A Poor Man's Son-in-Law: He Picks Up the Daughter of a Duke's Mansion at the Start

The next morning, Lu Xiaoshan was still asleep. His door was closed, and no one went to wake him.

Lu Qingyan was practicing calligraphy in the courtyard when she heard Zhao Shi sighing softly in the kitchen. Lu Tiezhu had gone to the fields early in the morning, the sound of his hoe hitting his shoulder heavier than usual. Lu Dashan followed him, glancing at his second brother's room before leaving, hesitating to speak.

After breakfast, Lu Qingyan saw Lu Xiaoshan's bundle still lying in the corner of the main room. He went over and untied the bundle—a few patched clothes, a pair of worn-out cloth shoes, and a small cloth bag.

Opening the cloth bag revealed some odds and ends: half a piece of charcoal, a few worn-down carving knives, and a few small wooden carvings.

Lu Qingyan picked one up. It was a monkey, about the size of a palm, roughly carved, with a crooked face, but its squatting posture was lifelike, and the upturned curve of its tail carried a mischievous air. The other was a small bird, its wings simply carved with a few strokes, yet it had the air of someone about to take flight.

He was stunned.

In the original owner's memories, the second brother, Lu Xiaoshan, was a man who worked quietly and didn't talk much, but he was skillful with his hands. However, no one expected that he could carve these things.

"What are you looking at, Third Brother?" Tao Hua asked, coming closer.

Lu Qingyan handed her the wooden monkey. Tao Hua held it, her eyes lighting up: "This monkey is so much fun!"

Shunhua also came over to look and whispered, "Was it carved by Second Brother?"

"It should be."

Just then, Lu Xiaoshan's door opened. His eyes were a little swollen. He paused for a moment when he saw what Lu Qingyan was holding, then quickly walked over and grabbed it, saying, "There's nothing to see."

"Second Brother," Lu Qingyan looked at him, "did you carve this?"

"I just carved it randomly when I had nothing else to do." Lu Xiaoshan stuffed the wooden monkey back into the cloth bag. "It's all scrap material, leftovers that the master didn't want."

"It's very well carved."

"What's so good about it?" Lu Xiaoshan smiled wryly, "It can't be eaten."

After he finished speaking, he turned to go to the kitchen to fetch water to wash his face. Lu Qingyan called out to him, "Second Brother, wait a moment."

Lu Qingyan went back to his room and took out a piece of paper and a charcoal pencil—the kind he used to draft when writing stories. He sat down at the table, thought for a moment, and began to draw.

He painted bonsai bamboo. I saw it in a past life when I visited Suzhou gardens; a few slender bamboo stalks, a few stubborn rocks, and a shallow pot made up a small landscape. Scholars love this; it's elegant and has a Zen-like quality.

The drawing is simple, using black and white lines. The bamboo stalks are upright, the leaves are sparse, and the pot is a shallow square pot with two naturally shaped stones. The approximate dimensions are marked next to it: the pot is one foot long, and the bamboo is seven or eight inches tall.

After he finished drawing, he took it to the courtyard.

"Second brother, take a look at this."

Lu Xiaoshan was washing his face, drying his hands, when he took the paper. After looking at it for a while, he looked up: "This is... a bonsai?"

"Yes. Bamboo and rock bonsai are what scholars like to display in their studies." Lu Qingyan pointed to the picture. "The bamboo is carved from old bamboo roots, and the rocks are picked from the riverbank with good shapes. The pot is made of wood, which needs to be polished smooth and varnished."

Lu Xiaoshan stared at the drawing, his fingers unconsciously stroking the paper.

Zhao came out of the kitchen and came over to look: "What's this painting? Bamboo?"

"Mother, this is a bonsai," Lu Qingyan explained. "It's like a small garden, placed on the table for display."

"Can this be sold for money?" Lu Tiezhu returned at some point and asked from the doorway.

"Yes, it's possible," Lu Qingyan said. "There are many scholars in the town and county, and displaying this shows elegance. If it's well-made, one can sell for several hundred coins or even a tael of silver."

"One ounce?" Lu Dashan's eyes widened when he heard this as soon as he entered the courtyard.

Lu Xiaoshan shook his head: "I can't do it. That would require extremely delicate craftsmanship..."

"You can do it." Lu Qingyan pointed to the wooden monkey in the cloth bag. "Look at this monkey, its expression is captured perfectly. That's the kind of spirit you need when carving bamboo—it's not about how finely it's carved, it's about having life in it."

He picked up the charcoal pencil and drew a few more strokes on the paper: "The bamboo joints don't need to be carved too neatly; a more natural look is better. The bamboo leaves should be arranged in groups of three to five, with a staggered pattern. The stones should be chosen to have a good shape, and only need to be lightly polished."

Lu Xiaoshan looked at the drawing, then at his own hands, and remained silent.

Lu Tiezhu took a drag of his cigarette: "It's worth a try. Anyway... there's nothing else to do right now."

That was a rather awkward way of putting it, but it offered a way out.

Zhao quickly replied, "Xiaoshan is skillful; he'll definitely be able to do it."

"Second Brother," Lu Qingyan handed him the drawing, "you try it first. There's wood at home, bamboo from the back hill, and plenty of stones by the river. I'll draw the design for the basin, and you can make it accordingly."

Lu Xiaoshan took the paper, looked at it for a long time, and then said in a low voice, "I...I'll give it a try."

"It's not just a try, it's something I can do." Lu Qingyan patted his shoulder. "Your monkey carving is excellent, it has a certain spirit. That's the kind of spirit you need for bonsai."

Just then, Tao Hua ran over with the wooden monkey in her hand: "Second Brother, can I have this?"

Looking at her expectant eyes, Lu Xiaoshan nodded: "Mm."

Tao Hua happily picked up the monkey and ran off. Shun Hua whispered, "Second Brother, can you carve a little rabbit?"

Lu Xiaoshan paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

After lunch, Lu Qingyan took Lu Xiaoshan to the back mountain. They found some old bamboo trees and cut a section of bamboo root—the roots were intertwined and naturally shaped. They then went to the riverbank and picked up some stones, some long and thin, some round and smooth, each with its own unique features.

Back home, Lu Xiaoshan got to work. He first processed the bamboo roots, trimming away the excess roots and leaving the main root and a few lateral roots. His movements were steady and precise.

Lu Qingyan watched from the side, occasionally commenting, "A scar here is natural." "This curve is good, like it was blown by the wind."

Lu Dashan also came over to take a look, scratching his head: "This thing...does anyone actually buy it?"

"Someone's buying it," Lu Qingyan said. "Scholars appreciate these things. They're elegant objects, and having them makes them happy."

Zhao boiled water, brewed honeysuckle tea, and brought it over: "Take a break and have some water."

Lu Xiaoshan took the bowl, took a big gulp, and continued working. His eyes were fixed on the bamboo root in his hand, as if he had become a different person—the numbness and fatigue he had felt in the carpenter's shop were gone, replaced by focus and a radiance.

As the sun began to set, the bamboo roots were roughly trimmed. Placed on the table, it already resembled the framework of a bonsai. Lu Xiaoshan then picked up his carving knife and began carving the bamboo joints. He carved slowly, carefully considering each stroke.

Lu Qingyan went inside to continue writing his story. Halfway through, he heard Lu Xiaoshan and Lu Tiezhu talking in the courtyard:

"...Father, is this alright?"

"...Hmm, that's interesting."

He went to the doorway to look. Lu Tiezhu was squatting next to Lu Xiaoshan, pointing to a spot on the bamboo root: "Trim this part off a bit more, it'll look neater."

Lu Xiaoshan nodded and began to cut.

The setting sun shone into the courtyard, casting long shadows of the father and son on the ground.

Lu Qingyan leaned against the door frame, watching.

This family has found a new path.

Although narrow, it's still passable.