20: Negotiation
With only forty days left until the entrance exam, even without taking a single day off, he would need to memorize 3,600 characters daily. However, texts like Mencius and The Doctrine of the Mean were particularly challenging to commit to memory. Coupled with daily revision tasks, his absolute daily limit was around 3,000 characters.
This meant a deficit of at least 24,000 characters with no clear solution. Moreover, he wasn’t isolated from the world—life inevitably threw disruptions his way, forcing him to pause his studies…
Before dawn one day, Su Lu was roused by his second brother, who handed him a jujube wood stick.
Su Lu weighed the stick in his hand, bewildered. “What’s going on? Are we fighting the Cheng family again?”
“Probably not, but better safe than sorry,” Su Youcai replied, also carrying a wooden stick as he led his two sons out of the house.
They saw their uncle and younger uncle escorting the Old Master out of the main hall, each holding a stick as well.
“Where are we going?” Su Lu felt a prickle of unease.
“Don’t ask. Just follow and lend some presence,” his uncle said sternly.
Su Lu obediently fell silent and trailed behind the elders as they descended from the stilted building, traversed the narrow streets, and left the town.
Once the road widened, the six Su family men formed a line, walking through the morning mist with their sticks in hand…
The scene reminded Su Lu of the Shelby family…
“Are we going up the mountain?” he whispered to his second brother, Su Tai.
Su Tai nodded. Now that they were outside the town with no one in sight, he felt comfortable speaking. “Grandpa arranged to meet Elder Master Cheng today.”
“Pfft—” Su Lu nearly laughed aloud. So it was a meeting between prospective in-laws—he’d thought it was some kind of gang negotiation…
“What’s the full story?” He’d been too busy to keep up with the gossip and had no idea how his younger uncle’s situation was progressing.
“Uncle had been dealing with the eldest of the Cheng family, but they couldn’t reach an agreement. Now the family heads have to meet,” Su Tai explained, having kept a close watch on the matter. “Neither side wants outsiders to see, so they chose the usual spot on Centipede Ridge to meet before sunrise.”
He added after a pause, “Considering the Cheng family has more men, we can’t afford to look weak… If Aunt hadn’t stopped him, Uncle would’ve insisted on calling Big Brother back too.”
“Alright,” Su Lu finally understood the situation.
As the Su family men passed through the dove tree forest, they saw the Cheng family already waiting in a clearing.
The eastern sky was just beginning to lighten. Truly, “Do not say you set out early; there are those who started before you.”
Elder Master Cheng wore a Liuhe cotton hat with a rabbit fur trim along the brim. He was dressed in a brand-new padded robe, over which he’d thrown a sheepskin vest, looking every bit the wealthy mountain landlord.
The Old Master wore the blue silk narrow-sleeved yesa from his time as a centurion, cinched at the waist with a copper-riveted leather belt. Below were crisp gaiter pants and a pair of dark brown old leather military boots. His back ramrod straight, he seemed a completely different person from usual.
Behind them, the men of both families stood in a line—eight against five. Numerically, their side was at a disadvantage.
In terms of quality, with too many good-for-nothings among them, they might not hold the upper hand either…
After a moment of tense silence, the Old Master spoke first: “Cheng Old Fart, you’re the one who called me out. Why aren’t you spouting nonsense now?”
Elder Master Cheng was named Cheng Pixian. Given the long-standing feud between their families, they had actually given him even more unpleasant nicknames. But today, the Old Master had come to discuss matters, so he opted for one with less bite.
Naturally, the Old Master wasn’t spared either. His name was Su Dacheng, and he listened as Cheng Pixian said angrily, “Pig Intestines, you’re really holding your ground! Your son’s done such a fine deed, and you haven’t even let out a peep about it!”
“Didn’t I have my eldest inform your family?” Su Dacheng replied sternly. “It’s you who’ve been dragging your feet, unable to settle on a plan. Seems to me you’re not in any hurry.”
“Damn right I’m in a hurry!” Cheng Pixian waved his hand in frustration. “I’ve said it before—my family will pay for a house in the county town for the two of them to live in, so they can avoid all the gossip. And you, you ungrateful wretch, won’t even take it for free!”
“It was me who disagreed!” the Old Master said bluntly. “Living in your family’s house—wouldn’t that make him a live-in son-in-law?”
“Then your family can buy the house!” Cheng Pixian snorted. “Save me the expense.”
“I can’t afford it!” the Old Master retorted, stubbornly holding his ground, his eyes wide. “Besides, what terrible crime have they committed? Should they hide from the light forever?!”
“Your son is the one who committed the crime!” Cheng Pixian fumed, still seething at the mention of it.
“Then go report it to the authorities,” the Old Master said with a curl of his lip.
“If I could report it, I’d have had your entire clan executed long ago!” Cheng Pixian gnashed his teeth, then sighed in defeat. “I’m not here to waste time with you. Just tell me what we should do.”
“We’ll do what needs to be done.” The Old Master had delayed this meeting until now just to say this:
“You can’t wrap fire in paper, especially since they have a child. Sooner or later, everyone will find out. It’s better to be open and honest from the start!”
“They’ll be drowned in a sea of scorn…” Cheng Pixian shook his head.
“Are you just a decoration as a father?”!” the Old Master declared firmly. “This matter is settled. We’ll each handle our own families!”
“How am I supposed to bring it up?” Cheng Pixian bowed his head and sighed.
The Old Master waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll just say it when I get back. Whether you do or not is up to you!”
“You… how can you be so unreasonable?” Cheng Pixian exclaimed, flustered.
“I’ve been like this my whole life. Is this the first you’re hearing of it?” the Old Master said proudly. “The more you try to hide something like this, the more people will gossip behind your back. Better to face it openly and let whoever wants to talk, talk!”
“But they’ll be scorned by the clan,” Cheng Pixian said with a pained expression.
“Then the blame will fall on us, not them!” Su Dacheng said slowly. “Which would you prefer?”
“Of course, let them blame us for being reckless!” Cheng Pixian’s eyes lit up. “At least that way, the children’s reputations will be spared.”
“Exactly. Let them curse all they want. I doubt they’d dare say it to my face!” The Old Master thumped his glossy elm wood cane on the ground, exuding an air of dominance.
Su Lu was stunned. Was this the same former Ming dynasty centurion with such authority? Was this the same grandfather who usually seemed listless, chewing betel leaf and drowning his sorrows in drink?
“Sigh…” Cheng Pixian finally nodded in resignation. “Fine, I’ll tell them when I get back. But you have to promise me one thing.”
“Speak,” the Old Master nodded.
“Treat my daughter well. Don’t let her suffer any disdain.”
“You don’t need to worry about this.” The Old Master said gruffly, “Once she marries in, she’ll be part of our Su family!”
“You…” Cheng Pixian nearly choked with anger.
“I’ll treat her exactly the same as I treat my eldest daughter-in-law!” Su Dacheng gasped breathlessly.
“Hmph!” Cheng Pixian’s expression softened slightly.
By now the sun had climbed above the treetops, its morning light dappling the two families gathered below. The atmosphere finally eased a bit – it seemed there wouldn’t be a fight today after all…
The Old Master took two rolled betel leaves from his pouch and offered one to Cheng Pixian.
After a moment’s hesitation, Cheng Pixian accepted it and began chewing.
“Pah! Why’s it so spicy? What did you put in this?”
“Long pepper – helps drive out cold and generate warmth.” The Old Master squinted contentedly.
“Everyone uses betel leaves to wrap areca nuts, but you wrap long pepper instead. You’re really twisted!” Cheng Pixian’s mouth went numb, his tongue sticking out.
“What do you know? Long pepper is much better than areca nuts.” The Old Master chewed slowly and said quietly, “Their matter is settled then. Now about the baby… when?”
“March.” Cheng Pixian straightened his tongue and whispered, “This is another problem. Who gets married at year’s end and gives birth right after spring? Wouldn’t that expose everything?”
“Indeed hard to explain.” The Old Master pondered. “Here’s what – right after the wedding, I’ll send Third Son away on business with his wife. They can return after two years, and the matter will be completely settled.”
“Yes, that makes sense.” Cheng Pixian nodded repeatedly. “When they come back, we can say a two-year-old is one. Who could tell?”
“Right? Can’t the child just grow faster?” The Old Master grinned at Cheng Pixian. “Heh, in-law, you should still buy that house in town.”
“Eh?” Cheng Pixian was taken aback. How did they circle back to this? “Doesn’t this mean he’ll be seen as a live-in son-in-law?”
“We’re bringing her home in an eight-bearer palanquin – how is that a live-in son-in-law?” The Old Master said righteously. “Living with the wife’s family after marriage is at most called…”
“Eating soft rice?” Cheng Pixian cut in.
“Call it what you want.” The Old Master waved magnanimously.
“Shameless.” Cheng Pixian spat, then grumbled, “Why do I feel more cheated the more I think? Not only buying a house, but also getting criticized.”
“That’s why they say ‘having a bone-dissolving dragon at home is like dealing with a debt collector’.” The Old Master sighed.
“Ah, truly.” Cheng Pixian deeply agreed, suddenly feeling they shared similar plights.
~~
The day after their secret meeting, the Old Master invited elders from all branches to a meal.
The Su clan had flourished at Erlang Beach for a hundred years, with Su Lu representing the sixth generation. Although the dynasty required military households to remain undivided to ensure troop numbers, with so many people, division was inevitable – they just wouldn’t register separate households with the Military Garrison.
According to unwritten clan rules, any man who fathered a grandson could establish his own branch. The Su clan now had eighteen branches, with all twelve of the Old Master’s generation present. Five branches whose elders had passed away were represented by the next generation’s heads.
Seventeen Sus filled the main hall. With the Old Master included, all eighteen branch heads were present.
In such a formal gathering, Su Lu naturally couldn’t avoid his duties. He emerged to help his second brother serve tea, pour water, bring dishes, and fill wine cups, kept constantly busy.
After three rounds of drinks, clan leader Su Daxiang set down his chopsticks and asked: “Old Sixth, what’s the occasion for this feast when it’s neither festival nor holiday?”
All the clan elders turned their eyes uniformly toward Su Dacheng. The Old Master chewed vigorously on his betel leaf roll twice before saying: “There’s something I need to tell everyone.”
“Go ahead,” everyone nodded.
“It’s not about borrowing money.” The Old Master let out a long breath: “It’s about my third son getting married.”
“Ah, that’s wonderful news!” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing him make such a grand occasion, they had thought he was going to ask for contributions.
Head Distiller Su Daji laughed: “Sixth Brother, you’re really particular about formalities. For such matters, a simple notice would suffice. Was it necessary to host a feast?”
“Exactly, we came empty-handed – how embarrassing,” others chimed in with laughter: “Quick, tell us which family’s daughter?”
“The Cheng family’s…” the Old Master said quietly.