Disaster Looming?

A shout that something had happened drew numerous gazes along the wharf. Beside them, the teahouse attendant even slung his towel over his shoulder, craning his neck to listen. Frowning, Liang Qu asked, "Uncle Chen Yi, big trouble? What kind of big trouble?" "I don't know, but it looks downright terrifying! A gentleman in blue robes came in person, wearing fine silks and satins! He even had someone kneeling right outside your door! Ah Shui, did you get into some kind of trouble?" Before Liang Qu could even react, Chen Qingjiang was the first to snap, spitting right at Chen Yi. "Bah! What kind of trouble could Ah Shui possibly get into? What nonsense are you spouting, Chen Yi?" "How should I know? But I saw those clothes with my own eyes—smooth as water, bluer than the sky! You could tell at a glance they weren't cheap, not something ordinary folks could ever afford! By my reckoning, a single chi of that fabric has got to cost at least one tael of silver! One whole tael!" Chen Qingjiang was a far better fisherman than Chen Yi and had fathered two sons; though they belonged to the same clan, Chen Yi was a notch below him in every way. After getting yelled at, Chen Yi lowered his voice, but his stubborn mouth refused to yield. Holding up a single finger, he turned in a circle to show everyone, exhausting his entire vocabulary to describe the lavishness of the visitor's garments. The surrounding fishermen broke into an uproar. "One tael of silver? Wouldn't a whole set of clothes cost four or five taels?" "Good heavens, that's not wearing clothes—that's wearing pure silver!" "Did Ah Shui offend some big shot?" Seeing this, Chen Qingjiang bellowed, "What are you all blathering about? Who could Ah Shui possibly offend? If someone's kneeling, maybe they came to apologize and make amends!" Chen Yi found his nerve again. "Ha! Apologize and make amends? A fine gentleman? Chen Qingjiang, have you lost your mind?" "What's all the shouting about? Whether it's true or not, we'll know once we go and see," Liang Qu said, putting down the oar and telling Uncle Chen to stay behind to watch the boat and sell off the catch. "No way. I'm coming with you. If something really did happen, one more person adds to our momentum." "All right, then." Unable to dissuade him, Liang Qu turned toward the fishing yard and shouted, "Songbao, can you watch my boat for me?" "You got it! Leave it to me!" Lin Songbao had long been leaning against the doorway watching the spectacle. Hearing Liang Qu's call, he agreed readily, not the least bit panicked about any supposed disaster. After last night's meal, he finally understood what his old man had meant by having a great future ahead. Lin Songbao understood the prestige of being Master Yang's disciple far better than Chen Qingjiang. In two out-of-the-way backwaters like Yixing and Pingyang Town, who could possibly threaten Liang Qu? Unless some imperial envoy lost his mind and suddenly decided to visit the Jianghuai Zeye to enjoy the scenery, and Liang Qu happened to lose his mind as well and clashed with him, Yang Dongxiong would never fail to handle the situation. Liang Qu leaped ashore and took the lead, with Chen Qingjiang following closely behind. Chen Yi tagged along as well, and behind them trailed a crowd of village spectators—some secretly gloating, others worried. Many people heard the commotion, stepped out of their houses, and asked what was happening, making the procession swell even larger. Along the street, a door opened a sliver, revealing several eyes peering through the crack. The highest set of eyes narrowed slightly as the crowd passed: "That boy... I really thought he'd made something of himself after going to the martial hall. And what happened? I said he'd stir up trouble, didn't I? Look, they've come right to his door." The second pair of eyes widened suddenly. "Wait, when did you ever say that?" Liang Guangtian retorted in displeasure, "I said it, you just don't remember! That brat made a fortune and didn't even come to see his own uncle once. How could he be any good? He doesn't understand the first thing about social graces! I said from the start he'd cause trouble, and look at that." "Didn't we refuse to lend him grain back then, too? Why would he come to see you?" "How—how is that the same? If we'd lent him that grain, would he ever have been able to repay it? You don't know shit!" Liang Guangtian flew into an embarrassed rage, stammering incoherently before snapping that women didn't understand anything and storming out the door. "Husband, where are you going?" "I'm going to take a look! I can't let that brat bring the sky crashing down and drag me into it." "Hey, wait, I'm coming too." "What are you going for? Aren't you making dinner?" "Eating a little later won't starve anyone. What's the rush?" Xue Chengquan paced back and forth in front of Liang Qu's door, his gaze drifting from time to time toward that shabby adobe house, feeling shaken. Often, after achieving fame, people would describe their pasts as utterly wretched. Xue Chengquan had assumed his servants' accounts were exaggerated through hearsay, but he had never imagined it was truly this broken-down, this wretched. He felt no contempt; on the contrary, he dared not look down on this young fisherman from Yixing in the slightest. What were fishermen? A base profession far beneath even farmers! The lifelong dream of most fishermen was simply to save enough money to buy land and become farmers! At such a young age, to rise from a penniless nobody to become Yang Dongxiong's disciple—what would become of him in the future? And if I build a good rapport with him now, what might become of me? At the thought, Xue Chengquan couldn't resist smacking the back of Xue Dingyi's head again, the blows landing with loud thwacks. Rebellious wretch! Rebellious wretch! Before he could even make a friend, this boy had made an enemy! To think he had relied on his smooth and worldly wits to grow the family business to where it was today—how had he sired such a useless thing? Bullying people not even for money, just for fun? Even as his father, he thought the boy was a beast! Xue Dingyi knelt on the ground, his head bobbing left and right from the blows, staying silent. His buttocks were a mangled mess, throbbing with excruciating pain. The neighbors opened their doors a crack to watch in secret. Even Ah Di nearby was no exception, though she dared not step outside, terrified that her gaze might offend an influential figure. A flurry of dense footsteps sounded along the bluestone street. Xue Chengquan looked up and immediately spotted the most striking lad in the crowd. He showered him with loud praise: "A handsome talent! Truly a fine and distinguished figure! Dignified as the wind whispering through pine trees, lofty and composed—no wonder you became Master Yang's prized disciple!" Liang Qu froze, feeling for some reason like he had heard those exact words somewhere before, and completely forgot what he had been about to say. However, he noticed Xue Dingyi kneeling on the ground, his face still bruised and swollen. On the training ground, Liang Qu had struck Xue Dingyi's face with a staff, and it still hadn't healed. Fortunately, despite the swelling, he could vaguely make out the facial resemblance between Xue Chengquan and Xue Dingyi, and could roughly deduce the man's identity. Xue Chengquan cupped his hands in greeting. "My worthless, rebellious son—I truly never imagined he could commit such foul, despicable deeds! It is entirely due to my lack of proper discipline. I have come today so Young Master Liang may discipline him thoroughly. Whether you beat him or scold him, I shall make him endure it. Even if Young Master Liang wishes to beat him to death, I will not utter a single word of complaint!" Holding up a switch procured from who knew where, Xue Chengquan presented it with both hands. The onlookers erupted in astonishment. Chen Yi looked completely bewildered. What was happening? This was nothing like what he had imagined. The one kneeling on the ground was the blue-robed gentleman's son—so why was the gentleman treating Liang Qu with such reverence? Liang Guangtian stood dumbfounded in the crowd and hurriedly asked those around him if he had missed some news. The bystander glanced at Liang Guangtian and sneered, "Oho, Liang Guangtian? Isn't Ah Shui your nephew? If you don't even know, why ask me?" Liang Guangtian looked sheepish. "That boy is callous and ungrateful; he never associates with my household. How could I, his uncle, know anything?" "Give it a rest. During the autumn tax, Ah Shui brought out a dan of rice to save Chen Qingjiang's family—didn't you see that? Didn't you know? If anyone's callous and ungrateful, it's you! Who doesn't know your nature? If the officials weren't watching, you'd dare mix chaff into the grain tax! You've got money to drink wine, but no money to lend grain—that's the sort of scoundrel you are." "You! How can you talk like that?" Unexpectedly, the man ignored Liang Guangtian and pushed forward to watch the commotion on his own. "Dad! Dad! No, please! You can't hit me anymore, you can't! I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong!" Kneeling on the ground, Xue Dingyi was scared out of his wits. After getting beaten at home, was he going to be beaten outside as well? He scrambled forward on his knees, ignoring the searing pain from his wounds, and clutched Xue Chengquan's thigh. His buttocks were truly torn to shreds; if he hadn't applied wound salve and wrapped them in gauze this morning, blood would still be dripping out, and he couldn't bear to let them touch anything. Yet Xue Chengquan remained unmoved, keeping his waist bowed, simply waiting for Liang Qu to take the switch. Tears streaming down his face, Xue Dingyi could only crawl over and latch onto Liang Qu's thigh. "Brother Liang, Brother Liang, I beg you, I beg you! I really know I was wrong, I really do! I'll work like a horse and an ox for you from now on! Spare me just this once, please spare me! I truly will never dare do it again!"