Chapter 2

In the early morning, milky‑white mist enveloped the whole Niu Clan village, its mysterious hue blurring the world and exuding an indescribable Zen aura.

Stirred by the wind, the mist here was lively and ever‑changing, at times gentle and restrained, at times mysteriously regal, and the villagers seemed to have slipped through time into a solitary, fantastical world.

At this moment, it offered not only visual pleasure but also a stirring of the soul.

Cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck.

Cluck cluck cluck.

Cluck cluck cluck.

Niu Dingtian was jolted awake by a series of chaotic sounds; perhaps his thoughts had been tangled the night before, causing him to stay up too late and this morning to linger in bed.

Outside the house, Sister‑in‑law Chen Jin'er was feeding the old hens, a task she performed daily.

These were Chen Jin'er's beloved treasures; after all, they had earned great merit on the younger brother's road to success, so she would not dare to mistreat them.

Get up, dress, wash up.

At the doorway, a youthful girl stood in the courtyard, about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in coarse hemp clothing like a village woman, yet her graceful, lithe figure could not be concealed.

She cradled a dustpan on her left arm, and with her right hand occasionally scattered coarse chaff onto the ground, calling out "Cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck."

The charm of her movements caused the chickens to flutter and clamor nonstop.

"Uncle, you're up,"

"The baked cakes and rice porridge are in the pot; hurry while they're hot, and I've also prepared eggs for you, Uncle,"

"Uncle, your studies are hard; you must replenish well,"

Hearing the commotion at the doorway, Chen Jin'er turned back. Upon seeing the small figure standing there, a delighted expression instantly lit her jade‑like face.

Immediately, her pink, cherry‑like mouth chirped a series of crisp, bell‑like, coquettish sounds.

Between her opening lips and teeth, two faint dimples appeared, framed by slightly upturned lashes, making her strikingly cute and charmingly alluring.

A light breeze brushed, and the frost‑kissed strands of her hair fluttered in the wind; as the courtyard mist churned, she seemed like a figure from a painting, as if about to drift away.

Seeing such tranquil scenery in the courtyard,

for a moment,

Niu Dingtian looked on, somewhat dazed.

Receiving no reply, he saw the younger brother staring off into space; Chen Jin'er felt a thread of shyness rise, her cheeks flushing slightly, and she immediately pretended to glare fiercely at Niu Dingtian:

"What are you staring at? Hurry and eat breakfast! Don't delay your studies, mind your skin!"

Having said that, he still felt it wasn't enough, so he tightened his belt and glared again.

"Sister‑in‑law, you're truly beautiful!"

"Haha."

Niu Dingtian snapped back to his senses and, with a fierce shout, bolted.

In the courtyard,

Chen Jin'er was momentarily stunned; after a while she recovered, couldn't help but raise a hand to cover her mouth and laughed with a "pfft" sound.

In the kitchen,

Niu Dingtian sipped the steaming rice porridge, and thinking of sister‑in‑law Chen Jin'er warmed his heart.

He couldn't help but think that Chen Jin'er was the only relative he had in the world, poor young scholar Niu.

His father and elder brother had died when he was only four; though he possessed an adult's soul, in these unsettled times any malice he encountered would likely go unnoticed by anyone regarding a child's resistance.

Although sister‑in‑law Chen Jin'er had a marriage contract with the strong brother, they had not yet taken the wedding vows.

After all, she came from a scholarly family; if she were to lower herself and enter Lin'an City, she would surely enjoy fine clothes and food, and a comfortable, well‑fed life would be guaranteed.

She would not have to become the rustic village woman she is now, given she was once a lady of poetry and books.

Putting her thoughts aside, she quickly finished breakfast, and Niu Dingtian washed the bowls and chopsticks.

Although sister‑in‑law Chen Jin'er had repeatedly warned that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen, the young scholar Niu thought his own rough hands were far more suited to the work than her delicate hands, which ought to be holding a brush or a qin.

In the end, it was genuine concern from the bottom of his heart for Chen Jin'er's hardships.

— —

"Sister‑in‑law, I heard Mr. Bao is ill; I want to go to Hongmei Village on Grandpa Niu Wu's cart to visit him."

After finishing his preparations, Niu Dingtian said to Chen Jin'er, who was spinning cloth inside,

"Uncle, go early and return early, watch your safety on the road, and bring some eggs for Grandpa Niu Wu and Mr. Bao."

A crisp voice came from inside, full of concern; Niu Dingtian replied and took the bundle, stepping out the door.

Now that he had earned the qualification of a child official, the prefecture exempted him from taxes and corvée, and he received monthly grain and silver rations, making life no longer as hard as in previous years.

Therefore, Chen Jin'er, who had helped neighbors in the past, also gave back; even her treasured eggs were no longer the exclusive domain of the young scholar Niu.

Grandpa Niu Wu, sixty‑eight this year, is the only cart driver in Niu Clan village. He daily hauls the village's farm goods to the city for sale, and Chen Jin'er's spun cloth would be taken along as well.

An old ox cart had been in service for over fifty years, having employed three veteran drivers. It is said that when Grandpa Niu Wu was in his teens he once hauled grain for Elder Yue, and the old man has been proud of that all his life; whenever he mentions it, the weather‑worn face cracks into a smile, and his clouded eyes shine with vigor.

Although Niu Dingtian was only six, he was bright and clever from childhood and later well‑read; in Grandpa Niu Wu's eyes, scholars deserved respect, so he had often taken care of the uncle and sister‑in‑law.

Later, when he studied in Hongmei Village, Grandpa Niu Wu would always drive an extra two kilometers and transport Niu Dingtian back and forth for free.

"Hehe, thanks, scholar, I, the old man, won't be modest about the eggs."

After receiving the eggs handed over by the young scholar Niu, Grandpa Niu Wu did not decline; he thanked them, then carefully placed the eggs into the straw pile on the cart and covered them with a thick layer of straw.

"Hehe, Grandpa Niu, there's no need for us to be so polite; you go back and take good care of yourself."

Having said that, he climbed onto the cart, leaned against Grandpa Niu Wu, and the old man and the child chatted nonstop as they drove the cart toward the village entrance.

"I kill tigers, I kill tigers!"

"Kill three tigers for dad's wine! Good boy, eat one yourself! The tiger is coming, the tiger is coming!"

The cart had not yet reached the village entrance when a girl's voice rang out from afar.

Approaching, he saw the girl was five or six years old, her hair tied in two little braids, her face and clothes covered in mud as if she had just crawled out of a puddle.

Beside the dilapidated, deserted little tavern at the village entrance, he held up a fire fork with both hands, chasing after the old hen that Chen Jin'er had just let out to range that morning.

The hen flapped and fled back home, and the girl brandished the fire fork again, giving chase. Niu Dingtian stared, bewildered.

"Alas, Qu San hasn't shown a trace either, leaving behind a crazy silly maiden with no parents, and no one knows how many days she can survive."

Fifth Lord Niu saw the scene, wasn't surprised, merely shook his head, let out a long sigh, his face full of sorrow, then drove his ox cart toward the distant Red Plum Village.

"The tavern at the entrance of Niu Clan Village?"

"Qu San?"

"Crazy crazy."

"This is."

"Sha Gu?"

Moment

Little Niu Scholar couldn't stay calm.

(End of chapter)