Chapter 38

Chapter 38

......

The county school classroom was full of children on whom families pinned high hopes.

The large hall had bright windows, wide desks, soft chairs.

The teacher was on the platform, reading aloud with great expression, tapping the desktop with his fingers, beating out the rhythm.

Below, the students followed along, nodding their heads.

Some read attentively, some absentmindedly.

Jiang Rong nodded his head as he read. He was actually very smart - after hearing the teacher read once or twice he understood, but this broken county school, the teacher had no skill either, teaching the same thing every day.

Saying read a book a hundred times and its meaning will become apparent.

He had memorized it all, following along was a waste of time.

But the teacher was a tattletale, so he could only nod his head as he followed along, occasionally glancing out the window.

Outside the window there was a tree, on the tree there were birds. It seemed the birds noticed his gaze, fluttering their wings as they flew away.

Jiang Rong was a little envious - the birds flew so high, so freely.

......

The birds in the forest suddenly took off en masse.

Flapping their wings, fluttering about.

Gou Zi's braggart elder brother had arrived.

Several frolicking youths quieted down.

Including Gou Zi.

Jiang Feng saw them first from atop a tree.

There were only four of them.

All carrying weapons, the last one had a spear, walking between two others holding axes, the one at the front wielding a hatchet.

The one with the hatchet had a jagged scar across his face, hideous and ugly.

Jiang Feng unconsciously touched his own scar on his forehead.

Father had treated it, it shouldn't be so unsightly.

He thought of a joke - having facial scars means you cannot enter the imperial court as an official.

Gou Zi welcomed them eagerly, calling them "elder brother" in a fawning tone.

Jiang Feng also jumped down from the tree, following behind calling out "elder brother".

There had been eight of them originally.

Er Niu had broken his leg fighting two days prior so he could not come.

Xiao Si's mother was critically ill, unable to get out of bed, so he stayed at her side and also could not come.

The remaining six good-for-nothing youths,

all from poor families, with nothing to do and no books to read, muddling along, finding each other's company.

The youths had not expected that after being called to act as backup they would truly be given weapons.

In their minds they assumed it would be like the fights between companions they had watched from the sidelines, shouting encouragement.

Seeing these weapons now, the youths grew excited, as if they had joined in some monumental affair,

not as if they had come to ambush and rob someone, but rather like participating in their own coming-of-age ceremony.

Gou Zi picked out a big saber. The group held their chosen weapons and lightly sparred around the elder brother, quite merrily.

The bandits did not stop them, only watching.

Jiang Feng joined in the horseplay, taking the chance to familiarize himself with the spear's feel. His swings seemed wild with no aim at all.

Jiang Feng noticed the one who had taken them to get weapons had climbed up a tree.

Suddenly that man slapped the tree branch and the bandit leader raised his hatchet.

The youths ceased their sparring.

Learning the elders, they stealthily made their way down in the woods, crouching, peering ahead.

Not far off on the road came people.

There was a sedan chair, servants, maids, guards, a moneyed family.

The youths' eyes lit up as they looked expectantly to the bandit leader.

Jiang Feng narrowed his eyes and recognized the sedan chair as the Jiang family's. He also recognized those servants and guards.

His heart raced, quickening by a dozen beats.

He even found it hard to restrain himself, wanting to charge out.

Gripping the spear, he turned it this way and that, hands sweating.

He felt as if charging out right now would set him free, let him vent.

But a thought from Father always sounded in his mind - Feng'er, given the choice we should aim to be good people. Good people gain at every turn.

He looked back to the bandit leader.

And saw him sitting calmly.

Gou Zi whispered, "Elder brother, do we go?"

"Anxiousness betrays intent, there are hidden observers, don't make rash moves." The bandit leader continued wiping his hatchet.

The group of youths watched yearningly as the ostentatious sedan chair passed by.

One of Jiang Feng's hands gripped the spear, the other grasped a small round pebble he kept rubbing.

A group of ants on the ground busily ran to and fro.

After a long while, more people came.

This time the young men were eager to act.

But it was only two peddlers carrying baskets.

Jiang Feng recognized them too. That dwarf peddler - little sister Little Jiang Yu chattered on every day about how his candies were the sweetest, most delicious.

Thinking of Little Jiang Yu, Jiang Feng couldn't help a slight smile, a dimple on the youth's cheek.