In the fifth month, the Guanzhong Plain below Yushan was already rolling with heat waves. Only Yushan, located in the remaining ranges of the Qinling Mountains, still enjoyed a pleasant climate. In the early morning, mountain streams babbled, trees grew lush and verdant, and hundreds of birds sang in harmony. Looking into the distance, Wang Shunfeng appeared and disappeared within the swirling mist, like a bashful woman, exceptionally beautiful.
Two young men in blue clothing emerged slowly from the thin fog, carrying a bucket of water between them. The youth in front grimaced with effort, while the one behind appeared leisurely and carefree, holding a scroll in his hand and humming verses aloud.
“Qingque, you lost the bet, so why must I be punished along with you?” the youth in front finally exploded.
“There’s no helping it. Who told you to be my older brother? A hundred loads of water! Teacher said my body hasn’t fully grown yet and shouldn’t bear excessive burdens, so I could only find someone to help carry water. First, it can exercise the body and strengthen one’s constitution. Second, it can help me bond with my classmates and reduce barriers.” Li Tai showed some impatience with the youth’s questioning, but considering he was helping him carry water, he specially provided an explanation.
“There are over a hundred students at the academy now. You don’t seek out the tall and robust Yuchi or the fierce and sturdy Duan Meng, but instead you specifically target weak and frail me. I always feel you’re deliberately setting me up. Those fun activities from days past never included me, but once there’s punishment, you immediately drag me in to take the blame. Is this the benefit of being brothers?” Li Ke was quite dejected.
“Who told you to be my older brother?” Li Tai lost his desire to converse.
“I’m only three months older than you.”
“Even one day older counts as older.”
“Fine, I’ll accept helping you carry water, but these past few days I’ve discovered a problem.”
“What problem?” Li Tai’s interest in talking returned.
“Why is it that every time we carry water, the bucket is always so close to me yet so far from you? What’s the principle behind this?”
“Oh, these past days I’ve been studying the principle of levers. I discovered that if I place the water bucket in its current position, I can save half my strength.”
“…”
Turning around the mountain’s base, before their eyes lay a patch of verdant green grassland.
A little girl in a red shirt stood on the grass, with a large butterfly bow tied in her hair. In her hand, a rope was attached to a small mottled pig. The piglet was using its long snout to root through the grass, eating the fresh and tender grass roots.
Upon seeing the Li Ke brothers, she immediately gave them a big smile. Opening her gap-toothed little mouth, she shouted loudly, “Brother Ke, Brother Tai, look! My Hanhan has grown a whole size bigger!” After speaking, she struggled to lead the reluctant piglet over to the two of them.
“Xiao Ya, why are you out herding pigs alone today? Where did your brother go?” After the brothers set down their carrying pole to rest for a moment, Li Ke asked while rubbing his shoulder.
“Yesterday Xiao Xi’s black pig ran away and even injured Xiao Xi’s leg. Xiao Dong and the others are all too scared to herd pigs now, so today Brother has to herd four pigs. I don’t know where the pigs have dragged Brother off to. Hanhan is still the most well-behaved.” As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around the unwilling mottled pig’s neck and lifted it up to show Li Ke.
Li Ke had a cleanliness obsession. Seeing the piglet’s wet pink snout approaching him, he hurriedly dodged away. Li Tai didn’t mind though. He grabbed the pig’s ear and lifted it slightly, making the little pig squeal. Xiao Ya was about to pout when she heard Li Tai say, “The agricultural manual says these pigs can be raised for at most two years, otherwise the meat won’t taste good. Next year we can slaughter it and eat the meat.”
That one sentence made Xiao Ya burst into tears. She called Li Tai a bad egg and led her pig away with tears in her eyes to find her brother.
The brothers picked up the water bucket again and continued forward. Li Ke said to Li Tai, “Why did you make her cry? You’re not unaware of how annoying women are when they cry.”
“Who told her brother to cause us to carry water?”
The guards following far behind exchanged speechless glances, discovering for the first time that the princes had a childish side.
Yun Ye sat on the grass catching his breath, holding ropes attached to four pigs. Don’t be fooled by their small size—their strength was anything but small. At first, he had dragged the pigs along, but later these pigs seemed to have discovered some delicious food and charged forward frantically, dragging him all over the mountains. Now that they had finally settled down, Yun Ye looked back but couldn’t find any trace of Xiao Ya.
Never mind. This was the academy’s territory, so there was no danger. Five days ago, five hundred imperial guards had arrived and thoroughly cleared the area within a ten-li radius of the academy. Wild boars, wolves, tigers, wild men, and the like had all been eliminated. Those that hadn’t been killed had been chased into the deep mountains.
All the game had been sent to the academy. For a time, carcasses piled up like mountains at the academy, with the rank smell persisting for ten li. Elder Li Gang grabbed the leading officer and gave him a thorough scolding. The other teachers also showed no pleasant expressions, and even the elite scholars from Shu who had just joined the academy verbally denounced them.
Only Marquis Yun received them with smiling face, hosting a banquet at his home for the soldiers who had participated in the clearing operation. This moved several junior officers from the imperial guards to tears. People from the military truly understood each other! Without another word, they downed three bowls of the Yun family’s aged wine in succession, saying it was to thank the Marquis for his hospitality. Feeling uneasy, they downed three more bowls, then with thick tongues promised that they would come again next year and clean up even the ants in the mountains.
The academy couldn’t use all that meat, so it benefited the Yun family’s tenant farmers. Each household received one animal. The skins were sent back—the old matriarch wanted them, saying she felt terribly cold in winter and needed to make clothes. “The meat is for all of you. Eat your fill. When you’re done, there’s more.” With this action, the tenant farmers were all deeply grateful. The old matriarch’s image as a living Buddha was firmly established.
Having become a Buddha, her temper naturally grew. First, she complained that her two daughters-in-law were useless, only knowing how to idle about waiting to be fed, not helping to tidy up the house. Couldn’t they see the dust accumulating on the rafters? Then she scolded several aunts for not properly supervising the girls, who only knew how to play mahjong all day and would eventually die of laziness on their beds. The little girls didn’t escape her clutches either. She said they didn’t study properly or learn needlework properly, and would be better off learning from farm families and herding pigs. She actually gave each of them a pig and told them to go suffer starting tomorrow.
In the entire family, only her dimwitted spendthrift grandson was the sole good person. “Good child, the bedding is laid out in the garden where the sun warms it nicely. Go have a good sleep.”
The house had become unbearable. Sleeping would easily provoke collective anger, so he could only lead his sisters to herd pigs.
Who would have thought—even the Marquis was herding pigs, and the pampered young ladies of the household were each dragging a pig! A once-in-a-millennium spectacle! This immediately dissipated the tenant farmers’ resentment. What was their own status compared to the Marquis? Was it easy for the Marquis to herd pigs just to have some pork to eat?
Without the resentment, all was well! Yun Ye lay on the grass that had just lost its morning dew, watching the clouds drifting across the sky, talking to himself. Grandmother was truly wise! Sending the household girls out for just one day had accomplished what Yun Ye couldn’t achieve despite talking himself hoarse. “When there’s an elder in the family, it’s like having a treasure”—how true these words were!
Xiao Ya came running over, dragging her pig and crying pitifully. This girl was different from the other sisters—she truly loved that mottled pig called Hanhan. The mottled pig was also spiritually aware. In just one day, it had recognized Xiao Ya as its owner. Wherever Xiao Ya went, it followed. When it had nothing to do, it just lay down and slept, earning praise from the entire family.
“Who bullied you? Tell your brother, and he’ll go cut him down.” Seeing his most beloved sister suffer such grievance, Yun Ye felt that without saying this, he couldn’t adequately express the fury in his heart.
“It was Brother Tai. He wants to kill Hanhan and eat the meat.” Leaning against her brother, Xiao Ya poured out all the grievances in her heart.
“That guy—looks like carrying water isn’t punishment enough. Tomorrow, I’ll find him a huge wooden barrel, one with a pointed bottom, the kind Shaolin monks use. I’ll make him forget all about eating pork.” Yun Ye said through gritted teeth.
The bell for classes at the academy rang. The noisy sounds in the valley disappeared in an instant.
Yun Ye carried Xiao Ya on his back, herding the five little pigs homeward. The well-fed pigs grunted and squealed as they waddled their fat rumps ahead. Yun Ye’s heart was filled with peace. He suddenly felt that living an entire lifetime like this wouldn’t be bad at all.