Chapter Two: Provocation

“Bet! Go on, name your terms,” Chen Wenju replied without a second thought.

“We’ll wager on whether I can recognize a thousand characters. If I win, you’ll have your family’s plow ox finish tilling my family’s eight acres of land tonight. Do you accept?” Zhou Zhi raised his chin, his tone full of provocation.

“Fine! If you really win, not only will I send men to plow your family’s eight acres, I’ll even sow wheat for you free of charge. Hmph! But if I win, I won’t make things too hard for you; you’ll just kowtow three times, call me ‘Grandfather’ three times, and crawl beneath my legs like a dog. From then on, you’ll never read another book,” Chen Wenju snapped, his face dark with anger.

Their heated argument had already drawn the attention of villagers returning home for supper. People gathered, whispering among themselves, “What’s gotten into that Zhou boy today, challenging Young Master Chen? Has he lost his mind?”

Ding Ergou, the village loafer, stood at the entrance and bellowed with his hoarse voice, “Come quick, there’s a real show! The Zhou lad’s about to crawl like a dog under Young Master Chen’s legs!”

This cry shattered the tranquil air of Baiyue Village. Soon, a crowd poured out from the village, following Ding Ergou in a swarm toward Zhou Zhi’s fields.

The villagers rarely had any entertainment, so whenever anything remotely unusual happened, they flocked to watch, eager for gossip to savor over tea for days to come.

Now, the wager between Zhou Zhi and Chen Wenju was about to commence. Chen Wenju ordered his servant Gou Wang’er to fetch a book from home, intending to have Zhou Zhi read from it. Stealing a glance at the book’s title, Zhou Zhi felt entirely at ease.

He curled his lips in a faint, disdainful smile, looking at Chen Wenju with contempt. Chen Wenju, meanwhile, appeared composed, his confidence swelling as the crowd grew. A smug grin spread across his face.

Chen Wenju lifted his chin high, regarding the crowd almost down his nose, and shrilled, “Fellow villagers, you are all witnesses today. It was this Zhou boy who forced me to wager on his literacy. When he loses, attest for me—it’s not that I’m bullying him!”

“Rest assured, Young Master Chen, we’ll be your witnesses!” the crowd responded enthusiastically.

Most people feared the Chen family, and among them were Chen family tenants, who dared not offend their masters and so sided with Chen Wenju. Everyone knew Zhou Zhi had never attended school—how could he possibly read? To claim he could recognize a thousand characters was pure fantasy.

Spurred on by their support, Chen Wenju grew more elated. He curled his lip and addressed the onlookers, “Tell me, neighbors, who do you think will win? This Zhou boy, or me—the scholar?”

He deliberately stressed the words “the scholar,” drawing out the syllables with an arrogance that was hard to describe.

“Young Master Chen will win! Young Master Chen will win!” the crowd cheered, raising their fists in excitement.

Ding Ergou, standing at the front, grinned obsequiously at Chen Wenju and added, “When the Zhou lad crawls under your legs like a dog, make him bark a few times too. That’ll be a sight to see!”

“Haha! Well said, I should have thought of that myself,” Chen Wenju exclaimed, slapping his forehead in mock revelation.

He turned to Zhou Zhi, “You hear that, Zhou boy? As everyone wishes, I’ll add another term: if you can’t read a thousand characters, you’ll have to bark like a dog as well.”

“Agreed. I’ll accept all Young Master Chen’s terms,” Zhou Zhi replied offhandedly.

“Good. Gou Wang’er, give him the book. Let’s see him read the words inside!” Chen Wenju commanded. The servant hastened forward to hand Zhou Zhi the volume.

“Don’t, Xiaozhi! Don’t wager with him!” A rugged voice rang out. A burly man blocked Gou Wang’er, preventing the book from changing hands.

This was Zhang Hudan, Zhou Zhi’s closest companion. He’d been loitering about when he heard Zhou Zhi was gambling here and hurried over.

Zhang Hudan was five years older than Zhou Zhi and strong as an ox, but he idled away his days with the local ruffians. Because of his strength and ruthless fists, even the toughest bullies avoided provoking him.

The Zhang and Zhou families were equally poor, and close friends, so Zhou Zhi had been tagging after Zhang Hudan since childhood. Zhang Hudan treated Zhou Zhi like a true younger brother.

He knew better than anyone that Zhou Zhi had never learned a single character.

“Xiaozhi, listen to your brother and come home. Don’t make trouble here,” Zhang Hudan growled, grabbing Zhou Zhi’s arm to lead him away through the crowd.

For all his arrogance, Chen Wenju had to give some ground to a tough like Zhang Hudan. Seeing his chance to humiliate Zhou Zhi slipping away, he refused to let them go, blocking their path with outstretched arms and a sullen face. “Zhang Hudan, what’s this wager between me and the Zhou boy to do with you? Out of the way if you know what’s good for you.”

“Damn you! Just because you know a few words, you think you can bully people?” Zhang Hudan shot back, but still tried to drag Zhou Zhi away. He was poor, but not afraid of Chen Wenju; in the end, what was life worth to a man who had nothing to lose?

Chen Wenju’s face turned even more sour as he sneered, “So the Zhou kid only has this much backbone? Running away with his tail between his legs—what a coward! That’s what comes of being born a peasant. You’ll never amount to anything.”

His words dripped with venom.

Zhou Zhi, unruffled, chuckled, “Young Master Chen, who said I was running? I’m not leaving. Today, I will wager with you.”

With that, he shook off Zhang Hudan’s hand.

“Xiaozhi, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind? We’re poor, but we’re still men. No real man would willingly disgrace himself. Come, let’s go,” Zhang Hudan urged anxiously.

Though rough around the edges, Zhang Hudan always spoke of being a true man, his words carrying a certain force.

“Brother Hudan, let me do this. I haven’t lost my mind,” Zhou Zhi replied sincerely, standing firm.

Zhang Hudan grew more and more puzzled. Usually, Zhou Zhi obeyed his every word, but today, something was different. Seeing Zhou Zhi’s determined expression, he could only sigh and give in.

“Brother Hudan, I need your help with something today,” Zhou Zhi said earnestly, then whispered a few words in his ear. Zhang Hudan looked skeptical, glancing between Chen Wenju and Zhou Zhi, before finally stomping his foot. “Fine, Xiaozhi. I’ll trust you this once. Let’s see what trick you have up your sleeve.”

With that, he pushed through the crowd and dashed back toward the village.

Once Zhang Hudan was gone, Chen Wenju composed himself and said coldly, “Zhou boy, let’s begin the wager.”

“One moment. A verbal agreement isn’t enough. We should write a contract as proof. Young Master Chen, please have someone draft it,” Zhou Zhi replied with a sunny smile.

“Hah! Write a contract for a trivial matter like this? I doubt you have the guts to refuse when you lose. Hmph!” Chen Wenju scoffed, though inwardly, his heart skipped a beat. Today, this Zhou boy was acting awfully strange, even asking for a written contract.