Shen Yubai had once been the pride of the Shen family. Now he was nothing but a burden, so of course nobody cared about him.
Madam Luo’s face was deathly pale, and her frail body trembled.
“Yubai will get better.”
“Third Sister-in-law[1]A kinship form of address identifying the wife of the third brother in a family, based on the brothers’ birth order. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717532_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717532_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, we’re all family, and we believe Yubai can get better, too. But even if he does, he won’t be able to catch up with the clan school. He’ll still have to come home and farm. Hongye is the hope of the whole family now. You need to keep the bigger picture in mind.”
Shen Shouzhong’s voice was full of displeasure.
He truly hadn’t expected Madam Luo, a woman, to dare refuse him in front of their parents.
Faced with such a weighty accusation, Madam Luo was at a loss for words.
She was deeply unwilling.
That inkstone was something the children’s father had asked someone to buy in the prefectural city[2]The administrative seat of a prefecture, a territorial division used by several imperial Chinese dynasties. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717532_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717532_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. It was the last thing he had left for his child.
After his father died, Yubai washed the inkstone he’d used inside and out every day, then dried it with a cloth.
He used it carefully, always afraid it might get chipped or damaged.
Last year, when they had no money for medicine, she’d wanted to trade the inkstone for cash, but Yubai refused.
Even when he was coughing up blood day and night, he couldn’t bear to sell it. If the Shen family took it now, Yubai would lose the one thing he still cherished.
When Madam Luo remained silent, Shen Shouzhong grew even more displeased. His huge, bell-like eyes fixed on the widowed mother and her son.
Shen Shouzhong’s wife, Madam Jiang, spoke with a smile. “Third Sister-in-law, think about it. With Yubai in his current condition, even farming will be hard for him. If Hongye has a bright future, he’ll be able to help Yubai later, won’t he?”
Madam Zheng nodded repeatedly. “With his health, he’ll have to rely on his uncles and cousins in the future.”
Madam Luo looked hopefully at Old Man Shen. “Father?”
Old Man Shen lowered his eyelids and tapped his dry tobacco pipe against the long bench beneath him. Each tap made Madam Luo’s heart sink a little further.
“Since Yubai is here, let him decide what to do.”
Old Man Shen finally spoke.
Everyone turned to look at Shen Yubai.
Shen Yubai raised his eyes and said to Old Man Shen, “It’s a good thing that Brother Hongye can become Teacher Zhu’s disciple.”
Eldest Uncle and Madam Jiang smiled with relief.
How could a widow and her son stand their ground?
Look at that—he’d obediently backed down.
Old Man Shen’s expression eased, too. “Yubai knows how to put the family first.”
But Madam Luo watched Shen Yubai’s calm face with worry.
She couldn’t see a trace of reluctance or panic in it.
Shen Yubai said respectfully, “The family will have to spend money on a gift for the apprenticeship ceremony[3]A formal occasion for accepting a student under a teacher, traditionally accompanied by ritual respect or a gift. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717532_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717532_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. My inkstone has been used for many years and has quite a few chips and scratches. If we give it to Teacher Zhu, he may think we don’t value him.”
Of course, no one in the Shen family believed him.
Everyone in the household knew how precious the inkstone was to Shen Yubai. How could he possibly have let it get chipped?
Shen Yubai offered no explanation. He let Madam Luo help him back to his room to fetch the inkstone.
Eldest Uncle snatched it from him.
The heavy inkstone was exquisitely carved in the shape of a golden toad[4]Toad imagery can symbolize good fortune or prosperity in Chinese folk culture; the precise design of this inkstone is not described. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717532_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717532_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
Even without knowing its value, Shen Shouzhong could tell it was far better than the inkstone his son used.
“This looks perfectly fine to me. Teacher Zhu is sure to like it.”
Smiling, Eldest Uncle handed it to Old Man Shen.
Old Man Shen’s rough, aged hand took the inkstone. It was heavy in his palm.
“It’s made of good material. Where is it chipped?”
“On the bottom,” Shen Yubai replied respectfully.
Old Man Shen turned the inkstone over. When he saw the marks on the bottom, his expression stiffened.
Eldest Uncle had a bad feeling. He leaned over to look, and when he saw the marks, he nearly cursed.
“Let me see.”
Madam Zheng sensed something was wrong and snatched the inkstone away.
Someone had carved a mass of crooked strokes into the beautiful inkstone. They looked like a spiderweb.
“What is this?”
“Shen Yubai’s name!”
Eldest Uncle answered through clenched teeth, his eyes fixed on Shen Yubai.
It was deliberate. He’d done it on purpose.
They wanted his inkstone for Teacher Zhu, so when he refused, he’d deliberately carved his own name into it.
An inkstone like this couldn’t be given to anyone. Even Hongye couldn’t use it!
“You good-for-nothing wastrel! How could you ruin a perfectly good inkstone like this?”
Madam Zheng scolded Shen Yubai furiously.
Madam Jiang was upset, too. “Yubai, if you really couldn’t bear to part with it, you should have just told us. We wouldn’t have forced you. There was no need to ruin something valuable.”
Shen Yubai said calmly, “I can barely walk now. How could I carve my name into the inkstone? I was young back then, and afraid someone else might set their sights on it, so I carved it in little by little with a knife. I wasn’t good at writing then. The characters were loose and uneven, nothing like my handwriting now.”
Everyone looked awkward.
Well, they had set their sights on his inkstone.
Eldest Uncle’s face was full of resentment. He was about to say something, but Old Master Shen cut him off.
“Since Yubai’s name is carved into the inkstone, we’ll prepare another gift for the apprenticeship ceremony.”
Old Master Shen gave the inkstone a long look, then waved his hand. “Give it back to Yubai.”
Madam Zheng shoved the inkstone into Madam Luo’s hands. “Take him back to his room. Don’t come out and cause trouble.”
Madam Luo hugged the inkstone tightly, cherishing it. She didn’t care that the family despised them; she helped Shen Yubai up and started to leave.
Shen Yubai managed to bow to Old Master Shen, then braced himself as he made his way out of the room.
After all that commotion, his back was drenched in cold sweat.
His legs were weak, and he had to move along the wall, inch by inch, at a crawl.
From the main room came Eldest Uncle’s furious voice. “He’s going to die anyway, and he’s still ruining good things!”
Madam Luo bit her lip hard, tears welling in her eyes.
Shen Yubai stopped, gripped his mother’s hand, and took a few steadying breaths. Then he turned toward the doorway and said, “Eldest Uncle, don’t worry too much about me. I’ll do everything I can to stay alive. I’ll never commit the unfilial act of making a white-haired parent bury a child[5]Filial piety emphasizes children’s duties toward parents. A parent outliving a child is traditionally described with the sorrowful image of a white-haired elder burying a younger person. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717532_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717532_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.”
A long bench crashed to the floor inside the room, and someone said something in a low voice.
Shen Yubai’s lips curled up. “Mother, let’s go back.”
“I’ll carry you!”
Madam Luo wiped her tears, relieved, and crouched in front of him.
Her summer clothes were thin. When she bent down, Shen Yubai could clearly see her protruding backbone.
Shen Yubai smiled. “I can walk.”
Madam Luo couldn’t talk him out of it, so she could only support him as he slowly made his way back to their room.
The few steps took Shen Yubai the time it took to burn an entire stick of incense[6]A traditional approximate time expression; a stick’s burn time was not a fixed universal measurement. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3717532_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3717532_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
By the time they reached the room, he looked as though he’d been pulled out of the water. Once he sat on the bed, his heart seemed ready to leap out of his throat.
Madam Luo hurried to find a piece of cloth and wipe his sweat.
If he didn’t dry off, he might catch a chill.
Shen Yubai gasped for breath, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
For the first time in three years, he had walked such a long distance.
After taking the medicine twice, his health had already improved more than it ever had before.
Never had he been so certain that he could stay alive.
When Madam Luo had finished, she took out the inkstone and wiped it tenderly. “Such a lovely inkstone, all scratched up.”
“That way, no one will set their sights on it.”
As soon as Shen Yubai finished speaking, he began coughing violently again.
His whole body shook with each cough. A metallic sweetness filled his throat, and with a sudden “waa,” he spat out a large pool of blood.
He heard startled cries, muffled and indistinct.
His vision blurred, and his consciousness slowly faded.
With great effort, he reached beneath the pillow for the medicine. But that single movement seemed to drain the last of his strength.
A thought inexplicably flashed through his mind: If Miss Su Jin sent him a message in a little while and he couldn’t reply in time, would she be angry?
Darkness swallowed his vision. He could no longer see anything around him, and his body slumped onto the bed as he lost consciousness.
Yet in his hand, he clutched the medicine, wrapped tightly in oiled paper.
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