Chapter Fourteen: Family History and Banana Leaf Paper

In the fourteenth year of Hongwu, the Grand Ancestor dispatched an army of three hundred thousand, divided into two routes, attacking Yunnan from the east and north. The northern route, led by Guo Ying with fifty thousand troops, set off from our Yongning. This place is the vital passage between Sichuan and the regions of Yunnan and Guizhou. Guo Ying, following the Emperor's orders, left his troops here to build fortifications and stockpile provisions, ensuring logistical support. After Yunnan was pacified, this force remained in Yongning, guarding it for generations. As compensation, all officers and soldiers were promoted one rank, and their descendants were granted hereditary posts.

On the mountain path, Uncle pointed toward Erlang Beach below and said, “My great-grandfather was one of those banner officers. Erlang Beach was gradually developed by him and his brothers, bit by bit.”

“Later, their families in Nanjing were sent here to reunite, and so our Su family settled and flourished in this land.” He then shifted the topic: “As for the Cheng family, they were originally officials. After the Campaign of Jingnan, many former ministers of the Jianwen Emperor were exiled to the frontiers, and the Cheng family was among them, assigned to Yongning. Thus, the Cheng elders were prisoners, while our Su elders were their guards, which sowed much discord between the families.”

“Yongning is mountainous, inhabited by both Han and Yi, and all arable land was already taken by the Luoluo people and military households like ours. The Chengs arrived later, bearing the stigma of their crimes, so they could only clear the hillsides and cultivate hardy, impoverished sorghum to survive.” Uncle sighed, “But heaven never shuts all doors. The Chengs discovered that the local soil and water were especially suited for brewing. They learned to distill sorghum liquor and gradually made a name for themselves. Even the native chieftains of Bozhou bought liquor from their Cheng Distillery, and the Chengs’ fortunes improved.”

“Later, when Emperor Yongle passed and the Emperor Renzong rehabilitated the Jianwen ministers, the Chengs were pardoned and became commoners, their descendants allowed once more to study and take the civil service exams.”

“Our situation, however, was quite the opposite. After the Tumult at Tumu, the status of military households plummeted, and our family couldn’t escape the general decline. By then, the Su clan had already spread across Erlang Beach, but the original land was no longer enough.”

“So your great-grandfather gathered the clan to open the Su Distillery, even hiring a master brewer from the Cheng family. Naturally, the Chengs were displeased.”

“Of course they wouldn’t be happy.” Su Lu nodded, thinking that so far, the Chengs had always been the bullied party…

“For a long time, though, our Su Distillery’s liquor was inferior to the Chengs’. Same sorghum, same brewing, same master, but it just didn’t work. Then we discovered the water was different—the Chengs used water from the Lang Spring Well, which produced far better liquor.”

“To make things worse, that Lang Spring Well originally belonged to our family. Somehow, the Chengs figured out it could make good liquor. They were sly about it, kept quiet, and sent someone else to exchange it for a bigger, flatter plot of land. At the time, our family was large and in need of space, so we swapped.”

“That’s the place where our family lives now?” Su Lu asked.

“Yes,” Uncle nodded with a bitter smile. “When we learned the truth, we wanted the well back, but the Chengs refused. My great-grandfather, Feng Gong, was a tough man. He dug a new well in a nearby low spot—the Mother Spring Well—which ended up connecting to the Lang Spring Well.”

“From then on, we could use the same water to brew liquor, but the Chengs’ well suffered a severe drop in water level, drying up for half the year.”

“It’s only natural—water flows downhill.” Su Lu chuckled. True business rivalries often unfolded with such plain simplicity.

“The Chengs’ business suffered, and they couldn’t accept it. Luckily, generations of our family held posts in the garrison, and in a fight, the Chengs were no match for us. So they could only endure their grievances,” Uncle continued. “But things changed ten years ago. The Chengs produced a scholar—Cheng Fiyang. He filed a complaint with the county, claiming his family were loyal descendants, oppressed by bullies. He said he studied hard to escape the garrison and seek justice from the officials, asking the magistrate to uphold fairness!”

Uncle, though only schooled for a few years in the clan academy, had remarkable eloquence—no wonder he managed to win over the Cheng family’s flower.

“At that time, the county magistrate was newly appointed and eager to make a mark. He took the case as an opportunity to assert authority, ruled that our family had destroyed the Chengs’ well, and awarded the new well to them as well,” Uncle sighed. “Of course, we refused to hand it over, guarding the well, which led to a massive brawl between the families—both clans joined the fray, even Scholar Cheng and your grandfather fought. As expected, our family won decisively, beating the Chengs into the ground. Your grandfather even broke Cheng’s arm.”

“Was Grandpa really that fierce?” Su Lu couldn’t help but exclaim.

“And then?” Su Tai pressed, eager for more.

“That year happened to be the provincial examination, and Scholar Cheng, ever the troublemaker, claimed his injuries prevented him from taking the test, requesting leave from the grand master. The grand master was furious, and the other scholars rallied in support. To calm things, the Inspector Li Zhongcheng ordered harsh punishment for the perpetrators,” Uncle sighed repeatedly.

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“After that, our family’s luck turned sour. Your grandfather was imprisoned, and only with great effort from colleagues and superiors was he exonerated and sent home. Our family went bankrupt, moving from town back to the old house at Erlang Beach.”

“We gave up the well, and from then on, could never brew such good liquor again. Business declined, barely surviving today. Thus, the clan resolved to establish a school, teaching the children to read, swearing to beat the Chengs in the exams and reclaim Lang Spring Well.”

“Unfortunately, we underestimated the difficulty. Ten years on, not a single scholar has emerged from our clan…” Uncle forced a smile, returning to his own woes. “Now, the Chengs surpass us in every respect, and the entire clan is simmering with resentment. How could I dare speak of marrying a Cheng girl?”

“True enough, so why mess with Cui Cui?” Su Lu was exasperated.

“You’re too young to understand,” Uncle said, lost in reverie. “Forbidden love is exhilarating.”

“Who says I don’t get it? It’s just rebellion, isn’t it?” Su Lu scoffed.

“Got it! Like how Aunt forbids Qiu to study, and that only makes him more determined!” Su Tai clapped in realization.

Uncle pursed his lips, feeling suddenly childish in front of them.

As they spoke, the three drew near the town, spotting familiar figures. Uncle stopped the story, reminding them, “Today’s events must be kept secret. Tomorrow, I’ll buy you both treats.”

“Okay,” Su Tai agreed obediently. Su Lu, busy with his own matters, had no intention of meddling.

~~

“Third Brother’s home!”

As soon as they returned, little Jin Bao rushed up.

Su Lu scooped her up and, like a magician, produced two golden prickly pears.

“Eat, eat!” Jin Bao reached out eagerly.

“There are thorns—are you sure?” Su Lu poked her chubby hands with the fruit’s soft spines. “Aren’t you afraid of hurting your mouth?”

“I’ll eat anyway!” Jin Bao declared, “Even if it pricks my mouth, I’ll eat!”

Su Lu laughed, rubbing off the soft spines before handing her the prickly pear.

“Thank you, Third Brother,” Jin Bao said, and immediately began munching in the courtyard, her face puckering with sourness, saliva streaming, yet unable to stop.

After seeing Jin Bao off, the brothers delivered a bowl of honey to their grandmother. Su Tai went to sort the mountain goods they’d brought back, while Su Lu grabbed the bundle of banana leaves and hurried to his room for experiments.

He laid the fresh green banana leaves flat on his desk, anchoring them with a paperweight, then prepared ink to write. But the moment the brush touched the leaf, it felt slippery, and the ink spread everywhere, making the characters twisted and illegible.

Su Lu tried several more leaves, all with the same hopeless results.

“Sigh…” He set down his brush, disappointed. What nonsense ‘Huai Su writing on banana leaves’! Turns out even ancient times had their own hype.

“What’s wrong? Did Aunt scold you again?” At that moment, Su Youcai entered, seeing his son’s gloomy face.

“I wanted to write on banana leaves like Huai Su, but it’s impossible,” Su Lu scratched his head, self-mocking. “It must be an inspirational story made up by the ancients.”

“That can’t be,” Su Youcai shook his head. “Lu Yu’s ‘Biography of Monk Huai Su’ records this. Huai Su’s friend Dai Shulun also wrote in a poem, ‘Returning to hang my robe beneath tall woods, I cut banana leaves to copy Buddhist scriptures.’ They wouldn’t make it up, would they?”

“But the leaves are too slippery—they don’t absorb ink at all,” Su Lu frowned, though his father’s words rekindled hope.

Su Youcai picked up a banana leaf and examined it. “There’s a waxy layer on the leaves, and they’re too moist. How could they absorb ink?”

“Should I try drying them first?” Su Lu brightened.

“You can’t dry them in the sun—they’ll warp and wrinkle, making writing impossible. And sunlight only removes moisture, not the wax,” Su Youcai shook his head.

“You could try boiling them with plant ash,” Su Tai’s voice sounded behind them, having finished his chores. “Then dry them in the shade.”

“How do you know?” Both Su Youcai and Su Lu were surprised.

“I watched Old Hu making paper—he boils bamboo in plant ash first,” Su Tai scratched his head. “He said it’s to remove the wax from the bamboo surface.”

“Good lad, you’re observant!” Su Youcai praised, handing the banana leaves to Su Tai. “Give it a try!”

“Alright!” Su Tai nodded enthusiastically.

~~

Three days later, Su Tai handed a stack of processed banana leaves to Su Lu. “Try it.”

“Thanks, Second Brother.” Su Lu took them—now pale yellow, smooth as paper, cut neatly into uniform rectangles, just the size of Old Hu’s rough yellow earth paper.

“No trouble at all. Hurry, see if it works!” Su Tai grinned, urging him.

Su Lu nodded, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote several large characters on the ‘banana leaf paper’:

“Friendship among brothers.”

This time, the leaves absorbed the ink, and the brush no longer slid—the resistance was much like ordinary yellow earth paper!

“How is it?” Su Tai asked nervously.

“It’s a perfect substitute!” Su Lu looked up, his face full of joy. “Now I’ll never worry about paper again!”

Those banana trees that covered the mountain were now his inexhaustible paper supply!

“Wonderful!” Su Tai clapped excitedly, even happier than Su Lu. “You can write as much as you want now—I’ll supply you with banana paper!”

“Thank you, Second Brother.” Su Lu looked gratefully at Su Tai. It wasn’t just banana paper—there were pine torches, pine soot ink, even the brush tips, made by Second Brother from goat hair mixed with rabbit hair, spun by hand.

Without Second Brother, his studies would have been impossible.

ps. Third consecutive day writing with one eye; finished and now my vision is blurry. Hope tomorrow is better. Please vote and recommend!