Chapter 85: Well-Intentioned Efforts

Those who rarely fall ill, when struck by a sudden chill, collapse as swiftly as a mountain crumbling.
At dawn, Wang Sanlang’s forehead burned with fever, and no matter how he lay, he found no comfort.
In the courtyard, Old Wang paced several times outside the east wing, ultimately standing by the decision he made the night before. “Ahe, call Azhu out. Just say he needs to go to the west side of the village. Say nothing more.”
He then instructed Erlang, who stood behind him, “Take Age to the town’s pharmacy and buy medicine for your third brother. Don’t be tempted to buy cheap goods from the peddler. And stop by the local office—Age’s travel permit for entering Nanshan School should be reported.”
Inside the east wing, Wang Sanlang, barely conscious, saw his eldest son being called out and forced himself to sit up, calling, “Azhu!”
Wang Zhu paused at the door, saying, “Father, please lie down. Grandfather called me; I’ll be back soon.”
Wang Sanlang’s mouth hung open, his chin trembling as tears streamed down his face.
My son, in a moment, you won’t be able to come back. Don’t blame your grandfather and grandmother, don’t blame your father. Your grandfather worries your father is powerless to guide you, so he sends you somewhere you can be managed. Don’t be afraid, you’re young—you won’t have to do the heavy work the servants do. We’ll find a way to be reunited, there’s always a way.
For once, Wang Sanlang, in his dull mind and limited wisdom, saw things clearly.
Old Wang knew well enough that Azhu was too young; sent to Lingshui Pavilion, at most he’d be assigned light tasks for punishment. The real purpose was to make the wayward Wang Zhu understand fear and respect! As the head of the family, he would never show favoritism just because Wang Zhu was his grandson. If the Yao woman committed evil, she’d be cast aside; if a Wang child did wrong, they’d be punished just as severely.
This act itself was the harshest warning to Wang Zhu—not the punishment itself, but the lesson it delivered!
Before the troublemaker, the old man explained everything to Ren Suozhi. Wang Zhu felt as if struck by thunder and collapsed. Wang He tried twice but couldn’t lift his younger cousin.
Ren Suozhi scratched his head—Old Wang was giving him a real headache. First, Wang Zhu was under six and a half feet tall, which meant the law was lenient toward him. Second, it was a relative reporting him, with no solid proof of wrongdoing, and the old man’s words were filled with self-blame for poor guidance.
How was he supposed to handle this? Ah, a real dilemma! If not for his nephew asking him to look after Old Wang, he’d already have chased these two elders and the child away.
“Old sir, let’s do this… It’s freezing cold now, and the old widower has no one to care for him. Let Wang Zhu attend to the widower until the end of spring. If he reforms by then, you may bring him home; if not, let it continue until the Dragon Boat Festival. How about it?”
“Doesn’t the widower have a family caring for him?”
“Don’t mention that foolish mother and son—they’re so lazy they might just rot. When the weather warms, the widower will send them away.”
“So that’s how it is. Thank you, Pavilion Chief.”
“It’s cold—go home quickly, I’ll have my men escort Wang Zhu over.” He turned to Wang Zhu and admonished, “Listen, Wang Zhu: until the end of spring, only family may visit you; you may not return home. Remember this!”
Remember what? Not allowed to go home? When Cheng Shuang lifted him, Wang Zhu’s whole body felt broken, unable to walk. “Grandfather… Grandfather…” From head to toe he was cold, his throat swelling so suddenly he could barely sob, his cries as faint as a mosquito’s.
“Does Grandfather not want me anymore? Does Father not want me? No one wants me…”
On the village road.
Wang Erlang’s mood was sour, first complaining, “When we had no ox, we walked to town; now we have one, and still walk. What’s the point of raising it?”
“You’re right, Uncle. Let’s go back and lead it.”
“No, no, no. It’s too cold; if we bring it out, it might freeze. Sigh, your grandfather really made up his mind to give up on Azhu this time.”
Finally, Erlang voiced his worries. Wang Ge had already thought of how to comfort him.
“I don’t see it that way. If Grandfather truly didn’t want Azhu, he’d go to the local office and remove him from our household registry. Such a rare act—everyone in the village would soon know, and Azhu would have nowhere to live.”
“Ah? That’s right!” The more Erlang pondered, the more it made sense. “So Grandfather wants to teach him a lesson? Taking him to the Pavilion Chief is just to scare him? To let him know that if he truly did wrong, he’d end up like those servants?”
“Let’s hope Azhu understands Grandfather’s good intentions. But… seeing as even Uncle and Father don’t, can we expect him to?”
Erlang quickly shook his cheeks. “I understand! As soon as you explain, I get it. But your father is slow—you’ll have to tell him several times.”
“If you say Father is slow, I’ll tell him when we get home.”
Erlang was in high spirits. “No need. When we get home, I’ll tell him to his face. Hu Bao, maybe we shouldn’t buy medicine—your father’s illness is just worry; why waste grain?”
“I was thinking the same.”
The uncle and niece bantered, but of course, they’d still buy the medicine.
When they arrived at the town, they found both sides of the street lined with vendors selling farm tools and winter wine. The peddlers mostly sold peachwood figurines and reed ropes to ward off evil.
In front of the cloth shop, someone was shouting, “New cloth in! Buy cloth for the New Year!”
At the bean shop, another called, “Five-colored beans! Buy some for the New Year to ward off sickness and disaster!”
The sauce shops were even livelier.
Turning onto another street, they found many selling firecrackers. Which firecrackers were best? The kind basket-makers disliked most.
For a loud “crack” during New Year’s, you needed thick bamboo tubes, closely spaced joints, and the bamboo cut as recently as possible. So now wasn’t yet the peak time for buying firecrackers.
Uncle and niece admired the bustle but didn’t slow their steps. At the pharmacy, they described Wang Sanlang’s chills and traded three measures of fresh grain. Normally, two measures would buy two doses, but since the pharmacy would close in ten days, they bought an extra dose.
Getting the travel permit at the office went smoothly—the clerk already knew about it.
Because Erlang was sending Wang Ge, both had to detail their luggage and money, including not using livestock or carrying farm tools. The clerk recorded everything and promised that in a few days, the bamboo travel permit would be sent to the Lingshui Pavilion’s camp at Jia She village, so Wang Ge wouldn’t have to make another trip.
On leaving the office, Wang Ge met the wood clerk.
He greeted her with a smile. “Just recently, I told a friend that the top apprentice in my batch of candidates—now the young lady is already a top craftsman! Congratulations! Next time we meet, I hope you’re a master craftsman. Ha ha!”
Uncle and niece beamed as they bid him farewell. Erlang was even happier than his niece, swaggering as he walked. Unexpectedly, as they passed a young woman, she tossed a handkerchief at his face.
Erlang blinked, took it off, and reached out to return it.
Wang Ge glanced aside in embarrassment—was it what she thought?
Indeed it was!
“Sir, my family lives in East Alley. The surname is Nie.” The young woman claimed to be brave, yet she shyly covered half her face and turned away. Still, she spoke clearly.
Erlang’s face flushed red, and he tossed the handkerchief onto his niece.
Why throw it to me? Wang Ge held the handkerchief; she couldn’t very well return it to the young woman. “Nie… ah… Uncle, you, you…”
Erlang’s face was purple with embarrassment. He tugged at Wang Ge, mouthing, “Go! Hurry up, hurry up.”
Wang Ge bared her teeth and mouthed back, “Hurry up, hurry up.”
The two hurried away.
Nie’s daughter waited for a reply, but when she turned back, they were already gone!
Once on the country road, Wang Ge examined the handkerchief; fortunately, there was no embroidery or name, but the seams showed Nie’s needlework was excellent.
Wang Ge raised her arm and let go.
The handkerchief was caught by the wind and soon landed in the reeds.
Far away, in a wild patch of reeds, Yang’s wife turned back and sneered toward Jia She village. No wonder the Yao family married off their sister without telling Wang Zhu. The child was young but had a heart like a wolf, with no sense of gratitude. She’d gone to the trouble of bringing him home from afar, and when she left, he hadn’t even looked at her, thanked her, let alone seen her off.
“Pah, little beast! If I’d known, I’d have left you to starve on the road!” Yang’s wife cursed and continued on her way.
Reed rope: Rope woven from reeds, hung by the door to ward off evil during the twelfth lunar month.
Peachwood figurine: Human figures carved from peachwood, also used to ward off evil during the New Year.
Female needlework: “Hong” is homophonous with “gong,” meaning “work.” Originally written as “female work,” the term “female needlework” first appeared in the Han Book and gradually replaced the former.
(End of chapter)