Chapter 6: Old Furniture

After the matter was settled, Father Li and his two older brothers finished their meal and hurried out to work.

The more honest a person is, the more they fear being late for work, always feeling like everyone’s eyes are on them.

Mother Li and the two sisters-in-law cleared the dishes and went back to their respective rooms to continue their chores: sweeping the heated brick bed, folding quilts, and mending clothes. After they were done, they had to start preparing lunch. Women of this era, although most didn’t have jobs, never had a moment of leisure throughout the day.

The children in the family didn’t have to go to school; their vacation had just started a couple of days ago. They were all sensible and wouldn’t leave the courtyard without an adult’s permission, just running wild and shouting all over the yard.

Zhou Yuqin carried her still-sleeping daughter back to the west wing room. The little one was at a clingy age and couldn’t be left alone for a moment.

“Dongzi, come in.”

Hearing Grandma Li call him, Li Xiangdong walked into the east room and saw her pulling an egg out from the heated brick bed.

He had forgotten all about it, but Grandma Li still remembered.

Grandma Li stuffed the egg into his hand. “Remember to throw the eggshell in the alley. Don’t let your mother see it.”

After instructing Li Xiangdong, she turned around and took out a blue plaid handkerchief from under the quilt. Unfolding it revealed a stack of money.

“Take this money. Grandma knows you don’t have any money on you. This is your grandpa’s newly issued pension. If it’s not enough, just tell Grandma.”

Li Xiangdong quickly refused, “I can’t take this money. You and Grandpa should keep it for yourselves.”

Old Man Li said, “Take it if I give it to you. How much can your grandma and I spend? I’ve been saving all my pension in the bank for you.”

Hearing these words, Li Xiangdong felt a pang in his heart. The old couple thought of him in everything they did. In the future, he could only be more filial to repay the love and care the two elders had given him.

The Li family hadn’t split up yet. Every month, the eldest and second brothers would contribute five yuan for food expenses, and they would save the rest of their money themselves.

The bulk of the family’s expenses was covered by Father Li. Old Man Li didn’t concern himself with these things.

Over the years, Old Man Li had spent a lot of money shuffling this courtyard around. It was only in recent years that he had been able to save his pension.

Usually, he would just occasionally buy some snacks for his great-grandchildren to sweeten their mouths. The rest of the money was saved in the bank for Li Xiangdong.

Grandma Li urged him to take the money. “Quick, put the money in your pocket. Don’t let your mother and sisters-in-law see it.”

Since she had put it that way, refusing the money would hurt his grandparents’ feelings.

Besides, he was also worried that if he kept refusing, someone would see. If his mother saw, she would at most roll her eyes at him. But if his sisters-in-law saw, it would be a different story.

Coming out of the room, Li Xiangdong had an egg in his left pants pocket and money in his right.

He instantly felt a surge of confidence. The old saying was right: money gives a man courage.

With nothing to do, he accompanied his grandparents back to the large dining table in the living room to chat.

“Huh?”

Li Xiangdong hadn’t noticed it while eating earlier, but now he stared at the table in front of him, carefully examining the patterns and stripes on the tabletop. He then ducked his head under the table to look, and finally stood up and walked around the table.

An early Ming Dynasty Hongsuanzhi wood Eight Immortals table.

In his previous life, he didn’t understand these things when he was young. It wasn’t until he was in his forties that he started to get into it as a hobby. He had dabbled in many things, but he was a jack of all trades and master of none.

However, he could still recognize something that was obviously authentic at a glance.

Li Xiangdong remembered that in his previous life, after his eldest nephew Li Xiaojiang got married and moved into the gatehouse, Father Li had moved this table over for him.

Later, when Li Xiaojiang and his wife got new furniture, they used this table as firewood and burned it.

What a sin!

Thinking about it now, Li Xiangdong’s heart was bleeding.

In this life, he would pay for all of his eldest nephew’s wedding furniture. He would take this table on his nephew’s behalf.

However, Li Xiangdong looked at the willow wood long bench under him. Where were the matching stools?

“Grandpa, Grandma, where did our family get this table?”

Old Man Li said mysteriously, “You can tell, it’s a good thing, right?”

Li Xiangdong was a little surprised. “Grandpa, you know about these things?”

Grandma Li, sitting on the side, started to tease her husband, “Your grandpa knows nothing. Don’t listen to his nonsense.”

“What are you talking about, old woman? I don’t know where this table came from?”

Old Man Li was displeased. How could she say that about him in front of their grandson?

Seeing her precious grandson’s curious face, Grandma Li urged, “Old thing, stop talking nonsense and quickly tell Dongzi what’s the deal with this table.”

Seeing his youngest grandson’s eager face, Old Man Li said with a proud expression, “During the great torrent of humanity, many of the families living across the alley from us were raided by the Red Guards. I picked up this table back then.”

“The families living across the alley were particular about things. The things they used couldn’t be bad.”

So that’s how it was…

Li Xiangdong was still young at that time and didn’t join in the chaos. He was out playing wildly with his childhood friends all day and paid no attention to these things.

He had just thought that Old Man Li actually knew about antique furniture.

However, this “picked up” probably had another meaning. His grandfather didn’t pick it up from someone else’s house, did he…

“Dongzi, it’s not that your grandpa stole it.”

Old Man Li was a little unhappy. Li Xiangdong had grown up by their side. He knew what he was thinking without even having to guess.

Li Xiangdong gave a couple of embarrassed laughs and didn’t try to argue.

Grandma Li interjected, “Don’t think so badly of our grandson. Dongzi, listen to Grandma. It was very chaotic back then. Those people went from house to house down the alley, raiding them from morning till night. The sounds of crying and shouting kept your grandpa and me from sleeping.”

She still seemed a little scared as she spoke, patting her chest before continuing, “They were all old neighbors. Your grandpa was afraid someone would get killed, so he took your dad and the two brothers, Weiguo and Weimin, and planned to go out and see.”

Hearing this, Old Man Li interrupted his wife. He didn’t want her to talk about these things with their grandson.

“Let me tell the rest. When your dad and I went out, those people had already left in a truck. This table was probably left behind in the alley because it couldn’t fit in the truck, so I brought it back.”

In Li Xiangdong’s memory, these events were too long ago. It had been decades, adding up both lifetimes, and he didn’t remember many things.

But he knew that some of what Old Man Li said was clearly to fool him.

He didn’t care if it was true or not, and he didn’t think too much about it. Anyway, it had been so long, this rosewood table was now an heirloom of their Li family!

“Grandpa, Grandma, I want to move this table to my west wing room.”

With so many children in the family, he didn’t feel at ease leaving it here. A bump, a scratch, would break his heart.

Seeing how much he cherished it, Old Man Li asked, “Is this really a good thing?”

Li Xiangdong gently patted the tabletop and said in a low voice, “This thing is an old rosewood furniture from the Ming Dynasty.”

“How much is it worth?”

Old Man Li wasn’t at all surprised that his youngest grandson knew about these things. In his heart, his youngest grandson, apart from not liking to study, was very smart in other things.

Li Xiangdong answered truthfully, “It’s not worth much, just the price of a table.”

Old furniture only started to rise in market value in the 1990s when collectors from Hong Kong and Taiwan began to get involved.

Right now, it was something nobody wanted. Everyone was pursuing modern furniture.

“Dongzi, what’s so good about this broken table? Besides, your room can’t fit it, can it?”

Grandma Li didn’t understand what old rosewood furniture was. She just thought it was a table for eating.

Li Xiangdong smiled, “It’s fine if it doesn’t fit. I can just swap it with the table in my room, right?”

“The table in your room is new. It was made when you got married. We can’t swap it for this broken table.”

Grandma Li was worried her precious grandson would be at a disadvantage.

Li Xiangdong smiled, “Grandma, don’t worry. When have I ever made a losing deal?”

He thought to himself, things before my rebirth don’t count!

After a busy morning and chatting with Li Xiangdong for a while, the old couple was a bit tired and went back to their room to take a nap.

Standing alone in the living room, Li Xiangdong lifted the table and had just taken two steps, not even out of the room, when he put it down.

He had to put it down.

It was too damn heavy, he almost threw out his back