Chapter 770: Remembered

"Little Cicada! Little Cicada!"

Granny Liu's voice came from outside the courtyard.

"Coming!"

Little Monk Liaofan set out the flatbread, refilled the teapot, and draped a dry towel around Master Kongyuan's neck.

Then he glanced helplessly at the corner of the room, where gourds had been piled into a small mountain.

Only then did he take the long broom from behind the door, push it open, and step outside.

He was going to sweep the streets.

Fengxin City had inherited all the finest traditions of Snow Sea Pass.

The city's cleanliness and appearance were taken extremely seriously.

A group of women had been assigned specifically to sweep the streets.

No one regarded the work as "lower-class."

After all... in this age, supposedly "higher-class" work was hardly easy to find either.

Besides, the officers and commanders who had risen alongside Marquis Pingxi had been strongly influenced by their Marquis's own leading example of "frugality."

Combined with the audits Siniang and the Blind Man had designed together, the various yamen, offices, and military departments beneath Marquis Pingxi Residence remained remarkably clean by the standards of the age.

A certain rustic simplicity still endured throughout the system.

So even jobs sweeping the streets usually belonged to somebody's mother, somebody's senior daughter-in-law, somebody from a household with connections to the military establishment.

Ordinary women could not necessarily secure a post like this.

The job came with standardized clothing issued by the Residence in every season.

It effectively counted as one Standard-household allotment for the family.

At festivals and New Year, the household received an extra quota of rice, flour, grain, and oil.

And besides... mothers, daughters-in-law, sisters-in-law, and older women could all get restless sitting at home every day.

Coming out to work let them stretch their limbs and gossip at the same time.

With women like this responsible for the streets, two things happened.

First... no one dared bully them.

Second... shops and households became remarkably cooperative.

Otherwise... these women really would swing their brooms straight at your forehead.

Granny Liu was the Sword Saint's mother-in-law.

Strictly speaking, she did not quite fit the usual pattern, because she was living with her daughter and son-in-law.

But by now... she no longer cared about those distinctions.

Ever since Snow Sea Pass, Granny Liu had picked up a broom and started sweeping streets to earn spending money for the household.

Not long after moving into Fengxin City... she had even been promoted to "Squad Leader."

A dozen or so women now answered to her.

She was responsible for three streets.

These days, when an elder called a younger person, it was common to attach a diminutive suffix to the name.

But Granny Liu and the other women could not call Little Monk Liaofan "Little Fan."

That would directly violate Marquis Pingxi's personal-name taboo.

So among this group of women...

Little Monk Liaofan had acquired the nickname "Little Cicada."

The word for cicada sounded like the "zhiliao" in the boy's habitual reply of "Got it."

In truth, Marquis Pingxi Residence was never stingy.

Especially not toward people who had rendered service.

Across the entire Yan military system, the Residence's compensation for the families of the dead and disabled was the most generous and humane.

There was no second place.

The Blind Man had once specifically asked Liaofan whether he wanted to take a sum of money and leave with his master to wander wherever they pleased... or have Marquis Pingxi Residence support the two of them permanently.

Liaofan chose the latter.

With his master in this condition, how could they possibly keep wandering the four seas?

As for Marquis Zheng's earlier promise to build a temple for master and disciple... the Blind Man never mentioned it.

That had been an agreement between Liaofan and Master.

It was for Master himself to decide.

Liaofan did not bring it up either.

In their present condition, how could the two of them support a temple?

Still...

Little Monk Liaofan made one request of his own.

He did not want to spend his life eating and drinking for free.

From the Residence's perspective, the contribution the two monks had made was already more than enough.

But Liaofan still wanted to perform whatever work lay within his ability.

He swept the streets diligently.

And because he occasionally had the instinctive habit of curling his fingers into an orchid gesture, or suddenly becoming inexplicably shy and slipping into the mannerisms of a delicate young girl... the women adored him even more.

They did not feel as though a man had somehow joined their circle of sisters.

It was more like they had gained another daughter.

The little monk no longer wore a kasaya.

His clothing was ordinary.

Clean.

Neat.

The moment they met... one of the women beside Granny Liu teased him:

"Little Cicada, heard your master collected several more gourds yesterday?"

Liaofan smiled awkwardly.

Marquis Pingxi Residence had provided master and disciple with a small courtyard in Fengxin City.

They had also been given a sum of money.

The little monk lived simply.

He did not gamble.

Did not visit brothels.

His food was mostly vegetarian.

Every month, the Residence issued rice, flour, oil, cloth, and all the other necessities they required.

By all reason... there was almost nothing for him to spend money on.

But his master spent every day wandering in a fog.

Sometimes he would sit motionless in the courtyard from morning to night.

Other times he would walk out.

He never stole.

Never robbed.

Never raved or attacked anyone.

But for some unknown reason...

Old Monk Kongyuan had become utterly obsessed with gourds.

He would be walking down the street and spot someone's wine gourd.

Or a child's toy gourd.

Then it was as though he had lost his soul.

He would follow the owner all the way down the street.

Follow them home.

Sometimes even follow them through the door.

And then refuse to leave until they gave him the gourd.

He did not steal it.

Did not seize it.

Did not even speak.

He simply stared at the gourd.

Then pressed his palms together in greeting.

Most people in the city did not actually know about the old monk's connection to Marquis Pingxi Residence.

And even if they did... it would not have mattered much.

If someone needed to report him to the authorities, they still did.

When the constables arrived, they mostly tried mediation.

And mediation usually ended with Little Monk Liaofan arriving and buying the gourd from the owner with silver.

Only once the gourd was in his hands would Master Kongyuan return home hugging it with an expression of complete satisfaction.

The next day... perhaps he would remain peaceful.

But on the third day... his master might wander out again and start staring at someone else's gourd.

Liaofan could not bear seeing his master disappointed.

So he kept paying silver.

Again.

And again.

Before long... plenty of people in Fengxin City learned about the matter.

There was a "mad" old monk who adored gourds.

And the mad monk had a disciple who would buy the gourds for him.

Security beneath the Marquis's own nose was naturally excellent.

Even if people saw the monk carrying money, no one dared develop darker ideas.

But this did create another problem.

Quite a few children in the city began deliberately searching for gourds outside the walls.

Smarter peddlers simply bought gourds cheaply elsewhere and resold them to the "mad" monk.

The courtyard granted to master and disciple had been built in the standardized style used when Marquis Pingxi Residence rebuilt Fengxin City.

A small compound.

Two rooms.

Half a dividing wall.

A kitchen built separately.

For the sake of caring for his master, Liaofan always let Kongyuan sleep on the bed while he himself slept on the floor beside it.

The spare room... was now almost completely filled with gourds.

Nearly all the money Marquis Pingxi Residence had given them had gone into buying those gourds.

The little monk was easygoing about it.

He openly told everyone he no longer had silver.

At most, he could exchange rice, flour, grain, or oil for gourds.

And even then... he had to keep enough each month for himself and his master before trading away the surplus.

"You can keep bringing gourds for my master. I'll write you IOUs."

Wait until the Year of the Monkey and Month of the Horse for payment?

The children and peddlers immediately lost interest in hauling gourds over.

But Master Kongyuan still went out "mad" every other day, looking for them.

Fortunately... at that frequency, Liaofan's street-sweeping wages were enough to cover the occasional purchase.

Eventually the whole matter stopped being news.

That did not prevent the women sweeping beside him from teasing the little monk about it whenever they found the opportunity.

Liaofan guessed that his master's obsession came from the water gourd Kongyuan had carried for most of his life.

It was said that gourd had been handed down by Kongyuan's own master.

It had been one of his most cherished possessions.

But he had lost it somewhere on the snowfields.

Perhaps... even though his master had gone mad... he still wanted something to hold onto.

Just as Liaofan felt that wherever his master was could still be called home... perhaps his master, in his own way, still missed his own master too.

Granny Liu was already old, but her health remained excellent.

She was, after all, an old woman whom both Second Madam and Third Madam of Marquis Pingxi Residence had once personally supported by the arm.

She also understood perfectly well that her "son-in-law" was no ordinary person.

She had neither the personality nor the opportunity to throw her weight around because of that connection.

But when it came to the street sweepers under her... she was extremely strict.

The streets assigned to her had to be cleaned to her satisfaction.

If any woman tried to slack off or make trouble...

Granny Liu snapped back without hesitation.

She had offended people before.

Even the smallest "yamen" had deep waters inside it.

Yet Granny Liu remained firmly seated in her position as "Sweeper Squad Leader."

Eventually... everyone simply got used to it.

After all... any household able to live next door to Marquis Pingxi Residence could not possibly be ordinary.

Not long ago, Granny Liu had busied herself with the hundred-day celebration for her new grandson.

She had not made it some grand affair.

She had not accepted gift money either.

Instead, she generously brought rice cakes, steamed buns, and red-dyed eggs to share with everyone.

And today...

Granny Liu had brought another large batch of things.

Still rice cakes.

Still steamed buns.

Still red-dyed eggs.

Little Monk Liaofan accepted his share.

After thanking her, he asked curiously:

"Another baby?"

The surrounding women immediately burst out laughing.

Granny Liu spat irritably:

"What do you think my daughter is, a sow? My son-in-law came home. So we're holding the hundred-day celebration again."

"Aiyo, now that's a mother-in-law who dotes on her son-in-law."

"People always say the more a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, the more she likes him. You really do treat him better than your own son."

"Still have any daughters left?"

"Go, go, go. All of you, stop wagging your tongues. My son-in-law treats me well. Treats my daughter well. What's wrong with us cherishing him a little in return? A family lives together by keeping one another close and coaxing the days along. That's how life stays smooth."

The logic was sound.

Still... for the notoriously thrifty Granny Liu to hand out two full rounds of hundred-day gifts without accepting a single coin in return genuinely surprised everyone.

Who lived like this?

Once Granny Liu saw everyone had arrived, she shouted:

"What are you all standing here sunning your lice for? Move! Get to work!"

Everyone busied themselves.

Roughly two hours later... a group of children suddenly ran over shouting toward Little Monk Liaofan:

"Little Cicada! Little Cicada! The old monk's gone crazy again!"

Liaofan looked at them.

"Whose gourd did he take a liking to this time?"

"No, no! The old monk threw every gourd in your house out into the street! All those gourds you spent so much silver buying for him, he threw them all out!"

...

At that moment... inside Granny Liu's courtyard...

Marquis Pingxi sat on a stool.

A flock of chickens huddled in one corner.

Earlier, an old hen had squatted beside Marquis Zheng's boot and left a pile of droppings.

It had nearly dirtied the Marquis's shoe.

Marquis Zheng kicked the hen away.

After that demonstration of "killing the chicken to warn the chickens"... the whole flock no longer dared approach him and act recklessly.

The duck, on the other hand... held its chest high and strutted around Marquis Zheng in circles with unimaginable pride.

The Sword Saint emerged carrying the baby.

Zheng Fan said:

"The wind outside is strong."

"A child needs sunlight," the Sword Saint replied. "You don't..."

The Sword Saint stopped himself in time.

Zheng Fan extended both hands.

"Come. Let me hold him."

The Sword Saint passed over the baby.

Zheng Fan took him.

Newborns were usually wrinkled and not especially attractive.

But like little balloons slowly filling out, babies a few months old were at their most adorable and tender.

Grow a little older... and they began developing obvious features inherited from their parents.

Then they stopped looking as good.

Tian Tian was the exception.

From infancy onward... he had always looked like a lucky doll.

"Ai. I really do like children," Marquis Zheng sighed.

"If you like them, then have your own..."

The Sword Saint stopped again.

Marquis Zheng played with the baby for a while.

The child began crying.

The Sword Saint carried him inside to nurse.

A while later, he came back out.

Marquis Zheng pointed toward the chickens.

"Why are you raising so many?"

"To lay..."

The Sword Saint closed his eyes.

Drew a deep breath.

"Good. Very good. I'll have them raise some inside the Residence too. Chickens you feed yourself taste more reassuring."

"So why did you come today?" the Sword Saint asked.

"No reason. Just wanted to take a look. Oh, right. Have you named the child yet?"

Not long after the Sword Saint's son had been born, he had followed Zheng Fan into the snowfields.

After returning from the snowfields, he went to Chu.

The child's naming had been delayed.

Still... a formal name was not urgent.

In this age, children reaching ten years old without a proper given name were not unusual.

Many commoners only received formal names when the government needed to register them for corvée labor or taxation.

Families with some means might ask an old scholar to choose one.

Those without... simply let the registration clerk make something up on the spot.

"Nianzu," the Sword Saint said. "Mr. Bei chose it."

Zheng Fan nodded.

Apparently while he had been away, the Blind Man had done an excellent job maintaining friendly relations with the neighbors.

"Nianzu. Good name."

Zheng Fan stretched.

"In the future, he can win himself a noble title and truly bring honor to the ancestors."

The Sword Saint's surname was Yu.

That had once been the imperial surname of the State of Jin.

"Three sentences in and you're already talking about noble titles." The Sword Saint shook his head. "After becoming a father, I think it's enough if the child can simply live safely."

"You are you. The child is the child. You can't force your own will onto him."

"Wait until you have a child before you..."

The Sword Saint stopped himself yet again.

"Don't call me vulgar. What else am I supposed to say? That I hope the child lives safely while eating and waiting to die?"

"That's even more vulgar."

"Exactly. Heh."

Marquis Zheng laughed.

In the values of this age... winning merit, building a career, fame, rank, and wealth were the orthodox path.

The broad road beneath Heaven.

Even merchants had their political status deliberately suppressed.

Calling someone an actor was an insult.

Painter.

Singer.

Dancer...

Ai.

None of those sounded respectable.

"Don't you have anything to do?" the Sword Saint asked, genuinely curious.

"Whether I actually stay busy inside the Residence, other people might not know. You live next door. Don't you?"

"I've truly never seen anyone as carefree as you."

He delegated power so completely.

Never seemed afraid of being hollowed out from beneath.

"I have no interest in making myself exhausted. Look at you. Feed chickens every day. Feed ducks. Raise a child. That's a good life."

"Then hurry up and have..."

Zheng Fan looked at him.

The Sword Saint swallowed the rest again.

Marquis Zheng looked faintly disappointed.

"Old Yu. Want a maid?"

"No."

"Look. Sister-in-law is busy with the baby now. Add another intimate companion and maybe you can give Nianzu a little brother or sister. Then the child won't be lonely while growing up."

The Sword Saint finally could not bear it anymore.

"If you want children, go have them yourself."

"Aiyo. You really called it. My Liqing is pregnant. What a coincidence, eh?"

"..." Sword Saint.

"Oh, right. Nearly forgot. I was planning to go out and buy some pastries for her to taste. You know how women get after they become pregnant. Their appetites turn picky."

"Aren't all the pastry shops in Fengxin City owned by Marquis Pingxi Residence?"

Going to his own shop to buy things?

"It's different. Food is food. But food brought home by servants and food personally bought by her own man aren't the same."

The Sword Saint found the logic difficult to understand.

"How about you come buy some with me?"

The Sword Saint shook his head.

"Don't want the experience?"

"I've bought things before."

"But I'm afraid of assassins."

"This is Fengxin City. Are you planning to go to Yingdu to buy pastries?"

"Sister-in-law! Brother Yu and I are going out to buy some pastries for you. Wait for us at home!"

Marquis Zheng shouted toward the inner room.

The woman inside was nursing the baby.

She heard Marquis Pingxi call her "Sister-in-law."

She genuinely had no idea how to answer.

Too distant would be wrong.

Too intimate might look as though she had forgotten her place.

So... she chose silence.

"Coming?" Marquis Zheng asked the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint sighed helplessly.

Then picked up Longyuan.

"You're actually bringing the sword?"

The Sword Saint did not answer.

Instead, he picked up two baskets and hung one from each end of Longyuan.

"That works."

Marquis Zheng nodded.

And so...

Marquis Zheng went shopping accompanied by the Sword Saint.

He bought a considerable number of pastries and other snacks.

One basket in front was for his own household.

The basket behind would go home with the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint carried the shoulder pole and followed.

By now... he understood perfectly.

This Marquis had deliberately come to show off in front of him.

Still... the Sword Saint was happy for him.

Looking around at the packed and lively streets... he also felt happy for the common people here.

The Sword Saint greatly enjoyed these peaceful years.

He liked seeing people free from hunger and freezing.

Long ago, he had lost interest in the "suffering" beyond his immediate sight.

He only wanted this peaceful life before him to continue.

Continue until... his son grew into adulthood.

Perhaps even continue until his grandchildren appeared.

And the peace of this place could not exist without Marquis Pingxi Residence.

If Marquis Pingxi Residence could stand for a century like Prince Zhenbei Residence... how many generations of people could live and work in peace beneath its protection?

Marquis Zheng finished his shopping and prepared to go home by way of West Front Street.

The Sword Saint carried the two baskets.

"You'll never finish all this."

"It's for good luck."

"So now you believe in that too?"

Marquis Zheng smiled.

"Who doesn't like hearing auspicious words?"

At that moment... a crowd appeared ahead.

A mad monk sat in the middle of a huge spread of gourds, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Gourds, gourds! Many sons, many blessings! Gourds, gourds! Many sons, much fortune!"

Marquis Zheng stopped in the crowd.

Then Little Monk Liaofan came running back.

When he saw his master acting insane again... then looked at all the gourds strewn across the street... the little monk finally could not endure it.

His fingers curled into an orchid gesture.

He dabbed at the corner of his eye with his sleeve and began "sniffling" pitifully.

The disciple's illness had flared up too.

"Suddenly remembered something," Marquis Zheng said.

"What?" the Sword Saint asked.

"I seem to have forgotten that I once promised to build a temple for the two of them."

"And now?"

Marquis Zheng smiled.

"Now I remember."

[End of Chapter 770]