CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 48: COUSIN IS HERE

It was not inherently reprehensible for a widow to remarry.

However, the three children Zhu Clan had previously borne were Zhao Family grandchildren. Setting aside the fact that the new man didn’t want them, even Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yue were unwilling to go with their mother and him.

Now, that man was making Zhu Clan sell all their farmland. Wasn’t this tantamount to leaving the two children to die?

Zhao Cheng’s temper flared, and during an argument with the man, he was pushed to the ground, struck his head, and fainted.

When the man saw that the matter was exposed, he simply took Zhu Clan, absconded with the family’s farmland and money, and fled.

When his older brother, Zhao Cheng, didn’t return after a long time, Zhao Yu also went home, only to find their mother gone and his elder brother lying on the ground, blood still flowing from his head. He was so terrified he lost his wits and could only cry.

Fortunately, the Village Chief’s wife was passing their house and heard the child’s heart-wrenching cries. She went inside and discovered what had happened.

"That damn Zhu Clan! A day will come when she regrets this! That man is no good; he’s a gambling addict. If she runs off with him, she’ll suffer for it in the future!"

These were the words of the Village Chief’s wife in her fury.

However, the most critical issue wasn’t scolding Zhu Clan, but rather figuring out how to settle the two children.

Naturally, Zhao Dong, the children’s biological paternal uncle, and Mr. Zhao, their biological paternal grandfather, were the ones everyone expected to take responsibility.

The Village Chief actually leaned towards Mr. Zhao taking in the two children. After all, they were his biological grandchildren, and his third son ran a tavern in the market town, so he had the means.

Zhao Dong’s family, however, had only recently been separated from the main household. He had mobility issues with his legs, and their financial situation had only just begun to improve slightly. The Village Chief was aware of this.

However, when the Village Chief sent someone to summon Mr. Zhao to discuss the matter, their main gate was shut tight. No matter how much they knocked or called out, it remained unopened.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Mr. Zhao paced with a troubled expression, muttering, "At a time like this, if we don’t step forward, aren’t we letting the villagers condemn us? It’s just a matter of adding two more pairs of chopsticks. Must you be like this?"

Mrs. Wang stood at the doorway, imperious and unyielding, screeching, "A matter of adding chopsticks, you say? You make it sound so easy! That’s two more mouths! How much grain would they eat in a year? Besides, we’d have to pay poll tax for them at the end of the year. You want to spend the money for my eldest grandson’s education to become an official? No way! Over my dead body!"

Mrs. Wang’s youngest son, Zhao Qiu, started to say, "Mother, about Big Brother Cheng..." but Mrs. Wang glared him into silence.

"What ’Big Brother Cheng’? Zhao Cheng, the eldest son of our eldest son’s family, is ten years old this year, isn’t he? He’s old enough to be independent."

Mrs. Wang adamantly refused. Whenever Mr. Zhao tried to argue, she would bring up her youngest grandson, who was to study for the exams and bring honor to the family, to shut him down. When things got heated, she even threatened to kill herself. In the end, Mr. Zhao was unable to leave the house.

The villagers who had come to call for Mr. Zhao couldn’t get the door open and could faintly hear arguing and cursing from within. Understanding the situation, they sighed and returned home dejectedly.

Left with no other option, the Village Chief had to approach Zhao Dong to see if he was willing to take in the two children.

After hearing all this, Zhao Dong and Sun Mei actually thought it was for the best. If their mother, Zhu Clan, having remarried, had actually taken the children with her, their lives would likely have been no better than their current situation.

Both of them were inclined to take the children in. Firstly, Zhao Dong was, after all, the children’s biological paternal uncle. When his elder brother (the children’s father) was alive, he had doted on Zhao Dong, his younger brother. If Zhao Dong were to act like Mrs. Wang now, it would be truly heartless.

Secondly, the children were truly pitiful, and they genuinely felt sympathy for them. Consequently, they informed the Village Chief and brought the two children home.

However, news of Zhao Dong taking in his elder brother’s children spread quickly throughout the village.

Villagers’ opinions on the matter were divided. Some felt Zhao Dong was righteous and had done the right thing.

Others laughed at his foolishness, saying he’d earned a little money and was now getting carried away. Did he really think it was as simple as adding two pairs of chopsticks? When it came time to pay the head tax, he would find himself in a difficult situation.

The head tax, as the name implies, was a tax levied by the state per person. The amount varied depending on the number of people in a household.

Children like Zhao Yu and Zhao Cheng, aged eight and above but under fifteen, had to start paying this tax, called ’mouth money,’ amounting to twenty-three coins a year.

Once they reached fifteen and were considered adults, they had to pay the full head tax, which was one hundred and twenty coins a year!

This was also one of the major reasons Mrs. Wang was dead set against taking in the three siblings.

However, Zhao Dong and Sun Mei didn’t dwell on these concerns. Zhao Dong, in particular, firmly believed they would be able to earn money, so they paid little mind to the villagers’ gossip.

At this moment, Zhao Dong pulled the little girl, Tongtong, aside to discuss the matter and ask for her opinion.

Their family had always been this way; Zhao Dong and Sun Mei never dismissed Zhao Zhitong as just a child due to her young age, nor did they ignore her opinions and feelings.

Hearing Zhao Dong’s question, Zhao Zhitong looked up at him, blinked her eyes, and asked in her sweet, childish voice, "Daddy, do you mean that my elder cousin and younger cousin will be living with us from now on?"

Zhao Dong smiled and nodded. "Yes, Tongtong. Haven’t you always wanted playmates? Living with your older brother-cousins and sister-cousin will make our home so much livelier!"

Zhao Zhitong didn’t mind having her paternal cousins around. In fact, in her previous life, she had been an only child and had always longed for playmates. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have boasted to everyone she met that she had many maternal and paternal cousins.

Therefore, after hearing what Sun Mei had said, she became very excited. "That’s great, that’s great! I have two more elder brothers now!"

Zhao Zhitong clapped her hands, cheered, and spun around happily on the spot before running off to play with her cousins.

Sun Mei had already treated Zhao Cheng’s head wound and had wrapped a cloth strip around it.

At that moment, the two paternal cousins, Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yu, stood somewhat timidly in the courtyard, not as relaxed as the several maternal cousins.

Just then, seeing Zhao Zhitong return, Sun Daqing, Sun Daji, Sun Daxiang, and Sun Dahe began to pester her to teach them how to recognize characters.

Zhao Zhitong was overjoyed. Holding a small twig, she squatted down in an open space in the courtyard.

Her younger maternal cousins squatted in a circle around her, with Zhao Zhitong in the center.

Zhao Zhitong, in her small voice, sounded like a little adult imitating a Teacher: "Ahem, let’s start by learning names. Whose name shall we learn first?"

Sun Daqing immediately raised his hand. "Me, me! Little Cousin, let’s learn my name first!"

Sun Daji, of course, objected. "No way! I’m the eldest, so we should go from oldest to youngest. My name should be learned first!"

Sun Dahe and Sun Daxiang also argued endlessly.

As for Sun Daru and the two other little female maternal cousins: Sun Daru, being the youngest, couldn’t win arguments against her older brothers, while the other two girls generally didn’t compete with them.

"Stop! No arguing!" Zhao Zhitong said, trying to sound fierce despite her childish voice. "The more you argue, the less time we have to learn. Listen to me. I’ll decide. Girls first! We’ll learn the names of the eldest girl cousin and the younger girl cousins first."

The male maternal cousins were most obedient to Zhao Zhitong, so they stopped arguing. Their eyes wide, they watched Zhao Zhitong draw on the ground.

"This character is ’Sun,’ which is your surname..."