4
I Want to Study Too
Cheng Xiucai reacted swiftly, immediately seizing the opportunity to scold his elder brother: “What kind of nonsense is this? How could you deceive me?”
Though he usually prided himself on speaking formal Mandarin, in his panic, his Sichuan accent slipped out.
“Wasn’t it you…” Under Cheng Xiucai’s fierce glare, Elder Master Cheng swallowed the rest of his words and slumped in defeat. “I was possessed by demons and wanted to make that little bastard suffer.”
“How foolish, elder brother!” Cheng Xiucai exclaimed with profound disappointment. “How do you expect me to show my face after this?”
“Sigh…” Elder Master Cheng hung his head dejectedly. “My leg hurt terribly yesterday—I thought it was broken.”
“You thought? And you made me accompany you to make a spectacle of ourselves!” Cheng Xiucai pointed a trembling finger at him, overflowing with anger. “This is nothing short of betraying my honor!”
“Enough, enough, that’s quite enough scolding.” After watching the performance for a while, Zhou Baihu finally stepped in to mediate: “It’s still good news that Brother Cheng’s leg isn’t broken.”
“Indeed, it’s excellent news! It turned out to be a false alarm.” The Shi Baihu nearby also breathed a sigh of relief. “Now everyone can return home.”
“How can that be? They falsely accused us!” Su Youcai, who had been seething with anger, was in no mood to let it go.
“We should also take this to the county magistrate and see what he has to say?!” Su Lu’s Uncle shouted loudly.
“Enough, enough, stop causing a commotion. This matter has nothing to do with Master Cheng.” Zhou Baihu, however, held back the Su brothers and said sternly to Cheng Xiucai:
“Let this matter end here. No one is to speak of it again, and no further trouble is to be stirred up!”
His gaze swept sternly over the members of both the Cheng and Su families as he raised his voice: “Otherwise, old and new grievances will be settled together!”
This was the first time Zhou Baihu had spoken so harshly, and his words shook the corridor eaves, causing dust to fall.
“Since Commander Zhou has spoken, I naturally comply without question.” For the first time, Cheng Xiucai spoke softly: “I’ve made a fool of myself today. Another day, I will host a banquet to make amends.”
“Very well, very well.” Zhou Baihu nodded and said to the Shi Baihu: “See Master Cheng out on my behalf.”
“Farewell!” Cheng Xiucai cupped his hands in salute and, without taking the sedan chair, turned and left.
The Cheng family members hastily followed in disgrace.
“Are we just letting them leave like that?” The Uncle was still fuming with anger.
“What else do you want to do? No matter how unscrupulous he is, he’s still a scholar. If you really take this to the county magistrate, you won’t gain any advantage.” Zhou Baihu sighed.
“That’s not necessarily true. The Great Ming Legal Code explicitly states that false accusations carry a penalty three degrees harsher…” Su Youcai, well-versed in the law, began reciting without hesitation.
“Enough with the legal jargon.” Zhou Baihu said helplessly: “In the Great Ming Dynasty, right and wrong are determined by the magistrates and scholars. What use is it for an old student like you to memorize the legal codes so thoroughly?”
“…” Su Youcai, struck where it hurt, immediately fell silent. The Uncle continued indignantly: “At the very least, we should report him to the county school and strip him of his status!”
“Impossible. He didn’t formally file a lawsuit—what grounds do you have to accuse him?” Zhou Baihu shook his head. “Besides, all civil officials in the empire started out as scholars. How could they allow the military garrison to run wild in their own territory? Wouldn’t that be inverting the Dipper and reversing the cardinal directions?”
“Ah…” The uncle knew Commander Zhou was right, but couldn’t swallow his anger. He said resentfully, “Sir, he nearly drove us to bankruptcy!”
“I know.” Commander Zhou patted his shoulder and sighed. “Isn’t it commonly said? ‘The emperor values scholars nowadays, while coarse soldiers are worse than dogs.’ That’s just how the world is—what can we do about it?”
After a pause, Commander Zhou added hopefully, “If you want to settle this score, have your Chun Ge’er pass the imperial examination. When that happens, I’ll make sure the Cheng family understands what true impartial justice means!”
Chun Ge’er was the eldest grandson of the Su family’s main branch, born in spring. His formal name was Su Man, and he was studying at the renowned Taiping Academy, returning home only once a month.
“Ah…” The uncle nodded, a slight smile appearing on his face. “Chun Ge’er studies well. Let’s hope he can bring honor to our military household next year.”
“I’m counting on it!” Commander Zhou waved his hand. “Hurry and take them back for a meal. Don’t delay the farm work.”
“Right, we’ll be going then.” The uncle had no choice but to gather his family and leave the company headquarters.
~~
Outside the headquarters lay narrow flagstone paths with rising and falling steps that wound their way to the banks of the Chishui River. Dark Diaojiaolou buildings lined both sides of the road, their upper floors nearly touching overhead, leaving Su Lu with only a sliver of sky visible when he looked up.
This was unavoidable—the entire Erlangtan area consisted of riverside slopes, so residences had to be built following the mountain terrain, naturally making everything very compact.
The air carried a sour, burnt smell—the ubiquitous scent of distiller’s grains. Because the local water and soil were particularly suited for brewing, several distilleries and wineries operated in this small town, with nearly every mountain household depending on them for livelihood.
When Su Lu first arrived, he couldn’t stand this smell, but over time he grew accustomed to it…
The sun had just risen, and most townsfolk had gone to the fields for harvest. Aside from naked children playing on the roads, few people were visible.
Su Lu and his second brother silently followed their elders, listening to their uncle and father vent their frustrations.
“Ah, this is suffocating! Why should we let them off scot-free?” Su Youcai said with a dark expression.
“Exactly! When Chun Ge’er passes the examination, I’ll definitely make them pay!” The uncle heavily punched his younger brother’s shoulder. “Shape up, third brother!”
“Ah…” The younger uncle hung his head dejectedly, meek as a quail.
“At least Qiu Ge’er was clever this time, helping our family avoid disaster.” The uncle took out two copper coins and bought the brothers leaf-wrapped cakes from Old Gao’s food stall as a reward.
He then asked Su Lu, “Qiu Ge’er, how did you see through their scheme?”
While eating the soft, fragrant sorghum cake, Su Lu replied, “I remember clearly—second brother definitely didn’t step on that old scoundrel’s leg.”
He then concisely described yesterday’s events, recalling exactly what each person had said and done without any error.
“Since when is your memory so good?” the uncle asked in surprise.
Su Lu nodded. Indeed, his memory had become excellent since his rebirth.
This was normal—thirteen or fourteen was when boys had the best memory, though they usually struggled with concentration. Now, having merged the advantages of being thirteen and thirty, his mental capacity had become formidably strong.
There was one more thing he hadn’t mentioned: the second day after a fracture is when swelling peaks. Even remaining completely still brings persistent pain, and the slightest movement becomes excruciating.
He carefully observed Elder Master Cheng’s leg—it was merely pale from being tightly bound, with no swelling whatsoever, let alone the purple bruising caused by blood stagnation.
Moreover, initially, Elder Master Cheng could deliberately maintain the act. But as time passed and everyone’s attention shifted to the negotiation, the old scoundrel inevitably grew careless. That leg occasionally swayed unconsciously, yet he maintained a completely normal expression without the slightest hint of pain.
With this confirmation, Su Lu felt certain his memory hadn’t failed him, and thus devised a way to expose the Cheng family’s deceitful trick.
~~
The small town wasn’t large, and the Su family reached their doorstep while still conversing.
The Su family’s Diaojiaolou was built on relatively level ground in the town, making it appear more spacious.
Of course, the ground floor remained uninhabitable, used instead for raising poultry and storing farming tools and heavy items.
After ascending the creaking stairs, the upper floor revealed seven rooms arranged in a ‘U’ shape. The central hall and side rooms featured a recessed design, enclosing a small courtyard with the four wing rooms at either end.
Fewer than ten households in the entire town possessed such a courtyard—a clear display of status. Otherwise, they couldn’t have supported two generations of scholars.
However, since the old master’s dismissal from office, the Su family had declined significantly, with dilapidation evident throughout.
Hearing footsteps, a little girl with a three-bun hairstyle and a moon-shaped face dashed out from the main hall, cheering in a milky voice, “Third Brother’s back!”
She immediately clung to Su Lu’s leg, skillfully climbing up.
“Jinbao, don’t touch me yet—Third Brother is dirty,” Su Lu quickly lifted the three-year-old girl. Named Jinbao, she was the eldest uncle’s youngest daughter and the little sister Su Lu had carried on his back since infancy.
Su Lu’s aunt emerged from the hall right after, grasping her nephews’ hands and examining them anxiously. “Xia Ge’er, Qiu Ge’er, are you both alright?”
“With me around, what could possibly happen?” the eldest uncle declared, puffing out his chest.
“How much did we have to pay them?!” the aunt’s piercing voice rang from the hall entrance. Though she was a tall, elegant woman with fading charm, her voice considerably diminished her appeal.
“Solved it slick and clean—didn’t pay a single coin!” the uncle thumped his chest proudly. “So, what do you think? Your man’s quite something, eh?”
“Quite something indeed!” the aunt patted her ample chest in relief, her worries finally easing. She then urged everyone, “Hurry up and eat, then head to the fields.”
~~
Inside the hall, Su Lu’s grandparents sat cross-legged by the fire pit.
The family patriarch, a stern, taciturn old man, merely nodded while chewing his betel leaf roll after hearing his eldest son’s report.
The grandmother, kind-faced and gentle, held her grandson’s hand, asking endless questions—though her severe hearing loss made communication difficult…
“Dear grandson, did they hit either of you?”
“Grandma, we’re perfectly fine!” Su Lu quickly replied loudly.
“What? There are rats in the house?” the old lady exclaimed in surprise. “We must buy some rat poison when the peddler comes.”
“What rats? Mother, Qiu Ge’er said he’s fine,” the aunt also shouted.
“He didn’t sleep all night? Then he should rest after eating—no need to go to the fields,” the grandmother said, her heart aching for her grandson.
“Her hearing gets worse when she’s flustered,” the aunt sighed helplessly.
“Yes, too much sorghum makes it hard to shit,” the old woman sighed. “Eldest daughter-in-law, could you mix some bean flour into the sorghum cakes?”
“We need to finish the old sorghum quickly so we can bring in the new harvest,” retorted the aunt as she brought over steaming sorghum cakes.
“Are you thinking of finding Qiu Ge’er a new mother? Wonderful!” the old woman exclaimed happily.
The aunt rolled her eyes and decided not to engage further.
The young aunt then ladled sorghum porridge from the iron pot over the fire pit for everyone, serving it with a side of pickled vegetables – the family’s simple breakfast.
During the meal, the aunt resumed her interrogation about what trouble her younger brother-in-law had gotten into.
But the young uncle guarded his secret with Elder Master Cheng as fiercely as a maiden protecting her virtue. Frustrated, she turned her attention to Su Lu and his father.
“Second Brother, I thought you were an educated and reasonable man. How could you take your child to fight with others? If they really decide to extort us this time, how will our family survive?”
With the elderly no longer managing household affairs, the aunt was now in charge. Su Youcai could only listen meekly, sheepishly promising he wouldn’t fight again.
“Bullshit!” The old man slammed his chopsticks down hard, roaring angrily: “What kind of man doesn’t fight? Losing your head just leaves a bowl-sized scar!”
“Alright, alright, old man, don’t get worked up. Just eat your meal,” the uncle said, bending to pick up the fallen chopsticks and wiping them before handing them back.
“Not eating! I’m full of anger!” The old man flicked his sleeves and went out for a walk with his hands behind his back.
The Su brothers couldn’t help but feel dejected. Their father had been proud his whole life and couldn’t swallow this humiliation…
~~
Since being removed from office, the old man had become extremely ill-tempered, something the aunt had long grown accustomed to. After he left, she continued lecturing Su Lu: “And you, Qiu Ge’er, you’re not getting any younger. If you keep idling about, you’ll eventually cause more trouble.”
“Aunt, you haven’t let me be idle, have you? Don’t you assign me work every day?” Su Lu felt frustrated upon hearing this. How was he idle?
“That’s right,” the young aunt supported her nephew. “Qiu Ge’er only rested for two days due to heatstroke, and hasn’t had a day off since.”
“I give him work precisely because I’m afraid he’ll become idle and cause trouble,” the aunt retorted, shooting a glare at the young aunt. “But this can’t go on forever.”
She then glanced at the uncle, who cleared his throat and said to Su Youcai: “Second Brother, I’ve spoken with Seventh Uncle. This Double Ninth Festival, let Qiu Ge’er join the Xia Sha too.”
“What’s Double Ninth Xia Sha?” Su Lu whispered to his second brother, never having heard the term before.
“After the new grain harvest, we begin material throwing for brewing on Double Ninth Festival,” Su Tai explained softly. “The sorghum grains are red and small – when we throw them in, it looks like pouring sand, hence the name Xia Sha.”
“Oh,” Su Lu nodded, then asked puzzled: “Isn’t that workers’ work?”
“That’s exactly what you’ll be doing – working,” the young aunt said. “But you’ll need to apprentice first. After three years of training, you can start earning money for the family.”
“Ah?” Su Lu suddenly found the sorghum cake completely unpalatable.
But the aunt didn’t ask for his opinion, instead looking at his father.
“Sister-in-law, the child is still young,” Su Youcai said softly.
“He’ll be fourteen after his birthday! Other families’ children have been apprenticed for two years already!” The aunt waved her hand dismissively. “The proper way is to start apprenticeship early and begin earning money sooner!”
Then she said to the uncle, “Since we’ve already wasted the day, later you should fetch a cured meat and buy a pack of tea, then take Qiu Ge’er to pay respects to the master this afternoon.”
“Alright.” The uncle had always been obedient to his wife.
“Qiu Ge’er, would you like to apprentice at the winery?” Although the elder brother and sister-in-law had already decided, Su Youcai still asked his son.
“No!” But Su Lu said resolutely, “I don’t want to enter the winery.”
“Then what do you want to do?” the aunt asked displeased.
“I want to study too!” Su Lu said word by word.