Chapter 10: Unfilial Son (Seeking monthly ticket and follow-up reading) Marry together? Big brother's, it's yours. What do you mean? Polyandry? Qiu Zhen was shocked by his elder brother's words. After he had established his foundation for a hundred days, his ears were not as psychic as his eyes, and he did not open his [Heavenly Ears], but he still had sharp hearing and clear eyes. Even in a noisy environment, he could hear everything clearly and would never make a mistake. I saw that the eldest brother Qiu Qing looked serious, even with a pleading look. He understood that his elder brother was not joking but had made a decision after serious consideration. "This" Qiu Zhen felt extremely complicated. Marriage in this world is more diverse. Ordinary families mostly practice monogamy, while wealthy families have one wife and multiple concubines. As for polyandry, it mostly exists in remote areas and extremely poor families. The family did not have much land, nor a good job to make a living, and the brothers were extremely poor. This was why two or even several brothers had to share one wife.
With two or three adult laborers, supporting a family and reproducing offspring is not a problem. The emergence of "polyandry" is an inevitable choice under harsh circumstances. However, the Qiu family was not that poor. The family has ten acres of land, which they cultivate carefully and take good care of. In addition, they do some odd jobs and have some side jobs on weekdays, so it is not a problem to support the family. This is how the two brothers were raised. Regardless of the laws of the country or the clan etiquette, the heir to the Qiu family's ten acres of ancestral property is the eldest brother Qiu Qing. As the younger brother, he can at most share his parents' property equally with his eldest brother after their parents pass away. Qiu Zhen is truly unemployed, but his elder brother is not. With the eldest brother Qiu Qing's conditions and ten acres of land, it would not be difficult for him to find a matchmaker to help him find a wife. There is no need for two brothers to marry the same wife. "Brother, there's no need to do this." Qiu Zhen shook his head repeatedly and flatly rejected his elder brother Qiu Qing. However, he felt secretly touched in his heart. Everyone has selfish desires and possessiveness. The eldest brother Qiu was only eighteen years old, simple in character, and inexperienced in the world. His words were somewhat childish and had not been considered in the long run or deeply. However, just having this kind of heart is very rare. Even Qiu Zhen, who had a firm faith in Taoism, was somewhat touched. "Brother, just take care of yourself and have a wife and children. You don't need to worry about me, your younger brother." After saying this, Qiu Zhen said with a very firm tone: "I will become a martial arts master and excel in my career." "Ah~" Qiu Qing was not at all surprised by his younger brother's reaction. He sighed and said:
"Brother, I know you are stubborn and want to make your own way, but don't force yourself. You are handsome, have the skills to prepare medicines, and are familiar with medicine. If you open a small medicine shop and run it well, it won't be a problem to find a matchmaker and get married. This is also a way." "You usually practice martial arts, so your savings may not be enough to open a medicine shop. My parents have some money, so it won't be a problem to set up a medicine shop." As he spoke, Qiu Qing also became more excited and talked non-stop: "Don't worry about your parents. They could be really mad at you, but you don't have to go back and give in. I will help you smooth things over. You just need to go home and open your medicine shop." "Crack!" With a push of the knee, the crisp sound of a wooden stick breaking was heard. In the light of the fire, Qiu Qing's dark face was full of excitement and sincerity. Qiu Zhen was stunned. In fact, in the past ten years or so, he had a very good relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Qiu. His parents loved their youngest son, and he had been handsome and obedient since childhood, so his parents naturally spoiled him. However, the relationship has deteriorated since he became enlightened. It’s not that he doesn’t know how to behave after living two lives and doesn’t know how to please his elders. The truth is that the generation gap between the two sides is too big, like a whole world between them. On daily matters, Qiu Zhen followed the elders' wishes and lived in peace. However, when it came to some important life decisions, he would never compromise. It is said that he was handsome and had been spotted by a wealthy family in the neighboring village a few years ago, who wanted to invite him to be their son-in-law. When Mr. Qiu heard this, he was overjoyed. He thought this was a good way out and agreed without hesitation. Qiu Zhen was shocked. The son-in-law who is in a good position and lives off his wife is mostly the product of artistic processing, just like the female ghost or fox spirit falling in love with the scholar in the stories of the storytellers in the market. To put it bluntly, a "son-in-law" is a "tool man" recruited into the family for the purpose of reproduction by a family with daughters but no sons. He lives under someone else's roof, has a low status, and is a truly lowly person. Good things will never come to him, and he will definitely be forced to do labor service and guard the border. In the woman's family, you have to endure the bullying and contempt, and in the end, all the income from your labor belongs to others. Perhaps, in the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Qiu, this is a way out. But in Qiu Zhen's eyes, it is undoubtedly a quagmire of life and a sinkhole. Once you fall in, it is very difficult to climb out. You have to take a lot of detours and spend a lot of effort. So, he went to the rich family's door immediately and cancelled the engagement. This incident made Qiu's father and mother lose face, and it was the beginning of the breakdown of their relationship. However, what really made the relationship between the two sides unable to ease was not the "broken engagement" incident, but the fact that after Qiu Zhen entered Qingmu Medicine Shop to work, he did not give all of his wages to Qiu's father and mother, but kept most of it for practicing martial arts. Before the family business is actually divided, all money is considered “common property”. Skinny Shen Liang and big-headed Zhao Dou, except for basic expenses, took almost all of their earnings from working at Qingmu Medicine Shop back home to their parents.
Qiu Zhen's behavior of "withholding" and not giving any money, and only occasionally supplementing the family expenses, is undoubtedly "treasonous", selfish, and a rebellious son who has no regard for his parents or family. This world is not as enlightened as later generations, and all parents act like "family patriarchs". The words of the parents and the agreement of the matchmaker control the financial power and their words are final. Qiu Zhen didn't do many "disobedient things", but each one was fatal, and any one of them was a "bad thing" of treason. In the eyes of outsiders, he is a complete "unfilial son" and his behavior is selfish. If he were an ordinary teenager, even if he had a firm faith in Taoism, he would probably find it difficult to withstand the pressure of worldly public opinion. Qiu Zhen is different. Having lived two lives, he deeply realized that now is the most critical period for him to accumulate original capital and grow rapidly. If one's own resources are not enough and one uses all the surplus labor to supplement the family expenses, then this is undoubtedly a step towards self-destruction and it will be difficult for one to turn things around in his lifetime. Even if you come across a good opportunity and have an idea, but you are short of money and cannot put it into action, it is easy to miss the opportunity. This was indeed the case. He had no savings, so he could not rent a small courtyard in Xiangyang Village. If he practiced the Golden Silk Immortal Skill in Qingmu Medicine Shop, there would be many people around and his pursuit of immortality might be discovered, which would definitely leave hidden dangers in the end. All attempts to defy fate and change destiny have become false. This is like encountering a dangerous rapids on the road, and Qiu Zhen risks crossing the river alone. As long as he gets through it and has the experience, the whole family can cross the river by feeling their way across. It is basically impossible for a large family to cross the river together, and it is impossible for Mr. and Mrs. Qiu to take the risk. They can only wait there and spend their lives in mediocrity. In the end, the entire family could only stay where they were and was unable to turn things around. This view can be understood by many people in later generations, but in this world, there are very few people who understand it. "Brother, we'll talk about opening a medicine shop in our hometown later." Qiu Zhen shook his head and refused. Without further explanation, he changed the subject: "By the way, Boss, how come you have time to come to town today? Did something happen at home?" "Everything is fine at home." Seeing that his younger brother did not respond to his words, Qiu Qing did not continue to preach, but just sighed in his heart: "There's some unrest in the mountains. There are more ferocious beasts around than before. People from several villages in our town came to the town to buy some weapons and ferocious beast traps. I came to see you on the way." (End of this chapter)