Chapter Twenty-Five: Rogues Are as Numerous as Hairs

Zhou Zhi was a man of great endurance, but seeing Group Leader Wang spewing nonsense and making things difficult on purpose was more than he could bear. The group leader’s arbitrary fine of two silver coins—never mind that Zhou Zhi’s family didn’t have two coins to their name, even if they did, he would never hand them over.

Zhou Zhi’s eyes blazed with fury as he glared fiercely at Group Leader Wang and shouted, “What is the meaning of this? I’ve worked diligently every day to care for the government’s horse, not daring to slack off for even a moment. Ever since I brought the horse here, it’s clearly grown fatter, yet you claim it’s gotten thinner. Are you not just bullying us beyond reason?”

To Zhou Zhi’s mind, one must never show fear to such petty villains. As he spoke, he drew closer to Group Leader Wang, clenching his fists. Zhou Zhi was already grown, and his aggressive demeanor made Group Leader Wang shrink back in fright, retreating step by step.

After all, he was only a petty official, so insignificant he was hardly more than nothing, not even worthy of being called a real official. Yet, his daily dealings were with poor farmers who raised government horses, and these peasants dared not offend him, for so long as the horse didn’t die, its condition was judged solely on his word. Thus, the farmers had no choice but to respect and flatter him.

Meeting someone as brash as Zhou Zhi today, Group Leader Wang was thoroughly vexed. Seeing Zhou Zhi poised to strike, exuding menace, he was genuinely afraid for the first time, for he knew in his heart that Zhou Zhi spoke the truth—the horse had indeed grown fatter over the past month, and no one could fault it now.

“You… do you actually dare to hit me? You should know, if you lay a hand on me, the group chief won’t spare you, and neither will the county registrar.” Wang stammered, flustered.

Outside the stable, Zhou Zhi’s mother, Madam Zhou, turned pale with fright at the sight of her son about to strike and cried out urgently, “Zhi, you mustn’t! You mustn’t!”

In truth, Zhou Zhi had never intended to hit Wang. Petty as he was, striking him would only bring trouble. Zhou Zhi had merely wanted to scare him off. In his eyes, people like Wang were obvious cowards, fierce in appearance but weak inside. Judging by his clothes, little different from those of ordinary peasants, it was clear he had not advanced at all in his petty office. With such people, sometimes intimidation was enough to make them back down.

Now, hearing Madam Zhou’s words, Group Leader Wang seized on them like a drowning man clutching a lifeline and said hurriedly, “That’s right, that’s right! Boy, surely you wouldn’t disobey your mother?”

Zhou Zhi had no choice but to wave his fist before Wang’s face and, feigning reluctance, finally lowered it.

The swagger drained from Group Leader Wang, and after glancing at Zhou Zhi, he ceased his posturing and slowly left the stable.

Stopping before Madam Zhou, however, he put on a sullen face and said, “Madam Zhou, are you just going to let me leave like this?”

Flustered, Madam Zhou quickly apologized, “Of course not. My son was out of line just now. Please, forgive us, Group Leader!”

She called toward the kitchen, “Yun, why haven’t you brought it out yet?”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Zhou Lüyun, the elder sister, soon appeared before their mother, holding five eggs in her hands.

At once, Zhou Zhi understood his mother’s intent and hurried out of the stable to block her. “Mother, you mustn’t give them to him!”

Seeing the eggs, Group Leader Wang’s expression softened, even though there were only five. He gazed greedily at the eggs in Zhou Lüyun’s hands, every inch the petty villain.

“Zhi, stay out of this!” Madam Zhou’s face darkened, and she spoke harshly.

In Zhou Zhi’s memory, his mother had never scolded him before—this was a first, and it made him hesitate.

Zhou Lüyun’s face was also clouded, clearly pained to part with the five eggs, but she obeyed their mother and handed them to Group Leader Wang.

Taking the eggs, Group Leader Wang’s face lit up. “You shouldn’t have, really, you shouldn’t,” he said, though he quickly and carefully tucked the eggs into his cloth pouch.

With a pleasant face, he said to Madam Zhou, “Your son tends the horse well. In the future, be sure to feed it with care. Now that the horse is in foal, when the foal arrives next year, perhaps the group chief will reward your family.”

His words were utter nonsense. According to government rules, those who raised military horses had to deliver a foal every three years or be fined if they failed. Producing a foal was simply a duty—what reward could there be?

But Madam Zhou could only force a smile and reply, “Of course, Group Leader, I’ll be sure to remind my boy to care for the horse well.”

“Well then, I’ll be off. I’ll return in ten days!” And with that, he carefully carried off his little cloth bag.

At the gate, he looked back at Zhou Zhi and, almost singing under his breath, recited, “If I say you’re right, you’re right; if I say you’re wrong, you’re still right. The world is perilous, rogues as many as hairs. The county lord sits in the clouds, the petty official in the mud. The commoner knows nothing, the villain is wronged. No meat on his bones, yet all say he’s fat.”

Listening to his fading chant, Zhou Zhi was left with a tangle of emotions.

His mother, Madam Zhou, seemed to regret scolding him and spoke earnestly, “People like Group Leader, we poor folk cannot afford to offend. Without his favor, it’s impossible to keep the government’s horse. Over three years, the horse will inevitably fall ill. If he reports us, we’ll be fined. With his help, things are much easier.

“The last two times, your father met with him, and each time we gave him five eggs. It’s not just our family—anyone raising a government horse gives him gifts. Five eggs are nothing, just buying a little peace.”

Five eggs may be nothing, yes, but only to those with wealth. For the Zhou family, it was something indeed. They kept six hens, and now, at the end of autumn, could barely collect two or three eggs a day. No one in the family would eat a single egg—why give them away?

If the horse was well cared for, what could Group Leader Wang do to them? It was this constant currying of favor that had spoiled men like him.

Still, since his mother spoke thus, Zhou Zhi said nothing more. But in his heart, he vowed that as long as their horse stayed healthy, he would never offer gifts to that man again. Including this time, it was now fifteen eggs—he would make sure Group Leader Wang paid back double.

People like Wang Quntou and Wang Qi needed to be taught a lesson.

…

For several days, it rained without end. With no work to do, Zhou Zhi stayed indoors to read. He had finished the “Lesser Learning” and began reading “The Great Learning.”

“The Great Learning” required careful study; its obscure passages needed to be pondered repeatedly, so progress was slow. But reading was a long-term endeavor—there was no need to rush.

One afternoon, after finishing his chores in the stable, Zhou Zhi was about to go inside to read when his father, Zhou Tie, called from the inner room, “Zhi, come in. I have something to discuss with you.”