Chapter 500

Tang Wei huddled into a ball, sitting in the main room. His mother, Tang Dongshi, had just finished roaring in the middle of the room.

"I'm not marrying Butcher Zhang's second daughter." Tang Wei spoke carefully, his voice thin and soft like a cat's mew. "Her strength can kill a wild boar with one punch. I can't beat her. If I marry her, I'll be bullied."

"Nonsense!" Tang Dongshi cut him off angrily. "What woman would dare hit her husband? And can't you show some backbone? You're a grown man — can you really not beat a woman? And you call yourself a soldier. What did Dengzhou Garrison teach you? You don't even dare hit a woman — how the hell could you dare kill Tatars?"

"Killing Tatars is different — you use a firelock for that..." Tang Wei defended himself in a small voice.

Tang Dongshi was fuming with rage. She turned her head and saw Old Tang sitting on the door threshold.

Old Tang was puffing on his pipe, click-click. With each draw of breath, the ember in the pipe bowl flickered bright and dim. His other hand wasn't idle either — he held a coarse-grain flatbread and gnawed at it from time to time. The flatbread was rather dry, and crumbs kept falling onto his thick cotton-padded trousers. A few egg-laying hens were gathered around him. When Old Tang brushed the crumbs off, the hens rushed over, clucking and scrambling for them.

Tang Dongshi was already in a foul mood. Hearing the chickens clucking now ignited a nameless fury. She strode over in two steps and kicked the nearest hen, sending it flying. Chicken feathers swirled chaotically around the doorway as the egg-laying hens scattered in all directions, clucking in panic.

Old Tang sat as immovable as a mountain, as if nothing had happened. He lowered his head, blew a chicken feather off the last small piece of flatbread, coughed once, and put it into his mouth.

Tang Dongshi walked up to Old Tang and said to him on the threshold, "You're the head of the family. Go discipline this youngest son of yours."

Old Tang, his face full of wrinkles, looked up at Tang Dongshi for a moment, utterly expressionless. Then he turned his face slightly to the side, lowered his head again, and kept smoking.

"Smoke. Smoke. You smoke away several maces of silver every month, but when it's time for real business, you're completely useless. This family would have collapsed long ago without me." Having finished scolding the old one, Tang Dongshi turned back to the young one.

"Butcher Zhang's second daughter won't do. Then what about the one from Shisanbao?"

Tang Wei buried his face lower, his voice growing even softer. "That woman from Shisanbao drifted here from Shanxi. I can't understand a word she says."

Tang Dongshi was so angry she kept gasping for breath. "You're making excuses. Are you trying to go after that actress?"

"Performer. She's a performer."

"I don't care what kind of 'performer.' Bottom line — you cannot marry an actress. In all the villages for miles around our family, who has ever married an actress? Our family's circumstances aren't worse than anyone else's. Gou'er, don't anger your mother like this... How am I supposed to live like this!" Tang Dongshi let out a wail, plopped down onto the ground, and began sobbing loudly.

Tang Wei scrambled up at once, ran over, and helped Tang Dongshi up into a chair. Old Tang just watched from the threshold.

"Mother, don't be angry. I'll think about which one to marry. This time I'll definitely listen to you. But I'm a bit afraid of Butcher Zhang's family. Let me think it over some more."

Tang Dongshi looked at Tang Wei vacantly, tears streaming down. Only after a long while did she say, "Anyway, you have to marry one. Your mother has been waiting to hold a grandson until her hair has turned white."

"I'll definitely marry. Definitely marry." Tang Wei nodded repeatedly.

... Three days later...

"Mother, Father, well, I'm heading back to the barracks first. I'll find my own wife..."

The village schoolmaster read aloud the letter Tang Wei had left behind. Tang Dongshi suddenly covered her face and burst into loud, heartbroken sobs. "Heavens! He wants the old Tang family line to end! The betrothal gifts have already been given, word has already been sent out — when his second aunt comes, how am I supposed to explain..."

Old Tang sat on a stool to the side, smoking in silence. He said curtly, "Gone back. That's fine too."

"Fine? Fine my foot."

Tang Dongshi cried for a while, then turned and saw Old Tang. Her anger flared uncontrollably. She stretched out the back of her hand, wiped the crisscrossing tears and snot from her face, then threw herself at Old Tang, pushing and shaking him. "You old fool — smoke, smoke, I told you to smoke! It's all because you spoiled him."

Old Tang let her hit him woodenly. After hitting him for a while, Tang Dongshi exhausted herself thoroughly, plopped down onto the ground, and wailed loudly.

"Old Heaven, you are no good soul..." Above Erdaogou Village, Tang Dongshi's furious lament echoed through the air.

At that moment, on the official road from Aoshan Guard to Jiaozhou, a four-wheeled passenger carriage with a canvas canopy was traveling along. This type of carriage had no shock absorption, but compared to the two-wheeled and single-wheeled carts from other regions, the riding conditions were already considered decent. Some passengers used their own packs or bundles as cushions under their bottoms, serving as makeshift shock absorbers.

In the original history, the Manchu Qing would not have four-wheeled carriages until the nineteenth century, imported from the West for the amusement of the demoness Cixi. However, because the coachman sat high up front with his rear facing backward, the Qing Grand Ministers deemed it disrespectful to the Empress Dowager, so in the end it was never used. But by this time, Dengzhou was already using them widely. These carriages could haul both goods and passengers, and the market was still expanding. Cart-and-horse firms everywhere that had purchased four-wheeled vehicles were doing excellent business, forcing those still using two-wheeled carts to phase out their outdated production capacity.

At this moment, heavy snow was swirling outside the carriage, already turning the vast earth into a blanket of white. The driver on the front seat cracked his whip. Four horses, snorting white mist, pulled the carriage as it crushed through the snow, swaying along the official road toward Jiaozhou Prefecture, leaving two long black tracks across the snowy white carpet.

Tang Wei sat at the very rear of the passenger carriage. Fluttering snowflakes drifted in from time to time under the blowing canvas curtain, landing on Tang Wei's thighs. Tang Wei brushed off his trousers. He planned to spend the remaining few days of leave enjoying himself in Jiaozhou, then return to the military depot.

He reached out and felt his inner pocket. The solid weight of five silver coins gave him a very grounded, reassuring feeling. He had exchanged for them at the money shop just before heading home — not for convenience, but because these silver coins with a face value of five mace were exquisitely crafted. After Tang Wei received his pay chit, he heard people saying new silver coins were being issued in limited quantities, so he rushed over to exchange for them and actually managed to get some.

He had been the very last person to exchange for them at the time. He heard that very few people managed to get any, and he was considered lucky. Although the pay chits held the same value, everyone was willing to try something new and use these silver coins. Tang Wei had given five to his parents and kept five for himself, thinking of buying something to give to Little Sister Guan.

"Should I try out those Korean women Old Jiang mentioned in Jiaozhou?" In the great melting pot of the army, Tang Wei had indeed picked up some of the dregs. The Korean women in Jiaozhou had only come from Korea in the last two years. The clothes they wore were different from those in China. Their looks weren't much to speak of either, and the price was even cheaper than the local brothels. Still, they had a certain exotic flavor and could attract those seeking novelty.

Little Sister Guan's face suddenly appeared before him. He hurriedly patted his own mouth. "I'm not going to a place like that. I've still got several days — why not go to Qingzhou and see Little Sister Guan? Just don't know if there's enough time. What if Little Sister Guan has gone home too? I'd have made the trip for nothing."

As he was mulling this over, a set of bells rang out from the opposite direction — it must be a passenger carriage coming from Jiaozhou. The two carriages crossed and passed each other. Tang Wei, who hadn't seen another traveler in a long time, pulled open the canvas curtain, intending to see what was going on. He was startled to discover that the person sitting at the very rear of that carriage was Peng Yunfei, a fellow villager from Aoshan Guard, who was also pulling open his curtain and looking around.

Tang Wei hurriedly called for the carriage to stop and ran over to the other carriage. "Old Cannon Peng, why are you back? Weren't you supposed to get leave in the next batch?" Tang Wei asked curiously.

When Peng Yunfei saw Tang Wei, he also quickly called for his carriage to stop, jumped down, and came before Tang Wei. "Just a few days ago, right after you left, the Military Affairs Department issued a general order. Soldiers who are only sons and have no offspring are to be withdrawn from front-line combat duty. Also, those with more than two children under ten years old are to be withdrawn as well. It's all aimed at ordinary soldiers — non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers are not included. The withdrawal period is one year. If there's a vacancy for an instructor at the soldier's native garrison farm, they'll be assigned back to the farm. If the farm has no position, they'll be assigned to the garrison farm closest to their native place as a reserve soldier instructor. Those unwilling to be assigned will be discharged." Peng Yunfei said it all in one breath, white mist puffing out.

"Only sons with no offspring? I'm an only son with no offspring. Why do we have to withdraw?"

"The Military Affairs Department document says that if an only son dies in battle, his parents have no one to support them. Having no offspring means no descendants, which is the greatest failure. Lord Chen sympathizes with the hardships of garrison households, so he set this rule. I'm married, but I still have no offspring. The company commander gave me a month's leave and said whether I can stay next year depends on how well I perform my 'duty' this month. I don't want to end up in a garrison farm — I've got to hurry home. When we're both back at the barracks, we'll have a couple of drinks."

Peng Yunfei was in a great hurry. Without waiting for Tang Wei's reply, he turned around, climbed back onto the carriage, and the passenger carriage creaked and rattled onward.

Tang Wei stood rooted to the spot, dazed for a moment. Then he suddenly stamped his foot and let out a miserable howl. "Damn it! What the hell kind of Military Affairs Department is this? I just barely became a combat soldier! Old Cannon Peng, wait — I'm going back too!"

"Old Heaven, when will you ever bless the old Tang family? The betrothal gifts have all been sent — there's no way to live like this!" Tang Dongshi was still wailing inside the house. Her cries drew many curious onlookers. These warm-hearted people fully embodied the national spirit of loving a good spectacle — braving the bitter cold, enduring the heavy snow, expecting no reward, they stood with hands tucked in and necks hunched, forming a circle outside the Tang family's door, watching the commotion inside with great interest. A few aunties with a particular talent for gossip had already begun spreading tidbits of news. The crowd listened while offering sighs or sympathetic opinions.

Tang Dongshi had collapsed against Third Aunt, her nose running profusely. Third Aunt kept wiping her face with a handkerchief. Because she had wiped so much, a shiny layer had already formed on the cloth. Third Aunt's mouth kept speaking words of comfort to Tang Dongshi. Old Tang still sat smoking woodenly, staring at the ground, a layer of snowflakes piled on his shoulders.

Third Aunt wiped her own tears and said, "No one could have guessed, could they? That Gou'er actually ran off. But little sister... you can't curse Old Heaven either. You're always loose-tongued and disrespectful to Old Heaven. With that attitude, Old Heaven might have heard you, and that's probably why Gou'er left."

Tang Dongshi cried a few more wails and said vacantly, "I've worn my heart out my whole life for the old Tang family, and this is the son I end up with. When will I ever get to hold a grandson? Old Heaven, open your eyes — I'll definitely offer you more incense..."

After her crying and cursing proved ineffective, Tang Dongshi heeded Third Aunt's words and switched to bribing Old Heaven.

The words had barely left her mouth when suddenly someone burst through the human wall outside the door, charging in with unstoppable force and sending a flurry of snow flying. Before the warm-hearted onlookers could even protest, he had already swept into the courtyard wrapped in a swirl of snow, shouting, "Mother! Quick, take me to Butcher Zhang's house, to Shisanbao — I want to get a wife!"

Tang Dongshi sprang up from Third Aunt's embrace in an instant. She stared blankly at Tang Wei, her lips trembling and quivering. "Old Heaven really opened his eyes!! Old Heaven, I'll never curse you again! On the first of next month, I'll burn incense for you!"

"I want to get a wife tomorrow! Tomorrow!!!"

"I'll burn six sticks of incense!"

"I'll marry two wives at once!"

"Add two more candles!"

"I must have a son this year!!!"

"Old Heaven is a good soul!" Tang Dongshi shouted, then fainted back into Third Aunt's arms. (To be continued...)