novelSusiti Chapter 9: The Fisherman of the Rivers and Seas, Enjoying Poetry and Wine Through the Seasons
Chapter 9: The Fisherman of the Rivers and Seas, Enjoying Poetry and Wine Through the Seasons
As the older women left, Li Xuan and Li Chang counted the remaining fish; there weren't many left. As was customary, a group of people would come before the market closed each day, hoping to find a bargain. They could simply sell them off later.
After the morning's business was over, the two men carried the unused basins and earthenware pots back to the boat. Looking at the much tidier stall, Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction and said, "Brother Chang, take a break. You have to go to class in fifteen minutes."
Li Chang's face fell, but he agreed and retrieved the sandboard from the boat. It was a rectangular wooden frame covered with a layer of white gauze. Li Chang carefully rolled up the white gauze, revealing the fine sand inside the wooden frame.
Li Chang didn't have access to paper and pen. So Li Xuan taught him to use fine sand as paper to learn writing and arithmetic. As for a pen? He simply removed the hairpin from his hair bun, and that became a pen.
The teaching materials Li Chang used were quite niche: one was the Yan Family Instructions, which mainly discussed the principles of family business, and the other was Wu Zi's Art of War, which focused on management. Li Xuan was clearly training Li Chang according to a steward's template.
"The drums and bells are used to awe the ears; the banners and flags are used to awe the eyes; the prohibitions and punishments are used to awe the hearts. The ears are awe-inspiring because of sound, so they must not be unclear; the eyes are awe-inspiring because of color, so they must not be obscure; the hearts are awe-inspiring because of punishment, so they must be strict."
The book was handwritten by Li Xuan's father and also included his annotations. Li Chang could write about a dozen characters at a time on the sand-paper. So every time he wrote a sentence, Li Xuan would explain it to him.
Li Xuan had no military experience, so he could only rely on his father's annotations and the private annotations added by the previous version's holder to interpret Wu Zi's true meaning.
One was talking and the other was writing. Under the shade of a tree not far away, a chubby little girl had been watching them for a long time.
Her servant whispered to her, "Ying'er, how much longer are we going to keep watching? It's almost noon. Are we going to keep an eye on them until they pack up? Didn't Aunt Wang already tell us about those two young men?"
Ying'er said softly, "Miss said that to understand a person, you should observe whether their words and actions match. You should observe whether their clothes and speech are appropriate, and how they treat the rich and the poor differently. There's something else, but I can't remember. In short, you'll understand after observing more."
Upon hearing that it was the young lady's instruction, the servant's expression turned serious, and he said, "What the young lady says makes perfect sense. Sister Ying'er, who are these two people? Why are you staring at them? Do you have a grudge against them?"
Ying'er dared not reveal her mistress's purpose. She could only vaguely say, "This is what Master and Madam ordered. We servants are just to follow their instructions and report back every day. We must not think too much about it."
The servant nodded in agreement. Serving in the master's household was a rare and peaceful job. He had followed his master to many places, and the more he heard and heard, the more loyal he became—he really didn't want to lose his job.
After a while, the servant was confused: "They're not doing business, what are they gesturing with a book against a wooden frame?"
Ying'er asked with some doubt, "Could it be that he's writing?"
The servant asked, puzzled, "Why would someone with such a small business need to write?"
Ying'er, however, remained calm: "Let's observe for a few days and see if they always do this."
The servant reminded her, "Sister, don't forget, Aunt Wang just found out that they'll be coming again on the ninth day of the lunar month. After that, they'll be busy with the autumn harvest at home and won't be back until November."
Ying'er patted her head and suddenly realized, "You're right, the next one is the ninth day of the lunar month, and after that it's the third day of the eleventh lunar month. I can't miss it. Alright, you won't be treated badly if you come out with me. It's already noon, and the breakfast stalls over there are empty now. Let's go eat something good, and we can talk about the afternoon's plans later."
Li Xuan was unaware that he was being followed. The market was bustling with people, and neither he nor Li Chang were supernatural beings; they couldn't sense any mysterious killing intent or malevolent aura. They simply set up their stall, sold fish, and taught. November gradually arrived.
Aunt Wang, along with the little girl and servant, had become quite familiar with Li Xuan. Every time, Aunt Wang would interrogate Li Xuan and Li Chang before taking Ying'er and the servant home. Li Xuan now understood that Aunt Wang was in charge of purchasing meat and vegetables for a wealthy family, and she would come to the market almost every day to see if there were any fresh seasonal items to buy.
Li Xuan, with his wit and sweet talk, always managed to charm Aunt Wang, Ying'er, and the servant boy. Therefore, Aunt Wang was very generous, often buying up all of Li Xuan's leftover fish. Sometimes she would even chime in to discourage those unreasonable women.
In November, the weather turns cold, and the fish-selling business can be temporarily suspended. In another month, it will be the coldest time of winter, the rivers may freeze, and fishermen may catch colds; no matter how much money they earn, it won't be enough to cover medical expenses.
With Li Ji on winter break, Li Xuan planned to make two trips to Hailing before the river froze to transport salt back and sell. After all, the anti-smuggling officers didn't want to brave the cold, and their enforcement was practically non-existent at this time of year.
As Li Xuan packed up his stall, he was thinking about selling salt. He didn't notice a group of people approaching him.
Noticing someone approaching, Li Chang immediately said, "Excuse me, excuse me, sir, we're closing up shop for today."
Li Xuan then raised his head and looked at the newcomer in surprise.
The visitor was Li Jue. Recommended by his family, he had already entered officialdom and was appointed as a military advisor in the Yangzhou Garrison, a rank of eighth grade. He had urgent official business to attend to and had to leave the city at dusk. As the caravan passed Yingxun Bridge, they happened to see people selling fish in a prime location under the bridge who resembled Li Xuan and Li Chang.
Li Jue couldn't help but rein in his horse, turn around, dismount, and walk down the bridge. After taking a few steps closer, he confirmed that the person was indeed Li Xuan. The two of them had been competing in the clan school for three or four years, and they saw each other all the time. Even if Li Xuan turned to ashes, he would still be recognized.
Li Jue is now quite successful, dressed in a dark blue round-necked, narrow-sleeved official robe, with a fish-shaped pouch at his waist, looking very dashing. In contrast, Li Xuan is only dressed in coarse cloth shorts; the difference is obvious.
Li Jue hesitated, wanting to say something, but then held back, only saying in a complicated tone, "Is Ziyu imitating the Marquis of Huaiyin or Jiang Ziya?"
Upon hearing this, Li Xuan laughed and said, "Hehuang, I once told the Master that I wished to be a fisherman on the rivers and seas, enjoying the breeze and wine throughout the seasons. A fisherman, after all, must sell the fish he catches. It's getting dark now, and the city gates will be locked soon, so Hehuang, please feel free to enter the city. Remember to patronize my business in the future."
Li Jue nodded and said, "I am out of town on official business. Very well, you can be a fisherman for a day, and I will buy fish for a day. I only hope that Ziyu will remember the glory of our ancestors and not become obsessed with the petty ways of commerce. The world is in turmoil, and the country is on the verge of collapse. This is the time for good men to make their mark. Since ancient times, the world has been divided for a long time but then united. The chaos has lasted for forty years, and the opportunity for the unification of the world is not far away. I hope Ziyu will understand this."
Li Xuan understood Li Jue's good intentions and cupped his hands, saying, "Hehuang, rest assured, I will certainly not be a fisherman for the rest of my life."