“During the fourteenth year of Hongwu’s reign, Emperor Taizu dispatched three hundred thousand troops divided into two routes, invading Yunnan from the eastern and northern fronts.”
“The northern route army, led by Guo Ying with fifty thousand soldiers, set out from our Yongning into Yunnan. As this area served as the strategic gateway between Sichuan and Yunnan-Guizhou, Guo Ying followed Emperor Hongwu’s decree by leaving troops behind to build fortifications, store grain, and secure supply lines. After Yunnan was pacified, these troops remained stationed in Yongning, guarding the region for generations. As compensation, all officers and soldiers were promoted one rank, with their descendants inheriting their positions.”
On their way down the mountain, Uncle pointed toward Erlang Beach below and said, “My great-great-grandfather was one of the Zongqi Officers among them. This Erlang Beach was gradually developed by him and his comrades.”
“Later, their families from Nanjing were brought here for reunion, and our Su family began to settle and multiply in this area.” After finishing this account, he shifted to another topic:
“Now regarding the Cheng family—they originally came from an official lineage. After the Jingnan Campaign, numerous surviving officials of the Jianwen regime were exiled with their entire clans to garrison the frontiers. The Cheng family was among them, being sent to Yongning during this period. Thus, while the older generation of the Cheng family were prisoners, our Su ancestors were their guards—this naturally led to numerous conflicts between them.”
“Yongning is mountainous, with Han and indigenous peoples living intermingled. The arable land had already been occupied by the Luo Luo people and our military households. The Cheng family arrived later and were still under penal status, so they could only cultivate hilly land, growing cold-resistant and hardy sorghum for subsistence.” Uncle sighed and continued:
“But as heaven never seals off all exits, the Cheng family discovered that the local water and soil were exceptionally suitable for brewing liquor. They began learning to brew sorghum wine and gradually made a name for themselves. Even the chieftains of Bozhou purchased liquor from the Cheng Family Distillery, so naturally the Cheng family’s circumstances gradually improved.”
“Later, when the Yongle Emperor passed away, the Renzong Emperor rehabilitated the former officials of the Jianwen regime. The Cheng family was also pardoned and restored to commoner status, allowing their descendants to resume studying and taking imperial examinations.”
“Our family, on the contrary, faced the opposite situation. After the Tumu Crisis, the status of military personnel declined repeatedly, and military households in garrison towns found themselves in particularly difficult circumstances—our family couldn’t escape this trend. By then, our old Su family had already branched out and multiplied at Erlang Beach. How could we rely solely on the original limited farmland?”
“So your great-great-grandfather pooled the entire clan’s resources to establish the Su Family Wine Shop. He even hired a Fermentation Master from the Cheng family as the head brewer—of course, the Cheng family wasn’t happy about this.”
“No wonder they were upset,” Su Lu nodded, thinking to himself that up to this point, the Cheng family had still been the victims of bullying…
“But for a long time, the liquor from our Su Family Wine Shop was far inferior to that from the Cheng Family Distillery. Even using the same sorghum, the same brewing methods, and hiring the same masters didn’t work. Later, we discovered the difference was in the water—the Cheng Family Distillery used water from the Langquan Well, which produced notably better-tasting liquor.”
“What’s more frustrating is that the Langquan Well was originally our family’s drinking well. Somehow the Cheng family discovered it could brew excellent liquor. They were cunning—they didn’t disclose this but had someone else come forward to approach us, offering to exchange a larger, flatter piece of land for it.” Uncle continued recounting the old story:
“At that time, our family had many mouths to feed and were eager for such a deal, so we agreed to the exchange.”
“Is that where our family lives now?” Su Lu asked.
“Right.” Uncle nodded with a bitter smile. “After learning the truth, our family wanted the well back, but of course the Cheng family wouldn’t agree. My great-grandfather Feng Gong was quite formidable – he dug another well called Niangquan Well in a low-lying area nearby, and it actually connected with the Langquan Well.”
“From then on, we could use the same water for brewing wine, while the Cheng family’s well saw its water level drastically reduced, remaining dry for half the year.”
“Naturally, water flows downward.” Su Lu chuckled wryly. Real business warfare was often this plain and unadorned.
“The Cheng family’s business suffered greatly, and they naturally couldn’t accept this. Fortunately, generations of our family had served as officials in the Military Garrison, so when it came to fighting, they were no match for us. The Cheng family couldn’t gain the upper hand and had to swallow their resentment.” Uncle continued:
“But the situation changed ten years ago when the Cheng family produced a xiucai – that Master Cheng, Cheng Pi-yang. He filed a lawsuit with the county magistrate, claiming his family were descendants of loyal officials who had been oppressed by local bullies. He said he had studied hard precisely to one day escape the Military Garrison’s control and see justice served! He begged the honorable magistrate to uphold justice!”
Though Uncle had only studied in the clan school for a few years, he had surprisingly good eloquence – no wonder he managed to win over the Cheng family’s prized daughter.
“The county magistrate was newly appointed and eager to make his mark. He used this case to establish his authority, ruling that our family had destroyed the Cheng family’s well and awarding our newly dug well to them as well.” Uncle sighed:
“Our family naturally refused to comply. We guarded the well and wouldn’t yield, which eventually led to a massive armed conflict between the two clans – in this battle, both clans turned out in full force. Even Cheng Xiucai and your grandfather joined the fight. Naturally, our family achieved complete victory, beating the Cheng family until they were picking their teeth off the ground. Even Master Cheng’s arm was broken by your grandfather.”
“Was the Old Master really that fierce?” Su Lu couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
“Then what happened?” Su Tai pressed urgently.
“That year happened to be an Autumn Examination year. Master Cheng was quite the troublemaker – he petitioned the Grand Master for leave from the provincial examination, claiming he had been severely beaten and couldn’t participate. The Grand Master was furious, and the other examination candidates voiced their support. To quell the situation, Governor Li Zhongcheng ordered severe punishment for those involved in the beating.” Uncle kept sighing:
“Then our family suffered terrible misfortune. Your grandfather was imprisoned because of this. Only through the efforts of colleagues and superiors was he eventually released from charges but dismissed from office, returning home to live in idleness. Our family was also bankrupted, moving back from the city to live in this old residence at Erlang Beach.”
“Our Su family also gave up the well, and since then we’ve never been able to brew such good wine again. Our business naturally declined steadily, and now we’re barely maintaining it. So the clan made a determined decision to establish a clan school to educate our children, vowing to produce a provincial graduate before the Cheng family and reclaim the Langquan Well.”
“Unfortunately, we greatly underestimated the difficulty of academic advancement. After ten years, our entire clan hasn’t even produced a single xiucai…” Uncle gave a bitter laugh, returning to his own troubles: “Now the Cheng family surpasses our Su family in every aspect, and the whole clan is simmering with resentment. How could I dare mention wanting to marry a Cheng family girl at this time?”
“Indeed, then why did you get involved with Cui Cui in the first place?” Su Lu found this utterly baffling.
“You’re still young – you wouldn’t understand even if I told you.” Uncle said with a intoxicated expression: “Forbidden love is so thrilling.”
“Who says I don’t understand? It’s just rebellion, isn’t it?” Su Lu curled his lip.
“I see, just like how the more Auntie forbids Qiu Ge’er from studying, the more energetically he reads!” Su Tai clapped his hands in sudden realization.
“…” Uncle pursed his lips, feeling like an unreasonable child after their remarks.
As they spoke, the three approached the town and could already see familiar figures. Uncle cut the conversation short and instructed them:
“You must keep today’s matter secret. Tomorrow I’ll buy you both some treats.”
“Okay.” Su Tai naturally agreed obediently. Su Lu had his own affairs to attend to and certainly wouldn’t meddle in others’ business.
~~
“Third Brother’s back!”
As soon as they entered the house, Jinbao came flying toward them.
Su Lu casually picked up Jinbao and magically produced two golden prickly pears.
“Eat! Eat!” Jinbao reached out both hands.
“Even with thorns?” Su Lu teased her chubby hands with the soft spines of the prickly pear. “Aren’t you afraid of cutting your mouth?”
“Still eat!” Jinbao said firmly. “Even if it cuts my mouth.”
Only then did Su Lu smile, rub off the soft spines, and hand the prickly pear to Jinbao.
“Thank you, Third Brother.”After thanking him, Jinbao held the prickly pear and began nibbling it in the courtyard, her brows furrowing from the sourness and drool streaming down, yet she couldn’t stop.”
After dealing with Jinbao, the brothers brought their grandmother a jar of honey. Su Tai went to process the various mountain goods they’d brought back, while Su Lu eagerly took the bundle of banana leaves to his room to experiment.
He spread the fresh green banana leaves flat on his desk, weighed them down with a paperweight, then ground ink and tried writing. But as soon as the brush tip touched the leaf surface, it felt extremely slippery. The ink spread everywhere, and the written characters quickly became distorted and illegible.
Su Lu tried several more banana leaves with the same result – complete and hopeless failure.
“Sigh…” He put down the brush and sighed. What nonsense was this ‘Huai Su Writing on Banana Leaves’? He never thought ancient times had their own version of marketing hype.
“What’s wrong? Did your aunt scold you again?” Su Youcai came in from outside and saw his frustrated expression.
“I wanted to learn from Huai Su and write on banana leaves, but found it completely impossible.” Su Lu scratched his head and said self-mockingly, “Probably just an inspirational story made up by ancients to fool children.”
“Can’t be, right?” Su Youcai shook his head. “Lu Yu’s ‘Biography of Monk Huai Su’ records this incident. Moreover, Huai Su’s friend Dai Shulun also wrote in his poem: ‘Returning to hang my robe in the high forest, I cut banana leaves to copy Buddhist scriptures.’ They wouldn’t need to make it up, would they?”
“But the leaves are too slippery and don’t absorb ink at all.” Su Lu frowned deeply, though his father’s words reignited his hope.
Su Youcai picked up a banana leaf and examined it. “The leaves have a waxy coating and are too moist. How could they possibly absorb ink?”
“Should we try drying them in the sun?” Su Lu said with sudden realization.
“Definitely can’t sun dry them – they’ll deform and wrinkle. How could you write on uneven surfaces?” Su Youcai shook his head. “Besides, sun drying only removes moisture, not this waxy layer.”
“We could try boiling them with plant ash first.” Su Tai’s voice came from behind them; he had already finished his work. “Then try drying them in the shade.”
“How do you know that?” Su Youcai and Su Lu asked in surprise.
“I saw Lao Hu making paper – he boils bamboo with plant ash first.” Su Tai scratched his head. “He said it was to remove the wax from the bamboo surface.”
“What a sharp-eyed lad!” Su Youcai praised, handing the banana leaf to Su Tai. “Give it a try!”
“Alright.” Su Tai nodded cheerfully.
~~
Three days later, Su Tai handed a stack of processed banana leaves to Su Lu. “Try these.”
“Thanks for your hard work, Second Brother.” Su Lu took them and saw the leaves had turned pale yellow yet remained smooth as paper. Su Tai had meticulously cut them into uniform rectangles, the same size as the rough-edged yellow paper sold by Lao Hu.
“No trouble at all. Hurry and test if they work.” Su Tai grinned, urging him on.
Su Lu nodded, quickly grinding the Pine Soot Ink and lifting his brush. He wrote several large characters on the “Banana Leaf Paper”:
“Fraternal Love.”
This time, the banana leaves not only absorbed ink but also provided proper resistance to the brush tip—no longer overly slippery. The brush felt nearly identical to writing on ordinary yellow paper!
“How is it?” Su Tai asked anxiously.
“Perfectly substitutable!” Su Lu looked up, beaming with joy. “Now we need never worry about paper again!”
Those banana trees growing abundantly on the mountain would become his inexhaustible paper supply!
“Excellent!” Su Tai clapped excitedly, even happier than Su Lu. “From now on you can write freely—I’ll supply all the banana paper you need!”
“Thank you, Second Brother.” Su Lu gazed at him gratefully. It wasn’t just banana paper—there were also the pine torches, Pine Soot Ink, and even the brush tip his brother had hand-twisted from goat hair mixed with rabbit fur.
Without Second Brother, he could never have pursued his studies.