Chapter Thirty-One: The Enraged Father

“Hmph! Unfilial son, utterly unfilial! You’re going to be the death of me!” Zhou Tie bellowed in a rage as soon as he returned from the fields early that morning, storming into the courtyard.

Several days had passed, and Zhou Tie’s back had visibly improved. At first, he could only shuffle a few steps by the kang, but soon he was able to stroll around the house and the yard. Today, he felt not a trace of pain—he was as good as healed.

He was a man of the soil, a peasant who had never once in his life strayed from the land. These days spent lying on the kang, unable to leave the house, had been agony for him. He’d even missed out on the crucial work of plowing and sowing wheat. Now that his back was healed, how could he bear to sit idle? At first light, he had gone straight to the fields.

This year, Zhou Zhi was in charge of all the fieldwork. Though Zhou Zhi had won his bet with Chen Wenju and the Chen family’s oxen were used for the plowing, Zhou Tie’s heart could never be at ease. Had the wheat all sprouted? Was it sown at just the right density? These worries never left his mind. In short, though his body was confined to the kang, his heart had long since flown to the fields.

After his trip to the fields, for some unknown reason, he returned in a fit of fury. Mother Zhou He, startled, rushed out from the house, her voice trembling with fear. “What is it, husband? Why are you so angry? Whatever it is, can’t we talk it over calmly?”

“Calmly, my foot! It’s all your son’s doing. Where is that boy? Today I’ll beat him to death!” Zhou Tie roared, striding toward the house.

At that moment, Zhou Zhi was in his room, reading. Over the past few days, more than six thousand mud bricks had finally been made as of yesterday—enough, he reckoned, to build the half-mu vegetable greenhouse. The bricks laid out today would dry in the threshing yard, and by tomorrow, they’d be ready to transport to the field for the construction of the greenhouse walls.

His father’s rage was clearly directed at him. Zhou Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. What was bound to happen had happened—Father had finally found out. Ah, how could such things ever be kept hidden?

Their family owned eight mu of land, but Zhou Zhi had only let Chen Wenju’s men sow seven and a half, leaving half a mu by the roadside unsown. Now that Father knew, how could he not be furious? That land was his father’s lifeblood; the family’s entire hope rested on it.

Helpless, Zhou Zhi gave a bitter smile and scratched his head, steeling himself as he stepped out of his room. He stole a glance at his father—his face was dark with rage, features twisted, chest heaving as he breathed. He was clearly furious. Zhou Zhi made up his mind.

Zhou Tie’s anger only intensified when he saw Zhou Zhi, as if he were a raging lion, his bloodshot eyes blazing. Without another word, he grabbed a shovel leaning against the wall and swung it at Zhou Zhi.

“Don’t! You can’t do this—he’s your own son!” Mother Zhou He, seeing disaster about to strike, threw herself between them, clutching the handle of the shovel with all her strength.

“Please, husband, let’s talk this through. Zhou Zhi is a reasonable child. If he’s made a mistake, we must forgive him—if you strike him, the Zhou family may be finished!” she pleaded, her voice almost breaking into sobs.

She was right. Zhou Zhi was the eldest son, slightly thin but sturdy, and had done his share of farm and household work—he was now the main labor of the Zhou family. If Zhou Tie really struck him on the head with that shovel, Zhou Zhi would be gravely injured, and that would be the end of the Zhou family.

But Mother Zhou He could never have guessed Zhou Zhi’s true thoughts. Did he look like the sort who would stand there and wait for a beating? “A father may wish his son dead, and the son must obey”—that may be a shackle for others, but not for Zhou Zhi, who had a soul from another world.

Zhou Zhi knew full well that his father was in no state for reason—he couldn’t go head-to-head. That half-mu of unsown land was like a knife to his father’s heart.

He meant to use that half-mu for a vegetable greenhouse, but if he explained that now, it would only add fuel to the fire. Growing green vegetables in the dead of winter—wasn’t that mad fantasy?

What to do? There was only one option: run.

He had just taken two steps when he saw his mother blocking his father. So he stopped running and stood in the yard, still keeping a safe distance from his father.

Zhou Tie and his wife had always been close, and now, hearing the tremor in her voice, he hesitated for a moment. Still furious, he shouted, “Wife, don’t interfere! If we don’t discipline this unfilial son now, he’ll bring disaster on us sooner or later!”

“Husband, I must intervene today! You can’t hit him—please, I beg you!” With that, tears streamed down her face.

Seeing his mother in tears, Zhou Zhi felt a pang in his heart.

He had merged memories with the body’s original owner, and Mother had always doted on him. She was a kind woman, living frugally, her heart wholly devoted to home and children.

Though Zhou Tie’s anger was undiminished, he could not bear to resist her pleading. At last, with a huff, he tossed aside the shovel.

“Wife, it’s not that I wish to make things hard for this boy—you simply don’t know the whole story.”

A few days ago, I discovered he’d secretly taken to reading. I patiently spoke with him. He said the right things: that he wouldn’t neglect the farm work, and would only read during idle times. I thought, as long as it doesn’t cost the family a penny, it’s better for him to read in his spare time than run wild with the likes of Huo Dan and stay out all day. So I let him be.

But who’d have thought he was deceiving me? Of the eight mu of land, he left half a mu unsown. That land was cleared and left to us by my grandfather, who worked himself to the bone. How can I face my ancestors if we waste it?

Even that half mu could yield nearly a stone of wheat next year—a whole stone! That would make life much easier for our family.

Wife, with such a grave mistake, how can I possibly let him off?”

With a long sigh, Zhou Tie finished speaking.

Mother Zhou He listened quietly to his account and fell silent, unable to comprehend why Zhou Zhi would do such a thing. In her eyes, Zhou Zhi was a thoughtful, filial son, always putting the family first. Yet to leave land unsown—this was nothing but idleness. How had her son come to this?

But her heart still ached for Zhou Zhi. After a moment, she said, “What’s done is done. What’s the point of anger now? The sowing season’s past—there’s no planting wheat now. That half-mu can be left fallow to rest the soil. Talk things over with Zhou Zhi and have him do better next year.”

“Hmph! Always shielding that boy—ah!” Zhou Tie said helplessly.

Then, turning sharply to Zhou Zhi, he shouted, “You listen well! From now on, you’re to stay at home and do nothing. Return those books you borrowed to Master Wang at once—don’t let yourself be ruined by reading and start entertaining foolish dreams!”