Chapter Thirteen: Lushan Academy

Li Yanqing immediately took a liking to this perceptive head steward. He had been worried that the clan patriarch might suspect his actions the previous night were motivated by a desire for revenge against Liu Chenghong, so he had not dared to mention the ten strings of cash. To his surprise, Steward Yang was a thoughtful man who had actually brought the money back.

It was no wonder he had become the head steward; he truly possessed a discerning and tactful mind. Li Yanqing hurriedly thanked Steward Yang for his kindness. The steward chuckled and had someone bring over a bag of rice and several pounds of meat. "This is a gift for you from my master. Oh, and this, too."

Steward Yang reached into his robe and produced a yellowed piece of paper. "This is the debt note your father wrote to my master all those years ago. The master told me to return it to you as well."

Li Yanqing took the note and hesitated, then asked, "Head Steward, there should be something else, shouldn't there?"

Steward Yang glanced to both sides, then pulled Li Yanqing aside and whispered, "There is some money. The master is concerned that since you are on your own, keeping a large sum of wealth at home is not safe. He says to wait until your father returns to give it to him. Don't worry, Brother Qing; since the master has given his word, he will not go back on it."

"About how much is it?"

Steward Yang thought for a moment and said, "Your father helped look after horses at the Li estate. It was agreed he would be paid fifty wen a day, which comes to two strings of cash per month. One string went toward paying off his debt, and the remaining string was taken home. That makes twelve strings a year, and forty-eight strings over four years. This time, the master intends to grant your father a total of fifty strings of cash."

In the Song dynasty monetary system, one string of cash was generally worth seven hundred and seventy wen. Li Yanqing knew this, but the fact that his father’s monthly wage was only two strings seemed far too little.

Steward Yang looked a bit awkward and quickly explained, "You know your father's health. He couldn't really do much at the Li estate, just help cut the forage. A proper groom earns four strings a month."

"I was just asking out of curiosity. Thank you for your trouble, Steward Yang!"

"It is my duty! My duty! By the way, Brother Qing, how would you like them to handle the house?"

"Did the patriarch not give any instructions?" Li Yanqing asked, testing the waters.

"The patriarch’s instructions were quite vague, so I wanted to ask for your thoughts."

Although Li Yanqing’s family had been poor in the past, they had never lived in such a mud hut. Not only did water leak through all four walls, but the interior was dark, damp, and freezing all year round, causing great harm to one's health. The short lifespans of the poor were directly related to such dire living conditions.

Since this opportunity had arisen, he was determined to completely improve his father's living situation. Li Yanqing pointed to the house. "It rained a while back, and the roof leaked everywhere. The walls are about to collapse. Why don't we keep it simple and just rebuild the three rooms with grey bricks?"

Steward Yang was startled. He called this simple? This was a total reconstruction! And he wanted to use grey bricks? This little brat’s heart was even more ruthless than the master's!

"This... this..."

Li Yanqing slanted a look at him, and seeing his troubled expression, he used a retreat-to-advance tactic, saying calmly, "If it is too much trouble for you, Head Steward, then forget it. I will go thank the patriarch for his kindness another day."

Steward Yang had served his master for thirty years and knew him too well. The master never spat out what he had already swallowed. This time, he had not only forgiven Li Daqi's debt of five hundred strings of cash but also paid back all his previous wages—an unprecedented event. It showed how much the master valued this child. Could it be true, as the rumors in the estate suggested, that the boy had been possessed by a great ancestor?

Steward Yang thought that since they were buying grey bricks for the ancestral hall reconstruction anyway, these few small rooms wouldn't cost much more. He decided to treat it as part of the same project. He nodded to Li Yanqing and said, "The master told me to properly repair the house. Since you wish to rebuild it, I will take the liberty of agreeing on the master's behalf."

Li Yanqing smiled. "It would be best if you checked with the patriarch first, Head Steward. I would feel terrible if he blamed you for acting on your own authority."

Steward Yang was inwardly astonished. This little brat was a real prodigy! To understand such social nuances at his age—what would he be like when he grew up?

He chuckled. "You are right, Brother Qing. I should check with the master, but I suspect he will surely agree."

Steward Yang then ordered the masons, "Measure the dimensions and calculate how many bricks, stones, and timber you need. Write up a list for me later!"

He bid Li Yanqing farewell and hurried off with a servant. Just as he reached the gate, he suddenly remembered something. He turned back quickly and added, "Tomorrow morning, Brother Qing, go to the town school yourself. I have already spoken to Master Yao. You don't need to bring anything; just go."

"Thank you, Head Steward!"

After the steward left, Aunt Hu brought over some bowls and a kettle to offer the masons a drink. She pulled Li Yanqing aside, her face beaming with joy. "Qing'er, you really are something! To get the patriarch to build you a brick house—not even your grandfather had that kind of status."

Li Yanqing smiled and picked up several pounds of pork, handing them to her. "Aunt, take this back and cook it for Qing'er."

Aunt Hu waved her hands in refusal. "I’ve already taken so much from you today. Keep this for yourself; it will help your father regain his strength."

"By the time my father returns, this meat will have spoiled, and I don't know how to cook. Please, Aunt, take it."

Aunt Hu thought about it and decided he was right, so she accepted it. "Alright then! I'll make braised pork tonight, and you and Qing'er can eat together."

Li Yanqing offered her half a bag of rice as well. This time, Aunt Hu refused firmly, but Li Yanqing ignored her and carried the rice straight to her kitchen.

Aunt Hu was moved. She sought out her daughter-in-law to discuss it. "Qing'er is a smart and sensible child. Heaven has finally opened its eyes; he is going to school now. Qing'er's mother, we should show our appreciation as well."

Qing'er's mother had suffered from a blood deficiency after giving birth to Qing'er and was always in poor health. She rarely went out, staying home to spin and weave to earn a little money to supplement their household income.

She thought for a moment, went into her room, and brought out a bolt of blue cloth she had spun and dyed herself. She said to her mother-in-law, "I was planning to use this cloth to make new clothes for Dalang and Qing'er for the New Year. Qing'er still has a set of new clothes from last year that she hasn't worn, so we won't make her any this year. Let’s finish a set of clothes for Qing'er tonight so he can wear them to school tomorrow."

Aunt Hu clapped her hands and laughed. "That’s a wonderful idea. One must wear new clothes to school. That ragged sheepskin coat of his is too shabby; people will laugh at him. Let's get to work and have them sewn by tonight."

The two women immediately set to work. That night, they sewed a new *zhiduo* robe for Li Yanqing. Before dawn the next day, they had him change into it and tied his hair into a bun. Although it wasn't long enough, it wasn't noticeable once he put on his headcloth.

As he was leaving, Aunt Hu gave him some coarse flour buns to eat on the road. Li Yanqing was filled with gratitude and set off for school with high expectations.

...

The township where Li Yanqing lived was called Xiaohe Township. It spanned several dozen miles and governed over twenty villages, large and small.

The center of the township was called Lushan Town, one of the three major towns in Tangyin County. It was also known as Xiaohe Town and was not far from Liwen Village; just three miles north along the official road, one would arrive at the town.

Lushan Town had two or three hundred households. It spread out to the east and west, using the official road as its axis, and occupied quite a large area. At least twenty percent of the families in the town bore the surname Li, though they were of a different lineage than the Li families in Liwen Village.

The town was naturally the liveliest place in Xiaohe Township. A wide, flat official road ran through the middle of the town, lined with dozens of shops: grocery stores, pharmacies, mule and horse agencies, silk and fabric shops, silver shops, pawnshops, taverns, and inns. In front of one establishment called 'Yichun House,' several women dressed in flashy finery always stood, drawing judgmental looks from passersby.

Various small vendors filled both sides of the official road, calling out their wares. The weather had been pleasant recently, and the road was bustling with carts and people.

Accustomed to the prosperity of his former modern city, the mark of urban life was deeply etched into Li Yanqing's soul. Every time he came from the small village to the market town, he felt a sense of displacement, as if time and space had converged here.

"Brother Qing!"

Li Yanqing suddenly heard someone calling him from behind. He turned around to see Li Er and Li San, two brothers, running toward him, panting. Seeing they were unharmed, he guessed the patriarch had truly spared them this time.

"We went to call you for school, but Aunt Hu said you had already left. We chased after you all the way; we're exhausted!"

"Besides you two, who else from our village attends the school?" Li Yanqing asked curiously.

"No one else. Including you, there are only the three of us."

The older brother, Li Guangzong, was eight, and the younger, Li Yaozu, was six. Both were sincere and cheerful, though not particularly sharp; everyone called them Li Er and Li San. Their father had repeatedly urged them to thank Li Yanqing before they left, but they had forgotten the moment they saw him.

The brothers flanked Li Yanqing and asked excitedly, "Brother Qing, is it true that you killed the Blood Wolf?"

Li Yanqing realized they were talking about Liu Chenghong's red mastiff. He smiled and said, "It was just a dog, not a real wolf."

"That was no ordinary dog; it was fiercer than a wolf. No one in town was afraid of it except that dog! Every time Liu Fu'er brought it to our school to cause trouble, we were all too scared to leave our rooms. You actually killed it—that's amazing!"

The brothers gave him a thumbs-up, their faces full of admiration. Li Yanqing suddenly felt like he was about to become the next Liu Fu'er.

"By the way, where is the school? I've never been there before!" Li Yanqing asked, scratching his head.

"Look! Isn't that it?"

The brothers pointed across the official road. Li Yanqing followed their fingers and saw a bamboo forest across the way. Deep within the forest stood a large courtyard, with a small stream gurgling out from the bamboo. The environment was very secluded. A courtyard wall as high as a man surrounded five or six old tiled houses. A plaque hung from the thatched eaves of the gate, with four characters written in a bold, sweeping calligraphy: 'Lushan School.'

So, this was the school. It was not quite what he had imagined; it looked a bit like a primary school in his hometown's countryside. If only there were a red flag hanging there, it would look even more like one.