Chapter 4 Reunion
"It's Hui Niang."
Chen Qing was a little surprised.
Han quickly got up and pulled open the creaking cabin door.
Yang Huiniang stood outside the door, her small face red from the cold, her light gray, old ruqun pressed tightly against her body by the river wind.
"Hui Niang!?"
Han stepped aside in surprise, "Come in, quick, it's cold outside."
Yang Huiniang's gaze quickly swept over the bowl of watery gruel on the table, a hint of heartache flashing in her eyes.
She pulled a small cloth bundle from her embrace and carefully opened it: "These are some mixed grain beans I just made..."
"How can we accept this?" Han demurred, but her eyes couldn't help but dart towards the beans.
"Auntie, don't be so polite." Yang Huiniang pushed the bundle towards Han.
Chen Qing noticed the calluses on her fingers; his eldest aunt's family had been struggling these past few years too.
Han bit her lip, "Alright, I'll put these mixed grain beans away first."
She clutched the cloth bundle and turned to duck into the inner cabin.
Yang Huiniang looked at Chen Qing and asked, "A Qing, what are your plans for the future?"
Chen Qing replied, "I'll take it one step at a time."
Yang Huiniang was silent for a moment, then suddenly pulled out a faded red sachet from her embrace and slipped it into Chen Qing's hand.
"This is..."
Chen Qing asked, puzzled.
"It's my private savings from two years, originally intended for my dowry." Yang Huiniang's face flushed slightly.
Chen Qing was slightly startled and said, "Cousin, how can this be? This is yours..."
"What? Afraid you won't succeed in martial arts? Or won't be able to pay me back?"
Yang Huiniang blinked, "I'll be charging interest, you know."
Chen Qing felt the lingering warmth on the sachet and said earnestly, "I will definitely pay you back, principal and interest."
"I'm just kidding."
Yang Huiniang chuckled, then stood up and said, "It's getting dark, I need to go back..."
"I'll see you out."
Chen Qing followed her out of the black-awning boat.
The two walked along the riverbank, the biting river wind howling.
The setting sun seared the silhouette of Dumb Bay onto the muddy ground, broken pottery shards and fish scales vying for the last light in the sewage ditch.
The Yang family lived in Bǎihuā Alley, an alley so narrow it was like a thin intestine, winding and squeezed into the western corner of the Outer City.
The bluestone path had long since cracked, weeds poking through the gaps, and the mud walls on both sides of the alley were mottled and patchy, with some families using broken tiles to patch up drafty wall holes.
Compared to the precariousness of the boat in Dumb Bay, the brick and tile houses here at least offered shelter from wind and rain.
The two talked about their childhood, and Yang Huiniang also recounted some trivial matters from the cloth shop.
Yang Huiniang looked at Chen Qing, "Cousin, you seem to have changed."
Chen Qing chuckled, "Have I?"
"But it's good."
Yang Huiniang nodded, "You used to be a bit dull..."
At this, her face flushed slightly.
Unknowingly, the two had already arrived at the Yang family's doorstep.
Yang Huiniang whispered, "I'm going back, you should go back early too."
Chen Qing nodded and said, "Okay."
Not long after Yang Huiniang returned home, a sharp voice came from inside the house.
"This time it's different! His father is a pig butcher, they see meat every meal!"
"You, you're just too young, you don't know the cost of firewood and rice!"
"Mother, how could I not know..."
This was indeed the voice of his eldest aunt, Chen Jinhua.
Chen Qing took a deep breath and quickly walked towards Dumb Bay; due to the dim light, there were very few pedestrians on the road at this time.
"Chase! Don't let those Five Poisons Gang bastards get away!"
Suddenly, a beast-like roar came from afar.
Immediately after, dozens of men, armed with sharp blades and radiating Killing Intent, charged out from the alley entrance ahead, clashing in battle.
Blade light splattered with bone-chilling cold in the dimness.
Clatter! Bang!
The surrounding residents instantly turned pale, frantically slamming their doors and windows shut, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.
"Not good!"
Chen Qing's heart tightened, and he immediately ducked into the nearest shadowy corner, holding his breath.
He had three principles for dealing with things.
Don't cause trouble, don't fear trouble, and run when trouble arises.
It wasn't until the shouts of battle and the clash of weapons completely disappeared into the depths of the alley that he cautiously poked his head out, then sprinted wildly towards the direction of the boat.
"Huff... huff..."
Rushing into the cabin, Chen Qing leaned on his knees, panting heavily, still shaken.
This world was too chaotic.
Especially after dark, it was even more terrifying.
Chen Qing secretly warned himself to be cautious, cautious, and even more cautious.
"What's wrong?"
Han saw his appearance and was so frightened her face turned pale; she rushed over, frantically patting him up and down, "Was it a bandit or a Gang fight? Are you hurt anywhere? Let Mother see!"
Chen Qing waved his hand, calming his breath: "Mother, I'm fine, I just... walked a bit fast."
"That's good."
Han's suspended heart finally relaxed, and she turned to walk towards the inner cabin.
Halfway there, she suddenly stopped, her expression exceptionally serious as she said, "A Qing, you're grown up now. Whatever you want to do, Mother supports you."
She paused, her voice imbued with a sense of tenacity: "Mother will weave more nets starting tomorrow, somehow... we'll find a way."
After speaking, she lowered her head and ducked into the inner cabin.
Chen Qing's heart warmed, and he stood silently in place for a long time before slowly sitting down.
As night deepened, the biting wind outside howled in gusts.
The cold moonlight slanted into the cabin through the cracks in the boat planks.
Chen Qing took out the sachet Yang Huiniang had given him, and five taels of broken silver and dozens of copper coins tumbled out.
To learn martial arts, besides family inheritance, one could only apprentice.
Apprenticeship naturally required a tuition fee.
Chen Qing murmured to himself, "With this money, I'll have a chance to learn martial arts."
All of this was painstakingly saved by Yang Huiniang.
The broken silver in the sachet was more radiant than any moonlight he had ever seen.
The next morning, the frost was heavy and the wind was cold.
Chen Qing squatted by the stove, watching the rolling rice bran gruel in the pottery pot.
In the corner, Han was hunched over, her withered fingers weaving through fishing nets.
"Mother, I'm going out."
Chen Qing gulped down the thin gruel in his bowl, tightening his patched-up old jacket.
Han said without raising her head, "Come back early, I've saved some mixed grain beans for you in the pot."
"Got it."
Chen Qing jumped off his boat plank, and the cold wind immediately cut into his collar like knives.
The stone slab road was uneven, covered with potholes of varying depths.
Garbage was everywhere, mountains of waste emitting a nauseating smell.
Sewage flowed in the center of the street, forming black streams that emitted a pungent stench, with flies and mosquitoes buzzing around the garbage heaps.
People on the street hurried by, some wearing tattered clothes, patches visible everywhere; others were barefoot, their soles covered in mud.
These poor people in the shanties on the shore also had to pay "eaves water money," and their lives were no better than the fishermen who made a living on the water.
Chen Qing lowered his head and quickened his pace.
Before long, he stopped in front of two low-lying bungalows.
The main door was open, and inside, a gaunt middle-aged man was holding a large pipe, taking a deep puff, a look of enjoyment on his face.
Chen Qing knocked on the doorframe and said, "Third Master, I have a favor to ask."
This person was the middleman Zhang San; because of his honesty, trustworthiness, and efficient work, he was somewhat famous in the nearby streets and alleys, and many people sought him out.
To find someone to learn martial arts, one also had to consider family background and whether their origins were clean, so a middleman's recommendation was needed.
Zhang San put down his pipe, stood up, and smiled, "No need to be polite, just say what you need; I, Zhang San, will certainly not be vague if I can do it."
Chen Qing took out a string of copper coins and said in a deep voice, "I want to learn martial arts, but the martial arts school tuition is really high. I wonder if Third Master can find me another way?"
"Learn martial arts?"
Zhang San looked Chen Qing up and down, his gaze lingering on his faded clothes, "Boy, learning martial arts is not like learning a trade. If you don't succeed, that money is like spilled water, it can't be taken back."
He had to be upfront to avoid future entanglements.
Chen Qing nodded, "I've thought it through."
"Alright, let me think..."
Zhang San squinted his eyes and pondered for a moment, "There's an old Dart Master on Changping Street who used to run darts for a dart agency. Later, due to old age and an old injury, he retired from the dart agency and now takes on some Disciples at home to teach. If you're interested, I'll take you there now."
Chen Qing took a deep breath and nodded, "Good."
"This old Dart Master is named Zhou Liang. In his youth, he was a skilled hand at the dart agency, and he is quite reputable on Changping Street now, having recruited many apprentices in recent years."
Along the way, Zhang San chattered on, introducing the old Dart Master's temperament and rules, "You're not very old, as long as you can afford the tuition, there's a nine out of ten chance you'll succeed."
Chen Qing listened silently, engraving every word of Zhang San's into his heart.
Before long, the two arrived at the courtyard gate of the Zhou family on Changping Street.