17: The Pressure Monster
Uncle had no choice but to get down on all fours, butt sticking up.
Old Master pulled out his ‘Filial Piety’ from behind his collar and began enforcing the Family Law.
Unlike his two older brothers who would take their punishment quietly, Uncle started howling after just two strikes and began scrambling around the room.
“Stop hitting him, stop! You’ll break our youngest!” Old Lady kept shouting from the sidelines. Though she didn’t know why her third son was being punished, a mother’s instinct to protect her child—especially the youngest—took over.
“Old man, beating him to death won’t help matters. Since things have come to this, we should first get to the bottom of it,” Uncle also advised.
“No! I’m going to break his dog legs first!” Old Master roared, giving orders: “Youngest daughter, take your mother to her room. First and second sons, hold down that turtle son for me!”
He then said to Su Lu and Su Tai: “You two can’t help here, get out!”
Truly a veteran soldier—even in his rage, he arranged everything methodically.
~~
The two brothers had no choice but to leave the main hall, looking back every few steps.
When Chun Ge’er closed the door from inside, the screams started again…
After returning to their room, Su Lu asked Su Tai: “How did eldest brother find out?”
“I told him,” Su Tai said quietly. “Uncle told us not to tell the elders, but he wasn’t saying anything himself. With such a big matter, it was bound to come out eventually.”
“Right,” Su Lu agreed deeply. “Aunt’s belly is growing bigger every day. If we delay any longer, we won’t even need the wedding bed rolling ceremony.”
“Yeah, I was so worried I couldn’t sleep. When I saw eldest brother, I told him and asked him to decide what to do.” Su Tai sighed dejectedly. “I broke my promise.”
“What we promised was not to tell the elders. Eldest brother doesn’t count as an elder, so you didn’t break your promise,” Su Lu comforted his second brother. “And you did the right thing—we can’t keep covering for Uncle any longer.”
“Only by having eldest brother push him will things move forward.” He had also realized that Uncle, being the youngest son born late in his parents’ life, always slacked off in work and shirked responsibility when problems arose.
Yet somehow, this idle, smooth-talking, pretty-faced dandy was most popular with the girls. Wasn’t that infuriating?
“Eldest brother truly has a sense of responsibility,” Su Tai couldn’t help but admire. “Worthy of being the eldest grandson of the main family, a model for our generation.”
“Hmph, I’m just worried a scandal might affect my studies,” a cool voice interjected as eldest brother pushed the door open and entered.
“What, were you kicked out too, eldest brother?” Su Lu quickly stood up to greet him, afraid of being criticized again.
“No!” Su Man’s mouth twitched as he declared proudly: “I couldn’t bear to watch an elder being beaten, so I came out voluntarily.”
“Of course, of course.” Su Lu nodded quickly, rubbing his hands. “Any instructions from eldest brother?”
“Be more dignified.” Su Man glanced at him, then his gaze shifted to the Banana Leaf Paper on the table.
“What’s this?” He picked up a piece to examine closely.
“This is the ‘Banana Leaf Paper’ second brother made for me,” Su Lu answered.
“The method was thought up by Qiu Ge’er,” Su Tai quickly added.
“So you know about Huai Su Writing on Banana Leaves too.” As Su Man spoke, he frowned with distaste. “But this handwriting… How many times have I told you? You need to write with your right hand.”
“I’m just starting to learn,” Su Lu explained awkwardly. “And this isn’t handwriting practice—I’m copying texts to memorize them.”
“Are you planning to take the Academy exams too?” Seeing that he was copying from “Elementary Learning: Admirable Words,” Su Man immediately understood his intention.
“Yes, I want to give it a try,” Su Lu said, steeling himself.
“You never wanted to study when you were younger. The moment I sent you to school, you’d run away. What madness has taken you now?” Su Man snorted coldly. “I advise you not to take the exam—you’ll only embarrass the family.”
“Brother, don’t say that,” Su Tai quickly interjected. “Qiu Ge’er has been studying very hard lately and has memorized many books.”
“Knowledge comes from long-term diligence. What’s the use of cramming at the last minute?” Su Man’s expression softened slightly as he asked sternly, “How far have you gotten in your studies?”
“I’m about to start learning the Four Books,” Su Lu replied.
“What? You haven’t even begun the Four Books? At this point, what’s the use of taking the exam?!” Su Man tossed the Banana Leaf Paper into Su Lu’s arms and stormed off, saying, “This is a complete waste of time!”
“Is Chun Ge’er always this temperamental? Is it puberty?” Watching his retreating figure, Su Lu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He thought to himself, Thank goodness he only comes back once every two months, or how would I survive?
Su Tai looked at Su Lu sympathetically and whispered, “Big brother sets extremely high standards for himself and expects the same from those around him.”
“I see, a Pressure Monster,” Su Lu realized. So his eldest brother was the “Akagi Captain” of the Su family.
Fortunately, Su Lu was mature-minded and completely unaffected by Chun Ge’er. He sat down and began practicing his calligraphy.
He had originally intended to ask his scholarly eldest brother for help with his studies, but now that was out of the question…
~~
The entire afternoon, the hall was filled with incessant roaring and wailing.
Though the Old Master usually seemed listless, once he got going, he was surprisingly vigorous and persistent.
By dinnertime, neither the Old Master nor the Uncle had appeared. The Uncle and Su Youcai looked utterly exhausted, as if they had plowed ten acres of land.
“Where are they?” Su Lu asked quietly.
“Your grandfather went for a walk, and your uncle is lying face down in his room. Don’t expect him to get out of bed for the next week or so,” Su Youcai said, rubbing his sore arms. He had nearly been beaten to a pulp by the Old Master while trying to shield the third brother.
“What about Uncle’s situation…” Su Tai couldn’t help but ask.
“Little rascal, always worrying about others,” the Uncle said irritably. “Before the old man left, he told me to go see the eldest of the Cheng family tomorrow and sound things out.”
“So Grandfather agreed?” the two brothers asked joyfully.
“What else can he do? The girl is already pregnant,” the Uncle sighed. “But the real trouble is yet to come.”
“Let’s just muddle through and get them married first,” Su Youcai said. “We can’t let the child be laughed at from birth.”
Though Yongning was a mix of ethnic groups with liberal customs, families like the Cheng and Su clans still adhered to the traditions of the inland regions. At the very least, appearances had to be maintained…
“You two, keep your mouths shut! Don’t go blabbing about this everywhere!” the Aunt warned the brothers.
“Aunt, don’t worry. I won’t say a word—I hardly ever see outsiders anyway,” Su Lu said confidently, as only a homebody could.
“I won’t say anything either! I don’t even understand what’s going on!” Jinbao declared proudly.
“…” Su Tai, however, kept his head down and focused on eating, not daring to speak.
“Will the Cheng family give us a hard time?” the Aunt asked, growing worried again.
“Probably not. The child isn’t in our third brother’s belly, and they pride themselves on being a scholarly family,” Su Youcai reasoned. “No matter how you look at it, they’re the ones who should be more anxious.”
“I get it now!” the Uncle suddenly slapped his thigh. “No wonder the Cheng family has been so quiet today! Old Man Cheng probably doesn’t want to stir up trouble at a time like this!”
“Can we reduce the bride price a bit?” Aunt immediately asked.
“You foolish woman, is this the time to discuss such matters?” Uncle shot her a glare.
Aunt instantly became displeased, muttering incessantly about how this sudden marriage arrangement had fallen from the sky, and where would the money come from for the preparations? Besides, Chun Ge’er needs to take the Xiucai examination next spring…
This made Su Man unable to sit still again. He put down his bowl and said, “I’m full.”
After speaking, he stood up and returned to his room.
~~
Su Tai also needed to return to the winery to steam the grains, and Su Lu followed him out of the main hall.
“At least Uncle’s matter is resolved, so Second Brother can rest assured.” Su Lu accompanied his second brother downstairs.
“Hehe…” Su Tai chuckled naively, “As long as it’s resolved, it’s fine. Uncle can blame me however he wants.”
“He should be thanking you instead.” Su Lu smiled as he watched his second brother walk away, then went upstairs back to his room, preparing to complete tonight’s studies.
But he found his father already lying on the bed. Su Lu asked, “Shall we continue tomorrow?”
“Time is pressing, we can’t afford delays.” Summoning great willpower, Su Youcai sat up, vigorously rubbed his face, and settled at the table, asking, “What should we cover today?”
“We can start on the ‘Four Books’.” Su Lu replied. Actually, he had been waiting for this moment. What he had learned before was merely the appetizer – now came the main course!
“Mm.” Su Youcai nodded slowly, “The Four Books – Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Analects, and Mencius – form the foundation that upholds the world, holding the supreme position. Therefore, from elementary education to the imperial academy, they serve as the core curriculum, and this holds true for the imperial examinations as well.”
“Why is that?” Su Youcai continued, answering his own question, “Because the Four Books construct a complete framework of ‘self-cultivation, family regulation, state governance, and world peace’ – Great Learning is the foundation, being ‘the legacy of Confucius, the gateway for beginners to enter virtue’; Analects is the root, providing standards for Confucian disciples in conduct and affairs; Mencius represents development, elaborating in detail on ‘benevolent governance’; Doctrine of the Mean embodies the ideal, describing the highest standard of virtue and the supreme realm of life.”
“Therefore, when we study the Four Books, we must follow this sequence: first read Great Learning to establish the framework; then read Analects to establish the foundation; next read Mencius to observe its development; finally read Doctrine of the Mean to seek the subtle profundities of the ancients.”
After this preface, Su Youcai opened a handwritten copy of Great Learning: Chapter and Sentence and said, “As I told you before, you must take Zhu Xi’s Collected Commentaries on the Four Books as the sole interpretation of the ‘Four Books’, without deviating from its meaning.”
He added with earnest concern, “So when studying, don’t question. The more you question, the more painful it becomes, and it may bring trouble. When the day comes that you become a Presented Scholar, then you may express different views.”
“I understand, Father.” Su Lu nodded. His father worried too much. After all, he was an examination machine that could ‘pass through countless flowers without a single leaf sticking’.
“Good, let’s begin then.” Su Youcai started teaching his son Great Learning:
“The book of Great Learning contains the method by which the ancient university educated people. Since heaven gave birth to the people, it has invariably endowed them with the nature of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom…”
~~
Su Youcai was truly exhausted today. Gritting his teeth, he managed to explain about a thousand characters to Su Lu before he could no longer suppress his repeated yawns.
Although Su Lu still wanted to continue, he didn’t want to become the second Pressure Monster in the Su family… Well, actually, he was barely holding up himself.
How much extra hardship had his father and second brother endured because of his studies?
But now that he was aware of it, he had to change. Su Lu firmly dismissed the idea and urged his father to bed.
Su Youcai lay down on the bed and immediately began snoring like thunder.
Su Lu fetched water to wipe his father’s hands and feet, then covered him with a quilt… It was already September, and sleeping with the window open at night was quite chilly.
But closing the window would allow the smoke from the pine resin torch to choke his father awake. Yet, he couldn’t abandon his studies at night—that would mean giving up halfway. Su Lu could only sigh inwardly at his own unfilial behavior and cover his father more thickly…
With mixed emotions, Su Lu sat back at the table, seizing the “golden hour” before bed, when suddenly a chill ran down his spine. He looked up and saw a dark figure outside the window, sneering at him.
“Ah!” Su Lu was so frightened he nearly threw the inkstone, but he quickly recognized the person as none other than his “good elder brother,” Chun Ge’er.
“You’re truly a filial son,” Su Man remarked, glancing at Su Youcai bundled up like a rice dumpling, his praise dripping with sarcasm.
“There’s no other way. If a poor man wants to study, he must pay the price,” Su Lu sighed.
“But the price is paid by your father,” Su Man retorted, removing the window prop and closing the window. “Put out the light and come to my room.”
Su Lu had no idea what his elder brother wanted, but he obediently extinguished the pine torch and went to the adjacent room.
After Su Man came of age, he was given this study-bedroom. Though he only returned once every two months, the room remained spotless, clearly thanks to Aunt’s frequent cleaning.
Su Lu stood before the desk, gazing at the scholar’s four treasures and the row of bookshelves behind it, unable to suppress his envy.
“From now on, when I’m not here, you can study here at night,” Su Man said sternly, seating himself behind the desk. “Not for your sake, but to keep Second Uncle and Xia Ge’er from catching a chill.”