APSIL -Chapter 15 Coffin Planks and the Future Son-in-Law

As long as he hid away in the kitchen, Zhang Shou didn’t have to worry about maintaining proper etiquette. Finishing a few dumplings took him no time at all.

In the past, he had merely been puzzled.

But now, as he walked through the village, a vague conclusion was beginning to take shape in his mind.

The village where the Zhang family lived consisted of only thirty or forty households, with just over a hundred residents. It wasn’t particularly large, yet it wasn’t exactly tiny either.

Nearly everyone in the village was a tenant farmer. Their surnames varied, there were no prosperous independent farmers, and certainly no other landlords.

In a remote countryside where imperial law held little sway and clan customs ruled instead, a village made up of unrelated families, with only an orphaned mother and son like them living comfortably, was highly unusual.

Moreover, during the past three years, he had never encountered local bullies or village tyrants. Even when Qi Liang had once been pursued by creditors, that had simply been an ordinary debt dispute brought on by Qi Liang’s father, who refused to work yet accumulated enormous debts.

Thinking it over now, Zhang Shou suspected that the tenant farmers in this village had all been carefully selected.

If that were true, then the Duke Zhao hadn’t completely ignored their mother and son after all.

At the very least, he had not only supported the orphaned family but had also created a safe and peaceful environment for them to live in.

Unfortunately, that quiet village, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, was now becoming as noisy as a bustling marketplace.

Noon was the only opportunity for the villagers to rest during the daily harvest. The adults had all returned from the fields, and now the village was no longer filled only with children.

Especially with the harvest season nearing its end, everyone seemed unusually loud and energetic.

So when the eight guards from the Duke Zhao Manor went around purchasing supplies so the young lady—and they themselves—could settle in comfortably, the villagers who remained at home became visibly excited the moment they learned what the richly dressed guards were looking for.

Large communal sleeping platforms required wooden planks.

New beds required planks as well.

And in such a tiny village…

Where could the best planks possibly come from?

At that moment, Zhang Shou witnessed the oldest man in the village, Old Yang, who proudly considered himself the village elder, ordering his two sons to carry out the pair of coffin planks he had spent an entire lifetime preparing.

He personally dragged the elegantly dressed Zhu Hong over to his front gate and enthusiastically began extolling the virtues of the still-unassembled planks.

Every so often, the old man even tapped them with his knuckles to demonstrate just how fine the timber was.

As for Zhu Hong…

The moment he learned they were coffin planks prepared years in advance, his face practically turned green.

Originally, Zhang Shou had only stopped to watch the spectacle.

But when Zhu Hong spotted him, an idea occurred to him, and he walked over of his own accord.

Sure enough, Zhu Hong visibly relaxed upon seeing him.

“Young Master Shou.”

He bowed before awkwardly coughing.

“We’re only staying temporarily. It wouldn’t be appropriate to use someone else’s funeral lumber…”

Glancing sideways at Old Yang, whose eyes darted about shrewdly, Zhang Shou immediately understood exactly what the old man—whom everyone in the village joked already had one foot in the coffin—was really thinking.

Interrupting Zhu Hong, he spoke earnestly.

“I understand. The words ‘funeral lumber’ certainly sound inauspicious.”

“But if they’re so unlucky, why do people prepare coffin planks years in advance? Some even have the planks fully assembled, lacquered, and completed while they’re still alive.”

“The answer is simple.”

“They’re meant to ward off illness and misfortune.”

“If they can drive away bad luck, then something that sounds inauspicious is actually considered quite auspicious.”

“Besides, the people in this village are warm-hearted and sincere. They heard that you came from afar and needed beds for your temporary stay, so they’re willing to part with something they’ve saved their entire lives.”

“If you refuse, they’ll only think you’re looking down on them.”

Zhu Hong felt that something about those words didn’t quite sound right.

Yet Zhang Shou spoke with such sincerity that he couldn’t help wavering.

Especially when he noticed that Old Yang and his two sons looked rather offended, as though Zhang Shou had perfectly exposed their thoughts, he became even more conflicted.

But the final straw was still to come.

“It’s impossible to build a proper bed without good lumber.”

“I doubt your manor intends to transport timber all the way from the capital.”

“You could cut down fresh trees, of course, but without drying the wood first, how could anyone begin making furniture?”

“If you’re uncomfortable because these are coffin planks, then let’s do this.”

“I’ll let you have my own bed.”

“I’ll use the newly made bed built from these planks instead.”

“How about that?”

“Absolutely not!”

Having spent the entire previous night hiding in the tree behind Zhang Shou’s house, Zhu Hong’s bloodshot eyes widened in horror.

Although Miss Zhu and Zhang Shou weren’t married yet, the Dowager Lady already regarded him as her future grandson-in-law.

Deep down, Zhu Hong still believed that apart from his extraordinarily handsome face, the country-raised Zhang Shou was hardly worthy of the young lady.

But no matter how superstitious he personally felt, he couldn’t possibly allow Zhang Shou to sleep on a bed made from coffin planks simply to satisfy his own taboos.

What if it shortened his lifespan…?

Bah, bah! Stop thinking nonsense!

Taking a deep breath, he finally gritted his teeth.

“In that case…”

“I’ll buy the planks.”

Looking at the aged timber, polished smooth from years of careful handling yet still not assembled into an actual coffin, he forced himself to ignore such superstitions.

“I’ll pay twenty taels of silver.”

“I’ll take them.”

The three members of the Yang family immediately beamed with delight.

When Zhang Shou turned around and sincerely discussed the price with them, all three nodded repeatedly like pecking chickens, agreeing without the slightest hesitation.

Without even asking anyone for help, Zhu Hong left the silver behind, hoisted the heavy planks onto his own shoulder, and walked away.

Only after he had gone some distance did Old Yang carefully cradle the heavy silver ingot and quietly ask Zhang Shou, “Little Teacher, where did these guests of yours come from? I was only planning to ask for five strings of copper cash. Instead, he immediately offered twenty taels of silver!”

“Rich people really are different. They don’t even bother with copper coins—they use silver.”

“Heh… they’re from the capital.”

Zhang Shou smiled.

The moment Old Yang inhaled sharply, he leisurely added, “From the Duke Zhao Manor.”

He had deliberately revealed Zhu Hong’s identity.

Sure enough, Old Yang’s face changed instantly.

His two sons, on the other hand, merely looked astonished, seemingly amazed that such lofty nobles could somehow be connected to their tiny little village.

“They bought your planks for twenty taels.”

“They’ll have Carpenter Xu saw them apart, smooth them, lacquer them, and turn them into beds.”

“The urgent problem will be solved.”

“If they bought lumber elsewhere, transportation and labor would cost money too, so they haven’t overpaid.”

“Besides, they won’t be staying at my house forever.”

“Once they leave, those bed frames will be useless to me.”

“I’ll naturally return them to you.”

“So in the end, you’ll benefit from the whole arrangement.”

Zhang Shou deliberately made everything sound perfectly casual.

The Yang brothers immediately felt they’d struck a tremendous bargain.

The elder brother repeatedly bowed.

“It’s all thanks to you, Little Teacher. Otherwise, we’d never have earned this silver.”

“I’ll order Father another set of quality cedar planks. At most it’ll cost a few taels.”

“The money left over will be enough for both my sons to get married.”

“Hmph!”

Old Yang suddenly barked.

“Those two useless brats! Little Teacher is willing to teach them to read and write, yet they refuse to study properly.”

“They deserve to stay bachelors!”

“And it’s all because of you two! Bad fathers make bad sons!”

“Now get inside!”

After angrily chasing both sons away, Old Yang’s expression became rather complicated.

He slowly took the twenty taels of silver from his robe and held them out toward Zhang Shou.

Seeing this, Zhang Shou—who had already guessed something—naturally looked surprised.

“What are you doing?”

“If I’d known they were from the Duke Zhao Manor, I never would have accepted this money.”

“Little Teacher, please return it for me.”

Naturally, Zhang Shou refused.

“Are you worried that the Duke Zhao Manor will think you cheated them?”

“He offered that price himself.”

“It’s not as though you demanded an outrageous amount.”

“Besides, aren’t you always complaining that your back and legs ache?”

“Take the money.”

“See a proper doctor.”

“Buy some medicine.”

“You might even live a few more years.”

“People from the Duke Zhao Manor probably spend eighty or even a hundred taels just buying a single bed in the capital.”

“They won’t care about such a small amount.”

“It’s not like that…”

Old Yang, famous throughout the village for his booming voice, now spoke quietly.

After a long silence, he sighed.

“I was once one of Duke Zhao’s soldiers.”

“If the Duke hadn’t summoned the army physician during an inspection, this old life of mine would have been left beyond the frontier years ago.”

“And besides…”

“Using coffin planks to make beds for the living…”

At that point, he suddenly stopped.

Looking at Zhang Shou in confusion, he asked, “Come to think of it…”

“Why have people from the Duke Zhao Manor come all the way out here to the countryside?”

“And why are they making beds?”

“It sounds as though they plan to stay for quite some time.”

“Could it be…”

“They’re staying at your house, Little Teacher?”

Just moments earlier, Zhang Shou had been delighted to discover what seemed to be someone who actually knew the village’s history.

Now, however, Old Yang’s question felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head.

Knowing full well how crafty the old man was, Zhang Shou decided to administer a stronger dose of truth.

“Don’t even mention it.”

“I was quietly sitting at home…”

“And suddenly, a fiancée fell out of the sky.”

“And she’s none other than the eldest young lady of the Duke Zhao Manor.”

To his utter astonishment, the moment those words left his mouth, Old Yang’s eyes lit up.

Breaking into a broad grin, he exclaimed, “So you’re the future son-in-law!”