Shi An Hall Spreads Its Branches and Leaves
The ninth generation ancestor of Xingren's ancestors was called Shi An Gong. At that time, Shi An Gong was a very remarkable person and was quite famous in Yuezhou. His life was mainly engaged in making and selling straw hats. His brilliance was not in how much money he earned, but in how many good deeds he did.
Shi An Gong had been making and selling straw hats since he was young. After decades of hard work, he had earned a lot of money. He took out half of his savings to buy land and build houses. He took out the other half of the money to build bridges and roads in Yuezhou. He built several bridges on some rivers and roads. From then on, the people of Yuezhou knew the name of Shi An Gong.
The people on Maple Ridge basically lived on the east side of the main hall. Shi Angong built the Old Hall, the Gaoshan Temple Hall, the Dark Hall, the Golden Hall, and the Pure Jade Hall, as well as all the houses attached to these four halls.
Duke Shi An had lived for seventy-five years and had four sons and nine grandchildren. His family property was inherited by his descendants. After seven generations, the development of the family was clear. Xingren and the others were the most prosperous. They occupied the four main houses, Shi An Hall, Dark Hall, Gaoshan Temple, and Golden Brilliance Hall.
After the refinement hall was repaired, no one lived there. Madam Huang passed away, and the place was still empty. The whole family squeezed into the Shian Hall, the Dark Hall, and the Gaoshan Temple Hall.
After Madam Huang went up the mountain, Xingren had been considering arranging a marriage for his younger brother Meibin.
At night, he told Leaf about this idea. Leaf said,""It's good, but our Bin 'er is too young. There are advantages and disadvantages to getting married. It's very harmful to the body.”
Xingren said," Isn't that so? What can I do? If you don't marry him, he'll be single. It won't be good for him to split up." She was afraid of hurting his body after she married him.”
The night was silent. The next day, Xingren called Wanren and Liren together and talked about marrying Meibin. Wan Ren said,"Bin 'er is too young. Let him stay with us for a few years."”
"I think Big Brother's idea is good. I agree with Big Brother's opinion."”
Wan Ren said,"You said that big brother's idea is good. Tell me what kind of good method it is."”
Li Ren said," I don't know what kind of good method it is. It's because it's what Big Brother said. It's a good idea. If it's your idea, then it's not a good idea."”
Wan Ren said,"What kind of logic is this? This is called crooked logic.”
Xing Ren said,"Alright, alright, you guys don't have to fight. I still advocate for Bin 'er to become a family."”
Xingren's opinion was the conclusion, so the two younger brothers did not say anything.
After making up his mind, Xingren went to Yan Village to invite a matchmaker. That matchmaker was famous for her mouth. When Xingren told her about the matter, the matchmaker said,"This is a good thing. Leave it to me. Mr. Lian Wu's family is famous in all directions. He is a scholar. Meibin is also a scholar.”
Xingren went home. Two days later, the matchmaker came. She said,"There is a girl in our Yan Village who is suitable for you. She is twenty years old this year, five years older than your brother.”
Xing Ren said,"How can I be five years older? It's too big, too big."”
The matchmaker said," A third-year female student will carry a gold brick. Isn't this five-year-old carrying two gold bricks?”
Leaf also said," You can change to another one. Three years older is fine, but we can't accept five years older."”
The matchmaker said," You two shouldn't be singing the same tune here. Ask your little brother. What if he's willing?" At that time, would you be willing?"
Xingren heard that it made sense. He had not mentioned the matter of marrying Bin 'er to him. After finding Meibin, Xingren said that he would give him a marriage and give him a family. Mei Bin said," What family? I haven't had enough fun. Mother has only been gone for a few days, and you think I'm a burden?"”
Xing Ren said sternly,"Giving you a family is for your own good. Why don't you know what's good for you?!"”
Meibin didn't say anything. He was a little afraid when his big brother lost his temper. Big Brother could use the family law to beat him. He was already an adult, but he was still teaching him. How ugly would it be to be beaten?
Ye 'zi said," Your big brother is doing this for your own good. Once you have a family, you will have someone to rely on. We will not owe you anything." If you don't have a family, who will you go with?”
Mei Bin said,"I don't care who I'm with. I'm fine with living alone."”
Xing Ren said,"You still want to talk? Are you asking for a beating?"”
Meibin didn't say anything. The matchmaker said,"You are also a scholar, and you are fifteen this year. You should know the old saying that a man who is fifteen years old should be the head of the family, right?”
Mei Bin said,"It's up to you. If you get married, then get married."”
"This woman is five years older than you. Do you want her?"”
Mei Bin said,"Have you read a book? Have you wrapped your feet? Do you know how to do things?"”
The matchmaker said," If you haven't read, why should a woman read? A woman without talent is virtuous." She did not bind her feet either. She just had a pair of big feet and was very good at doing things.”
Mei Bin said,"That's good, that's good. If she reads books, wraps her feet, and marries me, I'm afraid the two of us will starve to death."”
The group of people laughed. Xingren said," You're full of bad ideas. Do you want her to be your slave?"”
Mei Bin said,"It's not about being a cow or a horse or a slave. You just have to know how to do things."”
"Are you willing to be five years older than you?"”
"As long as you know how to do things, it doesn't matter if you're five years older or ten years older," Mei Bin said.”
The matchmaker left. She took Meibin's birth date and time to match the woman's eight characters.
A few days later, the matchmaker came again. She said to Xingren,"A perfect match, a perfect match. The two of them are a perfect match for each other. They are really a match made in heaven!”
Xingren said," How can we believe you? You have to report that woman's birth characters and let us know. This way, we will know what to do!"”
The matchmaker reported the birth characters of the woman surnamed Yan. After that, she said,"A tiger girl and a ram, a tiger chasing a sheep. The two of them are inseparable.”
Xing Ren said," Aren't you talking nonsense? What tiger girl and ram? What tiger chasing the sheep? That tiger won't eat the sheep, right? Won't our Bin 'er suffer?”
The matchmaker said," Big brother, you can't understand it that way. The tiger chasing the sheep means that the tiger likes the sheep.”
Mei Bin laughed and said,"What's with the eight characters? It's still up to the person to say it. I just want her to know how to do things.”
In the evening, Leaf said to her husband in bed,""I think Bin 'er's marriage is still inappropriate. Bin' er was born in the year of the sheep, and that woman was born in the year of the tiger. Isn't this like a sheep falling into the tiger's mouth?”
"A sheep is a ram, and a tiger is a tigress. It shouldn't be too bad!"”
"A tigress is also a tiger. Tigers eat sheep."”
Xing Ren said,"In this case, a woman born in the year of the tiger cannot marry." If the tiger wanted to eat sheep, it could also eat pigs, cows, chickens, and rabbits. What should it do?”
Ye Zi said," You're right. Let's just think of the tigress as a wife managing her husband. Bin 'er is so young, so she needs someone to manage her."”
Whether or not the eight characters were compatible was decided, as long as Meibin was willing.
The next step was the engagement. Before the engagement, there was a discussion of the marriage. On the issue of the gifts, the matchmaker helped both parties bargain. She tried to please both sides and smooth things over. In the end, the agreed gifts were a pair of bracelets, a pair of earrings, 50 silver coins, 60 catties of old wine, and 40 catties of pork.
Xingren wrote the red and green paper and brought it to the matchmaker. Yan's daughter wrote a reply, and Meibin's marriage was considered to be settled. Xingren arranged for a few boxes to pack the gifts and carried them over. Lady Yan also returned the gifts. There were embroidered satin quilts, quilts, and daily necessities. There were red dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds. The general meaning was to wish her daughter an early birth.
On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Madam Huang was seven years old. Her relatives and friends came to seven tables again. Everyone talked about Madam Huang's merits. They burned a lot of paper money and set off many firecrackers in Maojin Mountain. The process of mourning had a conclusion, and life returned to its original state.
Xingren had already chosen an auspicious day for Meibin to get married. On the tenth day of the month, he gathered the family together and said,"I've picked an auspicious day for Bin 'er to get married, which is the 16th of the twelfth lunar month. This day is suitable for marriage and gathering with relatives and friends. It's a good day for our family, and it's also a good day for guests.”
Everyone said happily,"Then let's get married to Bin 'er. After the marriage, we can spend the New Year in peace."”
Xingren then assigned the tasks to those who were in charge of the paperwork, who were in charge of distributing the invitations, who were in charge of purchasing, who were in charge of cleaning, who were in charge of the wedding room, and who were in charge of hiring workers.
On the 16th of December, the weather was fine. There was no wind outside, but the cold air was oppressive.
After breakfast, Meibin began to dress up. He wore a red wedding robe and a top hat. Xingren took him to Maojin Mountain to pay respects to Shi Angong and his mother's graves.
After returning, the matchmaker set off with the bridal procession. There was a bridal sedan chair, a few boxes of gifts, a group of gongs and drums, and a few suona. The bridal procession passed through the entrance of the long alley, the ice hall, and the entrance of the zigzagged alley before arriving at the main hall. The celebration along the way infected many people in Maple Ridge. They stood on both sides of the main hall and watched as the bridal procession walked out of the door and out of the cave.
The bridal procession walked past the forbidden garden tree and climbed up the peak of Maple Ridge. Then, they walked south along the ridge road. After about five miles, they arrived at the woman's house in Yan Village. They saw a handsome boy waiting outside the gate with a tea tray in his hand. Mei Bin rewarded the child with a few copper coins.
The boy received the reward and went in to report. Meibin had not been to her father-in-law's house yet, nor had she seen the bride or the bride's family. When they entered the central room, they saw two middle-aged men and women sitting at the head. The matchmaker introduced them,"This is your father-in-law and mother-in-law. Quickly kowtow!”
Meibin knelt down in court and bowed. Someone helped him up. His father-in-law and mother-in-law sized up their son-in-law. Seeing that he was refined and dignified, their faces were filled with joy.
Mei Bin wanted to break into the bride's boudoir, but a girl stopped him and said,"The Weaver Girl in the sky looks across the river." Mei Bin immediately replied,"The cowherd carries a load to the sky." The girl said," Wang Baochuan's heart has not changed for eighteen years in the cold kiln." Meibin said," Xue Pinggui misses his family in the spring of the 29th year of Xiliang." The girl put down her hand and let Meibin in, then followed her in. Meibin was anxious to see the bride's appearance and see how handsome, ugly, tall, short, fat, and thin she was. When he went in, he was shocked. This was a beauty. He liked her very much.
Lady Yan dressed up and walked out of the boudoir. She brought the groom to bid farewell to her parents. After another round of kowtowing, Father Yan put a red veil over his daughter.
An old woman opened a black oil-covered umbrella and protected Lady Yan under it. She led her to the side of the bridal sedan chair. The front pole of the bridal sedan chair was lowered, and Lady Yan sat inside.
The melodious sound of the suona and the beating of gongs and drums echoed in the sky above Yan Village. As the procession headed towards Maple Ridge, Lady Yan's father splashed a bowl of water on the ground behind the palanquin.
The matchmaker was still walking in front, followed closely by the suona player. They shook their heads and blew the suona. Most of the time, they walked backward, facing the sedan chair and blowing. The bride sat in the sedan chair and watched everything through the slits of the cloth curtain. Happiness overflowed on her face. She thought, I finally got married today.
The bridal sedan chair swayed along the road on the mountain ridge of Maple Ridge. Eight sedan bearers were singing a ballad as they swayed the bride with neat steps. This was the local custom. To be a bride, one had to go through this ordeal. Sitting in the sedan chair, one's stomach would be overturned one by one.
The sedan bearers sang: The bride is going to get married today, and the bridegroom is smiling happily on his face. The sedan chair bearer, I, carried the bridal sedan chair and walked in a hurry. Tonight, the bridal chamber is worthy of my heart.
Mei Bin also sang along: The bride is in the second and twentieth spring of this year, and the peach blossoms spit out fragrant fragrance in March; On the Dragon Boat Festival in May, peaches were born, and Gaoshan Temple was hung with colorful flowers.
They were noisy and singing along the way. After a while, they arrived at Maple Ridge. When they reached the entrance of the bridal chamber, they saw a child standing at the side with an orange in his hand. When the bridal sedan passed by him, it stopped for a moment. The bride reached out to touch the orange and gave a small red packet to the child. Then, the team entered the bridal chamber.
The bridal palanquin stopped at the Shi An Hall. Uncle Ding was waiting there with a bamboo sieve in his hand. When the bride came out of the palanquin, he would place the bamboo sieve on the bride's head. Then, he would help the bride walk through the East Upper Alley and enter Gaoshan Temple. The bride lifted her legs and crossed the threshold.
The wedding room was arranged in the upper room of the study. There was a charcoal brazier outside the door. Meibin led the bride into the wedding room. My bad luck has been removed, and my bad luck has also been removed. I have become a blessed person.
At night, it was time for the bridal chamber. A steam lamp lit up the Gaoshan Temple. Many people came. Shi Xian, Rong Fa, and Qi Fa, who were in their thirties, formed a group and tortured the newlyweds in various ways.
Shi Xian entered the bridal chamber and said to Mei Bin,"Carry the bride out. The nuptial chamber is about to begin.”
Mei Bin said," How can I hug her? I've never hugged anyone before, and she's so big."”
Shi Xian said,"How about I give you a hug?"”Shi Xian was about to hug the bride, but the bride flashed behind Mei Bin and pulled Mei Bin's two elbows to block her.
Shi Xian said,"Look, the bride won't let me teach her." Let me make a gesture. One of your hands will support the bride's neck, and the other hand will support the bride's knees.”
Meibin picked up the bride according to Shi Xian's teaching method. Shi Xian said,"No, no. Your left hand is on top, so your right hand should be on top.”
Meibin put down the bride and said,"Is this your rule or the old rule?”
"Of course it's the old rules. What rules can I have?"”
Meibin picked up the bride again. He was walking towards the door when he suddenly realized that he couldn't get through.
Shi Xian said," How can you get past like this? You should turn sideways to get past. If you turn sideways, the bride's body will be smooth."”
Meibin listened to Shi Xian's words and turned sideways. As soon as she took a step forward, her body was pulled by Shi Xian. Shi Xian said,"This won't do. The bride's head should go first."”
Meibin could only return and repeat the process. After finally passing the bridal chamber, he placed the bride on the ground. Shi Xian said,"It's not right to let people go like this. The bride should be placed in the middle of the hall."”
Mei Bin said,"I've already let them go. What should I do?"”
Rong Fa said,"Do it again. If you didn't do it well, you should do it again."”
Meibin took the bride's hand and entered the wedding room. Rong Fa said,"No, no, you came out carrying him. You should carry him in.”
The people in the hall shouted in unison,"Hug, hug, hug!"
Meibin had no choice but to pull the bride back to the central room and do it again. Just as she carried the bride in, Rongfa shouted from outside,"Wrong, wrong. When you enter, the bride's feet should be in front.”
Meibin could only return and repeat what Rongfa said.
Meibin carried the bride to the center of the hall and did not dare to put her down because he did not know which place was the center of the hall. His elder brother reminded him,"Below the spine, between the two walls."
Meibin carried the bride and walked under her spine. She walked the entire distance between the two walls, then turned around and stopped halfway to put down the bride.
Qi Fa came over and asked,"Are you tired? Is it fun? Do you want something new?"”Mei Bin smiled and said,"Whatever, it's just a joke."”
Qi Fa waved his hand and shouted,"Let's start the tea. Make some tea."”
The three Xingren brothers and four sisters-in-law were already sitting at the head of the hall. Madam Huang had passed away, so they were the elders of the family. Although Meibin was of the same generation as them, she had to respect them as elders.
Not long after, someone brought over a plate of tea. The bride and groom held the plate of tea in their hands.
Qi Fa pushed the bride and groom to the Xingren couple and asked them to serve tea to the elder brother and sister-in-law first. The bride and groom each took a cup of tea and handed it to their brother and sister-in-law. Xingren and his wife were about to pick it up when they were stopped by Qifa. Qi Fa said," The bride and groom are particular about how they serve tea. They can only hand over one cup at a time. The groom has to carry it up and hand it to the bride, and then the bride will toast it out.”
The bride and groom had no choice but to put down the teacup and do as Qifa said. The bride handed the tea to Xingren. Xingren was about to catch it when he was stopped by Shi Xian. Shi Xian said,"You can't drink mute tea. You have to talk. The bride has to address you.”
The bride said,"Please have some tea, big brother."”
Shi Xian said,"No, no, you can't say it alone. You need two people to say it. Let's do it again."”
The bride and groom said together,"Please have some tea, big brother."”
Xingren went to get the tea but was stopped by Rong Fa. Rong Fa said,"You can't call me that tonight. You should call me 'the child's uncle sips tea.' Let's do it again.”
The bride and groom froze. The groom chuckled while the bride pursed her lips and lowered her head. Her face was red and she did not dare to look at anyone.
Everyone started to cheer, saying,"Call him uncle!"
Aunt Zhang said," Hurry up and change your words. You'll have to change your words sooner or later. What's there to be afraid of?!"”
Rong Fa said," Yeah, what are you afraid of? If you're afraid of being ugly, why are you still getting married?”
Meibin said," I'll call for her. The child's uncle will drink tea." She handed the tea over.
Qi Fa stopped him and said," No, no, you can't replace me. You can't call me first. The bride should call me first. Don't break the rules."”
Mei Bin said,"Isn't it said that the husband sings with the wife? Why can't I call him first?"”
Qi Fa said,"You are a scholar. Are you the one giving birth or the woman?"”
After a long stalemate, the hand holding the tea was a little numb. The bride said,"Alright, I'll call him."
Qi Fa said," Everyone, did you hear that? The bride said that she's going to call the child's uncle to drink tea. Did everyone hear that? If you heard that, calm down and listen to how she calls him.”
Meibin picked up a cup of tea and handed it to the bride. The bride handed it to Xingren and said,"The child's uncle, have some tea." Xingren wanted to pick it up again, but Shi Xian stopped him and said,"Did everyone hear that? Did you hear what the bride said? Anyway, I didn't hear it."
The people in the room shouted,"I didn't hear her. I don't know what she said!"”
Then, everyone shouted,"Again","Again","One more","One more"!
The bride became bolder. She raised her voice an octave and said, The child's eldest uncle, have some tea." Rong Fa leaned over and said,"What did you say? Why didn't I hear it?"”
The bride placed the tea on the tea tray, her small mouth slightly curled up.
Qi Fa said,"Where's the chamber pot? Quickly find a chamber pot."”
The bride burst into laughter, and everyone in the room laughed as well.
Aunt Zhang said," Let's do it again. Let's do it again. I can't wait any longer. I'm thirsty."”
Meibin picked up the tea and handed it to the bride. The bride shouted with all her might," The child's eldest uncle, drink tea." Meibin also shouted," The child's eldest uncle, drink tea." Xingren smiled and drank the tea. Then he put the tea cup upside down on the tea tray and put a small red packet.
Shi Xian said," Brother Xingren, you drank the tea so easily. Do you think that giving a red packet will be enough? You still have to say a few words and give a compliment."”
Xingren said,"Since ancient times, phoenixes seek phoenixes. Phoenixes are good sons." The phoenix had golden wings and built its nest on a maple tree.”
Qi Fa said," No, no, the wedding period is three days. No matter how big or small it is, say something dizzy, say something dizzy.”
Xingren said: "Tea cup noodle shop, two people face hoop."
Qi Fa smiled and said,"Brother Xingren, are you embarrassed? Did you see the two of them hugging?"”
The people in the room laughed again, and Xingren ran away.
With a start, the following things were easy to handle. The bride was no longer afraid of being ugly. She kept shouting like pouring beans from a bamboo tube. The three brothers and four sisters-in-law of the Xingren family all drank the tea. The elders in the family also drank the tea. The few young ladies also drank the tea. The red packets in the tea tray piled up like mountains. The bride was very happy. She thought to herself, If you want to drink the tea, drink as much as you want. The more you drink, the more red packets I will have.
After a few more tricks, the bridal chamber show ended. Shi Xian and the others carried the bride into the bridal chamber and then dispersed. It was late at night.
After Meibin got married, everyone was busy celebrating the new year. They bid farewell to the new year, paid new year greetings, watched lions, and watched lantern shows. They were busy for a whole month until the Lantern Festival.
On the night of the 16th day of the first lunar month, Xingren arranged for the family to meet in Madam Huang's bedroom for a meeting. The topic of the meeting was to divide the family's assets. Xingren's family of four, Wanren's family of two, Liren's family of three, Chengren's family of one, Meibin's family of two, a total of twelve people.
Xingren said,"Mother is already seven, Bin 'er is also married, and the New Year is over. Now it's time for us to separate." Everyone understood the principle of splitting up. In the past, when Mother was still alive, we had to live under Mother's knee. Only then would the family be like one. Now that my mother has passed away, it would be inappropriate for us to live together. This is forced. It's difficult for people to agree. As the saying goes, the bigger the tree, the bigger the branch. So, let's split this family.”
Wan Ren said,"It's good to split up. We'll live our own lives."”
Li Ren said," Now that we're separated, we have our own plans. It saves us the trouble of discussing matters together whenever something happens. It saves us a lot of trouble and saliva."”
Xingren said," It's easy to talk about splitting the family. The difficult problem is how to divide the property. One is how to divide the houses, one is how to divide the land, and one is how to divide the money. There were two plans. One was his mother's plan. When his mother was alive, she believed that the family should be divided according to the number of brothers. The five brothers should be divided into four and a half, and Brother Ce should take half. The other plan was to divide the population according to the current population.”
Wan Ren said," I object to dividing according to the population. It should be divided according to Mother's opinion. When Mother was alive, everything in the family was done according to Mother's wishes. After Mother passed away, she left behind the idea of splitting the family. If we go against the old man's opinion, the old man will be uneasy underground.”
Li Ren said,"I'm just doing whatever I want. I'll listen to whatever Big Brother says."”
Xingren said to Mei Bin,"Bin 'er, what's your opinion?"”
Mei Bin said," The family property was earned by my brothers. I didn't contribute at all. No matter which plan it is, I'll be benefiting from my brothers. I'll listen to Big Brother."”
Xingren said," According to the population, my family will have some light. I don't want this light. I also agree with Second Brother's opinion. It's better to follow Mother's opinion."”
Everyone agreed, and so did the sisters-in-law. Sheng 'er also cheered along. Ye' zi hugged him and said,""You're just a child. What do you know?”
Xingren said," I'll talk about the analysis of the real estate first. My second brother and I live in the Refinement Hall. I live in the east, my second brother lives in the west, my third brother lives in the Shi 'an Hall, my brother lives in the Dark Hall, and Bin' er lives in the Gaoshan Temple.”
" There are two problems here," Li Ren said." The first is where we live. Does it mean that we're splitting the property? Whoever lives in the house will be the owner of the property in the future." The second question is, am I at a disadvantage by staying in the Shi 'an Hall?”
Xingren said,"Yes, in fact, it is the division of property. Whoever lives in the house will be the private property of whoever lives in the future." " As for whether you're at a disadvantage by staying in the Shi An Hall, it looks like this on the surface. The Shi An Hall is an old house with more than a hundred years of history. It's not bright and is not as spacious as the other places. However, the houses here were the noblest. This was built by Shi An Gong, and the head of the family had always lived here. How about this, you mention it and make up a little silver.”
"Make up two hundred silver dollars," said Li Ren.”
"What do you think, Second Brother?" asked Xing Ren.”
"Almost," said Wan Ren."This is what I should do."”
He asked Mei Bin again, and Mei Bin said,"What my brothers say is what it is. It is necessary to make up a little. Otherwise, I will not be at ease living in Gaoshan Temple."”
Xingren said,"Alright then, let's make up two hundred silver dollars. Do the sisters-in-law have any objections?"”
Everyone said that they had no objections. This was a fair and reasonable way of handling things.
Xingren said,"Second, tell me about the land. How much land is there and how to distribute it."”
"We have four stone fields at home, two and a half stone for the ridge field and one and a half stone for the ridge field. My suggestion is to split it into four portions. Bin 'er and Brother Ce will take one portion, and the three of us will each take one. Why can't Bin 'er have a share? Because he had never done farming before, giving him a share would be barren. In the past, he mainly studied, and in the future, he mainly taught elementary school. His family had spent money on his studies and should be regarded as a property.”
"What do you think, Bin 'er?" asked Xing Ren.”
Mei Bin said," No objections. Second Brother is right. I don't want more fields. Who's going to plant them?!"”
Lady Yan said,"I'll plant, I know how to farm!"”
Mei Bin said,"Why are you saying that the hen is about to crow before the rooster crows? Why is a woman interrupting?"”
Ye Zi said," How can you say that, Bin 'er? What's wrong with a woman's family? Aren't women still the masters of the family?”
Lady Yan immediately said,"I didn't say I wanted a share of the land. I said I could plant half of the land."”
Xingren smiled and said,"Alright, alright, we'll split it according to Second Brother's wishes." Second Brother's reasoning was very good, so we couldn't object.”
Wan Ren said," As for the division method, I've thought about it. Bin 'er will divide the Fengshuchong Ridge Field into Sandouqiu and Xibang's Huqiu. These two fields are the closest and have good water. Brother Ce divided the Fengshuchong Ridge Huqiu and Dongbang's two Douer. This piece of land was slightly smaller than Bin 'er's. The remaining fields were divided into three parts, each with a stone field. Each part was three buckets of maple trees in the ridge, seven buckets of She Gong in the ridge, and the ridge fields were far away from the paddy fields and near the paddy fields.”
"Second Brother is thoughtful. This is good, this is good."”
"I have no objections. We'll draw lots later."”
Xingren said," The real estate and land will be divided like this. Fourth sister-in-law has already decided to remarry. We have to support her. It's the Republic of China now. She's only in her twenties. She can't be a widow here. However, she can't take away or sell the property that is under Brother Ce's name. We will also allocate two hundred silver dollars from the government to her dowry. As for Brother Ce's land, Second Brother and I will plow a piece of land for him, and Third Brother will plow the fields for him. In the future, whoever's wife gives birth to a boy will be adopted by Brother Ce, and half of the family property will belong to him.”
Fan Mingxiang, who had been silent, said,""I'll listen to Big Brother. I'm also grateful to all the brothers and sisters-in-law.”As she spoke, she wiped away her tears.
The sisters-in-law comforted her again before Fan Mingxiang stopped crying.
Then, Xingren said to Liren," After my mother passed away, you were in charge of the family's accounts. Tell me, after deducting these two sums of money, how much money is left in the family? How are we going to distribute it?"”
Li Ren said without thinking," We have 2,000 silver dollars at home. After deducting the two sums, we have 1,600 dollars left. We will leave 100 dollars for Mother's anniversary and monument. The other 1,500 dollars will be divided into five portions. Each family will get 300 dollars. The sister-in-law could take half of Brother Ce's share and save the other half. In the future, whoever inherited Brother Ce's family line would get the money.”
Fan Mingxiang said," I don't want my half. Two hundred yuan is enough for the dowry. I can't be so greedy."”The sisters-in-law tried to persuade her, but Fan Mingxiang still refused. She said that she had to face Chengren.
Xingren said,"Alright then, this money will be confiscated. In the future, we will need money for sacrifices every year."”
Li Ren said," There are about forty stones of rice left. Each person can get three stones. This is divided according to the person. Each person has a mouth and has to eat.”
"Second brother, do you have any objections?”
"I have no objections if you're right," said Wan Ren.”
Xingren turned around and said to his wife,"Now that the matter is over, you can lead a few sisters-in-law to distribute the furniture, utensils, pots, pans, bowls, and needles in the house.”
Ye 'zi led the women to do their own things.
Xingren said to his younger brothers,"It really wasn't easy for our family to get to where we are today. Other than thanking the heavens, the most we should thank is our mother. Look at our old master. He doesn't farm, farm, or do business all his life. He just teaches the Four Books and Five Classics. The annual cultivation is only enough to feed him. He doesn't accept what he can't receive. He gives the surplus to the poor. What he can get home every year is just a few loads of grain and fennel. He doesn't see half a copper coin. He doesn't worry about not having breakfast rice at home.”
Wan Ren said," Master has seen through this world. He lives a carefree life. His realm is completely different from ours. He doesn't manage his family or his property. He lives in the world of books all day long.”
Li Ren said," It's already amazing for a family to have such a person. If there's one more person like this, it'll be amazing. If everyone is like this, they can only eat air."”
Meibin said,"Our master is too good at reading Confucius 'books. Confucius said that only women and villains are difficult to raise. If you are close to them, they will not be grandchildren. If you are far away, they will complain." Fan Chi asked him to learn how to plant crops. The Master said,"I am not as good as an old farmer.'He asked to learn how to make a garden and said,'I am not as good as an old garden.'Fan Chi came out. the master said,"what a mean man! he is fan xu! If the monarch likes etiquette, the people will not dare to disrespect him. If the monarch likes righteousness, the people will not dare to disobey him. Good faith, then the people dare not disobey the truth. In this way, the people of the four directions will come with their children in their arms. How can they use crops?'Confucius regarded those who farmed and managed the family property as villains, that is, ordinary people. He believed that there was a difference between scholars and ordinary people. Our master inherited his mantle.”
"Little brother, have you also read too many books of Confucius?"”
Li Ren smiled and said,"If I look down on farmers, then let me plant the fields. I'm willing!"”
Xingren said," There is a certain truth in what I said. There is a difference between scholars and ordinary people, but there are also extraordinary people among ordinary people. Look at our family. When the old master passed away, I was twenty-four years old, my second brother was nineteen years old, my third brother was sixteen years old, and my fourth brother was fourteen years old. I was only three years old, and our family did not have much savings. Our old lady miraculously stood up, guiding us in farming, guiding us in doing business, buying property when we had savings, and helping those who did not have a family to start a family. She brought the wives up to be good at managing the family and needlework.”
Wan Ren said," I'm an amazing person. The prosperity of our family can't be separated from me. However, this is also related to you, big brother. As the saying goes, an elder brother is like a father. It's you who took on the father's burden.”
Li Ren said," God's credit is not small. Look at us brothers. Each of us has to carry a few hundred pounds. When others see what we have done, they will tremble."”
After a while, everyone dispersed.
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