Chapter 19: Meeting Wu Song

"Greetings, Magistrate."

Zhang Jie and Li the Scholar both bowed to Magistrate Wen.

"Hah! Li brother and young Zhang need not be so formal."

Wen Bin replied with a cheerful smile.

In truth, both Zhang Jie and Li the Scholar held modest status in Yanggu County.

Li the Scholar need not be mentioned, but Zhang Jie’s father, Master Zhang, though not as wealthy as Master Ximen,

was still among the most respectable households in Yanggu County.

Not to mention Zhang Jie himself, a rising prodigy in the imperial examinations.

Though Wen Bin looked down on Master Zhang’s wealth,

for a wealthy man without power was, to him as County Magistrate, merely a fat sheep awaiting slaughter.

But Zhang Jie’s talent in the examinations made him impossible to ignore.

In our Great Song, where the Emperor and the scholar-officials share the realm, ten thousand taels of gold mean less than half the worth of scholarly merit.

After all, only those named aloud beyond the Eastern Hua Gate are true heroes!

Given Zhang Jie’s performance, he would likely serve alongside him in the future.

Thus, there was no need to offend this future colleague over minor formalities.

If only Wen Bin had a daughter,

he would gladly marry her to Zhang Jie to bind this rising star to his family.

"Is this the Tiger-Slaying Hero?"

Li the Scholar stared at Wu Song beside Wen Bin, his eyes gleaming.

In all his years, though he had traveled across several provinces,

he had never seen such a mighty man.

"Like a heavenly demon-subduing lord, truly a terrestrial Tai Sui god."

Li the Scholar sighed repeatedly.

From afar in the crowd, he had already felt Wu Song stood out like a crane among chickens;

now that he was close, he felt Wu Song could wrestle rhinos and buffalo,

match the ancient monster Wu Lai in bravery against bears and tigers.

Zhang Jie smiled slightly, for he knew that Master Shi Nai’an,

in his Water Margin, had depicted Wu Song, Brother Wu, as towering and majestic,

eyes piercing like cold stars, eyebrows dark as freshly brushed lacquer,

broad chest radiating a might no thousand men could withstand,

voice bold and soaring, bearing ambition that pierced the clouds,

heart fierce and daring, like a lion of heaven descending from the clouds,

bones strong and sinews taut, like a yaoxi beast seated upon a throne.

No wonder it was one of the Four Great Classical Novels—

Master Shi Nai’an’s pen truly was unmatched.

Zhang Jie admitted: I have no culture, just one word—Wocao—rules the world.

Had Wu Song not possessed such an extraordinary physique,

Zhang Jie would have thought he’d slain Gong Baiwan, the tiger that nearly got solo-killed by boneless beef, the disgrace of the tiger world!

Other tigers were majestic and fierce; Gong Baiwan was stupid and dull, afraid of buckets.

Other tigers carried divine aura; Gong Baiwan carried brain damage.

Tiger King: You’ve submitted to humans, traitor.

Gong Baiwan: You dare call me that? Have you ever eaten Orange Chicken, jungle bumpkin?

Sometimes Zhang Jie even suspected that, as a child,

Gong Baiwan had been touched by Nan Gong Wenya, the one who made anyone she touched stupid…

"Greetings, Master Li."

Wu Song bowed respectfully to Li the Scholar.

"Young Master."

Wu Song turned to Zhang Jie beside Li the Scholar, his expression suddenly stirred.

"Oh? Wu the Strong and young Zhang are old acquaintances?"

Curious, Wen Bin stroked his beard and asked.

"Without the Young Master, Wu Song would not be who he is today."

Wu Song spoke, then bowed deeply to Zhang Jie.

"You’ve returned! Good, good!"

Zhang Jie’s expression was equally moved.

Of all characters in Water Margin, the ones he admired most were the Flower Monk Lu Zhishen and the Pilgrim Wu Er.

The Flower Monk aside, Wu Song was nearly a perfect man!

He was resolute and brave: barehandedly killing a fierce tiger on Jingyang Ridge,

ridding the people of harm, displaying extraordinary courage and strength.

He was fearless in vengeance: avenging his elder brother Wu Dalang by slaying Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing.

Even when facing official injustice, he chose violence to counter violence, unyielding and firm.

He was righteous and hated evil, aiding the weak and poor, upholding justice:

he loathed injustice and wickedness, drunkenly beating Jiang Men Shen in Mengzhou to help Shi En reclaim Kuaihuolin.

He upheld principles: rejecting his sister-in-law Pan Jinlian’s seduction, holding fast to moral boundaries.

He was clever and composed: after being framed at Feiyunpu, he responded wisely, killed the constables, and escaped.

He was decisive and strategic: to avenge Feiyunpu,

he stormed alone into Zhang Du Jian’s mansion, slaughtered all his enemies, and stained the Mandarin Duck Pavilion with blood.

He was unbound by trivialities, bold and unrestrained, unafraid of power:

he gathered with Lu Zhishen and others to form a brotherhood on Erlong Mountain, settling grudges with freedom.

He lived openly: on Liangshan Marsh, he sought no fame or fortune, focused solely on chivalry and justice.

He was loyal and righteous, faithful to his brothers: after swearing brotherhood with Song Jiang,

he never abandoned him, always supporting Song Jiang even on Liangshan Marsh.

He was loyal to the point of death: willing to die for a friend, as when he helped Shi En reclaim Kuaihuolin.

Wu Song was truly a hero—resolute and brave, righteous and stern,

clever and composed, bold and free-spirited, loyal and righteous.

Since Zhang Jie learned his world was Water Margin, he had sought to befriend Wu Song.

Even though he himself aimed for the imperial examinations and Wu Song offered him little practical help,

Zhang Jie still deliberately traveled to Qinghe County

to meet the young Wu Song and Wu Dalang.

Nothing else—just as time-travelers to Journey to the West must visit the Five Finger Mountain

to meet the Monkey King, he came to meet his childhood idol.

At the time, Wu Dalang, orphaned and alone, struggled to raise Wu Song; Zhang Jie gave much aid.

But Wu Dalang refused charity—he wouldn’t eat alms, or he wouldn’t need to sell steamed buns.

Sadly, years ago, the young and impulsive Wu Song, as in the original tale,

got drunk in Qinghe County and quarreled with a local clerk (a minor official),

in a rage struck him down, believing him dead,

fled to Chai Jin’s estate to evade capture, and thus Zhang Jie lost contact with Wu Song.

This year, Wu Song felt years had passed since the incident,

and with longing for his brother Wu Dalang, he set out to return to Qinghe County.

Then, while passing Jingyang Ridge, he drank eighteen bowls of wine,

pressed on through the night, encountered a great tiger, killed it barehanded, and was hailed as the Tiger-Slaying Hero, paraded through the streets.

Though Zhang Jie had never witnessed Wu Song slay the tiger himself,

he knew every detail of it:

Wu Song first used his agility to dodge the tiger’s three deadly moves—“pounce, swipe, tail-slash”—striking first to break its spirit.

When the tiger roared and dug a pit with its claws,

he pressed its mouth into the pit, freed his right hand, and struck with fists like iron hammers,

using all his strength until the tiger died.

After all, Zhang Jie had not only read the Water Margin book, but also watched the CCTV television adaptation.

In this Water Margin world, Zhang Jie could call himself, like Huang Sanjia of A River of Snow and a Sword,

a "book-turner."

Like Huang Sanjia and Huang Longshi, he calls himself a book-turner.

Zhang Jie: Thank you for the surge in spiritual power after reincarnation.

Otherwise, his ordinary past-life self would never have recalled these memories.

“Second Brother Wu, look who’s over there?”

Zhang Jie smiled and pointed in a direction toward Wu Song.

“Brother!”

Wu Song turned to where Zhang Jie pointed and saw the man approaching—his father figure, the one he had longed for day and night: Wu Dalang.

Overcome with emotion, Wu Song could no longer contain his longing and hurried forward.

“Second Boy!”

Wu Dalang also spotted Wu Song and scrambled forward on his short legs.

“Brother!”

“Second Boy!”

The two brothers, reunited after long separation, embraced and wept bitterly.

“Master, I have not failed you.”

Zhang Zhong, slightly out of breath, arrived at Zhang Jie’s side.

“Uncle Zhong, you’ve worked hard.”

Zhang Jie comforted the old steward.

Ever since he learned a tiger-slaying hero had come to Yanggu County, he knew it was Wu Song returning.

So he sent his steward Zhang Zhong to fetch Wu Dalang, who was still peddling steamed buns door-to-door.

But Li Xiucai, watching the two brothers weeping in each other’s arms,

wore a strange expression. He stepped to Zhang Jie’s side and asked softly:

“Renjie, are these two truly brothers?”

After all, he knew Wu Dalang!

Wu Dalang made superb steamed buns—using the same ingredients,

he could make them smell richer and taste softer than anyone else’s.

Ever since he ate one of Wu Dalang’s buns, he bought them every few days to soothe his stomach.

Even County Magistrate Wen and others had perked up their ears—they were simply too curious.

Wu Song, tall, imposing, powerfully built, and heroically fierce,

and Wu Dalang, short, ugly, no better than a three-inch nail on a tree bark,

shared not a single resemblance beyond both being human—how could they possibly be brothers?

There must be gossip here—something like “the neighbor Wang.”

“Wu Dalang and Wu Song are full brothers, born of the same mother.”

Zhang Jie said seriously.

“That’s strange.”

Li Xiucai’s face was full of confusion.

If Wu Song and Wu Dalang were full brothers, then given Wu Song’s height,

the elder brother should not be so short and so unimpressive.

“Wu Dalang and Wu Song’s parents died early; Wu Dalang raised Wu Song himself.”

Seeing Li Xiucai’s confusion, Zhang Jie explained.

“I see.”

Li Xiucai and County Magistrate Wen and others understood.

They say the eldest brother is like a father—Wu Dalang must have saved the best food for his younger brother,

given him all the good things, and at just over ten years old, he had to feed both himself and his brother.

To endure such hardship, anyone would grow stunted.

Those who had held a poor first impression of Wu Dalang now revised their view:

A dwarf who raised his brother to such towering height—

clearly, Wu Dalang was a man of deep loyalty and affection.