Chapter 204: Magnanimity

In a small house outside the Zongyang Gate of Anqing, Wu Dacai pressed his lips together and set down a wine bowl. After savoring the lingering taste of the wine in his mouth, he tossed a dried fava bean between his teeth, chewed it to a fine pulp and held it there, relishing the bean's after-aroma, then took another small sip.

His wife came in from outside and placed a plate on the table. On it lay a few slices of pig's head meat. Their five-year-old son followed her in, leaned on the edge of the table, and stared unblinkingly at the meat, a string of drool slipping from the corner of his mouth.

"Out, out — this is for your father. He only stays alive if he eats his fill. If anything happens to him, how are we two supposed to live?" The wife pushed her son on the head, then sat down at the table herself, her eyes fixed on the plate of meat, though her mouth said, "Eat up, quick, the boy's father."

Wu Dacai waved a hand. "Let him eat. We'll buy more once he's eaten. This family isn't short that bit of silver."

As he spoke, he picked up a small piece with his chopsticks. His son snatched it in a flash and bolted out the door — so fast even his mother couldn't stop him in time.

"'That bit of silver, that bit of silver' — just how much silver does this family have?" The wife glared at Wu Dacai, her eyes reddening. "A while back they docked three months' military pay — that's six taels of silver. Enough to buy so much pig's head meat."

As the wife spoke, tears streamed down. Her eyes, in passing, glanced at the pork on the plate.

"What's six taels of silver? I, Wu Dacai, could ever be short of money? Your man here, at Beixia Pass..." Wu Dacai suddenly stopped mid-sentence, glanced toward the door, then looked at his wife.

"What are you looking at? What about Beixia Pass? You went empty-handed and came back empty-handed — didn't even bring back a single piece of pork. All day you just know how to talk big."

"What does a woman like you understand? Keep your nose out of men's business. I said there'll be silver, so there'll be silver. This meat won't run short."

With that, Wu Dacai picked up another piece of pig's head meat from the plate. His wife had just lifted her hand, ready to receive it, when Wu Dacai tilted his head back and tossed it into his own mouth.

The wife gulped down her saliva with an audible swallow and pursed her lips. Wu Dacai didn't notice. He savored the meat's fragrance in comfort, propped his feet up, crossed his legs, and leaned back against the chair.

The wife eyed him sidelong. "Don't keep talking big. There's plenty I haven't even told you yet. A while back when the Roving Bandits stirred up trouble, Liu Laosan came from Tongcheng to seek refuge with his uncle. Your brother sent word — says he can't afford to support your mother. If she's to keep living with his family, you need to pay five Mace of silver a month."

Wu Dacai's eyes bulged. "His family's house didn't burn down. When we split the property, he got the most land. It was settled back then — our parents would stay with his family. When our family fell on hard times, he didn't lift a finger to help. Now he sees I'm earning a bit of monthly pay and wants to push Mother onto me. As if there's such a good deal."

"That's exactly what I said. At the start of the year when our house burned, he wouldn't even let us stay in one room at his place — just hoped we'd leave so he could take our land. Look at Liu Laosan's family: his eldest brother called the whole family together to live and eat under one roof, and somehow they pulled through. Now that's what you call real brothers. Then look at that elder brother of yours — and that sister-in-law of yours."

Having said her piece, the wife rubbed her hands together, then reached for the meat on the plate herself. Wu Dacai slapped the back of her hand. The wife had no choice but to pull her hand back. She glanced at Wu Dacai, grabbed two soybeans instead, and went on: "I had Liu Laosan take word back — if your brother pays five Mace of silver a month, your mother can come live with our family. Hah, forget five Mace — three Mace would do."

Wu Dacai sat up straight. "What if she really does come?"

"As if your brother and sister-in-law would ever part with silver. Your mother won't come. When your father was alive he played favorites — gave your brother that much more land when they split the property. Your mother's never been fond of us either. At New Year's, the sugar cake she gave our son was the size of a fingertip; the one she gave your elder brother's kid was as big as a palm. Never seen such favoritism. The land we left behind — your mother's the one helping farm it now. Liu Laosan said the Lice Register has it recorded as abandoned land. Even if the Lice Register took the bigger share, the harvest still ends up with your brother — still more than your mother could eat on her own. Your brother doesn't need to support her at all, and he still wants five Mace of silver? We can't give him even one Mace. He'd never be willing to let your mother go."

Wu Dacai furrowed his brow, thinking. "Mother farming all alone — how exhausting."

The wife tilted her head and looked at Wu Dacai. "Your mother's exhausted — what about me, am I not? You go off to be a Battalion Commander, and I'm the one who has to run everything inside and outside this house."

Wu Dacai kicked his wife in the leg, making the woman cry out. "If you don't run things, what are you doing at home?"

The woman dodged to the doorway and cursed: "Anyway, I'm telling you — this family is your family. Your mother is not part of this family. Our family has only this much to its name. If you dare give it to your mother, I'll walk out that door and throw myself into the Great River."

Wu Dacai scrambled to his feet. The woman shrieked and fled into the street. Wu Dacai snatched up a shoe from the floor and gave chase. He caught the woman in the street and flailed wildly at her with the shoe. A crowd gathered to watch. Their son, meanwhile, slipped quietly into the house.

After beating the woman until she was wailing loudly, Wu Dacai stormed back into the house in a huff. The woman stayed outside, crying and shouting that someone was being beaten to death.

When Wu Dacai entered the house, he caught his son grabbing another piece of meat. The moment the boy saw Wu Dacai come in, he hastily stuffed it into his mouth and scurried outside with his head down. Only one piece of meat remained on the plate.

Wu Dacai's anger flared uncontrollably. He seized his son and landed several slaps on the boy's backside. The child didn't make a sound, too busy chewing the pig's head meat in rapid, huge bites.

"Get out!" Wu Dacai let go, and the boy fled outside, giggling.

He poured the half-bowl of wine straight into his mouth. Outside, the woman cried and wailed for a while, then gradually fell silent. Wu Dacai had long grown used to it — back when they lived in the village, this had been a regularly staged drama.

After a moment, sure enough, the woman came back. She edged up to the doorway and peered inside.

Wu Dacai slammed the table. The beans in the bamboo basket all jumped at once. "Why didn't you go throw yourself into the Great River? Go on."

The woman pursed her lips and said nothing. Wu Dacai slumped back against his chair and cursed: "I go off to battle and finally get a single day's leave — and that's only because His Excellency Pang showed mercy. Only those who earned merit and have family in Anqing could come back. In the whole camp, no more than thirty-some men. And the moment I'm home, you start making trouble with me. Do you know your man nearly had his head lopped off by the Roving Bandits at Beixia Pass? Then you'd really have something to cry about."

The woman clutched the hem of her clothes and stared only at the ground, but she showed no sign of backing down.

"Do you know how exhausting the daily drills are in camp? Way more tiring than damn farming. Every day we strike the Wooden Man five hundred times. Push-ups, sit-ups — all done by the hundred. Marching drills that wear your feet to the bone. And at any moment, the officers beat and curse you. You think that silver lands in this house so easily? I come home and I can't even be the master of my own house."

The angrier Wu Dacai got, the more worked up he became. He grabbed the one remaining shoe from the floor and made as if to hurl it. The woman hastily hid outside the door, only poking her head out.

Seeing he couldn't hit her, Wu Dacai tossed the shoe back onto the floor.

Only then did the woman edge along the doorframe back into the room. Hesitant and stammering, she said, "Master of the house, that... are you full?"

"Don't feel like eating anymore." Wu Dacai closed his eyes and answered.

A faint rustling sound came from beside him. He knew the woman had sat down at the table again. Then a breeze began fanning toward him.

It was already September, and the weather in Anqing had turned cool. Normally there was no need to wave a fan anymore. Wu Dacai panted for a while, his mood settling somewhat, before he opened his eyes again.

The woman's eyes held a trace of panic; the fan in her hand paused for a moment.

Fortunately, Wu Dacai showed no further intention of hitting her. He reached into his chest, felt around, and slapped something onto the table with a smack.

The woman fixed her eyes on it — it was actually a five-tael piece of silver. A wave of dizziness washed over her mind. Immediately she snatched it up, sprang to her feet, slammed the door shut with a bang, and even dropped the door bar into place.

She turned back and asked in astonishment: "Master of the house, did you snatch this from the Roving Bandits?"

"Damned woman, talking nonsense again. The stuff we snatched is still... bullshit. Who in our camp can snatch silver? The Garrison Inspector Dui searches luggage and frisks people anytime. Who'd dare hide silver on themselves?" Wu Dacai sat up from his chair in alarm. "This is a kill reward granted by His Excellency Pang. Everyone left in our Squad got some."

"So much!" The woman's brows danced and her eyes smiled. She scurried around the room looking everywhere for a place to hide it.

Wu Dacai sighed. "It was eight taels originally. The Squad Captain got himself killed, so everyone had a month's Military Stipend Silver docked. The Squad of Five Leader also got himself killed, so everyone had another tael docked. That left five. Good thing the Banner Captain didn't die."

"How come so many died?" the woman said offhandedly as she continued searching for a spot. "Then who's going to be Captain?"

Wu Dacai said smugly, "Your man is getting promoted."

The woman spun around in a flash and drew close to Wu Dacai. "The boy's father, what kind of official are you going to be? In the future, can we be like those Official's Wives — get a maid or a serving woman or something to wait on me?"

Wu Dacai gave a snorting laugh. "Can't say for sure."

The woman let out a peal of laughter. When she finished, she glanced at the table and hurriedly said to Wu Dacai, "Master of the house, wait a moment. I'll go buy you more meat."

"No more buying." Wu Dacai stood up. "I'm heading back to camp."

"Didn't they say one day? It's only been half a day."

"I'm going to the Central Army to pay a visit to Mr. Hou. It's been over ten days since I got back, and I still haven't seen Mr. Hou."

The woman said, somewhat disappointed, "What's there to see in that old man?"

"What the hell do you know? The man not only saved my life, he's also a clerk in the Central Army — can put in a word with His Excellency Pang. Right now, His Excellency Pang has brought in another clerk from Tongcheng. The armor supply job used to be handled by Mr. Hou; now it's been given to that Mr. Yu. They're also talking about setting up a Chief Clerk position. The two of them are secretly competing. If I go now, Mr. Hou will remember it. And while I'm at it, I'll ask around about my promotion to Captain."

The woman's spirits lifted. "Then go, quickly."

Wu Dacai picked up the last remaining piece of meat with his fingers. The woman thought he meant to eat it himself, but Wu Dacai reached out and handed it to her. Flattered and overwhelmed, the woman received it with both hands.

"Master of the house, you eat it."

"You've worked hard at home. I told you to eat it, so eat it. You think we need to worry about going without meat? Once I get promoted to Captain, give it half a year or a year, and we'll buy a house right in Anqing City. I'm telling you — just you wait for that sister-in-law of mine to turn green with envy."

Wu Dacai finished speaking and swaggered out the door. The woman leaned against the doorframe, watching Wu Dacai's retreating figure on the main street, cradling the meat in both hands. Tilting her head, she murmured infatuatedly, "My man truly has such bearing."