Chapter Nineteen: The Gift

Once Mr. Zeng left, the siblings happily locked the door, stacked some firewood in the room, and by the flickering light, began to examine the gifts sent by the wealthy families.

The first to be opened was the wooden chest from the benevolent Mr. Wang. As Lu Ying had expected, both chests were filled with fabric. Although these were only ordinary silks, they were a generous gift for the siblings who had lived in poverty for so long.

Looking at the obviously aged and leftover cloth, Lu Ying’s lips curled slightly as she murmured, “Just as I thought.”

Lu Yun, not understanding, turned his sparkling eyes toward her in curiosity and asked, “Sister, what did you say?”

Lu Ying smiled, “I said, as expected, these aren’t fine fabrics.” She turned to her brother, gently explaining, “Mr. Wang’s family possesses countless riches. Logically, since I saved his son’s life, he ought to send something substantial; even if it were a hundred taels of gold, it would be fitting. But we are orphans, and I am a mere young woman. Given our status, even with gratitude, there’s no need for extravagant thanks.”

She looked at Lu Yun and spoke earnestly, “So, Ah Yun, even if you do someone a kindness, if your status is insufficient, that kindness will not be highly valued by others.”

This was something Lu Yun had never considered. He stood silent for a moment, then nodded, pursing his lips. The excitement of receiving such unexpected wealth faded considerably.

Noticing her brother’s disappointment, Lu Ying smiled and reached out to stroke his soft hair. But as soon as her hand touched him, Lu Yun blushed and protested, “Sister, I’m a man now; you mustn’t touch my head. Hmph, and you mustn’t laugh either.”

“Alright, alright, you’re a man now.” Lu Ying laughed, withdrawing her hand. “Ah Yun, we should be happy. Think about it: when I stepped forward, it wasn’t for those people. So even if I have shown them kindness, that kindness only goes so far. The fact that they sent gifts is already good enough. Besides, these gifts can be exchanged for money and will allow us to live comfortably for a while.”

Lu Yun understood that his sister was encouraging him to keep things in perspective, and he nodded.

After closing the chest, the siblings opened the four wooden boxes sent by the officials.

The boxes were small, containing some silver jewelry, and upon closer inspection, a golden hairpin. These gifts, like those from Mr. Wang’s family, seemed plentiful but were not truly valuable. Of course, that was from the perspective of the wealthy; for the siblings, they were nonetheless of great use.

Lu Yun stood up, rummaged through all the gifts, and muttered, “They made such a show of it, but the things they sent are nothing special.”

Lu Ying bent down to carefully put away each gift, replying, “The reason they made such a show was to let everyone know they are people who repay kindness. As for the meager gifts, it’s because we are too poor to warrant their generosity. It seems the sages are right: all worldly dealings are founded on benefit. To ensure others dare not slight you, you must first possess some power yourself.”

Over the past month, she had studied the classics daily and was delighted to discover that she could grasp their deeper meanings so quickly. No wonder it was said that a scholar need not leave his home to know the affairs of the world. All the hustle and bustle of life follows a traceable pattern.

The siblings busied themselves for nearly half an hour, checked all the gifts, and carefully stored them away. By then, it was getting late.

Looking out at the sky and enjoying the spring breeze wafting through the crack in the door, Lu Ying calculated and said, “If we convert these things into money, they should be worth about ten taels of gold. Ah Yun, tomorrow I’ll sell them and buy us a house, alright?” Hanyang, being close to Chengdu, was considered a place of culture and refinement, and property prices were far from cheap. These goods, together with the golden ingot from that nobleman, should be enough to purchase a modest house in a central location.

Lu Ying had once thought the siblings might have to live for years in the house lent by the Ping family. She had not expected that so soon they could have a home of their own.

Hearing his sister’s words, Lu Yun asked, “Sister, is it really that much? Shouldn’t we save some of it?” He had never seen so much money before and was reluctant to spend it all at once.

Lu Ying replied calmly, “We cannot. Everyone knows we have received gifts from wealthy families. If we don’t spend them, our lives could be at risk.” She straightened up and spoke seriously, “So, not only must we spend this money, we have to do so openly, in front of everyone. Tomorrow I’ll have Uncle Qian bring his donkey cart, and there’s no need to remove the boxes for the cloth and silver jewelry. We’ll sell them all together.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you, Sister.” Thinking that soon they would move into a bright, spacious house, Lu Yun couldn’t help but smile. After a moment of joy, he reminded her, “Sister, are you really going to break off the engagement with the Zeng family’s son? He seems unwilling.”

Lu Ying pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, “He may have been willing at first, but after today, he’s probably having second thoughts.” She didn’t mind, waving her hand to reassure her brother, “No need to worry yet. Even if he’s unwilling, I’ll find a way to make him agree.”

“Alright.” Lu Yun responded briskly, looking back at his sister, thinking joyfully: Sister has truly changed since she recovered from her injury. I like this change.

The next day, Lu Yun didn’t go to school. Instead, he helped Lu Ying load the gifts they had received the previous night onto Uncle Qian’s donkey cart next door. As they moved the gifts, their door stood wide open, attracting the curious gaze of Aunt Yang and others.

Aunt Yang wandered around the house for a while, and when she reached the donkey cart, she couldn’t help but stroke the large wooden chest and say, “Lu Ying, what’s in here? Let Auntie take a look, will you?”

Lu Ying had been waiting for this question and replied with a smile, “Of course. Ah Yun, open the chests for Aunt Yang to see.”

Almost as soon as Lu Yun agreed, the neighbors flocked over in a swarm.