Chapter Four: I Want to Study Too

Scholar Cheng reacted swiftly, immediately dismounting from his donkey and berating his elder brother, “What are you doing? Why are you trying to deceive me?”
He had always prided himself on his status, speaking in proper Mandarin, but in the heat of the moment, his regional accent slipped through.
Under his fierce glare, the elder master of the Cheng family swallowed the rest of his words and slumped, admitting, “I must have lost my head. I wanted to teach that brat a lesson.”
“Foolish, brother!” Scholar Cheng said with deep disappointment. “How am I supposed to save face now?”
“Sigh…” The elder Cheng hung his head, dejected. “My leg was hurting so much yesterday, I thought it was broken.”
“You thought? And made me come along to embarrass myself with you?” Scholar Cheng pointed at him, trembling with rage. “This has put me in a dishonorable position!”
“All right, that's enough,” District Commander Zhou, having watched the drama unfold, finally mediated. “The fact that your leg isn't broken is good news.”
“Yes, it’s a great relief! It was just a false alarm,” the probationary commander beside him said, letting out a breath. “Now everyone can go back to their homes.”
“How can that be? They falsely accused us!” Su Youcai, who had been simmering with anger, refused to let the matter drop.
“We should also report this to the county and see what the magistrate says!” Su Lu’s eldest uncle shouted.
“Enough, enough, stop making trouble. This has nothing to do with Scholar Cheng,” Commander Zhou pulled the Su brothers aside and addressed Scholar Cheng in a stern voice,
“This matter ends here. No one is allowed to bring it up again, and there will be no further disturbances!”
His gaze swept over the Cheng and Su families with authority, his voice rising. “Otherwise, old and new grievances will be settled together!”
It was the first time Commander Zhou had spoken so harshly, and the eaves shook, sending dust fluttering down.
“The commander has spoken, I will, of course, comply,” Scholar Cheng, for the first time, spoke humbly. “Forgive me for the embarrassment today; another day, I shall invite everyone to a banquet to make amends.”
“Well said, well said,” Commander Zhou nodded, then turned to the probationary commander, “Help escort Scholar Cheng.”
“Farewell!” Scholar Cheng cupped his hands and, refusing even the sedan chair, turned and left.
The Cheng family hurried after him, shamefaced.
“They’re just allowed to leave like that?” The eldest uncle still burned with indignation.
“What else can you do? No matter how unscrupulous, he’s still a scholar. If it goes to the county, you won’t gain anything,” Commander Zhou sighed.
“That’s not necessarily true. The Ming Code clearly states that false accusations are punished by three degrees…” Su Youcai, well-versed in the law, retorted.
“Don’t quote books at me,” Commander Zhou said helplessly. “In the Ming dynasty, the rights and wrongs are decided by the gentlemen and scholars. You can memorize all the statutes you want, but what good will it do?”
Su Youcai, struck where it hurt, fell silent. The eldest uncle muttered, still indignant, “At the very least, report him to the county school and strip him of his title!”
“That’s impossible. He didn’t formally submit a petition—what grounds do you have to accuse him?” Commander Zhou shook his head. “Besides, all civil officials start as scholars. How could they allow the garrison to run wild in their own territory? That would turn the world upside down!”
“Sigh…” The eldest uncle knew Commander Zhou was right, but he could not swallow his anger. He grumbled, “He nearly bankrupted us!”
“I know,” Commander Zhou patted his shoulder, sighing. “Isn’t there a saying: ‘The emperor values literature, rough soldiers are worse than dogs.’ That’s the way the world is. What can we do?”
Pausing, Commander Zhou added with hope, “If you’re still angry, let your Chun-ge’er become a scholar. Then I’ll make sure the Cheng family learns what justice means!”
Chun-ge’er was the eldest grandson of the Su family, born in spring, formally named Su Man, currently studying at the renowned Taiping Academy, and only returned home once a month.
“Ah…” The eldest uncle nodded, a smile finally appearing. “Chun-ge’er studies well. Let’s hope he brings honor to our military household next year.”
“We’re all hoping!” Commander Zhou waved them off. “Take everyone home for a meal, don’t delay the farm work.”
“Alright, we’ll go then.” The eldest uncle gathered the family and left the garrison.
~~
Outside the garrison was a narrow stone path, steps rising and falling, winding toward the banks of the Chishui River. On either side, the dark stilted houses seemed to crowd together, so close that Su Lu could only glimpse a sliver of sky above.
There was no other way; the entire Erlangtan was a riverside slope, and homes were built along the mountainside, making everything tightly packed.
The air was thick with a sour, burnt aroma—the pervasive smell of distiller’s grains. The soil and water here were perfect for brewing, and several distilleries and grain-houses lined the small town, with most mountain folk relying on them for their livelihood.
Upon first arrival, Su Lu couldn’t stand the smell, but over time, he grew accustomed…
The sun had only just risen; the townspeople were all out harvesting, and apart from some naked children playing, the street was deserted.
Su Lu and his second brother silently followed their elders, listening as their uncle and father grumbled ahead.

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“Sigh, it’s enough to kill me with frustration. Why let them off so easily?” Su Youcai grumbled, his face dark.
“Who wouldn’t agree? When Chun-ge’er passes the scholar’s exam, I’ll make sure to vent my anger!” The eldest uncle clapped his younger brother’s shoulder heavily. “Be more careful, Third Brother!”
“Eh…” The youngest uncle hung his head, meek as a quail.
“Thankfully, Qiu-ge’er was clever this time, and spared our family disaster,” the eldest uncle said, pulling out two copper coins to buy the brothers sticky rice cakes from the tall vendor as a reward.
He then asked Su Lu, “Qiu-ge’er, how did you see through their tricks?”
Su Lu ate the soft, fragrant sorghum cake as he explained, “I remember clearly, Second Brother never stepped on that old rascal’s leg.”
He succinctly recounted the events of yesterday, recalling every word and deed with exact precision.
“You have such a good memory?” The eldest uncle was surprised.
Su Lu nodded; ever since his rebirth, his memory had indeed been excellent.
It was only natural—thirteen or fourteen is the age when boys have the best memory, though it’s often hard to focus. Now, he had the advantages of both his thirteen-year-old and thirty-year-old selves, making his mind frighteningly sharp.
There was another thing he didn’t mention: a person with a fracture reaches peak swelling on the second day, and even without movement, the pain is constant—any motion would be agonizing.
He had closely observed the elder Cheng’s leg; it was pale from being bound, but not swollen, nor was there any bruising.
At first, the old man could feign well enough, but as time passed and everyone became distracted by the arguments, the old fox grew careless. His leg occasionally swung unconsciously, and his expression was entirely normal, showing not a trace of pain.
With all this evidence, Su Lu was certain he hadn’t misremembered and thus managed to expose the Cheng family’s deceit.
~~
It was a small town, and the Su family soon arrived home as they talked.
The Su stilted house stood on one of the flatter spots in town, which made it look more spacious.
Of course, the ground floor was uninhabitable, used for poultry, farm tools, and heavy items.
Climbing the creaking stairs, they found the upper floor contained seven rooms, arranged in a “U” shape. The central hall and adjacent rooms were set back, with the four side rooms forming a small courtyard.
There were fewer than ten households in town with a courtyard—proof of their status. Otherwise, they couldn’t afford to support two generations of scholars.
But since the old man had been dismissed from office, the Su family had fallen on hard times, and the wear was evident everywhere.
Hearing someone coming, a little girl with three braids and a round, silver face ran out of the hall, cheering in a sweet voice, “Third Brother’s home!”
She wrapped herself around Su Lu’s leg, climbing up with practiced ease.
“Jinbao, don’t cling to me, I’m dirty,” Su Lu quickly picked up the three-year-old girl. She was Jinbao, his uncle’s youngest daughter, the little sister Su Lu had carried since childhood.
Su Lu’s aunt followed from the hall, quickly grabbing her nephews’ hands and looking them over. “Summer and Autumn brothers, you’re all right?”
“With me here, what could happen?” the eldest uncle said, holding his head high.
“How much did you pay them?!” The aunt’s penetrating voice echoed from the doorway. She was tall and still attractive, but her mouth diminished her charm.
“All settled, not a penny lost!” The uncle patted his chest. “See? Your man’s got it handled!”
“Handled, handled!” The aunt patted her own ample chest, finally relaxing. She called out, “Hurry and finish breakfast, then get to the fields.”
~~
In the hall, Su Lu’s grandparents sat cross-legged by the hearth.
The old patriarch of the Su family was a stern, silent little man; after his son’s report, he merely nodded and chewed his betel leaf.
Grandmother, kindly and gentle, held her grandson’s hand and asked after him, though her hearing was very poor…
“Good grandson, you weren’t beaten, were you?”
“We’re fine, Grandma!” Su Lu answered loudly.
“What? There are mice in the house?” Grandma exclaimed. “We’ll have to buy some rat poison when the peddler comes.”
“There are no mice. Mom, Qiu-ge’er says he’s fine,” the aunt shouted.
“He didn’t sleep all night? Then let him nap after breakfast, don’t go to the fields,” Grandma said, worried for her grandson.

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“All this fuss and anger just makes her hearing worse,” the aunt sighed helplessly.
“Yes, eating too much sorghum isn’t good for the bowels,” Grandma lamented. “Eldest daughter-in-law, mix some bean flour into the cakes.”
“We’re finishing off the old sorghum so we can bring in the new crop,” the aunt replied, serving steaming sorghum cakes.
“You want to find Autumn a new mother? Good!” Grandma said, delighted.
The aunt rolled her eyes and refused to engage further.
The aunt ladled out bowls of sorghum porridge from the iron pot over the hearth, and served them with a plate of pickles—the family’s breakfast.
As they ate, the aunt interrogated the youngest uncle about what trouble he’d caused.
But the uncle clung to his secret with Cheng’s elder, refusing to say a word, so she turned her attention to Su Lu and his father.
“Second Brother, I thought you were sensible. How could you take the children to fight? If we’d really been extorted, how would we manage?”
The elders no longer managed affairs; the aunt was in charge. Su Youcai could only listen quietly, promising not to fight again.
“Nonsense!” The old patriarch slammed his chopsticks down and shouted angrily, “What’s a man if he doesn’t fight? A scar on the head is nothing!”
“All right, old man, don’t get worked up. Eat your breakfast,” the eldest uncle bent to pick up the chopsticks from the floor, wiped them, and handed them back.
“I’m full of anger, no need for food!” The old man threw his sleeves back and went out for a walk, hands clasped behind his back.
The Su brothers felt dispirited—the old patriarch had been proud all his life, and now he could not swallow his humiliation…
~~
After being dismissed from office, the old man’s temper had grown sour, but the aunt was used to it. Once he left, she continued lecturing Su Lu,
“And you, Qiu-ge’er, you’re not a child anymore. If you keep idling about, you’ll get into trouble sooner or later.”
“Aunt, you never let me idle! Aren’t you always assigning me chores?” Su Lu felt aggrieved—how was he idle?
“Exactly,” the aunt chimed in, “Qiu-ge’er only lay down for two days because of heatstroke. He hasn’t had a single day off.”
“I worry that he’ll get into trouble if he’s idle, so I give him work. But this isn’t a long-term solution,” the aunt replied, glancing at the eldest uncle.
The uncle coughed and said to Su Youcai, “Second Brother, I spoke with Second Grandfather. This year at Double Ninth, let Qiu-ge’er join us for the sand-laying.”
“What’s Double Ninth sand-laying?” Su Lu whispered to his second brother, unfamiliar with the term.
“After the new grain comes in, at the Double Ninth Festival, we start the feed for brewing. The sorghum is red and small, and pouring it in looks like pouring sand, so it’s called sand-laying,” Su Tai explained quietly.
“Oh.” Su Lu nodded, puzzled. “Isn’t that work for laborers?”
“That’s just it—you’re going to be a laborer,” the aunt said. “But you must first apprentice, three years before you can earn for the family.”
“What?” Su Lu felt the sorghum cake turn to ash in his mouth.
But the aunt didn’t ask his opinion—she looked to his father.
“Sister-in-law, the child is still young,” Su Youcai said gently.
“He’ll be fourteen after his birthday. Other kids have apprenticed for two years already!” the aunt waved dismissively. “The sooner he apprentices, the sooner he can earn.”
She turned to the eldest uncle, “Since today’s already lost, take a slab of bacon and buy some tea. This afternoon, bring Qiu-ge’er to apprentice.”
“All right.” The uncle always obeyed the aunt.
“Qiu-ge’er, do you want to apprentice at the distillery?” Though the decision was made, Su Youcai still asked his son.
“No!” Su Lu answered firmly. “I don’t want to work in the distillery.”
“Then what do you want to do?” The aunt asked, displeased.
“I want to study!” Su Lu said, enunciating each word.

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