Chapter 54: Wild Geese and Magpies

This short sword weighed about six or seven jin, was roughly fifty centimeters long, one point five centimeters thick, and three centimeters wide. Its tip was triangular, and although the surface showed slight rust spots, the steel grain on the blade remained fine and even. Li Yanqing could tell good steel from bad, and this was forged from top-grade genuine steel, representing the highest smelting level of the Song Dynasty.

Li Yanqing’s eyes gradually lit up. Seemingly remembering something, he quickly wiped the spine of the sword with his sleeve, and sure enough, a row of finely engraved characters appeared: Swordsmen Camp Military Use.

A sudden surge of excitement stirred within Li Yanqing's heart. This sword turned out to be the renowned thick-spined, short-bodied sword of the Great Song, the dedicated combat weapon of the Song army's swordsmen camp.

The Han and Tang dynasties belonged to the era of sabers, but by the Song Dynasty, the sword had experienced a renaissance. On one hand, the Song army lacked horses, resulting in a low demand for sabers suited for slashing.

More importantly, however, the Song Dynasty had entered the era of heavy armor. After acquiring Youzhou, the Khitans mastered advanced iron-smelting techniques, and their pig iron production surged dramatically. The armor they forged was no longer any different from that of the Song army.

Coupled with the fact that they were almost entirely cavalrymen, sabers were basically useless for cutting through enemy armor. Only by thrusting with a sword could one pierce through the gaps between the armor plates, wounding or killing the enemy. This was the primary reason why the Song Dynasty began using spears and swords in large quantities.

The thick-spined, short-bodied sword was the most famous combat sword of the Song Dynasty. Following the fall of the Southern Song, almost all of them were destroyed by the Mongol army, making them impossible to find in later generations. Li Yanqing had once seen its illustration in a Song painting; it could be used for thrusting, slashing, and even as a striking weapon like a mace, making it extremely practical.

Such a specialized combat sword for swordsmen could simply not be bought in county-level weapon shops, yet unexpectedly, he had found it in a peasant's home.

He swung the sword a few times. The balance felt exceptional, albeit a fraction too heavy, but entirely acceptable. He instantly fell in love with this weapon, which happened to be perfect for practicing the swordplay manual Uncle Hu had given him.

"That's my maternal grandfather's sword! How can you just take other people's things?"

Li Yanqing turned his head. The two young lasses who had just called him Uncle Qing were back, though he had no idea when they had returned.

Li Yanqing put the sword back where he found it. Although the owner used it to prop up a cabinet leg and did not cherish it much, it still wasn't his property, and he certainly didn't want to lose face in front of two juniors.

"Elder Sister, since Uncle Qing likes that sword, just give it to him!" Xi'er tugged at her sister's sleeve from the side.

"His surname is Li, and ours is Zhang. What kind of uncle is he to us?" The elder sister unhappily glared at her younger sister.

Xi'er lowered her head and dared not speak. The elder sister stepped forward, looking Li Yanqing up and down. "I thought you looked familiar, and just now I remembered. I used to play with you, but you didn't look like this back then. You're from Liwen Village, and your family used to have a big black dog, right?"

Liwen Village was at most two or three li away from here, so it was completely normal for this young miss to have seen him before. It was just that previously he had been a little mud monkey and quite foolish, whereas now he was an elegant young gentleman, which explained why she hadn't recognized him at first.

Li Yanqing smiled and said, "Your mother is of the same generation as me, and she even calls me brother. If you don't call me Uncle Qing, what should you call me?"

"My father's surname is Zhang, and he has nothing to do with your Li family. How my mother addresses you has nothing to do with me."

Hearing her sophistry, Li Yanqing felt a slight aversion, so he casually asked, "Since your surname is Zhang, what is your name?"

"My elder sister is called Zhang Dayan!"

The younger sister behind answered for her elder sister. Dayan turned back and glared at her sibling. "Why are you running your mouth?"

Li Yanqing actually took a liking to this sensible younger sister, so he lowered his head and smiled warmly. "I know, you're called Zhang Xiaoyan, right?"

"No! My name is Xique. Uncle Qing can call me Xique, or Xi'er is fine too."

"Little fool, you've told him everything!" Dayan glared at her younger sister once more.

The little sister stuck out her tongue and lowered her head again.

Dayan then cast a half-smiling glance at Li Yanqing and inched closer to him step by step. "Little brother, don't move! Elder sister wants to tell you a secret!"

While coaxing Li Yanqing with her words, Dayan suddenly reached out to pinch his ear. Li Yanqing had long since seen through her ulterior motive; before she could grab him, he sidestepped and dodged.

Dayan grabbed thin air, stomped her foot in frustration, and pounced on Li Yanqing like a cat, scolding, "You dead monkey, you actually tricked me into calling you uncle. See how I deal with you!"

"Elder sister, stop hitting him! Uncle is going to get angry." Little Xique hopped up and down in anxiety.

Li Yanqing’s movements were extremely swift. Dodging agilely, he retreated to the doorway. He fished out ten copper coins, gently weighed them in his palm, and smiled. "It's not like I'm asking you to do it for free. Call me Uncle Qing properly, and these ten coins are yours."

When Dayan caught sight of the ten copper coins, her eyes lit up, and the anger in her heart vanished instantly without a trace. Just a moment ago, Li Yanqing had given her twenty copper coins, enough to buy a bronze hairpin. It was the first time she had ever received so much New Year money.

Her family was relatively poor, and her parents wished they could split every single copper coin in half to use. Even if there were any nice things, they went to their younger brother, leaving nothing for the sisters. Even this new set of clothes had been bought for them by their maternal uncle.

Her New Year money usually amounted to just one or two coins, and only occasionally when her uncle from the capital visited would she get a little more. She had never received this much money all at once, as she did today.

She stared fixedly at the ten coins in Li Yanqing's hand while scheming in her mind how to get her hands on this silly boy's money. With these ten coins, she could buy another silk flower.

All smiles, she coaxed Li Yanqing, "Good brother, give the money to elder sister, and elder sister won't be angry anymore. I'll even accompany you to go dig out bird eggs!"

"No way! The rules of respecting one's elders stand. Your mother calls me brother, so you must call me Uncle Qing."

Dayan hesitated. Seeing that she was about to surrender, Li Yanqing smiled and said, "If you don't want to call me that, then forget it. I won't force you."

With that, he made to tuck the money back into his pocket. Panic-stricken, Dayan finally blurted out, "Uncle... Qing!"

"That's more like it! Respecting elders comes with perks. Why wouldn't you do it?"

Dayan snatched the ten copper coins. Fearing that Li Yanqing might go back on his word, she didn't even bother to hurl a couple of curses before sprinting away. Xique tried to follow her sister, but Li Yanqing caught her by the arm and smiled, "Wait a moment, I'll give you ten coins too."

Xique waved her hands repeatedly. "I don't want them. Calling you uncle is only right; how can I take money?"

Seeing how sensible and well-behaved she was, Li Yanqing felt quite fond of her and forcefully shoved the ten coins into her small palm. "Take this to buy some candy!"

"Thank you, Uncle Qing!"

Xique's face blossomed into a wide smile. Accepting the money, she ran out the door to chase after her elder sister.

Seeing the sisters run off into the distance, Li Yanqing finally settled his mind and began attending to his studies.

...

In the late afternoon and toward dusk, Li Dongdong came to invite Li Yanqing to dinner. By this time, Li Yanqing had finished his studies and was admiring the short sword.

"If younger brother Qing likes this sword, I'll give it to you!" Li Dongdong walked into the room with a smile.

"How could I possibly be so bold!"

"This was my eldest uncle's sword, and he treated it like a treasured possession. After he passed away, nobody wanted it anymore. My father loves collecting old things, so he picked it back up. I was worried you might look down on it; if you don't mind, it's yours."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Li Yanqing was overjoyed. This trip had certainly not been in vain—he had actually managed to acquire a fine sword.

At that moment, Li Dongdong pulled Li Yanqing along with a smile. "The banquet is about to start, and we're just waiting for you. Let's go!"

Li Yanqing placed the sword into his book satchel and followed Li Dongdong toward the main hall up front. With a smile, he asked, "Has the clan elder arrived?"

"He arrived long ago, and the contracts have all been signed. Your father told us not to disturb you, which is why we didn't call you."

Li Yanqing wasn't worried. Yesterday he had made another trip to Lushan Town and reviewed the draft contract. The clan elder had considered everything very thoroughly, even more meticulously than he himself had thought. The contract had already been finalized, and today was merely for signing and pressing fingerprints.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Li Yanqing found it bustling with excitement. Two to thirty people had gathered together. Li Dongdong had set up three banquets of wine and food—one main banquet table in the hall, and two secondary tables out in the courtyard.

Today's guests were primarily people from Qianshan Village. Aside from a few clansmen he had seen during the ancestor worship ceremony and vaguely remembered, he did not recognize the others.

Li Dongdong pulled Li Yanqing along to introduce him to the villagers and neighbors. Hearing that the young man before them was none other than Li Yanqing, who had taken first place at the Children's Society examination, the villagers looked at him with newfound respect and stood up one after another to offer greetings.

Li Yanqing smiled and returned their bows. Li Dongdong led him into the main hall, where Li Youyou, seated in the seat of honor, caught sight of Li Yanqing and quickly beckoned, "Qing'er, come sit over here!"

The guests in the main hall vied with one another to flatter Li Youyou, praising how the Li family was bound to produce another imperial scholar in the future. Their flattery left Li Youyou beaming with joy, stroking his beard and laughing heartily.

After Li Yanqing exchanged pleasantries with everyone, he noticed his father was missing and asked Li Youyou, "Clan elder, where is my father?"

Li Youyou chuckled. "He had something urgent to attend to and went back earlier."

Li Yanqing was taken aback. If his father had gone back, why hadn't he said a word to him? "Clan elder, what urgent matter could there possibly be at my home?"

"Today, the county school tutor accompanied someone from the prefecture to visit. They said they came to investigate your father's reputation, possibly related to some old affair from the past. Your father was anxious, so he headed back first."