One day many years ago, just as Xu Shangqian had returned from his shift, he heard a clamor at home. Pushing t…
One day many years ago, just as Xu Shangqian had returned from his shift, he heard a clamor at home.
Pushing the door open, he found several neighbors in the courtyard demanding an explanation.
The Xu family's youngest son was mischievous. He had broken a tea jar in the Wang family's yard, drowning the Geng family's newly hatched chicks. Then he had climbed the Zhang family's gate wall to pick a persimmon and, swaying unsteadily, had knocked quite a few down. Lady Xu was apologizing profusely and offering compensation. A dull pain began throbbing in Xu Shangqian's forehead.
Seeing Xu Shangqian return, the group of neighbors swarmed around him again, chattering.
"I say, Fourth Brother Xu, don't you know how to control your child!"
"Killing living things at such a young age, he'll be murdering and setting fires when he grows up!"
"Our persimmons came from outside the region! I couldn't even bear to eat them myself!"
The rising and falling shouts made the pain in Xu Shangqian's forehead worse.
"My apologies, truly my apologies. I will definitely discipline my son. I've troubled you all. Whatever the losses are, I'll compensate, I'll compensate..."
After seeing off the neighbors, Xu Shangqian lowered his head wearily.
"You little troublemaker! Come here now... Wait, shouldn't you be at school today!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, knocking sounded at the door again.
Opening it, the schoolmaster stood there, holding a ruler, furious.
"Master, you've been troubled. I will definitely speak to him sternly. Tomorrow, I promise tomorrow, I will personally take him to school. I won't let him skip class again..."
"Hmph! Rotten wood cannot be carved!" The master flicked his sleeve, snorted coldly, and left.
Xu Shangqian had almost lost all his strength. He just wanted to sleep.
He ordered his son to kneel in the courtyard and copy texts, forbidding him to sleep until he finished.
Lying in bed, before Xu Shangqian could even catch his breath, his wife came in, worried.
"Father wrote. The land lease at home is almost due, urging us to send some money quickly. Look at our family... we're not exactly destitute, but it's really..."
Xu Shangqian felt dizzy. In the end, he could only heave a long sigh.
"Tomorrow I'll go ask if the academy has any copyist work. I'll copy a few more manuscripts..."
His wife was still complaining by his ear, but Xu Shangqian only felt as if he were falling through clouds, sinking into a deep sleep.