Chapter 5: Changgen Has Left!

"No more gambling, no more!" Xu Fugui waved his hands dismissively. "I don't have any money left to gamble with anyway. Master Long, if there's nothing else, we'll be heading off."

"Hey, Fugui, wait a moment!" Long Er called him back, saying, "Fugui, let me be straight with you. I've decided to quit gambling myself and settle down to live a proper life. Otherwise, I fear I might end up in the same wretched state as you. I intend to buy your old family estate and those hundred-plus acres of tribute fields. I'll be moving in before long, so you all need to hurry up and vacate the place."

"Understood, Master Long!" Xu Fugui replied. "Master Long, we plan to build a thatched cottage at the foot of the mountain on the east side of the village. We’ve already started packing up our things; please give us a few days."

"That’s fair, that’s fair!" Long Er fanned himself and said, "Fugui, let's do this—I won't press you. I'll give you half a month. That should be plenty of time to build a thatched cottage, right?"

"Plenty, plenty!" Xu Fugui said. "Thank you, Master Long, thank you!" In his heart, he was actually hoping Long Er would move in as soon as possible to seal his fate as the new landlord.

Leaving Long Er’s place, the two men didn't rush back. They set down their empty carrying poles to rest for a while. Changgen said, "Young Master, the Master and Mistress are getting on in years, Fengxia is still young, and the Young Mistress is pregnant. You must never gamble again. This family relies on you to hold it together."

Xu Fugui nodded. "Changgen, I promised my father. I will never gamble again. I will live a good life from now on!"

"That's good, that's good!"

They ate some flatbread they had brought from home and rested for about half an hour. Xu Fugui stood up, brushed off his pants, and said, "Changgen, let's head home."

"Young Master, I'm going over there to use the latrine!"

"Go ahead, hurry back!" Xu Fugui didn't think twice and sat back down. "I'll wait for you."

Changgen took a bundle from the carrying basket, slung it over his shoulder, and headed toward the public latrine. As he neared it, he suddenly turned into a side alley. He looked back at his young master resting in the distance, his eyes brimming with tears, and whispered, "Young Master, I have no home anymore. Changgen has no home. Young Master, you must live well. Take care of the Master, the Mistress, the Young Mistress, and Fengxia. Young Master, I'm leaving!"

He wiped the tears from his face and turned into the alley.

On the other side, Xu Fugui waited for ten minutes. Seeing no sign of him, he walked over to the public latrine to call out, "Changgen, Changgen..."

There was no response after calling for a long time. Just then, a man walked out of the men's room, fastening his belt, and said, "Hey, what are you yelling for? There's no one in there!"

"No one?" Xu Fugui froze. A second later, it dawned on him: why had Changgen taken a bundle with him when he left?

Oh no!

He rushed into the men's room. It was empty, smelling of nothing but pungent urine. He ran out to search the street, but the county town was small, consisting of only a few streets. After a full round with no luck, he had to return to where he had left his baskets, sinking down onto the ground.

The regret was overwhelming! Why hadn't he understood what Changgen was saying? He was bidding him farewell. That morning when they left, he had seen the bundle on the basket; he must have intended to leave then.

Sigh... Truth be told, Changgen was the most miserable of them all. He had worked as a long-term laborer for his family for most of his life. By all rights, he should have been cared for in his old age, but now that he had squandered the family fortune, what could he use to support him? Changgen didn't want to be a burden to them. If there was one person in this life he had wronged the most, it was definitely Changgen. Fortunately, there was a chance for redemption; in his memory, Changgen returned once a few months later to visit them. Reborn into this life, he would make sure to keep him next time. He would never let him leave again.

He stacked the baskets, shouldered them, and headed home. It was much lighter with the baskets empty. In about an hour, he reached the village. Fengxia was sitting on the stone threshold in front of their courtyard and spotted her father coming toward the village entrance at a glance.

She stood up immediately, shouting into the courtyard, "Grandpa, Grandma, Mother, Dad is back!" She then trotted toward the village entrance on her short legs, calling out happily, "Dad, Dad..."

Xu Fugui saw her and called back, "Fengxia, don't run, don't fall."

When he arrived home, the family gathered around. Mother Xu said, "Son, are you tired? Look at you, drenched in sweat. Take off your coat, let Mother wipe you down."

"Mother, I'm fine!"

Xu Fugui took off his top. When his mother saw the red welts on his shoulders, worn raw and bleeding, her tears fell instantly. "And you say you're fine? The skin is rubbed raw. Zhenjia, hurry and get that wound medicine; let's put some on Fugui."

Zhenjia turned to go inside, but Xu Fugui stopped her. "Zhenjia, there's no need."

He turned to his mother and said, "Mother, it’s just a bit of rubbed skin, it's fine. Don't waste the medicine. After a few more times, I'll develop calluses on my shoulders, and it won't hurt to carry the poles anymore. Your son isn't a young master anymore; I'm just a commoner. From now on, I have to learn to do the work—fetching water, chopping wood, and farming."

Mother Xu wiped her tears, seeing that her son had truly matured.

Xu Fugui took the IOU from his pocket and handed it to his father. "Father, I gave all four baskets of copper coins to Long Er. The debt is cleared. This is the IOU I wrote earlier; take a look."

Father Xu took it and looked. "Good, good, good!"

Right in front of the family, he tore the IOU to shreds and threw them on the ground. Fengxia, not knowing any better, ran over, picked up the paper scraps, and tossed them into the air, giggling, "Grandpa, it's snowing!"

Father Xu dotingly stroked his granddaughter's head and said, "Fugui, from now on, this family relies on you. You must hold the Xu family together."

"I know, Father!" Xu Fugui nodded firmly.

At this moment, Zhenjia asked, "Hey, Fugui, why are you the only one back? Where is Changgen? Why didn't Changgen come back?"

Father and Mother Xu only then realized they hadn't noticed.

Xu Fugui sighed and explained what happened. His mother burst into tears again—"Oh, our family has failed Changgen."

Xu Fugui said, "Father, Mother, it was my own foolishness. I am the one who failed him. Changgen stayed with our family for so long; I know he couldn't bear to leave just like that. He will definitely come to see us later, and when he does, I will make sure to keep him. No matter what, I won't let him leave again."

Father Xu nodded. "It's just an extra pair of chopsticks. No matter how hard it gets, we'll make room. When he comes next time, we must keep him."

The debt was paid, and the landlord label had been removed. The whole family had become poor peasants. Although Long Er had given them half a month to move out, they had to hurry to build the thatched cottage. Xufuchuan was backed by the mountains, and there was no shortage of wood. At this time, going up the mountain to chop wood or hunt was not illegal, unlike in later generations where killing a few sparrows might land you in prison.