LFHYB -Chapter 7 What Are the Five Surnames and Seven Clans?

When Chai Shao returned with pastries, the three siblings had already finished discussing and dividing things up and were now chatting idly.

Li Sanniang took a twenty percent share of the profits, while Li Xuanba and Li Shimin each took forty percent.

Li Xuanba wanted to persuade Third Sister to take more, but Li Sanniang flicked his nose.

Li Shimin said with an air of premature worldliness, “Elder Sister is only investing to help us. If you let her take more, outsiders would think Elder Sister is bullying us. We can just give Elder Sister more gifts in the future.”

Li Sanniang nodded. “That’s exactly it. A-Xuan, Elder Sister has wanted to say this for a while—you’re sometimes too distant, and it really makes me sad.”

Li Shimin nodded vigorously. “Exactly, exactly.”

Li Xuanba kicked his second brother first, then clasped his hands and said, “It’s this younger brother’s fault.”

Li Shimin continued sighing like an old man, “Elder Sister, look at him—he gets embarrassed and angry the moment I hit the mark… Hey! You’re still kicking me? Believe it or not, I’ll fight back!”

As he spoke, he had already pounced on Li Xuanba and started tickling him.

Li Xuanba was extremely ticklish and hurriedly begged Third Sister for help.

Li Sanniang covered her mouth, laughing so hard she nearly doubled over, completely refusing to rescue her poor third brother.

Fortunately, Chai Shao arrived at that moment. Li Shimin finally gave his third brother some face and stopped bullying him.

Li Xuanba glared resentfully at Li Shimin.

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow. “Go on, glare. Keep glaring. Glare again and I’ll tickle you!”

Li Xuanba shrank his neck and quietly recorded this grudge in his little notebook.

If you weren’t still young, I’d be afraid of scaring you. Wait until you become Prince of Qin—then I’ll use spoilers to obliterate you! Hmph!

Chai Shao set down the pastries and said, “A-Xuan, don’t be angry. Have some pastries.”

Li Shimin put on a stern little face. “Only I can call him A-Xuan! You should call him Li Sanlang!”

Chai Shao, who had deliberately been trying to sound close: “Ah?!”

Li Sanniang almost laughed herself into choking. “That’s how it is. Even Mother and I want to follow Second Brother and call him A-Xuan, but Second Brother won’t allow it.”

Li Shimin pulled Li Xuanba into his arms and glared warily at Chai Shao.

Chai Shao asked curiously, “Then A-Xuan—no, Sanlang—what do you call Second Brother?”

Li Xuanba, annoyed, pushed away his overheated second brother. “What else would I call him? Erlang. Li Erlang”

Chai Shao asked again, “Then what do you call the Li family’s Eldest Son?”

Li Xuanba and Li Shimin answered in unison, “Elder Brother.”

Chai Shao: “……” The difference in closeness was painfully obvious.

Li Sanniang frowned. “Why do you have so many questions? What are you prying into my family affairs for?”

Chai Shao quickly apologized.

Li Sanniang said, “I’m taking Second Brother and Third Brother to the Buddhist temple to burn some incense. Are you coming?”

Chai Shao replied eagerly, “Of course.”

Li Shimin looked at Li Xuanba, his face full of displeasure.

Li Xuanba thought, **[They’re getting married next year anyway. Building more feelings now is better for Elder Sister.]**

Li Shimin drooped his head, dispirited.

Seeing his second brother’s low mood, Li Xuanba took the initiative to hold Second Brother’s hand and then had Li Sanniang take hold of Second Brother’s other hand.

He knew that once Second Brother truly cared about someone, he would treat them with wholehearted devotion and couldn’t bear separation.

When Second Brother later raised Li Zhi, even when Li Zhi left the palace to establish his own residence, Second Brother would cry together with his daughter as if the boy were leaving for some far-off land tens of thousands of miles away—utterly baffling.

Now that Li Shimin had been led by him to grow close to Third Sister, it was only natural for him to feel sad about her marrying out. But he couldn’t be too rude to Chai Shao. If he went too far with Chai Shao, the one who would ultimately suffer would be Third Sister.

Li Sanniang took her two brothers to stroll around the Buddhist temple, and they didn’t head home until the Western Market was about to close.

When they returned, the sun had not yet set. Li Sanniang first took Li Xuanba and Li Shimin to visit Old Lady Dou. Then Li Xuanba and Li Shimin left, while Li Sanniang stayed behind alone to tell Old Lady Dou about the deceitful servant at the bookshop.

Listening as Li Shimin, furious at being deceived by a rogue servant, wanted to report the matter to the authorities, and as Li Xuanba, worried that it would upset her, tried to stop him—seeing how the two children expressed themselves differently yet both showed wholehearted filial devotion—Old Lady Dou smiled and nodded.

“Seeing that I’ve fallen ill, their hearts must have grown bold, and they’ve forgotten the proper conduct of servants,” Old Lady Dou said. “Handle this matter as you see fit. I suspect it’s not just that shopkeeper—probably none of them are honest. Dismiss them all and choose some honest people from the household. They’re only selling Buddhist scriptures; they don’t need to be clever. Obedience is what matters most.”

Li Sanniang agreed.

Old Lady Dou added, “Pay more attention to Erlang and Sanlang’s shops as well. It will also be good practice for your ability to manage household affairs.”

Li Sanniang nodded again.

Old Lady Dou was tired and dismissed Li Sanniang.

Afterward, she looked at the protective talismans Li Shimin and Li Xuanba had obtained from the Buddhist temple, sighed, and said, “Sanniang is a bit too clever. The reason she staged this whole performance was probably because she feared that the servants I leave behind, relying on the fact that they once served me, would refuse to listen to Erlang and Sanlang.”

However, Granny Zhang said, “Whether it was Sanniang’s scheme or not can be found out just by asking the people who went with her. This servant has heard that the Chai family’s eldest young master also secretly followed along. When he comes, I’ll ask those serving him.”

Old Lady Dou had originally wanted to say “forget it.” But the words lingered in her mouth for a long time, and in the end she still couldn’t say them.

“Go ask,” Old Lady Dou said. “No matter what the truth is, it doesn’t really matter. Sanniang being clever is a good thing.”

Granny Zhang nodded, but inwardly sighed. If the old madam truly didn’t care, she wouldn’t have said it like that.

The next day, Granny Zhang reported what she had found out to Old Lady Dou.

It really had nothing to do with Sanniang. The two children had checked the accounts as soon as they entered the shop and discovered that the shopkeeper had skimmed forty percent in kickbacks.

Old Lady Dou was instantly furious. She ordered the scoundrel servant to be brought into the residence, personally commanded that he be beaten half to death, and then sold off.

Granny Zhang subtly informed Li Sanniang why Old Lady Dou had “on a whim” personally dealt with those rogue servants.

Li Sanniang sighed and said, “I’ve troubled Granny Zhang.”

She quietly slipped a few silver beans into Granny Zhang’s hand.

When Granny Zhang returned to Old Lady Dou’s side, she took out the silver beans and said, “Sanniang is clever. This servant spoke a few extra words to put her mind at ease and was lucky enough to receive some reward money.”

Old Lady Dou spat lightly. “You do love using my affairs to earn reward money. Hurry up and take it to drink some wine—drink yourself to death.”

Granny Zhang smiled apologetically.

After that, Lady Dou also quietly slipped Granny Zhang some silver.

The matter was considered settled.

After Li Xuanba learned that Old Lady Dou had personally dealt with the rogue servants, he understood that the bookshop now completely belonged to himself and Second Brother.

He went out to find Li Shimin to tell his second brother the good news. Li Shimin was standing in the shade, practicing a horse stance.

In front of him stood a small wooden rack, and on the rack lay a copy of the Analects.

After finishing one page, he would have a servant turn the page. In this way, he could practice martial arts and read at the same time.

Li Shimin’s personality was excessively lively. Li Xuanba was often exhausted by his second brother’s inability to stay quiet.

But once it came to martial training, reading, or calligraphy, Li Shimin would suddenly calm down, his self-discipline so strong that even Li Xuanba felt inferior.

Li Xuanba enjoyed the advantage of possessing the life experience of an adult from a later era, which was why he was merely known alongside Li Shimin as one of the “twin prodigy sons of the Duke of Tang.”

Sometimes when Li Xuanba grew tired of practicing calligraphy or memorizing texts, it was Li Shimin who would grit his teeth and drag him along to persist.

He couldn’t help but sigh—someone who could compete for the top three emperors really was on another level.

Li Xuanba had a frail constitution and slept more each day than Li Shimin.

He had just taken a short nap in his room. When Li Shimin got up, he hadn’t disturbed him and instead went out alone to practice his horse stance.

Seeing Li Xuanba awake, Li Shimin stood up, wiped his sweat, and lunged toward his younger brother.

Li Xuanba stretched out both hands and propped up the face of his second brother, who loved pouncing on people. “Have you delivered the gifts to our brothers and sisters at home? Did they like them?”

From the birth of Li Jiancheng to the birth of Li Shimin and Li Xuanba—a span of ten years—Li Yuan had fathered four daughters with his concubines: the eldest young lady, second young lady, fourth young lady, and fifth young lady. Li Sanniang, born of Lady Dou, happened to be right in the middle.

The eldest and second young ladies were already married, while the fourth and fifth young ladies were still in the process of being matched.

Li Shimin bent down, dodged Li Xuanba’s rejecting hands, and successfully scooped up his third brother. After rubbing against Li Xuanba once, he loosened his embrace. “Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister both said they want to sew us embroidered sachets. Fifth Brother said he’ll come find us to play once he’s recovered. Fourth Brother…”

Li Shimin paused, lowered his head, and wiped a handful of sweat onto Li Xuanba’s silk gauze outer garment.

Li Xuanba’s fists clenched.

Li Shimin chuckled twice and said, “Fourth Brother took the rattle drum we gave him and went around hitting people with it, so I beat him up. Eldest Brother scolded me afterward and even punished me by making me write a self-criticism. A-Xuan, you’ve got to help me.”

At this time, the principle was that the eldest brother was like a father. Li Jiancheng had both the right and the responsibility to discipline his younger brothers. Punishing Li Shimin to write a self-criticism wasn’t bullying—it was a sign of responsibility.

Li Xuanba sighed. “Why didn’t you just complain to Grandmother? Why take matters into your own hands? Grandmother’s health has improved recently—she has the energy to discipline Li Yuanji now.”

Li Shimin rubbed his nose. “It was just hot blood rushing to my head. By the time I realized it, he was already crying from being beaten.”

Li Xuanba was speechless.

Wasn’t this laying the groundwork early for Li Yuanji to later stomp around in front of Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng, shouting about killing you?

Li Xuanba had once tried not only to get closer to Li Jiancheng, but also to build a good relationship with Li Yuanji.

As emperor, Li Yuan needed to maintain balance. Fratricidal conflict between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin was almost inevitable. Li Yuanji, however, didn’t necessarily have to be drawn in.

It wasn’t that Li Xuanba felt much brotherly affection toward Li Yuanji.

Li Yuanji would later become far too outrageous—treating commoners as prey to chase and shoot, treating soldiers as gladiators to watch kill each other. Was that something a normal person could do?

Li Xuanba wasn’t a particularly kind person, but he also didn’t want such an antisocial madman to be his brother.

But he was far too young. Even if he could foresee some things, he was powerless to change them.

Lady Dou still developed severe prenatal depression and ordered people to throw away Li Yuanji.

Although the person who retrieved Li Yuanji changed—from the maid Chen Shanyi, who would later be killed by Li Yuanji, to little Li Xuanba toddling on short legs—Li Yuanji was soon taken away by people sent by Old Lady Dou. This incident was still widely publicized throughout the household.

By the time Lady Dou struggled her way out of prenatal depression, the matter of abandoning the child had already caused new cracks in the hard-won “honeymoon period” she and Li Yuan had just restored.

People of this era did not understand what prenatal depression was. Lady Dou had thrown away her own child. Even if the physician said it was due to “hysteria,” others would still mutter in their hearts that Lady Dou was lacking in maternal kindness.

Although Lady Dou had now relied on her utmost filial devotion in serving Old Lady Dou to mend the small knot of resentment in Li Yuan’s heart, neither Old Lady Dou nor Li Yuan would ever again allow her to raise Li Yuanji.

Old Lady Dou lacked the energy to care for Li Yuanji and more or less left him to grow up unchecked.

Li Xuanba had once tactfully raised the issue of Li Yuanji’s upbringing with both his grandmother and his mother. Aside from the fact that his mother truly found it difficult to discipline Li Yuanji forcefully, elders of this era generally believed that letting children run free when they were young was no big deal—once they began their formal studies, they could always be straightened out properly. As a result, neither of them paid it much mind.

Well, elders in modern society think the same way too—always saying that “problem kids will grow up and become sensible.”

Once Li Yuanji learned to walk, the scope of his destruction expanded dramatically. Li Xuanba had tried his best but was powerless in the end, so he could only give Li Yuanji a wide berth.

Li Shimin, however, had a fiery temper. If Li Yuanji dared to act up around him, Li Shimin would pin him down and beat him up without hesitation. Because of this, Li Shimin was punished quite a few times.

“I cried to Grandmother about it, and she didn’t blame me. It was Li Yuanji’s fault to begin with. Li Jiancheng is his elder brother—aren’t I his elder brother too? If Li Jiancheng can discipline me, then I can discipline Li Yuanji.” Li Shimin said smugly.

The corner of Li Xuanba’s mouth twitched slightly. “As long as you’re happy.”

“Oh right,” Li Shimin added. “Grandmother said that Father is looking at a daughter of the Zheng clan of Xingyang as a match for Eldest Brother—to be our future sister-in-law. Once she marries in, Li Yuanji will finally have someone to keep him in check. Do you know what kind of family the Zhengs of Xingyang are?”

Li Shimin knew that his A-Xuan always concealed his talents in front of outsiders. A-Xuan was practically omniscient—if there was something he didn’t understand, asking A-Xuan was never wrong.

The Zheng clan of Xingyang… Li Xuanba organized his thoughts and explained the concept of the “Five Surnames and Seven Great Clans” to his second brother using his inner voice.

He had to use inner voice—if his words spread outside, he’d probably end up making enemies of the “Five Surnames and Seven Great Clans.”

**[When Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei carried out his sinicization reforms, he learned not only the essence of the Southern Dynasties, but also their dross—the “aristocratic clan system.” He believed this system was the essence of sinicization and the key to competing for the legitimacy of the Central Plains.]**

The northern dynasties were mostly founded by warlords with Xianbei or other non-Han blood, while the southern dynasties were traditional Han Chinese regimes that had replaced the Eastern Jin.

**[In order to counter the southern aristocratic clans and compete for legitimacy, Emperor Xiaowen selected the “Five Surnames and Seven Great Clans”—the Li clan of Longxi, the Li clan of Zhaojun, the Cui clan of Boling, the Cui clan of Qinghe, the Lu clan of Fanyang, the Zheng clan of Xingyang, and the Wang clan of Taiyuan—to contend with the traditional Wei–Jin aristocracy that had migrated south.]**

**[So, in essence, the so-called “Five Surnames and Seven Great Clans” were mostly nurtured by Northern Wei.]**

**[After the Sui dynasty unified the realm, the northern and southern aristocratic clans, in order to compete with the ruling Guanzhong nobility for power, banded together, praised one another, and mutually acknowledged their status—forming the aristocratic structure of the Sui dynasty as it exists today.]**

**[Northern Wei later split into Eastern and Western Wei; Northern Zhou and Northern Qi replaced them; Northern Zhou unified Northern Qi; and the Sui dynasty then unified the world. From Northern Wei onward, those who controlled the court were the Guanzhong nobility, centered on the Eight Pillars of State of Western Wei. Our great-grandfather Li Hu was one of those Eight Pillars.]**

**[The Eight Pillars were “noble,” holding the central court; the aristocratic clans were “pure,” entrenched in the regions and known as “commandery lineages.” The aristocratic clans wanted access to central power, while the Guanzhong nobles wanted to cloak themselves in a mantle of ancient pedigree—so the two sides hit it off immediately.]**

**[Though we do need to attach ourselves to them, there’s no need to place too much importance on them.]**

**[Let me give you a few examples.]**

**[The Yang clan of Hongnong was wiped out early on by Jia Nanfeng and survived only through collateral branches, remaining obscure until Emperor Wen of Sui chose to associate himself with them.]**

**[The Chen clan of Yingchuan was annihilated during the Yongjia turmoil and also survived via collateral lines, remaining obscure to this day.]**

**[The Wang clan of Taiyuan was slaughtered by Liu Yu, with only Wang Huilong escaping to Northern Wei, where he propagated what later became the Taiyuan Wang clan.]**

**[The Cui clan of Qinghe was exterminated during the Northern Wei “State Histories Incident.” The Fan­yang Lu clan, Taiyuan Guo clan, and Hedong Liu clan—who were related to them by marriage—were also wiped out. The current main line is said to descend from collateral branches that fled south with the gentry.]**

**[As for the Li clan of Longxi and the Li clan of Zhaojun, they couldn’t even be considered famous Wei–Jin lineages; they only rose to prominence after the late Jin and the Sixteen Kingdoms period.]**

**[Claims that great aristocratic families have lineages stretching back thousands of years are mostly fabricated. Their own genealogies don’t even line up between branches. To compete in pedigree, many clans merged commandery origins, and forging or inventing ancestral branches was extremely common.]**

**[For instance, to contend with other aristocratic clans, the Li clans of Longxi and Zhaojun merged their commandery origins. The Longxi Li claimed descent from Li Guang, tracing back to the Qin general Li Xin; the Zhaojun Li claimed Li Mu as their ancestor. After merging, they fabricated a story that Li Mu was actually a Qin man whose father served as a Grand Censor in Qin before Li Mu went to Zhao as a general—and even claimed that Li Mu’s other elders were all Qin marquises. In the end, they pushed their lineage back to the late Spring and Autumn period and recognized Li Er of the State of Chen as their ancestor.]**

As Li Xuanba was exposing the old secrets of the aristocratic clans to Li Shimin, the two of them walked to the stream to cool off.

A living stream had been diverted into the gardens of the Duke of Tang’s residence. When Li Jiancheng wasn’t bringing friends here to amuse himself, Li Xuanba and Li Shimin often came to the shallow banks to play in the water and escape the summer heat.

The two boys took off their shoes and sat on a large rock by the stream, splashing their feet in the water.

Li Shimin kicked up a big splash and scratched his head. “The Li clan of Longxi and the Li clan of Zhaojun? They sound really familiar.”

Li Xuanba replied inwardly: **[Oh, our family is quite close with both of those Li clans—we’re probably still hesitating over which branch to attach ourselves to.]**

Li Shimin gaped in shock, his mouth wide enough to fit an entire egg. “They’d actually let us hesitate?!”

Li Xuanba said inwardly: **[What’s so surprising? During the State Histories Incident, the Northern Wei emperor ‘followed the charts to find the quarry’ and killed people one by one using their genealogies. Later, those claiming to be collateral branches brought out genealogies they’d written themselves and said they were the heirs—who knows what was real? As long as someone was a famous figure with the same surname, aristocratic clans were more than happy to claim shared ancestry. Believe it or not, if we become powerful enough, when the descendants of the Longxi and Zhaojun Li revise their genealogies, they’ll include us too.]**

He reached out and manually closed his second brother’s jaw, which was about to fall off.

Li Shimin said awkwardly, “A-Xuan, that’s not how ‘following the charts to find the quarry’ is used.”

Li Xuanba replied inwardly: **[Close enough.]**

“Not even close. Sigh, as long as you’re happy.” Li Shimin borrowed Li Xuanba’s favorite phrase. “They’re really strange. As long as later generations are capable, isn’t that enough? Why go clinging to dead bones in their graves?”

Li Xuanba silently glanced at his second brother.

Openly cursing the “Five Surnames and Seven Great Clans” by relying on the fact that they were nothing more than dead bones in their graves—having no real ability to speak of—was something Tang Taizong would later be famous for as the first to do so. He hadn’t expected that his second brother would already be saying similar things at such a young age.

“Exactly,” Li Xuanba took the initiative to speak.

Li Shimin said, “What difference is there between clinging to prestigious commandery lineages and forming factions for personal gain?”

Li Xuanba shot another look at his second brother.

Isn’t this a bit too precocious? Are these really things a six-year-old would say?!

Li Xuanba: **[No difference. But if the ‘Five Surnames and Seven Great Clans’ are forming factions for private gain, then aren’t the Guanzhong aristocrats the same?]**

Li Shimin tilted his head and kicked up a splash of water. “Ah, so are we the same too?”

Li Xuanba nodded.

**[Emperor Yang of Sui moved the capital to Luoyang and traveled south of the Yangtze on dragon boats. Although indulgence and pleasure were the main factors—otherwise there’d have been no need to rush, nor to build so many temporary palaces and villas—there was definitely also a political motive: shifting the political center, drawing in the Shandong noble families, and suppressing the Guanzhong aristocracy.]**

**[Take the current imperial examination system as another example. Because only those recommended by officials of fifth rank or above are eligible to sit the exam, and because names aren’t concealed, the examinations aren’t meant to let poor scholars squeeze out the great clans. On the contrary, Emperor Wen of Sui and Emperor Yang of Sui seem to have used the examinations to allow aristocratic families with strong scholarly traditions to obtain more official posts, thereby suppressing the traditional Guanzhong aristocratic bloc.]**

What Li Xuanba thought but didn’t “say” to Li Shimin was that ever since Western Wei, the Guanzhong aristocracy—centered around the Eight Pillar States—had firmly controlled court politics.

Many later historians believed that whether it was Northern Zhou, Sui, or Tang, in their early stages they were all merely spokespersons chosen by the Guanzhong aristocracy. Dynastic change occurred when the aristocrats judged the current spokesperson incompetent and proactively launched coups, selecting a new ruler from within their own ranks.

He could explain that slowly to his second brother after their family raised troops.

Li Shimin was stunned. “A-Xuan, what emperor did you just mention?! Emperor of Sui—what?!”

Li Xuanba blinked. “Huh? I didn’t say anything.”

Oops. A slip of the tongue.

Li Shimin grabbed Li Xuanba by the shoulders and shook him hard. “A-Xuan, you can’t say things like that casually!”

Li Xuanba closed his eyes. “I didn’t say anything.”

Li Shimin stopped shaking him and started clutching his own head, shaking it vigorously instead.

Li Xuanba’s mouth twitched. Right now, his brother looked exactly like a headache-stricken Psyduck.

“Ahhh! I must’ve heard wrong—A-Xuan really didn’t say anything!” Li · Psyduck · Shimin used Instant Amnesia on himself.

Watching his brother hug his head, shaking and shouting “I heard it wrong,” Li Xuanba burst out laughing.

“Hmph!” Li Shimin lowered his hands, dipped them into the stream to wet them, then shoved his cold, wet hands inside Li Xuanba’s clothes.

“Ah!” Chilled by the cold, Li Xuanba jolted and shoved Li Shimin hard, sending him splashing into the water.

The stream was shallow—it only covered Li Shimin’s backside.

Li Shimin scrambled up at once and splashed water at Li Xuanba.

He was very strong, and the huge splash drenched Li Xuanba from head to toe.

Li Xuanba wiped the water from his face, jumped into the stream, and—caught up in childish excitement—refused to back down, starting a full-on water fight with his second brother.

Just then, Lady Dou had received a letter from her husband. The Zheng clan of Xingyang was quite interested in his proposal for a marriage alliance and had invited her to visit them.

After Old Lady Dou read the letter, she immediately summoned the other two daughters-in-law who’d been shirking their duties to attend her, and ordered Lady Dou to hurry to Xingyang.

Remembering how Erlang often muttered, “When will Father come back?” Lady Dou went to ask Erlang and Sanlang whether they wanted to go along.

When she saw the two children fooling around in the stream, her expression changed drastically and her voice rose. “Sanlang’s body is so weak—Erlang, and you still took him to play in the water?!”

Li Shimin’s expression stiffened.

Li Xuanba let out a whistle.

Li Shimin took a deep breath.

Since he was going to get scolded anyway, then now—“A-Xuan, take this!”

Let’s play to our hearts’ content—ahhh!

Li Shimin pounced on Li Xuanba and pressed him into the stream. The two of them rolled around, soaked from head to toe, completely turning into drowned rats.

Lady Dou trembled with rage. “Li—Shi—Min!!!”

……

Li Shimin received a severe beating and lay face-down, not daring to turn over.

Li Xuanba knelt and wrote three self-reflection letters: two for Mother, and one on behalf of his second brother for their eldest brother.

“A-Xuan, next time we’ll go play in the water when Mother isn’t around.”

“Mm.”

Having just finished applying medicine to her second brother’s backside, Li Sanniang closed the door, rubbed her forehead, and sighed.

Mother, Second Brother and Third Brother haven’t reflected at all—what should we do?