Chapter 9: The Aunt with a Sharp Tongue

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Under the dusk, inside the thatched cottage of the Fu family.

“How strange that the Zhao family would actually be interested in Hou! Hou, what kind of potion did you give the Zhao family that night? Zhao Zi, who always has the final say, actually came to our home to propose in person!”

“Sister-in-law, how can you speak like that?”

Tao, displeased by Zhang’s words, frowned at her and then began brushing grass from her son Fu Zi Hou’s clothes.

Zhang, unconcerned by Tao’s irritation, looked at Fu Zi Hou with righteous conviction.

“It’s true, Hou is the child of merchants. Forget the Zhao family in the village—they’re relatives of the Governor of Huaiyang! Even in an ordinary household, who wouldn’t look down on Hou? And I’ve heard that even the county magistrate wants to propose to the Zhao family’s Hui!”

Zhang snorted coldly.

“What’s the point of all this talk?”

Grandpa, sitting aside, took the rice porridge from his eldest grandson’s wife, Tai, and waved his free hand to signal Zhang to stop.

“Father, just eat your meal!”

Zhang retorted.

Grandpa shook his head helplessly, unwilling to argue further, and the room fell quiet.

“How did you end up covered in so much grass?”

Tao finished cleaning the front of her son’s clothes and had him turn around so she could tidy the back, grumbling about how dirty he was after whatever the teacher had him do today.

“You’re still laughing!”

Tao gave her son a stern look when he bashfully grinned, annoyed.

Fu Zi Hou, seeing this, tried to change the subject, but before he could speak, his father entered the house, glanced at everyone, and approached Tao.

“Wife, do you still have any jewelry left?”

Fu Rui spoke hesitantly.

Everyone in the cottage froze at his words. Old Liu, Zhang, Fu Zhi, Tai, and Grandpa all looked at Fu Rui.

“It’s in the room. What’s wrong?”

Tao frowned at her husband. Previously, when her elder brother set out on important business, Fu Rui had given him nearly all their money and most of their jewelry, except for the most precious hairpin, a wedding gift, which Tao couldn’t bear to part with.

“The Zhao family invited me over as a guest. I thought it best to prepare a gift.”

Fu Rui explained.

Zhang was immediately displeased.

“Second Brother, the Zhao family only invited you for a drink, not to give them anything. Why take something from home?”

She glanced around.

“Look at our empty house. There’s barely anything left. Why should you take our treasures just because they invited you for a drink?”

After speaking, Zhang saw Tao sigh, look at Fu Zi Hou, and get up, clearly intending to fetch the hairpin.

Knowing the hairpin’s value, Zhang hurried to block Tao, then turned to Fu Rui: “Look, even Zhao Zi didn’t want Hou’s sword that night. He might not even want a gift tonight!”

“Sister-in-law, my husband is right. It’s better to bring something.”

Tao spoke gently to Zhang, casting a disappointed glance at Fu Rui.

As Fu Rui’s wife, Tao knew he was wise in dealing with people. He had given nearly all their money to her elder brother previously, yet kept only her hairpin, unable to give it up. Now, since he asked her personally, there must be a reason. Besides, having just declined the Zhao family’s marriage proposal today, not bringing a gift when visiting could easily be misinterpreted.

“Don’t move!”

Zhang snapped at Tao, then glared at Fu Rui.

“I still have a pair of bracelets. Wait here!”

With that, Zhang stormed off to her room.

“Sister-in-law…”

Tao tried to stop her, but Zhang pushed her hand away and left without looking back. Tao could only follow, persuading her not to bring out the bracelet and urging Fu Rui to get the hairpin himself.

When Tao and Zhang entered the room, the atmosphere quieted.

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“Mother hides bracelets secretly?”

Tai, still young, brought a bowl of rice porridge to Old Liu, then knelt beside her husband Fu Zhi, glanced toward the room, and asked curiously.

“She must! And Father probably doesn’t know.”

Fu Zhi nodded, whispering.

“Eat, eat! Let's mind our own food!”

Grandpa signaled Old Liu to ignore the commotion and continue eating and drinking.

Soon, Zhang returned with the gold bracelets, handed them to Fu Rui, and forbade him from taking the hairpin. Tao’s eyes reddened at her words.

“Sister-in-law, my wife and I will repay you someday!”

Fu Rui was torn between taking and not taking, but seeing his wife’s red eyes, he looked at Zhang.

“So I’m just giving it away for nothing?”

Zhang said angrily.

Fu Rui said no more, took the bracelet, and left.

Zhang looked at Tao's red eyes, unsure what to say, and finally turned her gaze to Fu Zi Hou eating porridge.

“It’s your fault! I don’t know how the Zhao family took a fancy to you, suddenly coming to propose today! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let your uncle leave. With the Zhao family’s protection here, the Fu family would be well cared for. No more sleepless nights worrying! Now seeing you makes me angry!”

Zhang vented at Fu Zi Hou.

In her mind, if the Zhao family had come to propose just days earlier, she would have agreed no matter what Fu Rui and Tao said, and would have fought them if they dared refuse. But now, her husband had left with the family wealth to risk his life, and it was too late. Who knew if, once the Zhao family learned of it, they might arrest them all and send them to prison for execution.

“Eat!”

Tao, seeing Zhang sit with no appetite, felt guilty and told Fu Zi Hou to eat, her eyes still red.

“Okay!”

Fu Zi Hou nodded and ate quietly.

Seeing his cousin Fu Zhi and his older cousin-in-law’s curious gazes, Fu Zi Hou knew what they were thinking, but he himself was confused. He never expected Zhao Zi would personally come to propose! Marrying his daughter to a merchant’s son—was Zhao Zi mad?

Turning to his still-angry aunt Zhang, Fu Zi Hou felt guilty, and could only hope to repay her someday.

...

“Hou! Brother Zhi!”

Early morning, while practicing swordplay with his cousin Fu Zhi in the yard, they saw Zhao Han and Zhao Gu, brothers, standing outside the fence with several burly men.

“Hm?”

Seeing the Zhao brothers, Fu Zi Hou and Fu Zhi were surprised.

Compared to Fu Zi Hou, who went to school yesterday, Fu Zhi had chatted with Zhao Han and Zhao Gu, but didn’t think much of it. To him, the brothers just accompanied their father Zhao Zi, and he simply entertained them.

He hadn’t expected them to return.

“Want to go hunting together?”

Zhao Han, seeing Fu Zi Hou and Fu Zhi put away their swords, smiled and invited them. Zhao Gu nodded and handed over two bent bows and arrows, prepared for the Fu brothers.

“The cold makes hunting easier. If we bring back game for the family, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Zhao Gu said, eyes full of anticipation and excitement.

“Hunting?”

Hearing Zhao Han, even the older Fu Zhi’s eyes lit up, and Fu Zi Hou was tempted.

Fu Zi Hou hadn’t ridden horses, but had hunted once or twice as a child, and understood the thrill. Watching live prey dart through the forest, shooting with precision, the sense of accomplishment was addictive. Even missing made one eager for another chance.

He could see why nobles of old had their own hunting grounds, and would rather skip meals than miss a hunt.

But recalling he must attend lessons with his teacher soon, Fu Zi Hou suppressed his longing with strong willpower.

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“I have lessons today. Perhaps another time.”

Fu Zi Hou apologized to the Zhao brothers.

Zhao Han and Zhao Gu were disappointed, seeing Fu Zi Hou’s clear desire but firm refusal. They understood he couldn’t go and turned to Fu Zhi.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

Fu Zhi eagerly agreed, eyeing Zhao Gu’s bow, clearly superior to Old Liu’s training bow. He imagined returning with game to share, basking in his wife’s admiration.

Moments later.

Inside the fence, Fu Zi Hou stood at the gate, sword in hand, wistfully watching Zhao Han, Zhao Gu, and his cousin walk away.

Only when they vanished did he return to his practice, unwillingly.

“Young master, why not go? Missing one day won’t matter—you could ask your teacher.”

Old Liu, chatting with Grandpa, saw Fu Zi Hou return to practice and couldn’t help but advise him.

Tao, washing clothes in the yard, didn’t speak, but her expression and gentle smile showed she’d allow Fu Zi Hou to hunt and wouldn’t blame him.

“You regret it now, don’t you? I told you, all this fuss about apprenticeship! Now the Zhao brothers invite you to hunt, and you miss it for a wasted apprenticeship gift!”

Zhang, hanging laundry, continued her nagging.

Fu Zi Hou was used to her sharp tongue and ignored her, simply shaking his head at Old Liu.

“The teacher’s lessons are valuable! I want to learn as much as I can.”

He sighed, forcing himself to put hunting from his mind and calm down.

He recalled the teacher’s last lesson, the practical instruction, which benefited him greatly. Though the teacher refused to call it military strategy, to Fu Zi Hou, whether it was strategy or ancient wisdom, it didn’t matter.

The teacher’s schemes—demonstrated with ants—revealed their subtlety and transformation.

In the Fu family, the eldest uncle could fail, his cousin could go hunting, but Fu Zi Hou could not act recklessly.

To have ability and not use it is different from having no ability and not acting.

“Bah! A man in his thirties, what could he possibly teach that’s useful? You’re just easily impressed by a few fancy words!”

Zhang’s voice rang out, but Fu Zi Hou remained unmoved, continuing his sword practice—slash, thrust!

Noon.

By the riverbank, Liu Zhi Yuan sat on a rock with his eyes closed.

“Announce an attack in the east, but strike in the west; suddenly north, suddenly south, attack and retreat, create illusions, lure the enemy into making mistakes, and then seize the opportunity to destroy them…”

“...Take advantage of enemy confusion, skillfully employ feints and real attacks, lead troops to break formations, and win by surprise!”

He spoke at length, and when finished, Liu Zhi Yuan sent Fu Zi Hou to find ants again. Compared to yesterday, Fu Zi Hou searched for ages without finding any, and returned empty-handed.

“Teacher, shall we change locations? I can’t find any ants here!”

Fu Zi Hou suggested cautiously, his back aching and eyes tired from searching.

“Then use the three nests from yesterday.”

Liu Zhi Yuan opened his eyes and stood.

“But two of those nests are already ruined, especially the largest—it suffered heavy losses from the other two!”

Fu Zi Hou looked at his teacher skeptically, thinking he should search farther away and let his teacher rest here.

“Countless casualties? Heh~”

Liu Zhi Yuan chuckled dismissively, then turned to Fu Zi Hou with meaningful eyes, holding a grass root.

“Today, I’ll teach you another method from the ancient texts.”

He said, and under Fu Zi Hou’s curious gaze, spoke two words:

“Select the sharp edge.”