Chapter Twenty-Six: Lin You Pays a Visit

In the blink of an eye, it was already late June. The weather grew hotter by the day, and as the heat intensified, Gan Sui no longer allowed Banxia outside, fearing she might suffer from heatstroke.

Banxia sat indoors, fanning herself while gazing longingly out the door. The sun in the sky blazed like a fiery orb, scorching the earth below, and even the breeze that drifted in carried a searing heat.

When she saw Gan Sui return, she hurried to the well to fetch the chilled mung bean soup. Gan Sui wore a straw hat, his face sunburnt crimson, beads of sweat the size of beans trickling down his cheeks. Banxia quickly handed him the soup and fanned him gently.

“How did it go?”

“The harvest looks good. I checked, and it should yield about a hundred catties more than the other fields.”

“That’s wonderful! And how about the fish in the fields?”

“They’re growing well. The biggest are about three catties, the smaller ones over one. I’ve already spoken to the fish merchant in town; they’ll come to collect them when the time comes.”

Banxia breathed a sigh of relief. Harvesting rice alone was already a massive undertaking, let alone catching fish as well. Neither she nor Gan Sui had any experience with such things; they’d surely be exhausted half to death.

“Luckily, you suggested the dragon bone waterwheel. With such a drought this year, if we hadn’t had irrigation, everything would have been lost long ago.”

At this, Gan Sui grew somewhat anxious. By rights, the dragon bone waterwheel had been reported to the authorities over three months ago, but the reward that was supposed to come had yet to materialize. This left Gan Sui at a loss, as he’d been counting on that money to purchase a small courtyard.

As they spoke, the sound of hooves rang out from outside, accompanied by a call: “Brother Gan, Brother Gan, are you home?” It was Lin You.

Gan Sui and Banxia exchanged a glance. They hadn’t seen Lin You for several months, and now he’d suddenly turned up. Gan Sui went to open the door.

“Brother Gan, I bring good news! Your dragon bone waterwheel has alleviated the drought in the southwest. The emperor is delighted and has granted you a reward. The prefect wishes to see you, and my father sent someone to fetch you, but I volunteered to come myself.”

Lin You rattled off the news in one breath, then picked up the remaining mung bean soup on the table and gulped it down in a few large swallows.

“This damn weather is unbearable. You have no idea, my father’s been watching me like a hawk lately, making me study every day. I tried sneaking out to see you both several times, but he always caught me and dragged me back. This time, I had to threaten him with my life to get this chance. Little Banxia, hurry and make lunch for your big brother.”

Banxia pitied him. The poor fellow, forced to study every day, hurried off to prepare lunch. Cooking in the summer was a trial: one minute at the stove and you’d sweat for two hours. She brought the dishes to the table and let the two men talk while she washed her face and changed clothes. When she returned, she caught Lin You saying, “You two have really struck it lucky this time! The drought in the southwest is worse than ever, but with this waterwheel, the harvest is even better than usual. Prince Ning, who governs the southwestern lands, submitted a memorial praising the waterwheel to the heavens. Prince Ning is the emperor’s uncle, and since they’re close in age and reside near each other, they’re extremely close. The emperor intended to grant him the prosperous lands of Jiangnan, but Prince Ning himself requested to go to the southwest, claiming he wasn’t suited for a life of luxury… Quite a marvel, really. Someone steeped in privilege all his life, claiming he can’t stand luxury—what nonsense.”

“Back to the point,” Banxia interjected.

“Ah, the main point! With Prince Ning so pleased, the emperor was delighted as well. He’s awarded five hundred taels of silver, along with a letter of commendation, encouraging all scholars to follow your example.”

“Five hundred taels, Gan Sui! That’s a fortune,” Banxia exclaimed in delight.

“See, that’s shallow thinking. The money isn’t the important part—what matters is the honor! Out of all the scholars in the land, how many ever receive the emperor’s praise? Brother Gan has a splendid future ahead. But let me warn you: Banxia and I are as close as siblings. If you ever turn into a heartless cad like Chen Shimei after becoming successful, I won’t let you off.”

“My, Young Master Lin, I suddenly find you the very picture of elegance—the most handsome man in the realm,” Banxia teased.

Lin You blushed at her praise, but being quick with words, he replied, “Of course! I always felt this face of mine was crafted with exquisite care, flawless from any angle.”

Banxia nearly knelt in exasperation. Was anyone in ancient times ever so vain?

After lunch, Banxia began to pack Gan Sui’s things.

“Pack yours as well—we’ll go together,” Gan Sui said.

“But you’re going on official business. What am I to do?”

“It’s just an audience with the county magistrate; it won’t even take half a day. Afterwards, we can stroll around town and look at shops. Now that we have more money, perhaps we won’t need to live in the county town—we could settle directly in the provincial capital.”

“But what about the fish in the fields?” The millet wasn’t a problem; no one could carry off such a large amount. But the fish were different—dig a hole and half could escape, and the rest might not survive. Ever since the fish had grown large enough to catch attention, Gan Sui checked the fields daily, worried someone might try something wicked.

“I’ll visit the village chief and ask him to look after things. He can feed your chickens, ducks, and little sheep as well.”

With Gan Sui having thought of everything, Banxia happily finished packing.

“Brother Gan isn’t leaving until tomorrow morning. There’s no rush. I’ll spend the afternoon here; I don’t want to go back and study. Really, just seeing a book now gives me a headache,” Lin You lamented, embodying the very spirit of scholarly resistance.

On hearing Lin You wanted to go out and have fun, Banxia suggested, “Let’s go hunt wild pheasants in the woods. The first time I went in, I tried to catch one but never succeeded. Why not try our luck today?”

Lin You eagerly agreed, and Gan Sui rarely disagreed with Banxia. The three of them donned straw hats and headed for the forest.

“It’s so much cooler in here than outside,” Lin You said, wiping away his sweat.

The trees grew thick, letting in little sunlight, and a gentle breeze made the place feel like a natural air-conditioned room.

“When I have money, I’ll buy a patch of forest and build a small villa in it. It’ll be cool for sure. I’ll save a room for you two.”

Banxia had visited the woods a few times, but never ventured too deep. This time, seeing no trace of pheasants at the edge, they went farther in.

“Gan Sui, do you know the way? How will we get out later?” Banxia grew anxious as they walked.

“Don’t worry, I made some marks on the way in.”

They pushed on. “There’s a cluster of grapes over there,” Lin You suddenly called.

Banxia followed his gaze. Sure enough, a grapevine hung heavy with plump clusters, the fruit especially striking against the green leaves. Lin You hurried over and picked one. “It’s so sweet! Come try, little Banxia.”

“Be careful—!” Banxia screamed.

Lin You looked up just as a red-banded snake lunged at him, hissing foully. Fortunately, as a martial artist, Lin You was quick; he seized the snake by its neck. The snake wrapped tightly around his arm, fighting fiercely. Lin You’s arm felt as if it would break, but he dared not relax, gripping even harder. At last, the snake went limp and, after a long moment, he flung it away and collapsed beneath a tree, retching.

After he finished vomiting, Banxia handed him the water flask. “Here, rinse your mouth.”

Lin You took it and did so. “That was disgusting—the cold, slimy feel…”

“Enough, or you’ll feel worse,” Banxia said, letting Lin You rest in the shade while she and Gan Sui picked grapes.

“You’re really going to take those grapes? What if another venomous snake crawled over them?”

“Unlikely. That snake came from the other direction and hadn’t even reached the vine before you grabbed it. These grapes are so plentiful, Gan Sui—let’s take them home and make wine.”

“Good idea.”

“You can make wine? Well, I want a bottle when it’s ready.”

“No problem, you’ll get your share,” Banxia promised cheerfully.

Suddenly, Banxia heard a clucking sound. She signaled Gan Sui to keep quiet. He understood, watching the spot she indicated. Lin You saw it too. Behind a tall clump of wild grass, the colorful feathers of a pheasant could be glimpsed.

Gan Sui and Lin You crept from either side. The pheasant, having just laid eggs, strutted about, clucking in satisfaction. Banxia drew the fine net from her belt and slowly moved in from the front.

Sensing something amiss, the pheasant raised its neck warily, scanning the surroundings with beady eyes. Gan Sui and Lin You pounced from either side; the startled bird flapped its wings to escape, but Banxia was ready. As the bird took flight, she cast the net and brought it down, trapping the pheasant inside.

Banxia quickly gathered the net. “Let’s see you show off now—caught by yours truly!”

The pheasant struggled fiercely, but Banxia struck it on the head, knocking it unconscious.

“You’re a lucky star, Young Master Lin. We’ve had quite a haul since you arrived,” Banxia said, weighing the pheasant in her hand. “This one must be three or four catties.”

“There are eggs here too,” Gan Sui called, parting the grass to reveal several fresh pheasant eggs nestled among the greenery.

“A bumper harvest! Let’s go home.”

The three made their way home in the glow of the setting sun. When they left the woods, Lin You saw how late it was and adamantly refused Banxia’s invitation to stay for dinner. He dashed off as if his tail were on fire. Banxia was left speechless—what a strange kid. Afraid of his father, yet daring enough to play outside; not afraid, yet as soon as it got late, he’d run like a startled rabbit. She shook her head. Mischievous children truly defied understanding.

Banxia wasn’t planning to eat the pheasant that evening. She tied it up in the yard, gave it some water, and went inside to prepare dinner. She saw Gan Sui gathering some cakes and heading out.

“Where are you going? Dinner’s almost ready.”

“I’m off to see the village chief.”

“Hurry back, then.”

Gan Sui didn’t reply, but strode quickly toward the chief’s house.

The chief sat in the yard, smoking his pipe. His eldest son, Little Zhuzi, was beneath the tree counting ants. When he saw Gan Sui arrive, he called out, “Uncle!”

“Good boy, Little Zhuzi.” Gan Sui handed the cakes to the chief. “I have a favor to ask.”

The chief accepted the cakes. “You’re always so polite. What is it?”

Gan Sui didn’t hide anything and explained, “Some time ago, I read about the dragon bone waterwheel in a book. Seeing how dry it was this year, I reported it to the county magistrate, who sent it to the court. Now the waterwheels are being widely used in the southwest, and the prefect wants to question me at the yamen. Banxia’s never been to town, so I’d like to take her along for a look. Could I trouble you to watch over our crops and livestock while we’re gone? Everything else is manageable—just the rice and fish in the fields will need extra care.”

“This is a great thing! You’re bringing honor to our village. Don’t worry, I’ll look after everything for you.”

“Thank you so much.”

“No need for thanks.”

“Scholar Gan, have you eaten? Come join us,” the chief’s wife called out.

“Thank you, but Banxia is waiting at home with dinner, so I’ll head back now.” He thanked the chief again and left the courtyard.

As he walked away, he could faintly hear the chief’s wife asking, “What did he want? His wife is a formidable woman—hope there’s no trouble brewing.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Scholar Gan is a man of great ability…”

Gan Sui smiled and quickened his pace, hurrying home to where Banxia was waiting.