Chapter 86: A Household of Three Widowers

After the uncle and nephew returned home, they first checked on Wang Sanlang. Seeing that he was able to get up and walk, they were both relieved. Wang Xing, like a little tail, followed Wang Ge into the kitchen.

Wang Shu reheated the dinner that had been set aside, and Wang Ge and Second Uncle squatted by the hearth to eat. The medicine cauldron was placed over the smallest stove hole, and Wang Shu poured in the herbs and added water to boil them.

Wang Xing, seeing that the courtyard was empty, squatted down beside Second Uncle and her elder sister to report, “Brother Zhu has been sent to the Widowers’ Lodge as punishment by Lingshui Pavilion. His daily tasks are to help cook, warm the bedding, and clean up—he just needs to look after the old widower, nothing else. The esteemed Master Qiudao from Lingshui Pavilion personally escorted Brother Zhu there, and Granny Wei happened to see them. She asked what was going on, and the Master, being so kind, said the winter is too cold this year, and he was worried the widower might freeze, so he specially hired a strong young helper to keep him company. He’s fed, doesn’t have to chop firewood, and the only rule is that Brother Zhu can’t come home before spring. Granny Wei was so envious—she even chased after the Master, begging him to let Brother Zhangcai accompany Brother Zhu as well.”

Grandma Jia coughed as she entered; Wang Shu hastily focused on her medicine, and Wang Xing covered her mouth.

The old woman looked first at the medicine in the cauldron, then sighed. “Sanlang’s illness is all in his mind. Now he knows he can see that unfilial son every day; half his sickness is gone already.”

Wang Erlang asked, “Was Ah Zhu frightened?”

“It’s good if he was!” Grandma Jia said, both angry and distressed. “If he doesn’t get a good scare, he’ll never learn what’s serious. Your third brother’s gentle nature can’t control his son, so your father said from now on, let Ah Peng live in the main house too. By the way, did you see young Huan when you were in town today?”

Wang Ge replied, “No, the militia is probably training outside the town. Oh, Grandmother, there’s something unusual…”

Wang Erlang’s face turned red; he immediately stuffed the remaining half of his pancake toward Wang Ge’s mouth. “Eat!” Eating is always the best way to shut you up.

Chewing, Wang Ge continued, “I ran into the village clerk—the one from my craftsman’s exam… Second Uncle, what are you—?”

“Give me back my pancake.”

“Grandmother, look at Second Uncle!”

“Give it back.”

Everyone’s laughter made young Madam Jia pause outside the room. The corners of her mouth twitched, wanting to join in their laughter, but it was hard. She worried so much she was losing her hair; when her husband fell ill, she thought at last the Wang family would be as anxious as she always was. Yet unexpectedly—how unexpected—in a single courtyard, there were still two ways of living.

Shouldn’t a family worry together when it’s time to worry, and laugh together when it’s time to laugh?

Wang Ge’s voice carried over, “Our travel passes for Second Uncle and me will be delivered to the village in a few days. Grandmother, I’ve decided: I’ll set off on the twentieth—if the weather turns on the road, Second Uncle and I can stay at a relay inn for a few days; it won’t delay our enrollment.”

Young Madam Jia deliberately passed by the kitchen door, entered the storeroom, scooped up some fish sauce and salted beans, and left the courtyard.

Grandma Jia’s face darkened; she couldn’t scold young Madam Jia for her thieving ways in front of Shu.

Wang Ge returned the last bite of pancake to Second Uncle and went into the storeroom, covering the jars and crocks. Young Madam Jia always took just a little to send back to her mother’s house; this happened so often that the Jia family was sure to resent it, thinking their daughter-in-law was mistreated and looking down on her husband’s family.

Two days later, Wang Sanlang’s color returned. Fearing his father’s anger, he only visited the Widowers’ Lodge to see Wang Zhu every other day.

Wang Ge made the most of her time making wooden compasses and whittled plenty of fire sticks that served perfectly as pencils. After two months’ intensive work, whether drawing straight lines, curves, measuring one foot, or small circles, she could do it all in one stroke, without corrections. Even Wang Shu’s woodworking skills had improved, with a better grasp of dimensions and measurements.

After the full moon, Wang Ge packed her bags. The rulers, squares, and every type of wooden compass were placed separately, with reeds cushioning each instrument inside the chest to minimize bumps.

These items nearly filled both her and her uncle’s bamboo baskets; bedding could only be laid on top, with another layer of reed matting to guard against rain or snow.

On the seventeenth day, Tie Feng made a special trip to the Wang house, delivering two full baskets of New Year’s goods: winter wine, salted meat and fish, coarse salt, rice, five-colored beans, reed rope, peach-wood dolls, and rattles. What delighted the children most was that the donkey carrying the baskets was left at the Wangs’ for now. Even the little yellow ox mooed as if it knew it had a new companion.

On the nineteenth day, young Madam Jia entered the storeroom early and found all the jars and crocks gone, only sacks of grain piled in a corner. She immediately burst into loud sobs. The ox and donkey brayed with her.

With the twelfth month nearly here, elders dreaded the sound of weeping. Except for Old Wang and the eldest son, everyone came out. Grandma Jia could contain herself no longer and scolded, “Daughter-in-law! What are you making a scene for now? If you don’t explain yourself today, then go back home—if you want to cry, cry at the Jia house, don’t bring ruin to my Wang family!”

Wang Erlang tried to pull his wife back inside, but young Madam Jia shook off his hand and shouted, “Don’t touch me, Wang Er, you foolish man! I’ll go home then—after all, you’re all Wangs, I’m the only outsider, so I’ll just give you your wish!”

She hurried off, raising her voice, “Neighbors, come and judge! What kind of husband guards his wife like a thief? My Jia family is not as well off as my mother’s kin, so I only ever took a small handful of salted beans to send home each time…”

How could Erlang allow their family scandal to go public? He caught her and tried to cover her mouth, but she scratched him hard in return. Wang Erlang cried out in pain and let go, blood showing on his face.

That was a vicious scratch; everyone coming after—Grandma Jia and the rest—were all frightened. Wang Ge rushed forward and hugged her second uncle’s waist. Wang He ran to young Madam Jia—only to be slapped hard across the face, leaving her stunned.

The neighbors had already gathered on the road. Young Madam Jia shouted at the top of her lungs, “Neighbors, come judge! Since marrying into the Wang family, when have I ever spoken ill of Wang Er outside? Have I ever said a single disrespectful word about my in-laws? But this family—behind my back, they call me a thief! A thief! Just because I took a handful of salted beans home the other day, they treat me as a thief!”

Wang Erlang: “Shut your mouth!”

“You shut yours!”

Grandma Jia: “Enough, both of you! Daughter-in-law, you, you—” The old woman was so angry her vision went black, and she collapsed backward. Wang He hurried back to support her grandmother, joined by her sisters.

Wang Shu wept as she fanned her grandmother.

Old Wang had no choice but to come out to the courtyard gate. “Erlang, come back. If your wife insists on leaving, the Wang family won’t stop her. We don’t need to argue in public. Neighbors! Don’t jump to conclusions; right and wrong will be clear once this woman returns home! Apeng, Tigerhead, don’t close the door. The Wang family has done nothing wrong; we’re not afraid of a household with three widowers. Everyone, back inside!”

Young Madam Jia, now beside herself, laughed bitterly, “Ha! See that? Three widowers in one house—afraid I’ll cling to Wang Er? Who would want that? Who would? Wang Er, if you’re not a coward, not a fool, then come with me to the magistrate right now and divorce me. If you want to cast me off, dream on!”

Wang Erlang reemerged, “Fine! Let’s go! Neighbors, please bear witness—whoever goes back on their word today will die without a grave!”

“Yes! Whoever goes back on their word will die without a grave!”

At that moment, young Madam Jia’s mother arrived. To everyone’s surprise, as soon as she got close, the old woman began hitting her daughter, crying as she scolded, “What are you making a scene for? Why cause such trouble so early in the morning? You’ve disgraced the entire Jia family!”

Young Madam Jia, her hair half undone, howled through her tears, “I only did it because I care for you and father. I took a bit of salted beans and sauce home, but my in-laws and Wang Er treat me like a thief, wu…” She shrieked again, “This morning, the Wang family hid all the jars and crocks of bean sauce! Who else guards a daughter-in-law like this?”

With every accusation, her mother tried to cover her mouth, begging, “Stop it, stop talking, are you possessed?” but couldn’t restrain her. The old woman finally broke down; if this kept up, the whole Jia family would lose face in the village. Seizing a pause in her daughter’s rant, she cried out, “Last night, your uncle asked Wang Peng to bring all the jars of meat sauce and salted beans to our house!”

Glossary:
Full Moon: In the old calendar, the full moon each month was called “Wang.” The first day was “Shuo,” the last “Hui.”
Divorce: Divorce already existed in the Jin dynasty. The word appears in the chapter on “Worthy Ladies” in *A New Account of Tales of the World*.

(End of chapter)