◎What Bad Intentions Could a Child Possibly Have?◎
Bianzhong.
Chen Yan closed his eyes, then opened them again.
Was this something ordinary families could casually come across?
While Chen Yan was still dazed, he heard his beloved son present his self-composed musical piece, which had been given an exceedingly elegant name—”Nothing Compares to Sunset Glow.”
After striking the final note, Ping’an asked with an expectant expression: “Daddy, does it sound nice? I only practiced for half a day.”
“Sounds nice.” Chen Yan forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, gritting his teeth as he said to A Xiang: “I don’t believe he could have moved the bianzhong to the front courtyard by himself.”
A Xiang hurriedly explained: “The Old Master purchased it yesterday. There was no space elsewhere in the house, so it was temporarily placed in the front courtyard. It took seven or eight men to carry it in. This morning when you left, it was still too dark—you probably didn’t notice.”
Chen Yan let out a heavy sigh, deciding to have a serious talk with his mother about controlling his father’s spending. The Chen family’s money hadn’t been blown in by the wind, after all.
Accompanied by the elegant chimes, he wrote a practice essay that wouldn’t meet the standards of a ten-year-old. That evening, he lodged a complaint with Zhao Shi. Unsurprisingly, Old Master Chen was scolded again.
This time, instead of meekly accepting it, he stiffened his neck and retorted: “Can’t you see that Ping’an has remarkable talent in music?”
All three shook their heads in unison—they couldn’t see it.
Old Master Chen shook his head and sighed: “Philistines, mediocrities.”
Zhao Shi tried to negotiate with Ping’an: “An Ge’er, if you want to play drums and gongs, could you choose a different time? The morning hours are crucial—your father relies on this time for his studies.”
Ping’an nodded: “Okay!”
Everyone was surprised by how readily Ping’an agreed. Old Master Chen quickly praised: “You see? My grandson not only understands music but also shows remarkable reason.”
Having said this, he ordered that all loud instruments in the house be put away, only to be brought out for Ping’an to play with when Chen Yan went to the Prefectural School each day.
But Ping’an lost interest. During the day, he still took his puppy to his uncle’s abandoned courtyard to catch grasshoppers and chase dragonflies.
Old Master Chen looked at his Livia Drum, Western Jin Gong, and Eastern Han Bianzhong, shaking his head and sighing. A musical genius had been reduced to mere ordinary.
…
With all this commotion, Ping’an naturally came under his mother’s strict supervision. Every morning when he woke up, his clothes were tied to his mother’s with tight knots, making it difficult to sneak out of bed unnoticed.
By the time he opened his eyes again, the sun was already high in the sky. His father had left for the Prefectural School, so he had no choice but to take the day off and tinker with his toys in his eastern chamber.
In the afternoon, he heard his mother calling from outside: “Ping’an, see who’s back.”
Ping’an peeked out his little head, then rushed out in delight: “A-ma!”
Cao Mama had returned from visiting relatives. Seeing Ping’an filled her with joy too: “An Ge’er, it’s only been a month, but you seem to have grown taller again.”
Ping’an’s gaze shifted to behind Cao Mama, where two children stood.
Lin Yuebai added: “Knowing you’d be bored alone, Cao Mama brought her children to keep you company.”
Cao Mama quickly pushed the two children forward: “This is A Man, and this is Xiao Fulu. You two, quickly greet An Ge’er.”
Ping’an examined them—they were dark, small, and so thin it was hard to tell their ages.
The two children timidly whispered: “Hello, An Ge’er.”
“Mmm, hello.” Ping’an nodded, feeling somewhat awkward.
The summer heat was unbearable, making the courtyard unsuitable for conversation. He was pulled into the main hall by his birth mother and wet nurse. A newly acquired Arhat bed stood in the hall. After kicking off his shoes, he climbed onto it, found a comfortable cushion, curled up in a corner eating a peach while listening to gossip.
It turned out A Man was just nine years old, and Xiao Fulu was only a year older than Ping’an. Cao Mama’s heavy accent made it unclear whether it was “Xiao Fulu” or “Xiao Hulu” – difficult to verify.
Xiao Fulu was a posthumous child, his father having passed away before his birth. Uncles and aunts refused to support them financially, so Cao Mama became a wet nurse.
When hired by the Chen family, she weaned Xiao Fulu to ensure Ping’an had sufficient milk. However, the wet nurse’s salary was substantial – enough to feed and clothe both A Man and Xiao Fulu while leaving extra money to send home, expressing gratitude for her in-laws’ care of the children.
Last month, Lin Yuebai granted her leave to visit her children. To her surprise, when snacks were brought out at home, they were immediately snatched away by her nieces and nephews, leaving nothing for A Man and Xiao Fulu.
Cao Mama didn’t dwell on it, only asking where her children were, eager to see them. Her mother-in-law looked embarrassed and signaled to the eldest daughter-in-law.
The eldest sister-in-law, difficult to deal with, immediately showed displeasure: “Wasn’t it you who agreed to have them help at the shop?”
The eldest brother ran a breakfast stall, working from dawn to dusk. They had thought to have the two children help with the stall and do odd jobs.
At noon, the children returned – sallow, emaciated, and sunburned. A Man immediately ran to Cao Mama, while young Xiao Fulu stared blankly, almost unrecognizing of his own mother.
Holding her daughter and embracing her son, Cao Mama trembled with anger: “Haven’t I been sending money home? How old are they? Should they be working at a stall?”
The eldest sister-in-law muttered: “You’ve gotten used to working for wealthy families. Which common family doesn’t have their children work?”
After a fierce argument, Cao Mama angrily took both children to her maiden home for over a month.
She considered leaving the children there, but her maiden family was extremely poor – her mother had passed away, her father was paralyzed. Though her brother and sister-in-law were kind-hearted, caring for three children and a bedridden father wasn’t solvable just with money.
Instead, she left some money, stayed briefly, then returned to her employer with the children.
Lin Yuebai sighed: “Poor children. Without their mother around, who knows how much they’ve suffered.”
The mistress happened to be looking for playmates for Ping’an – and here they were.
She instructed Cao Mama to bathe the children, give them hot meals after their long journey, and let them rest properly.
Cao Mama acknowledged and led the children away.
Lin Yuebai called Ping’an to discuss: “Xiao Fulu is thinner than you. Some of your unworn clothes are still new. How about having Mo Lu help you pick some for Xiao Fulu?”
“If I don’t want to give them, can I not?” Ping’an asked.
“Of course. We can have Mo Lu take them to make new ones,” Lin Yuebai said.
Ping’an grinned: “I was joking! I’ll go right away!”
Not only did he have outgrown clothes, but also clothes that had become too small. A Man was quite thin too and could probably wear them. He also gathered many toys, packed them into a bundle, and gave it all to A-ma.
His clothes were all in boys’ styles. With A Man’s dark complexion and slender frame, wearing them made him look even more like a young lad. When Chen Yan returned and saw him, he was momentarily stunned—who had brought such a grown boy into the inner courtyard?
After Lin Yuebai explained the situation, Chen Yan agreed almost without hesitation. He didn’t care whether it was Little Gourd or Little Lucky Melon—as long as it gave Ping’an something to do and kept the boy from constantly pestering him alone, this was a heaven-sent benefactor rescuing him from distress.
Lin Yuebai then turned to Cao Mama and said, “When An Ge’er begins his studies after the New Year, let A Man and Xiao Fulu accompany him as reading companions.”
Cao Mama was overjoyed, nearly dropping to her knees to kowtow, but Lin Yuebai stopped her. She had her own considerations too—once her husband passed the imperial examinations, he would inevitably journey to the capital for the final stage. Whether they remained in the capital or were assigned to a regional post, she and their son would follow him to his official residence. Ping’an was still too young, and it would be best to have familiar faces around them.
Cao Mama was clever and understood her mistress’s concerns. She immediately declared, “Rest assured, Madam. As long as you and the master don’t mind, wherever An Ge’er goes, I will follow.”
And so A Man and Xiao Fulu settled in. Children form friendships quickly, and within just two or three days, they were playing together warmly. Ping’an had only ever been around the unruly children from the clan and hadn’t encountered such well-behaved companions in a long time. He became so engrossed in play that he nearly forgot his duties.
It wasn’t until the third day, when a slight cough led his mother to force-feed him too much boiled pear water, that he woke up before dawn needing to relieve himself… and noticed the study lamp still burning.
Chen Yan had been studying in the eastern courtyard’s study these past few days. Because Ping’an didn’t dare make noise that might disturb his mother’s rest, the inner quarters were actually quite peaceful.
The arrival of A Man and Xiao Fulu had also diverted some of the boy’s energy. Ping’an now spent his days releasing his exuberance in the neighboring garden, adhering to regular sleep, wake, and meal times, and no longer disturbed Chen Yan.
The early autumn indoor heat was stifling, so the study door was left wide open. Just as Chen Yan picked up his brush to practice an essay, hurried footsteps pattered across the courtyard. Suddenly, a small figure dashed inside, bringing a gust of wind that extinguished the lamp’s flame, and threw itself bodily against him.
Chen Yan was nearly knocked senseless. Collecting himself, he realized it was a person.
In the dim morning light, Ping’an’s eyes sparkled brightly: “Father! I learned a new move from Sister Jiu Huan yesterday—let’s spar!”
Chen Yan: ??
Who would make such a request?
He set down his brush and placed Ping’an on the ground: “First, this is Father’s study time. If you don’t want to sleep, you can go draw next door. Second, at your current size, I could take on eight of you. But I’m not someone who bullies the weak, so I won’t fight you.”
“I! Don’t! Believe! You!” Ping’an jumped up and down, shouting provocatively: “Let’s fight! Come on, let’s fight!”
Chen Yan called out, “Someone here.”
As Jiu Huan carried Ping’an away by the waist, the boy continued kicking his short legs and taunting: “Father, are you scared? Ha—ha—ha—”
…
Finally, peace returned to the study. Rubbing his temples, Chen Yan relit the lamp, locked the door, and spread out fresh paper. But after writing just the opening argument, he already felt the work was far below his usual standard.
The tranquility of dawn, when all sounds are hushed, was when people could most easily maintain focus. Chen Yan’s studies relied almost entirely on these early morning and late evening hours.
Yet recently, this child had taken to disturbing him precisely at daybreak and nightfall.
He couldn’t fathom why any child would enjoy waking up early. Since beginning his education, except for a few days during festivals when he didn’t touch brush and ink, he had studied relentlessly through winter and summer, hardly remembering what it felt like to laze in bed. If he could return to Ping’an’s age, he would gladly sleep until the sun was high every day.
Chen Yan no longer had the mood to continue writing, so he simply instructed Mo Lu to pack up and head to the County Yamen.
Sun Zhixian had a favor to ask today—to request Chen Yan act as a guarantor for a child taking the County Exam. Such social obligations were unavoidable. Afterwards, the local magistrate enthusiastically invited him to appraise a painting by Wu Daozi.
Chen Yan remarked, “My Lord seems to have developed quite an elegant interest lately.”
Sun Zhixian laughed and directly called him out, “You might as well say I’m neglecting my duties.”
Chen Yan laughed along.
Sun Zhixian then asked about Chen Yan’s household and whether his child was still hiding things randomly.
“He’s stopped hiding things,” Chen Yan said. “But it’s worse than when he was hiding things.”
Sun Zhixian: ??
Chen Yan described Ping’an’s recent peculiar behavior: “He seems quite resistant to my studying and taking exams.”
After hearing this, Sun Zhixian pondered for a moment and pointed out sharply, “Have you been too busy lately?”
“I’ve always been busy,” Chen Yan replied.
Sun Zhixian said, “That’s exactly it. If you’re busy now, you’ll have even less time for him when you take up your official post. He can only resort to making unreasonable demands to get your attention.”
Chen Yan frowned.
“What ill intentions could a child possibly have? He just wants both parents by his side,” Sun Zhixian added.