Chapter 597: Sharing Adversities Is Easy, Sharing Prosperity Is Hard?

Since the start of the grain transport season on the first day of March, the Tongzhou docks have become even busier. With spring in full bloom, merchants from the south brought ships laden with goods northward. Upon arriving in Tongzhou, they transferred the goods to land routes to deliver them to the capital. Added to this were various carts from the noble families’ estates, carrying the first batch of vegetables and fruits of the month to the city, further clogging this vital road to the capital. As a result, the official road from Tongzhou to the capital was constantly busy with traffic.

Although the noble families’ public lands were strictly limited, and Zhu Di was extremely cautious when granting land, after moving the capital to Beijing, these noble families still competed to acquire property in North Zhili. Tongzhou and its surrounding areas, with their fertile soil, flat terrain, and convenient irrigation systems, naturally became the preferred locations. In Xiji Town, southeast of Tongzhou, there were more than a dozen estates belonging to the Marquis of Baoding, the Duke of Yingguo, and the Marquis of Anyuan. Including tenant farmers and servants, there were at least seven or eight hundred people living there.

Chaobai Village in Xiji Town was named after the Chaobai River. It originally had thirty to fifty households, many of which owned a few acres of land. Since donating land to the ZhaoWangfu could exempt them from rent and corvée, many people became interested. Someone started the trend, and gradually, many plots of land were registered under the estates of the Marquis of Baoding nearby. Not far from Chaobai Village were three estates belonging to the Marquis of Baoding, covering a total of 200 hectares. The southernmost estate was called Baishazhuang, where the Meng family lived.

Traditionally, the period of mourning lasted three years for deep grief and 25 months for lesser grief. Thus, the Meng family members removed their mourning clothes at the beginning of March but continued to wear plain clothes. During the mourning period, almost no one in the family stepped outside, and even during festivals, they would send someone to pay respects at the Marquis of Baoding’s estate. Although Baishazhuang had not much land, the family no longer needed to engage in many social interactions, allowing them to save quite a bit each year. This was a small relief after losing all their wealth.

Early that morning, Meng Min got up as usual and, after arranging household chores, went to check the kitchen. Only after breakfast was ready and her two daughters-in-law delivered it did she emerge from the steamy kitchen. Since the estate consisted of a simple four-court layout, not as complex as the Meng family’s mansion in the capital, she heard familiar shouts before even reaching the courtyard gate. Entering quickly, she saw Meng Tao and Meng Fan competing with each other in the middle of the courtyard, their upper bodies drenched in sweat, which made her smile with satisfaction.

Her two younger brothers had now grown up. Though they no longer had the prospect of hereditary titles, they knew how to strive for success, which was far better than anything else.

Standing there in a daze for a while, she felt someone place a garment over her shoulders. She quickly turned around and saw Cuimò. Smiling, she said, “You’re too thoughtful. I’m not that precious—I’ve been sweating profusely in the kitchen all morning!”
“It’s precisely because you’re sweating that you need to be extra careful not to catch a chill. If you get a headache or fever, the whole household will be in chaos,” Cuimò replied. She stepped forward and tied the blue silk cloak with white lining around Meng Min before adding, “Don’t forget, Sister Hongxiu is coming this morning. It’s the first time she’s visiting since her marriage. If she finds that I haven’t taken good care of you, she’ll surely scold me harshly. Please be kind to me!”
Seeing Cuimò’s smile grow brighter and her expression less gloomy than before, Meng Min felt relieved. Thinking of Hongxiu coming to see her today, she grew even happier. Though she had been reluctant to marry her off so decisively, she realized it was fortunate she had done so—otherwise, such a major upheaval in the family could have ruined Hongxiu’s life. Besides, Hongxiu had such a stubborn temper; seeing the chaos in the house might provoke some extreme reaction.
“Fourth Sister!”
Lost in thought, she heard someone call out and quickly turned around. There, Meng Tao and Meng Fan were walking over after packing up their weapons, both with beads of sweat on their foreheads. Observing their strong muscles and taller frames compared to before, they now looked like full-grown men. She couldn’t help but smile and ordered Cuimò to hand them two large towels.
After they dried off, she sent them back inside to have breakfast. She then checked on her two younger siblings, seeing that they were quietly studying in the morning, which put her at ease. Aside from Sixth Sister Meng You, who was seventeen but still unmarried and taken in by Lady Lu, there had been no further troubles in the family over the past two years. A few concubines without children had left with some silver, and the two with children had stopped causing trouble as well. After all, there was still the Baoding Marquis’s household to rely on.

Since she had been in mourning and not allowed to eat meat before, now that the mourning period was over, Meng Min asked the two kitchen maids to prepare more meat-based soups in various ways, so as to avoid damaging her stomach with too much rich food. Her breakfast consisted merely of vegetables, meat, steamed buns, and porridge. Just after the third hour of the morning, while she was checking last month’s accounts, Cui Mo came in to say that Hong Xiu had arrived. Putting down her pen, she waited for a while before the cyan-colored curtain at the front of the room was lifted. Entering was a woman wearing a blue cloth jacket, with a large bundle slung over her right shoulder.

Having not seen her for several years, Meng Min could hardly recognize Hong Xiu at first glance. Her hair, once as dark as clouds, still appeared bright but had a glossy sheen, as if oiled. Her hair and ears, which used to be adorned with intricate hairstyles, were now smooth, with no jewelry in sight. Her features had also changed greatly, and she only smiled when she saw Meng Min.

“Miss!”

After a brief moment of shock, Hong Xiu quickly stepped forward, kneeling down to kowtow, but before she could do so, someone held her arms up. She raised her head, ready to say more, but seeing Meng Min shaking her head with tears in her eyes, she felt a pang in her heart and stood up instead. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she sat awkwardly at the lower end, stealing glances at her former master before shifting her gaze to Cui Mo.

Seeing that the maid who had taken her place wore only straw flowers and simple clothes, she was momentarily stunned, then smiled bitterly. In her distraction, she didn’t hear Meng Min’s question until Cui Mo reminded her. By the time the Meng family’s house was raided, she had already gotten married and escaped disaster. The resentment from her marriage had long faded over time, leaving only faint memories of the past.

“Hong Xiu, I heard you had a son before the New Year. How are things?”
“Nothing special. It’s better than most rural women’s lives. After all, he’s the manager of the store, so we won’t lack food or clothing.” Hong Xiu remained as straightforward as ever. Seeing Meng Min seem skeptical, she added with a smile, “Don’t judge me by my clothes. It’s because my husband has a peculiar temperament—he always says it’s better not to show off wealth outside, even if we have some. Didn’t you choose him personally, Miss? My husband is the manager of a silk shop. He’s a few years older, but he’s honest and reliable. Please rest assured, I’m living well.”

But there was still one thing she held back from saying—compared to Meng Min, if she asked for more, wouldn’t that be too greedy? Yet she wasn’t as reckless as she used to be. As she spoke, she handed over the bundle and added, “I know no matter what precious gift I bring, the young lady will surely refuse it. Inside are a few sets of clothes I made by hand. Before the New Year, he acquired some fine cotton cloth from Songjiang, saying it could be made into shirts that fit even better than silk, so I started working on them. Now that it’s time to change clothes, I think these would be perfect for the young masters and young lady.”

The Meng family now lived in the countryside, where there was plenty of rice, grains, and vegetables. But due to their period of mourning, they had been wearing the same clothes all along, often modifying adults’ clothes to fit the children. It had been over three years since they had made new clothes. A few days ago, Meng Min had just discussed this with Cui Mo, only for Hong Xiu to think of it first. She thanked her with a smile and opened the large blue bundle in front of everyone. Inside, indeed, were several neatly folded sets of clothes.

“I haven’t been here for several years, so I took the chance when the third and fifth young masters went to the Marquis of Baoding’s residence to have my husband check everyone’s sizes. There might still be some discrepancies. Please forgive me, young lady.”

“The third and fifth brothers used to love wearing the clothes you made. They’ll surely be happy to hear this.”

As the master and servant hadn’t seen each other for a long time, they had much to talk about. Cui Mo had already quietly left. When she went outside, Meng Tao and Meng Fan rushed over upon hearing the news. She advised them to wait before entering, allowing the two inside to talk more. Since she now acted like a half-sister, both brothers listened to her. The younger Meng Fan even looked at Cui Mo with a smile.

“Over the past couple of years, it’s been thanks to Sister Cui Mo for helping the fourth sister take care of the household. My third brother has mentioned it many times. Once I and he achieve success and start earning income, we will definitely thank you properly!”

“As long as the two young masters strive to improve, that’s better than any thanks I could give!” Although Cui Mo was half a year younger than Meng Tao, having spent time with Meng Min, she treated them both like brothers. Her tone reflected her usual manner. “If the third and fifth young masters truly care, they should thank the young lady as well!”

“All that Fourth Sister has done for our family, the fifth brother and I will surely not forget,” Meng Tao nodded firmly before smiling and saying, “Cui Mo, we won’t forget the help you’ve given us during these difficult times either. Without our parents, you’re in the same situation; from now on, we’re all one family—there are no distinctions! People say it’s easy to share hardships but hard to share wealth, but I don’t believe that. What could be more difficult than the conflicts we’ve had before?”
Hearing the words “one family” made Cui Mo’s nose sting, and she almost cried. She managed to hold back her emotions and said sternly, “Why bother provoking me again? Is it nice to cry in front of you? Since there are no parents left, someone must take charge of the family. From now on, the third and fifth young masters should become the masters, while I’m just a servant…”
“Sister Cui Mo, Third Brother doesn’t see you as a servant!” Meng Fan blurted out, only to see his elder brother glare at him immediately. He quickly changed his tone and said, “Alright, alright, let’s not talk about this. Fourth Sister and Hong Xiu must have talked enough by now. Let’s go inside and take a look…”
Disturbed by his interruption, Cui Mo ignored his previous words. Just as she was about to respond, she saw someone coming quickly from outside, so she left the two brothers behind and went over. After whispering a few words with that woman, her brows raised in surprise.
First Hong Xiu came today, and now the fifth brother has arrived too—how could it be such a coincidence?