TIPS – Chapter 103

Thinking of this, Song Jingwei felt a little guilty toward his friend. He had always been like this—never forgetting to bring things, but always busy with one thing or another, to the point of exhausting himself in the end.

“Alright,” Yang Shi agreed after hearing it was that old gentleman from last time. She said, “Let Xi’er go and invite him. The roads are slippery right now; you’d better not go out.” She still thought of her daughter-in-law as a young master from town, not used to rural paths—someone who could trip and fall just walking down the road.

“Okay.”

Taking advantage of the brief sunny break, the young man held an oil-paper umbrella just in case. He stood under the densely clouded sky, turned back to wave at his wife who stood at the door, signaling for her to go back inside.

“Remember to tell the old gentleman that if the weather isn’t good tomorrow, then don’t come out,” Song Jingwei reminded him, then thought to himself—if it came to that, he could always have Shen Junxi pick him up again tomorrow.

“……” Shen Junxi waved back at him again, indicating he got it, then lifted his robe and gradually walked off along the narrow path between fields.

When he returned, a light drizzle had started again. Yang Shi smiled and said, “Good thing, good thing—you made it back just before the rain.” Otherwise, even with an umbrella, he would have gotten a bit wet.

“Are you cold?” March still carried the chill of early spring; it might still be cold outside.

“……” Shen Junxi gestured: “Not cold.”

In this kind of weather, the villagers usually didn’t go to the fields. Most families stayed indoors chatting idly or cooking something delicious to enjoy a little feast. Neighbors who lived nearby might visit each other, play cards, and pass the time. But their family lived farther out and didn’t care much for visiting others.

At most, Shen Dongming might drop by Chen Xianggui’s house, have a few drinks, and talk about the frustrations or carefree bits of manhood.

“You really have nothing left to regret now, huh? The house is done, your daughter-in-law is married in, and you have your first grandson.” When you counted it all up, Shen Dongming’s fortune really was quite good. At least compared to Chen Xianggui himself, he couldn’t even come close. Every family had its own difficulties, and his was no exception.

“Sigh, it only looks good on the surface. It’s not that there’s nothing to regret.” Shen Dongming stole a few sips of wine and let out a long breath. “If only my old man and mother had treated me as well as I treat my son now—that would be truly regret-free.”

Of course Chen Xianggui knew about his old buddy’s situation. He said, “Qingming Festival’s almost here. How are you planning to honor your ancestors this year?” Things had blown up pretty badly before. He’d heard from Shen Dongming that even his grandson hadn’t been added to the family genealogy.

“……” Shen Dongming grew more distressed, smacking his lips and saying, “That’s what I’ve been thinking about. I haven’t told my daughter-in-law about Bumbum’s situation yet.” He didn’t even know how to bring it up—it was all a mess of his own making.

“……Don’t worry, it’ll all work out.” Chen Xianggui could only fall silent for a moment and then offer some comfort.

“Ai, come on, let’s drink.” Shen Dongming thought to himself, if it came to it, he’d just tell his daughter-in-law the truth. He had completely given up on the Shen family’s main branch. Whether Bumbum was added to the genealogy didn’t matter. He himself was on it, and so what? Might as well live honestly, encourage his son and daughter-in-law to have a few more kids, grow the family line. One day, he’d build a Shen family ancestral hall of his own.

On March 20, it didn’t rain in the morning. Song Jingwei said to the young man, “Why don’t you make another trip?”

Shen Junxi naturally agreed, “Mm.” He took the same oil-paper umbrella from yesterday and headed out again.

This time when he returned, he didn’t come back with just Old Master Yuan Jinyun—two tall, strapping men followed behind him, along with a chubby little tyke. Weren’t those two men Yuan Guanlin and Qiu Rui? Turns out it was the tenth day again, and their boat had docked.

“We heard you invited my grandfather over for a meal, so we came along too,” Yuan Guanlin said boisterously as he walked in.

“Well, come in and take a seat. There’s plenty of food here,” Song Jingwei said, then turned his attention to hosting the old master and the others, ushering them into the house to have some tea.

“Little Dad!” Suddenly a chubby little bundle came flying over, knocking Song Jingwei back a few steps. It was none other than Qiu Tianbao, who hadn’t been seen in a while and had recently gained two more pounds.

“Hahaha!” Yuan Jinyun stroked his beard and laughed heartily. “Since when did Tianbao get a little dad?” Especially considering this young man was someone else’s wife—he’d just had a baby earlier this year.

“He is my little dad,” Qiu Tianbao grinned and clung tightly to Song Jingwei’s hand.

“Sorry about that—the kid’s just naughty.” Qiu Rui apologized awkwardly and pulled the rascal back to his side, warning in a low voice, “Behave. Stop messing around.”

“It’s alright, he’s still small.” Song Jingwei hadn’t had much patience for kids before, but now that he had one of his own, he found himself much more indulgent toward Qiu Tianbao.

“……” Once inside, everyone sat down. While the others talked, Shen Junxi quietly brewed tea for them. When it was ready, he poured a cup for each person. Song Jingwei served as host and said, “Please, have some tea.”

“Great…” Yuan Jinyun took a sip and smiled, “Is this this year’s new tea?”

“Yes.” It was already mid-March, and soon it would be the end of the month. The spring tea had mostly been harvested, and after Qingming, there would be one more batch.

“Hehe.” The old master, savoring the freshly picked tea, stroked his beard and laughed, “Ah, time flies. Another year of Qingming is upon us…”

Everyone’s thoughts, too, seemed to drift away with the old man’s sigh. Time really did pass quickly. Song Jingwei reflected that it had already been over a year since he arrived here. The young man beside him had similar thoughts—having been married to his wife for nearly a year, it felt like it had passed in the blink of an eye.

The young man, Yuan Guanlin, who was only twenty, thought to himself that he would soon be twenty-one, adding yet another year to his years spent working on the water.

The one most worried was probably Qiu Tianbao’s father, Qiu Rui. He was already in his twenties, and Tianbao had grown up so quickly. He needed to find a “little dad” for his child. Originally, this young gentleman they had met would have been a great match, but alas, the man already had a family—too difficult, too difficult.

But he was a man of his word. He had told Yuan Guanlin he would try, and so he would make that attempt.

Before the meal, Yang Shi brought out the baby for everyone to see.

Seeing such an adorable little bundle, everyone was enchanted. The old master, noticing their admiration, encouraged them to give a gift to the baby—not just saying they liked him, but actually contributing something.

Yuan Jinyun laughed heartily, saying, “I already gave a pair of longevity locks. Now, it’s up to you all.”

With no other choice, the two big men had to search through their belongings, offering whatever they could.

After seeing the baby, they had a hearty, authentic farm meal together. With so many people gathered, there was plenty of talking and laughing, making for a very joyful day.

When it was time to leave, this straightforward and direct man handed Song Jingwei a wooden box. His words were sincere as he said, “I know we’ve come to bother you a few times, and we’re grateful that you haven’t minded. This is a small token from father and son, and we hope you’ll accept it.”

His words were well-reasoned, and as the host, Song Jingwei was expected to accept the gift.

Yuan Jinyun added, “Just take it, Jingwei, hahaha. Otherwise, these two father and son won’t dare visit next time.” It was common for guests to bring gifts when visiting someone’s home, though they themselves weren’t very particular about it. Every time they came, they almost always arrived empty-handed.

“Ugh…” Yuan Guanlin coughed, then glanced at Song Jingwei. The gift wasn’t easy to accept. If he accepted it, wouldn’t that be giving hope to Qiu Rui? That wouldn’t do!

“Since that’s the case, it would be a bit awkward to refuse,” Song Jingwei naturally took the box and said, “Thank you. You’re always welcome to come over for a meal next time.”

“Good,” Qiu Rui replied, exchanging a deep look with his son, both of them filled with eager emotions.

“Be good and listen to your father, okay?” Song Jingwei pinched Qiu Tianbao’s chubby cheek as he reminded him.

“Okay.” Qiu Tianbao curled his lips, waved his little hand at them, and then, with his father’s neck in his arms, he sulked back home.

“Old master, once the weather warms up, you should come out more often,” Song Jingwei stopped at the door after sending everyone out. Whether out of obligation to his friend or genuine respect for the old master, he truly wished well for the elderly gentleman.

The kind old man smiled and nodded at him before leaving with the two young men.

After shutting the door, Song Jingwei returned to his courtyard with Shen Junxi. Though the young man was subtle about it, Song Jingwei still noticed his interest in the wooden box in his hand. He casually asked, “Do you want to see it?”

Shen Junxi quickly shifted his gaze and shook his head, signaling that it wasn’t of concern.

“If you want to see it, I’ll show you. But if you don’t, that’s fine too.” Song Jingwei said as he took the wooden box and brought it inside to have a closer look.

“……” The young man sighed and followed behind, unsure if he changed his mind whether his wife would allow it.

Once inside, it was just Song Jingwei and Shen Junxi in the room, as the baby wasn’t there—it was with Yang Shi. He placed the wooden box on the table but didn’t immediately open it. In truth, he didn’t care much about whatever Qiu Rui had given him, so he wasn’t particularly focused on it.

“Aren’t you going to look?” The young man, brimming with curiosity, glanced over, but his wife remained motionless.

“If you want to look, then look.” Song Jingwei shot a glance at the young man, then stretched his neck and stood up to wash his hands and face in the washroom, preparing for bed.

“……” As soon as Song Jingwei left, Shen Junxi quickly grabbed the wooden box and eagerly opened it. Inside was a beautiful jade hairpin, looking quite precious. What caught the young man’s attention, however, wasn’t the hairpin, but the letter hidden beneath it. He glanced at the door to the washroom—given his wife’s tendency to take his time, he seemed to have enough time to read the letter.

But just as he was about to reach for it, he suddenly pulled his hand back. This was his wife’s private letter; he couldn’t look at it.

A gentleman is careful when alone, careful when alone.

Even though the man had unspeakable feelings for his wife—ugh, no! This wasn’t right. Once he thought this through, he no longer cared about being careful or not. He just decided to read it.

When Song Jingwei returned from the washroom, he sniffed the air and noticed a faint burnt smell. He looked at the young man and asked, “What’s burning?”

Shen Junxi shook his head and gestured, “Nothing.”

“Really?” The smell was so obvious that denying it was clearly a lie. Song Jingwei looked at him suspiciously, then glanced at the wooden box on the table. “You looked at it. What is it?”

Shen Junxi opened the box to show him—it was just that thing. That man was too devious; he shouldn’t have sent something like this. If Song Jingwei were to wear it on his head, then what would he become?

“Oh, good quality, worth quite a bit.” Song Jingwei quickly glanced at it and came to a conclusion. His focus was worlds apart from the young man’s; it never even occurred to him that there was anything inappropriate about the gift from Qiu Rui.

“Do you like it?” The young man asked nervously through gestures.

“I don’t really like or dislike it. Jade’s too heavy,” Song Jingwei replied. He usually preferred wearing something simple and lightweight, or just using a single hairpin to get the job done.

“Mm.” The young man nodded in full agreement, then gestured, “How about we sell it? It’s worth some money.”

Song Jingwei chuckled and said, “It’s a gift from someone. Even if we don’t use it, there’s no need to sell it for money.” Besides, he wasn’t short on cash—why bother?

“Then I’ll help my wife put it away.” Since he couldn’t convince his wife to sell it, Shen Junxi gestured, then firmly shut the wooden box, tucked it away in the most inconspicuous corner, and buried it at the bottom of the chest. Yep—never to see the light of day again. Later, once his wife forgot about it, he’d secretly sell it… Well, it was just a thought, but it made him feel good inside.

“…” Song Jingwei didn’t say anything—if the young man wanted to do things his own way, so be it.

By late March, the Qingming Festival was fast approaching. Whenever it was mentioned, one would naturally think of tomb sweeping and ancestral worship—essential activities during this time of year.

In the final days of March, Shen Dongming found a chance to bring up the topic of ancestral worship and adding Benben to the family genealogy with his daughter-in-law. He spoke with deep guilt, “Xi’er’s wife, there’s something I need to talk to you about…”

“What is it?” Song Jingwei asked curiously. What could make this usually cheerful man look so gloomy? He couldn’t imagine.

“It’s about the Qingming ancestral rites.” Shen Dongming struggled to explain. “Our branch has never gotten along well with the main family—you probably already know that. In past years, we always had to beg and plead just to be allowed to join the ancestral rites. But since the second half of last year and early this year, there’ve been several disputes with the main family, and now it’s even worse.”

Hearing this, Song Jingwei fell silent. This was an old issue between the Shen family’s main and first branches. He didn’t know the origin, but just based on the events of the past year since his marriage, he had a rough idea of where the main family stood.

After a while, he asked, “So what do you think?”

Shen Dongming scratched his head and cautiously said, “We definitely still need to do the tomb sweeping… But there’s one more thing I haven’t told you yet.”

More? Song Jingwei looked at him. “What is it? Please go ahead.”

“Uh…” This time, Shen Dongming truly found it hard to say. After hesitating for a long while, he finally muttered, “It’s like this—our Benben’s name still isn’t on the family genealogy.” After speaking, he watched his daughter-in-law’s reaction closely, quickly adding, “Actually, even if his name was on there, it wouldn’t make much difference. They still wouldn’t treat us like family. Chasing after that bit of ‘face’ isn’t worth it. It’s better if we just live well on our own. We can make our own genealogy in the future.”

After all, they had managed through hard times before. Now that life was better, why bend over backward to seek humiliation?

He rambled on like this, but Song Jingwei didn’t understand why he was so anxious. To Song Jingwei, genealogies meant nothing—he thought of them like household registration books. Since the Shen family had already split with the main family, it was natural to have separate registrations. So he said, “That’s a great idea. We can write our own genealogy in the future.”

As for the main family’s genealogy, just looking at those people made Song Jingwei not want to add his son to it. What’s the point—just to make it look nice? To please others? What matters more: your own life, or the opinions of others?

“You really think that?” Shen Dongming widened his eyes in surprise. His daughter-in-law’s reaction was far beyond his expectations.

“Yes, I really think that. Your idea is very good, I have no objections,” Song Jingwei said sincerely. He hadn’t even known about the registration issue before, and now he felt lucky his son wasn’t registered under the main Shen family.

“Ah, that’s good then.” Shen Dongming scratched his head in relief, smiling sheepishly. “I’m just glad you don’t blame me. That’s what I thought at the time, but I was afraid you wouldn’t agree.”

“It’s fine,” Song Jingwei reassured him again.

With the genealogy issue settled, Shen Dongming felt a lot more at ease. He went on to talk about the ancestral rites and sighed, “That’s going to be tough. If we go, they’ll definitely…” take the opportunity to make trouble—especially given that past conflicts had always been one-sided, with the main family on the offensive.