Chapter 10: Aftermath

In a thatched cottage, a sturdy child was muttering something incessantly.

“In the midday sun, they hoe the fields, sweat drips to the earth below. Who knows the food on their plates, each grain comes from such toil.” The child’s finger was drawing something on the table as he mumbled continuously.

“What are you doing, always muttering?” asked a young man wearing a short work shirt. This was the person who had handed Li Si the chopping knife earlier that day.

“Father, I’ll never waste food again,” the child said seriously to the young man.

“Oh?” The young man exclaimed in surprise. His son was usually quite troublesome when it came to eating, always leaving food behind. Every time food was left, he would hit him with a bamboo stick, but it never seemed to stick. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but ask, “Cao Meng, did the teacher teach you something today?”

“Mm-hmm.” Cao Meng nodded affirmatively and said, “The teacher taught me a poem.”

The young man understood. He knew Young Master Li very well. Usually, when he had free time, he would open a classroom to enlighten and teach children. He never charged money. Even if someone wanted to give him money, he would refuse.

This was very rare in this world. Many scholars actually looked down on people like them, let alone enlighten their children. Cao Qing was a reasonable person who could distinguish right from wrong. So he greatly admired Li Si, which was why he was the first to step forward and offer the knife today.

“Then recite it for me to hear.” Cao Qing picked up the teapot on the seat, poured a cup of water into the clay bowl on the table, and waited for Cao Meng to recite the poem for him to hear.

Hearing Cao Qing say this, Cao Meng couldn’t help but puff out his chest and recited in the same manner Li Si had used in class: “In the midday sun, they hoe the fields, sweat drips to the earth below. Who knows the food on their plates, each grain comes from such toil.”

Hearing the poem Cao Meng recited, Cao Qing paused with the clay bowl in his hand, savoring it carefully. He felt he could understand this poem, and though the few lines were simple, they were eye-opening. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Young Master Li is a scholar who understands the hardships of life.”

…

In another corner of the county town, a family was eating dinner. Candlelight illuminated the room brightly. A large man with a fat body and a face full of flesh was eating heartily, while a smaller version of this fat man was staring intently at the big fat man eating. This little fat boy was Yu Hu, and the big fat man was his father, Butcher Yu, Yu San.

“What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen your father eat before?” Yu San felt his son staring at him eating, with a strange look in his eyes that made him feel uneasy.

“Nothing. Dad, keep eating.” Yu Hu slowly started eating, but his eyes kept glancing at his father.

“I’m not eating anymore, not eating!” Yu San angrily put down his chopsticks on the table, no longer intending to eat.

Seeing him stop eating, little Yu Hu perked up and accused, “Young Master Li said today, ‘Who knows the food on their plates, each grain comes from such toil.’ Food doesn’t come easy, how can you just say you’re not eating and stop?”

“Aiya!” Yu San cried out, realizing this little guy was trying to lecture him. He sat down, chuckled, and smiled at Yu Hu: “Alright, I’ll finish this meal today. But if you dare waste food in the future, see if I don’t beat your butt black and blue.”

With that, he started eating quickly, finishing the meal in no time. After finishing, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the little fat boy leisurely. Yu Hu felt unnerved by the stare and couldn’t eat anymore.

Yu Hu’s mother covered her mouth and laughed, not intending to mediate.

In the middle of the night, screams of pain echoed from the Yu family home.

Such conversations were not uncommon in this county town, and the poem “Pitying the Farmers” began to spread among adults.

…

“Cock-a-doodle-doo…” A rooster’s crow resonated through the night sky.

Li Si’s leg suddenly jerked on the bed, as if twitching, and he immediately woke up.

He got up from the bed groggily, stretched, and then walked to the backyard, picking up a willow twig to brush his teeth.

Soon, he finished washing up. Li Si looked at the night sky still full of stars and couldn’t help but sigh, realizing that since coming to this world, his habit of oversleeping had disappeared. He had never woken up this early before.

Walking out the door and locking it, Li Si began doing stretching exercises in front of the door. There weren’t many people around at this time anyway.

He planned to have a good run this morning, wearing the short work shirt he hadn’t changed out of yesterday, which was convenient for running. If he were wearing the long robe, it wouldn’t be as convenient.

After finishing the stretching exercises, he started jogging slowly through the town. At first, his legs were a bit sore, but as he ran, the soreness gradually eased.

After running for about ten minutes, he felt his lungs burning and couldn’t catch his breath, so he started walking. After walking for a while, he started running again. This cycle repeated until it was almost daybreak, and Li Si had just arrived at the tofu shop.

“Oh, Young Master Li, so early?” The tofu shop owner greeted Li Si as he approached, then noticed his sweaty appearance and was surprised: “What have you been doing, Young Master Li? Why are you so sweaty?”

“Oh, I went for a run. Uncle Zhou, please give me a bowl of tofu pudding, the same as yesterday,” Li Si said with a smile, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his clothes.

“Running?” The tofu shop owner was puzzled by this term.

Li Si suddenly remembered that in ancient times, there was no word for “running.” They basically didn’t run for exercise, so he added, “It’s rapid walking to train the body.”

The tofu shop owner suddenly understood, shook his head with a smile, and went to scoop tofu pudding for Li Si.

“Young Master Li!” Suddenly, a shout came from afar. A fat man with a wide body walked over, his fleshy face squeezing out a smile as he said to Li Si, “How has Young Master Li’s health been lately?”

Li Si felt as if he was suddenly overshadowed, looked up at Yu San, and said with a smile, “My health has improved a lot, thank you for your concern, Brother Yu.”

“Heh, no need for formalities, Young Master Li. I should thank you for teaching my son. Here are two jin(1 Jin equaled 206 to 253 grams depending on the Dynasty in Old China) of pork belly, to help you nourish your body.” Yu San laughed and placed a bundle of lotus leaf-wrapped pork belly on the table in front of Li Si.

“This I cannot accept.” Li Si frowned, picked up the pork and handed it back to Yu San, saying, “I didn’t teach your son with the intention of gaining anything.”

This was the truth. He only started teaching these children because he couldn’t find any entertainment activities in this world. It wasn’t to gain anything.

“Of course, I trust Young Master Li’s character,” Yu San nodded, but then said, “But you’ve taught my son principles, and that’s a kindness. You wouldn’t want me to become someone who doesn’t repay kindness, would you?”



Note: 1 Jin equaled 206 to 253 grams depending on the Dynasty in Old China