The sun hadn't yet set, but everyone had already arrived. Li Xin and Li Hua, along with a few of their younger sisters, poured water for all the guests. Second Sister in law Ge took a sip of water before starting to talk about the bride's family.
"Li Xiu, the village chief, the team leader, and your family's elders are all here today. The bride's family has laid out their terms. If you agree, the initial gift exchange will be on the eighth day of the tenth lunar month, and the grand betrothal gifts on the sixteenth of the twelfth month. The wedding will be next spring, though we'll consult an auspicious date for the exact day. The initial gift is 9.9 yuan, one set of clothes, and a pair of shoes. The grand betrothal gift includes a cut of meat, two fish, two boxes of wedding sweets, two sets of clothes, and a bride price of 99 yuan. As for the smaller pre-engagement gift, you can handle that yourselves."
"Ge Ershao, about that bride price..."
"Ge Ershao, let's go with that. We'll do the pre-engagement gift on the 22nd of this month. I'll have to trouble you and Aunt Li then." Before Ge Er Ya could finish, Li Xiu spoke directly to Second Sister in law Ge. Then he turned to the room. "Mom, Dad. Grandma, Eldest Uncle and Aunt Li, Third Uncle and Third Aunt, Second Brother Ge and Ge Ershao, and Uncle Village Chief, Brother Sun are all here. May I speak my mind?"
Second Brother Li looked at his assertive eldest son and nodded. Li Xiu calmly looked at Ge Er Ya and asked, "Mom, what about you?" Ge Er Ya glanced at her son's stern face, then at the silent crowd, and hesitantly agreed.
"You said you'd give me 150 yuan for my wedding and then wash your hands of it. In that case, we won't discuss my marriage arrangements here. I'll deal with Ge Ershao directly later. You said you'd give me 100 for building a house, so we won't discuss that either. I'll figure it out myself. Let's just talk about separating the family. Give me 250 yuan, Mom, and from now on, I'll manage my own affairs. You won't need to worry about me anymore."
"Dad said he'd give me a two-fen vegetable plot and rations for two people, so let's stick to that. Brother Sun, please write this down: upon the separation of the family, I will take 250 yuan, a two-fen vegetable plot, and rations for two people. My initial gift exchange, grand betrothal, wedding, and building a house—the family will no longer be responsible for any of it. Furthermore, when my younger siblings get married, I will give a double portion of the gift money. And as for supporting Mom and Dad in their old age, I will share the burden equally with my four younger brothers."
After hearing Li Xiu speak, everyone was stunned—except for Eldest Li, and Second Brother Li and his wife. Who had ever heard of a family being divided this way? Li Xiu was the eldest son, the one meant to carry on the family line. This was too extreme; even a middle son wouldn't be cast out like this.
"Second Son, Second Daughter-in-law, did you two plan this together?" Grandma Li demanded. Second Brother Li looked fearfully at his furious mother and stammered, "Mom, I..." "Enough! Look at how spineless you are. I know this was your wife's brilliant idea,"
Grandma Li turned, glared at Ge Er Ya, and continued, "You have always played favorites. For so many years, I've held my tongue. Second Son's health is poor, and you have many children, so if you were a little harsh with Li Xiu, I let it slide. But he started herding cattle for the team at age six, earning six work points. At nine, he earned eight work points. By twelve, he was doing an adult's work for ten work points. From age sixteen until now, he has earned a full twelve work points every single year. More than half of what this family owns was earned through his desperate hard work."
"He's already twenty-two, and you're only just now finding him a wife! And what do you do? You kick him out with practically nothing! Two hundred and fifty yuan? He earns more than that in less than a year! Are you his biological mother? If I hadn't delivered him with my own two hands, I'd swear you found him on the roadside! Why do you detest him so? He came from your own body! Tell me, what did he ever do to you? Huh?! You tell me!"
Li Xiu quickly steadied his grandmother, who was trembling with rage. "Grandma, Grandma, don't be angry," he urged, "Don't be angry. Take it slow. Don't worry, don't worry."
"Sister-in-law, I also want to know what's going on," Aunt Li said, wiping away her tears. She looked at Ge Er Ya, who had started crying after Grandma Li's tirade. "It's normal to have favorites when you have many children; even I can't say I treat all of mine with perfect fairness. But you... how can you be so cruel to their big brother?"
"Mother, Sister-in-law, I had no choice!" Ge Er Ya cried. "His father is in poor health! If the eldest son leaves the family, what about the four younger boys? Each one of them will need to build a house and get married. That will cost two or three thousand yuan! Where am I supposed to get that money?"
Ge Dayu just laughed. He pointed to Li Hua, who had been sitting quietly on the side. "Li Hua is nineteen," he said. "He'll be getting married soon too. He's been earning ten work points since he was sixteen. How much money are you planning to give him for his wedding and house?"
The hand Ge Er Ya was using to wipe her tears froze, and she fell silent. "Li Man is sixteen. He started working the fields at twelve and has been earning seven work points. How much are you going to give him for his wedding and house? Li Yi is eleven; he just started in the fields this year and earns three work points. What about him? And Li Yong is ten, he hasn't even started working yet. How much have you prepared for *his* wedding and house?"
As the village chief spoke, everyone was struck dumb. What kind of mother was this? 'Could Li Xiu really have been found on the roadside?' they wondered. 'No, Grandma Li delivered him herself. So... Ge Er Ya really expects him to support his four younger brothers...'
Li Xiu looked at the stunned crowd and smiled. "I know," he said. "I know exactly how much money this family has. It's enough for all four of my brothers to get married, and even enough for my sisters' dowries. There would still be plenty left over for Mom and Dad's retirement."
"Eldest!" Second Brother Li stared at the placid Li Xiu in shock. He genuinely had no idea how much money the family had. His wife had always told him there was no money, what with his poor health and the cost of his medicine.
"Dad, for all these years, since I was six years old, I've been earning work points. Six points a day at six, eight points at nine, ten points at twelve, and twelve points from age sixteen onward. Other than taking half a day off in early August this year, I have not missed a single day of work. I'm the one who goes to fetch your medicine; I know exactly how much it costs. Besides having a few sets of clothes made, I don't spend money on anything."
"The team took your poor health into account and assigned you to watch the reservoir, a job that earns seven work points a day. The money you make is more than enough to cover our family's daily expenses on top of your medicine. Mom has also been earning seven work points all these years, as have my younger siblings. In recent years, I'm the one who has collected the family's work point earnings from the village. Dad, Mom, your son is no fool. My agreement to this separation isn't a fit of pique."
"It wasn't easy for you to give me life. You raised me when I was young, and I will care for you when you are old. After you have both passed on, everything you own can go to my younger siblings; I will not ask for any of it. The other day, I told Eldest Uncle, 'A good man doesn't live off his inheritance, and a good woman doesn't depend on her dowry.' I was being sincere. I have always known that you don't care for me, Mom."
"I never attended a formal school, but for six years I studied under Uncle Ge, the cowherd. Everyone here knows he was educated in a traditional private school in the old society. For six years, he taught me more than just how to read and do arithmetic; he taught me how to be a person. Everyone here is family, so I won't hide things. I understand the situation completely. And I also understand why Mom dislikes me."
"Regardless, Mom gave birth to me and Dad raised me. As for my siblings, we only have this one life together. Now that everything is out in the open, it's best to resolve any lingering feelings. I will have a wife and children of my own soon, and I must provide for them."
No one spoke after Li Xiu finished. What was there to say? He understood the situation perfectly and had handled it masterfully. The five senior men present all grasped the subtext of his speech. He would repay his parents for raising him by supporting them in their old age. He would honor his 'one life' with his siblings by giving double the wedding gift money, preserving their fraternal bonds. Beyond that, there was nothing. Once the family was divided, they would be two separate households, and he would interfere no further. He had surgically removed himself from this family, and yet everyone had to admit he had done it beautifully.
Grandma Li, old and sharp as a tack, also caught the underlying meaning in his words. "So be it," she declared. "Brother Sun, write it all down exactly as my grandson has stated. Make sure it's all perfectly clear. Eldest Li, Third Uncle, Uncle Chief, Second Brother Ge, Brother Sun—all of you will sign and add your thumbprints to the family separation document as witnesses, is that agreeable?"
Looking at the composed Grandma Li, then at the smiling Li Xiu, the crowd fell silent. The old one was shrewd, the young one was clever. They had worried for nothing! Then they saw the irrepressible smiles on the faces of Ge Er Ya and Li Xiu's younger siblings, and the dazed expression on Second Brother Li who still hadn't processed it all. The onlookers were speechless. 'Damn it all,' they thought, 'it's like the entire family's share of brains ended up in Li Xiu. What a sly, yet seemingly straightforward, kid!'
With the two copies of the separation agreement now signed and stamped with thumbprints, Li Xiu picked one up and tucked it inside his clothes. "Alright," he announced. "It's getting late. Let's all eat. Li Xin, get your sisters to help tidy up!"