Chapter 19 – Oppose
Yu Wen and Madam Chen were both taken aback.
Yu Tang didn’t care about these things before and what’s more the words she said were bitingly sharp.
Chen hurriedly replied, “Dear child, how could you say it like that? We cannot speak ill of the deceased. When you’re outside, such words cannot be spoken. People will think that you’re heartless.”
Yu Tang didn’t agree. She felt that she couldn’t let her parents fall for the first head steward’s ploy and retorted, “It was the first head steward who was clearly in the wrong! Think about it, after his death, all is good for him; he will be greatly respected for being loyal till death, but what about those living? His family’s hard-earned livelihood will be gone. Not only his family, even his family’s relatives, I’m afraid they can no longer work for the Pei family. And also the eldest house. Although it was going against the grain for the third master to succeed as patriarch, but it was the will of the Grand Elder. Even if there were any hidden disputes and altercations, but ultimately the winner takes all. If they are unsatisfied with the outcome, then they should content the decision openly. With his death, what will others think of the eldest house? Will people think that it was a sign that the Eldest House was discontented with the Grand Elder’s arrangement? Or that they intend to compete with the third master for the patriarch position? The Pei family is not just a single branch; there’s a total of three branches. If the eldest house is making such a fuss, are they not afraid of the two other branches laughing at them? Or has eldest house already disregarded proprietary and basic decency and is determined to destroy the third master at any cost?”
Yu Wen and Madam Chen exchanged looks.
Was this still their playful daughter who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun?
When did their daughter become so insightful and perceptive?
Yu Tang did not know what they were thinking and continued, asking her parents, “Are my words not correct? I hate people like the First Head Steward, who were only concerned with their own honor and glory, and disregarded the lives of others. If he dies like this, not only the third master have to bear the responsibility, even the eldest house will be criticized by others.”
She was thinking that this kind of scheme, as the sandpiper and clam fights, but it’s the fisherman that ultimately benefits1, could have been the second master’s plan.
After all, he was the only one who will benefit from this.
However, Yu Tang wasn’t the least bit worried that Third Master Pei would fail.
In her previous life, he was the undisputed victor.
What’s different was her current feelings. Previously, she thought that third master Pei had a smooth-sailing and comfortable life as the patriarch, but examining what happened these past few days, perhaps it may not be as such.
Yu Tang sighed and then asked her father, “Have you met the Pei family’s second master? What kind of a person is he?”
She was feeling a little regretful that she hadn’t paid proper attention to these things about the Pei family in her previous life.
Yu Wen said, “Of course I have met the Second Master. He is a very good person, educated, refined, gentle, generous and treats people with care and consideration, making people feel refreshed. He is a rare and elegant gentleman.”
Her father actual held such a high opinion of the Second Master?
Yu Tang was quite surprised.
However, thinking again, her father had a good impression of most people, even Lu Xin, who sold him a fake and cheated his silver, but he still forgave Lu Xin and did not bear a grudge against him.
In the words of her father, hating people consumes energy. So rather than hate, why not use that energy to climb mountains, buy a few beautiful brushes, order a new set of clothes and be happy?
Thinking of this, she remembered the painting with the seal of “Spring Water Hall”.
Since the seal on the real painting was correct, then where did the painting she owned in her previous life come from?
Perhaps the next time when her father goes to see Supervisor Tong, she should tag along and ask Supervisor Tong about the owner of the private seal engraved with the words “Spring Water Hall”.
She was still thinking about it when she heard Madam Chen, who had not spoken yet, say to her father, “Dear, I think Ah-tang’s words are very reasonable. If the First Head Steward felt that the eldest house was wronged and wants to obtain justice for the eldest house, he can wait until after the Grand Elder’s funeral and then ask the third master for justice.”
Yu Tang was surprised by her mother’s words.
Yu Wen smiled wryly and said, “We do not have the full picture and a clear understanding of this issue. Thus, it’s best not discuss further.” He hinted to Madam Chen and Yu Tang to keep silent about it.
Yu Tang agreed with a smile.
Madam Chen also nodded her head in assent.
Yu Bo’s family came over to visit them.
Yu Wen finished his meal quickly, and Madam Chen instructed Old Aunty Chen and Shuangtao to clear the dishes and make tea.
Yu Tang went to wash some fruits.
The two families then sat down to talk.
Yu Bo first asked Yu Wen about the first head steward’s matter. “Are you aware of it?”
“Yes.” Yu Wen told his brother what he knew, and even shared with him what Yu Tang said.
Yu Tang was a little surprised.
She didn’t expect the news to spread so quickly like wildfire.
Calculating the time, the First Head Steward was dead for only a few hours.
But she was still very happy to see that her father agreed with her words in his heart, and smiled.
Yu Bo, like how Yu Wen felt before, thought that the first chief steward was a loyal servant, but after hearing what Yu Wen said, he also felt that there was something wrong with what the first head steward did. But he had another reason for coming over so after a few words with his brother, he said, “Brother, do you know who took over the duties of the First Head Steward?”
Yu Wen, who didn’t care much about these things, hesitated before replying, “Shouldn’t it be the Third Head Steward?”
“I heard that it’s not.” Yu Bo continued worriedly, “I heard that the one who took over the duties of the First Head Steward was not the two other Head Stewards or even one of the seven general Stewards, but a man named Pei Man. I have never heard of this person before. Have you heard of him when you were helping out at the Pei family?”
“No!” Yu Man was taken by surprise and said, “Having the surname Pei and assuming the role of a steward, he is definitely not a son of the Pei family. His surname must have been given by the Pei Family. A person who was given the family’s surname, he must be a extremely capable person brought in from outside. As the Pei family is our neighbor, such an outstanding person, even if we have not seen him, we should have heard about him. It’s strange that we do not know the background of this person, Pei Man and that he suddenly appeared and even took on such an important role as being the First Head Steward……”
“I thought so too.” Yu Bo said disappointedly, “I thought it was just me, as I was a merchant and seldom dealt with the Pei family, so that’s why I wasn’t aware of it.”
Yu Wen asked curiously, “Why are you inquiring about this for? Wasn’t the matter of rebuilding the stores agreed upon by Third Master Pei? Now that he’s the patriarch, it’s even less likely that anything will change.”
Yu Bo scratched his head and said, “I’m not worried about that. I was just thinking that since Pei Man is now the First Head Steward, I have to go and congratulate him. So if I can get some information from you, I can have a few more topics to talk about with him. As you know, business is difficult nowadays, the lacquer designs that were passed down from our ancestors were also burnt, so I was thinking, once the stores were rebuilt, perhaps we should change to do another type of business.”
Yu Yuan wanted to say something but held himself back
Yu Tong felt that her eldest cousin was more capable in doing business than her eldest uncle, and decided to help her eldest cousin. She relied on the fact that she was still a young girl, and her parents and uncles were very indulgent towards her, and interjected, ” Since Eldest uncle says that business isn’t good, and if we want to switch to another business, why don’t we let eldest cousin go outside and see more of the world? Eldest cousin was also personally taught by Eldest Uncle, so he can definitely help out.”
Yu Bo saw his niece flattering him and laughed, his mood was very good, so he waved his hand and said, “Fine! Anyway, I’m busy with the reconstruction of the stores, so it’s ok to let your eldest cousin stay in Hangzhou for a few days to see how others do business.”
However, he did not feel that Yu Yuan could really come up with any good ideas.
As Yu Yuan was his son, Yu Bo was more strict with him, and thus he was more disciplined, so when the elders speak, he wouldn’t interrupt.
He glared at Yu Tang and obediently answered “yes”.
The brothers Yu Bo and Yu Wen continued their idle talk, while Yu Yuan took this time to pull Yu Tang to the side and warned her, “If you continue being so naughty, when I travel to HangZhou, I wouldn’t bring anything back for you. How can we just change the lacquer business of our Yu family so easily? Furthermore, there are always tricks to certain trades, it’s not as simple as just taking a look and then becoming an expert.”
Yu Tong didn’t know much about businesses, however she knows that for a business to succeed, it needs a capable person at the helm. If you want to become a capable boss, you first need to develop discernment to spot opportunities and have suitable skills to take advantage of them. This means that you need to gain more experience; see more, listen more and explore more.
“Eldest cousin, don’t worry about it, I’m not causing trouble.” She explained with a smile to Yu Yuan, “Even if you don’t agree with what Eldest Uncle is doing now, it’s not good for you to oppose it. Instead of reluctantly following your uncle like this, why not go out and see what it’s like – it’s good to know how the stores that are famous all over the world serve their customers and run their businesses.”
Yu Yuan’s heart stirred.
Yu Tang said, “Eldest cousin, I’ll sponsor you with five taels of silver.”
Yu Yuan knocked against the side of Yu Tang’s head and said teasingly, “That little silver you have is only enough to buy a few packs of candies; and you still want to fund me?”
“Eldest cousin, you can’t look down on people!” Yutang pouted.
The two siblings continued their banter.
After sending away eldest uncle and his family, Yu Tang began to prepare for Ma Xiuniang’s visit to their home. Yu Wen went to the street to order ice for the occasion and instructed Ah Cam to go to the store to get it when Ma Xiuniang arrived.
As Ma Xiuniang ate the cinnamon and brown sugar shaved ice, she enjoyed it so much that she became starry-eyed. She relaxed on the Luohan couch, giggling softly as she bit into the ice and mumbled: “Ah Tang …… delicious …… Why don’t you get my Second brother as your family’s son-in-law …… he is only nine years old this year, but if you raise him now, he will certainly be obedient to you……”
Yu Tang hasn’t eaten cinnamon and brown sugar shaved ice for a long time.
While she was still unmarried, her mother did not allow her to eat often, as she was afraid that it would be too cold for her, later when she married into the Li family, as Madam Lin wanted to make things difficult for her, so she arranged for everyone to have it except her.
She happily scooped a large spoonful of ice into her mouth, and tsked at Ma Xiuniang, saying: “I don’t want to help you raise your brother. My family wants a son-in-law can who manage our family’s business, not a scholar or a learned person.”
“Why?” Ma Xiuniang was surprised and said, “A scholar is well-respected by the people.”
Yu Tang said unconcernedly, “Those scholars wouldn’t want to be our son-in-law anyway. My father is already a scholar, so I want to get a capable person to manage the business so that my family can prosper, and in the future, I can also afford to send my children to study.”
“Hee hee!” Ma Xiuniang covered her mouth and laughed, saying, “So you want your sons to bring honor to the family!”
Sisters will definitely talk a little nonsense when they meet together, but when Ma Xiuniang describes it as such, it’s still a bit embarrassing to hear.
“What are you talking about?” Yu Tang placed her bowl aside and tickled Ma Xiuniang, “I think it’s you that wants to wait for your husband to bring glory to the family!”
Ma Xiuniang cried out and took refuge outside the door.
Yu Tang paused for a moment, looked outside, and raised an eyebrow.
“What’s wrong?” Ma Xiuniang turned around and looked over as well.
Outside the room, Old Aunty Chen was leading Madam Tang, who had brought a maid with her, toward Madam Chen’s main residence.
“What is she doing here?” Ma Xiuniang stood by Yu Tang’s side and said somewhat resentfully , “She is so snobbish, if there’s nothing beneficial for her, she wouldn’t come at all.”
1. 鹬蚌相争、渔翁得利 – the sandpiper and clam fights, but it’s the fisherman that ultimately benefits
Meaning: when the two parties fight, both will suffer heavy losses and instead it’s the third party that gets to enjoy the benefits instead.
FYI, for my translations, I will first try to find a suitable English idiom or description to replace such proverbs, only if I can’t find any appropriate ones, then I’ll translate it literally and leave the meaning in the footnotes like this. ‘Cause as reader myself, I find that literal translations of proverbs often disrupts the flow of the story so I will try not to do it if possible.
Chapter 19 – Oppose
Yu Wen and Madam Chen were both taken aback.
Yu Tang didn’t care about these things before and what’s more the words she said were bitingly sharp.
Chen hurriedly replied, “Dear child, how could you say it like that? We cannot speak ill of the deceased. When you’re outside, such words cannot be spoken. People will think that you’re heartless.”
Yu Tang didn’t agree. She felt that she couldn’t let her parents fall for the first head steward’s ploy and retorted, “It was the first head steward who was clearly in the wrong! Think about it, after his death, all is good for him; he will be greatly respected for being loyal till death, but what about those living? His family’s hard-earned livelihood will be gone. Not only his family, even his family’s relatives, I’m afraid they can no longer work for the Pei family. And also the eldest house. Although it was going against the grain for the third master to succeed as patriarch, but it was the will of the Grand Elder. Even if there were any hidden disputes and altercations, but ultimately the winner takes all. If they are unsatisfied with the outcome, then they should content the decision openly. With his death, what will others think of the eldest house? Will people think that it was a sign that the Eldest House was discontented with the Grand Elder’s arrangement? Or that they intend to compete with the third master for the patriarch position? The Pei family is not just a single branch; there’s a total of three branches. If the eldest house is making such a fuss, are they not afraid of the two other branches laughing at them? Or has eldest house already disregarded proprietary and basic decency and is determined to destroy the third master at any cost?”
Yu Wen and Madam Chen exchanged looks.
Was this still their playful daughter who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun?
When did their daughter become so insightful and perceptive?
Yu Tang did not know what they were thinking and continued, asking her parents, “Are my words not correct? I hate people like the First Head Steward, who were only concerned with their own honor and glory, and disregarded the lives of others. If he dies like this, not only the third master have to bear the responsibility, even the eldest house will be criticized by others.”
She was thinking that this kind of scheme, as the sandpiper and clam fights, but it’s the fisherman that ultimately benefits1, could have been the second master’s plan.
After all, he was the only one who will benefit from this.
However, Yu Tang wasn’t the least bit worried that Third Master Pei would fail.
In her previous life, he was the undisputed victor.
What’s different was her current feelings. Previously, she thought that third master Pei had a smooth-sailing and comfortable life as the patriarch, but examining what happened these past few days, perhaps it may not be as such.
Yu Tang sighed and then asked her father, “Have you met the Pei family’s second master? What kind of a person is he?”
She was feeling a little regretful that she hadn’t paid proper attention to these things about the Pei family in her previous life.
Yu Wen said, “Of course I have met the Second Master. He is a very good person, educated, refined, gentle, generous and treats people with care and consideration, making people feel refreshed. He is a rare and elegant gentleman.”
Her father actual held such a high opinion of the Second Master?
Yu Tang was quite surprised.
However, thinking again, her father had a good impression of most people, even Lu Xin, who sold him a fake and cheated his silver, but he still forgave Lu Xin and did not bear a grudge against him.
In the words of her father, hating people consumes energy. So rather than hate, why not use that energy to climb mountains, buy a few beautiful brushes, order a new set of clothes and be happy?
Thinking of this, she remembered the painting with the seal of “Spring Water Hall”.
Since the seal on the real painting was correct, then where did the painting she owned in her previous life come from?
Perhaps the next time when her father goes to see Supervisor Tong, she should tag along and ask Supervisor Tong about the owner of the private seal engraved with the words “Spring Water Hall”.
She was still thinking about it when she heard Madam Chen, who had not spoken yet, say to her father, “Dear, I think Ah-tang’s words are very reasonable. If the First Head Steward felt that the eldest house was wronged and wants to obtain justice for the eldest house, he can wait until after the Grand Elder’s funeral and then ask the third master for justice.”
Yu Tang was surprised by her mother’s words.
Yu Wen smiled wryly and said, “We do not have the full picture and a clear understanding of this issue. Thus, it’s best not discuss further.” He hinted to Madam Chen and Yu Tang to keep silent about it.
Yu Tang agreed with a smile.
Madam Chen also nodded her head in assent.
Yu Bo’s family came over to visit them.
Yu Wen finished his meal quickly, and Madam Chen instructed Old Aunty Chen and Shuangtao to clear the dishes and make tea.
Yu Tang went to wash some fruits.
The two families then sat down to talk.
Yu Bo first asked Yu Wen about the first head steward’s matter. “Are you aware of it?”
“Yes.” Yu Wen told his brother what he knew, and even shared with him what Yu Tang said.
Yu Tang was a little surprised.
She didn’t expect the news to spread so quickly like wildfire.
Calculating the time, the First Head Steward was dead for only a few hours.
But she was still very happy to see that her father agreed with her words in his heart, and smiled.
Yu Bo, like how Yu Wen felt before, thought that the first chief steward was a loyal servant, but after hearing what Yu Wen said, he also felt that there was something wrong with what the first head steward did. But he had another reason for coming over so after a few words with his brother, he said, “Brother, do you know who took over the duties of the First Head Steward?”
Yu Wen, who didn’t care much about these things, hesitated before replying, “Shouldn’t it be the Third Head Steward?”
“I heard that it’s not.” Yu Bo continued worriedly, “I heard that the one who took over the duties of the First Head Steward was not the two other Head Stewards or even one of the seven general Stewards, but a man named Pei Man. I have never heard of this person before. Have you heard of him when you were helping out at the Pei family?”
“No!” Yu Man was taken by surprise and said, “Having the surname Pei and assuming the role of a steward, he is definitely not a son of the Pei family. His surname must have been given by the Pei Family. A person who was given the family’s surname, he must be a extremely capable person brought in from outside. As the Pei family is our neighbor, such an outstanding person, even if we have not seen him, we should have heard about him. It’s strange that we do not know the background of this person, Pei Man and that he suddenly appeared and even took on such an important role as being the First Head Steward……”
“I thought so too.” Yu Bo said disappointedly, “I thought it was just me, as I was a merchant and seldom dealt with the Pei family, so that’s why I wasn’t aware of it.”
Yu Wen asked curiously, “Why are you inquiring about this for? Wasn’t the matter of rebuilding the stores agreed upon by Third Master Pei? Now that he’s the patriarch, it’s even less likely that anything will change.”
Yu Bo scratched his head and said, “I’m not worried about that. I was just thinking that since Pei Man is now the First Head Steward, I have to go and congratulate him. So if I can get some information from you, I can have a few more topics to talk about with him. As you know, business is difficult nowadays, the lacquer designs that were passed down from our ancestors were also burnt, so I was thinking, once the stores were rebuilt, perhaps we should change to do another type of business.”
Yu Yuan wanted to say something but held himself back
Yu Tong felt that her eldest cousin was more capable in doing business than her eldest uncle, and decided to help her eldest cousin. She relied on the fact that she was still a young girl, and her parents and uncles were very indulgent towards her, and interjected, ” Since Eldest uncle says that business isn’t good, and if we want to switch to another business, why don’t we let eldest cousin go outside and see more of the world? Eldest cousin was also personally taught by Eldest Uncle, so he can definitely help out.”
Yu Bo saw his niece flattering him and laughed, his mood was very good, so he waved his hand and said, “Fine! Anyway, I’m busy with the reconstruction of the stores, so it’s ok to let your eldest cousin stay in Hangzhou for a few days to see how others do business.”
However, he did not feel that Yu Yuan could really come up with any good ideas.
As Yu Yuan was his son, Yu Bo was more strict with him, and thus he was more disciplined, so when the elders speak, he wouldn’t interrupt.
He glared at Yu Tang and obediently answered “yes”.
The brothers Yu Bo and Yu Wen continued their idle talk, while Yu Yuan took this time to pull Yu Tang to the side and warned her, “If you continue being so naughty, when I travel to HangZhou, I wouldn’t bring anything back for you. How can we just change the lacquer business of our Yu family so easily? Furthermore, there are always tricks to certain trades, it’s not as simple as just taking a look and then becoming an expert.”
Yu Tong didn’t know much about businesses, however she knows that for a business to succeed, it needs a capable person at the helm. If you want to become a capable boss, you first need to develop discernment to spot opportunities and have suitable skills to take advantage of them. This means that you need to gain more experience; see more, listen more and explore more.
“Eldest cousin, don’t worry about it, I’m not causing trouble.” She explained with a smile to Yu Yuan, “Even if you don’t agree with what Eldest Uncle is doing now, it’s not good for you to oppose it. Instead of reluctantly following your uncle like this, why not go out and see what it’s like – it’s good to know how the stores that are famous all over the world serve their customers and run their businesses.”
Yu Yuan’s heart stirred.
Yu Tang said, “Eldest cousin, I’ll sponsor you with five taels of silver.”
Yu Yuan knocked against the side of Yu Tang’s head and said teasingly, “That little silver you have is only enough to buy a few packs of candies; and you still want to fund me?”
“Eldest cousin, you can’t look down on people!” Yutang pouted.
The two siblings continued their banter.
After sending away eldest uncle and his family, Yu Tang began to prepare for Ma Xiuniang’s visit to their home. Yu Wen went to the street to order ice for the occasion and instructed Ah Cam to go to the store to get it when Ma Xiuniang arrived.
As Ma Xiuniang ate the cinnamon and brown sugar shaved ice, she enjoyed it so much that she became starry-eyed. She relaxed on the Luohan couch, giggling softly as she bit into the ice and mumbled: “Ah Tang …… delicious …… Why don’t you get my Second brother as your family’s son-in-law …… he is only nine years old this year, but if you raise him now, he will certainly be obedient to you……”
Yu Tang hasn’t eaten cinnamon and brown sugar shaved ice for a long time.
While she was still unmarried, her mother did not allow her to eat often, as she was afraid that it would be too cold for her, later when she married into the Li family, as Madam Lin wanted to make things difficult for her, so she arranged for everyone to have it except her.
She happily scooped a large spoonful of ice into her mouth, and tsked at Ma Xiuniang, saying: “I don’t want to help you raise your brother. My family wants a son-in-law can who manage our family’s business, not a scholar or a learned person.”
“Why?” Ma Xiuniang was surprised and said, “A scholar is well-respected by the people.”
Yu Tang said unconcernedly, “Those scholars wouldn’t want to be our son-in-law anyway. My father is already a scholar, so I want to get a capable person to manage the business so that my family can prosper, and in the future, I can also afford to send my children to study.”
“Hee hee!” Ma Xiuniang covered her mouth and laughed, saying, “So you want your sons to bring honor to the family!”
Sisters will definitely talk a little nonsense when they meet together, but when Ma Xiuniang describes it as such, it’s still a bit embarrassing to hear.
“What are you talking about?” Yu Tang placed her bowl aside and tickled Ma Xiuniang, “I think it’s you that wants to wait for your husband to bring glory to the family!”
Ma Xiuniang cried out and took refuge outside the door.
Yu Tang paused for a moment, looked outside, and raised an eyebrow.
“What’s wrong?” Ma Xiuniang turned around and looked over as well.
Outside the room, Old Aunty Chen was leading Madam Tang, who had brought a maid with her, toward Madam Chen’s main residence.
“What is she doing here?” Ma Xiuniang stood by Yu Tang’s side and said somewhat resentfully , “She is so snobbish, if there’s nothing beneficial for her, she wouldn’t come at all.”
1. 鹬蚌相争、渔翁得利 – the sandpiper and clam fights, but it’s the fisherman that ultimately benefits
Meaning: when the two parties fight, both will suffer heavy losses and instead it’s the third party that gets to enjoy the benefits instead.
FYI, for my translations, I will first try to find a suitable English idiom or description to replace such proverbs, only if I can’t find any appropriate ones, then I’ll translate it literally and leave the meaning in the footnotes like this. ‘Cause as reader myself, I find that literal translations of proverbs often disrupts the flow of the story so I will try not to do it if possible.
