Volume One: At the Foot of Mount Zhongnan Chapter Seven: Li Sanlang Sells His Sword

This small village, nestled in a secluded valley at the foot of Mount Zhongnan, had only come into being in the past two years, settled by refugees and deserters fleeing chaos with their families. The valley was isolated, and most of the villagers were already acquainted with each other. By early the next morning, word had spread that the newcomer, Li Sanlang, intended to teach the village children to read.

The village elders, along with Zhou Erge and several other key figures, arrived early to offer their thanks. The villagers were honest folk and had little of value to give; one carried two baskets of eggs, another slung half a deer over his shoulder, a third led a sheep, and some simply slaughtered one of their laying hens to make a rich chicken soup, all to present as a token for the teacher’s initiation.

Li Sanlang was reluctant to accept these gifts, and as both sides were politely declining and insisting, Zhou Erge’s wife arrived, carrying a small bundle. She addressed Li Sanlang, “Sanlang, yesterday I saw that child wrapped in your old clothes. Not only do they not fit, they’re full of holes. The little one is still growing and mustn’t catch cold. I stayed up late last night to sew a few pieces of clothing—let’s see if they fit.” With that, she bent down to pick up Li Ming.

Noticing Li Ming was still sound asleep, she laughed, “Such an easy child, sleeps through the night after a good feed. Not like our Daniu—eats a little, sleeps a little, wakes to eat some more, never resting.” She looked at Li Ming’s plump cheeks and leaned in to kiss him, but suddenly exclaimed, “Oh my, I hadn’t noticed last night in the dim light—how did his little face get so dirty? He looks like a little tabby cat!”

Only then did Li Sanlang recall the events of the previous day—the fight with the bear, hurrying to Zhou Erge’s house to feed the child, and then being caught up in food and drink. In all the bustle, he’d forgotten to clean the child up. Embarrassed, he said, “Ah, I forgot… I’ll fetch some water from the well.”

Zhou Erge’s wife chuckled. “No need to rush, Sanlang. Men don’t understand these little matters. You can’t bathe a baby as you would an adult—well water is too cold. It must be boiled and cooled before use. Let me take the child home and wash him properly.” As she picked up Li Ming, she added, “Yesterday I discussed with Zhang’s wife and Wang’s daughter-in-law. It’s not convenient for a man to raise a child alone, so we’ll help you feed and care for him together.”

Zhou Erge, seeing his wife go on and on while the elders waited, quickly scolded her, “Women do go on endlessly! There are so many elders here and you’re still talking. Off with you!”

Though she felt wronged, Zhou Erge’s wife, mindful of her husband’s dignity before the others, pursed her lips and thought to herself that he’d have to answer for it at home that night. She left with Li Ming to bathe and feed him, and the matter was dropped.

With his wife finally gone, Zhou Erge turned back to Li Sanlang and urged, “Sanlang, just accept these things. You’re willing to teach our children to read—something we’ve prayed for generations to have. At last, our humble families might produce a scholar! We know you’ve seen the world and have higher standards, and we have little to offer, so these are just tokens of our gratitude. If you refuse, it’s as if you look down on us.”

Li Sanlang waved his hands. “If you put it that way, I can’t in good conscience refuse the villagers’ kindness. How about this—when you send your children to study, I’ll cook for them. They’re growing and need nourishment.”

Hearing this, an elderly man spoke up. “Sanlang, you’re a learned man, too precious to spend your days cooking in a smoky kitchen. You focus on teaching; leave the rest to us.”

Another elderly villager nodded. “Old Liu is right. There’s a plot of land at the east end of the village. Zhou Erge, you and the others clear it out and build a schoolhouse for Sanlang to use.”

“That’s right,” said another. “This cottage is too crude. We’ll build several more rooms, and Sanlang can move in with the child as well!”

“Old Wang’s right,” others chimed in, everyone echoing their agreement.

Zhou Erge, receiving instructions from the elders, bowed and said, “Yes, Uncle Liu. I’ll take a few men to start this afternoon.”

Zhang’s younger uncle added, “You go ahead. I heard Sanlang has a new child at home and likely hasn’t prepared anything for him. Last night, I went up the mountain and cut some timber to make a small bed. I’ll bring it over once it’s done, then join you.”

Wang’s son added, “I heard about it from my wife and made a few toys for the children. I’ll bring them along, too.”

Li Sanlang was deeply moved by the villagers’ warmth. “If I keep refusing, I’d be too pretentious. Zhou Erge, since your wife is looking after the child, I’ll join you this afternoon. I have some ideas for the schoolhouse we can discuss together.”

After chatting a while longer, they parted at noon, and Li Sanlang joined Zhou Erge and the others at the east end of the village.

On the way, a tall, thin man named Wang Laoliu, an old comrade of Zhou Erge from his army days, asked, “Sanlang, building a house is nothing for us, but as for the schoolhouse—none of us have ever set foot in one. How should it be built?”

Li Sanlang replied with a smile, “It’s nothing special, just a large main room with tables and benches, well-ventilated and well-lit.” Turning to Zhou Erge, he continued, “There’s another matter. We have a schoolhouse, but we’ll also need books and writing materials. Do you have any ideas?”

At this, Zhou Erge fell silent, and the others sighed, their spirits sinking. The prospect of their children learning to read was a dream come true, and in their excitement, they’d agreed to build the schoolhouse. But books and ink were precious and expensive—how could poor villagers afford them?

In ancient times, movable type printing was rare; all books were copied by hand, and ink, paper, and brushes were costly. Even middle-class families often couldn’t afford rare texts and had to borrow and copy them.

After a long pause, Zhou Erge gritted his teeth. “I have a few trinkets I picked up during the war, plus a few strings of cash at home. I’m not sure how many books that’ll buy.”

Wang Laoliu and the others chimed in, “We have a little, too. Maybe if we pool our resources?”

Li Sanlang shook his head. “Buying just a few books won’t do much, and you all have families to feed. If you spend everything on books, how will your families survive?” He turned to Zhou Erge. “Since I brought this up, I have an idea, but I’ll need your help.”

Zhou Erge brightened. “If you have a plan, tell me! I’ll do whatever I can.”

Li Sanlang said, “When I left home, I brought nothing but a finely forged treasured sword. You can take it to Chang’an to pawn or sell; it should fetch several hundred strings of cash, enough for the children’s studies.”

Zhou Erge was shocked. “No, no! You’ve already done us a great favor by agreeing to teach. We can’t let you sell your treasured sword!”

“That sword is worth a fortune! You’ll never find another like it,” the others protested.

Li Sanlang laughed heartily. “To others, it may be valuable, but to me, it’s nothing. In the past…” He stopped short, remembering that he was no longer the young master of a wealthy family. After a moment, he continued, “Just do as I say, Zhou Erge. I have no use for a sword while teaching here. Better to sell it and let it serve a new purpose—buying books for the children. Don’t try to talk me out of it; my mind is made up.”

“So be it…” Zhou Erge and the others, seeing his resolve, could only agree.

Afterwards, the villagers worked together, felling trees, moving stones, clearing roots, and by the end of the afternoon, the schoolhouse had taken shape.

News spread quickly that Li Sanlang had sold his treasured sword to buy books for the village children, and the villagers’ enthusiasm soared. In just a few days, the schoolhouse and three wooden rooms behind it were completed.

A day later, Zhou Erge returned from Chang’an, having sold the bear gall for two milch cows and two ewes, and the treasured sword for three hundred strings of cash. With this, he bought all the books and writing materials Li Sanlang required, loading them onto the cows and bringing them back to the village.

From then on, every morning, the air would ring with the clear, lively voices of children reciting their lessons from the schoolhouse at the east end of the village.