Chapter 7

"Third Uncle, you still have the ancestral ritual fields."

"Those can't be touched!"

He answered too quickly, then choked on his own words.

I nodded slightly.

"But the land that will support me in old age can?"

His face reddened.

"Why must you always compare me with yourself? I'm an elder, responsible for the rise and fall of the entire clan…"

"I pay for your responsibilities. I safeguard your prosperity. You've calculated it all very neatly."

I pushed the gold hairpin back.

"Keep it. Social obligations will give you plenty of places to spend money in future."

He rose abruptly, his voice shaking.

"You're truly going to wash your hands of it?"

"Yes."

I told Chunxiu to open the window. Osmanthus blossoms lay scattered across the courtyard, and at last their fragrance drifted in.

"Once the last group of properties is handed over, I'm moving out."

The elder followed me to the threshold.

"If you leave, what will Xing eat? What will become of this whole household?"

I looked back.

"You've held your hand out to me for more than a decade."

"It's time you asked them who knows how to cook and who's willing to work."

10

The South Warehouse affair wasn't finally settled until the ninth month.

After Manager Qian filed his complaint, the warehouse and its grain had been sealed. No one was allowed to touch them. Now the authorization had been judged fraudulent and Chu Xing without the right to sell. The property would be returned to me, and Qian's money refunded.

All two thousand taels in Chu Chu's name were recovered.

Chu Xing's small estate, horses, jewelry, and precious curios were sold one by one, raising seven thousand.

They were his own possessions. Neither the imperially granted residence nor the clan's ancestral fields was included.

I attended the final reconciliation.

Drafts totaling nine thousand taels lay on the table. Chu Xing stared at one of them, then suddenly spoke.

"Was that jade sold too?"

I knew which piece he meant.

When it had been recovered from Chu Chu, its silk tassel had been changed to dark red.

I didn't look at him.

"Your jade. Your debt."

He lowered his head, fingers pressing into his sleeve for a long time.

Eight thousand taels went to Qian first.

He signed the receipt on the spot, then went with the clerk to unseal the warehouse and return the keys and grain inventory records. The hand gripping his receipt stub shook for a long while. At last, the deep crease between his brows eased.

The remaining thousand went toward the misappropriated shop funds.

Of the original twelve thousand, eleven thousand were still owed.

I pointed to the final figure and asked Chu Xing whether he could see it clearly.

His voice was hoarse.

"Yes."

"Write."

He picked up the brush, but didn't lower it for a long time.

"Mother, so much silver… even in my whole life, I may not…"

"Why didn't you think of your whole life when you spent it?"

Ink dripped onto the paper, spreading into a black spot.

At last, stroke by careful stroke, he wrote out an acknowledgment of debt and an agreement for future repayment. That paper didn't erase the court's restitution order. He couldn't simply refuse to pay.

The investigation into Zhuyu House hadn't established that its proprietor knew about the fraudulent sale. My anger couldn't be used to seize the redemption money back. The person who'd dug this hole would have to fill it himself, little by little.

Xu Cheng asked how the claim should be recorded.

I created a separate entry and explained its full history to the Ministry of Revenue.

After the accounts were approved, the right to collect the debt was donated along with the remaining assets. Every payment Chu Xing made would go directly into the state's accounts.

He jerked his head up.

"You won't even give me a chance to show filial devotion?"

"Repaying a debt is filial devotion now?"

His lips moved. Then his head lowered again.

Once my rights to the South Warehouse were restored, I submitted a supplementary list, had the grain inspected again, and handed it over to the authorities.

The former workers came too. Old Du stood outside, clutching a stack of unsettled work slips and not daring to enter.

I called him in.

"Last month's wages have been settled. Anyone who wants to stay can sign the new manager's contract. Anyone who doesn't can collect travel money to go home."

He rubbed the corners of his eyes.

"Madam, I didn't come to ask for wages. I only wanted to see whether this warehouse could open again."

I went to the door with him.

The official taking charge pushed it open. The smell of grain long shut away rushed toward us.

"It can."

I looked at the neatly stacked grain inside.

"From now on, it must be used to store actual grain."

With the handover complete, I returned to pack my last few chests.

Chu Xing knelt outside my courtyard, his forehead against the cold stone step.

The clan elder stood beside him. Seeing me emerge, he hurriedly nudged him.

"Speak! What great feud can there be between mother and son? Say something sweet!"

Chu Xing raised his head toward me.