Chapter 5: Daily Life of the Mohists

The Mo family, provided it wasn't windy or raining, always ate dinner together.

Today, the eldest uncle was out for a social engagement.

Father had gone out and not yet returned. The third uncle was away year-round.

The eldest brother was at West Mountain Academy and hadn't started his break yet.

Of the men in the house, only Mo Fan and Mo Bao were present.

Mo Yi had something to discuss with the eldest aunt, so she had gone to the main courtyard of the eldest branch early for dinner.

In the dining hall, only the eldest aunt, Madam Zhuang, was sitting there, seemingly looking over account books.

"Eldest Aunt!" Mo Yi bowed and greeted her.

"Mm!" Madam Zhuang responded casually, not even lifting her eyelids. She was wearing a simple house jacket, her hair tied in a loose bun held by a silver hairpin. On her wrists were two carved silver bracelets. She was neat and tidy, but certainly not particular about appearances.

The eldest aunt was a woman of very ordinary looks and talent, possessing a dowry that matched her status.

Her two daughters had married reasonably well. However, the second cousin, Mo Fan, was only mediocre in his studies and far inferior to the eldest brother in every respect.

With a limited amount of silver in her hands, managing the trivial affairs of the household while having to deal with two troublesome sisters-in-law, the eldest aunt usually didn't have a pleasant expression.

Just as she was about to bring up the matter of the narcissus flowers, footsteps sounded behind her. Mo Yi turned to look and saw her mother arriving, followed by Mo Wen and Mo Qing.

Seeing this, Mo Yi found it amusing; the estrangement from her mother was truly reflected in every aspect of their lives.

Thoughts aside, she quickly bowed: "Mother. Sister. Little Six..."

Today, Madam Wang actually took a serious look at Mo Yi and gave a hum. She turned her head and called out, "Sister-in-law!"

Her mother had a substantial dowry and her maiden family ran various shops, so she was dressed much better than the eldest aunt! Mo Wen was still wearing the same green shirt and skirt as earlier; as she passed by, she gave Mo Yi a meaningful look.

This look... what did it mean?

Mo Qing’s temperament was exactly like their maternal grandmother’s—unsettled. She called out carelessly, "Eldest Aunt!" and plopped down into her seat.

Before Madam Wang could even sit down, Madam Liu entered.

The Liu family had married her off according to the standard dowry for a concubine-born daughter, without adding a single cent!

Therefore, among the three sisters-in-law, although her family background wasn't low, her dowry was the smallest.

However, the concubine who gave birth to her was extremely cunning. The wealth she had accumulated while in favor had long since been transferred to her own brothers outside.

So, when that concubine died and the legal wife came to inspect, there was nothing left in the room.

Although that brother wasn't very successful, he wasn't bad by nature, and when Madam Liu got married, he returned everything to her.

All of this was what her mother had said when privately disparaging the third aunt...

So, while the third aunt didn't have much of a dowry on the surface, she actually had quite a bit of savings.

Especially jewelry and the like; she had plenty, and they were all quite nice!

At this moment, the third aunt was also dressed neatly, as if she were going to a banquet outside. Behind her, quietly following, was the fourth sister, Mo Yuan.

In Mo Yi's opinion, this fourth sister didn't look like the third uncle or the third aunt; she likely took after that deceased "maternal great-aunt."

She had a melon-seed face, watery, upturned eyes, sloping shoulders, a slender waist, rounded hips, and fingers like bamboo shoots.

Not only was she beautiful, but that air of "pity-me" charm was something the other Mo family girls didn't possess and couldn't learn.

Mo Wen and Mo Yuan were rivals, and it was common for the two to compete.

For instance, today, Mo Yuan likely knew Mo Wen was wearing green, so she had also worn a jade-green shirt and skirt to challenge her.

Although she wasn't as bright and vivid as Mo Wen, her figure was as graceful as a precious vase. With those watery eyes and a charming smile, she had likely outshone Mo Wen.

Under normal circumstances, Mo Wen’s face would have turned ugly, and she would have made a few sarcastic remarks.

But today, she sat there calmly, her eyelids slightly lowered, her expression reserved, showing no reaction at all.

This wasn't right!

Mo Yi felt puzzled. She took a sip of water and turned to look at her mother.

Her old mother’s back was also much straighter today, and she was acting a bit pretentious.

However, she didn't seem to have any desire to show off.

What was going on?

There must be some good news, right?!

But usually, whenever there was even a bit of good news, her mother would be insufferably smug.

How could she control herself today?

Mo Yuan deliberately brushed past Mo Wen and called out to the two aunts in a sweet voice.

"Third Sister!" she added with a light, smiling tone...

Mo Wen nodded with a forced smile.

Outside, footsteps thundered as Mo Fan and Mo Bao arrived.

The two boys walked in, shouting at the top of their lungs, and slammed into their seats.

Mo Fan looked toward their table, noticed Mo Yi was watching him, and grinned. He secretly pointed to a small package he was carrying...

He must have brought her something delicious! Mo Yi happily winked at him.

Madam Liu looked at the table before she even sat down. Tonight's dinner consisted of: pan-fried tofu with scallions, small pickled vegetables, a plate of scrambled eggs, two-grain steamed buns, small bean buns, and mixed-grain porridge... She curled her lip.

With the head of the household away, dinner was extremely simple.

On her way back, Madam Wang had bought spiced beef from Wuxiangzhai. She had just had a portion cut by the kitchen maid, but it was only served to the boys' table.

Mo Fan and Mo Bao were frowning at the dinner, but they cheered up once the spiced beef arrived.

Madam Liu’s face darkened, and she said in a strange tone

"Oh my, Mo Yuan, the food is good today. My internal heat has been high these past two days, so I'll eat something plain to cleanse my stomach."

Mo Yuan pursed her lips and smiled, full of charm, and gave an almost inaudible response.

Madam Liu glanced at Madam Zhuang, then scanned everyone with her eyes, finally fixing her gaze on the beef at the other table.

Madam Zhuang said indifferently, "That beef was bought by your second sister-in-law from outside to provide an extra dish for the boys."

Madam Liu looked mocking: "Is that so?! Oh my, Mo Yuan, why couldn't you have been born a boy? Your mother is useless, and your father... ha! Having him is the same as not having him! You, just make sure you don't starve to death!"

Madam Wang finally couldn't help but speak up: "Mo Wen and her two sisters are eating the same thing as Mo Yuan!"

This was indeed a fact.

But Madam Liu retorted quickly: "That's right! The three of them are eating Mo Yuan's share! Otherwise, there are only so many children in total; would it really be that hard to spare a bite?"

This remark infuriated Madam Wang, who thought to herself: If it's not hard to spare a bite, why have I never seen you buy any?

She took a breath, wanting to retort, but Mo Wen gently nudged her.

Madam Wang remembered something, smiled, said nothing, and focused on eating.

Madam Liu was petty about everything, which was truly annoying.

Originally, the second and third branches contributed the same amount of silver to the public fund.

But the third uncle was away year-round, and it was just the mother and daughter.

However, the second branch had five children! And the couple was always eating at home. Was it fair to pay the same amount?

Actually, Mo Yi knew that when her mother married into the Mo family, she had promised them benefits!

Because the Wang family was purely of peasant-turned-merchant origin. Her mother couldn't even recognize many characters!

But the Mo family, at the very least, was a family of scholars and officials. Her father, back in the day, was a fair-skinned, handsome scholar.

Without benefits, she wouldn't have been able to marry in!

The Mo family was able to maintain three courtyards; even if the houses weren't great, they were better than many and worse than some among the officials in the capital! This had everything to do with her mother marrying in. That was how the marriage was balanced!

Her mother didn't have a weak backbone; whenever Madam Liu made a scene, she, being "wealthy and imposing," wouldn't argue and would generously contribute more to the public fund.

Moreover, she often bought food for the house, though most of it was for the boys.

Madam Liu had no sons and couldn't take advantage of this, so she was very angry...

Mo Yi stole a glance at Mo Yuan... this fourth sister was the most interesting; she was excellent at playing dumb, acting as if she knew nothing.

She was eating her food in small, focused bites.

Mo Qing’s eyes darted back and forth, looking at this one and that one; she was happy as long as there was drama.

And Mo Wen... her movements while eating today were slower and more elegant than usual.

There must be something going on!

After scanning the scene, Mo Yi also focused on her meal.

(End of chapter)