Chapter Seventy: Adored by All, Cherished by Flowers

Chapter Seventy: Beloved by All

From the Imperial City Street to the academy was only half a li, yet in this brief stretch, Tie Xinyuan fully experienced the reverence the people of Song held for scholars, especially those who had received imperial recognition. He was lauded by countless admirers.

Zhang the Fatty was rather downcast, for he had no right to buy meat pies for the prodigy. As soon as Granny Liu, the meat pie vendor, saw Tie Xinyuan, she rushed over with her toothless grin, shamelessly scrutinized him from head to toe, then gifted him a stack of meat pies.

Niu Sanpa handed Tie Xinyuan a meat-filled flatbread larger than a human head, packed with at least two pounds of meat, and stood at the shop entrance, loudly proclaiming to all that the prodigy owed his brilliance to the pies from his establishment.

There was also the Peng family selling rice cakes, the He family selling fragrant drinks, the He family selling dog meat, and the Zhang family selling fruit brews. In the end, the rosy-cheeked old mother who peddled vegetable skewers forced a bundle of roasted quail into Tie Xinyuan’s arms, though he could barely carry anything more.

Early that morning, Little Qiao’er had come to the academy intending to ask Tie Xinyuan how he became a prodigy. From a distance, she saw him approaching with a heap of food. She borrowed a basket from a nearby vendor and instructed Shui Zhu’er to help Tie Xinyuan with his load, since her younger siblings at home had yet to eat breakfast.

Like Zhang the Fatty, Little Qiao’er never got a chance to speak with Tie Xinyuan. Shui Zhu’er took the food, her face full of admiration, only for Tie Xinyuan to be whisked away by a woman in green.

The teacher’s wife embraced Tie Xinyuan and planted a kiss on his face before everyone, uttering words of affection about meat and eggs that sent shivers down spines.

It was clear that Master Guo was striving to maintain his dignity as a scholar, watching with benevolent eyes as his wife lavished affection on his student, though the hastened steps and trembling hands betrayed his composure.

Somehow Tie Xinyuan ended up inside the courtyard. The teacher coughed to hint to his wife to release him.

She gave her husband a reluctant glance and let Tie Xinyuan go, smiling as she said, “Come to the back yard after the teacher’s address; I’ve made lamb soup.”

Master first glanced at the crowd gathered outside the academy, cleared his throat, and looked at Tie Xinyuan. “His Majesty’s edict is the highest wisdom; you must abide by it from now on. Know that the essence of the classics is true learning. Never become obsessed with mere words and phrases, nor allow yourself to grow shallow or mercenary.”

Master wished to use the imperial edict to bolster his own prestige, and Tie Xinyuan played along, bowing respectfully as an attentive student, which pleased Master greatly.

After his address, Master glanced proudly at the crowd, who had grown respectful upon hearing the imperial edict, and turned to Zhang the Fatty and the other disciples, saying in a deep voice, “Into the academy, let’s begin!”

Zhang the Fatty and the others looked bitterly at Tie Xinyuan, who had been taken by the teacher’s wife, and entered the icy academy, ready for another day of torment.

Master was very excited today; it seemed he would lecture for a long time.

Tie Xinyuan, his face flushed and burping from fullness, staggered out of the academy. Anyone force-fed two bowls of lamb soup would look as he did.

Not seeing Little Qiao’er outside, Tie Xinyuan went straight to Basket Alley.

Little Qiao’er, biting a nail and squinting one eye, was unraveling thread. In the small courtyard behind, there was a patch of empty ground where he planned to build a greenhouse.

Tie Xinyuan’s family shop was set to open before the New Year. Without some fresh greens to attract diners, it would not do. In the capital, a shop without a gimmick couldn’t succeed.

This time, Wang Rouhua had chosen a location for the noodle shop beside General Dan’s Temple, with an environment similar to the West Water Gate. But whereas the West Water Gate mainly attracted dockworkers and beggars, General Dan’s Temple gathered a vast number of camel drivers and porters.

Wang Rouhua favored this site mainly because there was a clean sweet water well, and beside it grew a lush jujube tree.

It was said that this jujube tree had sprouted from the jujube wood spear of Dan Xionghsin after his death, venerated by local villagers as a sacred tree.

Thus, that area was called Jujube Mound Alley.

“A greenhouse is something you should leave to other craftsmen. You should finish those two suits of armor first. If not for fooling Wang Jian, I wouldn’t have shown off my exceptional skills,” Little Qiao’er sighed. “How did a prodigy end up looking like you?”

Tie Xinyuan leaned in, burping with the scent of lamb, and laughed, “You’ll probably only ever see a prodigy like me in your lifetime. Make do with it.”

Little Qiao’er took the nail from her mouth, marked the wood, and measured its length with her thumb and middle finger, stretching them to the maximum.

“They burned your family’s shop to the ground. What are you planning to do?”

“Ah, the kind-hearted are always bullied, just as horses are ridden. My family—so good-natured—can only swallow our bitterness. What else can we do?”

“You mean to strike back hard? That oil you wanted, I’ve got it. How do you plan to distill it?”

“I have no choice… When I was young, I loved playing with fire, always fiddling with tinder. Later, my mother beat the habit out of me with a bamboo stick. Who’d have thought someone would take a liking to burning my family’s shop?”

“Are you sure the light oil we distill will combust instantly? I went to see Prince Pu’s mansion in the capital; security is tight. If we don’t escape the soldiers’ cordon immediately after setting the fire, we’re doomed.”

“That stuff not only ignites instantly, but if sealed in a container, it will explode—bang! Quite violently.”

“How violent, exactly?”

“With a hundred pounds, this courtyard could be leveled.”

Little Qiao’er nodded. “That’s a lot. Prince Pu’s mansion is beside the Taichang Temple at the Left Gate. The main street is guarded by black barricades, so commoners can’t pass. We can only use the red barricades, which puts us even farther away. Too bad the trebuchet is too big, otherwise I could build one.”

Tie Xinyuan laughed. “You underestimate this oil, since it’s never been seen before. You don’t know its properties, so you misunderstand. Prince Pu’s lotus pond uses live water, with inlet and outlet. I hear his house is extravagant; visitors all praise the lotus pond, where even in winter, buds and blooms abound, like a fairyland.”

Little Qiao’er curled his lip. “If a hot spring surrounds the pond, it’s easy for lotuses to bloom in winter. Wait, you mean to find the hot spring’s source and pour in your distilled oil?”

“Exactly. As long as you’re sure your light oil can blast through solid ground, we’ll do it.”

“Set the time—when will we act?”

Tie Xinyuan smiled. “A family gathering is the perfect day.”

“So, during New Year’s. But blowing up Prince Pu’s mansion won’t do much, just vent your anger. Your family still won’t keep the land. Why not blow up the dangerous building as well?”

“It’s not the same. If we blow up Prince Pu’s mansion, no one will suspect us. But if the dangerous building is destroyed as well, even the dullest will guess someone from West Water Gate, who has disputes with them, did it. So, the dangerous building needs a different approach.”

Little Qiao’er paused, looked at Tie Xinyuan, and smiled. “You seem to have a plan already. I’ll just come watch the excitement.”

Tie Xinyuan glanced about, seeing only a few girls warming themselves under the porch, sewing gloves. Xiao Fu’er and the others were making noise upstairs, but he didn’t see Yang Huaiyu, who was lodging there.

Little Qiao’er brought out a small wooden box, patted it, and said, “The gift you’ll use to flatter the princess is ready. It’s not only impervious to blades and arrows, but also outrageously flashy.”

As Tie Xinyuan opened the box, Little Qiao’er used a bronze mirror to reflect sunlight inside. The box filled with a golden beam, dazzling and radiant. Once the mirror was removed, Tie Xinyuan could finally relax his eyes.

“How is it? Brilliant enough? The largest ruby is set in the helmet; the rest of the gold I’ll keep as payment.”

“Not bad, not bad. It’ll fool the emperor. Qiao’er, I’ve always wanted to ask: why are you so enthusiastic about mischief?”

Little Qiao’er glanced at the siblings in the courtyard, then at Tie Xinyuan, and smiled. “I think in this world, only villains live long and peacefully. Being a good person, tossed about and restless, is just no fun.”

Tie Xinyuan deeply agreed. Better to have an answer than to muddle through as a villain.

The box was small but heavy. Both Tie Xinyuan and Little Qiao’er were busy, as were Xiao Fu’er’s group upstairs. Tie Xinyuan asked Little Qiao’er to put the box onto a small cart with four wooden wheels, preparing to haul it home.

After dragging the cart for a while, Tie Xinyuan grew impatient; apparently, Little Qiao’er hadn’t oiled the wheels, so the cart squeaked and rattled. Anyone seeing a child in a green jacket hauling a noisy cart would point and laugh.

“Put the box and cart on my back, ride on my shoulders, and I’ll take you home. Will you give me a meat pie?”

A simple voice suddenly sounded from above Tie Xinyuan.

He looked up to see two pillar-like legs, and when he craned his neck, he saw a big, silly fellow bending over and grinning.

Tie Xinyuan exclaimed in delight, “Baozi, it’s you! Wonderful! Carry me home, and we’ll stop at Niu Sanpa’s place for a lamb-filled flatbread—the biggest one!”