After the lively banquet, the Zhou family left satisfied. Ge Dayu and Ge Ye departed as well, leaving only the Lao family. Watching as Li Hua and her sister finished cleaning up, everyone gathered in the courtyard to discuss Li Xiu's marriage.
Just then, Ge Er Ya spoke up. "Li Xiu, you've prepared far too much. A new house, a bicycle, a sewing machine, a watch, a gold bracelet, and an entire house full of furniture... That's enough to marry someone with a government job, and what's more—"
"Mother, what did you prepare for my marriage?" Li Xiu cut her off. "You gave me money, you'll say." "Right. The 250 yuan from when the family split. If I hadn't built a house, where would I be living?"
"You built it too well," Ge Er Ya muttered.
"Mother, aren't you happy that I'm successful?" Li Xiu asked calmly, lighting a cigarette.
"That's not—"
"Mother," Li Xiu said, his voice rising slightly. "Have you forgotten what I said when we split the family?"
Seeing Ge Er Ya open her mouth to speak again, he continued, "Mother, hold on. Let me finish. Everyone who was here when we split the family is here today, so I'm going to make myself perfectly clear. We've split the household, which means we are two separate families. When we did, I, Li Xiu, did not make things difficult for you or Father. In the future, I expect you and Father not to make things difficult for me. I've already done everything I was supposed to do and more. I'm twenty-two years old; I can run my own household now. I'll follow the village customs and do what is expected of me. For anything that isn't my responsibility, don't come to me. It'll be pointless. I will live my own life, and no one else should interfere. Good or bad, I'll face the consequences myself. I will provide for my own wife and my own children. I don't need your help, Mother, and you shouldn't interfere. Now, Mother, you can say whatever it is you wanted to say!"
"I gave birth to you!" Ge Er Ya couldn't help but shout.
"No one said you didn't. Am I not calling you 'Mother'?" Li Xiu replied, looking at her calmly.
Ge Er Ya opened her mouth, then closed it, not knowing what to say, yet unwilling to back down.
Seeing his mother rendered speechless by Li Xiu's arguments, Li Hua, who was standing nearby, anxiously shouted at him, "Eldest Brother, how can you talk to Mother that way? Where is your filial—"
"Li Hua, you shut your mouth!" Second Brother Li, seeing things were taking a bad turn, quickly cut him off.
"Father, don't be angry. I know what Li Hua was about to say." Li Xiu looked calmly at Li Hua. "Li Hua, you were going to say that I should give the nice house I built to Mother, weren't you? That the bicycle, sewing machine, watch, gold bracelet, and all the furniture I bought should be presented to Mother as a sign of filial piety? That I'm being so incredibly unfilial. Is that it?"
Face flushing red, Li Hua felt as though Li Xiu had seen right through his thoughts.
Li Xiu let out a cold laugh. "I'm your eldest brother. I can see right through your petty little schemes. The money I risked my life to earn should be spent on you and Mother, and maybe on Li Man, Li Yi, Li Yong, and Li Xin, too? But I'm not allowed to spend it on myself or my wife, is that it? I'm your eldest brother, not your father. I have no obligation or responsibility to provide for any of you. You know this. It's my choice to help you, not my duty. No one can force me to pay for my younger siblings' marriages, not while our parents are still alive and well, and certainly not after I left with almost nothing when we split the family!"
After Li Xiu finished speaking calmly, Eldest Li tapped his pipe on the ground and said slowly, "Li Xiu has made things perfectly clear. We'll do as he says. He doesn't owe any of you a thing. Second Brother, you're the head of your household. Don't you have anything to say?"
"Eldest Brother, I... we'll do as Li Xiu says," Second Brother Li said, his face wrought with bitterness. He looked at Li Hua and his three siblings, then at Ge Er Ya, and said, "None of you are to interfere in his affairs from now on."
Old Mrs. Li swept her gaze over them. "When it's time for the wedding, let Eldest Brother's wife and Third Brother's wife manage everything. Second Brother and his wife only need to make an appearance. If there are errands to run, Li Bao and Li Hua can lead the younger children. Li Hua, you and your three siblings will not get involved. Furthermore, Second Brother's wife is forbidden from meddling in my eldest grandson's wife's affairs. If anything seems amiss, I'm not dead yet—I'll be the one to manage it. Second Brother, you and your wife are not to interfere in Li Xiu and his wife's business. Do you understand?!"
Second Brother Li understood this was his mother's final warning. If the mother of his children were to cause any more trouble, his own mother and his eldest sister-in-law would surely not let her off. He could only agree, "Mother, I'll remember. I will watch them from now on." Old Mrs. Li nodded. "Then that settles it. All of you, go on home. Eldest Brother's wife and Third Brother's wife, you stay and help clean up." With that, she rose and headed for the kitchen.
The group exchanged glances before getting up and leaving. Aunt Li and Aunt Li went into the kitchen to help clean up. "Li Xiu prepared so much, and there's a lot left over," Old Mrs. Li said, looking at the remaining food. "It's still too warm out for it to keep. You two split it and take it home."
Most of the dishes Li Xiu had prepared were meat-based, and getting to eat meat was a rare treat in those days. A few days prior, he had hunted a wild boar in the mountains for the banquet, sending portions to the old family home as well as to his Eldest and Third Uncles' families. However, their households were large, so no one got a very big share. Li Xiu wouldn't be able to finish all the leftovers himself. The families of the eldest and third brothers were good people who had always been kind to him, so letting them take the food would be a gesture of goodwill they would appreciate.
After his aunts had left with the food, Li Xiu watched his grandmother sit down next to him. He knew she had something to say. He poured her a glass of water, and only after she had taken a sip did he ask, "Grandma, is there something you wanted to tell me?"
Old Mrs. Li sighed. "Child, don't be heartbroken, and don't hold a grudge. Just focus on living your life well. There will be more trouble from your parents' side in the future. Those younger siblings of yours are not kind people. You stay out of it, and when you're married, make sure your wife stays out of it, too. When your parents are old, you must still fulfill your duties as a son, you hear? Don't let people have a reason to talk badly about you behind your back."
"I know, Grandma. Don't worry," Li Xiu replied quietly. "When my parents are old, I will certainly care for them. After all, they gave me life and raised me. Grandma, I said it when we split the family: they raised me when I was small, and I will support them when they are old. That is simply the way things should be."
"Good, good. That's good." Old Mrs. Li patted Li Xiu's hand. Second Brother Li was her son, after all, and she worried no one would care for him in his old age. She certainly couldn't count on her grandchildren from that family, like Li Hua. 'Selfish, weak-willed, and only tough with their own family. A pack of ungrateful wolves.' In the end, it would be her eldest grandson who would have to step up.
"Oh, Grandma knows what you're worried about. Don't you worry. Grandma is still hale and hearty. As long as I'm here watching, your wife won't be wronged." 'They hadn't made a fuss when the family split, but they certainly threw a fit today. And all because his mother and sister were envious of the wonderful things he'd prepared for his bride, to the point they hadn't even offered her a pleasant look.'
'This boy is just like his grandfather.' She remembered when she had first married into the family, long before it was divided. Her husband—the old man—had five brothers and four sisters, but she had never suffered the slightest injustice because he had always protected her. When he passed, their third son was only a year old. She never considered remarrying, holding on to the memory of his love. 'My eldest grandson takes after his grandfather. He cherishes his wife, too. That's a good thing. As long as a man is good to his wife, she'll move heaven and earth for him and their children!'
'The old are truly wise; she saw everything.' Seeing the surprise on Li Xiu's face, Old Mrs. Li chuckled. "It's not just Grandma who's figured it out. Even Aunt Li and Aunt Li have noticed, too. It's only your mother who's as dense as a post. It's a good thing to cherish your wife. If you treat your wife well, she will treat you well. You win a person's heart with your own. Look at your Eldest Uncle—he may look stern all day, but he, your father, and your Third Uncle are all good to their wives. Your Eldest Uncle dotes on his wife the most. Why else do you think Aunt Li is so sincere and kind to me, to you, and to the children of your Third Uncle's family? That is something earned with kindness."