Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Zhan Feiyu had been struck twice on her back and thigh. She asked Shan Wazi to inform the private school of her absence, but she continued to study and practice calligraphy every day, even more diligently than before.
"Little Yu is truly patient. She sits for two hours straight. My Shan Wazi is like there are nails under his backside." The auntie helping wash vegetables was Shan Wazi's mother.
"Alas, you should be content. My Gou Dan nags me every day about not wanting to go to school. If his grandfather didn't beat him with a stick, he'd dare to skip class." The plump auntie cutting vegetables sighed deeply. Other children were merely poor at studying; hers were different. They'd rather carry a hoe and work in the fields, and they weren't even half as tall as a hoe.
Li shi smiled and chimed in, "Little Yu is a girl, so she's more quiet. Boys are all mischievous. They'll be fine when they grow up."
The plump auntie glanced around, then lowered her voice and asked, "Little Yu's mother, why do I hear that your mother-in-law is ill, and it was Little Yu who angered her?"
Two days were enough for Madam Yao to spread the news of Old Madam Zhan's illness throughout the village. Of course, she didn't dare to mention that Old Madam Zhan had tried to slit her own throat with a kitchen knife, as family shame was not to be aired publicly.
Li shi's smile turned a bit awkward. She had already heard the same question from seven or eight people.
Madam Yao, who was borrowing a stool outside, grabbed the gossipy Madam Ma, "After studying for a few days, her wings have hardened. She provoked the Zhu landlord's family, which caused us all to be beaten. She even dared to make decisions about the ten taels of silver we had to pay."
"A little girl dares to spend money. If this were in my house, I'd beat her to death. Studying? Bah, are all the boys in the family dead?" Madam Ma spoke with spittle flying.
Madam Ma was reluctant to spend money. Even though she had three sons, none of them went to private school. She was even more displeased that Zhan Feiyu, a young girl, would spend money to study.
Are all the boys in your family dead! Madam Yao was very unhappy but could only agree and continue, "Sister Ma, you're absolutely right. The matter of hosting a banquet should have been decided by my father-in-law, or at the very least, by my eldest brother. How could it be up to that little girl? She used the family's money to buy a reputation..."
"Like your elder sister, who is cunning inside," a woman nearby sneered and added. She had argued with Li shi before, and now she took the opportunity to kick her while she was down, belittling Li shi and Zhan Feiyu.
"Little Yu's courage is indeed too great. I fear she's on par with the eldest daughter of the Hu family to the east." An older woman shook her head. The Hu family's daughter was indeed bold; on her wedding day, she eloped with a traveling salesman.
"Yes, I worry too, but my elder sister doesn't listen and only protects her. A while ago..." Madam Yao added fuel to the fire, saying that Zhan Feiyu had taken charge in the eldest branch's household, instigating the couple to divorce. Li shi had even been slapped by Zhan Laoda because of this.
"Hmph, well deserved! If it weren't for your elder sister spoiling her, would a seven-year-old brat dare to cause trouble?" Madam Ma laughed maliciously. She herself had been beaten by her husband many times. Li shi was her age and from the same village, yet she only gave birth to a daughter. Why did she live better than herself!
The women gathered around Madam Yao were all gossips. They chimed in one after another.
"After reading, she looks down on Da Lang and the others." Madam Yao became more excited, spewing more slander, "She even dares to defy her grandparents. My mother-in-law just said a few words and was angered to illness. Eldest brother has been kneeling by her bedside for over half an hour, yet Little Yu refuses to admit her mistake or soften her stance."
"Such an unfilial girl, why keep her alive for the New Year instead of beating her to death?" Madam Ma scoffed, looking disdainfully towards the Zhan family's direction. They all said how formidable Old Madam Zhan was, yet she was angered to illness by a mere girl. It seemed the entire Zhan family were all softies!
...
The banquet began at Shen shi. The main table in the main hall was occupied by the respected elders of the village. The village chief, being the youngest, stood up to pour wine for Old Master Zhan and the others.
"You're prosperous, Youcai. After Old Fifth Uncle passed away, our Zhan family hasn't produced a scholar." The elder speaking was the old clan patriarch of the Zhan family. He was seventy-five years old. In previous years, apart from ancestral worship, the old clan patriarch would not attend banquets. This time, he came to the Zhan family entirely because of Zhan Feiyu.
"Old Clan Patriarch, not to mention the Zhan family, in so many years, our village has only had Minghai as a Tong Sheng," the village chief said with a wry smile. The village lacked scholars. Whenever something happened, there was no one to handle it.
The elders at the main table couldn't help but sigh. "All professions are inferior, only scholarship is supreme!" But studying cost money. For a poor farming family to support a scholar, they truly had to tighten their belts.
The Fang family at the end of the village starved two elders to death and sold three young girls. But what was the result? The Fang family's son studied for twenty years, from a young lad of ten to when his children were married. He never even passed the county examination. He couldn't lift anything with his shoulders, nor carry anything with his hands. He drank at home all day, and his forty-year-old wife looked like she was seventy.
After the polite preamble, the old clan patriarch got straight to the point, "Your daughter-in-law usually dotes on Little Yu, so why has it escalated to this point? Scholars value their reputation. If the family has no money, the clan and the village will support Little Yu's studies."
No matter how Madam Yao praised Zhan Da Lang, the fact remained that Da Lang had studied for four years and hadn't passed the Tong Sheng exam. The other sons of the Zhan family were similar; none had a talent for studies.
The old clan patriarch had specifically asked the tutor Lin. With Little Yu's talent, she could pass the county examination in at most two years and would definitely become a Xiu Cai before the age of fifteen. Otherwise, the clan would not have spent money to support her studies.
"Seventh Uncle, I understand. The family still has money," Old Master Zhan replied with a somewhat sheepish expression. He was most concerned with appearances. Although the old clan patriarch hadn't directly scolded him, the meaning behind his words was clear.
The Zhan family was not wealthy. The clan and the village would provide financial assistance, but if Zhan Feiyu were to achieve fame in the future, she would first serve the clan and the village. If the Zhan family wanted to gain benefits and take advantage, it would depend on whether the clan agreed.
The old clan patriarch nodded. Considering that Zhan Feiyu was Old Master Zhan's granddaughter, he had to give some face. "You know best. It's not easy for the Zhan family to produce a scholar! Think about it, if Little Yu didn't have talent, would the Zhu landlord's family want to propose marriage?"
Although Zhu Kun had ultimately disrupted the matter, in the old clan patriarch's opinion, Zhu Peng was not worthy of Little Yu. With Little Yu's looks, talent, and learning, she could marry into a noble family in the future. In this way, with the Zhan clan's support, they could change their family's fortunes.
As night fell, the banquet dispersed, and the Zhan family gathered in Old Madam Zhan's bedroom.
"Mother, drink some soup. This is stewed with a three-year-old hen," Madam Yao said solicitously, holding a bowl and looking worriedly at Old Madam Zhan, who lay on the bed motionless.
Seeing his mother, who hadn't eaten or drunk for two days, Zhan Laoda knelt down with a thud, "Mother, it is my son's lack of filial piety. Please eat a little."
Li shi held Zhan Feiyu's hand and stood silently in the corner.
Madam Ma opened her eyes wide and looked curiously at Old Madam Zhan. Earlier, she had thought her mother was faking it. Who could starve for two days?
Especially with the banquet today, the aroma... Madam Ma wished she had two stomachs. But upon closer inspection, Old Madam Zhan's complexion was sickly pale, her lips were dry and cracked, clearly indicating she was severely starved.
"Mother, eldest brother has already knelt for you," Zhan Lao Er gestured for Madam Yao to move aside and sat by the bed, taking Old Madam Zhan's emaciated hand. He said with concern, "Mother, starting tomorrow, I, Da Lang, and San Lang will starve with you."
"Why should our second branch starve?" Madam Yao exploded at this remark. She glared fiercely at Zhan Feiyu and said sternly, "Little Yu, why are you still standing there blankly? Haven't you kowtowed to your grandmother to apologize! You troublemaker, do you want to kill the entire family?"
"Little Yu, kneel down!" Turning around, Zhan Laoda roared, looking at the indifferent Zhan Feiyu with disappointment.
Zhan Laoda had been the most tormented these past two days. He watched his mother lie in bed without eating or drinking, her breath weakening day by day, while Little Yu acted as if nothing had happened, reading and practicing calligraphy. For the first time, Zhan Laoda felt his daughter's cold-blooded heartlessness. The obedient and sensible daughter of his memory was gone.