Before the Song Dynasty, starting from the Han Dynasty, the concept of three years of mourning had been a part of customs. “Of the hundred virtues, filial piety is foremost” was the concept advocated by Confucianism. After evolving through a long river of time, from the initial mourning system targeting Confucian scholars and officials to the imperial family also observing mourning, there had never been many emperors who completed the full three years.
Later, the mourning system bound court officials, and the system of mourning leave appeared. Officials whose parents died had to resign and return home to observe mourning, and could only resume their posts after three years were complete.
The requirements for observing mourning were numerous, including: no drinking alcohol, no eating meat, no conjugal relations, not entering public offices, and not participating in auspicious events. In the “Collected Statutes,” there were also clear regulations: no taking wives or concubines, no replacing old door charms, etc.
Of course, for common people, the strictness was different.
If ordinary people were made to not work for three years and only stay at home, they would likely starve to death in droves.
Therefore, many common people’s mourning period was mostly the “final seven,” which when calculated came to a total of forty-nine days.
Among the lower-class people who weren’t particular about such things, some began working in the fields after the first seven days. Otherwise, what would the whole family eat?
So even by the Song Dynasty, though the mourning system had become stricter, those who strictly observed it were still the imperial family, court officials, government functionaries, and wealthy households. But looking at it currently, the impact on the lower classes was still not great.
Twelve months after parents passed away, normal marriages were commonplace.
The Xu and Wang families had originally set the wedding date beyond this twelve-month period, so there was no need to select another auspicious day.
Therefore, Xu Yi had never thought that after Father Xu and Mother Xu fell ill and died, the Wang family had harbored thoughts of breaking off the engagement.
Madam Qian, leveraging her status as an elder, pointed at Xu Yi and scolded him disdainfully, “I originally thought I’d just come see you, and if you were good, it would be fine for our family’s Meimei to marry you. But look at all this! To deal with me, where did you borrow such furniture to save face? Aren’t you afraid I’ll see through it and point it out?”
Xu Yi’s lashes moved. “…”
“What? What kind of look is that? Don’t tell me I said something wrong about you?” Madam Qian was so angry her chest heaved. She paused to catch her breath, speaking until her mouth was dry. But looking at that cloudy tea water, she had absolutely no desire to drink it.
She ordered, “Go call the errand runner outside and have him buy me a bowl of cold apricot fruit tea, with crushed fruit and raisins.”
Xu Yi remained silent.
He raised his hand to pinch his somewhat aching brow. Previously, he thought he was good at dealing with elders. It seemed he needed to add a qualifier; except for shrewish elders.
“Madam Qian.”
Xu Yi spoke coldly. His eyes looked at her indifferently. The various things she’d said before, he could let slide. But this also involved the Xu family.
Now the Xu family only had him. If he didn’t fight for it, there would be no one else to fight for him.
How the original body’s scholarly level was, he wouldn’t comment on that. But the original body had strong moral conviction and a heart of filial piety, and couldn’t tolerate an outsider belittling him.
Xu Yi laughed coldly. “Madam Qian has quite the audacity. Just because I call you Madam Qian, do you really put on the airs of an elder? If your Wang family wants to break off the engagement, then adopt the proper attitude. I’m not begging you; rather, you should be begging me.”
“You… what do you mean?” Madam Qian’s expression changed slightly.
Xu Yi said, “All your talk is just to get back the marriage contract. That’s what it’s about, so let’s only talk about that.”
He tapped his fingers on the table, telling her to sit down.
Madam Qian was intimidated by his suddenly changed aura and obediently sat back down.
She didn’t dare act rashly again, but waited for Xu Yi’s next move.
Xu Yi pondered in his mind for a while, finding the relevant memories, then said slowly, “Originally, the betrothal gifts my Xu family sent included a pair of gold hairpins, two silver ingots, one bolt of red silk, two bolts of blue satin, one carrying pole of painted flower baskets, two pairs of red candles, and eight plates of Four Happiness fruit balls. Did you bring all of these?”
The original body’s parents had put considerable thought into selecting a wife for him. These things had been saved up since he was very young.
Apart from the betrothal gifts to be brought when fetching the bride, all these items, calculated fully, would cost over twenty strings of cash.
For common people, how long would they have to save such a sum?
Xu Yi could choose not to take back these betrothal gifts, but the Xu family could not fail to take them!
Seeing Madam Qian’s expression completely change, Xu Yi turned his head. “It seems Madam Qian didn’t bring them.”
“I… I naturally brought them.” Madam Qian’s breathing became immediately labored as she insisted.
How could she have known that Xu Yi would be so difficult to deal with, completely different from what she’d imagined?
Wasn’t he supposed to only know how to study by rote? How was he so shrewd? She had originally calculated that with just a few words, she could intimidate him into breaking off the engagement.
Now she was the one trapped, unable to advance or retreat!
“If you brought them, that’s easy to say. I can also return the Wang family’s gifts.” Xu Yi said lightly.
Having said this, Xu Yi took a sip of tea and said nothing more.
The atmosphere in the main hall gradually became tense. Before long, Madam Qian couldn’t sit still. The weather was stuffy and hot, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Compared to the cool and composed Xu Yi, they seemed to be in different seasons.
Soon, she found an excuse, saying she would go back and have people prepare to bring over the betrothal gifts, and they could discuss breaking off the engagement then.
Xu Yi said, “Take care, I won’t see you out.”
Closing the door, Xu Yi splashed the cup of cooled tea into the courtyard.
Little Huang wanted to lick it, but he scolded him, “Don’t drink what others won’t drink. If you want to have some, I’ll brew you a pot.”
Turning back inside, just as he was about to pick up the kettle, he wondered, could Little Huang drink tea?
He didn’t seem to recall his friend who studied veterinary medicine saying that dogs couldn’t drink tea, so drinking a little should be fine.
Xu Yi poured a cup and offered it to Little Huang, rubbing his head as he watched him happily lap it up. Looking at him, Xu Yi’s bad mood was swept away. Someone who would soon be unrelated wasn’t worth his anger.
…
The He household.
Seeing Xu Yi arrive, He Linqiu happily opened the door to welcome him. “Brother Yi, you’re here.”
“Mm.” Xu Yi nodded.
He stepped into the He family’s main hall and saw Madam He sitting in a chair, slightly bent at the waist, carefully embroidering the pattern on the embroidery frame. Hearing him enter, she hurriedly set it down and looked up at Xu Yi.
Xu Yi had just called out “Madam He” when he heard her asking, “Did you receive your guest well? Why didn’t you keep them for lunch?”
“She had something to do and left first.” Xu Yi said lightly.
Madam He detected something off in his tone. She furrowed her brows and asked gently, “Is something the matter?”
Xu Yi shook his head. “It’s nothing important. It’ll be resolved soon.”
He really didn’t want to talk about it. Madam He wanted to ask but had no way to pursue it. She sighed lightly, shaking her head with a smile as she spoke of her own matter. “Qiu’er is being ridiculous, and you’re being ridiculous along with him. If there’s anywhere on my body that’s uncomfortable, I know it myself. Why would I need you to come take my pulse? Those who don’t know would think something major happened, making such a big fuss.”
“Mother, just let Brother Yi take a look. It’ll put my mind at ease.” He Linqiu came out carrying tea, putting on a helpless expression, his eyes constantly signaling to Xu Yi.
Xu Yi received his hint and went along with his words. “Brother Qiu is right. I’ve been learning pulse diagnosis recently. Madam He, please do me a favor and let me test how effective I am.”
“Oh dear, I can’t argue with you two.” Madam He seemed to complain, but her heart was actually warm. Having such a thoughtful and filial son, she was quite content.
Looking at Xu Yi again, he had completely emerged from his grief now, much more spirited than before.
Xu Yi had come prepared. He took out a pulse pillow and placed it on the table, having Madam He extend her right hand first.
After examining the right hand, Xu Yi switched to the left hand and carefully took her pulse again.
“How is it?” Seeing him remain silent for so long, He Linqiu asked anxiously.
Xu Yi looked at him, then asked Madam He in front of him, “Has your neck felt numb recently?”
“My neck? The right side gets a bit tired and uncomfortable when I sit for too long, but it’s fine after I rub it. It’s not a big problem.” Madam He said.
For some reason, her heart began to pound uneasily.
But looking at Xu Yi’s demeanor, that thread of unease was pressed back down, and she inexplicably felt less afraid.
Xu Yi continued asking, “Does your left arm show the same symptoms?”
“…No.” Madam He hesitated and shook her head, then thought of something else. “Though it doesn’t ache, recently when I fetch water from the well, my left hand occasionally can’t muster strength. Before I’ve walked far, my arm gets so tired.”
After asking several questions in succession, Xu Yi, maintaining proper boundaries between men and women, could not personally touch such an intimate area as the back of her neck. Instead, he instructed Madam He to raise her hand and press on the protruding vertebrae at the back of her neck.
For each position she pressed, Xu Yi asked if she felt pain.
After pressing several spots, Madam He suddenly let out a soft “hiss” when she touched a protruding bone.
“Does it hurt?” Xu Yi raised an eyebrow.
Madam He’s eyes trembled nervously. “Mm, it hurts. But is there some illness?”
Although she’d recently noticed uncomfortable places in her back, she always felt that at her age, occasionally having uncomfortable spots was quite normal.
Xu Yi’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly as he said, “This is dampness evil invasion, and it has been lodged in the meridians here for a long time, causing the meridians to lack nourishment. Over time, this creates blockage and obstruction, a condition of the Taiyang meridian.”
“Is this serious?” He Linqiu asked urgently.
Xu Yi said solemnly, “It’s not a major problem, but it can’t be neglected either. It needs proper care. Moreover, Madam He, you can no longer sit for long periods. This illness is the result of sitting for years on end. If you move around frequently and massage your arms, the symptoms can be greatly alleviated.”
When Madam He heard that the illness was caused by doing too much embroidery, her heart sank. No wonder she felt uneasy.
If she didn’t do embroidery work, when would she be able to save up enough for her son to have a wife?
“After taking medicine, can I continue doing embroidery work?” Madam He said with distress. “I still owe the embroidery shop over a dozen pieces. Even if I work by lamplight, I can’t finish them in less than half a month.”
If she was late, she might not be able to get work from the embroidery shop in the future.
He Linqiu became anxious along with her. He only earned five hundred wen per month, and didn’t know how much treating such an illness would cost.
Especially hearing Xu Yi’s tone, this illness didn’t seem like something that would heal if left alone.
“If we use medicine, when can it be cured?” He Linqiu asked.
Xu Yi answered honestly, “Taking medicine and resting, the symptoms will improve, but a complete cure is not possible.”
In Chinese medicine, cervical spondylosis also belonged to a type of bi syndrome, all caused by blood stagnation leading to blocked meridians. Besides taking medicine, one could also use massage and acupuncture.
It was just that he couldn’t personally administer the former, and he didn’t have acupuncture needles for the latter.
But when he explained this to Madam He and the others, their expressions didn’t improve.
Madam He bit her lip and said stubbornly, “Then I won’t worry about it. It’s just that my neck aches more easily. If I’m uncomfortable, I’ll rest. If my left hand can’t carry the water bucket, I’ll use my right hand. There’s always a way to get by.”
“No.” He Linqiu immediately objected. With Xu Yi’s example before him, how could he walk the same path?
His throat choked up, his eyes reddening as he spoke, “Mother, we must treat this.”