Chapter 46: The Uninvited Guest

One afternoon, every household in Li Wencun pasted couplets written by Li Yanqing. He had hundreds of couplets in his mind, so each family could have unique ones without repetition. His couplets were both novel and auspicious. The news spread quickly, causing a sensation across the neighboring villages. People came in an endless stream to request couplets, and Li Yanqing never refused, fulfilling every request.

Even shops in Lushan Town came to ask Li Yanqing to write couplets for them. However, he was less generous with shops, charging a fee. At five hundred wen per shop, he wrote a dozen or so exquisite couplets in one go, earning a tidy sum for the New Year.

As the New Year approached, the biggest task for every household was to prepare for ancestor worship. Although small families did not build ancestral halls like the Li clan, nearly every household cleaned the main hall, placed ancestral tablets, arranged offerings of chicken, duck, fish, and some snacks, burned incense, and lit candles. The entire family prepared to honor their ancestors on the first day of the lunar year.

On New Year’s Eve afternoon, every family was busy preparing the reunion dinner, with smoke curling from kitchen chimneys and the village filled with the aroma of cured meat and rice wine. Li Daqi was called by the clan elder to help at the ancestral hall. His family never had a reunion dinner; Li Yanqing would go to Uncle Hu’s house for the meal.

Li Yanqing, bored, practiced flicking stones alone in the backyard. A copper coin hung on the jujube tree. Standing three zhangs away, he aimed stones at the coin. Dahei busily fetched stones for him. Whenever Li Yanqing flicked a stone, Dahei would rush to retrieve it and place it at his feet. The courtyard was intermittently filled with the clinking sound of the coin.

Suddenly, Dahei barked at the wall. Li Yanqing was puzzled—what could be causing the noise outside? He climbed the wall and saw a tall, burly man walking from the distant woods. The man wore a Fanyang hat, a short black robe, and carried a whistle staff over his shoulder, from which hung a small bundle and a gourd flask.

His attire resembled Lin Chong from the Water Margin, but as he drew closer, Li Yanqing’s first impression was that this man was no good. His skin was dark, his face long and gaunt with a two-inch scar on his cheek, and his sharp triangular eyes were chillingly cold.

The man noticed Li Yanqing and, fearing he might run away, called out from a distance, “Young man, is this Li Wencun village?”

His accent was not local but matched that of the tavern owner—a Beijing accent. Li Yanqing replied, “This is Li Wencun.”

“Is there a man named Hu here?”

There was no one with the surname Hu, but a homophone, Hu, existed. Li Yanqing wondered if the man was looking for Uncle Hu.

He shook his head immediately. “There’s no Hu here. You must be mistaken.”

The man stepped closer, about three meters away, and asked, “This is definitely Li Wencun in Xiaohe Township, right? Maybe he’s using another name. He’s a sturdy man in his thirties, looks like a bear, about my height, and skilled in martial arts. Think carefully—is there anyone like that?”

That description matched Uncle Hu perfectly. Li Yanqing’s guard rose. This man did not look friendly; could he be here to trouble Uncle Hu?

Just as Li Yanqing was about to deny it, Hu Sheng’s voice came from a nearby path, “Third Bian, how did you know I was here?”

The burly man turned, his face lighting up with joy. “Brother Hu, I finally found you.”

But Hu Sheng was not pleased. Coldly, he said, “You haven’t answered my question yet.”

The man looked awkward and said after a moment, “Someone saw you in town last year.”

“Hmph! You even know which village I live in. You truly have your intentions!”

“Brother, don’t say that. Master Fang also admires you...”

“Silence!”

Hu Sheng cut him off and glanced coldly at Li Yanqing sitting on the wall. “Since you’re here, come to my house to talk.”

The burly man immediately cupped his fists in thanks and stepped forward, smiling. “How is Madam doing? Does her old injury still trouble her in the winter?”

“Later,” Hu Sheng replied.

They walked down the alley. Li Yanqing, still on the wall, was stunned. Fang the Master—could this be Fang La, the leader of the Manichaean sect?

It was now the year 1111. Li Yanqing recalled a major event that year: The Song dynasty’s finances were strained, so Emperor Zhao Ji appointed Yang Jian in the spring to establish the “Land Extortion Office” east of the capital. This office forcibly seized lands, imposed heavy taxes, and caused countless families to be ruined and numerous injustices.

At the same time, the “Su-Hang Tribute Bureau” was set up in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region to collect local flowers, stones, bamboo, wood, and rare treasures, shipping them by large boats to Bianjing. Every ten boats formed a convoy known as the famous “Flower and Stone Fleet.”

These two measures ignited the flames of rebellion led by Song Jiang and Fang La. Though the uprising had not yet begun, preparations were already underway in secret.

Li Yanqing connected the dots and suspected that the man was Fang La’s envoy, here to recruit Uncle Hu.

Yet from their conversation, Li Yanqing sensed that Uncle Hu’s background was no ordinary one.

Unable to remain seated any longer, Li Yanqing jumped down from the wall and ran toward Uncle Hu’s home.

Entering the yard, he saw Xiao Qing, alone, squatting beside the vegetable patch playing with mud. She looked a bit upset, pouting and ignoring Li Yanqing.

Seeing the west room door closed, Li Yanqing guessed Uncle Hu and the burly man were inside talking.

At that moment, he heard Madam Hu’s voice from the kitchen and quietly approached. She was speaking with her daughter-in-law.

“Mother-in-law, who exactly is that man? He was so generous, offering fifty taels of gold upfront.”

Li Yanqing thought to himself: fifty taels of gold equals five hundred taels of silver—no small sum anywhere. This man was clearly trying to recruit Uncle Hu.

“We can’t accept the gold. Dalang will surely return it. Daughter-in-law, that man is no good—we must be cautious.”

“Mother-in-law, what exactly did Dalang do before? Why have you never mentioned it?”

Xiao Qing’s mother’s surname was Zhang. Li Yanqing always called her Aunt Zhang. She came from Daming Prefecture, different from Uncle Hu’s hometown. Li Yanqing had heard Madam Hu mention her, but even Aunt Zhang didn’t know Uncle Hu’s past, showing how mysterious his origins were.

“Didn’t I tell you before? Dalang was once a martial instructor in the capital who fled to Tangyin County after injuring someone.”

“But that doesn’t seem right. That man just now clearly called Dalang ‘Second Great King.’ Mother-in-law, tell me the truth—was Dalang once...?”

Li Yanqing’s curiosity deepened. Could Uncle Hu have been a bandit king before?

Madam Hu looked displeased. “You’ve been married five years; Qing’er is already three. Why do you keep digging into Dalang’s past? Has he ever treated you badly?”

With a clang, Madam Hu slammed the pot down and turned to leave the kitchen. Li Yanqing was startled and quickly crouched down, digging in the mud.

Madam Hu came out of the kitchen, caught sight of Li Yanqing, and was momentarily surprised. “Qing’er, what are you doing here?”

Li Yanqing forced an innocent smile. “Madam, I’m playing in the mud with Qing’er.”

“Oh! When will your father be back? We should start the reunion dinner soon.”

“Madam, I forgot to say—Father will be keeping vigil with the clan elder in the ancestral hall tonight. He won’t be home for dinner.”

Madam Hu smiled. “It seems your clan elder values your father highly. That’s a good thing. Now go wash up. Qing’er, you and Second Brother should wash up too.”

Li Yanqing took Xiao Qing’s hand and headed to the well. At that moment, the two women said nothing and carried dishes toward the main hall.

Suddenly, the west room door opened, and Hu Sheng’s cold voice was heard, “After dinner, leave. For the sake of our brotherhood, I won’t quarrel with you today. But never bother me again.”

“Brother, why are you so stubborn? Do you need the Master to persuade you?”

“Shut up! If he dares come, I’ll report him to the authorities!”

“Brother, don’t you want the gold?”

Bang! Hu Sheng slammed the table, furious. “Take your gold back—I don’t want it!”

The man grew angry too, shouting, “Hu, I’m warning you one last time. Master Fang respects you; don’t refuse his goodwill and suffer the consequences!”

“Get lost!”

Hu Sheng exploded in rage, grabbing the man and dragging him into the yard. “Get out of here!”

The man retaliated, choking Hu Sheng, and the two rolled into a fierce struggle.

Li Yanqing quickly pulled Xiao Qing close, intending to protect her. But the normally gentle child became fierce, like a little tiger, rushing forward to bite the man’s thigh hard.

The man howled in pain. Hu Sheng seized the chance to break free and grabbed his daughter, handing her to Li Yanqing. “Watch her well!”

Li Yanqing held Xiao Qing tightly as she struggled fiercely, as if the fearless spirit deep within her had been awakened.

Madam Hu suddenly appeared, brandishing a knife from the kitchen and angrily scolding the man, “Third Bian, today is New Year’s Eve. I don’t want to quarrel, but I haven’t forgotten the past. If you dare come again, we’ll settle all old and new scores!”

The scar-faced man finally ceased fighting. He looked at the mother and child, then at Li Yanqing and Xiao Qing, restraining his anger. “Since that’s how it is, I won’t force things. I’ll report truthfully to the Master and let him decide. Until we meet again.”

With that, he turned and stormed off in anger.