SLH | Chapter 28

Two Pawns

“Sun Jiawang, gift money five wen, ten eggs. Xu Debao, gift money six wen, eight eggs.”

Xu Yancheng was announcing the gifts while keeping an eye on Song Tingzhu. He didn’t need to remember all the gifts, just the amount of money, but since he was announcing, they were both multitasking, making it fair. In the end, whoever won would depend on their skills.

He had been an apprentice with an accountant at a tavern in town for two years, so how could a young man like him possibly lose?

Xu Yancheng was confident he would win and felt it was a bit unfair to compete with a young man. But once a gentleman gives his word, he cannot go back on it, so he decided to slow down a bit to give him a chance.

However, when he glanced over, he was surprised to see the young man’s handwriting was exceptionally beautiful and neat, even better than his teacher’s.

Xu Yancheng’s eyes widened.

Yesterday, when Aunt mentioned it, he didn’t believe it. There weren’t many young men in the village, or even in town, who could read and write, let alone write so well. In all of Lianxi Town, you couldn’t find another like him. He looked more like a young master from a wealthy family than a farmer.

Hua Er’niang was chatting with the guests, and when they asked about the ceremony teacher, she was so pleased that her smile almost reached the back of her head.

Xu Yancheng glanced over and then turned his head to look at Song Tingzhu, who was keeping track of the gifts beside him.

“Are you tired?” With fewer guests now, Song Tingzhu put down his pen and rubbed his wrist, asking the young man beside him who seemed a bit listless.

Xu Yancheng shook his head and mumbled quietly, “I’m sorry.”

Song Tingzhu was puzzled, “Why are you apologizing to me?”

“I thought you were incompetent before, just like the last ceremony teacher, here to make some quick money,” Xu Yancheng admitted, feeling a bit ashamed. “But your handwriting is better than mine, and your calculations are more accurate. I shouldn’t have judged you by your appearance.”

Song Tingzhu laughed and said, “So, you drove the last ceremony teacher away?”

Xu Yancheng nodded, “Qiaoniang Jie got married at eighteen, and the villagers talked a lot. It was hard for her to get a match, so Aunt wanted to make it grand, with a band and a literate ceremony teacher. But the men in the village who went to school were all close to the Zhao family, so Aunt couldn’t find anyone and went to another village. Who knew she’d find Lai San’er, who had a good reputation in Dahe Village but was infamous at the academy. I told Aunt, but she didn’t believe me. I had no choice but to secretly get rid of him.”

The young man grew angrier as he spoke, “That bastard even took ten copper coins from Aunt when he left!”

Song Tingzhu thought: No wonder they were so wary of me; there was a reason behind it.

“They’re here, they’re here! Hua Er’niang, your son-in-law is here!”

“The groom is so handsome, and I heard he’s a scholar. Hua Er’niang, you’re so lucky!”

“Hua’s family is really different. The mother married a son-in-law, and now the daughter found one too. Where does Hua Er’niang find so many willing men? My son will be sixteen next year, and I can’t bear to see him marry out. Maybe I should find a son-in-law too.”

“Hua Dajie spent money on this. If you can offer five taels of silver as a bride price, you won’t have trouble finding a son-in-law.”

The women who didn’t know about this gasped, “Five taels of silver! Hua Er’niang is really generous!”

As the groom entered the courtyard, everyone praised the Hua family’s good fortune. With a scholar joining the family, if he becomes a Xiucai next year, the Hua family will be highly respected in the village.

Hua Er’niang’s face was full of smiles, and she laughed heartily, “Thank you all for your kind words.”

Hua Qiaoniang’s husband’s family name is Qin, and her husband is named Qin Ji. The man was handsome and tall, very eye-catching.

Song Tingzhu tidied up his writing tools and took a quick glance, feeling that this man looked familiar. After asking an aunt nearby, he learned that Qin Ji was from the same village as his grandfather and was distantly related to the Ruan family.

Qin Ji was a scholar, but with four or five siblings, his parents couldn’t afford to keep him in school, so they sent him to the Hua family as a son-in-law.

With drums and music playing, the groom was surrounded by people and entered Hua Qiaoniang’s room.

Song Tingzhu didn’t join the crowd. Instead, he and Xu Yancheng collected the gift money and found a quiet place to sit.

“Brother-in-law, aren’t you going to the front to watch the fun?” The young man found him and sat down beside him, speaking familiarly.

Song Tingzhu asked back, “Why aren’t you going?”

Xu Yancheng pouted, “There’s nothing much to see. In the village, someone gets married every now and then. I’ve seen enough.”

He glanced around and then, scratching his head, asked shyly, “Um, where’s Liu Xiaomei? Why isn’t she with you?”

Song Tingzhu raised an eyebrow slightly.

So that’s why the young man’s attitude suddenly changed; he had an ulterior motive.

He closed his book and stood up, saying, “She probably went to the front to watch the fun.”

Xu Yancheng saw him leaving and immediately followed.

“Brother-in-law, where are you going? You’re not familiar with the village; I can guide you.”

“Just taking a walk nearby. I won’t get lost.”

“No, you’re a guest, and Hua Er’niang is busy and can’t entertain you. As the host, it’s my duty to take care of you.”

Song Tingzhu glanced at him and saw the young man nervously rubbing his nose.

Liu Xiaomei’s marriage wasn’t urgent, and Xu Yancheng was only ten years old, younger than Xiaomei by two years. If they were just friends, he wouldn’t interfere, but the young man’s intentions were clear.

Once outside the courtyard, Song Tingzhu turned to the young man sticking close to him and said seriously, “You and Xiaomei are still young. If you still have these thoughts at fourteen, and if Xiaomei hasn’t found someone by then, I’ll allow you two to interact.”

The young man was delighted and asked excitedly, “Really?”

“Only in public, not alone.”

“Okay!”

The young man was overjoyed, and Song Tingzhu, hearing the cheers beside him, wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing.

Ten years old wasn’t too young, but not too old either. He had read many stories where children as young as seven or eight had children and died. He didn’t know if those stories were true, but to be safe, it was better to be cautious.

The Hua family’s courtyard was full of joy, and the celebration lasted until dusk.

After seeing off the guests, Hua Er’niang and her husband Ma Guangzhong took out a heavy pouch of coins and handed it to Song Tingzhu.

“There aren’t any ox carts at this hour. Is it okay for you and Xiaomei to walk home?”

Song Tingzhu accepted the pouch and replied, “It’s fine, Aunt.”

Hua Er’niang laughed, “Alright then. I heard your mother is also from Dahe Village, just like my son-in-law. Maybe our families are related. You should bring your mother over for a visit sometime.”

Song Tingzhu smiled and agreed, “Sure.”

After sending the two off, Hua Er’niang’s family turned back to their home.

Liu Xiaomei looked around, seeing no one, and curiously leaned in.

“Brother-in-law, how many coins did Aunt Hua give you? It looks heavy.”

Song Tingzhu replied, “I don’t know either.”

He opened the pouch, and they counted the coins, their eyes lighting up.

“Sixty-six! I’d have to embroider dozens of handkerchiefs to earn that much!”

Song Tingzhu was also surprised. He had asked his mother-in-law, and a typical ceremony teacher would earn at most fifty wen. He didn’t expect the Hua family to give sixty-six wen.

Liu Xiaomei skipped along, “If there were joyous events every day inviting brother-in-law, even if it were only fifty coins a day, it’d be better than doing hard labor in town.”

Song Tingzhu joked, “Wouldn’t it be faster to dream?”

“Hehe, I’m just thinking.”

Lianxi Town wasn’t far from Dahe Village. After walking for a while, they saw the village.

“Brother-in-law, there’s a shadow up ahead…” Liu Xiaomei tugged at his sleeve, a bit scared.

Song Tingzhu pulled the young girl behind him, soothing her in a low voice, “Don’t be afraid. Maybe they’re just like us, traveling at night.”

“They’re coming towards us!”

He protected Xiaomei, frowning.

It was dark, and the moon hadn’t come out. Even Song Tingzhu felt a bit scared. Seeing the shadow getting closer, he quickly threw the pouch of coins Hua Er’niang had given him at the figure.

He was about to run with Xiaomei when he heard the man, a few steps away, say in a slightly aggrieved tone, “Wife, why did you throw a rock at me?”

“Husband?”

“Second Brother?!”

They both called out.

“It’s me. I saw it was late, and you two hadn’t returned, so I came to meet you.”

Who would’ve thought, before he could get close, his wife would throw a pouch of coins at his head.

“I didn’t know it was you. I panicked and threw the money,” Song Tingzhu quickly went to check. “Let me see if you’re hurt.”

“I’m not hurt, I caught it.” Liu Hu chuckled, “I thought it was a rock and almost threw it away.”

He put the pouch in his pocket, took his husband’s hand, and carefully instructed, “The road is rough. Follow my steps.”

“Second Brother, why are you only worried about brother-in-law and not afraid your sister might fall?” Liu Xiaomei covered her mouth, laughing.

Song Tingzhu blushed, pulling Xiaomei along, slightly embarrassed, “It looks like it’s going to rain. We should hurry home.”

“But it looks like the moon is coming out.”

Song Tingzhu, his ears burning, threatened, “If you keep teasing me, I won’t draw new patterns for you anymore.”

Liu Xiaomei immediately acted obediently, “No, brother-in-law, I’m sorry.”

After a busy day, the three returned home, washed up, and went to bed.

The next day, after breakfast, Song Tingzhu set up his small stall for writing letters.

He had asked Xiaomei and Xiaoman to spread the word a few days ago, and now that the stall was set up, many aunts and uncles gathered around, though most were just there to watch. After all, they hadn’t seen anyone write letters from home without stepping out.

“Tiger’s brother-in-law is really something, a young man learning to write letters like a man.”

“Indeed, I heard he can also write contracts. Writing contracts is tricky. If it’s not done right, the village head won’t recognize it. Bamboo brother came from the prefecture city; how does he know the rules of Lianxi Town?”

“That’s true. Xiulian lets her son’s husband mess around without worrying about any mistakes.”

No one seemed optimistic, and there was even some ridicule.

Song Tingzhu pretended not to hear, spreading paper and grinding ink, writing a couplet in front of everyone.

Seeing this, the crowd’s tone changed.

“Bamboo brother’s handwriting is really good, even better than the character on my door!”

“Didn’t you say Tiger’s brother-in-law couldn’t write? Were you talking nonsense?”

“Well… I didn’t know if he could or not. I was just repeating what I heard.”

“Bamboo brother, is it true that writing a letter only costs two copper coins?” a woman asked.

Song Tingzhu smiled and replied, “Yes, it’s true. Contracts are also two coins, couplets are four coins, and writing just a ‘Fu’ or ‘Shou’ character costs one coin for two sheets.”

“That’s great! I was just looking for someone to write ‘Xi’ characters for me. Now I don’t have to make a special trip to town.”

Another woman agreed, “Yes, taking Old Peng’s ox cart costs two coins, and the writers in town charge a lot. This saves a lot of money!”

Hearing this, some aunts immediately handed over coins, asking him to write a letter for them.

They were women who hadn’t been home for ten or twenty years and usually couldn’t afford to hire someone to write a letter, so they seized the opportunity now that it was cheaper.

Everyone’s attention was on Song Tingzhu, not noticing the two women who had spoken earlier quietly retreating behind the courtyard wall.

“Le Ge’er, didn’t Aunt do a great job with this?”

Tian Le gave them a thumbs up, “Aunt’s efforts are worth two, no, worth a whole group!”

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Author’s Note: Happy Lantern Festival, everyone! Leave a comment to get a red envelope! [Throw confetti][Throw confetti]