Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 6 The Day After Tomorrow at Chen Shi

Lu Chuan woke up before dawn.

He sat up and touched the neatly folded clothes on the bedside table. They were the clothes Lu Xiaoman had found yesterday. Although they were old, they were very clean.

Stepping outside, Lu's mother was warming porridge in front of the stove.

When she saw Lu Chuan coming over, she pushed the bowl of porridge forward.

Lu Chuan took a couple of sips from the bowl.

Lu's mother helped him check the things.

"Your second uncle said he'll pick you up at Chenshi (7-9 AM). It's still early, so take your time eating."

Lu Chuan hummed in agreement.

Mother Lu seemed to be thinking of something, but didn't know where to begin. Finally, she simply whispered, "When you see Seventh Uncle, listen first, say little. Don't bring up what happened yesterday."

"knew."

"And—" she paused, "don't say anything about your uncle's side either."

"Your eldest uncle is a vengeful man. He's already holding a grudge about what happened yesterday. If you say anything about it in front of your seventh uncle today, this feud will never be resolved."

Lu Chuan nodded and said nothing more.

Just as he finished his porridge and put the bowl down, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate, followed by Lu Shoutian's voice: "Chuan'er, are you done yet?"

......

The uncle and nephew left the village and took the dirt road at the east end of the village.

Uncle Qi's courtyard was located at the far end of the east side of the village, separated from several other houses by a low wall. The gate was made of old wood, the paint long since peeled off, revealing the wood grain underneath.

Voices could be heard coming from under the door.

Lu Shoutian paused in his steps.

Lu Chuan heard it too.

The voice was Lu Youcai's, but it was intermittent and unclear.

"Too cunning..."

"He'll be a menace in the future..."

"Seventh Uncle, you're a wise man..."

Lu Shoutian's expression changed. He turned to Lu Chuan and whispered, "Wait a moment."

Lu Youcai's voice continued from inside the courtyard gate.

Lu Shoutian waited for a moment, then glanced at Lu Chuan, his meaning clear—should they go back today?

Lu Chuan thought for a moment.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

The talking inside stopped.

The door opened.

The person who opened the door was none other than Lu Youcai.

He was wearing the same jacket as yesterday, holding a half-cup of tea. When he saw Lu Chuan, his face immediately darkened. The two looked at each other, neither speaking first.

Lu Chuan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"My uncle is here too."

Lu Youcai's lips twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything and turned to the side.

Lu Chuan carried the cloth bag and entered the courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was very clean. The door to the house was ajar, and an old man was sitting inside.

Seventh Uncle Lu Shouwen was about sixty years old this year. His hair was gray, and he was thin. He was wearing a faded blue cloth long gown. He sat on a low stool by the window, with an open book on his lap and an old writing brush in his hand. The tip of the brush was suspended on the paper, but he did not put it down.

He looked up when he heard footsteps.

His gaze first fell on Lu Shoutian, and he nodded, then moved to Lu Chuan's face and paused.

"Come in and sit down."

Seventh Uncle closed the book on his lap, put it aside, glanced at Lu Youcai, and said:

"Youcai, I've heard everything you have to say."

"Now, let me hear his story."

Seventh Uncle then turned his gaze to Lu Chuan and asked unhurriedly, "Your eldest uncle said that you pointed out flaws in the accounts in front of the clan elders yesterday."

What's your own perspective on this?

Lu Chuan lowered his head.

"The accounts are correct, but the timing may not be right."

Seventh Uncle's eyes flickered. "What do you mean?"

"Those issues with the accounts need to be addressed sooner or later. But bringing them up in front of the two elders yesterday made my uncle lose face, and that will only deepen the grudge. If we had spoken to him privately first, there might have been room for negotiation."

He raised his head and looked at his seventh uncle.

"But at that time, I didn't think of that aspect."

Seventh Uncle said slowly, "Your eldest uncle said you're too cunning."

Lu Chuan shook his head:

"Whether he's cunning or not, I don't know."

"But I know that my father is sick, and my mother has borrowed so much food that her face is worn raw. If I pretend not to know anything, then I'm truly useless."

Upon hearing this, Lu Youcai's expression was complex and hard to describe.

Seventh Uncle glanced at him, then glanced at Lu Chuan.

"Youcai, that's enough about your business."

Lu Youcai froze for a moment.

He put down his teacup, didn't look at Lu Chuan, cupped his hands in greeting to his seventh uncle, and turned to walk out.

There were only three people left in the house.

Seventh Uncle picked up the old writing brush again, dipped it lightly in the inkstone, and casually said, "Put the things down."

Lu Chuan placed the packet of dried dates and coarse tea on the table.

Seventh Uncle didn't go to look at it, but simply said, "We don't need this at home, take it back."

"Seventh Uncle," Lu Chuan said in a low voice, "this is my mother's token of her affection, not money. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if we returned it."

Uncle Qi didn't say anything more, but pushed the package to the corner of the table, which was considered as accepting it.

He picked up a pen and wrote a few words on the paper, then casually pushed the paper in front of Lu Chuan.

"How many do you recognize?"

Lu Chuan glanced at it.

Of the seven characters, he recognized six, but there was one obscure one that he had never seen before.

He thought for a moment, then looked up.

"I don't know him."

Uncle Qi opened the book on the table again and pointed to a line.

"Read this line to me."

Lu Chuan looked down, stared at it for a moment, then shook his head: "I can't read it."

Only then did Uncle Qi raise his head and truly look at him.

After a moment of silence, he lowered his head again, picked up his pen, wrote a word on the paper, and pushed it over.

"What about this one?"

Lu Chuan looked over.

There were seven characters written on the paper. He recognized five of them, two of which were obscure and he had never seen them before.

"I don't know these two."

Seventh Uncle hummed in agreement, offering no comment, then opened the book on the table and pointed to a line.

"Read this line to me."

Lu Chuan lowered his head and read the words aloud, one by one. He paused at one point because he wasn't sure how to pronounce a particular word, so he simply said, "I don't know how to pronounce this word."

Only then did Uncle Qi raise his head and truly look at him.

It wasn't a scrutiny; it was a look that Lu Chuan couldn't quite describe, as if he were confirming something.

"Unfamiliar words are more important than familiar ones."

Uncle Qi didn't explain, and continued writing his characters.

Lu Shoutian sat to the side without saying a word. At this moment, he glanced at Lu Chuan, who shook his head slightly at him, indicating that he didn't need to speak.

After a moment, Uncle Qi put down his pen and looked up.

"Come over at Chen Shi (7-9 AM) the day after tomorrow."

Lu Chuan stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful bow to his seventh uncle, and said in a low voice, "Yes."

We left the hospital.

Lu Shoutian walked for a while before finally speaking: "So, you agree?"

Lu Chuan nodded.

"That's good, that's good." Lu Shoutian patted him on the shoulder. "You've got guts today, kid."

Lu Shoutian parted ways with him at the intersection. Before leaving, he turned back and said, "Go back and tell your father properly."

"Um."

As he walked home, he clutched the cloth bag tightly to his chest.

Uncle Qi still refused to accept it.

Upon entering the courtyard, Lu's mother was standing under the eaves waiting for him. When she saw him return, she glanced behind him to make sure he was alone.

"How is it?"

Lu Chuan handed over the cloth bag.

"Seventh Uncle confiscated it and told me to bring it back."

Lu's mother took it, held it in her hand, and didn't say anything, but just glanced into the room.

"Let me go there at Chenshi (7-9 AM) the day after tomorrow."

Mother Lu lowered her head, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, turned and walked towards the stove, her voice a little hoarse:

"Okay, go tell your father."