"She's so good to a dog, yet she hasn't visited her own sick elder," said the onlooker, Xiao Yao Shi, leaning against the doorframe with a sarcastic tone.
Old Madam Zhan was unwilling to go to the clinic. Since she couldn't get any money from Zhan Fei Yu, if she and Li Shi visited the sick, they would have to bring something, be it pastries, eggs, or meat. They could always gain some advantage.
Looking at Zhan Fei Yu, who was wearing a brand new padded jacket, Ma Shi, who also felt the pinch of silver, said loudly, "It's so cold, someone must have killed it and made dog meat stew." It was just a dog, but they were acting as if someone had gone missing.
Zhan Fei Yu suddenly looked up, her red eyes glaring furiously at Xiao Yao Shi and Ma Shi, who were making snide remarks. For the first time, she felt hatred towards the people in the old house.
"Enough! If you're not going to help look, just close the door and go home to sleep!" the stout aunt chided them, unable to watch any longer. A dog that had been raised for several years had developed feelings. Little Yu used to call them auntie, but they didn't act like elders at all.
Zhan Lao Da hurried over with a torch in hand. "Little Yu, you and your mother go home first. Dad... I'll go up the mountain to find it for you."
"Going up the mountain so late at night is too dangerous," Zhan Lao Er, standing by, disagreed. After thinking for a moment, he added, "After all, Da Huang is just a dog. Big Brother can't risk his life for an animal. What if he falls or encounters a wild boar..."
Jin Lin Village was bordered by mountains on two sides. The front mountain was not dangerous, and villagers often went there to chop firewood. The women would dig for wild vegetables and look for mushrooms.
The back mountain was densely forested, occasionally with miasma. Fewer people walked there, and the terrain was dangerous, with wild boars appearing. Villagers had also heard wolf howls. In the depths of winter, there was little food in the mountains, and wild beasts often descended the mountain. It was too dangerous for Zhan Lao Da to go into the mountains at night.
"Lao Da, I'll accompany you up the mountain tomorrow," said a man, patting Zhan Lao Da's shoulder. Although he didn't like Zhan Lao Er, his words were not wrong. A human was much more precious than an animal.
"Yes, we won't find it now anyway," others chimed in to persuade him. Then, they looked at Zhan Fei Yu and said, "Little Yu, don't be sad. Uncle and aunts will go up the mountain to find Da Huang tomorrow. We can't go at night, or we might lose our lives."
"Still calling her a child prodigy, but she values a dog more than her own father. She's wasted her education!" Xiao Yao Shi seized every opportunity to smear Zhan Fei Yu. She then curled her lips disdainfully at Zhan Lao Da, who was still planning to go up the mountain.
Big Brother is truly foolish. Li Shi and Little Yu clearly don't like him, yet he's trying to curry favor. He'd rather build a wall for Li Shi than chop a few bundles of firewood for his own family! The weather is getting colder and colder. Once the heavy snow falls, won't they need firewood for cooking and braziers for warmth?
The surrounding villagers felt that Xiao Yao Shi's words were harsh, but they also thought they were not wrong.
Although Little Yu had been adopted, Zhan Lao Da was still her biological father who raised her. To have her father go up the mountain in the middle of the night for a dog was not just mischievous and willful, but heartless!
"We won't search tonight. My mother and I have caused everyone trouble," Li Shi quickly said. She couldn't let Xiao Yao Shi ruin Little Yu's reputation, and she was truly grateful to the villagers for searching for Da Huang in the cold wind in the middle of the night.
Aunt Pang also chimed in, "No matter how smart Little Yu is, she's still a child. She's upset right now and isn't thinking clearly."
"Thank you, uncles and aunts," Zhan Fei Yu said, her voice choked with emotion, her eyes red.
The villagers who had thought she was being willful softened their hearts. After all, she was just a seven-year-old girl.
Li Shi thanked them again and took Zhan Fei Yu home. Zhan Lao Da hurried to light the way for them.
When they returned home, Zhan Fei Yu couldn't settle down to study. For the first time since starting school, she lay down at Hai Shi (9-11 PM). "Mother, you go back to your room to sleep."
"You really don't want Mother to stay with you?" Li Shi wanted to stay, worried that Zhan Fei Yu might sneak out in the middle of the night.
But she also knew that Zhan Fei Yu liked to sleep alone. She had been sleeping alone since she was three. If Li Shi stayed with her, she wouldn't be able to sleep.
"Mother, I won't go out." Zhan Fei Yu actually knew that going up the mountain wouldn't yield any results. If Da Huang were alive, he would have returned by now.
After patting Zhan Fei Yu's head and tucking her in, Li Shi left.
A moment later, the sound of a table being pushed was heard from the main hall.
Zhan Fei Yu was startled. Did Mother use the table to block the door? If she tried to go out in the middle of the night, Mother would definitely hear the noise.
...
In the early morning, it was still dark outside the window. Zhan Fei Yu suddenly sat up in bed.
She couldn't sleep last night and had recited the Four Books repeatedly. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep. Now that she was awake, her eyes were dry and uncomfortable, and her head throbbed with a dull ache.
"Little Yu, you're awake?" Li Shi, also awake in the opposite bedroom, raised her voice and asked, putting on her clothes.
Two quarters of an hour later, after Li Shi and Zhan Fei Yu had breakfast, they planned to go up the mountain to find Da Huang as soon as it was dawn. The cold of the morning made them shiver, but it also woke them up.
"Don't worry, Mother will accompany you up the mountain to search..." As soon as Li Shi opened the courtyard gate, she saw Zhan Lao Da, who was guarding outside and rubbing his hands from the cold.
"Little Yu, you're awake too." Zhan Lao Da had been guarding there before dawn and had been blown by the cold wind for more than half an hour. His lips were now blue from the cold.
Zhan Fei Yu looked at the not-so-tall man in front of her with complicated eyes. He had always doted on her, but unfortunately, he was more filial to his parents, so after conflicts arose, Zhan Fei Yu eventually gave up on Zhan Lao Da.
But at this moment, seeing his cautious demeanor, Zhan Fei Yu turned her head away, feeling distressed.
Li Shi's heart ached. If he weren't so foolishly filial, this family wouldn't have fallen apart!
Suppressing her emotions, Li Shi said expressionlessly, "There's hot water in the kitchen. Go and drink some to warm yourself up."
Hearing these caring words, Zhan Lao Da was stunned. He thought of living alone in the wooden house during this period, with no one to talk to by the cold stove. Zhan Lao Da felt a surge of warmth rush directly to his eyes.
Seeing that Zhan Lao Da didn't move, Li Shi said again, "Go. Little Yu and I will wait for you to go up the mountain together."
"Okay." A smile appeared on Zhan Lao Da's dark face. He quickly walked towards the kitchen as soon as he entered the courtyard.
After a while, the three of them walked up the mountain, calling Da Huang's name.
They searched the front mountain but found nothing. Zhan Lao Da and Li Shi looked at the silent Zhan Fei Yu with worry. Seeing Little Yu's usual cheerful and obedient appearance, her current state made them both heartbroken and concerned.
"Mother, I'm fine. Let's go back," Zhan Fei Yu looked up at the rising sun. The golden light was dazzling, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She knew Da Huang would never return.
...
Children, children, don't be greedy. After Laba, it's the New Year.
Da Huang never returned. Zhan Fei Yu still got up before dawn every day to study and didn't sleep until after the moon rose. She no longer mentioned Da Huang and even refused Li Shi's suggestion to get another dog.
"Mother, you go back." Zhan Fei Yu got on the ox cart and placed the basket that Li Shi handed over by her leg. Inside was the Laba porridge that Li Shi had cooked early in the morning. One portion was sent to the fat shopkeeper at Wen Xing Bookstore, and another portion was sent to Dr. Ji at Le Shan Ju.
An hour later, after delivering the porridge, Zhan Fei Yu ordered a bowl of wontons at the wonton stall. She had only eaten two bites when Constable Ma arrived.
"Little Scholar Zhan," Constable Ma, astride his horse, sat down on the long bench and said loudly, "Sister Feng, cook another bowl of wontons."
"I have something I'd like to ask Constable Ma for help with," Zhan Fei Yu stated her purpose directly.
She was only seven years old, but Constable Ma didn't treat her like a child. His eyes flickered. "May I ask what it is? As long as Constable Ma can help, I will spare no effort."
"There are two idle ruffians in the village who have been doing petty theft and other mischief. My dog Da Huang went missing a few days ago. I would like to ask Constable Ma for help." Zhan Fei Yu's voice had a child's childishness, but her eyes were cold, like the white frost in the biting winter, chilling to the bone.
Constable Ma had been to the Zhan family and naturally knew that the Zhan family had a dog. As the saying goes, when you beat a dog, you look at its owner. Those two scoundrels were really foolish!
"Leave this to me," Constable Ma readily agreed. As for his plan to have Zhan Fei Yu marry his nephew, he had abandoned it after the Winter Solstice Literary Gathering.
Having been favored by a distinguished person, she received a recommendation letter to study at the county school without participating in the imperial examinations. No matter how far this little girl could go in the future, she was not someone his nephew could match. It was an unequal match!
"Thank you. In the future, as long as it's not something illegal, I owe Constable Ma a favor." Zhan Fei Yu made a promise.
"You're welcome." Constable Ma was delighted and couldn't help but marvel at Zhan Fei Yu's worldly wisdom and tact. She didn't seem like a child from a farming family at all. Perhaps even the pampered daughters of noble families wouldn't be so sophisticated.
...
After Laba, the weather grew even colder. A brazier was lit in the room, but her hand holding the brush was still red from the cold.
Zhan Fei Yu rubbed her hands. After studying the "Zhi Yi Wen" (essay writing), she no longer attended classes with Shan Wa Zi and the others. She was placed in Master Lin's study alone.
"Without restraint." Looking at the topic for the Zhi Yi Wen essay assigned by Master Lin, Zhan Fei Yu's brows furrowed so tightly they could catch a mosquito.
The sooner it's over, the better! After grinding the ink, Zhan Fei Yu began to write the opening, "Rules without restraint, only by holding this clarity and skill."
After the opening, it was the elaboration. After pondering for a while, she continued to write with a flowing brush, "For rules and distances, they are indispensable. If they are indispensable but not followed, it is because of a deep adherence to this clarity and skill..."
When Master Lin returned to the study after finishing his lecture in the main hall, Zhan Fei Yu had just put down her brush.
"Finished writing?" Master Lin walked over quickly, inexplicably with a hint of anticipation.
In the previous few days, he had been teaching Zhan Fei Yu how to write Zhi Yi Wen essays. However, no matter how much he said, it was not as effective as writing an essay.
Taking the essay handed over by Zhan Fei Yu, Master Lin saw the two sentences of the opening and was overjoyed. "A brilliant opening!"
Master Lin looked excitedly at the smiling and well-behaved Zhan Fei Yu. Even he himself could not have written a better opening. "For rules and distances, they are indispensable..."
These two sentences of elaboration made Master Lin so excited that he could barely speak. Such a brilliant Zhi Yi Wen essay would surely be praised by any chief examiner, and passing the provincial examination would be a certainty!
Looking at Zhan Fei Yu, whose cheeks were puffed out and whose appearance was still childlike, Master Lin couldn't imagine her participating in the county examination the year after next, followed by the prefectural and academy examinations. At nine years old, she would be able to achieve the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the first level of imperial examinations). This would definitely make her the youngest Xiucai in the Great Qing Dynasty!
Seeing Master Lin so happy that he couldn't express himself, Zhan Fei Yu nervously reminded him, "Master, please continue reading."
"Okay!" Master Lin responded, eagerly awaiting the more brilliant content after the elaboration. However, as he focused his gaze, his ecstatic expression froze. As he read further...
A moment later, Master Lin reread the entire essay from beginning to end. The structure of the "Taige Ti" (a formal writing style) that showed early promise was indeed in Little Yu's handwriting. Therefore, this Zhi Yi Wen essay was indeed written by Little Yu, completed independently.
"The opening and elaboration can be described as stunning, but the content after the introduction is beyond words." Master Lin suppressed his churning emotions and looked at Zhan Fei Yu, whose eyes were wide and expression innocent. He couldn't help but scold her, "Even calling it adding a dog's tail to a phoenix is praising you."
After reading the beginning, Master Lin felt a sense of loftiness, but the subsequent parts were simply nonsensical!
An hour later, Zhan Fei Yu, who had been thoroughly scolded, began to pack her things. She glanced at the topic for the Zhi Yi Wen essay she needed to write that night: "If used, then go; if not, then hide. Only you and I have this!"
Selected from the seventh chapter of the Analects, "Xian Wen," she resigned herself to writing it, hoping the Master wouldn't be angry tomorrow morning.
Zhan Fei Yu was indeed skilled at writing openings and elaborations. She had memorized the Four Books and had written many essays in her previous life. Coupled with the modern perspective of observing things, it wasn't difficult for her to write a brilliant opening. However, she didn't have high hopes for the rest, estimating it to be only at the level of Zhan Da Lang. Participating in the imperial examinations would surely result in failure.
When Zhan Fei Yu returned to the village, it was still light. This was mainly because Master Lin was so angered that he sent her home early.
"Officer, you can't take Fu'er away! He's my life..." Liu widow, who had fallen to the ground, wailed. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was full of tears. She pleaded with Constable Ma and Constable Zhao, who were dressed in black.
"Officers, I've been at home these past few days... I haven't even stepped out of the house..." Liu Fu, knowing that the constables were here to arrest him, trembled all over and couldn't even speak properly.
"What my son said is true, officers. I kowtow to you." Liu widow suddenly knelt down and kowtowed heavily, her forehead hitting the small stones on the ground, causing bruises and bleeding shortly after.
Constable Ma maintained a professional attitude. He had seen too many such scenes in the yamen over the years. "We are investigating a case of malicious assault three months ago. A traveling merchant had his head broken."
Liu Fu's face turned pale, and he frantically shook his head. "I didn't steal the money, I just..."
"How do you know the money was stolen?" Constable Ma's voice turned cold, and his sharp gaze pierced the trembling Liu Fu like a knife.
The villagers gathered in the courtyard exchanged glances. "Liu Fu actually dared to assault someone? I thought he only did petty thievery."
"The village chief should have driven this scoundrel out of the village long ago! My old hen that laid eggs must have been stolen by him!" A villager who had been stolen from spoke fiercely. Their own family couldn't bear to eat an egg, but Liu Fu had harmed her old hen.
Some soft-hearted people said, "Liu widow only has this one son. If Liu Fu goes to prison, Liu widow probably won't be able to live."
The village chief and several elders hurried over.
Upon hearing the villagers' report, the village chief wished he could have beaten Liu Fu severely. Petty theft was one thing, but causing constables to come to the village was another. What serious offense had Liu Fu committed?
"Constable Ma," the village chief said with a smile, cupping his hands. Fortunately, they were acquaintances. "I apologize for troubling you officers to come here in such cold weather. It is I, the village chief, who has failed to manage the villagers properly and caused trouble for you."
"You are too kind, Village Chief. It is our duty," Constable Ma replied with a smile, glancing at Zhan Fei Yu outside the crowd. He continued, "Every village has one or two scoundrels. How can it be the Village Chief's fault?"
An elder tentatively said, "It's cold outside. Why don't you officers come inside for a cup of hot tea?"
"No need to trouble yourselves, I..." Constable Ma's refusal was deliberately cut short. Then, he walked towards Zhan Fei Yu, his attitude becoming even more amiable. "Little Scholar Zhan, are you just finishing school? No wonder everyone praises the little prodigy for being diligent and studious."
"Constable Ma, Constable Zhao," Zhan Fei Yu greeted them with a smile. "Master kept me for half an hour longer, so I'm late."
The village chief and several elders smiled. Constable Ma's politeness towards Little Yu made them feel honored. Why did the village support Little Yu's education? The benefits were now evident.
"Little Yu, Aunt Liu kowtowed to you. Please save my Fu'er!" Liu widow, as if she had grasped a lifeline, pleaded with Zhan Fei Yu.
Fortunately, as she was about to kowtow, she was stopped by an elder's daughter-in-law.
They were all from the same village and related by marriage. Liu widow was considered an elder. What kind of situation was it for her to kowtow to Little Yu? Besides, how could a child get involved in the yamen's affairs?
"Liu Shi, don't be unreasonable! If Liu Fu has committed a crime, the officers will naturally enforce the law impartially. How can you act so recklessly!" the village chief reprimanded sternly. Little Yu's favor should not be used in this manner.
"My son..." Liu widow sobbed, as if she had lost all hope, and began to cry mournfully.
Many villagers felt a pang of sadness, but considering her indulgence of Liu Fu, they could only say that a pitiable person must have something hateful about them.
Zhan Fei Yu knew that Constable Ma was giving her face, and she accepted this favor. "Constable Ma, I shouldn't speak up, but Aunt Liu is also a pitiable person. I hope Constable Ma can show some leniency and we can discuss it inside?"
The village chief and several elders were surprised. They didn't expect Zhan Fei Yu to intercede. This child was kind-hearted.
No one expected Constable Ma to give Zhan Fei Yu so much face that he didn't immediately arrest Liu Fu. The group went inside to talk.
In the courtyard, looking at the sobbing Liu widow, an elder's daughter-in-law said, "What's the use of crying now? I told you to discipline Liu Fu, but you wouldn't listen. Now look at the trouble you've caused!"
Aunt Pang peeked into the room and whispered, "I didn't expect Little Yu to have so much influence."
When Constable Ma and Constable Zhao entered the village, the villagers were terrified. Even the village chief and the elders dared not offend the yamen officials; they treated them like ancestors.
Inside the house, no one really drank tea. Zhan Fei Yu exchanged a few pleasantries with Constable Ma and then brought up Liu Fu's matter.
In fact, Liu Fu didn't have the guts to do it. He had only seen a traveling merchant being beaten by a few hooligans and having his baggage and money pouch stolen. Seeing the merchant lying on the ground, unconscious, Liu Fu wanted to take advantage of the situation, perhaps even get a few loose silver coins.
To his surprise, he didn't steal any money, but the traveling merchant suddenly woke up. Liu Fu was so scared that he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at him.
Seeing the merchant with a bleeding head, Liu Fu thought he had killed him. He was so scared that he wet his pants and didn't dare to come to Si County for a whole month after fleeing home.
Constable Ma looked at the trembling Liu Fu kneeling on the ground. He didn't ask about the merchant's case but slammed the table and roared, "Liu Fu, half a month ago, the North-South General Store was robbed, and the shopkeeper identified the thief as you!"
"It wasn't me, I didn't steal!" Liu Fu shook his head like a rattle drum. He didn't have the courage to steal money from the shop.
"The shopkeeper and the shop assistant both said it was you!" Constable Ma's face was stern, his eyes sharp. "Think carefully, did you really not go to the county town half a month ago, did you not go to the North-South General Store?"
As soon as Liu Fu thought about it, he immediately said, "Officer, it really wasn't me. Half a month ago, I was in the village. I woke up at noon, and then Zhou Tian and Zhan Da Lang killed the dog Da Huang. We then roasted the dog meat on the mountain, ate two meals at noon and evening, and went home when it got dark. I never went out again."
Although she had expected this outcome, hearing Liu Fu's words still made Zhan Fei Yu's heart feel heavy and sad. That indescribable sourness and sadness, her Da Huang would never return.
"What did you say? You killed Da Huang?" The village chief was furious, his voice suddenly rising a few decibels.
When Da Huang went missing before, the villagers had helped search for him. The village chief also knew about this and had instructed the villagers to ask if they saw Da Huang when they visited relatives. Who would have thought that he would be killed by Liu Fu and the other two?
For a moment, the village chief and several elders looked at Zhan Fei Yu worriedly. The little girl was kind-hearted, and Da Huang had grown up with her.
Many times, when Zhan Fei Yu went to the fields to deliver water to Zhan Lao Da, Da Huang would follow her wagging his tail. The person and the dog were almost inseparable.
When Zhan Fei Yu went to the private school to study, Da Huang would wait at the intersection at the appointed time every day. The villagers would say that Da Huang was spiritual.
To complete the act, Liu Fu was eventually taken away by Constable Ma. However, with Zhan Fei Yu's "face," as long as he explained things clearly at the yamen, he would be released.
The news of Da Huang being killed also spread throughout the village. If Liu Fu and Zhou Tian did such a thing, the villagers were not surprised. They were simply rascals who stole chickens and dogs.
However, it was truly unexpected that Zhan Da Lang, a scholar, could also do such a thing.
Da Huang was raised by Little Yu, but he had also lived at the Zhan family's for seven years. Surely he should have developed some affection. Could Zhan Da Lang eat this meat? Would he have nightmares at night?