Qin Tiexin dragged the fat cook to the door of Clerk Wang's stone-walled hut. The commotion had already alerted the man inside. Rather than barge straight in, he released the wrist he had been clamping and knocked three times on the rough wooden door, neither hard nor softly.
"Come in." Clerk Wang's puzzled voice came from within.
Qin Tiexin pushed the door open and entered. The fat cook, Master Liu, hesitated outside for a moment, the ring of burning finger marks around his wrist reminding him of his earlier humiliation. But things had already reached this point-they were at the clerk's door. Wouldn't slinking back now make it obvious that he was in the wrong and had a guilty conscience? He gritted his teeth and followed with his head lowered, though much of the belligerence on his face had faded, replaced by a look of grievance and anger.
An oil lamp burned inside the dim hut. Clerk Wang was lifting his head from behind a wooden desk piled with ledgers. He pushed up the homemade spectacles that had slipped down his nose. At the sight of the two men entering one after the other-especially Qin Tiexin's young yet steady face, which he had only registered yesterday, and the miserable-looking Master Liu from the mess hall behind him-he visibly froze for a moment.
"Clerk Wang!" The fat cook, Master Liu, spoke first, his voice tearful and the fat on his face quivering. "You have to see justice done for me! This... this new boy, he... he has no respect for any law!"
Clerk Wang frowned without answering, then turned his gaze toward Qin Tiexin, signaling for him to speak.
Qin Tiexin had just been about to speak when Master Liu hastily cut in again. "Clerk Wang, here's what happened! I saw he was an unfamiliar face, a newcomer, so I gave him one ladle of porridge this morning according to the rules. He didn't come at noon either. Who knows where he ran off to? When he came this evening, I kindly gave him two solid cornmeal buns and a bowl of vegetables first. I thought I'd see how things went if he could finish them without wasting anything. But what did he do?" He pointed at Qin Tiexin, his finger trembling slightly with agitation. "He complained it wasn't enough! I told him to eat first and we could talk if it wasn't enough, but he opened his mouth and demanded eight! Eight, Clerk Wang! These solid mixed-grain buns of ours-even the toughest brutes in the Formation-Breaking Camp can't eat eight in one meal! I thought he was deliberately picking a fight, so I wanted him to leave first instead of holding up the people behind him waiting for food. And then... then he laid hands on me! Look at my wrist, just look! He even dragged me all the way here to play the villain who cries foul first! Clerk Wang, this boy is a troublemaker! He's here to freeload! Hurry and drive him away before he ruins the rules of our Craftsmen's Camp!"
He delivered his account with a full display of voice and emotion, spittle flying everywhere, washing his own hands clean while painting Qin Tiexin as an unreasonable, insatiably greedy troublemaker. When he finished, he even shot Qin Tiexin a vicious glare, as though he had suffered an injustice as vast as the heavens.
After hearing him out, Clerk Wang showed little expression. He merely pushed up his spectacles again and turned to Qin Tiexin, his voice even. "Qin Tiexin, is it as Master Liu says?"
Qin Tiexin had listened quietly throughout. Only when Clerk Wang asked him did he speak, his voice low but every word clear. "Clerk Wang, that isn't what happened." He recounted the entire course of events in careful detail, starting with the bowl of thin porridge that morning, then how he had personally seen others receive more food that evening while he was given only two buns, Master Liu's mockery and the way he had waved his ladle to chase him off, why he had asked for eight, and why he had used force. He embellished nothing and did not grow agitated, merely stating the facts. He even repeated Master Liu's insults, "rice bucket" and "freeloader," exactly as spoken.
"...I've always had a big appetite, and I really didn't get enough to eat this morning. At noon, Master Zhou-Zhou Cang-saw me working and brought me some food. This evening, I thought about how I had to keep hammering tomorrow, and how I needed to eat my fill to have the strength. Clerk Wang, I really can finish eight buns. I wasn't looking for trouble." When he finished, he raised the wooden bowl he had been holding in his other hand all along. The two dry, hard mixed-grain buns and a few wilted cabbage leaves were plainly visible inside, a pitifully small portion.
Master Liu's expression shifted slightly when he saw the bowl, and he hurried to defend himself. "Clerk Wang, this... perhaps he secretly dumped some out on the way here, deliberately..."
"Enough." Clerk Wang raised a hand to stop him. His gaze swept over Qin Tiexin's bowl, then his tall, sturdy frame, which remained straight despite clearly having undergone intense physical exertion. He already understood most of what had happened. After a moment's consideration, he said to Master Liu, "Master Liu, sorry for the trouble, but go back to the mess hall and bring eight buns here."
Master Liu stared blankly. "Clerk Wang, this..."
"Go get them." Clerk Wang's tone was mild, but it brooked no argument.
Master Liu dared say no more. He shot Qin Tiexin a vicious glare, turned, and hurried out, thinking to himself, Eight? Fine, I'll bring you the eight biggest ones. See if you don't choke to death!
Once Master Liu had left, only Clerk Wang and Qin Tiexin remained in the hut. Only then did Clerk Wang look at Qin Tiexin and say slowly, "Qin Tiexin, although the food at the mess hall isn't deducted directly from your monthly pay, the total amount of grain and supplies within the pass is fixed. If you eat more, someone else may have to eat less. Master Liu was initially worried about you wasting food and gave you the minimum portion. In terms of the rules, that wasn't a serious fault."
Qin Tiexin listened quietly without arguing.
Then Clerk Wang changed tack. "Still, you don't look like someone who would waste food. You've only just arrived. You probably didn't bring much money with you, did you?"
Qin Tiexin nodded and answered honestly, "I used up most of it in Ink City. There's a little left in my bundle, for emergencies." He remembered his master saying that when traveling away from home, one should always keep a little money to save one's life.
"That makes sense." Clerk Wang tapped the desk with a finger. "Here in our Craftsmen's Camp, skilled masters receive decent monthly pay. An assistant like you starts at around two strings of coins a month, which is two taels of silver. If you work well and make substantial contributions, that will increase. Master Zhou-Zhou Cang-for example, takes home more than five strings a month."
Qin Tiexin listened attentively. This was the first time he had clearly learned what people earned here. More than five strings... that was over five taels of silver, enough for a family of four or five to live comfortably for a month in Ink City.
"Master Zhou enjoys his drink. His wine, his everyday meals, and even the food he brought you at noon today"-Clerk Wang glanced at Qin Tiexin-"are mostly things he pays for himself on that street inside the pass. There are eateries there, as well as stalls selling cooked food and dry provisions."
Understanding dawned on Qin Tiexin, and he felt a little more deeply the quiet consideration beneath Zhou Cang's knife-sharp tongue.
Clerk Wang returned to the matter at hand. "So, with an appetite like yours, letting you eat without limit at the mess hall every meal certainly won't work in the long run, nor would it follow the rules. I'll give you two choices. First, from now on, the mess hall gives you at most four buns per meal, with the usual vegetables. You find a way to make up the rest yourself, such as using your pay to buy food outside. Second, once this month's pay is issued, you hand two hundred copper coins to the mess hall as a supplement for your extra meals. After that, as long as the mess hall has food, you'll be allowed to eat your fill. Which do you choose?"
Almost without thinking, Qin Tiexin answered directly, "I choose the second, Clerk Wang." He needed to eat his fill to have enough strength to complete Zhou Cang's harsh trial, and enough vigor to learn and forge. Two hundred copper coins was no small sum, but compared with the strength and possible opportunities a full stomach would bring, it was worth it.
Clerk Wang nodded, seemingly unsurprised by his choice. Just then, footsteps sounded outside. Master Liu had returned. Instead of carrying a bowl, he brought in a somewhat worn bamboo basket containing eight mixed-grain buns, each a full size larger than the two in Qin Tiexin's bowl, as solid as small fists.
"Clerk Wang, I've brought the buns." Master Liu set the basket on the ground and glanced at Qin Tiexin, a malicious anticipation lurking in his eyes. He had brought no vegetables or pickles. Even if the boy really could finish these eight huge, dry, solid buns on their own, he would still half choke to death.
Clerk Wang glanced at the basket of plainly "augmented" buns and shook his head without saying anything. He pushed forward his own untouched dinner, which had already gone cold-a modest dish of sliced lamb, a plate of stir-fried cabbage, and a small dish of pickles.
"Eat them with these," Clerk Wang told Qin Tiexin.
Qin Tiexin did not stand on ceremony. He thanked him, picked up a large bun from the basket, took the two smaller ones out of his own bowl as well, and began eating with the pickles Clerk Wang had pushed over. He did not wolf down his food in an ill-mannered display, but he ate extremely quickly. A mouthful of bun, a tiny bit of pickle, powerful chewing, and a smooth swallow. He ate with concentration, as though the food before him were the finest delicacy under heaven. His tall frame stood steady as a boulder, only his cheeks moving rhythmically as he chewed.
He knew Clerk Wang had not eaten yet, so he did not touch the lamb or cabbage with his chopsticks, taking only a tiny bit of pickle now and then. The ten buns-eight large and two small-dwindled at an astonishing speed amid this silent, efficient eating.
At first, Clerk Wang merely watched calmly. Gradually, he began pushing up his spectacles more often. Master Liu, meanwhile, went from sneering at the start to staring wide-eyed, his mouth falling open unconsciously, even the fat on his face forgetting to quiver.
When Qin Tiexin carefully finished the last bun, even picking up the crumbs that had fallen onto the desk and putting them into his mouth, he let out a long, satisfied breath. His slightly tense shoulders seemed to relax a little, and a little light appeared in his eyes. With ten substantial mixed-grain buns in his stomach, he finally felt a weighty fullness inside. Though he was still some way from being "full" as he had been at his peak, it was already enough to sustain tomorrow's strenuous work.
"I've finished, Clerk Wang." Qin Tiexin set the bowl and chopsticks in order and cupped his fists toward Clerk Wang once more. "Thank you for your food."
Clerk Wang said nothing for a long while, merely looking Qin Tiexin up and down as though truly seeing the youth for the first time. Finally, he nodded, a faint trace of something on his face that might have been emotion or something else. "Go back and get some rest early. Tomorrow... work hard."
"Yes." Qin Tiexin answered and, without looking again at Master Liu, who stood beside him as dumbstruck as a wooden chicken, turned and pushed open the door. His tall figure soon merged into the deepening night outside.
The hut fell silent for a moment.
Looking at the empty basket on the floor and the almost untouched lamb and cabbage, Master Liu felt his calves go weak. With a thud, he actually dropped to his knees, his face deathly pale and his words beginning to stammer. "C-Clerk Wang... I... I didn't know he really could eat that much... I thought..."
"Enough." Clerk Wang interrupted him, his voice returning to its usual evenness, yet carrying an invisible pressure. "Those little tricks of yours at the mess hall, skimping on portions and inflating reported losses-I haven't investigated them because I know life isn't easy for anyone, and supplies at the pass are sometimes tight and sometimes plentiful. But you mustn't go too far, much less serve different dishes according to who's asking, bullying newcomers and the weak."
Cold sweat broke out on Master Liu's forehead, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes, I understand! I won't dare do it again!"
"Starting tomorrow, supply Qin Tiexin with as much food as he needs. As long as he doesn't waste it, let him eat his fill," Clerk Wang instructed. "When he receives this month's pay, he'll give your mess hall an extra two hundred copper coins as a supplement. Keep the accounts clear."
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll do exactly that! Exactly that!" Master Liu hurriedly agreed.
Clerk Wang paused, looking toward the doorway through which Qin Tiexin had left. He seemed to be speaking to himself, yet also seemed to be deliberately addressing Master Liu. "Also, he was personally brought here by General Li, Li Zhenwei. Though I don't know their exact relationship, General Li's temper... you should have heard of it."
"G-General Li?!" Master Liu looked as though he had been struck by lightning. His body, which had only risen halfway, went limp again, and he collapsed onto the floor. All color drained from his face, his lips trembled, and he could not utter a single word. Here in Xinyang Pass, Li Zhenwei's reputation as the "Baleful Intent God" was more frightening than military law, especially to noncombatants like them. At the thought that he had nearly shortchanged someone General Li had brought over on his food, and had even clashed with him... Master Liu felt his back become soaked with cold sweat in an instant, chilling him.
Seeing him like this, Clerk Wang knew he had delivered enough of a warning. He waved a hand, sounding slightly impatient. "Enough. Remember what I said and leave. Clear away the bowls and chopsticks."
As though granted a pardon, Master Liu scrambled to his feet, frantically gathered the empty bowl, empty basket, and the few almost untouched dishes, and fled the hut.
The door closed softly, and the glow of the oil lamp enveloped Clerk Wang once more. He sat back behind his desk but did not immediately resume working on the ledgers. Instead, he looked at the untouched dish of lamb and plate of cabbage on the desk, remaining silent for a long time.
This sixteen-year-old youth called Qin Tiexin... had an astonishing appetite and seemingly considerable strength. He worked earnestly, and though his disposition seemed simple and straightforward, he had his own principles and tenacity. He neither provoked trouble nor feared it. Rarer still was his gratitude, tempered by a sense of propriety (not touching his dishes).
Clerk Wang pushed up his spectacles, a faint, complicated glimmer passing through his eyes. Someone sent by General Li really was... rather interesting.
He picked up his chopsticks, placed a slice of thoroughly cold lamb into his mouth, and began chewing slowly.
The night was still long, and the ledgers were still thick. Yet tonight's little interlude seemed to have brought a somewhat different air to this hut filled with the scent of ink and numbers.