Top Scholar

Chapter 4 I Want to Read Too

Cheng Xiucai reacted quickly, immediately taking the opportunity to scold his elder brother: "What are you up to? Why are you lying to me?"

He was confident in his status and always spoke Mandarin, but in his haste, he switched to Sichuan dialect.

"It wasn't you..." Under his fierce glare, the old man of the Cheng family swallowed the rest of his words and said dejectedly, "It was I who was bewitched and wanted to teach that bastard a lesson."

"You've gone mad, brother!" Cheng Xiucai exclaimed in anguish, "Where do you think I'll put my face after this?"

"Sigh..." Old Master Cheng said dejectedly, "My leg hurt a lot yesterday, I thought it was broken."

"What do you think? You want me to embarrass myself with you!" Scholar Cheng pointed at him, trembling with rage. "This is putting me in an unjust position!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough with the words." After watching the performance for a while, Zhou Baihu said conciliatoryly, "It's always a good thing that Brother Cheng's leg isn't broken."

"Yes, that's great news! It was just a false alarm." The centurion next to him also breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Now everyone can go home."

"How can that be? They're falsely accusing us!" Su Youcai was already seething with anger, and he wasn't about to let it go so easily.

"We're going to take this to the county court too, let's see what the magistrate says!" Uncle Su Lu shouted.

"Alright, alright, stop making a fuss. This has nothing to do with Master Cheng." Commander Zhou pulled back the Su brothers and said to Scholar Cheng in a deep voice:

"This matter ends here. No one is allowed to mention it again, and no one is allowed to cause any more trouble!"

His gaze swept slowly and sternly over the Cheng and Su families, and he raised his voice, saying, "Otherwise, we'll settle both the old and new scores together!"

This was the first time Zhou Baihu had spoken so harshly, and the shockwave caused dust to fall from the eaves.

"Since the centurion has spoken, I will naturally obey." For the first time, Scholar Cheng spoke softly: "I apologize for today's misunderstanding. I will make amends with wine another day."

"Of course, of course." Commander Zhou nodded and said to Commander Shi, "Help me see Master Cheng off."

"Farewell!" Scholar Cheng cupped his hands in farewell, then turned and left without even taking the sedan chair.

The Cheng family members quickly and sheepishly followed them away.

"We just let them leave like that?" The uncle was still furious.

“What else do you want? No matter how unscrupulous he is, he is still a scholar. Even if you take him to the county court, you won’t get the better of him.” Zhou Baihu sighed.

“That’s not necessarily true. The Ming Dynasty Code clearly states that false accusations are punishable by three degrees of severity…” Su Youcai was well-versed in the law and could recite it off the cuff.

"Stop showing off your erudition," Zhou Baihu said helplessly. "In the Ming Dynasty, right and wrong are decided by the officials and ministers. What use is it for an old scholar like you to memorize the laws so well?"

"..." Su Youcai was hit where it hurt and immediately fell silent. His uncle, still indignant, said, "At least report him to the county school and skin him alive!"

“Impossible. He didn’t even write a formal complaint. What grounds are you going to use to sue him?” Commander Zhou shook his head and said, “Besides, all the civil officials in the country are scholars. How could they allow the garrisons to run wild on their territory? Wouldn’t that be going against the Heavenly Gang?”

"Sigh..." The eldest uncle knew that Commander Zhou was right, but he couldn't swallow his anger. He said indignantly, "Sir, he almost drove us to bankruptcy!"

“I know.” Commander Zhou patted his shoulder and sighed, “Don’t people always say, ‘The current emperor values ​​literature, and a crude soldier is worse than a dog’? That’s how the world is, what can we do?”

After a pause, Zhou Baihu added expectantly, "If you want to get revenge, make sure your Chun-ge also passes the imperial examination and becomes a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the lowest level of the imperial examinations). Then I'll make sure the Cheng family knows what it means to handle cases impartially!"

Chun Ge'er is the eldest grandson of the Su family. He was born in spring and his given name is Su Man. He is studying at the famous Taiping Academy in the area and only comes home once a month.

"Sigh..." The uncle nodded, a smile appearing on his face. "Chun-ge'er is good at studying. I hope he can bring honor to our military households next year."

"We're looking forward to it!" Zhou Baihu waved his hand and said, "Take them back for a meal quickly, don't let it interfere with the work in the fields."

"Well, we'll head back now." The uncle had no choice but to call his family and leave the garrison.

~~
Outside the Hundred Households Office was a narrow stone-paved road, with stone steps that rose and fell, winding towards the banks of the Chishui River. The dark stilted houses on both sides of the road were so high that Su Lu could only see a sliver of sky when he looked up.

There was no other way; the entire Erlangtan area is a hillside along the river, and the houses could only be built according to the terrain, making them very compact.

The air was filled with a sour, burnt smell—the omnipresent odor of fermented grains. Because the soil and water in this area were particularly suitable for brewing, several distilleries and fermentation workshops were set up in the small town, and almost every family in the mountains relied on them for a living.

When Su Lu first arrived, he couldn't stand the smell, but after a while, he got used to it...

The sun had just risen, and everyone in town had gone to the fields to harvest the crops. Apart from children playing naked, there were hardly any people to be seen on the road.

Su Lu and his second brother followed silently behind their fathers, listening to their uncle and father complaining.

"Ugh, I'm so frustrated! Why should they just let us go?" Su Youcai said with a dark face.

"Who says otherwise? Once Chun-ge passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, I'll definitely get my revenge!" The eldest uncle punched the youngest uncle's shoulder hard: "Third brother, use your brain!"

"Sigh..." The younger uncle hung his head dejectedly, behaving as obediently as a quail.

"Luckily, Qiu-ge'er was quick-witted this time, which saved our family from disaster." The eldest uncle said, taking out two copper coins and buying leaf-wrapped rice cakes for the two brothers at Gao Tuozi's food stall on the street as a reward.

He then asked Su Lu, "Qiu-ge'er, how did you see through them?"

While eating the soft and fragrant sorghum cake, Su Lu said, "I remember it very clearly, Second Brother just didn't step on that old bastard's leg."

He then gave a concise description of yesterday's events, recalling exactly what everyone said and did.

"Your child has such a good memory?" the uncle exclaimed in surprise.

Su Lu nodded; his memory was indeed excellent after his rebirth.

This is normal; thirteen or fourteen is the age when boys' memory is at its best, but they just don't have a good grasp of concentration. He now combines the strengths of both thirteen and thirty years old, making his mental abilities terrifyingly powerful.

There's one more thing he didn't mention: on the second day after a fracture, the swelling reaches its peak, and the pain is constant even if you don't move, and it's even more excruciating if you move even slightly.

He carefully examined the old man's leg and found that it was only white from being bound, without any swelling or bruising.

At first, Old Master Cheng was able to deliberately pretend. But as time went on, everyone's attention shifted to negotiating the numbers, and the old man inevitably became careless. His leg would occasionally twitch unconsciously, but he remained calm and showed no sign of pain.

After confirming the information, Su Lu was certain that he had not misremembered, and that's why he managed to expose the Cheng family's trickery.

~~
The town was small, and the Su family returned to their doorstep as they talked.

The Su family's stilted house was built on a relatively flat area in the town, so it looked more spacious.

Of course, the ground floor was also uninhabitable; it was used to raise poultry and store farm tools and heavy objects. After climbing the creaking stairs, you would see a total of seven rooms on the upper floor, arranged in a U-shape. The central hall and the rooms on both sides adopted a recessed design, forming a small courtyard with the four side rooms at both ends.

No more than ten households in the entire town had courtyards, which was a testament to their wealth. Otherwise, his family wouldn't have been able to support two generations of scholars.

However, after the old man was dismissed from his post, the Su family was no longer what it used to be, and its decline was evident both inside and out.

Hearing someone come up, a little girl with a three-bun hairstyle and a face like a silver basin rushed out of the main room and cheered in a childish voice, "Sanguo is back!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Su Lu's leg and skillfully climbed up.

"Jinbao, don't touch me yet, your third brother is dirty." Su Lu quickly picked up the three-year-old girl. Her name was Jinbao, the youngest daughter of her eldest uncle, and the youngest sister whom Su Lu had carried on his back since she was a baby.

Aunt Su Lu came out from the main room to greet them, and quickly took her two nephews' hands, looking them up and down and asking, "Xia-ge'er, Qiu-ge'er, are you alright?"

“With me here, what could possibly happen?” the uncle said, raising his head high.

"You've paid them so much money?!" Auntie's piercing voice rang out from the entrance of the main room. Actually, she was a tall, still beautiful woman with a charming figure, but her allure diminished as soon as she opened her mouth.

"It's been settled quickly, not a penny was lost!" Uncle patted his chest and said, "How about that? Your man is pretty good, isn't he?"

"Yes, yes!" Auntie patted her bulging chest, finally relieved, and then called to everyone, "Hurry up and finish your meal so you can go to the fields."

~~
Inside the main room, Su Lu's grandparents sat cross-legged by the hearth.

The old man of the Su family was a serious-looking, taciturn old man. After listening to his eldest son's report, he simply nodded and silently chewed on a betel leaf roll.

The old lady had a kind face and held her grandson's hand, asking him all sorts of questions, but unfortunately, she was very hard of hearing...

"My dear grandsons, you two didn't get beaten up, did you?"

"Grandma, we're fine!" Su Lu hurriedly replied loudly.

"What? Rats have gotten into the house?" the old lady exclaimed in surprise. "Then we'll have to buy some rat poison when the peddler comes."

“Where are the mice? Mother, Qiu-ge said he’s fine,” the aunt shouted.

"He didn't sleep all night? Then go and catch up on your sleep after dinner, don't get out of bed." The old lady felt sorry for her grandson.

"When I get anxious and stressed, my hearing gets even worse," my aunt said helplessly.

"Yes, eating too much sorghum makes it hard to poop," the old woman sighed. "Eldest daughter-in-law, could you add a little bean flour to the pancakes?"

"Isn't this to hurry up and finish the old sorghum so we can get the new sorghum?" Auntie brought over a steaming hot sorghum cake.

"You want to find a new mother for Qiu-ge'er? Great!" the old lady said happily.

The eldest aunt rolled her eyes and simply stopped responding.

My aunt then ladled a bowl of sorghum porridge for each person from the iron pot placed on the fire pit, along with a dish of pickled vegetables—that was the family's breakfast.

During breakfast, the eldest aunt questioned her younger brother again about what trouble he had gotten into.

However, her uncle remained steadfast in his secret with the eldest son of the Cheng family, like a young girl guarding her chastity. She had no choice but to reluctantly turn her attention to Su Lu and his son.

"Second son, I thought you were a reasonable and well-educated person. How could you take the child to fight? If they really try to extort money from us this time, how will our family survive?"

The elders in the family no longer managed things; his aunt was now in charge. Su Youcai could only listen obediently, sheepishly promising never to fight again.

"Bullshit!" The old man slammed his chopsticks down and roared, "What kind of man doesn't fight? You'll get a head injury big enough to fill a bowl!"

"Alright, alright, old man, don't get upset, hurry up and eat." The uncle bent down to pick up the chopsticks that had fallen on the ground, wiped them clean, and handed them to the old man.

"I'm not eating anymore, I'm already full of anger!" The old man then flicked his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and went out for a walk.

The Su brothers couldn't help but feel disheartened. Their old man had been proud his whole life, and he couldn't swallow this insult...

~~
After the old man was dismissed from his post, he became extremely ill-tempered, and the eldest aunt was already used to it. As soon as he left, she continued to lecture Su Lu: "And Qiu'er, you're not a child anymore. If you continue to idle around, you'll cause trouble sooner or later."

"Auntie didn't let me be idle, did she? Doesn't she give me chores every day?" Su Lu felt annoyed upon hearing this. How am I being idle?

“That’s right.” The aunt chimed in to her nephew, “Qiu-ge’er suffered from heatstroke and was bedridden for two days, and then he didn’t have a single day of rest.”

"I was afraid he'd be idle and cause trouble, so I found him things to do." The eldest aunt rolled her eyes at her younger sister and said, "But this can't go on forever."

As he spoke, he glanced at his eldest uncle, who coughed and said to Su Youcai, "Second brother, I've told Seventh Uncle that Qiu-ge'er should also go to Xiasha this Double Ninth Festival."

"What is Chongyang Xiasha?" Su Lu had never heard of this term before, so he asked his second brother in a low voice.

“After the new grain is harvested, it’s time to start brewing wine on the Double Ninth Festival.” Su Tai said softly, “The sorghum rice is reddish and small. When you add it, it looks like you’re pouring sand, so it’s called ‘pouring sand’.”

"Oh." Su Lu nodded, puzzled. "Isn't this the kind of work a worker should be doing?"

"So this is to make you work," the aunt said. "But you have to become an apprentice for three years before you can earn money for the family."

"Huh?" Su Lu suddenly found the sorghum cake completely unpalatable.

However, his aunt didn't ask for his opinion; she only asked his father.

“Sister-in-law, the child is still young,” Su Youcai said softly.

"He'll be fourteen after his birthday, while other kids have already been apprentices for two years!" Auntie waved her hand and said, "The sooner he becomes an apprentice, the sooner he can start earning money, the better!"

Then he said to his uncle, "Since we've already been delayed today, go get some cured meat and a bag of tea later, and take Qiu-ge'er to become an apprentice this afternoon."

"Alright." The eldest uncle always listened to his aunt.

"Qiu-ge'er, do you want to become an apprentice at the winery?" Although his elder brother and sister-in-law had already made up their minds, Su Youcai still asked his son.

"No!" Su Lu said resolutely, "I don't want to go into the winery."

"Then what do you want to do?" Auntie asked unhappily.

"I want to study too!" Su Lu said, emphasizing each word.

(End of this chapter)