Chapter 79 Calligraphy

The Qingming Festival is approaching. Since Jiang Miao is already back today, Uncle Jiang suggests that he should sweep the tombs in advance to avoid coming back the day after tomorrow. Jiang Miao has no objections, as the local custom allows for tomb-sweeping three days before and four days after Qingming.

They carry the ritual items they purchased earlier and bring the three sacrificial animals for offering. They first go to the Jiang family’s ancestral graves to pay respects to their ancestors and then head to the sunny slope of Xiao Huang Mountain.

The last time they came was in winter, and the vegetation on the mountain had withered, making it easier to walk. But now, with everything in full bloom, the vegetation has grown rapidly, and the narrow path has long been swallowed up by the weeds.

Jiang Miao takes the machete from his waist, holding it in his hand as he walks in the front, clearing the way. Suddenly, he notices small fist-sized bumps hidden among the grass. These things emerge from the ground, standing straight with no other branches, their grayish-brown bodies covered in a layer of fine fluff.

Uncle Jiang notices Jiang Miao’s gaze and says, “These mountain ferns have grown well. If you want to eat them, we can pick some after sweeping the graves and have your Aunt stir-fry them with some bacon.”

Jiang Miao nods, “Sure, I haven’t had any in nearly a year. I’m craving it a bit.”

Back in modern times, every spring, he would buy some fiddlehead ferns from the supermarket to eat. These wild ones, transported from the countryside, age quickly and are quite expensive, usually costing over ten yuan per pound, sometimes even more than twenty. For a vegetable, that is quite pricey. They also have a slightly astringent taste, which some people might not be accustomed to, but Jiang Miao enjoys it.

When they reach the graves, Jiang Miao takes the tools to clear the grass around the graves, then lights incense and candles and begins to worship. Just like last time, Jiang Miao murmurs to them about the recent events, as if he is chatting with them face to face.

After finishing, Jiang Miao feels a sense of relief. Uncle Jiang is still apologizing to his elder brother and sister-in-law, saying that he has misjudged and helped Xiaoyu find such a family. The two of them look very similar when they are murmuring, and they are obviously a family.

After paying respects to their ancestors, they head back, gathering some ferns as planned and also picking some dandelion greens to mix into a salad.

By the time they get home, it is almost dinner time. Aunt Jiang and the younger sisters are still in Jiang Yu’s room comforting her, so Jiang Miao volunteers to make dinner.

He first rinses the rice and puts it in the pot. While the rice is cooking, he prepares the vegetables. The bacon hangs on the kitchen beam; Jiang Miao takes a pole, brings it down, and cuts off a small piece to wash.

Once cleaned, the bacon has a glossy sheen and looks incredibly appetizing, with a faint smoky aroma. This is because Uncle Jiang has cut pine and cypress branches, and Aunt Jiang has used them to smoke the meat.

In addition to the stir-fried fern with bacon and the dandelion salad, Jiang Miao also makes a few other dishes using the ingredients available at home.

As the aroma of the food wafts into the main hall, Uncle Jiang cannot help but take a deep sniff. He pats Jiang Xin, who has been unusually quiet today due to the recent events, and tells him to call Aunt Jiang and the sisters to eat.

At the dinner table, the initially downcast Jiang Xin brightens up as soon as he takes his first bite. He shovels a mouthful of rice and then tries a bit of each dish.

“Brother Miao’s cooking is even better than Mom’s!” he finally concludes.

His three sisters nod enthusiastically in agreement, and even Jiang Yu, who has been in a bad mood, smiles at Jiang Miao.

Second Aunt Jiang says in confusion, “I also think Ah Miao’s cooking tastes better than mine. How come the same ingredients turn out so differently?” She has seen that everything used is just what they have at home.

Jiang Miao laughs and says, “It’s not that my cooking is better than Aunt’s. You all are just used to Aunt’s cooking, so when you occasionally eat mine, it seems a bit novel.”

Hearing him say this, Second Aunt Jiang is delighted and is about to say something, but Uncle Jiang, oblivious to the mood, chimes in, “No, that’s not it. Your cooking really is better than your Aunt’s.”

Second Aunt Jiang’s face immediately darkens: “If you think my cooking is bad, then you can cook for yourself tomorrow. All the Jiang men are the same—how can Ah Miao cook so well, and yet you can’t even cook?”

Second Uncle Jiang is completely baffled, not understanding why she is angry. “I never said your cooking was bad,” he protests. Didn’t they just say the same things? Why is she only picking on him?

Jiang Miao and the other children exchange amused glances, then quickly bury their heads in their food, carefully hiding their eagerness to watch the drama unfold, lest they get caught in the crossfire.

The Jiang family’s dinner table is lively, while outside the side door in the small alley, Pei Che and the two little ones exchange looks, all of them at a loss for words.

…

Jiang Miao went out early that morning. When Xiao Shitou wakes up, he gets dressed and washes up on his own, then climbs onto the bed to dig out a few coins from his stash, planning to go to the morning market and buy some food.

As he gets down from the bed, he notices that Pei Mu is also awake, lying there with his bright eyes wide open, watching him.

“Xiao Mu, do you want to get up and go buy food with me?” Xiao Shitou invites.

Pei Mu sits up and nods, clumsily starting to put on his clothes. After he is dressed, Xiao Shitou fetches some water for him to wash up, then takes his hand, and they head out. He doesn’t forget to close the door behind them as they leave.

“Xiao Shitou, is your brother home?” Aunt Liu, who is coming back from buying groceries, bumps into them and casually asks.

Xiao Shitou stops and answers seriously, “Hello, Aunt Liu, my brother went back to our hometown today.”

Aunt Liu replies, “Then who’s going to take you to school later? How about I drop you off after I take your brother Yijie to his school?”

“No need, thank you, Aunt Liu. The guard uncle will take me there later.”

Aunt Liu lets out a small exclamation, “Oh, my memory! I keep forgetting that your brother is engaged to the young heir now. What about the little one? With your brother gone today, what should he do?”

Xiao Shitou puffs out his chest proudly, “I’m taking him to school with me today!”

“Ah, that’s good. I’ve been meaning to say it before; how can such a big child not study? Especially one who doesn’t talk much—they need school even more. With so many people at the private school, he’ll eventually start talking.” Aunt Liu, who is always proud of her grandson’s education, never misses an opportunity to encourage others to go to school.

Xiao Shitou chats with her for a bit before politely saying goodbye and leading the slightly frowning Pei Mu away.

The morning market street is bustling, with food vendors crowding the area. Since Jiang Miao stops selling his steamed buns here, the remaining vendors are more enthusiastic, relieved to have lost a major competitor

“Xiao Mu, what do you want to eat?” Xiao Shitou looks around, feeling the few coins in his pocket, and decides to find the cheapest food to buy. But to his surprise, Pei Mu leads him straight to a stall selling deep-fried dough balls. Jiang Miao usually doesn’t let them eat too many fried foods, and a single dough ball is often split between the two of them.

Xiao Shitou is furious. One dough ball costs four coins, and for two of them, it would be eight coins—that’s way too expensive!

“Wait! How about we don’t eat this?” Xiao Shitou tries to stop Pei Mu.

Pei Mu shakes his head; he wants it and wants one all to himself.

Xiao Shitou struggles internally for a while, then counts the money he brought again and finally decides to be generous for once. “Uncle, I’ll buy two dough balls.”

The vendor, upon hearing this, takes two prepared dough balls and puts them into the hot oil to fry. The soft, sweet aroma is immediately released by the hot oil, drifting into their noses and making both of them swallow their saliva in unison.

“You’re out early buying dough balls—will Brother Jiang allow that?” the vendor asks. Usually, they would buy one after school, and even then, they have to share it.

Xiao Shitou says “hmm” and then falls silent. Uh-oh, he has forgotten what his brother told them!

After receiving the dough balls, Xiao Shitou pays the vendor and takes Pei Mu back home.

Pei Mu can’t resist and starts eating right away, while Xiao Shitou hesitates. But Pei Mu is enjoying it so much that Xiao Shitou, after some thought, can’t resist the temptation either and begins eating. He comforts himself, thinking it would be a waste not to eat after spending the money.

After they finish, Xiao Shitou warns Pei Mu not to tell his brother about this, or else he won’t buy any for him next time. Pei Mu, who thinks sharing one dough ball tastes better, glances at him but doesn’t respond.

After staying inside for a while, the guard, who has been secretly following them since they left, comes and knocks on the door to take them to the carriage.

When they arrive at the private school, Pei Mu, attending for the first time, feels a bit nervous, clinging tightly to Xiao Shitou’s clothes as they enter. The master, Master Yu, notices him and calls him over, but Pei Mu looks like a little hamster being forcibly pulled out of its nest, with resistance written all over his body.

Seeing this, Master Yu doesn’t push him, only instructs Xiao Shitou to sit with him, and then begins teaching the class. The children there are learning texts like the Three Character Classic and Thousand Character Essay, along with phonetics and rhyme books, which are rhythmic and easy to recite.

As Xiao Shitou joins the other children in swaying and reading aloud, Pei Mu, who sits still and does nothing, appears quite out of place. When others look at him curiously, Pei Mu looks back at Xiao Shitou, equally puzzled as to why he is swaying like that.

After going over the day’s lesson many times until everyone has it memorized, Master Yu begins teaching them how to write. Writing is something Pei Mu is familiar with; he has been practicing with Xiao Shitou lately. Seeing the others preparing their paper and ink, he also picks up a brush and waits for Xiao Shitou to finish preparing the ink so they can write together.

When Master Yu notices them, he sees the two of them sitting side by side, writing with identical handwriting—so clumsy that it is almost endearing. Master Yu chuckles and shakes his head. Jiang Lei learns quickly and memorizes quickly, but as for his handwriting, it’s hard to say anything good about it.

He bends down, grasping Xiao Shitou’s hand, guiding him stroke by stroke as they write together. Xiao Shitou watches as the master’s hand produces beautiful characters, feeling a bit discouraged. But after a moment, he perks up again, carefully copying the characters left by the master.

Pei Mu is a bit stiff, and only after Master Yu walks away does he relax and continue writing.

At noon, upon hearing that Jiang Miao is not around, Master Yu invites them to stay for lunch. The dishes at Master Yu’s place are decent, though the cook’s skills are lacking. Pei Mu eats half-heartedly, frequently glancing outside as if hoping that Jiang Miao will walk in at any moment to take him home.

“Hurry up! Brother said we mustn’t waste food!” Xiao Shitou, being easier to please, finishes his meal quickly and then urges Pei Mu to do the same. Eventually, he almost can’t resist taking Pei Mu’s spoon to feed him, ensuring that he finishes every last grain of rice in his bowl.

In the afternoon, they study the Nine Chapters.

Perhaps due to his sensitivity to money and numbers, Xiao Shitou is quite good at arithmetic, better than all the other children in the school. Pei Mu, however, who has only ever counted money with Jiang Miao, finds the afternoon lesson as incomprehensible as if it were in a foreign language.

When school finally ends, Pei Mu practically dashes out of the classroom, but when he realizes that only the carriage awaits him outside and there is no sign of Jiang Miao, his disappointment is almost palpable.

…

“Why are only you two here? Where’s your brother?” Since the Imperial Academy doesn’t usually allow breaks, they are given three days off for the Qingming Festival. This afternoon, Pei Che comes directly to Yifeng Street, planning to stay here for the night and take Mu’er home the next morning to prepare.

“Brother Pei Che, my brother went back to our hometown today,” Xiao Shitou answers obediently, feeling a bit down himself. When he saw a figure around the corner earlier, he thought it was his brother who came back.

“Back to your hometown? Did something happen?” Pei Che feels something is off. Qingming is the day after tomorrow, so why did he hurry to go back today?

Xiao Shitou frowns, thinking for a moment before saying, “Brother didn’t say, but he mentioned he would return soon.”

Pei Che glances at the sky and says, “Then he should be back soon. Let’s open the door and go inside.” He decides that when Jiang Miao returns, he will ask for a key to the side door—just having the main door key isn’t enough.

Xiao Shitou takes out the key hanging around his neck and opens the door, leading them inside. He then unlocks the main door and they enter the house.

In the small room, there are three people, yet the atmosphere feels a bit desolate. Even though only one person is missing, it seems as if a lot is missing.

Pei Che feels a bit uncomfortable. After recalling Jiang Miao’s usual actions, he says, “Shall I have someone send over some food for you guys to eat first?”

Xiao Shitou shakes his head and replies, “I want to wait until my brother comes back to eat together.”

Pei Mu nods in agreement, aligning himself with Xiao Shitou.

“Then, Xiao Shitou, why don’t you go practice your calligraphy?” Pei Che suggests, not particularly skilled at interacting with children.

“Oh, okay.” Xiao Shitou responds and walks into the study. Pei Mu follows him, as he also wants to practice writing.

“Mu’er, you can write so many characters now?” Pei Che is a bit surprised. The last time he visited, he had been too preoccupied with resolving the misunderstanding with Jiang Miao to notice Pei Mu’s progress.

Pei Mu looks up at him briefly, not speaking, but he can’t help but sit up straighter, as if he wants Pei Che to see it more clearly.

Pei Che praises him a few more times. Seeing that he lowers his head to write seriously, he shifts his sight to Xiao Shitou’s paper.

“Who wrote this character?” Pei Che asks, pointing to a torn piece of paper on Xiao Shitou’s desk. The edges of the paper are jagged, as if it has been ripped from somewhere.

“This is what our Master wrote. His handwriting is really beautiful!” Xiao Shitou replies. He does this every day.

“Elegant, but lacking strength,” Pei Che comments.

Xiao Shitou is a little unconvinced: “Brother Pei Che, are you saying our master’s writing isn’t good? Can you write characters as beautifully as he does?”

Pei Che raises his eyebrows, takes the pen from Xiao Shitou’s hand, and writes the same character on the paper. Placing it next to the one on the torn paper, the difference is immediately clear. Even Xiao Shitou, who has only been studying for a short time, can tell that Pei Che’s handwriting is indeed better.

Xiao Shitou becomes excited: “Brother Pei Che, can you write a few characters for me? Then I won’t have to tear off what the master writes every day!”

Pei Che looks around and suddenly realizes that there is indeed no copybook in this room. Typically, when children learn to write, their elders prepare copybooks for them to copy. Copybooks are usually works of famous masters, and by practicing with them, children can develop better handwriting.

“It was my oversight. Today, I’ll write a few characters for you, and later I’ll send you some calligraphy books. When you practice writing, follow the examples in those books,” Pei Che says, feeling somewhat guilty. Jiang Miao doesn’t understand these things, and it is something Pei Che should have remembered. In the end, it is a sign that he hasn’t been paying enough attention to Xiao Shitou.

Pei Che writes a few lines for Xiao Shitou to copy, then stands up to look around the study, mentally making a list of things to buy.