Chapter Eighteen: The Homework Incident

Inside the study room, Li Er was vividly recounting to everyone the ghost he had seen that day.

“That really was a hanging ghost—such a long neck, dressed in white, with a round, plump belly, the kind of ghost that looks well-fed. It just stood there, pointing straight at Brother Qing as if to say he had to go with it. I was so terrified I rushed to the school to report it.”

Tang Huai, standing nearby, looked doubtful. It should have been Wang Gui who went to find Li Yanqing, but from this description, it didn’t sound like Wang Gui at all.

“Li Er, did that ghost actually take Brother Qing away?”

“I don’t know! I went back to look, but Brother Qing was gone, and so was the ghost.”

“That means he was taken! Li Er, go tell his father to come save him!”

Li Er scratched his head. It seemed Brother Qing’s father had gone to the county seat. What could they do now?

Just then, someone shouted, “Brother Qing is back!”

The students all surged toward the door, seeing Li Yanqing and Wang Gui swaggering into the courtyard. Wang Gui, like a true iron brother, had his arm slung over Li Yanqing’s shoulder. Wang Gui’s family ran the town’s general store, where their paper armor and weapons were kept.

Li Yanqing’s impressive sword strike had earned Wang Gui’s respect, and the two had become good friends.

Everyone burst into laughter. “Li Er, where’s the hanging ghost?”

Li Er blinked and, feeling clever, called out, “I know now! It must have been Lord Gui Tian who saved Brother Qing.”

At that moment, a heavy cough came from nearby. Master Yao appeared, his face stern as he folded his hands behind his back. The students, startled, hurried back to their seats.

Li Er’s face went pale. He suddenly remembered he hadn’t finished his homework last night. He had planned to come early to the school to catch up but had forgotten.

The students placed their homework bags on the table in front, quickly piling them high. Li Yanqing and Wang Gui hurried in and set their bags down as well.

Returning to his seat, Li Yanqing noticed a small bamboo cup on his desk.

“I made it myself,” Yue Fei said quietly nearby.

Everyone had a small container for water on their desks for grinding ink, except Li Yanqing. He picked up the simple yet practical bamboo cup and smiled. “Thank you.”

Yue Fei nodded and resumed his usual solemn expression, focusing intently on Master Yao’s lesson.

“Everyone listen carefully!”

Master Yao’s stern voice echoed from the front, drawing Li Yanqing’s full attention.

“I heard complaints about too much homework yesterday. Do you want to know my answer? It’s simple: if I find anyone who didn’t finish yesterday’s homework, they will be punished tenfold. Those who refuse punishment can pack up and leave the school—never to return!”

Li Yanqing glanced back at Li Er, who sat seriously, though his small eyes darted about nervously.

“Didn’t this kid say he hadn’t finished his homework?” Li Yanqing thought to himself.

“I have to go to the county today and might only be back in the afternoon.”

The classroom erupted in cheers, especially Li Er, who nearly jumped on the table with excitement.

“Don’t celebrate too soon!” Yao Ding quickly quelled the rejoicing, then cooled everyone’s spirits with his next words.

“While I’m away, write the Analects ten times over. I will check when I return. Incomplete work will mean a hundredfold punishment!”

Master Yao gathered the homework bags and left. There was no more cheering. Everyone silently took out paper and brush to begin writing. Joking aside, that was twice as much as yesterday’s homework—who could stand it?

“Brother Qing!” Li Er said with a miserable face to Li Yanqing. “I’m doomed this time.”

“I thought you were joking!”

“No joke. I really didn’t finish. I planned to come early this morning to catch up.”

Li Er glanced timidly at Li Yanqing. “I was hoping you could help.”

Li Yanqing suddenly recalled he had gone to spar with Wang Gui early that morning. “How much do you still owe?”

“Three times more.”

Li Yanqing was speechless. In all, they were supposed to copy the Analects five times, not much at all. Probably, Li Er hadn’t written anything at school yesterday and had left everything until late at night, which is why he failed to finish.

Li Yanqing wrote quickly and was good at imitation; several copies of the Analects were no trouble for him. But if he wrote them for Li Er, how would they be submitted?

After a moment’s hesitation, Li Yanqing said, “I can write them for you, but the homework’s already collected. What can we do?”

Li Er hesitated, then said, “There’s a way, but most people wouldn’t dare.”

Li Yanqing’s mind raced. “You don’t mean sneaking into Master’s room, do you?”

Li Er nodded. “Someone has done it before.”

“Who?”

Li Er nodded toward Wang Gui and Tang Huai, lowering his voice. “No one but those two would dare do such a thing in this school.”

“You’re not asking me to do it for you, are you?”

“Brother Qing, I specially brought three extra meat pies today.”

Li Yanqing had three coarse wheat buns for lunch. He’d already eaten two that morning and had one left, but his stomach was growling loudly. Li Er had clearly seized his weakness and had a plan all along.

Thinking that Master Yao was at the county seat, the risk was low. Li Yanqing gave him a hard kick under the table. “It’s a deal!”

Though Li Er grimaced at the kick, he couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll write it myself. Just help me sneak it in.”

Tenfold punishment! Would Li Guangzong still want to live?

Generally, catching up on homework was faster than doing it fresh. Li Er finished the owed work in just fifteen minutes and secretly slipped it to Li Yanqing. “You can use the excuse of going to the restroom.”

Yue Fei coughed softly nearby, murmuring to himself, “A gentleman is cautious in solitude, not cheating even in darkness.”

Li Yanqing turned and smiled. “Fifth brother, have you read the Doctrine of the Mean yet?”

Yue Fei blushed. Under his grandfather’s strict guidance, his studies had long surpassed those of the other students. He said nothing further and focused on his writing.

Using the restroom as an excuse, Li Yanqing slipped out of the classroom and quickly reached the master’s room. The window was slightly ajar; he quietly opened it and climbed in.

Master Yao’s room was a suite—an inner bedroom and an outer study. Their homework was stacked on a small table in the study.

Li Yanqing quickly found Li Er’s homework bag and slipped the three newly completed sheets inside. As he turned to leave, he noticed a strange couplet hanging on the opposite wall. It had only the horizontal title; both sides were blank, as if unfinished.

Li Yanqing had a strong interest in couplets and read the title: “What is the flavor of reading?”

He pondered briefly and immediately thought of a fitting couplet. Unable to resist, he picked up a blank sheet on the nearby desk and wrote:

“To read is to seek righteousness; to read the Changes is to grasp transformation; to read the Songs is to capture subtlety; to read Zhuangzi is to attain understanding; to read Han texts is to gain firmness—this is the most flavorful taste through the years;
Like chrysanthemums in the wild, like plum blossoms sparse, like lotus pure, like orchids fragrant, like crabapples harmonious—they surely call themselves flower immortals.”

Li Yanqing slipped the written couplet into his own homework bag but, after a few steps, changed his mind. He took the paper back out and placed it plainly on the master’s desk.

...

Outside the school wall, Li Yanqing contentedly savored three delicious meat pies. Today’s pies were made with fresh lamb, ten times tastier than yesterday’s salted meat filling, seasoned with ginger shreds and scallions to remove the gaminess. It was the most delicious food he’d had since arriving in the Song dynasty.

“If I hadn’t taken the risk today, you’d be in deep trouble—writing fifty copies as punishment!” Li Yanqing enjoyed the flavor while making his moral case.

Li Er was deeply grateful. Feeling three meat pies weren’t enough to express his thanks, he pulled out a paper-wrapped package. “Brother Qing, try this honey malt candy my uncle brought from the city—the best from Wang’s Sugar Workshop.”

The honey malt candy was golden and tempting, though marked with Li Er’s black-stained fingers, causing Li Yanqing to frown.

At that moment, Wang Gui waved from afar. “Brother Qing, let’s go out for a walk!”

Li Yanqing had been cooped up all morning and was eager to get out. He lightly jumped down from the wall and ran toward Wang Gui and Tang Huai.

“Wait for me!” Li Er clumsily climbed down and hurried after them.