Nine Lives of Unjust Suffering Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Clarifying Debts of Gratitude and Grudges; A Bitter Family Quarrel and a Mother’s Broken Heart

When Lady Zheng learned that Yi-hang had followed Kwai-hing’s orders to beat Leang Tin-loi, her fury knew no bounds. Disregarding all propriety, she slapped him across the face, grabbed his collar, and refused to let go, wailing:

“You heartless, godless wretch! How dare you tell me this to my face! You might not care, but you’ve made it so I can never show my face in public again! What sins did your Ling ancestors commit to produce descendants who are nothing but bandits?”

Her cries were so loud they startled the neighbors in their small, cramped quarters. People crowded into the tiny house, initially thinking it was a simple domestic spat. Two men, seeing Yi-hang standing there dazed while his wife cursed him as a “shrew,” asked, “Brother Yi-hang, what is the matter?”

Yi-hang muttered sheepishly, “I don’t even know what she’s so upset about!”

Lady Zheng, realizing Yi-hang couldn’t escape with the room full of people, let go of him, straightened her hair, and addressed the crowd:

“It’s good that you are all here! Please, judge the logic of this situation for me! You all know how poor we are; many times a year our stove goes cold. What you might not know is that it’s always Lady Leang—our aunt—who sends us firewood, rice, and silver to keep us alive. Last year, when my mother-in-law died, we didn’t have a single cent. I didn’t want to bother the Leangs during a time of mourning, so I sent my husband to his ‘big-shot millionaire nephew’ Kwai-hing to beg for a few taels. He went three times and was told there was no money. The fourth time, they said the Master had gone to the city.

“Neighbors! This is his own Ling family blood! Back then, the weather was sweltering, and the old lady’s body was already starting to smell. We couldn’t even afford a single sheet of spirit paper to burn for her. I was desperate, at my wit’s end! In the end, I had to go back to the Leang aunt. The coffin, the burial clothes… everything was a gift from her. The next day, she even worried that we wouldn’t have money for the laborers and the burial fees, so she sent twenty taels with her servant Kei-fu. I was so moved I could only wail in front of him!”

Lady Zheng began to weep again before pointing a trembling finger at Yi-hang: “You shameless, soulless man! That was your own mother! You received such a massive debt of gratitude—tell me, even if you cut off your own flesh to feed them, could you ever repay that kindness?”

She turned back to the crowd. “Our millionaire nephew? Usually, when we’re too embarrassed to borrow more from the Leangs, we seek him out, only to find he’s either ‘sleeping’ or ‘out of town.’ Fine—his money is his, and our poverty is our fate. I don’t blame him for not lending. But today, this millionaire nephew suddenly became generous! Not only did he offer rice, but he promised five bags to this shameless man just to go and beat our aunt’s son, Tin-loi! And this wretch actually did it! Neighbors, I ask you—what kind of logic is this?”

Hearing this, several neighbors spat in Yi-hang’s direction. Lady Zheng continued, “And he has the nerve to come home with a grin on his face! It’s the Ling blood in him that makes him such an ungrateful dog, but how am I supposed to face anyone now? I curse my fate for marrying such a shameless bandit!”

In her grief, she tried to hurl herself against the wall to end her life, but the neighbors caught her just before she hit a rusted iron nail. They urged her to calm down.

“Don’t think I’m just a shrew,” she sobbed. “I’ve been in this house for twenty years and never raised my voice or complained about being poor. I comforted myself thinking that though my husband was poor, he was upright. Just the other day, when that devil Zong-kong asked him to help rob Tin-loi’s silver, he refused, saying: ‘Even if I starve, I won’t do it—especially not to Tin-loi! Even with a knife at my throat, I won’t!’ My heart was so full of joy then. How could he change so suddenly today? If I weren’t thinking of my late parents-in-law, I’d call him a beast to his face!”

An old man in the crowd spoke up: “Sister, don’t be angry anymore. Anger won’t solve this. Yi-hang has done wrong, and even a sage cannot undo the past. There is only one way: to admit the fault and apologize. Both of you should go to the Leang house right now and beg the aunt for forgiveness. She is a generous woman; surely her anger will fade if you show sincere regret.”

Lady Zheng looked at Yi-hang. “Will you follow this elder’s advice and go?”

Yi-hang was now flushed red with shame, standing restless and wishing there were a crack in the ground he could crawl into. After a long silence, he muttered, “I’ll go, then!”

Lady Zheng rose and grabbed him by his queue (braid) to lead him out. The crowd of neighbors followed them out the door. After entrusting Old Man Wu to watch over their house, she set off with Yi-hang.

“If we’re going, you’ll do exactly as I say!” she barked.

“Do what?” Yi-hang asked.

“When we get there and see the Aunt, you are to kneel and not get up until told. If she scolds you, you aren’t allowed to let your face turn red. Even if she gets so angry she cuts a piece of flesh off your body, you aren’t allowed to cry out in pain!” Yi-hang said nothing, simply following her lead. Lady Zheng scraped her finger against her own cheek in a gesture of shame toward him, muttering “Shameful! Simply shameful!” all the way there.

While the neighbors continued to gossip, Lady Zheng arrived at the Leang residence. Just as she reached the street corner, she ran into five or six men sent by Kwai-hing to deliver the rice.

Seeing Yi-hang, they called out, “Uncle Yi-hang! Our Master is sending rice to you! Where are you going? Is your door open?”

Lady Zheng spat in the speaker’s face. “Who is your ‘Uncle’? Only your master is fit to be called that! Who wants your ‘Prisoner’s Rations’? Take it back! Let your master use it to feed his lackeys. In this house, not even the pigs, dogs, or livestock will touch such filthy grain!” The delivery men, having been insulted for no apparent reason, had no choice but to shoulder the loads and head back in a foul mood.

Lady Zheng and Yi-hang reached the Leang house and knocked. Kei-fu opened the door. Upon entering the hall, they saw Lady Leang, Tin-loi, and the rest of the family sitting together. Lady Zheng gripped Yi-hang’s arm, rushed forward, and both fell to their knees before Lady Leang. Before she could utter a word, Lady Zheng burst into loud wailing.

Lady Leang was profoundly shocked. When Tin-loi had been beaten earlier, he realized it was Yi-hang—likely acting under Kwai-hing’s orders—and told his mother. As the family was discussing the matter, the couple suddenly burst in, looking disheveled and desperate.

Tin-loi feared the worst: “Oh no! Beating me on the road wasn’t enough; now they’ve come to the house to finish it!” But seeing them kneel and cry in silence felt like a blow from a muffled club—he didn’t understand the reason. He tried to pull Yi-hang up, but the man’s knees were like driven stakes; he wouldn’t budge. Lady Leang tried to help Zheng up, but she also refused.

“Daughters-in-law, quickly help Aunt Zheng up! I haven’t the strength!” Lady Leang called. Lady Liu and Lady Ye tried to assist, but Zheng only wept, leaving the whole family dazed.

“Sister, please get up,” Lady Leang urged. “We can talk this through.”

Lady Zheng finally stopped sobbing long enough to choke out, “Aunt! From this day forward, I have no face left to see you!” and began to cry again.

“Sister! What are you saying? I don’t understand!” Lady Leang cried, stamping her feet in worry. She looked at Yi-hang, who was also shedding tears.

After a long time, Lady Zheng explained how Yi-hang had been manipulated by Kwai-hing, her own domestic quarrel with him, and how the neighbors had intervened. “Aunt! I know you must be furious, but you are elderly; please do not let the anger harm your health. Just give us both a sound beating to vent your frustration.”

“What nonsense!” Lady Leang replied. “Sister, get up at once, or I shall have to kneel as well.”

Finally, the women helped Lady Zheng up. Tin-loi tried to pull Yi-hang up, but he remained stubbornly kneeling, tears falling like “broken pearls” from his eyes. Tin-loi felt immense pity. Before he could speak, Lady Zheng said, “Aunt! Though Yi-hang is a distant relation, he is still a younger brother of your maiden family. Since he committed such an ungrateful act, you must discipline him!”

“Why bother?” Lady Leang sighed. “Sister, it is enough that he knows his mistake.”

“Aunt! If I, your sister-in-law, don’t discipline my man here today, I’ll do it on your behalf!” In a flash, Lady Zheng snatched Lady Leang’s walking stick from behind her. Whack! She struck Yi-hang over the head. As she swung for a second blow, Lady Liu rushed forward to grab the stick.

Seeing the couple’s sincerity, Lady Leang felt even more distressed. She personally helped Yi-hang up this time. He finally rose, his face streaked with tears. Lady Zheng barked, “Get up! Are you still trying to act spoiled in front of your older sister?”

Lady Zheng then bowed to Tin-loi and Lady Liu. “Young Master, Young Mistress, please do not be angry! This is all my fault as a woman for not guiding him better.”

“Sister!” Lady Leang interrupted. “Don’t shame them with such talk. Sit down; I have things to say to you.”

Lady Leang took Zheng’s hand, her own tears falling. “Sister! Your coming here makes me both heartbroken and joyful. I am heartbroken because of the recent calamities brought by Kwai-hing. The robbery, the beatings—all done by my own maiden kin against my husband’s family. I have no power to stop them, which makes me feel ashamed before my late husband and my sons…”

“Mother, you must not say such things!” Tin-loi cried. “It is our own fault for misspeaking and offending our cousin. How can we blame you?”

“This has nothing to do with you,” Lady Leang said firmly. “This is my own conscience speaking.” She turned back to Zheng. “Sister, I have felt like I had no dignity left before my sons, even though they are filial and never complain. But your coming here today has restored so much of my ‘Face’!”

“It would be enough if we weren’t always coming to beg for help,” Zheng sighed. “How could we add to your glory?”

“Glory is not found in wealth or poverty,” Lady Leang said, holding up a thumb. “It is found in ‘Reason’ (Li). I am not happy just because you knelt to me; I am proud because… because I have such a wise and virtuous sister-in-law!” She pointed the thumb at Yi-hang. “And because I have a brother who is brave enough to repent! This brings honor not just to me, but to the entire Ling clan! At least now, no one can say every member of the Ling family is a muddled bandit!”

Lady Leang began to laugh, but tears continued to stream down her face. The laughter turned into a fit of coughing. Her daughters-in-law and grandchildren rushed to her side with towels and water. “Look at me,” Lady Leang wheezed. “Making everyone busy over my old bones.”

“This is your blessing, Aunt!” Lady Zheng remarked.

As evening fell, they invited the couple to stay for dinner. But just as the meal began, the servant Kei-fu burst in, frantic. “This is bad! Master Zong-kong…”

Before he could finish the sentence, Lady Leang nearly choked on her food, Tin-loi turned pale, and the women were thrown into a panic. Only Lady Zheng stood up in a rage, shouting, “What is that devil doing now?!”

Translator’s Note:

En (恩): This isn’t just “thanks”; it’s a deep, binding moral debt. In the Qing Dynasty, failing to repay En (especially related to a parent’s funeral) was a severe mark of character failure. Lady Zheng is arguing that Yi-hang has committed a spiritual crime far worse than the physical battery of Tin-loi.

Spirit Paper (紙錢): Burning paper money for the deceased was an essential ritual. To be unable to afford even one sheet meant the family was in the most pathetic state of “destitute poverty.”

The “Ground-Crawling” Comparison: Note that Yi-hang initially resisted Zong-kong’s robbery. This shows that he isn’t inherently evil like Zong-kong, but his poverty eventually broke his resolve—a common theme in “reformed” novels of this era.

The Mother’s Funeral: The fact that the Leang family (the aunt) paid for a Ling mother’s funeral when her own wealthy Ling nephew refused is the ultimate social humiliation for the Ling clan.

The Queue (辮子 – Biànzi): During the Qing Dynasty, men wore their hair in a long braid. Pulling or leading someone by the queue was a sign of complete dominance or extreme scolding.

“Glory is in Reason” (光彩不在窮富，只在道理上): This is the moral heart of the chapter. It highlights the Confucian value that moral integrity (Li) is far more important than material wealth.

The Walking Stick: Snatching an elder’s cane to beat a husband is a dramatic sign of “justice over harmony.” It shows that Lady Zheng is willing to break social decorum to uphold moral truth.