Chapter 80: The First Encounter

A few days later, the Zhang establishment opened for business.

A colorful pavilion had been erected before the shop, with young attendants standing to either side, while the clerks bustled in and out. Zhang Shi, dressed in new clothes, stood at the entrance, greeting guests from all directions with cupped fists, saying, "Please, come inside!"

"Captain Xu, what wind brings you here today?"

"Though there's no wine, there's plenty of food!"

"Master Zhou, off so soon? Come again next time!"

"Third Brother, go fetch a string of firecrackers to set off!"

Following instructions, Zhang Yue picked up the incense and lit a string of firecrackers. The sharp cracks rang out, and the children nearby covered their ears, laughing as they darted away.

"Third Brother, these firecrackers are truly something! So bright and loud!" Zhang Shi sighed, "When the shop burned down, I thought my life was over. Never expected I'd stand here again."

Zhang Yue glanced back at the bustling, fully seated eatery and said, "Brother, there aren't enough seats!"

"What's there to fear? If we're afraid of crowds, what's the point of opening a shop?" Zhang Shi's face was alight with joy. "Go and invite your close classmates—give us a little support."

"That won't be necessary."

"Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper!"

"Brother, a table of guests is calling for you," Zhang Yue reminded him.

With some trepidation, Zhang Shi and Zhang Yue entered the restaurant, where several burly men sat at a table. One, holding a chopstickful of glistening meat, said, "Shopkeeper, how is your pork so delicious? You're giving us lamb, aren't you? Don't try to fool us!"

Zhang Shi laughed heartily. "Where would I get lamb? It's genuine pork, through and through. As long as you like it, that's enough for me."

"Great! I'll bring my brothers here often."

"Many thanks! Allow me to toast you with tea instead of wine, and I'll send over a dish of braised eggplant as well." Zhang Shi clinked his teacup with theirs.

"You're a straightforward man, shopkeeper."

From a nearby table, another customer called, "Shopkeeper, your cooking is really something! Did you hire a chef from the capital?"

Zhang Shi laughed again, "Not at all, it's all family here."

"This aroma—nothing more to say. I'll be back to support your business often."

"Many thanks, many thanks!"

As Zhang Shi wrapped up with these guests, he saw a queue had formed at the shop entrance, and someone was shouting,

"Why so slow? We're starving here!"

"If you don't let us in soon, we'll die of hunger!"

"Are you trying to drive customers away?"

A clerk at the door apologized, "Sorry, sorry, everyone, we're full today. Please come again another day!"

"No way!"

"No way!"

Those who had been grumbling moments before now flatly refused to leave.

Zhang Shi toiled most of the day and finally collapsed in the back kitchen, unable to move. Even then, the kitchen was bustling with coming and going, the air thick with the warmth and energy of a thriving business.

"Brother, it's time to close, but there are still customers waiting outside," Zhang Yue said.

"Then we'll stay open, no matter how late, until every guest is fed and satisfied. Tell the clerks, triple wages tonight," Zhang Shi replied.

Zhang Yue shook his head. "Brother, if you keep this up, I'm afraid there won't be much profit left for the shop…"

"I'm happy..." Zhang Shi cut him off, wiping away tears. "I'm truly happy today. Do you know how I've lived this past year?"

The two brothers sat side by side in the kitchen, surrounded by the clatter of pots and the roar of the stove.

"Do you know how angry I was when the old steward came a few days ago? I blamed myself for being useless, for not being able to keep my two younger brothers by my side, watching you about to leave with someone else."

"Brother, don't say that. I didn't leave, did I?" Zhang Yue said.

"No, I must say it. I used to put all my hopes on our second brother becoming a scholar, thinking that he could lift our whole family up, let us leap through the dragon gate. Only now do I realize how wrong I was. Relying on others is nothing compared to relying on oneself. If you don't make something of yourself, no amount of help from the authorities will let you stand tall. Now, finally, I have this shop, my footing in the world. I'll run it well, support your studies, and one day, you'll go to the capital to take the imperial exam and become a top scholar."

Zhang Yue was not particularly moved but replied, "Brother, I'm only a classics student, I can't sit for the imperial exam, much less become top scholar."

"If I say you'll pass, then you'll pass!"

Zhang Yue thought to himself, Brother, are you drunk? But you haven't touched a drop!

"Third Brother, I know you keep everything inside, just like our second brother. You don't have to force yourself because of a few words from others. We'll live as we ought. If people look down on us, don't hate them—just prove them wrong with your success. That's the true way to make your mark, for yourself and for our family, do you understand?"

"I understand," Zhang Yue replied, gazing at the fiery glow beneath the stove, nodding silently. "Brother, don't worry, I'll make you and our family proud!"

...

Summer faded into autumn, and in the blink of an eye, winter arrived.

In Pucheng, it had snowed for several days in a row, covering houses and treetops with a delicate dusting of white.

The Wu family estate, one of the four great clans of Pucheng, might not match the grandeur of their mansion in the capital, but it was spacious, covering over fifty acres, with water diverted to form a lake, creating a landscape all its own. The cost to dig that pond alone had exceeded a thousand strings of cash.

Today, a thin layer of ice coated the pond.

The Wu household bustled with activity—some servants swept snow from the stone paths, others climbed ladders to brush snow from the green-tiled roofs, leaving just enough behind to enhance the picturesque scene.

Two young women passed beneath the eaves, one dressed in lake-green, the other in moon-white. Though snow still fell, they wore only thin jackets over their gowns, looking for all the world like figures stepped out from a painting of courtly ladies.

"Did guests come to the house today?" asked the girl in lake-green.

The girl in moon-white replied, "My brother invited fellow students from the county school for a gathering."

The lake-green girl smiled, lips pressed together. "The eldest young master acts as if nothing concerns him. Shouldn't he be in the capital for the summer session, preparing for next year's exams?"

The girl in moon-white said, "He feels ill at ease with our uncle and father in the capital, and besides, that's not where his ambitions lie. Let's go to the study and read."

After walking a while, she noticed her companion had fallen behind.

She stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"

After a pause, she seemed to hear the cheerful voices of young men, laughter drifting from the lakeside.

"Nothing," answered the lake-green girl, cheeks flushed, hands pressed to her heart, an irrepressible smile on her lips.

"Oh, you!" her friend chided playfully. "What if a servant saw you?"

"So what? What of it?" The lake-green girl replied mischievously.

Her companion grew serious, "The daughter of a county magistrate's clerk, meeting her childhood sweetheart before marriage, only to be discovered by her betrothed—who happens to be a young gentleman from your Zhang family—leading to him fleeing the engagement in disgrace!"

"Running from a wedding, is it? What becomes of her family then? How pitiful! And that bridegroom—how narrow-minded can one be?"

"Seventeenth Miss, don't walk away! I was joking, don't take it to heart!" the girl in lake-green pleaded.

The girl in moon-white turned, her stern face breaking into a smile. "Who says I believed you? Come, let's read."

The two walked on side by side.

"Seventeenth Miss?"

"Yes?"

"Just now, your smile was truly lovely. Early snow melting, beauty overwhelming the world, and yet—alas, it's a pity no other handsome young men saw it but me. Isn't that a shame?"

"I'll twist your mouth for that!"

The two girls chased each other, blue and green skirts fluttering along the gallery.

Passing out from under the eaves, they opened their umbrellas and made their way straight to the study. Before entering, they tapped their umbrellas lightly on the stone steps, brushed the snow from each other's shoulders, and stepped inside.

"Greetings, Seventeenth Miss!"

"I'm going upstairs with Sister Zhang. No strangers are to enter," Seventeenth Miss instructed.

"Yes, Seventeenth Miss."

From the study window, facing north, one could admire the lake, where scores of scholars gathered in a waterside pavilion, raising cups and reciting poetry.

The girl in moon-white bent to search the shelves for a book, glancing up at the fluttering gauze curtains, where the girl in lake-green leaned on the railing, lost in thought.

She pursed her lips and said, "If someone sees you like this, what then?"

"And if they do? What's wrong with stirring a little longing?" her friend replied with a laugh.

"But with your family background, how could your father marry you to one of these county scholars?"

"If I can't marry, so what? Father hasn't forbidden me from looking, has he? Besides, isn't the eldest young master one of the county students too?"

"I can't out-talk you. I'm going to read."

The girl in lake-green returned, smiling. "Don't talk about me—it's you who finds none of them worthy, isn't it?"

"When did I ever say that?"

"You don't say it, but it's written all over your heart."

"Think about it—your eldest brother married Fan Zhen's daughter, your second brother married Wang Anshi's daughter... There's only the two of us here, no need for formality... By comparison, the Wu family's marriages are a bit lacking, but their daughters marry well."

"Eldest sister married Ouyang Xiu's son, Ouyang Fa. Second sister married Lü Yijian's grandson, Lü Xiji. Third sister married Xia Song's grandson, Xia Boqing. Fourth sister did best of all, wedding the prime minister's sixth son, Wen Jifu. Now it's your turn—you'll have to marry a future prime minister to outdo your fourth sister!"

The girl in lake-green laughed so hard she nearly doubled over.

But her companion said nothing, letting the book in her hand flip page after page in the breeze.

"I'm only a concubine's daughter," Seventeenth Miss replied coolly, "I can't compare to my sisters. I'm not even allowed to have my name in the family register." She spoke with an air of indifference.

Just then, a voice drifted up from below the study.

"You can't come in, young sir. Even with a note from the eldest young master, you can't enter."

"Old uncle, the eldest young master gave me permission. Here, a little coin—have some tea on me?"

At this, the two girls exchanged a glance and smiled.

"It's not about tea... it's just... well, I can't tell you the truth."

"Sir, my name is Zhang Yue. I'm a friend of the eldest young master. Please, don't make things difficult—otherwise, it will reflect poorly on him."

The two eavesdropped by the window as the voices faded.

"Let's listen in," suggested the lake-green girl, pulling Seventeenth Miss to the east corner, where they peered down to see a boy of thirteen or fourteen in a well-patched blue robe trying to press coins upon the study's caretaker.

The caretaker waved his hands, protesting, "I can't accept, I can't accept!"

The boy, though young, was tall and handsome, though plainly dressed. In the snowy weather, he carried no umbrella, and even his brows and shoulders were dusted with snow.