In Xining City, Song Jinzhao and her two siblings hauled a cartload of game to the entrance of a restaurant.
Manager Li of Shi You Ji and Manager Ma of Ting Yun Lou, who had been waiting for some time, immediately gathered around to pick over the goods.
To hone the siblings' practical skills, Song Jinzhao had been taking them up the mountain to hunt almost every day these past few days.
They had caught so much game that they couldn't possibly eat it all themselves, and the village market was already saturated, so they brought it to the city to sell.
Each time, the two restaurants would take the entire lot, and on the rare occasion there was any extra, the surrounding townsfolk would quickly snatch it up.
Song Jinzhao addressed the two restaurant managers, "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, so we won't be coming for the next few days. Our next trip up the mountain probably won't be until four days later."
The two men checked the goods and settled the accounts simultaneously.
Ma Baichuan said, "You're too kind, Miss Song. The mountain beasts have nearly been hunted clean by you these past days. You should take a good rest at home for the New Year."
Her younger brother had already passed the imperial examination at the county level, yet he still went hunting every day during the New Year holiday. With such diligence, it was no wonder Song Jinzhao was prospering.
Manager Li respectfully handed over the silver to Song Jinzhao. While Ma Baichuan might not know the full situation of the Song family in Anyang Prefecture, Manager Li knew it clearly.
The Song siblings were no longer the impoverished farm children of two years ago.
They had long since secured their footing in Anyang Prefecture; even his own employer dared not easily offend them.
What was truly commendable was that despite the change in their status and position, Song Jinzhao still seemed to carry not a hint of arrogance.
Even Song Qiming, who had passed the imperial examination at the county level and studied under a renowned teacher, never acted condescendingly or put on airs.
Compared to him, the young master of his own household was worlds apart.
Miss Song had truly raised her younger siblings very well.
After selling the game, Song Jinzhao took Song Qiming and Song Shixue around the city to buy many things needed for the New Year.
Thinking of the turnips and cabbage from the old house back home, she couldn't help but feel annoyed that she hadn't stopped by the estate to pick a batch of the tenderest greens to taste before leaving Anyang Prefecture.
After spending so much silver and brainpower, she wasn't even the first to taste the fruits of her labor. What a loss.
She also wondered how the vegetables grown in the greenhouses were selling and if things were proceeding according to plan.
For the New Year's Eve dinner, the third branch of the family, as usual, all gathered at the old house to eat.
Song Laidi and Song Pandi, wearing new clothes, moved very awkwardly. While eating, they rolled their sleeves up high, worried about dirtying their garments.
Old Man Song took small sips of wine from his bowl, looking at the whole family gathered around the table with deep satisfaction.
The grandsons from the first and second branches, while perhaps not the best scholars, were at least literate.
Even if they couldn't pass the preliminary imperial exams, they could still find work in the city later, giving their future days some hope.
But what pleased him most was still the third branch. Jinzhao was highly capable and could earn money; Qiming was now a scholar and very likely to become an official someday; even Shixue was literate and had a skill. This could already be considered bringing honor to the ancestors and elevating the family's standing.
If Third Son and his wife were still here, they wouldn't know how overjoyed they'd be.
Having been poor, Old Man Song hadn't drunk much wine in his life. After one bowl, he was drunk.
Taking advantage of Old Man Song being drunk and asleep in his room, Second Aunt Song sidled up and sat down next to Song Jinzhao.
"Jinzhao, I heard from folks in the village that you've set up quite a few businesses in the prefectural city and even bought servants?"
The mouths of Song Dazhuang and his wife were never that tight to begin with. After holding it in for a few days, and with villagers having free time around the New Year and visiting each other everywhere,
they ended up revealing most of the situation about Song Jinzhao and the others in the prefectural city.
How much money they'd made, how many servants they'd bought, how well they were living.
Word spread from ten to a hundred, and so Second Aunt Song found out.
Song Jinzhao nodded nonchalantly, not uttering a single word in reply to Second Aunt Song.
The second branch couple were the type to become presumptuous if given an inch. The best approach was to ignore them completely, paying them no mind.
Second Aunt Song continued, "Servants can't be as reliable as family. How about letting your Second Uncle go and help you?"
Last year, when Mother-in-law watched the stall for Song Jinzhao, she got such good wages. If she could get her own man over there this time, it would mean at least several dozen taels of silver a year. They wouldn't have to worry about Yaozu's tuition for years.
The main room fell quiet, except for the children chattering away.
A playful smile curled at the corner of Song Jinzhao's mouth. "The servants I bought all signed deeds of sale. I can beat or even kill them as I please; their lives are in my hands. They really are more reliable than Second Uncle. How about Second Uncle signs a deed of sale too?"
The smile froze on Second Aunt Song's face. She twitched her cheek in shock. "Your Second Uncle is your elder. How could he sign a deed of sale?"
"If that's really too inconvenient... we still don't have the money for Yaozu's tuition next year. Could you lend us some?"
Second Song quickly chimed in, "Jinzhao, your Second Aunt is right."
"Your father, your First Uncle, and I grew up together. If he knew Yaozu had to abandon his studies because we couldn't pay the tuition, he would definitely lend us the money."
Song Qiming, who had been telling his two younger cousins about the academy, suddenly looked up and spoke loudly.
"My own father never paid my tuition, let alone had any to spare for Yaozu."
Song Shixue retorted, "Why doesn't Second Uncle have any money? I see First Uncle and First Aunt weaving bamboo baskets to sell every day for Yongnian's schooling. Why don't you weave any? Is it because you're too lazy?"
"A father sets the example. Children's words and actions unconsciously follow their parents'. No wonder Yaozu is always lagging far behind others in the private school. He must have learned it from you."
Song Jinzhao leisurely helped Song Anhao put on her clothes. "If my father knew of this in the netherworld, he should have crawled out of the underworld on the very day he was buried."
"Second Uncle, Second Aunt, since my parents passed, they've never once appeared in our dreams. Have they visited you?"
Their smiles stiffened on their faces. It was as if a pair of blood-stained hands had tightly locked around their necks. A chill drilled from the top of their heads down to the soles of their feet, their hearts pounding so hard they could barely breathe.
First Aunt Song shot First Uncle Song a look, pretended the child needed feeding, and pulled him back to their room.
If Second Brother was rushing to court misfortune, he shouldn't drag their first branch into it. They had to leave quickly, and not let Jinzhao implicate their family too.
Song Jinzhao stood up holding Song Anhao. Her icy gaze was like a blade's edge, scraping against their hearts and filling them with dread.
"Don't covet what isn't yours to covet. Although we are relatives, we've already divided the household. It's enough to maintain appearances in our daily interactions."
"If you insist on tearing off the fig leaf and laying everything bare, we won't even be able to remain relatives."
People here treated reputation as their life, not daring to defy elders, constantly wearing the word 'filial piety' on their heads. But Song Jinzhao didn't care about any of that.
Song Village was remote, far from the emperor's reach. Even if Song Qiming entered court as an official in the future, the two branches of the Song family couldn't stir up much trouble.
If it weren't for the two elders still being alive, Song Jinzhao truly wouldn't want to engage in this pretense with them.
When Old Lady Song finished tending to Old Man Song and came out of the room, she sensed something was off about the atmosphere in the main room. It was quiet in a frightening way.
"Where are Jinzhao and the others?"
First Uncle Song forced a bitter smile and glossed over it. "Anhao was getting sleepy. They just left."
Causing such a scene during the New Year festivities... if Father and Mother found out, they'd be upset for days.
It was bad enough that Second Brother was lazy himself, but to expect his eldest niece to raise his son for him? That was pure nonsense.
Second Song, unable to save face, stood up, bid Old Lady Song farewell, and left.
On the way back, Second Aunt Song's face was ashen with anger. She never expected Song Jinzhao to tear off all pretense of cordiality.
The third branch of the family had money now; that bit of tuition was nothing to them.
Things had escalated to this point, and Second Aunt Song had no idea how they would even face each other next time.
Outside Kaikang City, at the mass graves.
The Rakshasa Ghost looked at the five corpses frozen solid like blocks of ice, his face hidden beneath the mask appearing extremely grim.
Five thousand taels of silver to kill a few people, and to think they'd still fail.
Staring at the black wound where the tattoo had vanished—even the Life-Seeking Sect's mark had been gouged out—what a wretched way to die.
A sharp whistle sounded, and a pigeon, jet-black all over, landed on the Rakshasa Ghost's pale finger.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the old house called everyone for a meal. After arriving, Old Man Song keenly sensed something was off between the second and third branches.
Before, they would at least exchange a few superficial pleasantries, but now his eldest granddaughter couldn't even be bothered to give them a glance, treating them like air.
After the meal, once everyone else had left, Old Man Song called Eldest Song into the room to demand an explanation.
"What's going on? Did Second Son cause trouble for Jinzhao again?"
Eldest Song knew he couldn't hide it from Old Man Song, so he simply recounted what had happened on New Year's Eve.
"Second Brother heard Jinzhao bought many servants in the prefectural city and suggested going there to work for her. Jinzhao didn't agree. Then they said they had no money for Yaozu's tuition and wanted Jinzhao to lend them some."
"They even mentioned that if Third Brother were still alive, he definitely wouldn't stand by and let his nephew's studies go to waste for lack of money. That's when Jinzhao lost her temper. Even Qiming and Shixue didn't look too happy about it."
The teacup on the table was hurled by Old Man Song, nearly hitting Eldest Song's face before clattering to the floor and shattering in two.
"Wretched creature! Unfilial son! Ingrate!"
Old Man Song stood up, pointing a finger right at Eldest Song's nose. "An elder borrowing money from a junior to raise his own son? Does Second Song have no shame?"
"And how dare he use Third Son as an excuse? I'll skin him alive! Where was all that brotherly love when Third Son died back then!"
Spittle flew like rain onto Eldest Song's face. He closed his eyes, swallowing his bitterness.
It wasn't him who had asked Jinzhao for money, so why was he getting the scolding?
Seeing Eldest Song standing there like a dumb gourd that wouldn't make a sound even if beaten, Old Man Song had nowhere to vent his fury. He slammed the door open with a bang.
"You go and call Second Son over here right now. Today, I want to ask him personally just what this Second Uncle of hers intends to do!"
Eldest Song turned and hurried out as if his backside were on fire.
When he reached the second branch's house, he saw Second Song lying on the kang, one leg crossed over the other, idly swinging it. Anger instantly flared in Eldest Song's heart.
Here he was, taking the scolding for him at home, while Second Song lounged around leisurely.
And he even had his two daughters fetching him tea and water, living more comfortably than an immortal.
Eldest Song rushed to the kang, grabbed Second Song by the ear, and yanked him down. "All you know is lazing around, not doing any work! Do you really think silver falls from the sky?"
Second Song frantically grabbed Eldest Song's hand. "Big Brother, what are you doing? Let go, it hurts!"
Hearing the shouts, Second Aunt Song ran out from the adjacent room, crying out in alarm, "Big Brother, what are you doing?"
Seeing the whole family—one adult and three children—gathered in the main room, Eldest Song closed his eyes and let go.
He took a deep breath and said to Second Song, "Father wants you to go to the old house immediately. He has something to discuss with you."
Standing beside them, Second Aunt Song's heart sank. "Father-in-law knows?" she blurted out.
He hadn't specified what, but everyone present understood perfectly well.
Eldest Song rolled his eyes, snorting through his nostrils. "Yes, Father knows, and he gave me a good cursing. I took that scolding for you."
Second Song felt a chill of fear but tried to refuse. "I'll go tomorrow. My stomach's upset after just eating."
Ever since Third Brother passed away, Father's temper had grown worse, and he seemed to particularly dislike him.
Going now would definitely mean getting an earful.
Eldest Song glared, grabbed his arm, and started dragging him out. "You're going today. If your stomach's upset, why did you eat so much meat? That was all brought by Jinzhao."
Watching the two brothers' grappling figures recede, Second Aunt Song's eyes darted back and forth twice before she turned and shut the main door firmly.
Since she wasn't called, she didn't have to go.
When they arrived at the old house, only Old Man Song was in the main room, sitting on a chair with a dark expression.
Not a shadow of anyone else could be seen, nor even the sound of voices. The silence was enough to make one's heart pound.
In the side rooms, Old Lady Song and Eldest Aunt Song stayed quietly inside. Even Song Yongshi, lying in his swaddling clothes, kept his eyes open without making a sound.
After delivering Second Song, Eldest Song immediately wanted to retreat to his room.
"Eldest, you stay too."
Eldest Song's just-lifted foot fell back down, feeling as heavy as if bound with dozens of pounds of sandbags.
Old Man Song's gaze burned into Second Song, as if trying to see right through him.
Selfish, greedy, expecting rewards without work, reaping benefits without sowing.
When all three sons were poor, these flaws weren't apparent. Now that the third branch was doing well, all these shortcomings had begun to surface.
Now, even the last remaining bonds of blood kinship were being worn thin, and he was trying to drag the eldest branch down with him.
Old Man Song's deep gaze held a touch of weariness, and a thought of giving up on this son flickered in his mind.
Under the relentless stare, Second Song began to feel unsteady on his feet.
He played dumb. "Father, what did you have Big Brother call me over for?"
Old Man Song's tone was calm. "After Third Son and his wife passed, you two brothers didn't want to care for your nephew and nieces. You wanted to have Anhao adopted out and send Shixue off as a 'bliss bride'."
"Jinzhao went hunting in the mountains. Eldest, I forced you to go once. Jinzhao shared half a goat with you. Second, you never went once."
"When I asked you to help carry water for the fields, Jinzhao, upon finding out, sent you plenty of food. Later, she even took you up the mountain to gather mushrooms, earning you quite a bit of silver."
"In the harsh winter, fishing—she hauled the catch to the city and still gave you two taels of silver."
"For going to the private school, she never charged for the two children riding in her carriage. Second, you secretly used the carriage for your own side jobs to make money, and Jinzhao, being magnanimous, didn't hold it against you."
"Selling cold-skin noodles and tea in the city during the sweltering heat, and all you could think about was your wages."
The hearts of the two brothers standing in the middle of the main room pounded wildly.
Every word from Old Man Song was like a needle, drilling into their ears with a buzzing sound, lashing at their consciences.
The words continued, as if they would never end.
"The third branch moved to the prefectural city, and the village land was rented to you first, with no grain tax and lower rent than anyone else."
"Before they returned, I asked you to help chop firewood and clean the house. You got new clothes and ate plenty of meat."
After saying all this, Old Man Song walked up to Second Song and stared hard into his eyes. "Second Son, just who is the elder here, you or Jinzhao?"
His voice grew louder, his tone heavier. "Jinzhao didn't want to break relations completely, she left you face. Did that just make you greedier, pushing you to become so insatiable?"
A slap landed on Second Song's face. Old Man Song, eyes blazing with anger, said, "I'll pay half of Yaozu's tuition. And you have the nerve to ask Jinzhao to borrow the other half? Too lazy to support your own son, and you drag your dead Third Brother into it? If he could crawl out of his grave, he'd strangle you first."
