Chapter 124: Sending Off the Clumsy Bear

Gu Chengyong was a man who fiercely protected his children. Hearing the Li woman slander his daughter without cause, how could he stand for it? Without a second thought, he retorted on the spot.

Li, who could never tolerate anyone contradicting her, was about to erupt. It was Gu Xiuyun who reached out and tugged at her sleeve. "Mother, Xiuli and her husband from the Jiang family are right there. Please, do not cause a scene."

Nearby, Lu Liangji also hurried to intervene. "Where are such words coming from? It is just a clumsy bear, a mere beast. What could it possibly know? Jiaoyan is still just a child; she never wanted Xueyan to play with it in the first place. It was Xueyan who insisted on provoking the creature. Mother, they are all our own children; please do not speak like that."

Gu Chengren also offered a few words of persuasion. Li shot Gu Chengyong a glare but refrained from saying anything further. Jiang Binghao, busy chatting and drinking tea with the old master, neither saw nor heard the commotion. Xiuli, meanwhile, was entirely focused on her husband, noticing nothing else.

And so, the topic drifted, and no more was said of the bear.

The Jiang family estate was near the county seat, a great distance from Qingshan Village. There were strict customs regarding a bride’s return visit to her parents' home; the young couple could not stay too long and had to depart before sunset. As it was already midday, the old master asked about the preparations for the meal. If it was ready, he urged them to begin the feast promptly so that the couple would not be too late returning home.

In the kitchen, Madam Wu and her sisters-in-law had long since prepared everything. Tables were set up in the east room, the west room, and the outer hall, and all manner of delicacies were brought out.

The old master sat at one table with his five sons and three sons-in-law. Because the heated brick bed (*kang*) was too sweltering to sit on, they set the table on the floor. The old mistress sat at another table with her three daughters and several grandchildren. The remaining guests were seated at two tables in the outer hall.

The meal was exceptionally grand, especially the two tables inside, which held the finest dishes. Madam Wu and Madam Zhao had even prepared a soup made from freshwater crayfish, the rich, savory aroma of which was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

The brothers, led by Chengyong, had no choice but to keep Jiang Binghao company with wine. Even Lu Liangji and Guan Zhengshan were persuaded to drink quite a bit. Soon, everyone’s faces were flushed, and the atmosphere was one of warmth and harmony.

The meal lasted a long time, particularly at the table where the men were drinking; it was not until the early hours of the afternoon that they finally finished. With the men red-faced and tipsy, the women had to come over to help their respective husbands to rest.

Jiang Binghao had also drunk his fair share. As the new son-in-law, everyone had toasted him, and he had to return every gesture. The Gu family had actually shown restraint, with each person offering only one toast; otherwise, he would have been even worse off.

The hour grew late, and it was time to depart. Jiang Binghao and his wife, as well as Gu Xiulan’s family, were all returning to the county, and Gu Chengren was going there as well to inquire about the He family’s daughter. Jiang Binghao had hired a carriage for their arrival, but they had no transport for the return. The situation was similar for Gu Xiulan, so the Gu family had to provide a carriage to see them all off.

Gu Xiuyun’s home was in the town, which was not far, and the Guan family had their own carriage, but Guan Zhengshan was too drunk to drive.

Fortunately, the Gu grandchildren were growing up; Wensheng, Wenjie, and Wenxiu all knew how to handle the reins. Wenxiu hitched up the family carriage to take Jiang Binghao, his wife, and Gu Xiulan’s family, while Wensheng drove the Guan family’s cart for them.

Before they left, Li made sure to send gifts home with all three of her daughters. In particular, since this was Xiuli’s return visit, they had to prepare proper gifts in return for the ones she had brought.

The old master and Li stood at the gate, watching the carriages grow smaller and smaller until they vanished from sight, before turning back inside. The old master had not drunk excessively, but given his age, his energy was waning. Overcome by drowsiness, he entered the room and collapsed onto the bed, not caring whether the *kang* was still hot.

Li, accustomed to her husband’s ways, simply removed his shoes and let him sleep without covering him.

In the kitchen, Madam Wu, Madam Feng, and the others cleared away the leftovers and washed the dishes, leaving the kitchen spotless before stepping out.

Madam Feng did not go to find Li but went straight to her own room in the east courtyard. Upon entering, she saw Gu Chengyong placing the bear into a large carrying basket, clearly intending to take it away.

Jiaoyan watched the cub with longing eyes, but she dared not speak. This little creature had managed to knock over four-year-old Xueyan today; who was to say it wouldn't do the same to Wenci or Jiaoyan in a while? It was simply too dangerous. Perhaps it was for the best; wild animals should not be kept at home.

"Father, if you take it back to the mountains, will it survive?" Jiaoyan asked, still reluctant, yet seeing no other option.

"Whether it survives or not, I cannot say. Wild beasts have their own laws of survival. Keeping it here was wrong from the start. Its home is in the deep mountains; let it adapt on its own. It eats everything, and in this season, the mountains are full of food. It will be fine." Gu Chengyong hoisted the basket onto his back and left the house.

The little bear, which had kept the children company for a time, was gone. When Wentao and the others returned that evening and could not find the cub, they felt a sense of loss. But after hearing what had happened during the day, they felt a lingering fear. "Forget it, it is better this way. As it grew larger, it would only have caused more trouble, and someone would inevitably have gotten hurt," Wentao said, consoling Wenping and Wenzhi.

By nightfall, Wenxiu and the others returned. They had dropped off the Guan family at town and then the others at the county seat, hurrying back as quickly as they could. With the sons home, Madam Feng and Madam Wu felt at ease, and after dinner, everyone settled in for a peaceful night’s rest.

In the sixth month, there was much work to be done in the fields, but with the Gu family’s current tasks finished, the old master led his sons and grandsons out to work. Madam Wu’s wild silkworms, kept in the family’s overgrown grove, were beginning to spin their cocoons, so she took Wenqing to the woods to harvest them.

Seeing this, Madam Feng sent Wenxiu and Wenqi to help, and she herself often joined in, stripping the oak leaves from the cocoons.

These wild silkworms were, in fact, oak silkworms. Their cocoons were larger and heavier than those of domestic mulberry silkworms. Madam Wu had brought about two thousand larvae from her maiden home, but after forty or fifty days of predation by birds and beasts, only a thousand cocoons remained. Clearly, this was not enough for anything substantial, so Madam Wu decided to keep them all as seed cocoons.

Madam Feng, who was from the south, had only ever seen mulberry silkworms and was curious about the habits of these wild ones. Madam Wu explained that this practice had only become popular in recent years; they had always been on the trees, but no one had paid them any mind. Now, many families were making money from them, and she wanted to give it a try.

"They don't require expensive fodder, and it isn't as backbreaking as farming. You just have to keep an eye on them during this period to keep the birds from stealing them. Our grove covers three or four *mu* and has plenty of oak trees; if we farm them properly, we could raise quite a lot."

"I’ve been thinking, if our family does indeed split up, the three of us households could raise them together. There is real money in this. Just picking them off the trees, a single catty can sell for dozens of copper coins. I’ve calculated that each cocoon is worth about three or four coins. Sister-in-law, do not underestimate this. If we tend to them well, we could easily make dozens of taels of silver in just forty or fifty days."

Madam Wu was being completely open with Madam Feng, which was why she spoke so candidly. "In my maiden home, they used two *mu* of forest and made seventy or eighty taels in a single season. Think about it—the women and children can do this work, and it doesn't take much physical strength. It’s wonderful."

Madam Feng nodded, finding the prospect quite promising. Unlike mulberry silkworms, these didn't require daily feeding or cleaning of waste. The only downside was the loss to birds and foxes, which meant constant vigilance.

"If you have this plan, Sister-in-law, that is for the best. Next year, I will learn from you and raise some as well. Every little bit of income helps." Madam Feng had been worrying about the family’s finances. With only money going out and nothing coming in—relying solely on Gu Chengyong’s occasional trips to the mountains—they could not sustain themselves indefinitely.

Madam Wu was delighted, feeling that Madam Feng truly regarded her as family. "We shall keep these as seeds, and next spring, I will have my mother help us hatch them. We will learn the ropes together, and once we’ve mastered it, it won't be so difficult."

The two sisters-in-law continued stripping oak leaves, their hearts filled with visions of a brighter future. "I am just hoping that we split the household soon. Once we are on our own, with Wensheng and Wenjie as strong laborers, plus your brother, we are in our prime. If we work hard for a couple of years, we will have everything we need. The first order of business will be finding a wife for Wensheng. He is already eighteen; if we wait any longer, we won't find a good girl for him."

As she spoke, Madam Wu’s expression dimmed slightly. Her three sons were growing up, yet there was no sign of brides for them. How could she, as a mother, not be anxious?