95 Langya Mountain

"You unfilial wretch! There is a vast world out there, and you refuse to go and make your own way. Instead, you had to force your way into another man's home. Tell me, how is that any different from a sneaking thief?"

When Wang Hongzhi heard that Wang Yuanfeng had barged into the Censor's residence and beaten the master's son, his anger flared to the heavens.

"He took my ball. I only went in to get it back."

Wang Yuanfeng dropped to his knees and, not daring to meet Wang Hongzhi's furious gaze, lowered his head and pointed at Wang Jihong.

"Is that all?"

Wang Pupin frowned and asked.

"And then he refused to return it, saying I had to strip and fart in front of Aunt Qiu. Only after that did he give it back to me!"

Wang Yuanfeng answered, following Wang Pupin's lead.

At those words, Wang Hongzhi and Madam Wang both flushed with shame. The mention of stripping and farting in the street made them unable even to look at Wang Yuanfeng; they both turned their faces away. To be humiliated like this in front of their old rival Wang Pupin was beyond mortifying. They felt as though they would rather find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

"And then he stepped on and ruined the rattan ball."

"Dad, he is not a good man. He is a bad man. Send him to the magistrate."

Still oblivious to any shame, Wang Yuanfeng pointed at Wang Jihong again.

Wang Jihong's face was covered in bruises, proof of how furiously Wang Yuanfeng had struck him.

"Be quiet, you unfilial son! You are beyond repentance. You knew you had done wrong, and yet you turn around and blame others!"

Hearing Wang Yuanfeng, Wang Hongzhi's temper finally erupted.

"Manxiang, bring me a cane!"

With a sweep of his sleeve, Wang Hongzhi barked the order.

"No, no, sir! He is our only son. Do you mean to beat him to death?"

Madam Wang heard that Wang Hongzhi wanted to punish her precious son, Wang Yuanfeng, and immediately rushed to stop him.

"Lord Wang, do not take this too seriously. Even if you beat him to death, what good would it do? He is nothing but a simpleton; he cannot even tell a male from a female."

Wang Pupin raised a hand as well, speaking in calm persuasion. So long as the desired end was achieved, there was no need to tear one another's faces apart, especially not over an imbecile.

"Thank you, Lord Wang, for your generosity. A great man does not remember the faults of a petty one, and you have shown mercy. We will repay your kindness another day!"

Madam Wang, seeing that Wang Pupin wished to let the matter drop, gave a slight bow and said as much.

"Forgive the disturbance, Lord Wang. It is no easy thing to raise a simpleton like this. You have truly suffered for it, and so has your household. Hong'er, let us go."

With that, Wang Pupin turned and left, Wang Jihong following behind him.

"Does it hurt now? Will you still be naughty? Will you still run wild and break into other people's houses?"

That evening, while Madam Wang was applying medicine to Wang Yuanfeng's wounds, Wang Pupin had already gone, yet Wang Yuanfeng still could not escape a vicious beating.

"I wasn't being naughty. I only wanted to take back that rattan ball."

Wang Yuanfeng lifted his hands and formed the shape of a ball.

"Still talking back. Do you know why your father beat you? It was because you dared to strip in front of another man's wife. Are you not ashamed?"

Hearing Wang Yuanfeng's words, Madam Wang realized that he still thought Wang Hongzhi had beaten him over the rattan ball.

"When I was little, wasn't it you who stripped and peed in front of me? Once, a mosquito bit my bottom and it itched terribly, and you were the one who scratched it for me."

Wang Yuanfeng asked in complete confusion.

"I am your mother. That is different from Aunt Qiu!"

Madam Wang explained patiently.

"They are all mothers."

Wang Yuanfeng still looked utterly puzzled.

"Sigh, Feng'er, you are grown now. In the years ahead, you will marry and set up your own home. You must understand that men and women are different. You cannot go acting indecently before other women."

As she applied the medicine, Madam Wang spoke with helpless resignation.

"What is indecent?"

Wang Yuanfeng asked, bewildered from beginning to end.

"Well... well, you must not just take off your clothes or your trousers!"

Caught off guard by the question, Madam Wang froze for a moment before answering awkwardly.

"Feng'er, go back to your room and sleep."

Just then, Madam Wang saw Wang Hongzhi returning from the study.

"All right."

Wang Yuanfeng lowered his head and did not dare look at Wang Hongzhi.

"Sir, I know you have had a hard day. Come, have some tea."

After Wang Yuanfeng left, Madam Wang smiled and poured Wang Hongzhi a cup.

"Why do you look so burdened? Don't keep things bottled up inside. We should laugh more; that is the secret to a long life."

Seeing that Wang Hongzhi did not lift his hand to drink, but only sat in silence, Madam Wang tried to comfort him.

"I truly cannot be as open-hearted as you, Madam, and smile so easily all the time!"

Today, Wang Hongzhi had been shamed to the bone by Wang Yuanfeng.

"There is something I have not yet told you. If I do, you will be so pleased you will not be able to close your mouth. Yuanfeng's marriage has been settled."

"Today, Aunt Huang went to Ten-Li Slope to arrange the match, and the other family has already accepted the betrothal gift."

Madam Wang finished speaking and laughed with great delight.

"Ten-Li Slope? Which family is the girl from?"

Wang Hongzhi recalled that he, too, had sent matchmakers before, but no one had agreed.

"From Ten-Li Slope, in Hongjia Village. She is the daughter of a farming family. I hear she stammers a little, but she looks very proper."

Madam Wang explained with a smile.

"I object."

Wang Hongzhi slammed the table.

"What? This was such a hard-won match!"

Madam Wang's smile vanished at once.

"Madam, marriage is a serious matter. It should be between families of similar standing. The daughter-in-law of the Wang family need not necessarily come from an official household, but she certainly cannot be the daughter of some poor village family. And much less a stammering one. Our son may not be especially gifted, but do not forget that he is still my precious son, Wang the Grand Minister's boy."

Lifting his teacup, Wang Hongzhi took a sip and continued.

"You make it sound so easy. Was Yuanfeng's marriage proposal not made nearly a hundred times already? If not a hundred, then at least ninety-nine? Only this one has succeeded, and you still despise her family. Do you not want Yuanfeng to have a wife? Do you want him to be lonely for the rest of his life?"

Madam Wang was so angry she struck the table.

"I do not care. In any case, I oppose this match. Mark my words, I will find a proper wife for my son one day."

Wang Hongzhi suddenly remembered that, in his youth, he had once saved a white fox, and he spoke with conviction.

"Yes, if Yuanfeng is to have a wife, then clearly we can only rely on the gods to help us."

Madam Wang said bitterly.

"You go rest first. I am going to the study."

With that, Wang Hongzhi left the house and went to the study.

Once inside, Wang Hongzhi opened the hidden compartment in the drawer and took out a jade pendant carved with a fox, its surface pure and translucent white.

At that sight, he thought back to that year of storm and thunder.

That was a year of violent winds and torrential rain, with lightning flashing and thunder rolling. Wang Hongzhi had run into a ruined temple, and a bolt of lightning struck the corner of the shrine.

"Merciful heavens, are you going to take my life?"

In the face of terror, the young Wang Hongzhi, carrying his books on his back and pressing his palms together, cried out.

As he spoke, he was about to open the temple doors when a low whimper reached his ears. Looking toward the sound, he saw a white fox. Its fur had already turned partly blackened, and it cast a strangely human glance at him before sinking back to the ground and whimpering again.

"How pitiable. Never mind, I will carry you inside first."

Seeing that the storm would not stop any time soon, Wang Hongzhi picked up the white fox and kicked open the temple doors.

He built a fire and began reading beside it, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

The next day, in daylight, Wang Hongzhi felt something strange against his fingers and slowly woke. Before him sat the white fox, its fur now glossy and bright, with none of the earlier blackened patches. It looked at him with those same human-like eyes.

"What are you doing? Do you want to leave? Though we met by chance, we were still fated to know one another. After today, who knows when we shall meet again."

As soon as Wang Hongzhi finished speaking, he saw the fox lower its head and nod, which startled him so badly that he scooted backward.

"Can you understand what I am saying?"

He then asked tentatively.

"Young master, there is no need for lamentation."

The white fox nodded and replied.

"Aaah!"

Wang Hongzhi was so frightened that he scooted back again, putting several paces between himself and the fox.

"Please do not be afraid, Young Master. Though little fox is but a beast, I still understand human feeling. Last night, I was fortunate enough to meet the Young Master's rescue. It is no less than the blessing of three lifetimes. Your lifesaving grace, Young Master, little fox will remember forever."

As it spoke, the white fox bit off a tuft of its own fur and laid it on the ground. It transformed into a fox-shaped jade pendant, pure and translucent white.

"Young master, if you should ever need my help in the future, bring this item to Green Bamboo Cave on Langya Mountain, and little fox will certainly do all it can to repay kindness with gratitude."

With that, the white fox flashed away and vanished before Wang Hongzhi's eyes.

Watching the fox disappear, Wang Hongzhi's fear slowly receded. He cautiously moved closer to the jade pendant carved with a fox, reached out, and gently touched it. It was real. Only then did he lift it with both hands.

Having recalled all this, Wang Hongzhi put the pendant away against his chest and returned to bed.

The next day, Madam Wang saw Wang Hongzhi come out and nudged Wang Yuanfeng with her elbow.

"Father, breakfast is ready."

Wang Yuanfeng looked up at Wang Hongzhi once, then lowered his head and said nothing.

"Manxiang, get the young master ready. I am taking him to Langya Mountain to hunt."

Wang Hongzhi nodded toward Wang Yuanfeng and then said this.

"Yes, sir."

Manxiang turned to make the preparations.

"Sir, at this hour you want to go hunting? When was the last time you even went hunting? What brought this on?"

Madam Wang asked, somewhat worried.

"This trip to Langya Mountain is to see whether Yuanfeng can gain a good harvest. Whether dead wood can be carved into fine stone will be known after our visit to Langya Mountain."

Wang Hongzhi did not tell Madam Wang the truth: that the trip to Langya Mountain was really to seek help from the white fox.

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Wang Yuanfeng clapped his hands in delight.

After breakfast, Wang Hongzhi took Wang Yuanfeng and four servants, mounted their horses, and only by midday did they reach Langya Mountain.

There, Wang Hongzhi saw a large white rabbit. He took up the bow hanging by his saddle, drew it to full tension, and loosed the arrow, which struck the rabbit in the leg.