Chapter 206: People

"What do you know? Those two iron plates for the chest and back—if they're too brittle, they'll shatter. But they're basically a pot; if they're too heavy, you won't be able to carry them. You have to hammer them out bit by bit on the anvil using wrought iron and good steel, that's the only way they'll stop arrows and spear thrusts." Shi Manqiang's father scolded him a few times.

Only then did Shi Manqiang notice that on both anvils lay an iron plate. The smiths in the shop were hammering down blow by blow, each time the hammer head rising only a little, the sound of its fall not loud. Shi Manqiang had worked in a blacksmith's shop before and understood this as well—only this way could the finished piece be guaranteed tough and flexible.

"Manqiang, what you're doing carries no small risk. You be careful yourself." Shi Manqiang's father said this in a muffled voice. Shi Manqiang nodded.

"But I'll also tell you this: our family has received Young Master Zhao's kindness, and you are Young Master Zhao's brother. When it's time to step up, you step up. Don't be a coward!" Amid the clanging and ringing of hammering iron, Shi Father's voice was very clear.

Shi Manqiang froze for a moment, then slowly nodded. Shi Father spat into his palm, picked up the iron hammer and relieved one of the men, swung it up and brought it down, and spoke again: "That boy Dalei was sly and calculating—I never thought much of him. Never expected he'd turn out to be a true man."

These words were not very clear amid the hammering sounds. Shi Manqiang kept rubbing his eyes; no one knew if he had heard or not.

After Chen Sheng got home, his mother threw an enormous fit, saying they had a perfectly good life at home but he insisted on going out to fight to the death. You yourself won't stay on the right path, and you've dragged your little brother along with you—he won't even stay home, didn't come back for lunch. Chen Sheng had never been good with words and could not come up with any explanation.

What's more, after scolding him a few times, Chen Sheng's mother started crying, saying she had toiled so hard to raise him this big, and what would she do if something happened to him? This left Chen Sheng even more helpless. In the end, the commotion got so loud that Chen Sheng's grandfather, Chen Peng, came over. Once inside the room, Chen Peng set his face stern and scolded his daughter-in-law.

In the Chen household, Chen Peng was the ultimate authority. Chen Sheng's mother dared not act up in front of her father-in-law and left in tears. Chen Peng's face showed no trace of worry. He simply opened his mouth and said, "The battle record of you boys could earn you official rewards and honors even in Marshal Qi's army. It really is unexpected. Weren't you afraid at the time?"

"When the arrows came flying, your grandson had no time to be afraid. After Dalei died, your grandson thought only of slaughtering every last one of those bastards and forgot all about fear," Chen Sheng said in a muffled voice.

Chen Peng knew his grandson never lied. He watched him quietly for a while, then suddenly sighed and said, "Even if you may not make head constable, becoming a constable with official rank shouldn't be hard. Our family has such a large estate. I had you learn martial arts, sent you out to gain experience, but I never imagined you'd end up in such mortal danger. You…"

The old man's words trailed off halfway and did not continue. Chen Sheng kept his head lowered, as if studying the ground by his feet. Only after a long silence did he speak: "Your grandson now finds all that meaningless. In the woods, charging and slashing with my blade, cutting down one brigand after another—your grandson found it deeply satisfying…"

His words also broke off halfway. Chen Peng raised his head to the sky and let out a long sigh, then said no more. He stood up and walked out. Chen Sheng watched his grandfather's retreating figure and suddenly felt that his grandfather had aged a great deal since he arrived.

"When Chen Wu gets back, tell him to come see me first." Chen Peng's voice came from outside as he gave orders to the servants.

Chen Wu also came back once at noon. It would be more accurate to say he came back specifically to check on his son rather than to eat lunch. The moment he returned, he went to Chen Peng's small courtyard. He did not stay there long. When he came out, he said only one thing to Chen Sheng: "I'm Old Zhao's superior, yet Old Zhao's son has become your superior. What kind of nonsense is this?"

After saying that, he said nothing else and hurried off again.

When Ji Xiang got home, it was really just to a residence in the freight yard. Ji Xiang's mother had wanted to say something, but Ji Xiang's father silenced her with a shout.

He was utterly exhausted, yet still had to go keep an eye on the distillery. After changing his clothes, he sat down in a chair meaning to rest a while, but unexpectedly fell asleep. Hazily, he seemed to hear his mother crying, and also heard his father sighing as he said, "Try to see it differently. Our family took so much silver from them—we're just like household servants. Besides, they treat Xiaoxiang like a brother. Risking your life to get things done is only right and proper. Our family has to know our place. Anyway, he's not the only son…"

Ji Xiang slept for nearly half a shichen before waking. When he woke, he saw both his parents busy as usual, their faces betraying nothing out of the ordinary. Ji Xiang could not tell whether those words had been in a dream or whether he had truly heard them. But he was too lazy to press the matter and hurried off to the distillery. And so Ji Xiang never discovered that only after he left the house did his mother go into the room and wipe away her tears.

Dong Bingfeng had ridden home in the morning; no one expected him to come riding back that very afternoon. The Dong family also had a residence inside the city. Dong Bingfeng did not go to that residence, but instead went to Sun Dalei's house. He stood in front of the gate in a daze for a long time. The Sun household servants all knew what had happened to Sun Dalei. Sun Dalei had been generous and easygoing, and got along well with the servants left to mind the house. The atmosphere in the Sun household now was very somber. Still, they knew Dong Bingfeng was their young master's good friend. Seeing him standing at the gate, they hurriedly invited him inside. Dong Bingfeng did not go in, but crouched down in front of the gate and wept.

After he finished crying, Dong Bingfeng went straight to the distillery. Only when Ji Xiang asked did he learn that after Dong Bingfeng got home, his family had refused to let him go out again, saying they were going to arrange a marriage for him and wanted him to settle down obediently and establish himself. Dong Bingfeng dared not talk back, but he got on his horse and fled.

Unlike the others, when Wang Zhaojing got home, no one came to bother him. He dozed for a while in his own courtyard, then got up and went to the study, pulled out a great many books, and then went to the front courtyard to see his father.

A scholarly family, an official household—the rules of propriety were far stricter than in ordinary homes. Even meetings between father and son required formalities; one could not dispense with having someone announce one's arrival.

Wang Youshan was usually in the study reading and writing. When Wang Zhaojing entered the study, Wang Youshan was just setting down the book in his hands, turning around with a face as somber as still water. Had Wang Zhaojing been more attentive, he would have noticed that this copy of the Book of Rites had only just been opened to the first page. Wang Youshan had long since worn this book to tatters and could recite it backwards from memory—why would he start reading from the first page?

But at this moment, Wang Zhaojing was also somewhat distracted and simply could not notice this. He bowed in salute, then opened his mouth and said, "Your child has caused trouble outside and made you worry, Father."

"I have said before: you chose your own path. As your father, I will not find fault," Wang Youshan said mildly. As he spoke, his eyes kept scanning Wang Zhaojing from head to toe. Seeing that there were indeed no wounds, he visibly relaxed.

After Wang Zhaojing straightened up, he fell somewhat silent. Wang Youshan shook his head and said, "I truly never expected that Zhao Jin would be so fierce and valiant."

Normally, if Wang Youshan praised Zhao Jin, Wang Zhaojing would have been happy along with him. But this time his reaction was different, which surprised Wang Youshan greatly. Wang Zhaojing stood there frozen for a moment, then bowed deeply and said, "Father, your child wishes to devote more effort to his studies from now on. If I do not pass the provincial examination this year, I will settle my mind and apply myself earnestly to scholarship. There will always be rewards in the end."

"Oh? And what of those brothers and friends of yours?" Wang Youshan asked mildly after a moment of surprise.

"That side… that side will remain as before. It is only that your child must devote even more heart to his studies. Official rank and the path of the civil service—that is the proper road." Wang Zhaojing stumbled a little at the start, but the more he spoke, the smoother his words became.

Wang Youshan studied his son for a long while, his brows furrowing slightly. He opened his mouth and asked, "Are these your true feelings?"

"In reply to Father, these are your child's true feelings…" Wang Zhaojing stumbled again at this point, but still pressed on. "The more your child recalls that day on the official road and among the trees, the more his heart and gall feel frozen with dread. Your child thought to himself: I come from a scholarly family, an official household. To die out there in the desolate wilderness at the hands of common bandits and outlaws—such a life would truly be worthless."

Wang Youshan nodded, but then sighed and said, "Times are not what they once were. Xuzhou's literary atmosphere is weak. You might well pass the qualifying exam, but as for the provincial examination itself, that is truly hard to say. The phrase 'the fickleness of the world'—you should understand its meaning."

Because too many students took the provincial examinations in the Northern and Southern Metropolitan Regions, before the exam the Supervising Censor of Education had to first hold a screening test to select the best candidates to sit the provincial exam.

"Please set your mind at ease, Father. Though the elder kinsman in the capital has passed away and can no longer pull strings, your child believes that for an examination of this magnitude, true talent and solid learning must also be taken into account." Wang Zhaojing's resolve was very firm.

Wang Youshan shook his head and merely said, "Your father understands your thinking. As for other matters, your father will think of a way. Just apply yourself to your books."

The atmosphere in the study was inexplicably oppressive. After Wang Zhaojing saluted and withdrew, Wang Youshan sat in the room for a while, then sent someone to call Uncle He in.

After Uncle He came in, Wang Youshan frowned and asked, "Did you get the full details of that fierce battle? Did Xiaojing show any cowardice or fear?"

Hearing this question, Uncle He was also somewhat surprised. He thought back for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Young Master Zhao's side did not go into detail. But this humble one has also examined those corpses. They were indeed all killed by the young master and his group. No fewer than ten died at the young master's hand. The young master used a sword to kill; the wounds are quite distinct from the others."

Wang Youshan shook his head again and said, "So he did not shrink back in fear at the time. Why is he acting like this after the fact?"

Hearing this, Uncle He's face broke into a smile. He said in a low voice, "Master, when a person encounters a great life-or-death calamity, they will always think too much. The young master's state is simply human nature. He'll be fine once he thinks it through."

A smile also appeared on Wang Youshan's face. He said, "Studying is good, too. It's just that choosing to study at this moment is a bit of a pity. Zhaojing is still too naive, thinking that the road to official rank these days still requires true talent and solid learning. What a joke."

His words carried a hint of bitterness and mockery. This time Uncle He did not respond, but he could more or less guess that the "pity" Wang Youshan spoke of was not a pity that he had spent too little time studying before.

When Zhao Jin got home, he had expected to be scolded by his mother. He never imagined that He Cuihua would not say a single word. But Zhao Jin could clearly see that his mother's eyes were red-rimmed and completely bloodshot. When she told him to change his clothes, her voice was exceptionally hoarse. He had braced himself for it, yet never expected the household to be so silent. But this scene made Zhao Jin feel even worse inside.