Chapter 161: The Head of the Liu Family

Old Liu's words seemed to carry a hidden meaning, so Liu Yitiao asked, "What do you mean, Dad? Is Er-tiao being bullied outside?"

"No, no, Dad is just worried that once Er-tiao learns your martial arts, he might use them to bully others, which wouldn't be good," Old Liu hurriedly waved his hand to dismiss the thought. "Er-tiao is a scholar who will be an official in the future. He walks the path of the brush and ink; how could he act like those wanderers of the pugilistic world, resorting to blades and fists at every turn? It makes a bad impression."

"Well, Dad makes sense." Seeing that Old Liu did not want to elaborate, Liu Yitiao did not press further. Instead, he glanced at Liu Er-tiao and said, "However, Er-tiao is pure and kind by nature, and he would never stir up trouble or use martial might to bully others. Therefore, letting him learn some martial arts does no harm. On the contrary, having a skill to fall back on gives one something to rely on when facing bullies, doesn't it?"

With that, Liu Yitiao patted Liu Er-tiao's shoulder and said, "Er-tiao, whether you are studying and traveling abroad or serving as an official in some post in the future, if anyone dares to step on our heads, you just strike right back with all your might. To live as a man and stand as a hero, when you suffer a grievance, you shouldn't just think about how to endure it; you must also think about how to retaliate. As long as you have reason and evidence on your side, even if it's an imperial prince or the crown prince, you must dare to bite a piece of flesh right out of him!"

Such words might sound a bit extreme, but for Liu Er-tiao—a child who had grown up under the influence of Liu Laoshi's somewhat cowardly personality—they were entirely appropriate.

A person must know how to protect themselves and how to fight back. Swallowing one's anger and bearing insults only invites others to despise you and leads to even more brutal bullying.

"Yes! I understand, Eldest Brother! Thank you, Eldest Brother!" Liu Er-tiao unconsciously clenched his fists, looking deeply stirred. He had never heard anyone speak such words to him before—to answer fists with fists. Thinking of his eldest brother's heroic feats of beating up Wang Shuai in the past and plotting the demise of Wang Kui, the look Liu Er-tiao gave Liu Yitiao grew even more fervent.

To be a man, one should be like Eldest Brother!

"Uh..." Seeing Liu Er-tiao's excited and inspired state, Old Liu raised a hand as if wanting to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. Perhaps, the eldest boy was right after all, sigh!

"Alright," Liu Yitiao patted Liu Er-tiao's shoulder again and said, "That being said, your primary task remains studying and preparing for the imperial examinations. As for practicing martial arts, let's set it for every early morning. When the time comes, Eldest Brother will call you. Now, off to the study to review your books."

"Yes, Eldest Brother, Dad." Liu Er-tiao nodded at Old Liu and Liu Yitiao before turning and heading toward the study.

"Yitiao, are you sure? Won't doing this harm Er-tiao?" Once Liu Er-tiao had entered the room, Old Liu turned to Liu Yitiao and asked. The words Liu Yitiao had just spoken still made his heart pound with lingering anxiety. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—was that really for the best?

"Dad, you can rest easy," Liu Yitiao smiled, comforting Old Liu. "Er-tiao is destined to be an official in the future. Being an official is different from us common folk living in the countryside, where a little endurance and concession can let things pass. In the officialdom, deception and trickery run rampant, and it's a world where the strong prey on the weak. The more timid and cowardly a person is, the easier they are to bully, and the less they will ever achieve. Therefore, for Er-tiao's future official career to go smoothly, these qualities are essential."

Old Liu nodded, half-understanding. Although he knew the eldest boy would never harm the second boy, his heart still fluttered with worry, terrified that the second boy might provoke someone he shouldn't.

Ah, ancestors protect us. Old Liu sighed softly, then stood up to tend to his precious draft oxen.

Liu Yitiao splashed some water on his face, went inside to change his clothes, and hurried over to help Old Liu.

"Dad," Liu Yitiao picked up a handful of dried hay and placed it under the straw cutter, and Old Liu operated the blade to chop it up.

"Right now, having only twenty-one draft oxen at home feels a bit crowded. If those fifty draft oxen from the county are bestowed upon us as well, where should we put them?"

Liu Yitiao looked at Old Liu, once again bringing up the matter they had discussed earlier, and suggested, "Why don't we build a new residence? We can pick an open plot of land among the three hundred qing of fields newly granted by the imperial court and build a large manor there. Not only can it serve to guard our fields, but it will also save us some silver on purchasing residential land. What do you think, Dad?"

"Well, you can make the decision on this. Our current house is indeed a bit too small; it's about time we moved," Old Liu gathered the chopped straw into a wooden basin, stood up, and said to Liu Yitiao as if it were no big deal.

"Huh?" Liu Yitiao paused. Although he had not been in the Tang Dynasty for long, he knew that moving house and changing residences was a major event, second only to ancestor worship, and was traditionally decided solely by the head of the household. For Old Liu to tell Liu Yitiao to take charge—wasn't that handing over his authority?

"Dad, you are the head of the Liu family. Matters like this should still be decided by you. I'm just a junior who knows nothing. Even if I wanted to do it, I wouldn't even know where to start..."

Liu Yitiao put down the dried hay in his hands, stood up, and stared blankly at Liu Laoshi.

"Hehe, Yitiao," Old Liu scattered the chopped straw from the basin into the oxen's feeding trough, then turned to look at Liu Yitiao and said, "Dad understands your intentions, but Dad really doesn't want to manage it anymore."

Liu Laoshi continued, "In the past, our family had a small business and few assets, so me acting as the head of the household sufficed. But now, seeing the family property grow bit by bit under your hands, expanding day by day, Dad is already starting to feel unequal to the task. Therefore, from now on, the position of head of the Liu family should be yours to shoulder."

"Dad—"

"You don't need to say anymore," Old Liu interrupted Liu Yitiao. "From now on, family matters will be decided by you. Dad believes you will do an even better job. In a moment, Dad will bring out all the family savings and account books and hand them over to you for unified arrangement and deployment."

The idea of handing over the family authority to Liu Yitiao had formed in Old Liu's mind the moment Liu Yitiao secured those thirty qing of arable land. The eldest boy was more capable than him—that was something Old Liu had to admit. He believed that if this household was left for the eldest boy to manage, it would surely be a hundred times better than under his own stewardship as a father.

"Well then, Dad, I won't stand on ceremony with you anymore." Seeing Old Liu's persistence and genuine sincerity, Liu Yitiao stopped being modest and accepted the burden of being the head of the Liu family.

"Good, that's settled." Old Liu nodded, feeling a weight lift from his mind. He said to Liu Yitiao, "Actually, Dad originally planned to hand this authority over to you only after you and that girl Chuchu got married and established your own household."

"It's just that you've stirred up such a commotion now—fifty oxen, three hundred qing of perpetual-tax fields, and all those fabrics and monies sent by County Assistant Li yesterday—which left Dad a bit overwhelmed, forcing me to pass the torch early. From now on, you'll have to bear the burden of family matters, my eldest boy."

"Dad, don't worry. I will certainly not let you down," Liu Yitiao took the wooden basin from Old Liu's hands and made a firm promise.

He would undoubtedly make the Old Liu family truly prosperous and thriving. Never again would they worry about three meals a day, never again would they fret over food and clothing, and never again would they be bullied without daring to talk back.

"Good, Dad believes you." Old Liu smiled and nodded, saying to Liu Yitiao, "Alright, your mother has finished cooking. Let's wash up and head over."

"Yes," Liu Yitiao placed the wooden basin into the ox shed, dusted the grass chaff off his clothes, and followed Liu Laoshi into the main room.

After breakfast, before long, Li Deyichen brought over more than a hundred tenant farmers to report to Liu Yitiao, filling the Old Liu household to the brim. Moreover, each of these tenant farmers had a wooden tool slung over their shoulder.

Sure enough, they were preparing to use these for excavation. Liu Yitiao began to congratulate himself on his foresight.

"Master," Li Deyichen stepped forward and said to Liu Yitiao, "Everyone is here. Should we start digging right now? Please give your instructions, Master."

"Yes," Liu Yitiao nodded and instructed Li Deyichen, "Elder Li, lead everyone over first; I will follow shortly. Oh, remember, in each group, at least two deep wells must be dug. The dimensions of the wellheads should be comparable to the stone well in the village. By this afternoon, I will send you some tools designed for efficient well-digging. Let's strive to dig all these deep wells within a month."

"A month?" Li Deyichen paused, then blurted out in dismay, "Master, digging a deep well in a month—how is that possible?! Even if we were to work day and night without stopping, without eating, drinking, or sleeping, we still wouldn't be able to dig them out!"

Li Deyichen's reaction was quite agitated. To dig a stone well in a month—how could that be? Wasn't the master making fun of them?

"Hehe, Elder Li can rest easy about that. Since Liu said they will be dug within a month, they certainly will be," Liu Yitiao smiled lightly with absolute confidence, looking at Li Deyichen and the others. "You just need to dig diligently. There's no need to work day and night; as long as you don't slack off, if you genuinely fail to finish digging by then, Liu won't blame you."

"Understood, Master," the tenant farmers chimed in with nods, and Li Deyichen finally set his mind at ease.

No need to work day and night, no fear of punishment for failing to meet the deadline, and generous rewards waiting upon completion—following such a considerate and generous master was truly the good fortune of these tenant farmers.

"Master, since that is the case, we will take our leave now." Li Deyichen bowed deeply to Liu Yitiao. Seeing Liu Yitiao nod in approval, he led the men toward the fields on the west side of the village.