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

Lu Xiaoshan got up just as dawn was breaking.

He tiptoed open the door; a thin mist still shrouded the courtyard. It had rained lightly the night before, the ground was damp, and the air smelled of earth and grass.

On the table in the main room, the bamboo roots were already beginning to take shape. He lit an oil lamp—using it sparingly, with the wick very small. The dim light shone on the bamboo joints, making the natural scars and lines appear even deeper.

Lu Xiaoshan picked up the carving knife. It was the finest one he'd brought back from the carpenter's shop, its blade gleaming. He first smoothed the transitions between the bamboo joints, making sure it looked natural, not too deliberate. The tip of the knife grazed the wood, making a soft, rustling sound.

After carving for a while, his hand started to ache. He stopped and looked at it under the light. The shape of the bamboo root was good, but he felt something was missing.

"So early?"

Lu Qingyan's voice came from the doorway. He had also gotten up, holding a book in his hand.

"I can't sleep," Lu Xiaoshan said.

Lu Qingyan walked over and bent down to look at the bamboo roots: "It's starting to look decent."

"It's still a long way off." Lu Xiaoshan pointed to a spot on the bamboo root. "Here, I want to carve a wormhole mark, but I'm afraid I'll mess it up."

"Give it a try," Lu Qingyan said. "The wormholes give it an antique feel."

Lu Xiaoshan nodded and started cutting again. He was very careful, making shallow cuts with the tip of the knife and then gently picking at the holes. A small wormhole slowly took shape, with irregular, natural edges.

"Will this work?"

"Okay." Lu Qingyan smiled. "Like an old bamboo that's been growing for decades."

As dawn broke, Zhao got up to make breakfast. Seeing the light in the main room, she peeked in and exclaimed, "Oh, it's already engraved?"

"Mother, did I disturb you?" Lu Xiaoshan looked up.

"No." Zhao wiped her hands and walked over to look. "This bamboo... really looks like it."

Lu Dashan also got up, still sleepy-eyed, and came over: "Second brother, you're really skillful."

"Big brother, you're up so early too?"

"I can't sleep," Lu Dashan said, scratching his head. "I'm thinking about how much work I have in the fields today."

Breakfast consisted of porridge and pickled vegetables. Lu Xiaoshan quickly ate a few bites and returned to the table. After Lu Qingyan finished eating, he moved a stool over and sat down to read, occasionally glancing up at the table.

Tao Hua and Shun Hua woke up too. The two little girls tiptoed in and stood by the table, watching. Tao Hua whispered, "Second Brother, will this bamboo grow big?"

"No, it's fake," Lu Xiaoshan said.

"Then why carve a fake one?"

"Because we've really grown up, and there's no room for it in the house," Lu Qingyan chimed in. "The fake ones can stay this beautiful forever."

Tao Hua nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Shunhua looked for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Second Brother, where are the bamboo leaves?"

"It's not carved yet." Lu Xiaoshan picked up a small piece of wood. "Use this to carve bamboo leaves and then glue them on."

"I'll help you grind the wood," Shunhua said.

Lu Xiaoshan was taken aback: "You can?"

"My hand is steady," Shunhua said earnestly.

Lu Xiaoshan found her some thin pieces of wood. Shunhua moved a small stool and sat at the entrance of the main room, slowly sanding the wood with sandpaper in the morning light. She sanded very carefully, and the wood pieces gradually became smooth and flat.

Tao Hua also joined in the fun: "I want to help too!"

Lu Qingyan handed her a few small stones: "Take a look and see which ones are suitable for bonsai."

Tao Hua happily accepted the gifts and squatted down in the yard to pick through them. She was very careful, turning each stone over and over to examine it, even holding it up to the light to compare.

When Zhao came out after washing the dishes and saw this scene, she was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Well, that's good, the whole family is busy."

Lu Tiezhu, carrying a hoe, was about to go to the fields. He paused as he passed the main room, glanced at the bamboo roots on the table, said nothing, and walked away. But Lu Qingyan noticed that his steps seemed lighter as he left.

In the morning, Lu Qingyan went to town to submit his manuscript. The shopkeeper read the new chapter and nodded: "This part is good. The protagonist receives help from a benefactor but remains humble. Readers love this kind of story."

They settled for six hundred coins—the story was halfway through and the response was good.

"Shopkeeper," Lu Qingyan asked, "are there any shops in town that sell stationery and scholar's objects?"

"Yes, there is, 'Ya Yun Zhai,' it's on East Street," the shopkeeper said. "Why do you ask about that?"

"I made some small gadgets at home and wanted to check out the market."

The shopkeeper laughed: "You know how to do this? Good, I'll go take a look. The owner of Ya Yun Zhai is surnamed Chen, he has a sharp eye, he can tell whether the goods are good or not at a glance."

Lu Qingyan thanked him and went to East Street.

The Ya Yun Zhai storefront is small but elegant. A black lacquered plaque hangs on either side, flanked by a couplet: "Clouds and mist arise from the brush, landscapes reside in the teapot on the desk." Pushing open the door, a faint scent of sandalwood fills the air.

The shop doesn't have many items, but they are exquisite. Pen holders, inkstones, paperweights, and incense burners are all neatly arranged. On the antique shelf against the wall, there are several bonsai trees—pine and plum—that are exquisitely crafted.

A man in his fifties with a goatee was wiping a brush washer. Seeing Lu Qingyan enter, he nodded: "What does the gentleman need?"

"Just browsing." Lu Qingyan walked to the antique shelf and carefully examined the bonsai trees.

They were all pine and cypress trees, with simple and ancient shapes, and paired with shallow purple clay pots, they were indeed elegant. He looked at the price tags—the cheapest was eight hundred coins, and the most expensive was one and a half taels.

"Sir, are these bonsai trees selling well?"

Mr. Chen looked up at him and said, "Scholars love these things. What, young man, are you interested?"

"I made a bamboo and rock bonsai at home and wanted to ask about the market price."

"Bamboo and stone?" Mr. Chen put down the cloth in his hand. "Bamboo is difficult to work with; it's easy to make it look common. There are few that are done well."

"May I ask you to take a look?"

Mr. Chen looked him over: "You did this?"

"My elder brother made it."

"Let me take a look," Mr. Chen said. "If it's good, I'll keep it. If it's just so-so, then forget it."

"Bring it over in a few days."

Leaving Ya Yun Zhai, Lu Qingyan had a better understanding. They could make it, they could sell it, and the price wouldn't be low.

On his way home, he bought a piece of pork—the family hadn't had any meat in a long time. He also bought Tao Hua a bag of maltose and Shun Hua a silk flower—the cheapest kind, but brightly colored.

It was already noon when I got home.

In the courtyard, Lu Xiaoshan was still carving bamboo leaves. He had already carved more than a dozen, thin, some upright, some sideways, each with a different shape. Shunhua had a small stack of wood chips she had ground, each one smooth. Taohua had arranged a row of stones she had chosen on the windowsill, large and small, each with its own unique posture.

"Third Brother is back!" Tao Hua saw him first.

Lu Qingyan took out the candy and silk flowers. Tao Hua happily accepted the candy, while Shun Hua looked at the silk flowers, her face slightly flushed: "Thank you, Third Brother."

"Second Brother, take a break." Lu Qingyan handed the meat to Zhao Shi. "I went to Ya Yun Zhai. The owner said that there aren't many people who make good bamboo and rock bonsai, but he'd like to take a look at ours."

Lu Xiaoshan put down his carving knife, his eyes lighting up: "Can it really sell?"

"Yes," Lu Qingyan said. "I saw in his shop that the cheapest item is 800 coins. If we do a good job, we can sell it for that price too."

When Lu Dashan returned from the fields and heard this, his mouth dropped open: "Eight hundred coins? Just... just that little bit of wood and stone?"

"This is the price for refined objects," Lu Qingyan said. "Scholars value elegance and are willing to spend money."

Lu Tiezhu also returned. Upon hearing this, he didn't say anything, but during the meal, he put an extra piece of meat in Lu Xiaoshan's bowl.

In the afternoon, Lu Xiaoshan continued carving bamboo leaves. Lu Qingyan drew a design for the basin—a rectangular, shallow basin with rounded corners, simple and elegant. Following the design, Lu Xiaoshan found a piece of old pear wood and began making the basin.

His movements were steady. Saw, plan, chisel, grind, step by step. Wood shavings flew, swirling in the sunlight.

Zhao sat in the courtyard mending clothes, glancing up every now and then. Tao Hua and Shun Hua were practicing calligraphy—writing the characters for "bamboo," "stone," and "basin" on the ground, which Lu Qingyan had taught them that morning.

Lu Dashan practiced his calligraphy for a while, then went to fetch water. He said, "I'm clumsy with my hands, not good at writing, but I'm good at physical labor."

By evening, the rough shape of the basin was complete. Lu Xiaoshan polished the edges, making sure they were smooth and not rough to the touch. He polished very carefully, running his fingers over the wood surface again and again to test the feel.

As the sun began to set, the first bamboo leaf was attached. Lu Xiaoshan carefully glued it to the bamboo branch using his homemade fish glue. The leaf drooped slightly, as if bent by the morning dew.

The moment it was glued on, the entire bamboo root seemed to come alive.

"It's so beautiful," Tao Hua whispered.

Shunhua nodded: "It looks real."

Lu Xiaoshan watched, a slight smile playing on his lips. This was the first time he had smiled in three days.

Lu Qingyan patted his shoulder: "Second brother, it's done."

Lu Xiaoshan nodded emphatically.

As darkness fell, the oil lamp was lit again. Lu Xiaoshan wanted to continue pasting leaves, but Zhao said, "Do it tomorrow, it'll strain your eyes."

"There are only a few pieces left."

"That won't work either."

Lu Xiaoshan then put down his tools.

At dinner, the family gathered around the table. Zhao had stir-fried pork with wild vegetables, creating a glistening plate. Each person had a few slices of meat in their bowl.

Lu Tiezhu took a bite of his food and suddenly said, "Xiaoshan, do a good job."

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

At night, Lu Qingyan was writing a storybook under the lamp. From the next room, he could hear Lu Xiaoshan and Lu Dashan whispering:

"Second brother, you're really something."

"Still a long way off..."

"I think it's good."

Lu Qingyan smiled and continued writing.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, cool and clear. In the courtyard, the unfinished bamboo and rock bonsai sat quietly on the table, the shadows of the bamboo leaves cast on the wooden surface, swaying gently in the breeze.