Madam Lu

The old hen had been stewed until perfectly tender, its broth thick, with a layer of golden oil floating on top.

It looked greasy.

But the villagers had little fat in their diets, and greasy was just what they liked.

About to serve the food, Wang Qilin looked at the chicken soup, then at his busy mother and sisters, and hesitated.

Seeing this, Xu Da took the soup basin and poured out half the broth, then fished out the drumsticks and put them on a plate. "Give these to your mother and sisters."

Wang Qilin's sixth sister, Wang Liuqiao, said quietly, "There isn't much soup left."

Xu Da casually grabbed a kettle and poured in half a basin of water.

There was no way to fake the stir-fried rooster, but it had been cooked with taro, so Xu Da picked out some pieces of chicken, then put back the chicken head and rump that Madam Wang née Lu had picked out.

Wang Qilin rested a hand on his shoulder and grinned, and Xu Da winked back at him.

But the villagers were no fools. One rummage through the dish with their chopsticks told them exactly what had happened.

Someone was about to complain, but Xu Da had already launched into an all-out assault, his chopsticks flying as he picked out the chicken. He did not turn up his nose at the head or rump either, setting a blistering pace.

Seeing this, the others had no time to say anything and hurried to scramble for the food.

Early the next morning, Wang Qilin first went with Wang Liuwu to burn paper offerings and incense at their ancestral graves, then prepared to head to Lu Family Village to meet the girl.

Madam Wang née Lu's family was from Lu Family Village. Twenty-seven years ago, Wang Liuwu had married her and brought her home with five jin of rice as her dowry.

Speaking of the past, Wang Liuwu squatted on the ground and sighed. "If you want to marry Miss Lu, I'm afraid it'll take five jin of copper coins."

Wang Qilin set a basin of water on the ground to wash his feet. The clear water rippled indistinctly, and for a moment, he fell into a daze.

The clear water reflected a young man's face, plain and unremarkable.

But when he visited Earth in his dreams, he had seen several similar faces on television and in books and newspapers. Some of their owners were called Yang Guo, some Xiang Shaolong, and some Guzai.

This left him briefly bewildered every time he saw his own face.

The sort of bewilderment Zhuang Zhou felt dreaming he was a butterfly.

Could those be my past and future lives?

Xu Da came over, snatched the basin, and splashed his face a few times. "Why does the water here smell a little funny?"

Wang Qilin said, "Possibly because that's a foot-washing basin."

Xie Hama, who was rinsing his mouth, sprayed out a mouthful of salt water.

Only two villages lay between Lu Family Village and Great King Village. It was not far.

People had forgotten Rich Man Lu's actual name. His family had been wealthy for generations, and half the land in Lu Family Village belonged to them, so every successive head of the household was called Rich Man Lu.

Amid a village full of thatched cottages, the rich man's blue-brick, red-tiled compound looked especially imposing. His household even employed a steward, just like the great households in the county town.

Wang Liuwu knocked on the door. The steward, wearing a square scholar's headcloth, recognized him, then sized Wang Qilin up from head to toe. "You're the young man from Great King Village who joined the Heaven-Listening Bureau as a Wandering Star?"

"Minor Seal," Wang Qilin said.

The steward did not understand. "Huh?"

Wang Liuwu gave his habitual ingratiating smile. "My son isn't a Wandering Star anymore. He's been promoted to Minor Seal!"

He had to emphasize the final words.

Wandering Stars and strongmen were like the runners at a government office. They were not officials, merely clerks at best.

But Minor Seals and those above them were proper officials. A Minor Seal held the principal ninth rank. It sounded lowly, but it was enough to throw one's weight around in the county, let alone out here in the villages.

The New Han Dynasty administered its officials strictly, and anyone who dared falsely claim an official rank faced severe punishment.

So the steward had no doubts. He hastily bowed and bent his knees to invite them inside, then hurried off to notify his master.

Wang Qilin was just about to enter.

The half-open gate slowly creaked wider, and the threshold shook.

The wind blowing in carried a sinister chill that had been absent throughout their journey.

He immediately turned back, alert.

He found nothing.

Just then, the steward came puffing back, extending a solicitous hand. "This way, sir. Please come sit down and rest. Our master is chopping firewood. He'll be out as soon as he wipes his hands!"

That was how village landlords lived. During the busy farming seasons, they still had to work the fields themselves.

Father and son went to the reception room. Soon, Rich Man Lu bustled in, short but thickset and sturdy.

He was about to speak when a woman's voice rang out behind him. "Wang Liuwu, your son's become an official? Is that true? You haven't come to make fools of my husband and me, have you?"

Wang Liuwu hurriedly stood. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

This was Wang Qilin's first time meeting Rich Man Lu, and the sight of his short, stubby build, little eyes, and big mouth disappointed him.

With a father this ugly, how beautiful would the mother have to be for their daughter to turn out pretty?

He looked behind Rich Man Lu with hope, and a great hulking woman charged into view.

Broad shoulders, a magnificent chest, a thick waist, a big backside, and ferocious features. Wang Qilin truly wanted to stand up, cup his fists, and say, "Goodbye."

No wonder his father had jumped up to answer her question. If he answered too slowly and displeased her, one punch could turn his small intestine into a bitter intestine.

Wang Liuwu seemed to know what his son was thinking. He whispered, "Don't rush. I asked around. Miss Lu is a great beauty, and she enjoys writing and painting. She went to the lantern festival in the county town this year, and two scholars came back smitten with her."

Wang Qilin straightened his expression. "Father, what are you thinking? It's character I value in a wife. Looks and figure are fleeting clouds. In an instant, every beauty becomes dry bones. How could I not understand that?"

Rich Man Lu and his wife sat down, and his wife's eyes began scanning Wang Qilin like radar.

I'll scan from south to north, and from daylight into darkness.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Wang Qilin felt there was a lecherous look in her eyes.

This woman sure doesn't look like a good sort!

Rich Man Lu had seen something of the world. Rather than bring up their children's marriage immediately, he sipped tea and chatted with Wang Liuwu about farmwork.

Their conversation relaxed the atmosphere. The rich man's wife rolled her eyes in a show of displeasure, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and chided, "You two have done nothing but talk about work in the fields. Shouldn't you discuss the children's lifelong arrangements too?"

Wang Qilin faintly heard a dry heave outside the door.

He was about to investigate carefully when Rich Man Lu addressed him. "My wife is quite right. I've neglected you, Lord Wang. How about this? My dear, go bring Yuan'er out to meet Lord Wang, and let the young people have a chat too."

The exciting moment had arrived.

Wang Qilin raised his teacup to drink, using its lid to conceal his gaze.

The rich man's wife went into the inner quarters and soon returned, followed by a young woman in a long red-and-white dress.

The girl was not exceptionally beautiful, but she had delicate features and fair, rosy cheeks. Her eyes moved with a shy, faint smile, giving her something of the well-bred young lady Aso Nozomi's air.

Then, under his affectionate gaze, the girl stopped by the doorway with her hands lowered, while a short, plump girl scurried in.

Rich Man Lu plus his wife, divided by two: that was Wang Qilin's impression of the second girl.

No introduction was necessary. It was obvious who the actual young lady was.

Wang Liuwu swallowed hard, then whispered, "Son, our ancestors said lowly sons and ugly daughters are easy to raise, and crooked melons and split dates taste good. Miss Lu may be a little ugly..."

At that moment, Miss Lu sat down opposite them, shy and bashful. Wang Qilin hurriedly whispered to his father, "Father, it doesn't matter whether she's ugly. The main thing is, I like dry bones. This one has too much meat!"

A breeze blew through the doorway, carrying in two indistinct laughs.

The laughter sounded as though someone were squeezing their throat.

But the courtyard outside was completely empty. There was absolutely no one there!

Yet it was not his imagination. Wang Liuwu, Rich Man Lu, and the pretty maid all instinctively looked outside.

Wang Qilin instinctively started walking out, but the rich man's wife misunderstood. "Stop! You've entered my house, and now you think you can run away?"

The others stared in astonishment, and she hurriedly corrected herself. "What, you're leaving without saying a word? My daughter isn't good enough for you? Now that you're an official, you look down on her because she's ugly? Hah, men!"

Once she opened her mouth, she could not stop. "You think I don't understand men? You all like pretty young women. Yes, my daughter isn't pretty. If you want someone pretty, go find General Huang's granddaughter!"

"But let me warn you, if you want to marry the Huang family's granddaughter, you'd better hurry. A ghost's haunting her, and she's brought death to several people in her family. If you're too late, you might only get to marry a ghost..."

At this, Rich Man Lu's expression changed drastically. "Shut up! Woman, is there anything you won't say? Shut your mouth right now!"

Her mother's words badly frightened Miss Lu, who hurriedly ate two apples and a sweet cake to calm her nerves. "Mother, stop talking. You're scaring me."

Wang Qilin reassured her. "There's no need to be afraid, Miss Lu. Your yang energy blazes like a furnace. Even if there were a ghost, it couldn't get near you."