Chapter 12

After taking Zhu Xuan to formally acknowledge her teacher, Zhu Ming didn’t forget to drag her along to the marketplace to buy more necessities: firewood, rice, oil, salt, seeds for summer and autumn vegetables, cloth and sewing supplies for making clothes, and the stationery Zhu Xuan would need for school... They had already spent a good sum on the gifts for her new teacher, and as Zhu Ming mentally calculated their expenses, his heart ached a little at how much they had spent this trip.

On the way through the market, Zhu Xuan slowly regained her senses. She kept the paper on which Mr. Huang had written her scholarly name close to her heart, taking it out every so often to admire the elegant writing, then tucking it back carefully, pressing it against her chest, unable to help but grin foolishly each time she looked at it. Zhu Ming noticed her dazed, lovestruck look and thought she was not much different from the daft Xiu Ying whom Mr. Huang had mentioned before.

So Zhu Ming said, “Stop looking at that. You look so silly—those who know you got your scholarly name would understand, but those who don’t might think you’ve lost your soul.”

Zhu Xuan paid him no mind, beaming with delight. Zhu Ming sighed, and bought a few pastries to take home. As they passed by his eldest sister’s butcher shop, Zhu Xuan saw Yuan Fengyi sitting on the steps, arms folded, staring into space with his usual cool indifference.

With a bright smile, Zhu Xuan cheerfully ran up to him and called, “Fengyi!”

Yuan Fengyi, hearing her voice, lifted his eyelids a little, greeted Zhu Ming with a “Uncle,” and returned to his daydreams. Zhu Xuan, still in high spirits, asked, “Fengyi, why are you ignoring me?”

Yuan Fengyi, a bit embarrassed, finally replied, “Sister Xuan.”

Zhu Xuan immediately pulled the paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and pointed to the character “Xuan.” “Do you know how to read this character?”

Yuan Fengyi glanced at the graceful character for “Xuan” on the paper, then at the chicken-scratch writing beside it, and answered, “Xuan.”

Zhu Xuan widened her eyes in surprise. “Wow! You know such a complicated character! Fengyi, you’re amazing!”

Yuan Fengyi blushed. “I’m not amazing... I just started learning to read with my grandfather when I was three, so I learned earlier than most.”

Hearing this, Zhu Ming suddenly recalled that Zhu Qing’s real father—Yuan Fengyi’s grandfather—was a child scholar in the previous dynasty. When famine struck, the Yuan family couldn’t survive, and Zhu Qing was given away so she wouldn’t starve.

“Yes, this character is ‘Xuan.’ That’s my scholarly name now; from now on, I’ll be Zhu Xuan—this Zhu Xuan.” Zhu Xuan beamed as she spoke.

Yuan Fengyi looked at her joyful face, fell silent for a moment, then called out, “Zhu Xuan.”

Although it sounded the same as her old name, Zhu Xuan knew he was calling her by her new scholarly name, so she answered happily and asked, “Do you have a scholarly name?”

Yuan Fengyi looked a bit resigned. “My name is Yuan Fengyi. That’s my scholarly name.”

Zhu Xuan realized she hadn’t learned the characters for “Fengyi,” so she tugged at his sleeve and said, “I don’t know your scholarly name, Fengyi. Write it here on this paper for me so I can see what it looks like.”

Yuan Fengyi wanted to go inside to fetch a brush and write it for her, but Zhu Ming interrupted, “If you two keep chatting, it’ll be dark before we get home, and if you have him write something, we’ll end up eating dinner at your aunt’s house.”

With that, he started pulling Zhu Xuan away. Yuan Fengyi stopped and watched as uncle and niece walked off.

After a few steps, Zhu Xuan turned back, pressed one of the little cakes Zhu Ming had bought into Yuan Fengyi’s hand, and ran off, holding Zhu Ming’s hand tightly. She had overheard the adults talking at home and knew about Yuan Fengyi’s background, so she considered him even more of a real cousin.

Yuan Fengyi sat in a daze, accepting the cake before realizing he shouldn’t have. By the time he reacted, Zhu Xuan and Zhu Ming had already gone.

By the time they arrived home, it was nearly dinner. Zhu Ming had just set down his basket when Granny Sun hurried over to inspect his purchases. When she finished, she demanded to know how much he had spent. Zhu Ming reported the sum with a smile, and Granny Sun, though illiterate, was a whiz at mental arithmetic and quickly tallied everything in her head.

When she was done, her brows shot up. “You wastrel! You must’ve been tricked by those crafty market vendors—don’t even know how to bargain! Everyone knows you’re a big spender who’s never home, so they treat you like an out-of-towner and cheat you! If I’d gone, I could’ve saved you a hundred coins! How could these things cost so much?”

Seeing Zhu Ming’s unconcerned face, her anger flared, and she glared at Zhu Xuan. “All your fault, you troublesome girl! You have to go to school, and just for that we have to spend all this money on stationery for your teacher! Born just to drain the family dry!”

While Granny Sun was still scolding, the rest of the Zhu family busied themselves with their own affairs.

Zhu Xuan ignored her grandmother and ran to her grandfather, carefully pulling out the white paper as if it were a treasure. “Grandpa, do you know this character?”

Grandpa had just come back from work and was sitting by the stove, sweating from the heat of the kitchen. He wiped his brow, squinted at the paper, and said, “Grandpa doesn’t know that one.”

Instantly, Xuan put on a smug face, as if to say, “Well, since you don’t know, I’ll just have to enlighten you.” It made Grandpa’s teeth ache—if not for her being at the age of utmost sweetness, he’d have given her a good scolding for showing off.

“This character is ‘Xuan,’ pronounced the same as my old name. From now on, I’m this ‘Xuan.’ Mr. Huang gave me my scholarly name!” As she spoke, she thrust the paper under her mother’s nose, insisting she look.

Shen Yun, hands on her waist, rolled her eyes. Xuan put her treasure away and skipped after her mother, saying, “Mom, let me do the cooking. You take a break.”

Shen Yun, gentle in appearance but not in words, replied, “You can’t even lift the spatula! If you help, you’ll ruin dinner for everyone!”

Grandpa chimed in, “Xuan, if you’ve nothing to do, go feed the pigs. The others have brought back pigweed. Go help mix the feed and take care of the pigs.”

Zhu Xuan dashed off at once, leaving Grandpa shaking his head. “That child...”

Meanwhile, Granny Sun, finished with her inspection, noticed Zhu Xuan hadn’t spoken a word to her since coming home and cried out, “That wretched girl changed her name? What did she change it to? Why won’t she show me? Does she even see me as her grandmother?”

Grandpa replied, “You can’t read anyway. Even if she showed you, you wouldn’t know.”

“Oh, listen to you, Zhu Dajiang, acting all learned. You can’t read either!”

“Sun, why don’t you hold your tongue for once?”

Inside, the house was a scene of lively chaos. Zhu Xuan, skipping all the way to the pigsty, found Zhu Tang and Zhu Lian back from collecting pigweed, busily mixing the feed. Xuan looked around and asked Zhu Lian, “Where’s Sister Ying?”

“She’s gone to see Brother Di. Come help out! You got to go to the market today, and you still want to play when you get home?” Zhu Lian wasted no time putting her to work.

Zhu Xuan helped mix the feed, then scooped it into the trough with a gourd ladle, calling out to the pigs as she worked.

At the Zhu home, there were two separate pig pens: one for the old sow and her two piglets, the other for two boars. Once the pigs came to eat, Zhu Xuan tossed in more pigweed. While working, she heard Zhu Tang ask, “Did you have fun at the market today?”

“It was fun! We bought lots of things. I wanted to buy a pair of rabbits to raise with you all, but Dad wouldn’t let me. He said we couldn’t afford them after buying things for the teacher, and Grandma would scold us if we brought rabbits home.” Zhu Xuan answered as she watched the pigs.

Zhu Lian laughed. “You wanted rabbits for yourself and tried to drag us into it! So how was it at the teacher’s house?”

At the mention of Mr. Huang, Zhu Xuan immediately stopped working to show off her new name to Zhu Tang and Zhu Lian. The two fell silent after seeing it; such a complicated character was never taught in their village school, and they didn’t understand why Xuan wanted to show it to them. Then they heard her say, “This is my scholarly name now. It’s pronounced ‘Xuan.’ I think it means something like a little bird flying.”

She tried to recall Mr. Huang’s explanation, but his words were too literary for her to understand. All she remembered was that it meant she should soar.

“A little bird flying? Why not call yourself Zhu Bird-Fly? That character is way too hard to write, so many strokes, it’s enough to make anyone dizzy. Why’d your teacher give you such a tricky name? Girls don’t usually get called ‘Little Bird Flying!’” Zhu Tang finished feeding the pigs, rinsed off at the water jar, and muttered as he worked.

“It’s ‘Xuan!’ Not ‘Little Bird Flying!’ Brother Tang, you’d never make a scholar! You have no sense of poetry!” Zhu Xuan stamped her foot, shoving him in annoyance.

Zhu Tang stood solid as a tree, unmoved. Zhu Xuan grew even more indignant and raised her face defiantly. “You’re Zhu Bird-Fly!”

When she saw Zhu Tang grinning down at her with mischief, she grew wary and blinked—but before she could react, he grabbed her under the arms and hoisted her up like a kitten.

Though only six years apart, Zhu Tang was a sturdy boy of twelve or thirteen, already tall and strong.

“Ah!” Caught off guard, Zhu Xuan shrieked, ticklish under the arms, torn between laughter and indignation. “Hahaha, put me down! Brother Tang!”

Zhu Tang smirked and swung her in the air. “If you’re a little bird flying, then I’ll take Sister Xuan on a flight.”

Held aloft, Zhu Xuan gazed at the sunset, slowly stretching out her arms, laughter tinkling like silver bells. “This is fun! Do it again!”

Zhu Lian, watching the two roughhouse, shouted, “Brother Tang, put her down before you drop her!”

But then she saw Zhu Tang, bold as ever, toss Zhu Xuan up and catch her again with practiced ease, making Zhu Lian’s face turn pale with fright. The two in question, however, were oblivious to danger, and Zhu Xuan only laughed harder. “Again! Throw me again! I feel like I could catch the wind!”

Zhu Tang, though tall and strong, was still a child at heart, and truly meant to throw her again. But before he could, Zhu Ming rushed over, snatched Xuan from his arms, and glared at the siblings. Zhu Xuan’s laughter halted abruptly.

“Go on then! Why not keep flying?” Zhu Ming said.