Li Diudiu had no idea how he had ended up making an agreement with Gao Xining—that she would handle the matter of his future wife, and in exchange he would teach her martial arts.
The trade seemed fair enough. Li Diudiu had time to spare, and by his reckoning, he was probably the one getting the better end of it.
Until he discovered that Gao Xining was genuinely, remarkably slow to learn.
People are born with natural gifts, and when a person’s gift happens to align with what they love to do—and they can make a living from it—that is a very fortunate thing.
Gao Xining was someone who had no natural aptitude for martial arts whatsoever, yet remained thoroughly convinced that she would become the greatest sword master in the world some day.
Li Diudiu stared at the duck leg in his hand and was quiet for a moment before saying: “My fault—it’s not your problem.”
Gao Xining stood there like a child who had done something wrong, and with great caution she stole a glance at him, then said with even greater caution: “You said yesterday that today we’d be doing leg stretches—so I brought you a duck leg today… How was I supposed to know you meant actual leg-stretching exercises?”
Li Diudiu took a bite of the duck leg and nodded: “It’s fine. I’ll eat the duck leg while you stretch your legs.”
He asked: “Did you get it from the dining hall?”
Gao Xining said: “The dining hall doesn’t have duck legs…”
Li Diudiu said: “I thought it didn’t taste quite like the dining hall’s cooking, and the flavor isn’t quite what I’d expect from duck either—more like duck droppings. But that’s fine, seeing as this is the part of the duck closest to where those things come from.”
Gao Xining: “Hmph…”
Li Diudiu: “Don’t tell me you made this yourself.”
Gao Xining: “I did!”
Li Diudiu sighed in that world-weary manner of his: “Such a fine duck leg, and you had to go and do that to it… Even buying it would have cost money.”
Gao Xining: “It wasn’t bought.”
Li Diudiu’s eyes instantly narrowed: “Did you steal it?”
Gao Xining said: “If it’s from my own home, how can it be called stealing? In spring—my grandfather said to buy some little yellow ducklings, and by summer we’d have a whole yard full of duck legs.”
Li Diudiu: “That’s rather brutal, isn’t it?”
He asked: “How many ducks did your grandfather buy? You said ‘a whole yard’…”
Gao Xining held up one finger and waved it: “Just one. Grandfather bought just one, to keep as a pet. He called it a rural pleasure.”
Li Diudiu’s eyes went from narrowed to wide open: “One duck—and you killed it?!”
Gao Xining said: “You said you wanted a duck leg! I didn’t dare slaughter it myself, so I snuck it over to the dining hall and asked one of the senior cooks to do the deed. I even asked him specifically how to prepare it.”
Li Diudiu took a deep breath and clasped his hands in a bow: “My sincerest thanks.”
Gao Xining looked at him curiously: “Why are you suddenly being so formal?”
Li Diudiu said: “Your family had only one duck, and your grandfather raised it himself. You killed that duck for me to eat. You’re going to get an earful for this—so it is a very serious matter, and I absolutely must say thank you.”
Gao Xining seemed very happy at this. She walked back and forth with her hands clasped behind her and said: “Don’t worry—my grandfather won’t scold me.”
Li Diudiu finished the last bite of meat and then said with a smile: “Now, follow along with what I’m doing. I’ll go slowly. Try to keep up, and if you can’t, I’ll slow down even more.”
Gao Xining said: “You’re being so nice all of a sudden—it doesn’t sit right with me.”
Li Diudiu said: “Just think of it as the duck leg making everything right. Come on.”
That evening.
Gao Xining placed a bowl of meat on the table, then personally poured a cup of wine for Gao Yuanzhang. She turned her most filial expression toward him and said: “Grandfather, you worked hard today. I went to the kitchen and learned a dish especially for you. Would you try it?”
Gao Yuanzhang’s expression immediately became spectacular. He took a step backward, one hand raised in front of him like a shield, as if the bowl of meat contained an assassin lurking inside.
“Out with it. What do you want now?!”
Gao Yuanzhang asked, immediately on guard.
“Grandfather!”
Gao Xining said: “Look at you—this is the first time I’ve ever cooked for you. Could you at least be a little more gracious about it?”
Gao Yuanzhang glanced around the room: “Did you break something of mine again?”
Gao Xining said: “Grandfather, why do you always assume that every time I act well, it must be because I’ve done something wrong? Is it so impossible that I might simply be good for once?”
Gao Yuanzhang retreated another step, edging closer to the feather duster hanging by the wall.
“Out with it. What did you break?”
“Nothing!”
Gao Xining said: “Am I really capable of breaking your Dengque Terrace Rubbings?”
Gao Yuanzhang’s hand flew to his chest, and his step faltered: “What did you say?! What did you do to my Dengque Terrace Rubbings?!”
Gao Xining said: “Nothing happened to them. I don’t even know where you keep them—how could I possibly have damaged the Dengque Terrace Rubbings? Or your pair of Zhou Dynasty Blue-and-White Vases, for that matter.”
Gao Yuanzhang’s face drained of color: “So you’ve done something to those Blue-and-White Vases?”
“I haven’t done anything to them either.”
Gao Xining said: “The Dengque Terrace Rubbings are unharmed, the pair of Blue-and-White Vases are unharmed, and your two-hundred-and-thirty-year-old Fengshui Inkstone is perfectly fine as well. Grandfather—I am your own granddaughter. Am I truly worth less to you than these treasures? Am I worth less than a single duck?”
Gao Yuanzhang exhaled a long breath of relief: “Of course you are…”
He looked at Gao Xining: “Say that last sentence again.”
Gao Xining said: “Let’s eat, Grandfather.”
Gao Yuanzhang took several quick steps back to the table. He leaned forward and examined the bowl of meat carefully. After a moment, he pointed at the bowl. Gao Xining gave a serious nod: “Yes.”
Gao Yuanzhang inhaled deeply. Then he said to Gao Xining: “Go and bowl some rice for me. Make it a generous serving.”
Gao Xining: “Ah?”
Gao Yuanzhang sat down, picked up his chopsticks, looked at the dish for a while, and then began to smile: “If I don’t eat plenty, I can’t do justice to my granddaughter’s efforts.”
He pointed to the seat across from him: “Once you’ve served the rice, sit down and eat together.”
Gao Xining responded cheerfully and filled a heaping bowl of rice for Gao Yuanzhang. Gao Yuanzhang’s face was full of warm, grandfatherly affection. He picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Gao Xining’s bowl. Gao Xining returned the gesture and placed a piece in his bowl. This grandfather and granddaughter were the picture of warmth.
Gao Yuanzhang placed the meat into his mouth with great cheer, chewed gently, a mouthful full of…
A moment later, he said to Gao Xining with even more grandfatherly warmth: “Would you mind—returning half of my rice? I’m actually not very hungry today… No other reason. Truly not hungry.”
Gao Xining took a bite herself and nodded: “One shouldn’t eat too much at dinner. I’ve heard that a large dinner harms the spleen and stomach, and especially one shouldn’t eat too much meat. So I’ll return half of my rice as well.”
Gao Yuanzhang firmly pressed his hand down over her rice bowl: “No! You’re different—you’re still growing.”
Gao Xining: “…”
Such warmth.
—
The next day marked exactly one full month since Li Diudiu had entered the Four Page Academy. The following day, Teaching Master Yan Qingzhi would preside over a small examination for the four of them. As originally agreed, if their scores were excellent, all four could transfer into the main classes. If any of them scored poorly enough to be an embarrassment, they would face two choices: leave the academy, or pay a very steep fee to continue with private instruction.
Of course, Li Diudiu hadn’t had a second option then, and didn’t now.
Yan Qingzhi stood at the lectern, his gaze sweeping briefly over the small group.
“Tomorrow is the small examination. Placement into the main classes will be determined by rank. For your age group, there are a total of ten class sections. Each section holds forty-eight students, and they are designated by the Earthly Branches: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui. The Jia section is naturally the finest of them all.”
He continued: “In the entire history of this academy, no disciple from the Jia section has ever failed to sit the Palace Examination. You should understand what that means… Of course, if your scores tomorrow are poor, you will face two choices: pay to continue with supplementary instruction, or leave the academy.”
“For supplementary instruction, there are several options. One-on-one is the most expensive: twenty taels of silver per session, each session one hour, one session per day. For one teacher and two students, it is ten taels per student per session.”
After he finished, he cast what seemed to be a deliberately offhand glance at Li Diudiu. The meaning in his eyes was clear: figure out for yourself which category you fall into. The other three had no shortage of money—but Li Diudiu was different. If Li Diudiu scored poorly, he wouldn’t even be able to afford the tutoring fees.
Yet Yan Qingzhi did not see the kind of fierce, burning determination he was hoping to see in Li Diudiu’s eyes. Instead, he saw a different kind of gleam—a blue-white gleam, like something on the verge of erupting.
Those eyes were full of one thought: tutoring pays that much?
Yan Qingzhi suddenly felt a pang of regret. He had a feeling these words of his might cost the academy dearly—this boy was already itching to act on the idea.
Yan Qingzhi coughed a few times and asked: “Does anyone have any questions?”
Liu Shengying, the youngest among them, raised his hand timidly, like a small girl. Yan Qingzhi said: “Go ahead.”
Liu Shengying stood and asked, very carefully: “Teacher, is the examination difficult?”
Yan Qingzhi shot him a sidelong look: “Sit down. I’m not answering that.”
Zhang Xiaolin raised his hand. Yan Qingzhi pointed at him: “Go ahead.”
Zhang Xiaolin stood and asked: “Teacher, if one scores first place, does that guarantee entry into the Jia section?”
Yan Qingzhi said: “Not necessarily.”
Zhang Xiaolin: “Uh…”
Yan Qingzhi looked toward Sun Rugong: “Do you have anything you’d like to ask?”
Sun Rugong stood and replied: “Teacher, I have nothing to ask. I intend to give everything I have and strive for first place, so as not to disgrace the month of instruction you have given us.”
Yan Qingzhi nodded: “Since you all have no further questions, let us leave it at that. Tomorrow I will bring the examination papers. The questions were composed personally by Gao Yuanzhang—I don’t know what subjects he has chosen. Everyone should make their best effort. As Sun Rugong just said, don’t let yourselves down—I am more concerned that you not disgrace your own talents and your own futures.”
Li Diudiu had been waving his hand insistently, but Yan Qingzhi simply looked past him without acknowledging it.
Yan Qingzhi said: “There will be no instruction today. Each of you should review everything you have learned this past month. If there is anything you still do not understand, you may come to my quarters and ask me.”
He rose: “Review on your own.”
Li Diudiu: “Teacher, Teacher, I have a question.”
Yan Qingzhi said: “You can do without one.”
Li Diudiu: “I absolutely must have one, Teacher. It’s essential.”
Yan Qingzhi sighed: “Go ahead then.”
Li Diudiu stood and asked with full seriousness: “Does Teacher know how to contact the students who need supplementary instruction? Any age group—whether it’s our year, the year above us, or those about to graduate—all are fine!”
Yan Qingzhi: “As I expected…”
He shot Li Diudiu a look: “Ask fewer questions unrelated to your studies. This is a classroom!”
He then walked out in what appeared to be a rather aggrieved huff.
Two quarter-hours later, Li Diudiu appeared at the entrance to Yan Qingzhi’s small courtyard. Yan Qingzhi looked up and saw him, and his lips actually trembled.
“You actually followed me here to ask?!”
Li Diudiu said: “This is not a classroom, so I should be allowed to ask here, right, Teacher?”
Yan Qingzhi said: “You really think that just because you want to offer tutoring, anyone would actually come to you for it? First, you’re too young. Second, you have no reputation. Third, you have no credentials.”
Li Diudiu thought it over—that was fair enough. Who would actually seek him out for tutoring?
Yan Qingzhi looked at him for a moment, then said: “Sixty percent to me, forty to you. Under my name, you teach the classes.”
Li Diudiu: “Done!”
Yan Qingzhi paused. He thought to himself—damn it, he had undersold. He should have said seventy-thirty.
—