Midnight

By the time the carriage turned into Blackwater Bay, the sun was already high.

In this place, carriages were rarely seen anywhere except the Fish Pens dock and the few streets beside it. In the bay itself, one might not see one even a few times in an entire year.

The driver flicked his whip. With a crisp crack, the horse's hooves clopped along the dirt road, the sound carrying from one end of the alley to the other.

First, an old woman squatting at her doorway and shelling beans looked up. She squinted at it for a long while, and the beans in her hands rolled all over the ground without her noticing.

Then a woman holding a child poked her head out from the courtyard. Her mouth fell open, and her voice was loud enough for half the alley to hear. "Oh! A carriage! Whose carriage is that?"

That shout was like poking a hornet's nest.

Neighbors all poked their heads out of their doors. Some held bowls, some carried needlework, some had fishing nets in hand. Every last one craned their necks, their eyes glued to the carriage, as if they wished they could see through the curtain and drag out whoever sat inside for a proper look.

"Whose is it?"

"It's heading inward, toward Xu Erniu's house!"

"Xu Erniu? Isn't his nephew A-Qing studying martial arts in the city?"

"That's right. Has he really made something of himself?"

"Did you see that? The curtain lifted just now—there were bundles and packages all over that carriage. Tsk, tsk, they've struck it rich!"

The chatter spread like ripples on water, wave after wave, from the alley entrance to its end, then back again, growing wider and denser with every pass.

Several children ran after the carriage, clapping and laughing as they shouted, "Carriage! Carriage!" They were as delighted as if it were New Year's, not even bothering to wipe the snot smeared across their faces.

A yellow dog shot out of an alley and barked twice at the carriage. One crack of the driver's whip sent it fleeing, tail tucked between its legs as it slipped into a hole in the wall.

Sun Ping got out at the mouth of the bay, waved to Xu Qing, and headed toward his own home.

After taking a few steps, he looked back. The carriage was still moving inward, and the neighbors were still trailing after it to watch. He smiled to himself, thinking, When will I be able to bring my parents this kind of glory too?

The carriage stopped at the entrance to Xu Qing's alley. The alley was too narrow, with earthen walls on both sides, so the carriage could not enter and had to remain outside.

Xu Qing jumped down from the carriage, stood at the alley entrance, and brushed the dust from his clothes.

The driver jumped down after him and began carrying the items off the carriage one by one—new cotton cloth, rice and flour, candied fruit, preserved fruit, red dates, pork belly, candied hawthorns...

There was too much for the driver to carry alone, so Xu Qing pitched in. The two of them made trip after trip, carrying everything inside.

Now the neighbors in the alley could finally see clearly.

"My heavens, so much stuff!"

"That's new cotton cloth, isn't it? Only the cloth shops in the city sell that! Look at that weave—so tight and fine!"

"Look at that meat, three layers of fat and lean! It must be more than ten jin! Is Xu Erniu's family celebrating New Year's early?"

"Look at what A-Qing is wearing—so respectable! That fabric, those stitches... tsk, tsk, only city folk can afford to dress like that!"

"Xu Erniu has finally endured to the end. His nephew has made something of himself..."

The voices grew louder still. A ring of people gathered at the alley entrance—old and young, men and women alike—each craning to look inside, their eyes brimming with envy.

Several young wives whispered among themselves, saying Xu Qing had grown handsome and sturdier, and that seeing the world in the city really made him different.

A few old men squatted by the wall, smoking dry tobacco with narrowed eyes. They said nothing, but their gazes plainly read: "Xu Erniu is blessed."

Second Aunt had heard the commotion long ago and came out from the courtyard.

She stood in the doorway, wiping her hands over and over on her apron. Her eyes were red, her lips trembling. She wanted to say something but could not get the words out. Wiping the corners of her eyes, she hurried forward to help carry things.

Xiuer darted out of the house and spotted the candied hawthorns in Xu Qing's hand at once. She let out a shriek of "Brother—!" and ran over on her little legs, throwing herself into Xu Qing's arms so hard that he staggered back a step.

Xu Qing smiled, set down what he was carrying, crouched, and held two strings of candied hawthorns up before her.

The little girl took one in each hand and gave one a lick. Her eyes narrowed into slits from the sweetness, and she turned to shout at Second Aunt, "Mama! Brother bought me candied hawthorns again! Two strings!"

Second Uncle came out of the house as well. He was not using a cane; his injury had long since healed.

He walked quickly, his back straighter than before. He looked at Xu Qing and said nothing, merely smiling. The smile spread from the corners of his mouth to his eyes, then to the tips of his brows.

Second Aunt freed a hand and grabbed a handful of candied fruit and preserved fruit to pass out among the children at the door. One handful was not enough, so she grabbed another. Their little faces immediately curved into crescent moons. With the sweets in their mouths, their cheeks bulged, and they could hardly bear to swallow.

The carriage left, and the sound of its wheels grinding over the dirt road grew more distant, yet the neighbors' chatter lingered for a long time.

At noon, Second Aunt sliced the meat, stir-fried two dishes, and cooked a pot of white rice.

Xu Qing briefly told them about the martial arts school: his master had accepted him as a personal disciple, treated him well, and his senior brothers looked after him too. He had moved into the inner courtyard, taken a post at the yamen, and become a constable.

As Second Uncle listened, the lines of his smile deepened. At the side, Second Aunt kept putting food into his bowl.

Xiuer licked her candied hawthorn. Most of the sugar coating had been licked away, revealing the red fruit beneath. Suddenly, she raised her head and asked in her sweet childish voice, "Brother, are you an official now?"

Xu Qing smiled and scraped her little nose. "Not really an official, but I can catch bad people now."

Xiuer gave a "Wow!" Her eyes sparkled as she held up her candied hawthorn. "Then, Brother, catch all those bad people from now on, so they can't bully anyone ever again!"

Xu Qing smiled, rubbed Xiuer's head, and felt her fine, soft hair beneath his palm. "All right. Brother will catch every last one of them."

The room was full of laughter and joy. Chopsticks clinked against the rims of bowls, as though everything was getting better and better.

But Xu Qing did not know that a pair of eyes was watching his courtyard gate from the alley entrance.

People from the Leviathan Gang.

Ever since Liu San had died, the gang had been investigating.

Liu San, Bamboo Pole, and Blackskin—three men who had died in their rooms overnight, killed by a blade. The method had been clean and efficient, leaving no clues behind.

Over the past two days, the gang had uncovered a lead. On the day Liu San died, he had gotten drunk, and someone had heard him talk about going to Xu Erniu's house to kick someone while demanding a loan. The gang had barely finished "kicking someone and demanding a loan" when they died.

On the day Liu San died, Xu Qing had returned to Blackwater Bay from the county town's martial arts school. On the night Liu San died, Xu Qing had still been in Blackwater Bay. That night, Liu San and the others had been drunk as mud. Given that Xu Qing practiced martial arts, he could have killed them; even if he had not, he still could have done it.

The timing fit. The motive fit. Xu Qing had the ability as well.

The Leviathan Gang did not believe Xu Qing had nothing to do with Liu San and the others' deaths.

That afternoon, Sun Ping came looking for Xu Qing.

"Senior Brother Xu, we should head back to the martial arts school." Sun Ping stood at the courtyard gate with a bundle in hand, peering inside.

Xu Qing came out of the house, glanced at him, and smiled. "You go ahead. I want to stay one more night and keep my family company."

Sun Ping scratched his head and chuckled. "All right, then, Senior Brother Xu. Come back tomorrow. I'll be going first. Give my regards to your Second Uncle and Second Aunt."

"Mm." Xu Qing nodded and watched Sun Ping's back disappear around the alley entrance.

He had not told Sun Ping the truth.

After lunch, while practicing his stance in the courtyard, he had spotted a shadow lurking beyond the courtyard wall.

Xu Qing recognized him—He Jiu, an idle man from the bay. He Jiu lived alone. He rarely fished, yet never lacked food or clothing, and he dressed better than the fishing households. Xu Qing had long known that he secretly worked for the Leviathan Gang. It was he who had tipped them off about Chen Laosi going to the city to sell fish.

Xu Qing had not raised the alarm. He ended his stance and returned to the house. Second Uncle, Second Aunt, and Xiuer knew nothing; they chatted and laughed as usual.

He played with Xiuer for half the day, then helped Second Aunt split a pile of firewood and poured Second Uncle a cup of tea. Bit by bit, the sky darkened, but the fire in his heart burned ever colder.

Once night fell, Second Uncle and Second Aunt had both gone to sleep. Second Uncle's snores drifted from the inner room, long then short, short then long, like a bellows being pumped. Xiuer was curled beneath her quilt, sleeping soundly.

Xu Qing did not sleep.

He stood in the courtyard in a stance, legs spread apart, shoulders relaxed and elbows dropped, his breaths long and even. Moonlight spilled down from overhead, printing his shadow onto the yellow earth, black and utterly still.

He was practicing, and he was waiting.

In the dead of night, light footsteps came from beyond the courtyard wall. Not one person—two or three. Their steps were soft, like cats treading on roof tiles, but Xu Qing heard them with perfect clarity.

The Leviathan Gang had long established a rule: once night fell, no one in the bay was allowed outside without permission.

In the middle of the night, when all was silent and even the rats did not dare make a sound, people had come to the other side of the courtyard wall. Xu Qing did not need to think to know they were from the Leviathan Gang.

He pretended not to notice and continued his stance without moving.

Before long, an eye peered in through the crack in the gate. One eye pressed against the gap, its pupil rolling about. When it saw Xu Qing standing in the courtyard, it lit up.

When they came, the gang leader had instructed them: quietly bring Xu Qing over, and do not cause a major disturbance. Xu Qing was registered with the martial arts school, after all, so they could not openly lay hands on him. They had come late at night precisely because they did not want the people of the bay to know, nor did they want word reaching the county town.

"Xu Qing." A low voice came from outside the gate, rough and gloomy. "Come out. Hong Ye wants to see you. Don't disturb your family, or else—"

The man did not finish, but the meaning had already been delivered.