“It’s been so many days since I last saw you; you’ve grown taller.” Qiao Xie scanned Yu Tingzheng with a smile. “You’ve put on some weight, too.”
Yu Tingzheng scratched his face awkwardly. “The Pei family, has good food.”
As the two chatted, Yu Xiangbo refused to let Yu Tingzheng go, once again demanding that he fetch money. When Yu Tingzheng steadfastly refused, Qiao Xie’s mother came out, crossing her arms with a sharp “Oh my!”
“Didn’t you get seventy taels for selling your son? How could that amount not be enough to treat your wife’s illness?”
Yu Tingzheng had considered this very point earlier but hadn’t dared to speak up. Hearing her ask, he stared intently at Yu Xiangbo. He suspected that the money was already gone.
He knew all too well that Mrs. Jiang used to feign illness every day to avoid field work. This time was no different; she wasn’t actually sick but had staged a performance for him simply because they wanted to take money from him. He wanted to see what they intended to do with so much money.
Yu Xiangbo spoke up immediately: “The old woman’s illness requires medicine every day, and it’s all rare and precious ingredients. It costs a fortune!”
“What kind of medicine is so expensive? Does she have a terminal illness?” Qiao’s mother had a famously sharp tongue and was known throughout the village for being fierce and aggressive. Having always been at odds with Mrs. Jiang, she showed no mercy. “If it’s a terminal illness, no amount of money will cure it. My advice? You’d be better off using the remaining money to buy a good coffin and preparing for the funeral.”
“This…” Yu Xiangbo looked back toward the house. “You shouldn’t say things like that”
He was only a tyrant within his own home; outside, he was a coward who feared trouble. In all these years, he had never dared to trade insults with Qiao’s mother, always leaving his wife to handle such matters.
Mrs. Jiang’s curses erupted from the house once more. The two women traded barbs, neither willing to back down. The argument grew increasingly heated until it felt as if they might blow the roof off.
Qiao Xie and Yu Tingzheng exchanged a glance; Qiao Xie gave him a helpless, resigned smile. Yu Tingzheng, however, dreaded such arguments. Still worried about Yu Xiangbo forcing him to fetch money, he couldn’t bring himself to smile; instead, his face turned even paler.
After standing there for a moment, he said to Yu Xiangbo, “I, I’m going home.”
Just as he turned to leave, Yu Xiangbo grabbed him. “Where do you think you’re going? Not until you find that money!”
“I… have no money.” Yu Tingzheng tried to pull his hand back. “If you insist… on forcing me to take the Pei family’s… wealth, then I… I would rather not… be a member of the Pei family.”
Infuriated, Yu Xiangbo flung him aside and kicked him hard in the stomach. “If you aren’t a member of the Pei family, where else could you go? Do you think you could survive without someone to look after you?”
He had used his full strength. Yu Tingzheng fell heavily to the ground, his internal organs aching so much he couldn’t get up for a long time.
Seeing this, Qiao Xie immediately stopped smiling. He ran out of his courtyard to help the boy up and glared at Yu Xiangbo. “Uncle Yu, what are you doing? A-Zheng has already been sold; he no longer belongs to the Yu family! What right do you have to hit him? Do you think you can bully him just because Madam Pei and the Young Master went to the city? Wait until they return and find out you’ve injured him—let’s see how you explain yourself then!”
Qiao Xie was usually good-tempered; the few times he ever lost his temper were with the Yus, and it was always for Yu Tingzheng’s sake.
Yu Xiangbo had let his anger get the better of him and had lost control. He had instinctively raised his foot as he used to whenever Yu Tingzheng disobeyed him, but realizing what he had done, he began to panic.
“I… even if he was sold, I’m still the one who sired him. What’s wrong with hitting him once?”
Qiao Xie looked at him in disbelief. “Uncle Yu, I don’t think you’re just thick-skinned you’ve completely lost all sense of shame.”
Yu Xiangbo’s face turned various shades of red and white. As he opened his mouth to retort, Qiao Xie added, “By injuring someone, according to current law, you must pay compensation.”
“What… what compensation? I only kicked him once, how… how could that require compensation?”
“A-Zheng is no longer a member of your family. If you injure him, naturally you must pay,” Qiao Xie said. “If you don’t believe me, let’s go find the teacher to mediate and see if I’m right.”
The teacher was scholarly and knowledgeable about the law; he was the perfect person to mediate.
“Why bother the teacher over such a small matter?” Panic appeared on Yu Xiangbo’s face. He rubbed his hands together and tried to negotiate. “As I see it, this has nothing to do with you. You should stay out of it.”
Qiao Xie rolled his eyes and led Yu Tingzheng away. “A-Zheng, let’s go find the teacher.”
Unable to stop them, Yu Xiangbo followed behind, alternating between pleading with Qiao Xie and scolding Yu Tingzheng. The noisy group eventually arrived at the entrance of the Wei estate.
The Wei estate was a large residence with its main gates firmly shut. Upon reaching the entrance, a breathless Yu Xiangbo stepped forward to block Qiao Xie from knocking. “Look, the teacher isn’t even here. He must be busy. There’s no need for this trip; let’s just go back and resolve it among ourselves.”
Yu Tingzheng’s stomach was still in pain, and his face was incredibly pale. Seeing Yu Xiangbo coming toward him again, his eyes trembled, and he hid behind Qiao Xie.
“What do you mean ‘among ourselves’?” Qiao Xie shielded him. “Uncle Yu, are you getting old and forgetful? A-Zheng was already sold to the Pei family. He isn’t part of your family anymore.”
Yu Xiangbo was stifled. Just as he was about to speak again, the door in front of them opened from the inside. Wei Zijing stood there, narrowing his eyes at them.
“You’re arguing at my front door?”
“Oh, it’s Young Master Zijing! No, no, we’re just… passing by…”
Yu Xiangbo lowered his head submissively, a stiff smile on his face. Before he could finish, Qiao Xie interrupted: “We have come to ask the teacher to mediate a dispute. Is the teacher at home?”
“Mediate what? The teacher is busy.” Young Master Wei was never polite. “What kind of dispute requires the teacher’s attention? If every Tom, Dick, and Harry came to the teacher with their problems, would he ever get any rest?”
“Zijing,” a gentle male voice called from behind him. “Mind your manners.”
Wei Zijing let out a “Tsk” and turned to the speaker. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”
“I couldn’t sleep, so I came to see what was happening.”
Su Chenyan pulled the other half of the door open and immediately saw his student—Yu Tingzheng—hiding behind Qiao Xie. Meeting his gaze, Yu Tingzheng gave a soft, “Teacher.”
Seeing the boy’s pale complexion, Su Chenyan pulled him forward and pressed a refined finger to his wrist to check his pulse. “What has happened?”
Yu Tingzheng bit his lip and looked at Yu Xiangbo, but in the end, he said nothing.
Setting his hand down, Su Chenyan asked, “What is the dispute that needs mediation?”
Cold sweat broke out on Yu Xiangbo’s back. He opened his mouth to try and dismiss the matter, but Qiao Xie beat him to it: “Teacher, you may not know, but A-Zheng was sold to the Pei family three months ago. Today, Uncle Yu demanded money from him. When A-Zheng wouldn’t give it, he received a kick. If it weren’t for his sturdy constitution, he wouldn’t even be standing here now. We ask you to mediate: shouldn’t he pay compensation for what he’s done?”
“I… I only kicked him once. I didn’t use much force; how could that require compensation? Besides, he’s standing here just fine. It isn’t nearly as serious as you make it sound!”
Yu Xiangbo gave a forced laugh. “Teacher, don’t listen to the child’s nonsense. I hit him because his old mother is bedridden, yet he showed no filial piety at all. It wasn’t really about the money.”
“Since the boy has been sold, he no longer has any connection to you. Regardless of the circumstances, you should not have harmed him,” Su Chenyan said. “According to the laws of the current dynasty, anyone who intentionally assaults or insults another shall be sentenced to three months in prison and one year of exile, in addition to paying compensation to the victim. As for the exact amount, that is for the government to decide.”