Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My brother has been following Sister Xianglan around since they were children. But Sister Xianglan said she had to raise her younger brother and wouldn’t marry anyone until she turned twenty-five.

Twenty-five-that’s a very, very old age for a maiden.

To be honest, even if she hadn’t said it, no one from the surrounding villages would have dared to marry her anyway.

According to the local gossip, her younger brother was a money-sink. Just the monthly expenses for his paper and brushes cost several hundred wen, which was half of what my brother earned in wages. If he went to study in the County Seat in the future, it would take several of my brothers to afford him.

He was just a boy barely over ten years old; who knew how far he could go in his studies? Besides, for us country folk, learning a few characters from the old Tongsheng at the edge of the village was already an incredible feat. We hadn’t seen a Xiucai in generations. Even that old Tongsheng was the only one to pass the exam in decades, and even after passing, he remained penniless.

But my brother continued to wait for Sister Xianglan. He did all the chores at home and gave most of the money he earned to our parents as a sign of filial piety. Yet whenever they tried to introduce a prospective bride to him, he refused to nod his head, no matter who they brought.

By the time he turned twenty, Mother threw a massive fit. “You unfilial son! You’re just waiting for that girl to turn twenty-five. You only have eyes for that woman-do your parents even exist to you? You’re going to let the family line end!”

My brother took the beatings and the scoldings, but when questioned at the end, he would just say with a grin, “I’m earning money to support the family; you can’t say I’m unfilial. Besides, what’s wrong with twenty-five? We’ll still be able to have babies then.”

Standing nearby, I would silently curse him for his thick skin. I was always the one keeping lookout whenever he went to see Sister Xianglan, and she wouldn’t even accept a single wen from him, nor had she ever agreed to his suit.

Sister Xianglan hadn’t agreed, but our parents were forced to relent. When Mother went to find Sister Xianglan, I followed her secretly because I liked Sister Xianglan and was afraid she would be put in a difficult position.

I watched as Mother awkwardly expressed her desire for a marriage alliance. Sister Xianglan, however, refused outright. “Auntie, I cannot agree to this marriage. As you know, I must support my younger brother’s education. If I marry, I will no longer be my own master.”

Mother gritted her teeth and said, “Everyone in the village knows about this. Since I’ve come here, our family is prepared to support him along with you. My son is just a stubborn, hopeless fool.”

Sister Xianglan froze in disbelief for a moment, but she still shook her head. “It is my duty to support my brother, but I cannot drag a perfectly good family down with me. I’ve looked into it-studying in the County Seat costs about fifteen taels a year for all the various expenses. No family could withstand such a burden for me.”

I counted on my fingers. Fifteen taels-that was so expensive. Last year, my brother had worked himself to the bone just to earn seven or eight taels. I had seen the box where Mother hid our money, too; our family’s entire savings were only about thirty taels, which wasn’t even enough for two years of his studies.

Upon hearing that figure, Mother’s spirit deflated. Still unwilling to give up, she asked, “With that much money, even if you want to support him, how could you possibly afford it?”

Sister Xianglan lowered her head. “By selling the house and the land. Then I’ll go to the County Seat to find work. I’ll find a way to hold on for a few years.”

Mother sighed and said no more, turning to head home. However, I saw Sister Xianglan pull a strange-looking stone pendant from her collar, her eyes turning red.

That was the only gift my brother had ever successfully given her. Because it was worthless-carved by my brother himself from a river stone-Sister Xianglan hadn’t returned it.

That idiot brother of mine… it turned out his love wasn’t unrequited after all.