. It would take a fair amount, and they also had people hauling back blue bricks for the build.
By then many villagers knew the Zhou family's fourth son was building a house.
No one needed to ask where the money came from, it was obvious it had come from selling fish before the year, and more plainly, it was the bride's dowry.
Many envied them in secret; others made sour remarks, "The Zhou family’s fourth son, isn't he practically marrying in?"
And in some ways it did look like that: the money wasn't theirs, the foundation wasn't theirs, wasn't it just like being a live-in son-in-law?
Whatever the outsiders said, the building materials on the fallow land kept piling up.