Chapter 009 Let the Scholar Wash My Mother's Feet
Chen Biao sent a few "mud lumps" to Zhu Yuanzhang.
Although he had intended to joke, Zhu Yuanzhang was the one who invented beggar's chicken. He knew how to eat it just by looking at the mud pimple. Chen Biao couldn't bully his father.
After eating and drinking, Chen Chong felt more energetic, while Chen Biao felt sleepy.
After washing her hands, Zhu Wenying took Chen Biao back to his room to sleep, while Ma continued to eat and play with her son and godsons.
Chen Chong wanted to follow Chen Biao to cause trouble, but was caught by Zhu Wenzhen.
Now the big and the small started to fight each other, and Zhu Wenzhong kept sighing and rolling his eyes.
This cousin and foster brother of his was about the same age mentally as Chong'er, three or four years older, no more.
When Zhu Wenying took Chen Biao away, he told Zhu Yuanzhang about the book borrowing and the book list he left.
Chen Biao half-closed his eyes and complained, "What's the point of him leaving a list of books? He said it as if I remember what books I have."
Zhu Wenying smiled and said, "When my adoptive father returns the books, he can compare them with the list to see if there are any missing books."
Chen Biao closed his eyes completely. He leaned on Zhu Wenying's shoulder and said unhappily, "That's even more useless. He always returns at least half the books I lend him."
Some were lost during battles, some were lost when I lent them to my brothers, and some were rotten from flipping through them too hard...
Zhu Yuanzhang borrowed a book, and here's a Chinese idiom: Borrowing but never returning.
Zhu Wenying also knew that his adoptive father borrowed books and never returned them, so Zhu Yuanzhang only lent Chen Biao books that he would not read in the short term, and then provided Chen Biao with new books according to the list.
The annotations Chen Biao made in the book, in addition to helping him clarify his thoughts while reading the book, were basically written for Zhu Yuanzhang to help him explain the meaning of the book.
If it’s lost, it’s lost. Just mark it next time.
What else can I do?
Zhu Wenying didn't know how to defend Zhu Yuanzhang, so she could only say, "I put the list inside the first book on the left on the second shelf."
Chen Biao closed his eyes and replied perfunctorily: "Hmmmm."
After perfunctorily handling the matter, Chen Biao curled up into a small ball in Zhu Wenying's arms, and his breathing gradually became even.
Children are very sleepy, but Chen Biao can fall asleep even like this.
Zhu Wenying held Chen Biao in her arms more tightly.
He hasn't left yet, but he's already feeling a little melancholy.
Zhu Wenying had been inseparable from Chen Biao for several years, and even though he knew he would be able to come back after the war, he was still reluctant to leave.
He was very worried that without him, the others would not be able to take good care of Chen Biao. His adoptive father said that he would leave Zhu Wenzheng or Zhu Wenzhong behind, but Zhu Wenying was even more worried.
Wen Zhong is fine, but what about Zhu Wenzhen... who is taking care of whom?
He touched the little tuft of hair on Chen Biao's head and rubbed his cheek against the top of Chen Biao's head. He was in a very bad mood.
When Chen Biao woke up, it was already night.
He reached over and felt a small, furry head. Turning over, he saw it was indeed Chen Chong.
After Chen Chong got tired of playing, he didn't go back to his room, but went straight into Chen Biao's bed.
However, when Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma were not at home, Chen Biao and Chen Chong always slept together, with Chen Chong's cradle placed next to the bed. So for Chen Chong, Chen Biao's room was his room, and Chen Biao's bed was his bed.
After Ma came back, she wanted to sleep with the children, but Chen Biao was worried that his younger brothers would disturb their mother's sleep, so he continued to live with his younger brothers next door to Ma, so that they could be close without being too noisy.
"I can't eat... anymore..." Chen Chong, who was holding Chen Biao's arm, opened his mouth and was about to bite Chen Biao's hand.
Chen Biao quickly withdrew his hand.
Chen Chong opened his eyes drowsily, then turned over and continued to sleep.
During this time, ordinary people only eat two meals a day. Rich families may eat something to fill their stomachs at night, but the weak and children usually do not eat after noon, saying that it will cause indigestion.
But Chen Biao doesn't follow this.
He and his younger brother were growing up, and his mother was pregnant, so he had to eat the portion for two. The whole family had to have a good breakfast and lunch.
After eating a lot of meat at noon, Chen Biao prepared more vegetarian dishes in the evening, including steamed fish and milk stewed eggs, which were light, easy to digest, nutritious and delicious.
Even for Chen Tan, who was still learning to crawl, Chen Biao made vegetable and fish puree, which Chen Tan enjoyed eating much more than drinking milk.
Chen Biao poked his third brother's bulging cheek and said, "This guy will definitely be a foodie in the future. Where's Dad? He doesn't even come home for dinner?"
Ma hesitated for a moment, then told the truth: "Your father went to see your aunt."
Chen Biao's eyelids twitched, and he asked, "Auntie is pregnant too?"
Ma was curious: "Biao'er, how did you know?"
Chen Biao said, "You'll know if you look at the expenditures in the account book. Dad took most of the things I prepared for you, Mom. He must have been taking care of another pregnant woman. "
Ma twisted her fingers, not knowing what to say.
Zhu Yuanzhang's concubines did not follow the army, nor did they live in the Chen family. Instead, they lived in the large courtyard belonging to "Zhu Yuanzhang" in Yingtian Prefecture.
According to common sense, after Ma followed Zhu Yuanzhang to the battlefield, these concubines should have taken on the responsibility of taking care of the young legitimate son.
But Zhu Yuanzhang did not trust those people, and Chen Biao was precocious, so Zhu Yuanzhang's concubines were detained in the Marshal's Mansion and did not know the details of the Chen family, let alone that the children of the Chen family were actually Zhu Yuanzhang's legitimate sons.
Zhu Yuanzhang did this to protect Chen Biao and his legitimate sons, and Ma also agreed.
But when she thought about Chen Biao having to take care of himself at such a young age and also taking care of his younger brother, Ma couldn't help but wonder whether she should persuade Zhu Yuanzhang to tell the truth to his trusted concubines and let them take care of the children.
"I don't care how many concubines my father has. In this world..." Chen Biao said calmly, "But my father still has a conscience and didn't leave his concubines to me to take care of."
Ma was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help laughing: "Why are you taking care of them? It must be them taking care of you."
Chen Biao said angrily, "Mom, ask yourself, who is taking care of whom?"
Ma thought about it carefully and became a little uncertain.
Although the concubines could certainly take good care of the child, Biao'er was no ordinary child. Their kindness might become a burden to Biao'er.
Chen Biao said, "If anyone ever tells me that a stepmother is still a mother, and acts like an elder and dictates to me, I don't know how much trouble it will cause me. I can control the servants, but if they start crying, making a scene, or even threatening to hang themselves, I have no way to stop them."
Ma nodded repeatedly: "Biao'er is right. Don't worry, mother will never let them bother you. You don't have to worry about their children, they will take care of them themselves."
Chen Biao said indifferently: "Yeah."
It is one thing for illegitimate brothers and sisters to develop feelings for each other in the future, but Chen Biao will never treat them as family members.
Even if they develop feelings for each other in the future, the brothers and sisters born to the same mother will definitely have a unique place in Chen Biao's heart.
He would never take the initiative to contact these people.
Ma didn't blame Chen Biao for his indifference. On the contrary, she felt more at ease when Chen Biao was a little bit petty.
This shows that Chen Biao relies on her as his mother, and in front of her, he is still a child who reveals his true nature.
Ma took Chen Biao into her arms and patted him gently on the back: "Biao'er, don't worry. Even if your father has many women and children, we are the most important in his heart. If he gets stubborn, it's definitely not because he doesn't value you or me, but because he wants to save face. If we give him some face, he will give us many practical benefits. Do you understand?"
Chen Biao looked up at Ma's indifferent expression, hugged his mother's neck and acted coquettishly: "Yeah."
All the uncles and aunts said that their mother was the most virtuous and loved their father to the core. But Chen Biao felt that his mother was much calmer and more insightful than his father .
Of course, my mother values my father very much, and the relationship between them is indeed very deep, but my mother is definitely not a love-brained person.
On the contrary, if people in later generations saw my mother's virtue, they would immediately see that she was too rational.
Mother knows what is best for herself and her children.
His father has to sit in the back row.
Chen Biao giggled like a hen: "Mom, while Dad is away, let's play with fireworks."
Ma hesitated and said, "Isn't it dangerous?"
The use of gunpowder as a weapon began in the Song Dynasty. In the military, gunpowder is an important strategic material.
But Ma did not blame Chen Biao for wasting money, she was only worried about the danger.
Chen Biao smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mom. The fireworks I made don't require much gunpowder, so they're not dangerous. Besides, Brother Ying and the others are here. Come on, let's go and have some fun while Dad's away. Otherwise, if Dad sees us, he'll definitely take his brothers and snatch all the fireworks away. Dad's a naughty old boy."
Ma smiled and said, "Okay."
Chen Biao and Ma held a lively fireworks banquet. Of course, the three sworn brothers Zhu Wenying, Zhu Wenzhen and Zhu Wenzhong all came to play, and Li Zhen, Xu Da and Tang He also came uninvited.
Not only did the group of people set off fireworks in great spirits, but several of the men, both old and young, who had bottomless stomachs, also had a barbecue party.
Chen Biao grabbed the back of his brother's clothes tightly and said, "You are not allowed to eat!"
Chen Chong howled like a greedy little pig.
When Zhu Yuanzhang was having dinner with the pregnant Sun, he heard his personal soldiers whispering that the Chen family was very lively, but he was not there.
Sun was a talented woman with bound feet who was completely different from Ma.
Although she was not a girl from an aristocratic family, Ma Shixiong was training his adopted daughter to be one in exchange for political and military resources.
Zhu Yuanzhang was a rough man, how could he have ever seen such a graceful and virtuous noble lady? Even though he knew he should be wary of women sent by others, he still doted on Sun a little more.
Zhu Yuanzhang was a beggar without any roots, and even the ruffians who joined him in the Red Turban Rebellion might not look down on him.
He did not have a good family background, so after becoming a leader, his backyard was naturally filled with women from various forces.
Ma was just Guo Zixing's adopted daughter. When the generals sent women to Zhu Yuanzhang's harem, they all thought that the women they sent were at least as noble as Ma, if not more noble than her.
It is still unknown who will be the future legitimate mother and legitimate son.
Even Guo Zixing's family, after Zhu Yuanzhang became powerful and Guo Zixing died of illness, wanted to send their own daughter to replace Ma.
Many readers , after seeing that the fictional emperor's harem is filled with concubines with noble family backgrounds, and in order to balance the previous dynasty, he has to think over and over again about which woman to sleep with every day, jokingly call such an emperor a "duckling for the country."
As we all know, the harems of the previous emperors were all useless. Now Zhu Yuanzhang was almost like a "little useless duck for power", which was completely different from the situation when he became emperor and slept in the harem.
Zhu Yuanzhang was a man of strong character, and he quickly fathered several sons with Ma. Only after Ma's status as the legitimate son was secure did he begin to have sex with other women.
Sun's adoptive father was Ma Shixiong, the Marshal of the Red Turban Army. Zhu Yuanzhang was particularly fond of her. Furthermore, Ma Shixiong also approved of Sun, calling her "a virtuous woman from ancient times." Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang chose Sun as his first woman.
Zhu Yuanzhang was indeed full of energy and wanted Sun to get pregnant, so she became pregnant immediately.
Zhu Yuanzhang already had three sons and his big baby Chen Biao. Although he still felt happy about being a father for the children in other women's wombs, his joy was much less.
He would take time to accompany Sun. Not only did he like Sun herself, he also loved Sun's fetus. He also wanted to appease the generals who had stuffed women into his harem by telling them that he would have children with these women to reassure them.
When he was with Sun, she could play the piano, sing, recite poems and paint, and even dance the wobbly ladies' dance on her bound feet, allowing Zhu Yuanzhang to indulge in his literary desires.
But today, he was thinking about his son setting off fireworks and eating barbecue, but Xu Da, Tang He and Li Zhen were so shameless as to come to Chen's house to eat and drink for free and to play with his precious son.
At this moment, the peach blossom wine brewed by Sun and the side dishes with unique names all lost their taste. The elegant guqin music and the song composed of gorgeous words also made him want to yawn.
Zhu Yuanzhang thought regretfully, I am indeed a rough guy. I want to eat spicy barbecue, play fireworks with Biaoer, and drink with some brothers.
But as a man, he needs to save face. In front of Sun, Zhu Yuanzhang always pretended to be a refined and cultured man, even if it cost him his life.
Only when Sun was tired did Zhu Yuanzhang help her to rest, thinking that it was finally over. He wondered if those bastards had used up all the fireworks sticks specially made by Biaoer.
Sun took off her embroidered shoes and got on the soft couch wearing her silk stockings.
Zhu Yuanzhang used to love playing with Sun's three-inch golden lotus. But when he saw Sun's bound feet today, he suddenly remembered the deformed human foot bones in Chen Biao's study, and his eyelids twitched.
He suddenly remembered that Sun had never taken off her socks in front of him.
He thought again of the erotic paintings of bound-foot women he and his brothers had secretly looked at. The women in the paintings were naked, but they all wore embroidered shoes or silk stockings.
So out of curiosity, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to help Sun take off her socks.
Sun's usually calm ladylike face turned pale with shock and she refused repeatedly.
But Zhu Yuanzhang's scholarly appearance was just an act. Why couldn't he be bothered by his woman's feet?
Under Zhu Yuanzhang's coercion, Sun took off her silk stockings with a pale face.
What was hidden under the stockings were not flesh-colored feet, but layers of foot binding cloth.
Sun was very clean, and Zhu Yuanzhang was generous to her in material matters. Therefore, she would change and wash her foot bindings every day, and there was no odor on them.
The delicate little feet were wrapped in light-colored cloth, which seemed even more seductive than wearing stockings.
But Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to see this.
He took off Sun's foot binding, and in front of Sun's horrified gaze, he frowned and looked at the true appearance of Sun's three-inch golden lotus.
Zhu Yuanzhang lifted up Sun's bound feet and recalled the foot bones he saw in Chen Biao's study.
The broken toes are tucked on the soles of the feet, and the broken instep is arched high, which is more uncomfortable than the broken bones and the three-inch golden lotus with bones and flesh glued together in the foot bone model.
This is the bound feet that literati love most.
Zhu Yuanzhang knew that Sun was very clean and particular about her appearance, much more so than his wife. However, there were some visible stains on Sun's feet, and there was a faint odor.
There's no way around it. The toes and soles of the feet are stuck together, and the dirt stuck in those crevices must be incredibly difficult to clean. Plus, with feet wrapped all day, it'd be a wonder my feet didn't smell.
Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Why are you crying?"
Sun was crying in despair, her body trembling slightly, but she couldn't say a word.
Zhu Yuanzhang put down Sun's feet and said, "If you think it's ugly, will I dislike you?"
Sun nodded slightly.
Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to be asking Sun, or perhaps he was talking to himself: "Since socks are so ugly without them, why do those scholars still praise them?"
Have they never seen women's feet under stockings and foot bindings?
No, they probably knew. So in the pictures they drew of women with bound feet, the only things they wore were their shoes and socks.
"I broke my arm in battle." Zhu Yuanzhang called for some hot water, washed his hands, and then let Sun soak her feet. "Every time it rains, my arm still hurts. Does yours... hurt?"
Sun's tearful eyes suddenly widened.
Zhu Yuanzhang scratched his head and said, "Oh, what nonsense am I talking about? It must hurt. You go to sleep first, I'll take a walk outside. Um, if your feet are uncomfortable after binding them, don't bind them anymore. I've seen it, there's no point in hiding it."
After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang turned and left, his back looking as if he was fleeing in panic.
He was a little reserved towards women other than Ma.
A man's self-esteem.
Ma had been with him from humble beginnings to where he was today, and she had seen him in all his miserable states. Other women were different.
Zhu Yuanzhang himself actually knew that he was still somewhat inferior in his heart.
But now, after hearing his son say that it was his destiny, the inferiority complex in his heart unconsciously dissipated a lot, and he also revealed some of his true nature when facing his concubine.
How embarrassing. Why did I have to be so reserved before? Zhu Yuanzhang thought to himself as he fled.
Zhu Yuanzhang returned to the Chen family mansion. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he smelled the lingering smell of fireworks and barbecue, which made him feel even more regretful.
So why did he have to act so pretentiously in front of others? Now his stomach was rumbling and he was so hungry that he felt anxious.
Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his stomach, went to the kitchen and asked someone to make him a big bowl of braised pork noodles. He squatted on the ground and ate it in a few mouthfuls, then wiped his mouth and went to find Ma.
After Ma returned home, Chen Biao would wash and massage her feet every night to reduce the swelling of her feet caused by pregnancy.
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang coming back, before Chen Biao could say anything, Zhu Yuanzhang pushed his son off the small stool and onto the ground: "What strength do you have in those hands? Let me do it!"
Chen Biao stood up and rubbed his butt: "You can come if you want, but why did you push me to the ground? Can you find a stool for yourself?"
"I'm your father, what's wrong with me squeezing you?" Zhu Yuanzhang grinned at Chen Biao.
Chen Biao was so angry that he raised his short legs and kicked his father.
Ma's feet had been washed. Zhu Yuanzhang used a soft cloth to help her dry them. Then, according to the method Chen Biao had taught him, he massaged the acupuncture points on her feet: "Madam's feet are still the most beautiful."
Chen Biao blushed and ran away.
Shame on you! Your son is still here!
Ma, however, noticed something was amiss from Zhu Yuanzhang's melancholy expression. She asked, "Guorui, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Didn't you meet Sister Sun? Sister Sun is a gentle woman, so she shouldn't have upset you."
Zhu Yuanzhang stroked the fine calluses on the soles of Ma's feet and told her about the bone model of bound feet he saw in Chen Biao's study, and then about his observation of the real appearance of Sun's bound feet under the foot binding cloth today.
"Even someone like me who's been through surgery feels pain just looking at it," Zhu Yuanzhang grumbled. "And it doesn't look good. I don't understand why this is so admirable. Tomorrow I'll gather scholars and have them wash the feet of their mothers, wives, and daughters with bound feet, and then draw a picture of the bound feet beneath the bindings and present it to me. I want to see if they feel any pity."
"Our bodies and hair are given by our parents and should not be damaged lightly. Aren't women human? Aren't women's feet given by their parents? I don't understand. Aren't those scholars very eloquent? I want to see how they defend themselves."
"Literati and poets chant about bound feet, right? I'll have my scholars write poems and essays criticizing bound feet. If forcing them doesn't work, then we'll just curse them. I don't believe that all scholars don't feel sorry for their own mothers, wives, and daughters."
"Madam's feet are still beautiful, they are so comfortable to look at..."
Listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's complaints and even swearing, Ma smiled gently and said, "You are right. Chongba, you must protect your daughters from now on."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked up: "Of course!"
