Chapter 4

The three-sided courtyard, with stone walls and a thatched roof of sea grass, had a main house with three rooms and two side wings, each with three rooms. To the south, there was no house, but rather a stone gatehouse and a stone wall about ten feet high. A large wooden plaque hung above the stone gatehouse, inscribed with two powerful characters: Li Family Manor.

However, the peeling paint on the wooden plaque had robbed the characters of their original luster. The sea grass roofs of the Li Family’s nine rooms were overgrown with wild grass, swaying in the wind. After decades of wind and rain, the three-sided courtyard revealed everywhere the decline of the family.

This was Li Jing’s home, a three-sided courtyard with stone walls and a sea grass roof. The courtyard was large, and the rooms were spacious, with many signs of the family’s former prosperity. This type of sea grass house was a unique architectural style in the coastal areas of Shandong. Wang Li Village was located on the coast of the Shandong Peninsula, where summers were rainy and humid, and winters were snowy and cold. Under these special geographical and climatic conditions, the primary consideration for residential buildings was to keep warm in winter and cool in summer. As early as the Han Dynasty, the people had accumulated unique building experience through long-term life, using thick stone to build walls and dried sea grass as roofing material to construct sea grass houses.

Sea grass grows in spring and withers in autumn. When it reaches a certain height, strong winds and waves would roll it into clumps and push it ashore. People who wanted to build houses would collect sea grass from the beach in advance. They would gather, dry, and organize the sea grass, using it when building houses. Because sea grass contains a large amount of salt and gelatin, a thick roof made of it has the characteristics of being resistant to insect damage, mold, and fire, as well as being warm in winter and cool in summer, comfortable to live in, and durable for a hundred years. It was the most favored building style by the coastal residents.

Li Jing’s three-sided courtyard had a history of fifty years. It was said that when it was built, over 50,000 pounds of sea grass were used. Not only in Wang Li Village, but even in the surrounding area, the Li Family’s three-sided courtyard was one of the best houses.

Unfortunately, after just fifty years, the Li Family had already fallen into decline. The hundreds of acres of land they had owned in the past were now reduced to fifty acres and ten acres of mulberry fields, barely enough to support the family. In their best years, the Li Family had owned 300 acres of good land and three oxen.

But now, the Li Family could not even afford to repair their house.

Li Jing and Wan'er entered the main hall of the house, where the eldest sister-in-law had already prepared the meal.

"Mother, eldest sister-in-law," Li Jing greeted the two elders.

Li Jing’s mother, Lady Han, was just fifty years old, but her hair was already white, neatly combed into a falling horse bun with a wooden hairpin. She wore a coarse cotton dress, which, though not patched, had been washed until it was almost white.

From his memory, Li Jing knew that his mother, Lady Han, was from a branch of the Han family, a prominent clan in Qingzhou. In her youth, her father had arranged a marriage with Li Jing’s grandfather, who was an officer under Li Shidao, the military governor of Ziqing and Pinglu in Shandong. Li Shidao had once done a favor for Lady Han’s father, and thus the two families had formed this marriage alliance. However, before Li Jing’s father was born, Li Shidao was defeated and killed by the imperial court, and Li Jing’s grandfather also died in battle. Li Jing’s grandmother moved the family to Wendeng County, thinking that the marriage alliance with the Han family was over. But unexpectedly, after more than ten years, the Han family came forward to complete the marriage.

Lady Han, from a prominent family, had learned to read and write and was well-versed in literature and poetry. She married into the Li family at a young age and gave birth to three sons and five daughters, all of whom she raised to adulthood. Li Jing’s father had abandoned martial arts for literature and continued to study after marriage, leaving most of the household affairs to Lady Han. After failing the imperial examinations and becoming a minor official, he was often away from home, leaving everything to Lady Han.

Thirteen years ago, Li Jing’s father died, leaving the eldest son, who was only thirteen, and the other two sons, who were only seven or eight, along with several young daughters. At that time, some of Li Jing’s uncles came to persuade Lady Han to remarry, hoping to take over the family’s property, but she firmly refused, even threatening to die to uphold her honor. This scared the uncles away.

Lady Han was kind and hardworking, raising a large family. She was the most traditional and praiseworthy woman of her time.

"Are you feeling better, my son? If you’re not feeling well, we should call a doctor," Lady Han looked at her youngest son with a kind face, feeling both comforted and saddened. This son was different from the older two, who, though filial and diligent, were not good at studying. The youngest son, on the other hand, was not only sensible but also intelligent in his studies, grasping concepts quickly and deeply. She had always believed that her son would pass the imperial examinations and become a scholar. If the imperial court had not abolished the scholar degree, her son would have been the best scholar.

Alas, the Li Family had suffered many misfortunes, and now the burden of the family rested on this young man, hindering his future.

A dim oil lamp lit the room, and Li Jing could see his mother’s eyes were moist. He said, "Mother, I’m fine."

"That’s good, that’s good," Lady Han patted his hand.

"Eldest sister-in-law, where is the second sister-in-law?"

The eldest sister-in-law, while serving the family, replied, "The second sister-in-law is reciting scriptures for your second brother, sigh."

The second brother’s seven-day memorial had just passed, and the second sister-in-law was still in mourning. Li Jing sighed, thinking of his second brother, who was only a year older than him and had died just half a year after marrying Wang Shi. The second sister-in-law, only sixteen, was now a widow.

Li Jing turned to look at the eldest sister-in-law, who was also a widow after only half a year of marriage. She had been a widow for four years and was only twenty-one. Even more tragic was that both widows had no children, and at such a young age, they had to live as widows without any support.

"Eldest sister-in-law, if there’s a suitable match, you should consider remarrying," Li Jing said, unable to bear the thought of a young woman living as a widow for the rest of her life.

His words caused a stunned silence in the room.

The fourth and fifth sisters, who had just come out of the weaving room, were shocked. The fourth sister, Wanjing, quickly said, "Brother, what are you saying? You should apologize to the eldest sister-in-law. How can you even suggest such a thing? You’re supposed to be educated."

The eldest sister-in-law, Zhang Shi, lowered her head and shed tears, and the family fell into silence.

Li Jing opened his mouth, "Eldest sister-in-law, I mean no disrespect. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. It’s not worth wasting it. You have no children, and our family is in decline. What’s the point of staying and suffering? Find a good family and live the rest of your life."

The eldest sister-in-law wiped her tears and looked up, "I know you mean well, but I am a farmer’s daughter and understand the value of chastity. I admire your grandmother, who raised all the uncles and aunts alone. Please don’t say such things again. I am a Li Family woman in life and a Li Family ghost in death. I will never remarry."

Lady Han sat there, wanting to say something but ultimately remained silent.

"Let’s eat. I cooked some cabbage and added two eggs. Everyone, eat quickly before it gets cold," the eldest sister-in-law forced a smile.

No one spoke. The Li Family had strict rules, and talking during meals was forbidden. The family ate in separate seats, with two dishes and a bowl of porridge in front of each person. The two dishes were cabbage with eggs and pickled vegetables, and the porridge was made from millet. The cabbage was bland, with only a little oil and salt. The porridge was made from crushed millet, including the husks, and was so thin it was almost like soup, with very few grains of rice.

Li Jing looked at his mother, sister-in-law, and sisters and saw that the two eggs were all in his dish, and the porridge in the women’s bowls was even thinner, almost just water.

"Is the porridge not enough, Third Brother?" Lady Han asked, seeing Li Jing stop eating. She turned to the eldest sister-in-law, "Older sister, we have two bolts of cloth. Take them to the market tomorrow and exchange them for some rice and flour. Third Brother is recovering from a serious illness and needs more nourishment."

"Yes, Mother," the eldest sister-in-law replied.

"Mother, how much does a dou of rice cost now?" Li Jing asked.

"A dou of rice costs 200 coins, millet 160 coins, and wheat 180 coins. A few years ago, a dou of rice only cost 20 coins. Now it’s ten times that. If this continues, we’ll have to exchange our rice for sorghum in Wendeng and mix it with bran and wild vegetables to get through this year."

Li Jing felt a heavy weight in his heart, seeing the hunger and malnutrition on the faces of his family, yet they still gave him the eggs and more porridge.

He felt a lump in his throat. How could a man let his family of women go hungry? He was from the future and couldn’t let a family of women support him. The most urgent task was to solve the family’s food problem. But how could he do that?

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