Chapter 124: Steadfast on the Path

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Now that the matter had been settled, there was no need to remain sunk in sorrow. Everyone gathered around to examine the two baskets of bamboo manuscripts Wang Ge had brought back. The more they understood their value—the Elder Wang and the siblings Wang Ge in particular—the more delighted they became, grinning from ear to ear. It was no exaggeration to say that any single scroll among them was worth more than the four strings of coins and change. And if the scholars who had copied them later became officials or Confucian teachers, the writing of their younger years would be all the more precious.

Tiger Head invited Huan Zhen over. The manuscripts were all written in the small seal script of Qin. With the siblings’ current level of learning, they could not correctly guess even one character out of ten, much less sort the manuscripts into categories.

Whenever Huan Zhen took out a scroll, he would carefully unfold it and explain to the Wang family what was written upon it. If he singled out a character to praise, or encountered one he himself could not identify, Wang Xing would seize the opportunity to write in their father’s palm, describing the strokes that made up the character.

Most of what Liu Bo had copied concerned the laws of the Qin dynasty, or passages from The Broad Learning, written by Hu Wujing, the Grand Historian of Qin. Since the contents were fragmentary and lacked continuity, there were several Qin characters even Huan Zhen could not identify. He simply said so honestly and set them aside. Later, he would either investigate them together with Yuan Yanshu or write to Master Zhang for clarification.

In this age, the allure of written characters surpassed even that of money and grain for ordinary people. Though they did not understand the reason behind it, they still listened in rapt fascination as Huan Zhen explained everything in his gentle, unhurried voice.

Night fell.

The first watch sounded.

Then the second.

Huan Zhen rose to take his leave. The manuscripts in the other basket would have to wait for another day.

The siblings saw him out. Beneath the cold, clear moonlight, Wang Ge still had not fully grasped the deeper meaning of Huan Zhen’s words.

“Is Master Craftsman Wang still as resolute as before in following the Great Way of Craftsmanship?”

“I have never wavered.”

“Then do not think about anything else for now.”

Wang Ge stared blankly.

Think about something else? Think about what?

Huan Zhen, however, did not conceal his meaning. He immediately lowered his voice and cautioned her, “Liu Bo is clever. In a year or two, he will certainly go to the Imperial Academy in the capital to study. Once he leaves, he will spend at least three years in Luoyang.”

Wang Ge blinked several times, her face filled with envy and astonishment. “At Brother Liu’s age… he is actually going to the Imperial Academy?”

Wang Xing looked up at her with open admiration. “The Imperial Academy! Sister, it is just like the Directorate of Works you long to enter most.”

“Yes, I know.”

Huan Zhen pretended to scratch at a louse.

Damn it. He had said too much.

Liu Bo had carefully copied more than twenty scrolls, using ink made from pine soot. Given his mild temperament and impoverished circumstances, for him to be so generous could mean only one of two things: either Wang Ge had done him a great kindness, or he had feelings for her. That was why Huan Zhen had offered his warning. He feared that, at her young age, she might give her heart to Liu Bo and squander the most important years of her journey along the Great Way of Craftsmanship.

He had to smooth things over.

Huan Zhen’s tone grew even more solemn. “So do not become conceited or self-satisfied. You must understand that clever people are not found only among scholars. There are just as many among the candidates for the craftsmen’s examinations. When you return to South Mountain this time, devote every spare moment to improving your skills. Very well. You need not see me any farther.”

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The siblings bowed.

Wang Xing glanced up at Wang Ge, afraid she might have been angered by Huan Zhen’s reprimand. “Brother Huan is strict because he wants what is best for you, Sister.”

“Yes, I know.”

She truly did. At the same time, she became more vigilant with herself. She was already eleven, and sooner or later there would certainly be other “Liu Bos” and other “Zhang Cais” around her. She must never again be alone with a young man, nor accept favors from others without good reason. The restrictions placed upon women in this age were indeed fewer, but whenever reputation was involved, it was women who ultimately suffered.

The night deepened.

Wang Xing fell asleep, occasionally murmuring in his dreams, “Sister…”

Wang Ge quietly leaned toward him until her forehead touched his. She was exhausted, yet could not bring herself to sleep. Once she woke, she would have to leave home.

This time, she would not see her family again for three months. The one she worried about most was Tiger Head. Raising that child had been so difficult. Back then, everyone had believed that a baby who could barely cry would never survive. Even their grandparents had given up hope. There had been no choice. The family had been much poorer than it was now. They had needed to clear wasteland, attend to their mother’s burial, and their father had been so devastated that he could scarcely function. Only she had refused to give up.

She had refused to give up!

She had placed her little brother in a basket and carried him from household to household, begging people to tell her whether they knew of any woman who could nurse a child. It did not matter how far away she was. Wang Ge would bring grain and even the family’s chickens. She would crawl there if she had to, begging for someone to give her brother a little milk. Even a few mouthfuls would do. He need only survive.

Heaven had shown mercy, and she had found someone. Their grandmother had immediately taken Tiger Head away with her. If there was a chance to keep a grandson alive, who would not beg and try?

Those years…

Even now, she could not imagine how they had endured them.

“Sister.”

Tiger Head slept restlessly. His soft little hand waved weakly, and Wang Ge hurriedly caught it, clasping it within her own palm.

Tiger Head, do not fear this temporary parting. When we siblings meet again, you will certainly be braver than you are now.

So will I.

At dawn, Wang Ge shouldered a basket. Inside were new bedding, two changes of new clothes, a new short jacket, socks, gloves, a headcloth, and a hand towel. Even the bamboo flask was new. From the large quilts to the tiny gloves, every stitch was close and fine. With each passage of needle and thread, one could imagine their grandmother’s longing and their younger sister Shu’s concern woven into them.

Time was the one thing no one could hold back. Suppressing her sadness, Wang Ge waved goodbye to her family.

After she had gone about a mile, the rapid thunder of hooves sounded behind her.

A horseman came racing toward her. It was Huan Zhen, carrying her little brother on horseback. He drew rein and stopped several yards away.

Wang Xing recited loudly:

“When the accumulation of wind is not deep enough, it cannot support great wings. Thus, when one journeys ninety thousand miles, the wind must gather beneath. Only then can one ride upon the wind; only then can one bear the blue sky upon one’s back without obstruction; only then can one set one’s course toward the south.”

Huan Zhen called out, “Master Craftsman Wang, do not betray your family’s hopes or Master Zhang’s hopes! The carp has transformed into a great bird—now you must press bravely forward!”

“Yes! And you as well, Young Master Huan! In May, you will surely take first place in the Grand Martial Competition!”

Wang Ge turned away without waving again, and continued on her way with a joyful heart.

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So, without her realizing it, her little brother had already grown up and was about to stand before her, protecting her.

He had recited The Happy Excursion for her because he feared she was still grieving over their separation. He had deliberately followed her to encourage her.

How could she betray her family’s hopes and encouragement?

She would become a master craftswoman. She was determined to achieve it.

In April, cuckoos called from the eaves. They too had been raised on South Mountain and were unafraid of people. From the moment dawn broke, they began their incessant cries, provoking a whole group of young pupils to dream of pelting them with stones.

It had been a long while since she had seen Red Sky. Xie Ju said that the thieving crane was still molting and could not fly, making it obedient to an almost absurd degree.

Wang Ge did not resent the cuckoos. She even regarded them as the rattles meant to distract candidates during the prospective master-craftsman examinations, and wished they would call more often than ever.

That month, apart from studying the interpretation of ancient texts, she devoted all her remaining time to advancing her craftsmanship. She slept only two and a half double-hours each night. She also paid special attention to every object she encountered or used in daily life, considering how each might be improved.

She invented a bamboo tool for cutting tofu, which became extremely popular in the kitchens. Once the tool was pressed down, the tofu was instantly divided into neat, square pieces of uniform size.

There simply was not enough time.

At the end of April, she received the bamboo travel tally that would allow her to go to the county town for the examination.

The examination site was south of the county town, in an open area not far beyond the city wall. The main road into the town divided the grounds along its central axis. The eastern side was reserved for the examination in the great categories of ironworking and carpentry, where candidates competed in extraordinary skills for the title of prospective master craftsman. The western side was the site of the local militia competition.

The examinations in all the categories would begin on the fifteenth day of the fifth month.

Could that mean she might encounter Captain Huan?

On the fifth day of the fifth month, Wang Ge followed the Xie family and all the registered craftsmen’s examination candidates from Yidu County down the mountain ahead of schedule. After taking a boat to the ferry crossing, they continued on foot toward the examination grounds.

Red Sky had grown a new coat of feathers and soared through the heavens, its cry bright and piercing. Whether or not it could see her, Wang Ge raised a hand and waved.

At last, the examination for prospective master craftswans was about to begin!

This examination alone could truly be called the starting line of the Great Way of Craftsmanship.

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