Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Old Master Kuan
Li Shi Kuan came out of the ancestral hall with his hands clasped behind his back and strolled home at his usual unhurried pace.
He stepped through his courtyard gate, stopped, and tipped his chin up toward the loquat tree. After a moment, he raised his voice. “A Zhuang!”
The boy came running at once.
“Go call your Third Uncle over.”
A Zhuang had been practicing characters inside. He answered with a bright “Okay!” then skipped out and raced down the street to fetch Li Wen Hua.
Li Wen Hua was in his thirties, thick-browed and big-eyed, with a naturally cheerful face—though he liked to keep it stiff, as if a stern expression could make him look fierce and authoritative.
He was Li Shi Kuan’s eldest nephew, the oldest son of Li Shi Ping—Li Shi Kuan’s younger brother, who had died of illness a few years back.
Li Wen Hua didn’t live far. Before long, he arrived carrying a bowl of steamed pork with preserved mustard greens. He delivered it to the kitchen first, then walked into the main room.
“Have you settled the Qingming arrangements?” he asked before he even sat down.
Their branch had the fewest adult men, yet when it came time to contribute copper cash for clan rites like Qingming, they paid the same share as the branches bursting with sons and grandsons. But when the clan’s sacrificial fields produced leftover grain, that was divided by headcount—so their share shrank again. Mention the clan, and Li Wen Hua’s temper soured on the spot.
“Mm. Same as last year.” Li Shi Kuan tucked his hands into his sleeves and stood. “I didn’t call you for that. Come—let’s talk in the back.”
Li Wen Hua followed him into the rear courtyard, one behind the other.
“Li Wen Shan from Little Li Village,” Li Shi Kuan said quietly. “You know him?”
“Didn’t he die years ago?” Li Wen Hua pulled a face. “I heard they buried him with a lot of fanfare.”
Fanfare for a dead man—money burned for nothing.
“His only son is called Li Xue Dong,” Li Shi Kuan continued. “This year he placed third in the county exam.”
Li Wen Hua clicked his tongue. “So they’re still feeding a scholar. No wonder they could afford to put on such a grand burial.”
Even if you had a mountain of copper cash, spending it on the dead was still waste.
Li Shi Kuan shot him a sideways look and let out a long breath.
His brother had been honest and useless. This nephew was just as useless—only louder about it.
Fine. Useless was useless. At least the boy didn’t squander.
“Go borrow a cart,” Li Shi Kuan said, cutting it off. “Tell people you’re heading to the county town to look at incense and candles. Wait for me at the fork in the road.”
“Good!” Li Wen Hua agreed without hesitation, then frowned. “Why aren’t we going together?”
“We’re making a trip to Gao Cun Market Town.” Li Shi Kuan’s voice sharpened. “Remember this: no one can know we’re going there. Not a soul. You can’t even tell your wife.”
“Don’t worry, Uncle.” Li Wen Hua nodded so hard his neck nearly snapped.
He didn’t know what his uncle was planning, but he knew better than to ask. His uncle was famous throughout the neighboring villages for being shrewd. Back when Li Wen Hua’s father was alive, big matters, small matters—everything had been decided by Li Shi Kuan.
Li Wen Hua’s father had always said the same thing: whatever your uncle says, you do.
Stop thinking.
—
Li Jin Zhu and Li Yu Zhu pushed Li Xue Dong home in his little cart. Little Nan and Li Yin Zhu were at the stove, cooking. One look at their faces, and they knew: not a single copper coin had been pried from the clan.
Li Yin Zhu served the food, then took a boiled egg and looped cotton thread around it, slicing it neatly into two equal halves. Little Nan got half. Li Xue Dong got half.
Last spring, they’d hatched more than a dozen hens. Third Uncle Li Wen Cai’s household had stolen a few. They’d given two hens away to a teacher. They’d slaughtered one for New Year, and another when it was time for the county exam. These days, most of the time, they could only manage one egg a day.
“Sister,” Li Yu Zhu said after a few bites, unable to hold it in, “if the clan won’t give us even one copper coin, how are we supposed to go to Ping Jiang Prefecture?”
“Borrow,” Li Yin Zhu said at once, quick as ever.
“Borrow from who? And how do we pay it back?” Li Jin Zhu’s voice faltered. “Even if we pass the prefecture exam, there’s still the academy exam.”
“The academy exam is in Hang Zhou City,” Little Nan added softly.
“If we borrow copper cash and then don’t pass…” Li Yu Zhu glanced at Little Nan and lowered her head over her bowl.
Little Nan didn’t speak. She didn’t dare make promises she couldn’t keep.
The room fell quiet. They ate in the thin crackle of the stove fire.
When the bowls were empty, Li Jin Zhu drew a breath as if forcing herself upright from underwater. “Xue Dong and A Nan, you go study. As for copper cash… Second Sister, Third Sister, we’ll think of a way.”
Not long after Little Nan and Li Xue Dong went into the main room, Li Jin Zhu and Li Yu Zhu came in with tight faces and set up their looms. The clack and thud of weaving filled the house, hard and relentless.
Little Nan slipped out and edged closer to Li Yin Zhu, who was scrubbing the pot. Keeping her voice low, she asked, “Third Sister… did Big Sister think of something?”
Li Yin Zhu’s eyes reddened. “Big Sister won’t let me say.”
“Then tell me in secret.” Little Nan pressed in close, shoulder to shoulder.
Li Yin Zhu swallowed, her throat tight. “It’s Second Sister. She wants to pawn herself.”
Little Nan froze.
A moment later, she sank into a crouch beside the stove mouth, staring at the pot while Li Yin Zhu scrubbed and wiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand. A heavy ache rose in Little Nan’s chest, thick enough to choke.
The next morning, Li Jin Zhu and Li Yu Zhu sent Li Xue Dong and Little Nan back to Gao Family School.
After Li Xue Dong went inside, Teacher Gao beckoned Li Jin Zhu to stay.
She followed him into the Gao family’s main room—and nearly lost her footing. The place was bright, spacious, and richly furnished. Everywhere she looked, there was something fine and polished and expensive.
“How much do you know about your clan’s affairs?” Teacher Gao asked.
Li Jin Zhu blinked. “Little Li Village is four or five li from Li Family Market Town. We don’t go to the clan much. When there’s business, Third Uncle passes word and collects copper cash for offerings and such. We don’t know much beyond that.”
Teacher Gao nodded. “Your Li family has five branches: Feng, Sheng, Xiang, Man, and Wang. The Feng branch is the senior line. You and Third Uncle’s household are Sheng. Feng and Sheng share the same ancestor and have long stood together—those two branches also have the most people. Clan decisions are made by those two, and the current clan head is from Feng.”
Li Jin Zhu listened, nodding quickly, half dazed.
“And with that,” Teacher Gao said, lowering his voice, “it’s inevitable one side gets more and another gets less. The other branches may keep quiet, but the Wang branch is very unhappy.”
Li Jin Zhu stared at him, unsure where he was going.
“Yesterday,” Teacher Gao continued, “the Wang branch’s household head—your paternal grand-uncle, Old Master Kuan—came to see me. He asked about Xue Dong’s character and learning. He intends to cover the copper cash for Xue Dong’s prefecture exam and academy exam.”
Li Jin Zhu’s eyes flew open.
Teacher Gao watched her carefully. “Do you understand what that means?”
Li Jin Zhu’s mind snapped into place. “He wants my Xue Dong to stand with him later.”
Teacher Gao broke into a smile. “You’re sharp. Old Master Kuan’s meaning is simple: if Xue Dong can’t pass, the matter ends there, and the money is money thrown into water. But if Xue Dong earns the licentiate, then when clan matters arise, your Xue Dong must stand behind the Wang branch.”
Li Jin Zhu didn’t hesitate. “Good.”
For years, Third Uncle had dared to set his sights on their family’s land because the clan had always been controlled by his side. She had dreamed and dreamed: one day, when they had the power, she would make that Third Uncle—and his wife—pay until their faces swelled.