Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

"I won, fourteenth place."

The side courtyard was silent for a moment, then erupted into chaos.

Gouwa was the first to jump up, slam his hand on the table, and shout, "You won! Sir, you won!"

Ah San slid off the small stool, and as soon as his legs touched the ground, he looked up at Li Wenxiu, his eyes shining like two stars, his mouth agape, unable to speak.

Old Liu put down his teacup, slowly stood up, looked at Li Wenxiu for a moment, nodded, and didn't say anything, but the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

Chen Ping leaned against the wall, looking at Li Wenxiu.

Li Wenxiu stood at the door, her eyes still red, her smile stiff and tinged with bitterness, but her eyes were bright, so bright that they were unlike the soft-spoken Mr. Li she usually was.

He took a deep breath, walked in, sat down in the chair, rested his hands on the table, lowered his head, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

No one spoke; they just sat there with him for a while.

Suddenly, the sound of gongs rang out on the street outside. The gongs were struck loudly, and then someone started calling out names one by one. The voices surged from the street and passed through the courtyard walls into the side courtyard. When the fourteenth name was called, the three words "Li Wenxiu" came out of the person's mouth and were immediately drowned out by the noise. The whole street seemed to be boiling.

Li Wenxiu sat on the edge of the chair, listening to the commotion outside, his head down, tears falling onto the table, leaving a dark stain. He didn't wipe them away, just sat there.

When Bai Ming entered, the side courtyard had just calmed down.

He stood at the door, looked around, a smile on his lips, and cupped his hands, saying, "Congratulations, Young Master Li, on ranking fourteenth in the imperial examination. The entire Bai family is overjoyed."

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps sounded behind him, and Bai Chongshan walked in, twirling the pair of walnuts in his hand as usual. He glanced around at everyone in the room, his gaze lingering on Li Wenxiu's face for a moment before he nodded and said, "Set the table."

Bai Ming responded and went out. Soon after, the food was served, and the dishes were much more plentiful than usual.

After everyone took their seats, Bai Chongshan sat down at the head of the table, raised his cup, and said to Li Wenxiu, "Young Master Li, this journey has not been easy. I, Bai, would like to offer you a toast."

Li Wenxiu stood up, held the cup with both hands, and drank it respectfully.

Bai Chongshan put down his cup, twirled the walnut in his palm twice, and said, "The capital is far away. If you want to make it in time for the next imperial examination, you must set off as soon as possible."

As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the side courtyard subtly changed.

Gouwa, who was sitting next to Ah San, heard this, turned his face, leaned close to Ah San's ear, and whispered, "Wow, you're going to the capital with the master."

Ah San tilted his head and thought for a moment, then looked up and asked, "What's the capital like?"

Gouwa opened his mouth to speak, but Li Wenxiu glanced at him and then looked up at Chen Ping.

Chen Ping spoke, his voice calm: "Gouwa, you should go with the master. It's not safe for you to come with me."

Gouwa paused for a moment, his words caught in his throat.

It was Ah San who reacted first, turning to look at Gouwa with bright eyes, and asked, "Brother, are you coming with us too?"

Gouwa didn't say anything, but turned his head to look at Liu Laoguo.

Old Liu, holding his bowl, didn't look up and slowly said, "Listen to your Brother Chen, go with Mr. Li."

Gouwa lowered his head, picked up a piece of food, chewed it twice, swallowed his words, and didn't speak again.

Bai Ming and Bai Chongshan sat there silently, watching.

Chen Ping put down his chopsticks and said, "I'll pay for the travel expenses to the capital."

Old Liu put down his bowl, took out a heavy money bag from his pocket, and placed it in front of Li Wenxiu without saying a word.

Li Wenxiu looked at the money pouch, her throat bobbing as she was about to speak, when Bai Chongshan spoke first, slowly turning the walnut in his palm, and said calmly, "The Bai family will also contribute something."

Li Wenxiu stood up, bowed deeply to the three of them, kept her head down, and did not speak, her shoulders trembling slightly.

A few days later, early morning.

Today is the day the scholar sets off. The dock in Qingkou Town has been bustling since early morning. The canal workers have taken a day off, and vendors, idlers, the elderly, and women carrying children are all crowded together on the shore. Their voices, mixed with the fishy smell of the water, fill the air.

The official boat was moored at the dock. The boat was wide and several soldiers stood on the deck, with knives hanging at their waists and solemn expressions, keeping other people away from the boat.

A dozen or so people arrived from the greywater yard. They all recognized Li Wenxiu. Standing in the crowd, upon seeing her, one of them whispered, "Is that Li Wenxiu?"

The person next to him replied, "It seems so. Look at the child next to him. He looked like he was about to die back then, but now he's doing just fine."

At the other end of the dock, several other scholars who had come with them were also in the crowd, each surrounded by their families. Some were being instructed by their mothers holding their hands, some were having their bundles stuffed into their hands by their wives, and some were being patted on the shoulder and told something by their fathers. The sounds of talking and crying were mixed together, creating a chaotic scene.

People also came from Xifang City.

Several women, each leading a child and carrying food in their hands, including baskets of snacks, eggs, and several packets of dried fruit, squeezed through the crowd to Li Wenxiu. The woman at the front shoved the basket into his hands, her eyes red-rimmed, and said, "Mr. Li, this is a small token of our appreciation. You've taught the children for so long; please take this with you on your journey."

Several children stood in a row nearby, the oldest being seven or eight years old and the youngest five or six. When they saw Li Wenxiu, they all called out "Teacher" in unison, their voices young but loud.

Li Wenxiu lowered her head, took the basket, swallowed hard, squatted down, looked at each of the children, and said softly, "Study hard."

The children all nodded.

Someone pushed through the crowd, and Huang Ya emerged from the gap, patted Chen Ping on the shoulder, and grinned, "I brought Mr. Li a gift."

He turned around and gestured with his chin toward his back.

Several gang members forced a man through the crowd. The man's legs were weak, and he was carried along. When he reached Li Wenxiu, his legs buckled, and he knelt down. Trembling, he raised his head and kept saying, "Master Li, Master Li, I was wrong back then, I was wrong, I was wrong..."

Her voice was choked with sobs, and her face was covered in snot and tears.

It's Liu Dabiao.

When Ah San saw Li Wenxiu's face, he was stunned for a moment, then rushed forward and started punching Liu Dabiao with his small fists. His fists were small, but he was hitting him desperately, shouting something. His voice was mixed in with the noise of the dock, and it was impossible to hear what he was saying. He just kept hitting him.

After playing for a while, her little hands turned red, her steps slowed down, and she stopped.

Ah San stood there, head down, shoulders trembling, then turned and hid behind Li Wenxiu, burying his face in his clothes and remaining silent.

Li Wenxiu stood there, looking at Liu Dabiao who was crawling on the ground, and remained silent for a moment.

Huang Ya took out a short stick from his waist at the opportune moment, handed it over, and said nothing.

Li Wenxiu took it, glanced at it, then raised it and struck Liu Dabiao.

Once, twice, three times.

Liu Dabiao howled, curled up in a ball, covered his head with his hands, dared not dodge, just trembled, just cried, just begged Master Li to spare his life.

Li Wenxiu didn't utter a sound. She beat Liu Dabiao until he was lying on the ground, unable to stand up. Only then did she put down the short stick, take a step back, her chest heaving, and stare at the pile of mud-like figures for a moment.

Chen Ping said, "Take him away."

The gang members stepped forward and dragged Liu Dabiao away, leaving a shallow mark on the bluestone slab.

Huang Ya pulled a money pouch from his pocket, walked up to Li Wenxiu, handed it to him, and said, "This is Liu Dabiao's fortune, Mr. Li, please take it."

Chen Ping added, "It's a long journey, so it's good to have extra supplies."

Li Wenxiu took the money bag, her head down, her hands clenched tightly.

The boatman called out that it was time to set off.

Li Wenxiu turned around, walked to Chen Ping, stopped, paused for a moment, slowly knelt down, and kowtowed deeply, her voice hoarse: "I will never forget your kindness in saving me."

The dock fell silent for a moment, and the surrounding voices lowered.

Chen Ping bent down and helped him up. The two looked at each other, and Chen Ping spoke in a low voice: "Go, and don't forget the way you came."

Li Wenxiu nodded, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the side of the boat.

Chen Ping looked down at Gouwa and said, "Don't look so down. It's not like we'll never see each other again."

Gouwa sniffed but didn't say anything.

Chen Ping thought for a moment and asked, "You have a name, right?"

Gouwa paused for a moment, then looked up, his eyes red-rimmed. He took a breath and said, "Fang Mancang, Brother Chen, my name is Fang Mancang."

Chen Ping reached out and patted his head, his voice calm: "Live well."

Gouwa lowered his head, hugged the basket tighter, his shoulders trembled slightly, but he didn't make a sound.

Ah San followed behind Li Wenxiu. Before boarding the boat, he turned around, waved to Chen Ping, and then followed him onto the boat.

Gouwa was the last to board the boat. After taking two steps, he turned around, glanced at Chen Ping, moved his lips but said nothing, and then lowered his head to board the boat.

The ropes were untied, and the boat slowly moved away from the shore.

The people on the dock surged forward, someone called out "Master Li," someone waved, children tiptoed to look at the boat, and a woman wiped away her tears, pulling her child back.

As the boat sailed further and further away, ripples spread out on the river's surface, reaching the shore and dissipating.

Chen Ping stood on the dock, watching the boat disappear around the bend in the river, before turning his gaze away.

A cool breeze blew across the river.