Chapter 123: The Shift

More than ten days after gathering firewood and exchanging it for ink, Wang Ge and the other elementary students were the first to depart from Mount Gumu.

Alas, who could have foreseen that the Yin Ruins had already been looted? Perhaps, to put it another way, the owner of the Qin-era tomb had plundered the site first, then, by utilizing the gathered energy of the mountain, built their own burial chamber directly atop the ancient ruins.

There was no rush on the return journey. The two masters led their disciples on a detour to Mount Kuaiji to visit the "Yu Cave," mentioned in the *Mozi* and the *Records of the Grand Historian*, which is said to be the burial site of the Great Yu. After leaving Mount Kuaiji, the caravan passed through Shangyu County, Yuyao, and Gouzhang, finally arriving at the borders of Nanshan on the eleventh day of the third month.

Wang Ge did not head into the mountains immediately. As every student was granted a three-day leave, she requested three additional days. With the help of her master, she hired a carriage from the post station to transport two baskets of bamboo slips to Wei Station, instructing the station master to hand them over to Pavilion Chief Huan. One basket contained copies made by Liu Bo, while the other was filled with extra copies made by the older students to thank Wang Ge for helping them with the firewood.

Pavilion Chief Huan? The two masters were surprised. Was there a member of the Huan clan serving as a pavilion chief in Duoyi County? Surprised as they were, they did not ask further.

Finally, she was going home. Wang Ge’s heart felt as lively as the budding grass and soaring warblers along the path; she was so eager and jubilant that she did not even look back. Poor little classmates, standing in front of the carriage on either side of their masters, their faces filled with reluctance.

The thirteenth day of the third month.

Jia She Village was "lively" from the early morning. Old Woman Wei of the Zhang household stepped out to mock Jia Sanniang at the top of her lungs for her marriage proposals being rejected once again. She ridiculed Jia Sanniang for having a festering, foul-smelling head, leading to a violent brawl between the Zhang and Jia households.

It was only when the local militia arrived to break up the fight that a greater disaster was averted.

In the Zhang household, Old Woman Wei’s face was scratched up, and Zhang Cai had suffered some unknown injury when pushed to the ground, unable to rise for a long time.

As for the Jia household, Old Man Jia had his neck pinched and torn, Jia Dlang’s arm was bruised from being struck, and his new wife’s face was much like Old Woman Wei’s—covered in claw marks.

Because the fight was instigated by Old Woman Wei’s malicious taunts, and since both households had elders who were injured, it did not qualify as a crime of disrespecting elders. Thus, the verdict was rendered based on the facts: the Zhang household was required to compensate the Jia household with two *dou* of new grain.

Wang Erlang had his winter clothes torn to shreds while trying to break up the fight, and he regretted it bitterly. He had also been slapped several times by the Jia household, who took the chaos as an opportunity to vent their anger. Having to go buy grain that day, he had to drive his cart with his clothes in tatters and his cheeks swollen.

After the commotion outside subsided, Wang San brought his farming tools out of the courtyard gate. Because the house was often empty, he had wedged wooden stakes into the door planks and used a rope to lock the gate.

In truth, who in the countryside would dare to break into a home and steal? There was nothing of value to take, and the penalty for such a crime was severe. Besides, by the middle of spring, the local militia had returned to camp on the west side of the village to supervise the convicts working on the roads.

Yet, Wang San could not rest easy. Those seven hundred coins were more than he could earn in a lifetime of hard work, and he couldn't carry them to the fields every day. What if he were robbed on the road? It was safer to use the rope lock; he could tell at a glance if it had been tampered with when he returned home.

Passing the Zhang household, he saw Old Woman Wei sitting in the middle of her courtyard, weeping. Seeing Wang Sanlang pass by, she cursed, "How wretched! To have this scoundrel Wang San as a neighbor is truly bad luck! When he came to borrow our ox cart in the past, did we ever refuse? Look at me, beaten like this, and he just hides away without helping. He’s not deaf; he’s just heartless!"

Since acquiring money, Wang San had grown increasingly confident. He turned back and spat on the ground. He had hidden in his courtyard on purpose—so what? The foul-mouthed old hag deserved to have her face scratched!

He took a deliberate detour to get closer to the Jia household, and he heard it—he heard the shrill screams of Jia Sanniang being beaten. It was delightful! The wretched woman deserved it. When she hadn't been cast aside, she had always looked down on him, her husband's younger brother—did she think he didn't know? Rumor had it her head was rotting bald; she couldn't even marry into the poorest village in Xunren Township. It was truly retribution.

At the same moment, Wang Zhu returned to his dwelling with the Widower. The old man and the young boy had just been watching the spectacle. The Widower advised, "Ah Zhu, you see? A few malicious words can bring unrest to two families. Why bother? They ended up injured, humiliated, and enemies. By the way, I’ll roast some of the new beans the local militia sent yesterday. I saw you pick up and eat the ones that fell near the stove last time—do you like roasted beans?"

"Yes, I like them," Wang Zhu said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"From now on, eat whatever you like. I may not have much wealth, but I am not short on new grain!"

"Yes!" Wang Zhu replied loudly, happily following the old man back into the house. He didn't even realize that, day by day, his joy was growing. His posture had straightened, and when his father didn't come to see him, he didn't just stop missing him—he felt relieved and lighthearted.

Wei Station.

Since the post station had delivered the two baskets of bamboo slips yesterday, the Wang family knew Wang Ge would arrive today. Wang Weng and Dlang specifically bound their hair with cloth, and Old Woman Jia wore a bamboo hairpin carved with a magpie on a branch, which her granddaughter had made. They calculated that Wang Ge would arrive around the hour of the monkey, but she arrived at the hour of the horse instead.

Wei Station had truly changed; Wang Ge paused, struggling to remember what it had once looked like. A large drum stood in front of the wooden pavilion, and to the east and west were rows of thatched huts spaced widely apart, each family surrounded by a thorn hedge. The reed marshes remained as they were, but the original grass nests and thickets had been cleared away, and the manured fields were so neat that it was hard to tell what was planted in them.

*Clip-clop, clip-clop...*

Two riders appeared from behind the huts: Tie Lei in the lead, followed by Wang He.

"Wang Ge?" Wang He hurriedly dismounted, unloaded her basket, and carried it himself. He exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you here already? Grandparents and Uncle have been talking about you all day!"

"What did you call me?"

"Hey, Cousin, is that alright? Come on, let's go home." He waved at Tie Lei, "Uncle Tie, I'm taking my cousin home first."

Wang Ge bowed to Tie Lei from afar. As she walked with Wang He, she praised him, "You can ride a horse now? That’s very impressive."

"Uncle Tie said I worked hard and kept the stables clean, so he allowed me to learn to ride in my spare time. He even taught me archery. Wang Ge—cough, Cousin, let me tell you, archery is not as easy as I thought. By the end of the day, my shoulders feel like they’re going to snap."

"You’re babbling again."

"Look, that’s the house assigned to us."

"Oh! You’re raising chickens? And... and geese?"

Wang Dlang was weaving a winnowing basket in the courtyard, while Wang Xing sat nearby reading.

Wang Dlang, having keen ears, heard the commotion first. He paused and called out, "Hutou, see if that’s your sister coming back?"

The little boy immediately ran out of the courtyard gate, tears welling up in his eyes. "Father, it is, it’s Sister. My sister is back! Sister!" He rushed over and almost knocked Wang Ge over.

"I’m going to tell Grandparents." Wang He ran a few steps before realizing he had forgotten to put the basket down. Never mind, he just kept running with it.

A brief reunion was better than none at all. When the family learned that Wang Ge had to head back early the next morning, the feeling in their hearts was indescribable.

Wang Weng pondered and said, "When you get back, ask around—do you still need to come back to get your travel permit bamboo tablet for the craftsman exam? If you can get it done in the county town, don't bother traveling back and forth before the exam."

Old Woman Jia wiped her tears constantly. She knew her husband was right, but she missed her granddaughter.

Wang Dlang said, "Listen to your grandfather. Everything is fine at home, truly. Just settle down and study in Nanshan. Instead of traveling six days every month, it's better to practice your craft diligently. Once you become a certified craftsman, our family will be exempt from labor service, and the land tax will be reduced. Only then will life get better."

Only then did Old Woman Jia say, "That’s right. Traveling for six days just to stay for one night—how can that be? It was Grandmother who was muddled. Listen to your grandfather and your father."

Wang Ge lifted her face, peering through swollen eyes. She couldn't help it; she had cried once when she saw her father and brother, again when she saw her grandparents, and then again when she was led off by her younger siblings, Shu, Peng, and Ai. Now, her eyes ached. "Alright. I’ve already asked—the travel permit can be processed together with the other craftsmen taking the exam in Nanshan."

Wang Weng let out a soft sigh. This meant that once his granddaughter left home this time, it would be at least three months before they could see her again.