Chapter Twelve: The Zhou Family

  In mid-June, the people sent by Master Cheng to Pingzhou returned with news that proved what Pan Jinlian had said was true.

  "Struck by lightning, half of it was burned down. The Taoist temple on the other side dispersed, and they thought someone had been kidnapped and ran away, fearing that we would investigate, so all the Taoists ran away." Mr. Cheng put the letter on the armrest and said to the people in the house.

  At this time, Mrs. Cheng and Mr. Cheng II were both present.

  Everyone's expression was somewhat strange, as if they didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

  "What about Zhou's family?" asked Madame Cheng.

  "He hasn't replied yet," said Mr. Cheng, "nor do I know if he received it or just ignored it."

  "It's just that they might not know either," said Madame Cheng, looking at Second Mistress Cheng. "In the past, when Old Mistress Zhou supported the Taoist temple, no one in the family was very happy about it."

  Not to mention secretly burying a large sum of money in the Taoist temple, and not letting anyone from the Zhou family know about it. Otherwise, when Old Lady Zhou dies, that money will definitely be taken back.

  Madam Cheng nodded her head in thanks for Eldest Sister-in-law's explanation.

  "Now that it's settled, let's take good care of it." said Mr. Cheng.

  Everyone echoed in agreement and then dispersed on their own.

  Madam Wang returned to her own room, removed her makeup and took a nap, while being attended by the maid, thinking about what she had just heard.

  Since getting married, she first served her parents-in-law at home for three years. After giving birth to a daughter, she followed her husband to live in Bianzhou. At that time, the foolish child was already being raised in a Taoist temple. No one in the family ever mentioned this child, and her husband had never visited him. Although they lived in Bianzhou together for four or five years, the foolish child never appeared in their lives, as if he didn't exist.

  But absence does not necessarily mean non-existence, as long as it exists, it will always appear.

  "Is the Zhou family very wealthy?" she asked.

  I remember when I heard my parents say that the ancestors of the Zhou family were from Shaanxi, and they became officials in the capital as military officers, which couldn't be compared to those literary families.

  At that time, as the widow's legitimate wife, her natal family sent someone to meet with a rough and unrefined person.

  "A very rich one." The woman combing her hair hastily said.

  Madam Cheng glanced at her.

  "You seem to know more than I do." She said indifferently.

  These days, with the return of that foolish child, although knowing that Madame Cheng is not pleased, the servant women still cannot help but secretly discuss the old affairs of Madame Zhou.

  This woman combing her hair is Madame Ch'eng the Second's sister-in-law from her maiden home.

  The woman combing her hair hung her head in shame.

  "How rich is he?" asked Madame Cheng.

  The lady didn't blame her, so the woman breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Madam, let's not mention anything else. Do you know how lavish the dowry was when Madame Zhou married into our family back then?" she said.

  Madam Cheng gave the woman a sidelong glance.

  Nonsense! As a second wife, would she still go and investigate her predecessor's dowry?

  The woman's face turned red with embarrassment, and that was considered impolite. But what those maids said in private was even more unpleasant.

  "...When Mrs. Zhou entered the house that year, it was a grand sight, with gold and silver jewelry, fine fabrics, silk, two shops in good locations in the east and west of the city, and two farms with good land and harvests..."

  "...Those were all selected by Zhou's family half a year ago and sent people to our Jiangzhou city..."

  "...I still remember that when Mrs. Zhou had just passed away, the old lady took over the dowry for a while, and I heard those housekeepers say that the income from just one shop was enough to cover our family's expenses for half a year..."

  That's the dowry of true gold and silver wealth that can generate more wealth.

  Thinking of his wife's dowry now...

  After all, it's hard for a noble family from outside Beijing to compare with those in the capital.

  The woman with the comb picked up what she could say and said it.

  Madam Cheng II gritted her teeth secretly. What's the use of that? What's the use of a generous dowry? With closed eyes, everything is nothing.

  But...

  Is the income from a small shop enough for half a year's expenses?

  "Are all these shops and farms managed by Master?" she suddenly thought of something and asked.

  So many benefits, how come I've never seen them at home?

  Are those Green Girls and Thirteen Girls relying on this income to make a living?

  "No, no." The servant woman knew at a glance what her mistress was thinking and hastily said, "At the big madam's place."

  Madam?

  Madam Cheng II took off a hairpin and slowly placed it on the table.

  "How come Big Sister never mentioned it?" she said with a smile.

  Although they didn't separate households, each family's expenses were accounted for. Nowadays, the mother-in-law doesn't manage household chores, and the eldest sister-in-law is in charge of providing meals.

  "After all, it was the dowry of the first wife, I'm afraid to mention it, madam, you might be taboo." The servant said.

  Madam Cheng II felt somewhat unwell, but couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.

  Those dowries will eventually belong to that foolish child of hers; neither she nor her children can use them, but the benefits...

  The household expenses are all managed by my sister-in-law, and the income doesn't need to be divided into first house or second house either, but...

  She still feels uncomfortable somewhere.

  She has been married for nine years and just found out about this, thanks to that silly child!

  What if that fool never comes back, will she spend her whole life not knowing?

  "Ma'am, the cooling soup from the kitchen has arrived." A maid came in and asked.

  Although the Cheng family was wealthy, they had always been frugal. Three meals a day, with snacks at night, were all fixed and in limited quantities. Recently, during the hot summer, Madame Cheng ordered the kitchen to add some cooling soups, but she herself didn't eat them, only letting the children have some. The second mistress naturally followed her sister-in-law's example and also didn't eat any.

  But the wives will still come and ask anyway.

  Madam Cheng II turned around.

  "Bring it here, I was just thinking of using it." she said.

  "Yes." The maid responded with a "yes", turned around and walked away, only coming back to her senses after several steps.

  What did your wife just say?

  "Ah, is madam saying no?" She hastily asked in a low voice the maid beside her.

  That girl is yawning.

  "Are you dizzy? The lady clearly said to use it." she said.

  Ah? The girl finally realized she hadn't misheard.

  "How strange," she said with a smile, "what's gotten into you, madam?"

  "Things at home, madam can use them if she wants, and it's a waste if she doesn't." The lazy girl said earlier.

  At this time, in the capital city, on a vast hutong, in front of the grand gate of the Zhou residence, a seventeen or eighteen year old handsome young man jumped off his horse.

  The gatekeeper rushed out with four or five young servants to lead the horse.

  The young man tossed over the purse of money from his waist.

  "Reward for you all! Go and drink wine!" he shouted.

  The young servants were in an uproar.

  "Thank you, Liu Lang!" they shouted in unison.

  Zhou Lang burst out laughing and went straight in.

  The Zhou family's mansion was renovated from their ancestral home in Shaanxi, especially the screen wall, which was directly dismantled and transported from their hometown. The cost of silver was equivalent to ten screen walls, making them famous overnight. From then on, they became a prominent family in Beijing, known as "Old Shaanxi Zhou".

  On Saturday, Lang stepped into his own courtyard. Under the eaves of the house, a young man about the same age as him was sitting, with long eyebrows and fine eyes, wearing a large-sleeved long gown, staring at the white ceramic Go board in front of him thoughtfully. Two small maids were kneeling beside him, also watching the Go board and chattering away.

  "Qin Langjun, this is so boring, why don't we play Weiqi instead?" they said.

  When they heard Zhou Liulang's footsteps, everyone looked over and the two girls knelt up straight and then bowed their heads to pay their respects.

  The young man still stared at the chessboard.

  "Sanzi, how did you come today?" Zhou Liulang swung his sleeve and sat down cross-legged, using the chessboard as a support for his arm, and swept away the pieces on it with a brush.

  The young man didn't think much of it either.

  "I'm so anxious, I came here to tell you something interesting." he said.

  "What's interesting here?" Shūroku asked.

  "I heard someone from your uncle's family in Jiangzhou Prefecture has arrived?" the young man asked.

  Zhou Lang looked at the two maidservants kneeling behind him, and the two maidservants lowered their heads in guilt.

  "That family is indeed an interesting matter." Shūroku said, reaching out to adjust a chess piece.

  "It's about your cousin," said the young man. "Why didn't you ask more questions before driving the people from the Cheng family away?"

  "Useless people, what do they have to do with our Zhou family?" Zhou Liulang said with disdain. "At first, Auntie didn't listen and insisted on keeping that foolish child, harming others and herself, wasting the ancestors' upbringing. As for that foolish child, Grandma was also too kind-hearted, not letting her die early, but instead nurturing and raising her. Even pigs can be raised to produce meat, what's the benefit of raising a foolish child?"

  The boy laughed happily.

  "Sixth Brother, your cousin who is no better than a pig is being kept in Bianzhou." He said, "The people from the Cheng family have come to ask if it was you who sent her back to Jiangzhou."

  "Right, they come to ask how? Should we answer with respect?" Zhou Liu Lang stared at him and asked.

  The young man looked at him with a smile and stretched out his long fingers on the chessboard.

  "From Bianzhou to Jiangzhou," he said, "your cousin at Cheng's house returned on her own when your family wasn't aware."

  Zhou Lang looked at him, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

  The boy stretched out his hand again and drew a line from this point to that on the chessboard.

  "From Bianzhou to Jiangzhou, a young girl." He said with a smile, "Tell me, how did an useless person like you manage that?"