Chapter 28: Broadening Horizons

After the gains of the first day, they spent the next three days running to the ash pit after school. Unfortunately, luck was not always on their side; they found nothing in those three days and did not run into the two men, Axe and Lock, again.

As they were preparing to wander around the west side of the city as usual, Wang Xuezhou caught sight of Wang Chengzu while passing through a bustling street. He was walking toward a shop alongside a man dressed in a scholar’s robe. Seeing them with one foot already on the threshold, Wang Xuezhou’s expression shifted instantly.

"You go on ahead without me; I’ve spotted someone from my family and need to go have a word!" He threw out these words and sprinted toward them.

"Uncle!" Wang Xuezhou arrived like a gust of wind, planting himself directly in front of Wang Chengzu and blocking his path.

"Zhou'er? Why are you here?" Wang Chengzu was surprised to see his nephew, but his expression changed immediately, and he glanced around nervously.

"Uncle, I’m here alone. What are you doing?"

Hearing this, Wang Chengzu felt his heart settle. "Adult matters are not for children to understand. I heard from your grandfather that you are studying in the city; I assume school is out? If you have nothing to do, go home early and stop loitering on the streets."

"Oh? Is that so? Are you here on business? At the... Yong-Sheng Gambling House?" Wang Xuezhou’s face darkened. It had only been a few days since the last incident; his uncle clearly hadn’t learned his lesson. He felt deeply disappointed in Grandfather Wang and Grandmother Liu for being unable to keep him in check. Even if he were to pass the imperial examinations and enter officialdom in the future, if he couldn't manage his own family, he would inevitably be dragged down by them eventually.

"Shh!" Wang Chengzu, feeling guilty like a thief, pressed a finger to his lips to signal him to lower his voice. "You are still young; you don't understand. Your uncle is doing something important here! I’ll buy you braised pork later. Just pretend you never saw me today and don't go blabbing when you get home."

Wang Chengzu looked at him with feigned seriousness, shoved him aside, and made way, saying to his companion, "I ran into a child from my family, please forgive me, Brother Zhang. Please, go ahead—"

Wang Xuezhou glanced at the man, who happened to look over. The man had a square face and regular features, carrying some of the arrogance typical of a scholar. However, as he looked at others with his chin slightly raised and the corners of his eyes turned downward, he displayed a sense of conceit that ruined his appearance. He cast a sidelong glance at Wang Xuezhou and said haughtily to Wang Chengzu, "To be delayed this long by a mere child... Brother Yongshun, have you been in the countryside so long that you’ve picked up the habits of an old woman, becoming increasingly long-winded?"

"Brother Ruixiu, that is a bit harsh. It only took two sentences; we are leaving now!" Wang Chengzu’s face fell at these words, and he marched ahead with his head held high. Wang Xuezhou reached out to block him. "Uncle, if you dare set foot in there today, I fear you will never be able to step through the gates of our Wang family again."

Humiliated by his nephew, Wang Chengzu’s face turned beet red. "Zhou'er! How are you talking to your uncle? Where are your manners? Move aside!"

"I will not! If you step in there today, I will tell the clan elders in the village when I return home for the break tomorrow. By then, not even Grandfather and Grandmother will be able to protect you!" Wang Xuezhou spread his arms and retorted loudly.

"Why are you being so disobedient? Your uncle told you I have official business! Move!" Wang Chengzu was starting to get angry. But they were on a busy street, and as someone who considered himself a scholar, he could not bring himself to hit a child. Since his nephew wouldn't listen, he was so frustrated his eyes seemed to bulge.

The man beside Wang Chengzu added fuel to the fire. "To think you can't even handle a mere child, Brother Yongshun! I think we should call it off today. If you hadn't begged and pleaded, I wouldn't have bothered trying to help you earn money."

"Zhou'er! Move!" Wang Chengzu’s tone grew severe.

"No!"

As the two stood at the entrance of the gambling house, pushing and pulling, the man’s expression darkened. "Brother Yongxiang, I brought you here out of kindness, yet your nephew treats me this way. You... sigh! Suit yourself!" With that, he flicked his sleeves and stepped inside.

"Brother Ruixiu! Brother Ruixiu!" Wang Chengzu, blocked by Wang Xuezhou, shouted anxiously at the door. Seeing that the man had disappeared, he grabbed Wang Xuezhou and dragged him to the side in a rage. "Do you know you’ve ruined my chance today? When I get home, I will tell your parents and have them discipline you properly!"

"Uncle, nine out of ten bets are lost. Look at Lamezi in our village—because of gambling, he lost everything, sold his wife and children, and was eventually driven out of Xilang Village by the elders. Do you want to follow in his footsteps? Brother Xuewen is still studying; even if you don't care about your own reputation, you should at least consider his."

Wang Chengzu exploded in anger. "I don't need you to lecture me! If your grandfather and grandmother would just give me money, would I have to resort to this? The court examination is next year, and I have spent these past few days trying to borrow money from former classmates. They told me to go to the Immortal Crane Pavilion to compose couplets, saying that if I won, I’d get ten taels of silver. I went, but I couldn't come up with the right response and was ridiculed for it!"

"Only Brother Ruixiu was willing to take me here to earn some silver, and now you’ve ruined it! Your schooling has already robbed me of my opportunities! For the sake of you being my nephew, I won't hold this against you, but you shouldn't have stopped me today! If you still recognize me as your uncle, pretend you never saw me. Otherwise, I won't be lenient with you anymore!"

Wang Xuezhou listened to the rambling, catching only the words "Immortal Crane Pavilion," "composing couplets," and "ten taels of silver." His eyes lit up. "Uncle, what was the couplet at the Immortal Crane Pavilion? Could you tell me?"

Wang Chengzu was so angry he could have reached the heavens. "You... after all that, that’s all you heard?!"

"Don't be angry, just tell me. I’ve heard many couplets from my teacher; what if I can solve it? Wouldn't winning that money be better than going to a gambling den?"

Seeing Wang Xuezhou’s persistence, Wang Chengzu felt for the first time that this nephew was difficult to deal with. He flicked his sleeves. "Fine! Since you are studying as well, I will take you to broaden your horizons today. Do not think that because you know a few characters you are all-knowing. Many scholars have been stumped by this; how dare you dream of solving it?"

Watching him lead the way, Wang Xuezhou quickly followed. Although he wouldn't claim his scholarship was exceptional, he had played with couplets quite a bit—it was one of his few hobbies. He had been looking for other ways to earn money for days; if his handwriting weren't so poor, he would have written stories to sell to bookstores or teahouses long ago, rather than rummaging through trash for days without success.

The Immortal Crane Pavilion was only a street away. Wang Chengzu marched ahead in a fury, and within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the two stood before the grand entrance of the pavilion. Standing there again, Wang Xuezhou couldn't help but look up at the magnificent golden sign, recalling the high expectations he had when his Aunt Zhang brought him here last time.

Regrettably, it had all come to nothing; his uncle didn't have the connections to get his brother an apprenticeship here.