A Great Tree

At daybreak the next morning, Zhang Laifu was awakened by shouting. "Get up! Who told you that you could sleep here?" Zhang Laifu opened his eyes to see two uniformed men berating the beggar across from him. The beggar said with a grin, "Masters, I'm just a beggar looking for a spot to sleep. That's not against the law, is it?" These two men in uniform were patrolmen, the likes of whom Zhang Laifu had never seen before. One patrolman shouted at the beggar, "The warlord is coming to Heishakou in a few days. Orders from above are to keep the streets presentable. Get the hell out of here right now!" The other shouted at Zhang Laifu, "Who are you?" Zhang Laifu grew tense. He was from an outside prefecture, and the moment he opened his mouth, he might betray his timid lack of confidence. Before he could speak, the beggar chimed in first. "He came with me. We're both beggars—who else could he be?" The patrolman didn't bother to ask further. "Get lost, both of you!" Once clear of the bridge arch, Zhang Laifu hurried to thank the beggar. The beggar ignored him, wiped the bruises on his face, and turned away. Judging by his limp, he was hurt pretty badly. Did He Yunxi beat him like this? First beating the bun vendor, then beating the beggar? Did he really have such a vile temper? And where had He Yunxi gone? Now that Zhang Laifu had seven dazi in hand, he felt somewhat more confident. He spent one dazi on a bowl of jellied tofu to fill his stomach first, then spent another dazi on a map to understand the layout of Heishakou. Heishakou was a city through which the Heisha River flowed, converging into the Canghan River south of town. Because of the confluence of the two rivers, Heishakou served as one of the river-transport hubs of Wansheng Prefecture. The city was by no means small, and walking out of Heishakou on two feet was simply too difficult; taking a boat was a far more sensible choice. The map marked various wharves across the city. After asking several passersby, Zhang Laifu settled on Yujin Wharf. This wharf was relatively secluded, mostly serving small boats, and the fares were comparatively cheap. Zhang Laifu walked toward the wharf. Upon entering an alley, he suddenly saw Li Yunsheng, the Zhuyou healer, standing in the middle of the lane. "Enemies meet on a narrow road!" With hands clasped behind his back and a smile on his face, Li Yunsheng looked at Zhang Laifu. "The road isn't narrow. It's quite wide." Zhang Laifu stared back at Li Yunsheng with lifeless eyes. Looking straight ahead like that was actually rather eerie. "When you run into me, the road becomes narrow. I hold a grudge." Li Yunsheng had no intention of letting Zhang Laifu pass. Zhang Laifu shook his head. "I don't hold grudges. Let's just consider the matter settled." "You don't hold grudges?" Li Yunsheng froze for a moment. "What right do you have to hold a grudge? What grudge do you have against me?" Zhang Laifu thought it over carefully. "Right, I don't have any grudge against you. Why would the road be narrow?" "That... that's because..." Li Yunsheng pursed his lips. "Don't play dumb. Let's make things clear about yesterday." "I'm not playing dumb. I'm very sincere. I'll pay you." Zhang Laifu took out three copper yuan and offered them to Li Yunsheng. He had only five copper yuan left in total. He still had to flee and buy food, so parting with three was indeed a mark of great sincerity. Li Yunsheng took the three dazi and frowned. "I'm a craftsman, you know that? I can earn several silver dollars a day, you know that? Handing me this pittance is an insult, you know that?" Zhang Laifu patted his pockets. "But I can't spare any more." Li Yunsheng looked at the mud and water covering Zhang Laifu. Gripping the three copper yuan, he shook them in his hand. "How about this: I believe in luck. I'll toss these three copper yuan. If they all land heads-up, we'll consider the matter settled. But if even one lands tails-up, we'll have to have a proper reckoning." As he spoke, Li Yunsheng tossed the three copper yuan into the air, caught them in his hand, and opened his palm. All three copper yuan were heads-up. Li Yunsheng looked up at Zhang Laifu, astonished by the man's fortune. He wanted to toss them again, but suddenly saw Zhang Laifu extend his hand, offering his remaining two copper yuan along with a handful of copper cash. "This is all I have left. Let's just consider it settled." Li Yunsheng frowned deeply. "It's not about the money! What you did yesterday was downright underhanded!" Since all three copper yuan had landed heads-up, the matter was already resolved. Li Yunsheng refused to take Zhang Laifu's money and pushed it all back to him, along with the previous three copper yuan. Yet Zhang Laifu insisted on giving it. As the two shoved back and forth, the money fell to the ground. This was somewhat humiliating for Zhang Laifu, and Li Yunsheng felt a bit embarrassed as well. Zhang Laifu didn't mind the humiliation. He bent down to pick up the coins, but Li Yunsheng stopped him. Li Yunsheng stared at the copper yuan and copper cash on the ground for a long while. The five copper yuan were lined up in a row, like a tree trunk. The dozen or so copper cash were scattered at the top of the trunk, resembling a lush canopy. Strangest of all, every single copper coin was facing heads-up. Li Yunsheng squatted on the ground, watching for a long time before looking up at Zhang Laifu. He uttered two words: "A great tree." Zhang Laifu shook his head. "My name isn't Great Tree." Li Yunsheng scooped up the copper yuan and copper cash, then handed them back to Zhang Laifu. "A great tree offers good shade! Friend, come to my place for a cup of tea." Li Yunsheng lived in this alley, and he invited Zhang Laifu into his home. "It's a humble dwelling. Please excuse my poor hospitality." "Humble" was merely polite modesty. Li Yunsheng had a private courtyard all to himself, with a bedroom, a kitchen, and a storeroom. For Zhang Laifu, who had just spent the night under a bridge, such living conditions were practically a dream. Li Yunsheng boiled water, brewed tea, and laid out refreshments. "My real name is indeed Li Yunsheng, as you saw on my shop banner. How should I address you, Brother?" Zhang Laifu answered honestly, "My name is Zhang Laifu—the fu that means enjoying good fortune." "Brother Laifu, when you picked a fight with me yesterday on Zhuzi Street, it was actually to evade a pingtan singer, wasn't it?" "You noticed?" Zhang Laifu was astonished. Lao Zheng had hidden himself very well yesterday; Zhang Laifu hadn't even known where he was stationed. "Do not underestimate me, Brother Zhang. I'm a craftsman too. That man pinched his lips to sing pingtan in order to lead you along by the nose. You came over to pick a quarrel with me without cause just to find a chance to slip away." Li Yunsheng scraped the rim of his covered teacup, seemingly casual, yet every word hit the mark with pinpoint accuracy. A look of admiration shone in Zhang Laifu's lifeless eyes. He could not help exclaiming, "Craftsmen truly are amazing." "Brother Laifu, will that pingtan artist come looking for you again?" "He definitely will. He's a bandit from Hunlong Stronghold, and those people are relentless." Setting down his teacup, Li Yunsheng picked up a folding fan and analyzed the situation for him. "Among the bandits in the mountains around Heishakou, Hunlong Stronghold is the most powerful faction. That pingtan singer is still relatively restrained, but some of the bolder outlaws from Hunlong Stronghold would even dare commit murder in broad daylight on the street. Having offended them, Brother Laifu, you're in for some trouble." Zhang Laifu thought the same. "That's why I want to leave Heishakou and make a living elsewhere." "Have you thought about where to go?" "Not yet." Li Yunsheng pondered for a good while before pointing him in a direction. "If you don't wish to travel far, you can head south to Miedaolin. A fast boat will get you there in a day. Miedaolin isn't large, and living expenses are low, but it's rather close to Heishakou, so there's no telling whether the people from Hunlong Stronghold might track you down." Zhang Laifu considered this and asked, "Are there other places I could go?" Li Yunsheng thought it over for a while longer. "If you want a safe place, I suggest Lingluo City, Yuxiulang, or Baijiao Port. Those are all major cities with far better public order. Mountain bandits certainly won't be able to pursue you there. However, expenses in large cities are also steep, so you'd have to find a good line of work, Brother Zhang." Speaking of earning a living, Zhang Laifu felt troubled. In this place, he had no idea what he could do. "I know architecture. I should be able to find a job, right?" "That depends on which trade you studied, Brother Zhang. Are you a carpenter?" "Not exactly..." "A stonemason?" "Neither." "A bricklayer?" "Not that either..." Li Yunsheng looked Zhang Laifu up and down, then asked, "Brother Zhang, have you ever built a house?" Zhang Laifu straightened his posture proudly. "I'm very professional. I truly studied it!" "When you say very professional, do you mean civil engineering from an outside prefecture?" Zhang Laifu fell silent for a moment, then answered with pride nonetheless, "Yes!" Li Yunsheng nodded repeatedly. "No wonder your tone sounds somewhat different, Brother Zhang. So you received a higher education in an outside prefecture." Zhang Laifu offered a modest smile. "Brother Li flatters me." Li Yunsheng waved his fan and said, "No need to be modest, Brother Zhang. In Wansheng Prefecture, there isn't really a need for civil engineering talent at the moment." Wansheng Prefecture didn't need civil engineers? Zhang Laifu was unconvinced. "Don't the people in Wansheng Prefecture need to build houses?" Li Yunsheng explained, "Houses must be built, of course, but those who work in this line are all craftsmen. The carpenters, stonemasons, and bricklayers I mentioned earlier are the ones who do it. If you aren't a craftsman, Brother Zhang, at most you could follow someone as an unregistered hand. And becoming an unregistered hand isn't something just anyone can do either; you have to apprentice for at least three years. A civil engineering degree from an outside prefecture doesn't count for anything here." Wansheng Prefecture was simply too peculiar. Whether it came to fighting or earning money, the ones who thrived everywhere were craftsmen. "Brother Li, I want to become a craftsman too. Who should I apprentice under?" Zhang Laifu wouldn't mind apprenticing for three years, but he didn't want to be an unregistered hand. Li Yunsheng shook his head repeatedly. "A craftsman isn't trained; they're planted. That depends on whether you have a bowl."