After Laifu returned home with them, the little fellow turned out not to be shy at all. It hopped down from the bamboo basket, spun around in place, shook its round little body, and then followed closely behind Lin Wu and Lin Jing, its short legs scurrying along quite happily.
Lin Wu was heading to the kitchen to put everything away, so she instructed Lin Jing, “A Jing, take it around the courtyard first and let it get familiar with the place. The kitchen is where we prepare food, so don’t let Laifu go inside. For one thing, we’ll be coming and going in there, and we might accidentally kick it. For another, dogs sometimes shed, and it wouldn’t do if fur fell into the food.”
Lin Jing patted his little chest. “I’ll keep a close eye on Laifu. I won’t let it set even one paw inside the kitchen!”
Then he lowered his head and reminded Laifu, who was sniffing around here and there, “Laifu, did you hear that? You can’t go through that door.”
Laifu raised its head and tilted it to one side as it glanced at him, then lowered its head and went back to sniffing around.
Lin Wu placed Laifu’s bamboo basket and straw mat by the wall. They still had to think carefully about where the little fellow would sleep at night. Laifu was roughly two or three months old—not very small, but not big either. Yet they only had two rooms at present. She and Lin Jing occupied one, while the spare room was empty but often used to dry bookmarks, so she was afraid Laifu would go in and make a mess.
The bamboo basket and little mat from earlier could serve as its bed for now, but they still needed to find a proper place to put them.
“I’m going to the main street to buy a few things for Laifu. Take it out in the courtyard to play for a while,” Lin Wu told Lin Jing before heading outside again.
It was common for people to keep cats and dogs at that time, and there were shops in the marketplace that specialized in selling dog food and cat food. The dog food consisted mainly of scraps from making malt sugar, but Lin Wu felt that might not be good for Laifu. The dried little fish sold for cats, on the other hand, smelled quite delicious. If one kept a horse, the shop could even deliver chopped fodder every day, though they had no need for that yet.
There were also plenty of shops selling cat beds and doghouses. One could even buy cages for insects and pots for crickets—an astonishing variety of things. Some shops specialized in grooming cats and dogs, trimming their fur and making them look neat and tidy. If Laifu disliked water and bathing it proved difficult, they could even send it over and have someone else wash it.
After wandering around the main street, Lin Wu first bought a small brush for combing Laifu’s fur. Then she bought a collar and a leash, followed by two ceramic bowls for food and water: one shallow bowl for its food and one deeper bowl for water. A little plum blossom was stamped on the bottom of each.
As for a doghouse, Lin Wu made her way to a carpenter’s shop.
The moment she entered, the craftsman immediately understood what she wanted and said with practiced ease, “You’re looking to have a doghouse made for the little dog at home, are you? We have some ready-made ones here, or we can build one to order. How old is your dog?”
“About two or three months old.”
The craftsman nodded and led Lin Wu farther inside. “It’s small now, but puppies grow quickly. The doghouse should be made a little larger so it can continue using it later. Have a look at these.”
He pointed to several small wooden houses lined up in the corner. They varied in size, but all were neatly made.
“This one is made from new timber. The base has been reinforced, and it’s been coated with three layers of tung oil, so it’s moisture-resistant and durable. The roof can be removed, which makes cleaning convenient. Materials and labor together come to two hundred and thirty copper coins. It should last at least five years.”
Then he pointed to a slightly simpler-looking one beside it. “This one was assembled from leftover materials used to make other pieces of furniture, along with some old timber. But don’t worry—it’s all good wood, with no rot or cracks. It has a base and a roof, and everything it should have. It just doesn’t look as bright and polished as the one made from new timber. This one is only one hundred and forty coins. Very affordable.”
Standing before that row of little wooden houses, Lin Wu could not help thinking that she had already visited this carpenter’s shop several times. She had yet to buy the cart she wanted, and had not even gotten around to ordering a bed or desk and chairs for Lin Jing. Yet the first thing she ended up purchasing was a house for Laifu.
She squatted down and compared them carefully, then haggled back and forth with the craftsman. In the end, she settled on the affordable one for one hundred and thirty coins and asked two workers to deliver it to her home.
Lin Wu had just reached the courtyard gate with the two workers carrying the doghouse when, before they even knocked, a young yet remarkably imposing series of barks came from inside.
“Woof! Woof, woof!”
The bark sounded fierce in a puppyish way, ringing out again and again toward the courtyard gate.
Lin Wu could not help marveling. Laifu looked like a soft and adorable little ball of fluff, yet it showed no lack of the makings of a guard dog. The moment it heard a disturbance, it knew to bark at the gate.
She pushed the gate open and saw that Laifu had already charged over. All four of its short legs were planted firmly as it raised its head, preparing to bark again. But the moment it recognized Lin Wu, its little nose twitched twice. The “woof” it was about to let out was abruptly swallowed, and it began wagging its little tail instead.
However, in the very next moment, it noticed the two strangers carrying something behind Lin Wu, and its round eyes immediately widened again.
“Woof! Woof, woof!” Its tiny mouth opened once more.
The two workers carried the doghouse through the gate. Laifu continued barking as it involuntarily retreated, its little paws skittering backward one after another even though its barking never stopped.
Finally, it turned and scampered away, darting behind the threshold of the main room. Only half of its round little head was visible, though it still remembered to bark twice.
It was a complete coward, but it never neglected its duty.
The sight amused everyone present.
Lin Jing had been following close beside Laifu, but although the puppy’s legs were short, it moved too quickly, and he could not keep up for the moment.
Now he crouched beside Laifu and gently stroked its back, soothing it. “They’re here to build you a house. Don’t be scared, don’t be scared.”
Lin Wu directed the two workers to carry the doghouse to a corner of the courtyard wall. A branch from a tree outside happened to stretch over that spot, providing shade. It did not obstruct the way, and it was farther from the kitchen, so cooking smoke would not drift over.
Once the doghouse had been set firmly in place, she put Laifu’s old straw mat inside and smoothed it out.
The moment the workers left, Laifu poked its little head out from behind the threshold. It looked left and right. Only after confirming that the strangers had disappeared did it wag its tail and trot over on its short legs, diving headfirst into its new house.
It turned around twice inside, then lay down, got up again, and turned around twice more. At last, completely satisfied, it curled up on the straw mat, resting its little head on the threshold as it squinted out at the courtyard in utter contentment.
“It knows that’s its own house!” Lin Jing exclaimed, crouching at the entrance of Laifu’s doghouse with a face full of wonder.
Lin Wu smiled and scooped Laifu out of the house, then put the collar around its neck. Laifu did not resist. It merely twisted its neck and tried to reach the clasp in front with its paw. After fiddling with it for a moment and deciding it was boring, it wagged its tail and let Lin Wu do as she pleased.
“It probably recognized the straw mat and knew that it belonged to it.” Lin Wu fastened the collar, then washed the two ceramic bowls and set them side by side beside the doghouse.
“Remember to attach this leash when you take it out for a walk from now on. Otherwise, if it runs too far, we might not be able to find it.” Lin Wu put the leash away and stood up.
The two little fellows followed close behind her as they went into the house.
“I know,” Lin Jing replied.
Laifu also gave a single “Woof!”
Lin Jing laughed and added, “Laifu says it knows that too.”
“Our Little Lucky is such a clever doggy.” Lin Wu rummaged through the trunk and found some leftover scraps of cloth and batting from the winter clothes and bedding she had made earlier. She planned to sew Laifu another padded mat. The old one was still usable, but winter nights were chilly, and an extra layer would certainly be better.
“Once Laifu grows a little bigger, you won’t be able to walk it by yourself anymore. Remember to call me,” Lin Wu said, shaking out a piece of coarse cloth and holding it against Laifu to estimate the size. “It’ll grow stronger, and you won’t be able to hold on to it.”
“But I’ll grow up too.”
“Laifu will grow faster than you. It’ll become a big dog in half a year. How much can you grow in half a year?” Lin Wu teased with a smile.
Lin Jing lowered his head to look at himself, then glanced at the chubby little puppy sprawled on the floor. He looked somewhat doubtful.
After adding a few odds and ends for Laifu, they had spent quite a bit more money. From now on, there would be two little ones to raise in the household, and Lin Wu felt she would have to work even harder.
The next morning, the courtyard was noticeably livelier.
Although Laifu had been forbidden from entering the kitchen, that did nothing to stop it from racing around the yard. The moment Lin Wu opened the door, it wagged its tail and trotted in circles around her feet.
Once it grew tired, it would lie down at the entrance to the main room and peer outside, its little tail swaying now and then.
Perhaps Laifu’s mother at Ciyun Temple had trained it well. Though it was still quite young, it already knew to relieve itself in a designated spot. Beside the pile of old bricks against the courtyard wall was the place it had chosen for itself. It was a remarkably low-maintenance little fellow.
When they were about to leave, both Lin Wu and Lin Jing were clearly reluctant. They had to leave poor little Laifu at home to guard the house.
“Be good,” Lin Jing said, crouching down to stroke Laifu’s little head. “We’ll be back soon. You stay home and watch the courtyard. Don’t make trouble.”
Lin Jing was still on his ten-day break today. The academy gave its students two days off for each break; after all, some students lived far away, and if they were given only a single day, they would spend the whole day traveling back and forth. He had insisted on accompanying Lin Wu to her stall, and no one could stop him.
Lin Wu refilled Laifu’s bowl with fresh water, then placed several pieces of the dried meat and crisp wafers she had specially made the day before into the small bowl beside it. She had added no seasoning to any of them. When Lin Jing tasted one earlier, he had felt deeply sorry for Laifu.
“For now, we’ll leave our home in Laifu’s care.” Lin Wu then called Lin Jing over, since he had just finished petting the dog, and made him wash his hands. They would be setting up their stall shortly, so their hands needed to be clean.
After the courtyard gate was locked, Laifu stood inside with its head cocked to one side, listening to the sounds outside for a while. Then it turned around, wiggled its little bottom, and began waddling around the courtyard on patrol.
Even a moth that landed in the vegetable patch could keep it leaping and pouncing for half a day. Once tired from all that activity, it would return to the little bamboo basket beside its kennel to rest. There, it could lie on its freshly made padded mat, bask in the sunlight, and gnaw on a piece of dried meat. Its life was far more comfortable than that of the two people currently off working.
Whenever someone passed by the courtyard gate, it would get up and bark twice, doing its duty with all due seriousness. It never neglected either work or play and was terribly busy indeed.
Meanwhile, the two people working outside had already arrived at the market.
The moment Second Madam Zhao saw them, she greeted them with a smile. “Mrs. Lin, did you go to the temple fair yesterday?”
“We did.” Lin Wu spread out her goods as she answered. “We went to sell snacks for a while. It was quite lively.”
“I thought that person looked like you. I went to the temple fair to sell flowers yesterday too. I saw that your stall was surrounded by children, three layers deep, so I didn’t come over to say hello.”
“They were all A Jing’s schoolmates, there to join in the fun.” Lin Wu smiled as she wrapped a jade cake in oil paper.
“Little Jing is popular at the academy, isn’t he?” Second Madam Zhao looked at Lin Jing, who was quietly helping Lin Wu arrange the oil-paper bags nearby. The boy had a sweet appearance and a pleasant disposition. He was quiet but clever and well-mannered, the sort of child everyone liked wherever he went.
“Mrs. Lin,” a customer who had come to buy cakes suddenly asked, “aren’t you selling those crisp wafers and dried meat today?”
Before Lin Wu could answer, another customer who was buying jade cakes turned around curiously. “What crisp wafers and dried meat?”
“They’re the things Mrs. Lin was selling at the temple fair yesterday. My child bought several bags, and they were truly delicious. They’re small and thin, so you can keep a piece at hand and nibble on one whenever you’re idle. They’re fragrant and crunchy, and you finish one in no time.”
Lin Wu thought to herself that this was the allure of snacks.
“Dried meat is rather troublesome to make, so I can’t prepare it on short notice. But the crisp wafers are simple enough. If everyone likes them, I’ll make some when I have the time and sell them the same way I did at the temple fair.” Crisp wafers were easy to prepare. Besides sesame, she could make them in other flavors as well. They kept well and could be made ahead of time, so she would not have to get up early every morning to prepare them.
“That’s wonderful! I’ve been craving those!”
“What exactly are these snacks? Now I’m curious too,” another customer joked.
Most of the people who came to buy cakes from Lin Wu were regulars, and many of them knew one another. After all, their children all attended the academy’s elementary class. They saw one another day in and day out while dropping off and picking up the children.
“Mrs. Lin, I’ll have three pieces each of the jade cakes and gold-and-jade cakes with taro filling, and three with date-paste filling…” Fifth Young Master Han, one of the academy’s older students, had come in person.
He thought for a moment, then changed his mind. “Make that four jade cakes. No, no—two jade cakes. That makes eight pieces in total. At two pieces for nine wen, would four sets be all right?”
“Of course,” Lin Wu replied. “Please wait a moment.”
“Are you holding another poetry gathering or literary meeting with your academy classmates today?” Lin Wu asked casually while he waited for the cakes. Since it was the students’ ten-day break, it would not have been strange for them to organize some sort of gathering.
Fifth Young Master Han shook his head and watched her hands intently as she made the cakes. “I’m planning to buy some cakes to visit the elders of my clan.”
Once the others heard that he was an older student at the academy, the relatives of the elementary students nearby also felt an instant sense of familiarity and began chatting with him.
“Is this young gentleman a student of the academy as well? Do you know when the results of this year’s qualifying examination will be posted? It’s been some time already, hasn’t it?”
“New Year’s Day isn’t far off. I imagine the results will be out soon. In previous years, they came out around this time too.”
“I wonder how the academy’s students did this year.”
“Oh, the prefectural school must surely have done better. The academy’s students don’t seem to care much about such things.”
“Did you take the qualifying examination this year, young gentleman?”
Seeing the conversation circle back to him, Fifth Young Master Han nodded honestly. “I did.”
“Then you can relax for a while now that the examination is over.” The others tactfully refrained from asking how he had performed and simply exchanged a few more pleasantries with him.
The atmosphere here was warm and cheerful, but not far to Lin Wu’s right, a sudden commotion broke out.
She looked up and saw that Second Aunt Chen had actually stopped nearby with a sturdy, middle-aged man. The two of them were carrying a pair of bamboo baskets. The man wore a somewhat worn dark robe. He was none other than Brother Ma, the gatekeeper of the prefectural school.
Lin Wu found the man rather strange too. The school was on break, yet he was still wearing his work clothes.
Second Aunt Chen usually only dared to sell a few pieces of jade cake at her family’s food stall, since she still cared about keeping up appearances. But now, watching Lin Wu’s business grow more prosperous by the day while the cakes at her own stall went increasingly unsold, she could no longer sit still. Taking advantage of Brother Ma’s day off from the academy, she dragged him along to help and set up a rival stall right beside Lin Wu’s.
Brother Ma thumped his bamboo basket onto the ground, threw back his head, and began hawking his wares. “Jade cakes! Delicious gold-and-jade cakes! Generous with the oil and ingredients—scholars from the prefectural academy all say they’re excellent! Three coppers apiece, five coppers for two! Come and have a look!”
Lin Jing, who was squatting nearby helping arrange the oiled paper bags, sprang to his feet the moment he heard the shouting. He stamped his feet angrily.
Lin Wu glanced over. They were selling not only jade cakes but also the gold-and-jade cakes she had recently invented. They had even copied the shape, though the ones in their basket looked rather pitiful. Their outsides had been fried a deep yellow-brown and glistened with oil, resembling square fried buns.
She turned her gaze away and continued working, pretending she had heard nothing.
Lin Jing, however, could not hold back. Sticking out his little chest, he began hawking their goods too, his voice clear and ringing. “Jade cakes! Gold-and-jade cakes! Made with real ingredients and packed with flavor!”
Brother Ma gave a mocking laugh and raised his voice even louder. “Three coppers apiece! Five coppers for two!”
Their low-price strategy really did attract a few customers. Several people who had long wanted to buy jade cakes and gold-and-jade cakes but had been reluctant to pay the high price hesitated before drifting over.
“Big brother, can we have a taste first? The stall next door lets people sample theirs,” one customer asked, craning his neck.
Second Aunt Chen hurriedly waved her hands. “Oh, my, this is a small business. We’ve already made the price so cheap—we really can’t afford to offer samples. But I assure you, the flavor is absolutely top-notch. We’re honest people; we don’t put on any empty show.”
Brother Ma chimed in, “That’s right. We’re not like certain people who have no conscience and make up lies. I work at the prefectural academy, you know. I’m only here to lend a hand on my day off. Honest people doing honest business—no cheating, young or old.”
The customer caught the insinuation in his words and immediately grew interested. He did not leave, but pressed on. “Who’s making up lies? You’ve certainly got me curious.”
Brother Ma glanced left and right, then lowered his voice—though he made sure everyone nearby could hear him. “Well, there’s a married woman in our lane whose handiwork is quite good, but the courtyard she’s renting…” He clicked his tongue. “There’s something not quite right about it.”
He shook his head and continued, “A lot of scholars don’t dare go near the place. Any student who’s lived there before has failed to make the examination list. Every single one. The place must be terribly unlucky. It stood empty for more than half a year, and the rent had to be reduced again and again before anyone would take it.”
Someone passing by stopped and added, “I know the place you mean—the one in Clear Water Lane, right? It belonged to an old licentiate. I heard he lived there and never managed to pass the exams either. In the end, he gave up studying and went into trade.”
“Now that you mention it, it does sound like it’s true.”
“Of course it is. Why would I lie to you?” Brother Ma became even more animated, no longer bothering to keep his voice down. In fact, he raised it. “The place has a new tenant now—a widow with a little boy. Perhaps she was tempted by the cheap rent. Sending her own child to a beginners’ school is one thing; that’s their business. But then she started making cakes and bookmarks and selling them specifically to scholars…”
At this point, he paused and cast Lin Wu a glance. “So tell me, could those things have picked up some of the courtyard’s bad luck too? Ah, well, I’m only worrying for everyone’s sake. Who can say how feng shui works? But what if there really is something wrong with the place? Wouldn’t that harm all those scholars?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent for a moment. Several gazes turned toward Lin Wu.
A chill ran through Lin Wu’s heart. What a massive accusation he had dumped on her.
The customers who had been buying cakes exchanged uneasy looks. Most of them had children studying at home, and when it came to matters like this, it was better to believe a rumor than risk ignoring it.
Lin Jing’s little face flushed red with anger. Clenching his fists, he was just about to rush over and argue with Brother Ma. How dare he say such things about A Wu? How dare he say such things about their home?
Lin Wu reached out and gently pressed a hand to his shoulder.
Only after picking the gold-and-jade cakes from the iron griddle one by one and arranging them on a porcelain plate did she straighten up and look at Brother Ma.
“This gentleman,” she said, “you just claimed that every scholar who has lived in the courtyard I rent failed to make the examination list?”
Brother Ma answered without a moment’s thought. “Isn’t that what everyone knows? The place stood empty for more than half a year, and the rent kept dropping before someone finally took it. Why? Because it’s unlucky, of course.”
Lin Wu nodded, then asked, “Since you work at the prefectural academy, you must have met many people and know quite a few scholars. Which of these ‘scholars who lived there’ are you referring to? What were their names? In which years did they sit for the examinations? I can ask around and see whether things really happened as you say—that the courtyard itself caused them to fail.”
Brother Ma was caught off guard by the question. “That… I only heard it from someone else. How could I remember every name?”
“You heard it from someone else,” Lin Wu repeated, her tone calm. “And just now you said this has happened every time. That means many people must have been talking about it, and the rumor must have been passed down for years. It’s strange that after all these years, not a single scholar with a name and a surname has been left behind—only the rumor.”
A faint smile touched Lin Wu’s lips. “The cakes at your stall look rather familiar, and even the name sounds familiar. Could it be that you came here specifically to steal my customers and therefore made up this story about my courtyard?”
Brother Ma immediately shouted, “Stop slandering me, you sharp-tongued widow! Everyone knows your courtyard is unlucky. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. In any case, I’m not the one who’ll suffer from the bad luck!”
Lin Jing glared furiously at him, his little chest heaving.
The customers who had originally intended to buy cakes looked at one another. In the end, some of them quietly took a step back, then turned and left.
Lin Wu’s stall suddenly became much quieter.
She sighed inwardly. She had never imagined there would be trouble like this. She wrapped several cakes in oiled paper and handed them to Fifth Young Master Han, who had been waiting nearby.
Fifth Young Master Han accepted the package and was just about to say something when Brother Ma’s voice rose again beside them.
“Oh, young man! I heard you passed the preliminary qualifying examination, didn’t I? At such a crucial moment, aren’t you afraid of picking up some bad luck? If a few cakes end up affecting your chances of gaining official honors, then—”
Fifth Young Master Han did not even look at him. In an even tone, he said, “Whether I pass depends entirely on whether my learning is good enough. If success were determined by things outside myself, I wouldn’t need to attend an academy. I could simply spend every day at Ciyun Temple praying to the gods.”
The onlookers who had gathered to watch could not help laughing when they heard that.
“That’s right. If living in a certain courtyard could affect one’s chances of success, then no one would need to study. We could all just go consult a feng shui master.”
“Exactly. I say Brother Ma is only jealous because someone else’s business is doing well and is deliberately looking for trouble.”
Fifth Young Master Han took the cakes and was preparing to leave when a burst of hurried footsteps came from not far away.
“Brother Han! The results have been posted—you…”
Zhou Wenjin had not finished speaking when the young man in brocade beside him finally caught his breath and eagerly called out, “You’re the top-ranked candidate! First place!”
A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd all at once, like a pot of water boiling over.
"Congratulations, Young Master Han! Best wishes to you, Young Master Han!"
"Oh my, the top-ranked candidate of the provincial imperial exam! That's such wonderful news!"
"Young Master Han truly has profound learning, this honor is well and truly deserved!"
Fifth Young Master Han froze for a split second, not yet fully processing what had happened, before he was swallowed up by the well-wishes from everyone around him.
Zhou Wenjin smiled and explained, "We were looking everywhere for you. I just happened to know you were coming to buy pastries today, so we rushed right over."
Fifth Young Master Han snapped back to his senses and asked hurriedly, "Wenjin, what about the rest of you?"
The youth in the brocade robe spoke up first, his voice bright and cheerful, "Naturally, we all made the list! We wouldn't have dared to come see you, the top-ranked candidate, if we hadn't!"
"Congratulations to all of you, the same joy to us all!" Fifth Young Master Han broke into a grin and bowed repeatedly with clasped hands.
The brocade-robed youth clapped his hands, his gaze landing on Lin Wu's stall, "Since I'm already here, Sister Lin, pack up all the pastries you have left for me! Relatives and friends are bound to come over to offer their congratulations at my place, and serving these would be both presentable and full of good fortune!"
"Congratulations to all you young masters!" Lin Wu got up in a hurry to offer her good wishes, her hands moving nimbly as she started packing the pastries, "Thank you so much for your patronage, this is truly the most wonderful thing that could have happened!"
Someone standing nearby chuckled, "Mrs. Lin's stall is brimming with good fortune. I've noticed all of you young masters come by often to buy pastries here!"
"That's right, that's right! Some people are just eaten up with resentment, they can't even get their own craft right and they go around making up nonsense. Now look at what's happened—one of the regulars who buys pastries from Mrs. Lin has turned out to be the top-ranked candidate!"
While Zhou Wenjin and the others waited for their order, they finally heard the full story from the chattering crowd around them.
As soon as the brocade-robed youth heard what had happened, he called out loudly, "I know exactly how that sort of thing goes! If I failed the exam, I'd go home and say my brush wasn't writing right, my clothes were uncomfortable, my chair was too hard, the window was drafty, everything was bad luck, I'd blame every single thing other than the fact that my own knowledge wasn't good enough!"
The whole crowd burst into laughter again.
Lin Wu couldn't help but laugh too. She handed the packed pastries over to the group, and added two extra pastries for each of them as a bonus, saying with a smile, "I'll borrow all of your good fortune. May you keep rising higher and higher in your studies, and always top the exam lists!"
Zhou Wenjin looked over at Brother Ma, his tone turning serious, "That sort of trick is truly despicable. Copying someone else's pastry recipe is one thing—everyone makes a living by their own craft, no one is getting in the way of anyone else. But to use such underhanded schemes to ruin someone's business and destroy their reputation..."
He paused, his voice slowing down even more, "That's downright malicious. I never thought even in the prefecture academy, there would be people who act like this."
Lin Jing also huffed angrily, "I'm going to go to the prefecture academy and demand justice for this!"
"Exactly!" The brocade-robed youth chimed in, "This isn't over yet!"
Brother Ma's face had gone deathly pale, but he stuck his neck out and tried to stand his ground, stammering, "I— I was just trying to be helpful. That yard really was as bad as I said, I was just warning everyone."
Lin Wu turned around, looking at him calmly, "But now the facts have proven that's not true at all. You spread slander about my yard and ruined my stall's reputation without even bothering to verify what you were saying. Today you would do such a selfish thing to harm others, there's no telling what you'd do next. Especially since there are so many students in the prefecture academy whose entire future is on the line, you'd better watch your step."
With that, Lin Wu stopped arguing with him and bent down to tidy up her things.
On their way home, Lin Jing was still seething with anger, waving his tiny fist and pouting so hard his mouth stuck out, "That man is so mean! I'm going to report him to the authorities!"
Hearing that, Lin Wu couldn't help but laugh. She had no idea where the little kid had picked up that phrase, talking about "reporting to the authorities."
When the time for the evening meal came, Lin Wu brought a small parcel of dried meat slices and crisp pastries over and knocked on the door of the He family next door.
Fourth Madam He opened the door, saw her, and quickly ushered her inside.
Lin Wu smiled and handed over the oil-paper parcel, "Today at the stall, one of our customers turned out to be the top-ranked candidate for this year's exam. Everyone says the pastries at my stall are lucky, since the top-ranked candidate bought them. I thought Lishu is home for his ten-day break from school, so I brought some over for him, to let him catch a bit of the top candidate's good luck, so he'll do well in all his future exams."
Fourth Madam He's face lit up with a huge smile the moment she heard that. She took the parcel with both hands, "Oh my, you're far too kind! Thank you so much! This is such a thoughtful gesture!"
She held Lin Wu's hand and sighed, "That whole mess with Brother Ma, the whole alley knows about it now. What a rotten thing to do! We're all neighbors around here, we see each other every day, and he goes and pulls a stunt like that. Thank goodness, heaven has eyes— the exam results came out today, and they slapped all his lies right in the face!"
Lin Wu shook her head, "It's alright. Justice will prevail in everyone's hearts. Even if the results hadn't come out today, they would have come out tomorrow or the day after. Sooner or later, someone would have proven every word he said was a lie."
"It's so good that you can think that way," Fourth Madam He patted her hand.
After Lin Wu left, Fourth Madam He shut the door, and was still fuming as she ranted to her son, "You see that? That Brother Ma who always looked so honest and quiet, he went and did something like that! You really can't judge a book by its cover!"
Liu Lishu was munching on the crisp pastry, and nodded repeatedly as he listened, "He's so awful. We pass by each other every day. If I accidentally annoyed him somehow, there's no telling what he'd do. Mom, I'm going to tell all my classmates tomorrow to watch out for him. The prefecture academy can't keep someone with that kind of bad character around!"
The next day, Lin Jing went to his private school, and he bit into his crisp pastry extra hard at lunchtime, loud crunching sounds going on nonstop.
That morning in the carriage, he had told Tigerhead all about what Brother Ma had done. Tigerhead was so mad his face turned bright red, and he'd been holding in his anger the whole ride. As soon as lunch break came, he spilled the whole story, adding all sorts of dramatic details to it.
Normally, the results of the provincial imperial exam didn't have anything to do with the little kids at their elementary school, but now it suddenly felt like it was their business too. A bunch of little heads huddled together, crunching their pastries as loud as they could, waving their tiny fists and feeling united in their anger.
These past few days, the prefecture academy's headmaster had been at his wits' end. Not only did he have students coming to him one after another to complain that Gatekeeper Ma had terrible morals, and that he would stain the reputation of the whole prefecture academy, not to mention that he was stopping them from buying their favorite crisp pastries.
People from all over the place were also teasing him, saying "That gatekeeper of yours at the prefecture academy is really something, he went around ruining people's businesses. Don't let him make my kid miss out on all the good pastries!"
There was no way he could keep Brother Ma around any longer. He issued an official notice right away, and sent the man back to the prefecture yamen.
The prefecture yamen was just as decisive. Why would they keep a troublemaker like that around? They stripped him of his post immediately.
Now the Clear Water Lane was buzzing with excitement again for days. The Ma family was wailing and crying every day. Brother Ma blamed Second Aunt Chen for copying Lin Wu's pastry recipe, saying that was what made him lose face and his job. Second Aunt Chen blamed him for running his mouth and dragging her into the mess too. The couple fought every single day, making such a racket that all the neighbors were disturbed.
A few days later, they packed up their things and moved out of Clear Water Lane in utter disgrace.
All the excitement died down after a few days, and the neighborhood finally went back to quiet.
Lin Wu's business had been unbelievably good these days. Fresh off his win as the top-ranked candidate, Fifth Young Master Han's publicity effect was absolutely enormous.
So many families, especially those who had family members that just passed the exam, came to her stall to place pastry orders, saying they wanted to hand them out to relatives and friends to share the good luck. The golden jade pastries somehow got renamed "top candidate pastries", and people started lining up outside her stall way before dawn every day.
Lin Wu worked as fast as she could, making pastries late into the night every single day. It took several more days for this craze to finally die down.
One day, after finishing their evening meal, the sky was still bright out. Lin Wu and Lin Jing took Laifu by the leash and went out for a walk.
Qingshui Alley lies in the eastern part of the city, a quiet, secluded spot that requires a short walk further out to reach the riverside. Though Laifu is still young, his four little short legs are surprisingly agile, and he dashes all the way from the alley entrance to the river embankment without tiring at all.
The two people and the dog wander slowly along the embankment. The river breeze brushes against their faces, carrying the coolness of water vapor, which washes away the exhaustion from making pastries these past few days.
Laifu runs ahead one moment and lags behind the next, stopping every now and then to sniff the wild grass by the roadside, then lifting his head to bark "woof woof" twice, keeping himself thoroughly occupied.
When they reach an open stretch, Lin Wu stops in her tracks. She gazes into the distance, where a large ship is sailing slowly toward them at the point where the river meets the sky.
The sun is dipping low in the west, and its golden-red afterglow spreads across the entire surface of the river, making the water glisten and sparkle. The hull is bathed in the radiant glow, its sail swaying faintly as it draws nearer little by little.
"That's such a huge ship!" Lin Jing stands on tiptoe, craning to get a better look. "What is it for?"
Huzhou thrives on shipping, with an endless stream of cargo ships coming and going, so large vessels like this are not an uncommon sight.
"At that size, it must be a cargo ship," Lin Wu squints as the glint off the river surface catches her eye. "I reckon it's carrying goods here from somewhere far away."
As the ship sails closer, she spots the tall, flying merchant banner. The flag snaps loudly in the river wind, and the characters stitched on it gradually come into clear view.
"It's a ship from the Zhi Yun Firm," Lin Wu says softly.
At her words, Lin Jing claps his hands excitedly. "Oh, I almost forgot. Tigerhead said yesterday that his elder brother would arrive in Huzhou around today."
He then looks at Lin Wu with bright, sparkling eyes. "We can start our bookmark business now!"
Lin Wu stares at the ship, lost in a trance. It feels like ages ago that she last stood on a Zhi Yun Firm vessel, back when she first arrived in Huzhou with A Jing.
She glances down at the chubby little dog prancing happily at her feet, then looks over at the energetic Lin Jing by her side, and a soft smile tugs at her lips.
More and more onlookers have gathered by the riverside railing.
"Hey, that's a Zhi Yun Firm ship! Where did it come from?"
"All sorts of places, I suppose. They're all due back around this time, since New Year's Day is just around the corner."
New Year's Day, the first day of the first lunar month, marks the start of a brand new year. It is the most important festival, celebrated by everyone from emperors and high-ranking officials down to ordinary common folk.
All of a sudden, Laifu barks loudly a few times toward the front.
The ship has drawn close to the bank now, and people on board and on shore are craning to get a look at one another.
A corner of the cabin curtain is lifted.
Shen Guanting leans against the window, his gaze sweeping across the bustling crowd on the bank, until it suddenly freezes.
By the river embankment railing stand two figures, one tall and one short, who look oddly familiar. The taller one is bending slightly, looking down to soothe the plump little round dog at her feet. A stray strand of hair has slipped from her bun, caught by the river breeze to flutter gently across her plain, serene profile.
The chubby little dog tilts its head up, nuzzling against her feet, completely lost in its own affectionate display.
The shorter figure is standing on tiptoe, stretching his neck to peer over toward the ship, his face rounder than Shen Guanting remembers, fair and rosy, brimming with energy.
Bathed in the sunset's afterglow, the few figures look slightly blurred.
It seems they have been living a good life. A faint smile rises in Shen Guanting's eyes as he pulls his hand back, and the curtain falls shut.
