I Have a Way in Zeye Marsh

"Shunzi, quick! Give it right back to your Brother Shui! Do you have any idea how expensive that is, taking it just like that?" Chen Qingjiang rushed forward to snatch the peach pastry from Shunzi's mouth, startling the boy half out of his wits. Liang Qu stepped forward to stop Chen Qingjiang. "Now, Uncle Chen, what sort of talk is that? Food is bought to be eaten. What difference does it make whose belly it ends up in? How could it ever be a waste? Those wealthy masters eat it every day, but they've only got two eyes and one mouth like the rest of us—could it possibly taste any different to them? Shunzi, don't be scared. If I say eat it, you eat it. It's mine—since when does your father get a say over what's mine?" "How could that be the same? Shunzi! Why are you being so disobedient?" Chen Qingjiang shouted again, his voice rising in his anxious fluster. Little Shunzi stood rooted to the spot with a miserable expression. The moment he heard how expensive it was, he hadn't dared take another bite. Breaking off the edge he had nibbled, he cupped the rest in both hands to give it back to Liang Qu. "Uncle Chen! Keep this up and I won't come by next time!" "What's going on? What's all this shouting about? Qingjiang, what do you think you're doing? What did I just tell you? Did you forget already in the blink of an eye?" Hearing the commotion from inside and assuming an argument had broken out, Chen Renxing hurried out with a coat draped over his shoulders, laying into Chen Qingjiang with a fierce scolding. "Dad, no, I... this..." Feeling thoroughly wronged and at a total loss for words, Chen Qingjiang took the scolding just like an errant son. Well, he was his son, so never mind that. Liang Qu chuckled. "It's all right, Grandpa Chen, we're not fighting—just teasing each other. I brought something for Shunzi, but Uncle Chen insisted on stopping him. If he doesn't make a fuss, he feels like taking anything burns his hands." "Right, right, that's it exactly." Chen Renxing looked suspicious. "Really?" "Really." Liang Qu scooped Little Shunzi up with one arm and pressed the peach pastry back into his hand. "So, Uncle Chen, truly, don't stand on ceremony with me. When you do, it just annoys me." Chen Renxing glanced at the Wufangzhai box in Liang Qu's hands. Knowing his son had always been honest to a fault, he finally relaxed and ushered Liang Qu inside. "Come in, then, come on in. It's cold out. And Qingjiang, what are you standing there gawking for? How'd you get so dull-witted lately?" "Right, right, come inside! I'll get some stools. Ah Di, go pour some water." Liang Qu shook his head with a faint smile. Truly, there was always a higher mountain. Once inside, everyone found places to sit. Chen Qingjiang brought over the hearth and shut the front door. Huddled around the fire, they gradually began to warm up. "Ah Shui, are you short on money? I saved up a bit more recently. I'll go fetch it for you." "It has nothing to do with money. Uncle Chen, sit down! I'm not short on cash. Have you paid back the medical clinic yet?" Chen Qingjiang sighed. "Not yet. The weather's too cold to catch much fish, so there's hardly any spare money." "Then that settles it. There's no rush on what you owe me. I came today mainly to talk about three things, and to bring you a few items on the side—this, and this." Liang Qu placed the Wufangzhai box along with a large paper parcel onto the table and pushed them both across. "For us?" Ah Di stared at the Wufangzhai box in disbelief. She knew of Wufangzhai as well; a box like this surely cost several qian of silver, didn't it? Chen Qingjiang stammered protests again and again, insisting they couldn't possibly accept. He had thought Liang Qu had simply handed over a single piece of pastry on a whim—never imagining Liang Qu meant to give them the whole box. "Uncle Chen, hold your tongue and listen to me first." Seeing Uncle Chen about to refuse again, Liang Qu cut him off before he could start. "First thing: I've been accepted as a personal disciple by the master of the Yang Family Martial Hall in Pingyang Town. You might not fully get what that means, but simply put, studying martial arts won't cost me a copper anymore. I get to learn directly from Master Yang instead of being an ordinary paying apprentice. I brought this box of pastries to celebrate. "When Shunzi gets a bit older and grows into himself, he can come straight with me to the martial hall without paying a copper. My master won't mind a small favor like that. "Second thing: I asked my senior martial brothers for some medicinal powder to treat Grandpa Chen's injuries. Dissolve it in hot water and drink it twice a day for two days. Once this parcel is finished, he'll be right as rain. "Third thing: I have a way in Zeye Marsh and found a spot where schools of fish gather. I have to practice martial arts now, so I won't have as much time to take out the boat. I'd like Uncle Chen to come fishing with me for the next few days as a favor to help me out. Whatever we catch, we split fifty-fifty. "All right, that's roughly it. I'm done." Liang Qu glanced around, only to be met by total silence from Chen Qingjiang's family. Their minds seemed entirely unable to process it all. "Any questions?" "A personal disciple?" "Mm-hmm." "Shunzi can study martial arts too?" "That's right." "This medicine must be very expensive?" "Not expensive at all. Very cheap." Cheap indeed—it hadn't cost Liang Qu a single copper. It was merely treasure lotus root mashed into a paste and dried into powder. While less potent in that form, it was still quite effective. The parcel contained the equivalent of two segments, more than enough for Chen Renxing to restore his vitality. Chen Qingjiang's family was left dizzy with shock and joy. Only Shunzi remained crouched by the hearth nibbling his pastry, having little idea what was actually happening. *The pastry tastes so good, and Brother Shui is so nice,* he thought. "Going fishing is no trouble at all. If Ah Shui asks, of course I'll help! But those other two things... they're truly too..." "Stop right there! I know what you're going to say, Uncle Chen. Say another word and I'm walking out. None of this back-and-forth politeness—I can't stand it." Cut off before he could start his routine yet again, Chen Qingjiang's face flushed slightly red, thoroughly stifled. "Since Uncle Chen has agreed to fish, everything's settled." Having Uncle Chen help fish had been Liang Qu's plan for a while. For one, it would improve the Chen family's livelihood. Uncle Chen had a stubborn pride and was saddled with so much debt. With winter catches so meager and handing over money directly out of the question, Liang Qu had devised a way to help him earn more. On the other hand, it would free up Liang Qu's own schedule, sparing him the need to pretend to go out on the boat every day. Fat Catfish only had one mouth; swimming back and forth to bring fish in was actually rather inefficient. If it could team up with Cannot Move so the two beasts drove and herded schools of fish from underwater while Chen Qingjiang cast his nets from above, efficiency would skyrocket. A fifty-fifty split would leave everyone with plenty of profit. Uncle Chen was a decent man. Even if he caught sight of something he shouldn't, he would never blab, letting the secret rot away inside him. Besides, keeping water beasts didn't prove much; it wasn't unheard of for people to keep giant crocs as pets. A long silence hung in the room. Finally, Chen Qingjiang forced out a sentence: "Ah Shui... you've really made something of yourself." "Aye, made something indeed," Chen Renxing echoed right after. "Made something truly great," Ah Di added. "Of course Brother Shui made something of himself!" Little Shunzi finished his piece of peach pastry, wiped the crumbs from his mouth, and raised his hand first in approval. "Then doesn't that mean Ah Shui will become a master too one day?" Chen Renxing's hand unconsciously reached for his waist sash, intending to pull out his pipe for a puff, but stopped himself when he remembered Liang Qu was still there. A master! What a distant, imposing word, as if those two syllables alone carried an aura of loftiness. At the thought that his neighbor was going to become a master, the wound on Chen Renxing's back grew so warm it began to itch. "So keep this box of Wufangzhai pastries. There's no rush on the money either—take your time. Pay off the clinic first. I'll come find Uncle Chen tomorrow, so Uncle Chen, don't take your boat out." "All right." "Oh, there's one more thing. Do you know about the great demon from the night before last?" "Heard about it. They'll probably be holding a sacrificial ceremony." "Right. I might not be home over the next couple of days." Liang Qu retrieved two qian of silver from his waist pouch and placed it on the table. "If someone comes by to collect the levy, Sister Ah Di, could you please keep an eye out and pay it on my behalf? I asked Uncle Li Dakang, and two qian of silver should be enough." "All right." Ah Di nodded. On regular days, Chen Qingjiang had to take his boat out to fish and Chen Renxing went out to sell baskets and cloth; she was the only one who could reliably stay home. After chatting a while longer, just as Liang Qu was getting ready to leave, Chen Qingjiang suddenly spoke up. "Ah Shui, if you're heading to town over the next couple of days, be on your guard. When I went to sell fish this morning, I heard something—they say a martial master died in town." Liang Qu felt a jolt of surprise. "A martial master? What was his name?" "I can't recall clearly. Seems his name was..." Chen Qingjiang furrowed his brows in thought. He wasn't one for prying into gossip, so he genuinely couldn't remember on the spot. "You useless boy! Why does your brain turn to wood whenever it actually matters? What can you ever get done? If you can't remember, don't bother eating today!" Fuming, Chen Renxing whacked him across the back of the head with his pipe. The blow seemed to jolt Chen Qingjiang awake like a bucket of cold water. "Oh, I remember now! His name was Lu Shaohui!"