The Jibei workshop was especially lively at the afternoon meal.
Today’s offering was shrimp-skin rice porridge, accompanied by a plate of bok choy boiled in plain water. In the circumstances, it counted as a fairly decent meal, with both meat and vegetables.
Nanya was crisscrossed with rivers, making fish, shrimp, and shellfish easy to find. Although they rarely had the chance to eat meat, they could occasionally add some freshwater shrimp or river clams to their meals for a change.
The people from the bamboo huts collected their afternoon meal in their respective coarse pottery bowls and headed back in groups of two or three.
Along the way, they could not help but marvel:
“Our employer really is generous. He even gives us fried dough twists and oil cakes.”
“I tried one of those dough twists. They were fried just right—fragrant and wonderfully crisp.”
“You’d better save some. They’re New Year’s gifts! If you finish them now, just wait until the actual holiday and see how badly you crave them.”
Gu Jue walked ahead with light, springy steps, bouncing along as he went.
Madam Liang saw him and could not help smiling. “Jue, are you so eager to get back and eat your treats?”
Gu Jue gave a sheepish grin and nodded.
Old Madam Zhou, who was beside them, teased him, “Good boy, those things are rather heating. Don’t eat too many, or you may wake up tomorrow with a dry, sore throat and won’t be able to speak.”
“What?” Gu Jue turned around in alarm. “Then I won’t eat them.”
He liked dried meat, but not fried dough twists or oil cakes.
Seeing how easily he had changed his mind, everyone burst out laughing.
When they returned to the bamboo hut, Gu Qing and Gu Jue mysteriously took Madam Liang by the hand and led her into the inner room.
In truth, this so-called room was merely two spaces awkwardly separated by a reed mat. The smaller one served as a main room, while the larger one was the bedroom. They had gone to considerable trouble to cut bamboo and put together two low beds. Everything was scarce here—everything except bamboo, which was practically inexhaustible.
Besides, Nanya was damp, and sleeping directly on the ground was out of the question.
“What are you up to? Have you found another treasure? You’re being so secretive that you even skipped your afternoon meal,” Madam Liang asked, puzzled, though she let them do as they pleased. The two children had minds of their own and often went out wandering. Sometimes they gathered firewood, sometimes they searched for wild greens, and occasionally they found wild fruit or medicinal herbs at the edge of the woods. After asking Shen Qi to confirm that they were harmless, they would secretly hide them in that little treasure of a pottery jar.
Gu Qing carefully took a paper-wrapped parcel from the small pottery jar hidden beneath the pile of straw. She pulled Madam Liang over to sit beside the bed, then slowly opened it.
Madam Liang stared at the plump, glossy red slices inside. They looked somewhat like hawthorn slices, but their scent was entirely different.
Gu Jue lowered his voice. “Mother, these are the dried meat slices little brother Chengyao sent us. Young Master Shen secretly gave them to us today.”
Madam Liang shuddered all over and almost cried out. She hurriedly clapped both hands over her mouth. She looked at the parcel, then at her children, and it took a long while before she could finally calm herself.
Once their emotions had settled somewhat, each of them picked up a slice of dried meat and tasted it in small bites.
Gu Jue could not help narrowing his eyes in delight. “It’s so good! This is the best dried meat I’ve ever had.”
The days when he had been a pampered young master of the Gu family, dressed in fine clothes and fed the finest food, seemed as distant as a previous lifetime. He hardly thought of them anymore. At this moment, he simply felt that this was the most delicious food he had ever eaten in this life.
After finishing one slice, he was still unsatisfied. He counted the remaining pieces with bright eyes. “There are twenty-seven left. We ate three just now, so there must have been thirty to begin with. If we eat one a day, they’ll last a whole ten days!”
The thought of being able to enjoy such a wonderful flavor for ten days filled him with anticipation. He wished tomorrow would come quickly so that he could eat another slice.
Madam Liang shook her head with a smile. “Silly boy, these dried meat slices have already spent quite some time on the road from Huzhou to Nanya. They won’t keep for that long. We should finish them over the next few days instead of letting them spoil.”
“What?” Gu Jue’s little face immediately fell. He felt both happy and troubled.
Gu Qing folded the paper back around the meat slices. After thinking for a moment, she said, “How about we lightly roast them over charcoal? Perhaps they’ll keep for a few more days.”
The moment she finished speaking, Gu Jue vigorously shook his head and hurriedly said, “We’d better not. It’s fine to finish them over the next few days! Sister, you absolutely mustn’t touch them!”
Madam Liang could not help laughing as well. She nodded in agreement. “Jue is right. Let’s play it safe and eat them while they’re fresh.”
None of them was particularly skilled at cooking. Gu Qing, in particular, possessed a truly remarkable talent—in her hands, even lightly roasting the meat slices could easily turn them into something inedible.
“All right,” Gu Qing said helplessly. “But over the next couple of days, let’s think of something suitable to send to Jing and Sister Wu when Young Master Shen and the others return to Huzhou.”
These days, Chengyao had been signing his letters simply with the character “Jing.” He had clearly accepted this entirely new identity and was doing his best to move forward. Gu Qing understood that they ought to do the same.
“I can collect lots of different leaves for him.” Gu Jue took the bookmark tucked against his chest and carefully examined it in his palms. Although they did not even have a single book of their own now, the bookmark carried little brother Chengyao’s thoughts and a piece of his life. Looking at it, Gu Jue felt as though he could see his little brother living well in Huzhou.
Meanwhile, in the Chen family’s bamboo hut, Old Madam Zhou accepted the bookmark Chen Wang handed her, her eyes nearly filling with tears. It reminded her of her husband. His study had always been scattered with little objects he had made by hand in his spare time. Yet now, they had not been able to keep even a single one.
“Grandmother,” Chen Wang said, gently patting her back, “look—Jing is thinking of us. He must have put a great deal of thought into making this bookmark; it’s beautifully done. If we take good care of ourselves, there will surely come a day when we can see him again.”
Madam Yang also handed her a slice of dried meat. “Mother, try this. It smells so sweet. I imagine it will suit your taste.”
Old Madam Zhou wiped away her tears, accepted the dried meat, and slowly put it into her mouth. “It truly is delicious. He has met good people.”
Chen Wang nodded. “He still remembers us, so he must know something of the circumstances our two families are in.”
Old Madam Zhou clasped Chen Wang’s hand. “There’s no point dwelling on the past now. What matters is that you’re all here, and that there are people who care for that child so wholeheartedly. For now, we must live our days properly and keep ourselves healthy. That is the only way we can repay their concern for us.”
Early the next morning, at the Nanya warehouse, Shen Guanting wandered over to the caravan’s storage depot after finishing breakfast.
He held a slice of dried meat in his hand, chewing it absentmindedly as his gaze swept back and forth across the mountains of goods piled on the shelves.
He stopped in one place and casually lifted the lid of a tightly sealed sandalwood chest. A deep, secluded fragrance immediately spread through the air. Inside was top-grade agarwood. He lowered his eyes to glance at it, then shut the lid with a soft click.
It was a fine item, but it was the sort of elegant possession favored by scholars and gentlemen. It was not practical for ordinary people. No.
He turned and strolled toward the area displaying coral ornaments and gilt-lacquered wood carvings. The objects shimmered brilliantly in the light and were dazzling to behold. Shen Guanting swept his eyes over them. Too gaudy, too showy, and of no practical use. No again.
Without slowing, he moved into the spice section, where the aromas were even more mixed.
He pulled open several small drawers labeled with their contents. Pepper, dried longan, dried orange peel—these were practical enough and could be used for brewing tea or stewing soup. They were worth considering.
At last, he reached the shelves where the rare marine curios were kept. Displayed there were all sorts of oddities collected from the ports along the Southern Cliffs: strangely shaped sculptures carved from sea willow, boxes filled with brilliantly colored seashells, and numerous ocean stones whose names he did not recognize.
What a gaudy assortment, he thought as he opened an unassuming crate and took an item from the straw inside.
It was a conch about the size of his palm. Its shell was a lustrous white, with clearly defined ridges, and it looked exceptionally delicate. He weighed it in his hand, then raised it to his ear. Faintly, he heard a deep, distant echo.
This one will do. It’s novel and amusing, not so valuable that it will attract unwanted attention, and just right for that child to play with and listen to.
Next, he opened a larger, flat wooden box beside it. Inside was a heap of pearls in all shapes and sizes. He sifted through them for a moment.
Hmm, these will do as well. They’re perfect for decorating the tassel of that jade-soul bookmark.
After making a thorough inspection and looking over each of the various goods recently brought in by the caravan, he finally settled on what he wanted. He clapped his hands, then turned and left.
As soon as he stepped outside, he ran into Shen Quan, who was approaching with a ledger in hand.
Shen Guanting asked casually, “Has Shen Qi left?”
Shen Quan followed half a step behind him. “He got all his things ready and set off before dawn. By now, he should already be out of the city.”
The day before, Shen Guanting had suddenly realized that although dried meat was delicious, it was still food and could not be stored forever. Besides, he would never be able to eat so much in a short time. Thus, with great reluctance, he had given some to Shen Quan and Shen Qi as well, treating it as payment for Shen Qi’s trip to find the agarwood leaves.
Thinking of it now, he felt that he had made a very sensible arrangement. Once they returned to Huzhou, if Shopkeeper Lin asked about it, he could calmly explain that he, Shen, had never enjoyed the generous gift all by himself. Instead, he had put it to good use by taking care of their bookmark business. He had clearly been quite devoted to their partnership.
Meanwhile, Shopkeeper Lin in Huzhou had already forgotten all about the bookmarks and was busy making arrangements for Lin Jing to become a disciple.
Early that morning, Lin Wu carefully placed the prepared initiation gifts into a bamboo basket. Beside her, Lin Jing was organizing his book bag. Lin Wu had sewn it herself from fairly sturdy hemp cloth, adding two strong straps so it could be carried on his back. She had also sewn several compartments inside, allowing him to sort his books, writing implements, and other small items.
Backpacks of this sort were not uncommon at the time. Some students even hung tassels or little gourd ornaments from them as decorations.
Naturally, Lin Jing had ostentatiously hung his jade-soul bookmark from his.
During the few days of leave over the Winter Solstice, the two of them had hurried to make quite a number of bookmarks at home—more than a hundred in all. That ought to meet their needs for some time.
Lin Jing had not been idle these past few days either. Whenever he had a spare moment, he pestered Lin Wu to teach him how to write numbers.
“From now on, if any of my classmates at the academy want to order bookmarks, I’ll be able to write down the quantity myself. As for their names, they can write those themselves. Anyone who can study at the academy ought to know how to write their own name, right?” Little Shopkeeper Lin Jing declared matter-of-factly.
Anyone who did not know better might have thought he was entering the academy to open a business rather than to study under a teacher.
Next, he picked up a small cloth bag. Inside was his lunch box, which Lin Wu had prepared especially for him. Students at the academy who did not eat at the main kitchen could bring their own meals and ask the cooks to heat them up.
Although the rules at government-run prefectural and county schools were strict, and students were normally required to live at school, Canglang Academy was much more lenient. Children who lived nearby generally commuted from home. Lin Jing was not officially enrolled in the academy’s elementary school, but his schedule would be roughly the same as that of the elementary students.
He had already arranged to eat lunch with Tigerhead. They would take their meals to the main kitchen and have them heated together.
“There are some steamed dumplings in the lunch box too. If you can’t finish them, share them with Tigerhead and the others. Remember to ask Auntie Cook to help when you heat your food. Under no circumstances are you to touch the stove yourself. Be careful not to scald yourself,” Lin Wu reminded him again.
Since Lin Jing would not be eating at the academy, he only needed to pay fifty copper coins a month to use the main kitchen for heating his meals and to fetch hot drinking water whenever he wished. Lin Wu had already paid the fee in advance.
“I know,” Lin Jing replied.
He slung the backpack over his shoulders and carried the little cloth bag in his hand. Dressed neatly from head to toe, he truly looked like a young student heading off to school.
When they arrived at the academy, they spotted Tigerhead from a distance, stretching his neck as he waited by the gate. The moment he saw them, he began waving vigorously.
“You’re finally here!” Tigerhead cried, running over to greet them, his face full of excitement. “Come on, come on! Let’s hurry and go pay our respects to Master Jianshan!”
Lin Jing looked puzzled. “Tigerhead, shouldn’t you be in class at this hour?”
The elementary school should have begun its morning reading session long ago.
Tigerhead proudly lifted his chin. “I specifically asked the teacher for leave. I told him I wanted to attend the ceremony and witness you become Master Jianshan’s disciple! The moment he heard that, he approved it without a second thought.”
Then he leaned close to Lin Jing’s ear. “I figure that from now on, if I ever want to sneak out and see you, I can just say I’m going to sit in on Master Jianshan’s lessons. Maybe the teacher will approve my leave then too!”
Lin Jing had not formally begun his studies yet and did not really understand how asking for leave worked. Still, he blinked and said, “Then from now on, I can tell my teacher I’m going to see you and ask him to approve my leave.”
That way, he could go to the elementary school to sell bookmarks. Master Jianshan’s courtyard was quite a long way from the elementary school, after all.
And so the two little fellows walked along, whispering and chattering as they each secretly plotted their own schemes. They crossed the academy’s front courtyard and followed a quiet stone path deeper into the grounds.
