Chapter 137: Chapter 114: All Reach Entry Grade; The Rationale for Taking in People
Cheng Guanghai understood his son’s thinking; he had brought it up before himself. After a mont’s thought, he asked, "If we have more people, what about our food supply?"
Cheng Zongyang nodded. "Don’t worry. If we don’t have enough grain, I’ll get more from the County Town. We’ll have enough to last a year, no problem. Once we plant next spring, a plot of over an acre and a half will yield several thousand pounds of grain by the autumn harvest. Besides, with more people to work, we can clear more land for farming. And if we happen to co across so cattle, we could buy a pair of calves. That would make plowing much easier."
Cheng Guanghai climbed up from the cellar and sat casually on the ground. "So how many people are you planning to bring back?" he continued.
"It depends. We’ll take children, and adults too. Dad, what’s your take on it?" Cheng Zongyang asked.
"Then pick those with families, the ones with children."
Cheng Guanghai said, "Adults with families and children have more to consider. If we give them food, let their children learn to read, and have them help with chores, they’ll develop a sense of belonging. The adults will work harder, too.
"If they perform well in the future, we can even give their children dicinal baths to help them reach Entry Grade. But once they join us, it’s the sa as joining the family. They’ll need to sign a contract. It might seem like a formality, but it still has so binding power. As for things like family rules, we aren’t very literate or worldly. We’ll have to let your second uncle handle that."
Cheng Zongyang thought for a mont and agreed it made sense. He gave a thumbs-up. "The older, the wiser. I have no objections."
"Oh, get out of here." Cheng Guanghai shot him an annoyed look, then added, "If you’re looking for orphans, start with a seven-to-three ratio of females to males. The girls should be a bit older, around your cousins’ age. After that, you can decide for yourself."
Cheng Zongyang asked, confused, "Why?"
Cheng Guanghai used the sweat towel around his neck to wipe his face and explained:
"You want the Cheng Family and Zhou Family to grow and prosper, so we’ll need won. Your two cousins aren’t young anymore; it’s ti for them to get married. But before, we were worried about having enough to eat. Marriage ant another mouth to feed, so it kept getting put off.
"That little brat Zongliang, he’s set his sights on both of the Chen Family girls at once. He’s quite greedy. But since the two sisters are willing, we’ll let him be..."
"Wait, wait, wait." Cheng Zongyang’s eyes went wide. He quickly asked, "No way, Dad. You actually asked the two sisters?"
Cheng Guanghai shot him a displeased glance.
"If I hadn’t asked, do you think your mother would let that little brat pester two young ladies? That would be just being a hooligan, wouldn’t it? Besides, looking at you, who knows when you’ll finally get married.
"And as the eldest son of the Cheng Family’s third generation, you’ll be the one leading the family in the future. Your primary wife can’t be just anyone. There are plenty of diocre but pretty won out there, but they won’t do. Your grandfather used to say that you should marry a virtuous wife, but you must also consider her Ability. So you need to find soone who can help you.
"For now, we’ll focus on Zongliang. Once they’re old enough, they’ll get married and have a few kids.
"Yang’Er, I’m not worried about you, given your personality. Zongliang is sly and clever, but his Ability is diocre. Finding two gentle-natured girls from the Chen Family is a good match for him. If they have a few kids, maybe the fourth generation will produce so strong ones.
"Go find so girls and bring them back. Let them recuperate for a while and get their health back. Let your cousins et them, and if there’s a match, they can get married. If not, they can stay and help your mother and the others with chores. Your mother can teach them a thing or two. After all, girls are usually more ticulous with housework. It’ll make things easier for your mother and the others.
"Of course, let your uncle and his family handle the specifics. I doubt they want diocre daughters-in-law either.
"But the kind of wife a man can find also depends on his own Ability. Everything has two sides. If the husband is weak and the wife is strong, the household will either be unstable, or she’ll be a great help in managing the family. If the husband is strong and the wife is weak, the husband will either have to work harder, or the ho will be orderly."
Cheng Zongyang listened carefully to his father’s words, nodding from ti to ti in agreent.
"Your older cousin Zhenyuan has an honest personality, but his wife can’t be too diocre either. He’s the eldest son, so he needs soone who can manage the household and their future children. If both parents are ek and honest, how will they discipline their kids? You’ll either get a rebellious child, or one with the exact sa personality, and then you’re done for.
"Your second cousin Zhendong is a hard worker, and he’s decisive in his words and actions. You saw how he handled himself when the village fought off those vagrants. He’s the opposite of his mother in that regard. He’ll be a leader in the future, so there’s no need to worry about him.
"So, bring back a few girls and let your cousins et them. We’ll see what happens. Your aunt and uncle are anxious, too."
Listening to his father share his experience, Cheng Zongyang felt he had learned a great deal.
"Dad, don’t worry. I’ll definitely let you and Mom et my future wife. If she’s not right, I’ll just find another one," Cheng Zongyang said with a smile.
"What nonsense are you talking? You can know a person’s face, but not their heart. How are we supposed to judge her character in a short ti? That’s sothing you have to see for yourself. It’s better to find soone with a gentle nature; you can still teach her after you’re married. If she’s strong-willed by nature, that’s hard to change. When two strong personalities clash, can you be the one to back down?
"Alright, just handle it as you see fit. Won like your mother and your second aunt can manage business and run a household, and they’re also caring and considerate. Your grandfather approved of them both."
Cheng Zongyang’s interest was piqued. He scraped the last of the congee from his bowl and said excitedly, "Dad, I still don’t know anything about Grandpa’s generation. Find so ti to tell
about it. At the very least, I should know where our main family branch is, right?"
"We were just ordinary farrs. There’s not much of a story to tell. It’s like if you and your brother were to separate from the family in the future—it’d be just like that. What else is there? Now go on, go on, you’re keeping
from my work." Cheng Guanghai was starting to sound dismissive.
Cheng Zongyang pouted. ’My parents are both the sa,’ he thought. ’They’re happy to see
at first, but it doesn’t take long before I beco a complete nuisance.’
Cheng Zongyang didn’t linger. He stood up and said, "I’ll rember. There are plenty of refugees in the County Town, so I’ll be sure to find so good candidates. You should prepare a few more bamboo huts on your end."
"I know. Your second uncle already marked out the spots this morning. Don’t you worry about these things. Just focus on improving your strength," Cheng Guanghai said with a wave of his hand.
The elders were just figureheads. The future belonged to the younger generation, so of course, they had to be pushed.
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