Chapter 3, The Jade Man

Chen Cao did not pay any attention to this inexplicable Sixth Uncle and asked Chen Xian: "Fourth Uncle, is there any significant matter in the clan? Why is my mother in tears?"

Mother Chen, Li, looked at the pair of young lovers and said with a smile, "Your ugly uncle did not deceive you; he has gone to buy pastries for you." As she spoke, she took out two sweet pastries from her bundle, one for Zongzhi and one for Run'er. These were the Buddha's birthday pastries from Lingyin Temple.

Chen Man sneered from the side, saying, "It's easy to talk; when the time comes, don't cry out for your parents if you can't endure the hardship"

Chen Cao jumped down from the ox cart, looking in surprise at the fortress before him. It was remarkably similar to the earthen buildings of Yongding in Fujian in later times. Although not as grand in scale as the Yongding earthen buildings, the rammed earth and stone construction, along with the three-tiered circular design, clearly represented the original style that would later characterize the Yongding earthen buildings. He never expected to see such a castle-like earthen building wall here.

Zong Zhi and Run Er both reached into Chen Cao's waist pouch and took out a wooden leaf grasshopper, which Chen Cao had crafted from slender leaves he picked up along the way. It was vividly lifelike. In his previous life, Chen Cao had carried a bundle while traveling, and during the lonely journey, he learned to make and weave some small trinkets, which are now just right for entertaining children

Chen Man finally regained his composure and said loudly: "Very well, Chen Caozhi, you know that you will come of age next year, right? Upon reaching adulthood, you are required to serve. Do you still think you can spend your days upstairs reciting 'Yi Yi Si Gan, You You Nan Shan'? You must understand, you are not a scion of the gentry"

Upon hearing this, Chen Manyi became anxious and exclaimed, "You are being ridiculous. Who would be willing to serve you without any benefits? Do you take me for a fool?"

Mother Chen, of the Li family, feels that she is aging and in declining health. Her greatest concern is that once she departs from this world, her weak children and young grandchildren will be bullied by others. Therefore, she strives to maintain good relations with her relatives.

Chen Cao's way: "The child still has many abilities, and in time, mother will come to know them all"

Chen Caozhi supported his mother out of the "Orderly Hall". Upon hearing Chen Man's words, he turned back and said: "My father is an eighth-rank county magistrate, and my brother is an eighth-rank county chief. Why can’t I inherit the family legacy and become an official with the privilege of exemption from corvée labor?"

This elderly man is Chen Xian, the paternal uncle of Chen Caozhi, currently the oldest male in Chenjiawu, and can also be regarded as the patriarch of the Qiantang Chen clan. In earlier years, he served as the county clerk of Qiantang County, but since the passing of Chen Caozhi's father, Chen Su, and his elder brother, Chen Qingzhi, Chen Xian was subsequently marginalized and returned to his hometown. At present, the Qiantang Chen clan does not have a single official of the ninth rank, and the decline of the family is evident.

Chen Mu Li went to the discussion hall "Youxu Hall" in the ancestral hall to deliberate on clan matters. Chen Caozhi, after a moment of daze in his bedroom on the third floor on the west side of the fort, went next door to his study to take a look. There were writing implements and paper, but very few books, and they were not the kind of books that come one by one. Of course, they were not bamboo slips either; instead, they were scrolls, consisting of silk books and paper books, piled on the bookshelf like the painting scrolls of later generations, totaling about a hundred volumes.

Chen Cao asked Chen Xian: "Isn't my fourth uncle willing to help me?"

Chen Xianwei showed an awkward expression, coughed lightly, and said: "Since you know about this matter, it is good. You are a young man about to come of age in the West Building, and you can discuss and decide this matter with your mother"

Grandmother—Grandmother—

Uncle Chou deceived Run'er, saying he would return quickly in the morning, causing Run'er to wait all day. Hmph, Run'er no longer likes Uncle Chou

Seeing Chen Man's anger and unwillingness to relent, Chen Xian asked, "Cao Zhi, why do you confront your sixth uncle?"

The tall and slender figure, adorned in brocade garments. The son of the Duke of Qi, the wife of the Duke of Wei. The younger sister of the Eastern Palace, the aunt of the Duke of Xing, with private ties to Lord Tan. Her hands are like soft shoots, her skin like凝脂, her neck like a cicada, her teeth like a gourd's thorns, her head like a delicate butterfly, her smile charming, her beautiful eyes glancing...

Chen Cao spoke in a slow and deliberate manner: "Nephew did not contradict Uncle Liu; rather, nephew admires Uncle Liu's dignified presence as an elder, which frightened the six-year-old child into crying loudly."

You

At dusk, the setting sun slowly descends towards the bright Holy Lake on the western side of Mount Jiuyao, while the evening glow in the sky is like fire, casting a reddish hue over Liujiawu. Birds chirp as they return to the forest, and the smoke from the fortress built against the mountain rises gracefully into the air

Two young children ran out from the gate of the dock, both with bangs that brushed their eyebrows and hair that flowed down to their shoulders. Their brows were like ink paintings, and their eyes resembled dots of lacquer. Their snow-white, delicate little faces were exceedingly adorable

Ugly Uncle—Ugly Uncle—

Chen Cao asked with a smile: "If I do not allocate the land, will Uncle Liu really refuse to help me?"

The clan leader Chen Xian said: "As it stands, the annual registration and assessment of household status in the county will commence in July. I am no longer the chief registrar of the county, and since the passing of your brother Qing, the Qian Tang Chen family has no officials in office. According to the Jin Code, officials of the ninth rank are entitled to occupy ten hectares of land. Your father and brother left behind a total of twenty hectares of poor land, which amounts to two thousand mu. Why do you and Zong need so much land? Moreover, with Qing's passing, neither you nor Zong can enjoy the privileges of exemption from miscellaneous duties and the rights of protected households. This means that when you turn sixteen next year, you will have to be registered as a member of the local militia and serve at least twenty days a year for the government. If the government has other matters, additional miscellaneous duties will be required. Given your frail constitution, how can you endure such heavy labor? Therefore, I have discussed with your mother that when it is your turn to serve, your sixth uncle's son will take your place, allowing you to continue your studies. Of course, serving is a very arduous task, and there must be corresponding rewards. You can allocate ten hectares of land from the West Building to the North Building, ensuring that you and Zong will have no worries about food and clothing, while your cousin will serve in your stead. Wouldn't that be good?"

Chen Man wore a face of displeasure and coldly remarked: "Do not be stubborn; when the time comes and you seek me out, do not blame me for ignoring you."

The eight-year-old Chen Zongzhi, acting like a little adult, chimed in: "Yes, Uncle Chou is lying, Uncle Chou is untrustworthy"

Chen Man angrily exclaimed: "You must be dreaming!"

Chen Cao's heart said: "How ruthless! To demand half of my family's assets for just twenty days of work in a year is clearly bullying me because there are no adult men in the West Building. Are you trying to intimidate me with forced labor? Did I traverse a thousand years just to serve the government as a laborer?" He then calmly stated: "Cao is weak; if Uncle Liu shows compassion and allows my cousin to serve in my stead, I would be immensely grateful. This is the duty of kinship, to support one another. However, it is absolutely unacceptable to allocate half of the farmland to the North Building."

Chen Cao was startled, quickly putting down the scroll and hurrying downstairs. He thought to himself: "Why is Mother crying? Isn't she in the ancestral hall discussing matters? Could it be that the clan members are bullying my mother and me, the orphan and widow?"

Although Mother Chen Li and the Tu Shushi felt exhausted, they knew that there must be significant matters within the clan, and thus they said: "Please wait a moment, Uncle Lao, I will be there shortly."

Both children exclaimed joyfully, and Mother Chen, of the Li family, laughed and said, "When did the ugly child learn to do this? I had no idea."

Chen Man's hair and beard trembled, appearing somewhat fierce and aggressive, yet he was left speechless, tongue-tied by Chen Caozhi's words.

This old man is also Chen Caozhi's paternal uncle, named Chen Man. He did not expect that such a minor, who has always been gentle, would dare to speak to him in this manner. Just as he was about to explode with anger, he saw Chen Caozhi already leading Run'er into the "Youxi Hall," so he followed in, fuming, and said: "Fourth brother, look at Chen Su's son; he is so disrespectful to his elders, daring to confront me to my face!"

Chen Xiandao: "If you want to establish your own household, you must bear the taxes and miscellaneous duties yourself. Your uncle can assist you for a year or two, but he cannot support you for a lifetime"

The clan leader Chen Xianze secretly marveled, thinking: "This young man has always been shy and reticent, yet today he speaks eloquently as if aided by divine inspiration. Moreover, he possesses striking features and an extraordinary demeanor—could it be that heaven has not forsaken us and is instead favoring the Qiantang Chen family through Chen Cao?"

Suddenly, I heard Run'er downstairs crying loudly, shouting, "Ugly Uncle, Ugly Uncle, come quickly, Grandmother is crying—"

Chen Cao casually pulled out a scroll, which, when unfurled, measured approximately five feet long and two feet wide. On it was handwritten in the clerical script, with each character being about the size of a thumbprint, the text from the "Book of Songs: National Style: The Great Man"

Mother Chen, Li said: "Ugly child, why have you come? Quickly take Zongzhi and Run'er back."

The descendants of the Chen family residing in Wubao are divided into four major branches. Chen Caozhi's father belongs to one of these branches, and because they have always lived on the west side of Wubao, the clan members refer to them as the West Building. The other branches are the East Building, South Building, and North Building, all of which are blood relatives within five degrees of kinship. Chen Xian belongs to the South Building, and Chen Man belongs to the North Building. As for the East Building, due to the absence of male heirs in this generation, it can be said to have become extinct. Chen Xian then adopted a son to carry on the lineage of the East Building, ensuring its continuation.

Six-year-old Run'er has dark eyebrows and bright eyes, with skin as white as snow, resembling a porcelain doll. There is a small dimple on her left cheek, and her rosy face becomes quite charming when she smiles

These are the two children left behind by Chen Qingzhi, the elder brother of Chen Cao, who passed away three years ago: the boy Chen Zongzhi, aged 8, and the girl Chen Run'er, aged 6. The mother of Zongzhi and Run'er is Ding Youwei, a lady from the prominent Ding family of Qiantang. After Chen Qingzhi's death, Ding Youwei was forcibly taken back to Qiantang by her relatives, who pressured her to remarry.

Chen Caozhi examined several scrolls and discovered that what appeared to be a large pile of nearly one hundred volumes was actually only two works. One was the "Mao Shi Jian," annotated by the great Confucian scholar Zheng Xuan of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which is the "Book of Songs." The other was the "Analects," annotated by Zheng Xuan's teacher, Ma Rong.

Chen Caozhi led Zong Zhi and Run'er through the gate of the walled fortress, carefully observing everything around them. This fortress was built for survival in chaotic times, with outer walls made of rammed earth and stone that possess considerable defensive capabilities. The door planks are at least half a foot thick, made of hard oak. The entire fortress has a diameter of approximately 45 meters and a height of about 9 meters, consisting of three levels with over 100 rooms. The lowest level houses the kitchen and the quarters for servants and tenants, the second level serves as a warehouse, and the third level is where the Chen clan members reside. At the center of the fortress is the ancestral hall of the Chen family, where ancestral worship, meetings, and celebrations for weddings and funerals are held.

Chen Cao's handsome face bore a hint of frostiness. Upon arriving at the Chen family ancestral hall in the center of the dock fortress, he saw an old man in a blue shirt impatiently instructing Zeng Yuhuan, the wife of Lai Fu: "Quickly take this girl away. We are discussing matters in the ancestral hall; what is the purpose of bringing a child here? Women are always so talkative!"

The Qian Tang Chen family has not been prosperous in terms of offspring, with many males dying young. They have resided in this area for nearly 150 years since migrating from Yingchuan. However, to this day, when counting all the underage males in the east, south, west, and north buildings, there are only 21 males in total. In the west building, there are only two individuals, Chen Caozhi and his nephew Chen Zongzhi. In the south building, Chen Xian's three generations total six males. The north building has the most descendants of Chen Man, with four sons and five grandsons.

Chen Caozhi approached his uncle Chen Xian and paid his respects, then knelt down beside his mother. Run'er also obediently knelt beside her. At this moment, Zongzhi ran in, and the four members of the three generations of the family were gathered together.

Mother Chen, Li, tearfully said: "Ugly child, you have been frail and sickly since childhood, how can you endure hardship and suffering? I will allocate ten acres of land to your sixth uncle, so there will be someone to look after you then"

Chen Cao said: "Mother, how can the land left by Father and my brothers be allowed to dissipate in my hands? You need not worry; I will take responsibility. I have already grown up."

Chen Caozhi held Run'er’s small hand, looked directly at the old man in the blue shirt with his triangular eyes, and said: "Uncle Liu, you have such great authority, do you only dare to bully children?"

Mother Chen, Li Shi, smiled gently. Although she felt that her son's words and actions were somewhat different from before, she appreciated this change. Every mother would like such differences, believing that her son had grown up and become more perceptive, never suspecting anything else.

Chen Man was once again left speechless, frozen on the spot

The "Book of Songs" and the "Analects" are not unfamiliar to Chen Cao; he had studied them thoroughly during his university years, although he had not reached the level of being able to recite them from memory. However, upon a slight recollection now, he surprisingly finds that he can almost recite these two works fluently. This should be the result of memory integration. It seems that although this young man may not be exceptionally intelligent or perceptive, he is diligent and possesses a strong memory.

The four brothers refer to the clan leader Chen Xian, who was quietly discussing something with Chen Caozhi's mother, Li.

Even if Chen Caozhi does not have the memories of a past life or the fusion of souls, seeing such a lovely child would still bring him joy. He squats down to pinch the cheeks of his nephew and niece, as is his habit. When he sees a chubby, adorable child, he feels the urge to pinch their cheeks and says: "Zongzhi, Run'er, guess what I have in my little fish pouch at my waist?"

Chen Cao nodded slightly and said calmly: "Fourth Uncle is right; one must rely on oneself. Cao Zhi will be sixteen in a year and a half, and by then, all the responsibilities of the West Building will naturally fall to Cao Zhi."

Chen Cao observed the tear stains on his mother's cheeks and said, "Mother, I am fifteen years old this year. According to the laws of Jin, I will be considered an adult next year, and I can help alleviate your worries regarding the family matters."

Run'er cried out: "You bully Run'er's grandmother, you are a wicked person!" Upon seeing Chen Caozhi, she ran over, crying loudly

A thin, elderly man emerged from the dock and respectfully addressed Chen's mother, Li: "Sister-in-law has returned. I have matters to discuss with you, and the other two elders of the clan are already waiting in the 'Youxu Hall'"