On the way to the old house, Old Lady Song gazed reluctantly at her newborn grandson. Once he was adopted out, holding him would be out of the question, and even seeing him would likely be difficult.
Song Jinzhao noticed her secretly wiping away tears, and her suspicion grew stronger.
Even if the old woman dearly loved this newborn grandson she had only met a few times, it shouldn't have moved her to tears just from holding him.
The third branch of the Song family had a whole basketful of grandchildren, nine in total. How could the love of one set of grandparents possibly be enough to go around?
Entering the main hall, she saw strangers sitting inside. One man, dressed in silk, kept eyeing the child in Old Lady Song's arms. A strong sense of unease rose in Song Jinzhao's heart.
Something was wrong.
Old Man Song looked at the two children before him, then glanced at the infant in Old Lady Song's arms. He took a deep breath and said, "Jinzhao, you are the eldest daughter of the third branch."
"Qiming, you are the eldest son of the third branch, destined to shoulder its responsibilities in the future. Your grandfather has something to tell you now."
Song Jinzhao and Song Qiming stared at Old Man Song.
"The youngest is weak. The midwife said he'd be hard to raise. Master Zhao has no children. A fortune-teller said the youngest would bring prosperity to the Zhao family's lineage, so they want to adopt him."
"Our family is poor, we can't afford to raise too many children. Shixue will be married into your Uncle Daniu's family as a child bride to 'rush the wedding' for their son Stone. Their family has fewer children; she'll have enough to eat and won't go hungry."
"You and Jinzhao will stay with your grandfather and me in the eldest branch."
Elder Aunt Song opened her mouth to speak. Shouldn't one of the two children go to the second branch? How could they all be left for the eldest branch to raise?
Oldest Song pressed down on his wife's hand and shook his head.
With the youngest adopted out, Qiming would be the only son left in the third branch. Father would surely want to keep him close to care for him.
Raising Jinzhao in the second branch was worse than keeping her here. Besides, it was only for two more years anyway.
The young Song Qiming didn't understand what adoption or "rushing the wedding" meant, but he grasped that his grandfather said the family was too poor to raise all four of them.
Only taking him and his eldest sister meant they didn't want his younger sister and brother.
Frightened, he tightly clutched Song Jinzhao's hand. His heart was in turmoil, his eyes welling up with tears as he hurriedly sobbed, "Grandfather, Shixue and our brother are very good. If the family has no money, I'll eat less. I'll work hard, I beg you, please don't send them away."
Old Man Song and Old Lady Song felt a heat behind their own eyes and couldn't bear to look at him.
Song Jinzhao clenched her teeth, bent down, and wiped the tears from Song Qiming's eyes, comforting him, "Don't cry. Your elder sister won't let Shixue or our brother be given away. Our family will never be separated."
She swept her gaze over the faces of the Song family, her tone firm and resolute.
"I disagree. Shixue cannot become someone's child bride, and our second brother cannot be adopted out."
"Our parents are gone. As the eldest sister, I will naturally take care of my younger siblings. There's no need for others to trouble themselves."
Upon hearing this, Second Song immediately frowned and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking? The Zhao family is wealthy. The youngest is a sickly child; staying at home would only mean waiting for death. Don't ruin your brother's chance for a good life with them."
Song Jinzhao's sharp gaze, edged like a blade, swept toward Second Song. She then turned and scrutinized Master Zhao from head to toe.
Pot-bellied, with a weak, dissipated complexion.
He surely had more than one woman at home. Being forty with no offspring, he probably couldn't father children.
"Master Zhao, you believe the fortune-teller's words that adopting my brother will allow you to have a son. But what if you still can't have one? Who knows if you'll take your anger out on my brother then."
"Even if you eventually do have one, once you have your own flesh-and-blood son, will there still be a place for my brother, a mere adopted son, in the Zhao household? By then, you'd surely resent him for his poor health, needing medicine every day and costing silver. Not being your own, who would care if he lives or dies?"
"My youngest brother's life was bought with my mother's. He is my own brother, my mother and father's son. I don't want him to grow up only able to kneel before another family's ancestors, unable to even call someone 'Father' and 'Mother' rightfully."
Song Jinzhao's forceful words left everyone present momentarily speechless.
Old Man Song immediately began to cry. Old Lady Song's tears flowed uncontrollably.
Our ill-fated Third Son, why did you leave so heartlessly, leaving these children alone and helpless.
Song Jinzhao continued, "When Father was alive, he often said he hoped my sister and I could marry for love when we grew up, and spend our lives with them, just like Father and Mother did."
"With our parents gone, the eldest sister acts as the mother. I will absolutely not let her, at an age ignorant of the world, be used to 'rush a wedding' as someone's child bride. To abandon one's kin is unfilial. If we truly did this, we would have no face to meet our deceased parents in the afterlife."
The couples from the eldest and second branches couldn't believe that the fourteen-year-old Song Jinzhao could speak such words. In just a few sentences, she had blocked all possible arguments.
A bowl of water is hard to keep level, let alone between a natural son and an adopted one. They might even worry he'd covet the family property. Adoption means being entered into the family register, granting the right to inherit the family business.
If the 'wedding rushing' didn't work and the groom died, resentment would surely fester.
If Stone's younger brother grew up knowing his wife was once his brother's bride, how could he possibly not mind?
Even an immature child spoke of 'abandoning kin being unfilial'—wasn't that directly criticizing them, the uncles, for being heartless and cruel, willing to sell off their own nephews and nieces?
Second Song's tone was considerably weaker than before as he struggled to argue, "You're just a girl. How will you take care of three children? When you can't get food, won't you all starve to death?"
Song Jinzhao looked him straight in the eye. "I'm grown now and can work. The family has land. As long as we're willing to work, we won't starve."
Oldest Song asked, "And what about the youngest? Who will care for him?"
Song Qiming stepped forward and declared loudly, "Shixue and I are growing up. We can help Elder Sister take care of our brother."
Second Aunt Song said, "You'll have to marry someday. What will happen to them then?"
Song Jinzhao walked up to Old Lady Song and took back her now-awake infant brother.
"Before Qiming starts his own family, I will not marry. Father and his two elder brothers divided the household long ago. If one day we truly reach a dead end, even if I have to beg on the streets, I will not be a burden to you."
Oldest Song and Second Song were stung by the sarcasm, their faces stiff, unable to utter a word.
Old Man Song shuddered all over, staring at Song Jinzhao, feeling nothing but deep shame.
He looked toward Master Zhao and the Song Daniu couple. "You've all heard. I will consider the matters of adoption and the wedding-rushing bride as never having been mentioned. You may leave."
Master Zhao got up briskly and walked out. They were all from the same village. If the Song family was unwilling, he wouldn't force it and sour relations.
There was more than one child born at the hour of Chen today. If this one didn't work out, he could simply find another.
Seeing that Master Zhao had left, Song Daniu and his wife had no choice but to depart as well.
An eerie silence fell over the room.
"Grandfather, Grandmother, I'll take my brothers back first. I'm worried Shixue is home alone and afraid."
Old Man Song hurriedly stood up and called out, "Wait."
He walked up to Song Jinzhao, took a tael of silver from his pocket, and placed it in her palm.
"This is the compensation silver from the county office for your father's death. Keep it safe."
"Jinzhao, remember this. Even though the household is divided, you four are still your grandfather and grandmother's grandchildren. If you encounter difficulties, come to us without hesitation. As long as your grandmother and I have a bite to eat, we will never let you starve."
Song Jinzhao clenched the silver and nodded firmly. "Don't worry, Grandfather. I can take care of the family."
It was impossible for them to have no contact whatsoever with the eldest and second branches of the family. In ancient times, filial piety was paramount. As long as Old Man Song and Old Lady Song were alive, the third branch could not avoid interactions.
If I were to go out to work and wasn't home, leaving a ten-year-old and another ten-year-old to care for an infant, and if an accident or difficulty arose, they would have no choice but to seek help from the old house.
After Song Jinzhao and the others left, the main room remained silent for a long time.
Looking up at Old Lady Song sitting on a stool, weeping and wiping her tears, and then at Old Man Song standing motionless in the middle of the room, Second Song spoke: "Father, it's not that we don't want to take them in. It's simply that the family is too poor. This is fate."
Having seen the adoption fail and swayed by Song Jinzhao's earlier words, Oldest Song had already acquiesced in his heart.
"Father, I see that Jinzhao has truly grown up, and Qiming is sensible too. Perhaps they really can take care of themselves. Let's wait and see. If it truly becomes impossible, we can proceed as previously discussed, with each of our families taking in two."
Old Man Song said nothing. He hung his head, turned around without a word, and went back to his room.
