TATSD Chapter 97

“Yushu, you’re here! Hurry down! Liu Di’s room has been robbed!” Lin Tai shouted, startling many people on the second floor.

As soon as Liu Yimian appeared, he was pulled to the stone table, where several people surrounded him, asking, “How much silver was stolen? Was it a lot? Should we report this to the authorities?”

“It must have been one of the students from the academy. We should inform the principal!”

“Maybe we should first see if we can recover the items?”

“What do you think, Yushu?” Lin Tai walked over to Lu Yushu and shared what he had just witnessed.

“Yimian, are you alright?” Lu Yushu looked at Liu Yimian with concern, but when he saw the calmness on Yimian’s face, he realized his worries were unnecessary.

“Today, does anyone here recall seeing any strangers come to the school?”

As Lu Yushu was a prominent figure among the students, those who had not spoken earlier immediately chimed in upon seeing him speak.

“I didn’t see anyone unfamiliar while I was here.”

“There was one.”

Everyone turned their attention to the one who spoke, but they did not see anyone at first.

It turned out to be two young men sitting at a chessboard, deep in a game. One of them nodded to the other and said to Lu Yushu, “We’ve been playing three games today, and we agreed that the first to win two would take the match. This is our third game now.”

Lu Yushu smiled slightly. Chess can take a considerable amount of time, and a particularly intricate game could easily last an hour. Besides, with three games, it was likely they had seen the thief.

“It was Zhang Xiaoman.” The young man, named Helan, sighed when he noticed everyone furrowing their brows in thought. “I only caught a glimpse of him while I was pondering my next move. After that, I didn’t pay attention. I’m not sure if it was him; we’ll need to call him in to find out.”

“Alright, I’ll go find him!” Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Lin Tai dashed out.

Once he left, the others began discussing among themselves. The more than ten students present found it hard to believe that the usually timid Zhang Xiaoman, who rarely spoke up and even avoided eye contact, could do something so outrageous.

“This needs to be confirmed; let’s not jump to conclusions,” Lu Yushu reminded them.

Liu Yimian had been quiet, sitting on a stool. Upon hearing Helan mention Zhang Xiaoman’s name, he too felt incredulous.

Having been at the academy for nearly a month, he recognized nearly all of his classmates, and he had exchanged a few words with Zhang Xiaoman.

A few days earlier, after a lecture, Liu Yimian had been in a hurry to leave and bumped into Zhang Xiaoman. Before Liu Yimian could apologize, Zhang Xiaoman quickly got up from the ground and helped him to his feet, continuously apologizing.

Even though the incident was Liu Yimian’s fault, Zhang Xiaoman insisted it was his own mistake for not paying attention. No matter how Liu Yimian explained, Zhang Xiaoman took the blame upon himself.

Liu Yimian had been eager to leave but later learned that Zhang Xiaoman couldn’t afford to replace his frayed brush. So, Liu Yimian bought him a new goat hair brush. Zhang Xiaoman was overjoyed, bowing repeatedly to Liu Yimian in gratitude, which made Liu Yimian feel a bit embarrassed.

After that, they didn’t interact again, but the incident left a strong impression on Liu Yimian.

Perhaps he just came here for another reason?

Doubts lingered in Liu Yimian’s mind.

Before long, Lin Tai returned, dragging Zhang Xiaoman by the arm.

They ran together, with Lin Tai being robust and Zhang Xiaoman appearing frail. By the time they reached everyone, Zhang Xiaoman could hardly stand, leaning on Lin Tai’s arm, gasping for breath with his eyes red, as if he had been crying.

“Zhang Xiaoman.” As soon as Lu Yushu called his name, Zhang Xiaoman collapsed to the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face as he cried uncontrollably.

“Master Lu, Young Master Liu, I swear it wasn’t me! I don’t have the guts to do something like this! It wasn’t me!” Zhang Xiaoman sobbed, his anguish evoking sympathy from those watching.

Liu Yimian instinctively reached out to help him, but Zhang Xiaoman grabbed his arm, kneeling a few steps toward him, choking out, “Young Master Liu, you have to believe me… Xiaoman only came to get something, I didn’t steal anything!”

“What were you here to get?” Liu Yimian asked gently, his tone as soft as a spring breeze.

Zhang Xiaoman’s agitated emotions began to calm as he slowly quieted, sniffing a few times before hanging his head and saying, “Chen Ge asked me to get a book.”

“Chen Ge?”

“Chen, Chen Peizhi.”

Lu Yushu appeared deep in thought and asked, “What book? Did you go to him to get it?”

“It’s the Spring and Autumn Annals by Gongyang… it’s…” he stammered, unable to lift his head.

“What is it?” Lu Yushu approached him, his tone heavy with a hint of coldness. “You mustn’t lie.”

Zhang Xiaoman gritted his teeth, hesitating for a moment before saying, “It’s not like that. Chen Ge asked me to come get this book for Young Master Liu’s elder brother. He said he had something to attend to and would come looking for me in the afternoon. When I got there, the door was closed. I waited for a bit and then left.”

Liu Yimian nodded. “My elder brother’s book did indeed end up here.” He then asked Zhang Xiaoman, “When you arrived, was the door closed?”

Zhang Xiaoman excitedly grabbed Liu Yimian’s arm. “Yes! It was closed!”

Liu Yimian winced from the grip and softly exclaimed, but Zhang Xiaoman didn’t notice. It was Lin Tai who smacked Zhang Xiaoman’s hand, causing him to let go in pain.

“Regardless, you’re the only stranger to come here today. I think we should let the principal decide what to do about this,” Helan said, looking at Zhang Xiaoman and speaking slowly.

“I agree; that’s the best course of action.”

“Yes, let’s find the principal first!”

Zhang Xiaoman fell to the ground, crying again. He was so heartbroken that even Helan, who had proposed the idea, turned away, unable to bear it.

His academic performance was not great; he barely managed to stay in the academy. If the principal found out and couldn’t identify the thief, even if Liu Yimian didn’t want to pursue the matter, Zhang Xiaoman would still be at risk of being expelled.

For him, that would be like a bolt from the blue.

Lu Yushu sighed and gently asked, “Yimian, how much did you lose?”

“…two taels,” Liu Yimian answered in a low voice.

The others gasped in surprise, not because they had never seen so much money, but because losing two taels all at once was serious. If Liu Yimian reported it, he would likely end up in jail for at least ten days.

Lu Yushu bent down slightly and extended his hand toward Zhang Xiaoman, looking at him calmly. “Xiaoman, if you’re innocent, you have nothing to fear in front of the principal.”

Zhang Xiaoman’s nose turned red from crying, and his tear-filled eyes couldn’t make out Lu Yushu’s face. “But… but I…”

“Don’t worry. Until the truth comes to light, I won’t let you be expelled,” Lu Yushu’s words gave Zhang Xiaoman powerful support, and he abruptly stopped crying, tightly holding onto Lu Yushu’s hand, too overwhelmed to speak.

“So now, let’s go meet the principal together.”

Chang Liu Town, Ting Yun Building.

Ting Yun Building was the only establishment in Chang Liu Town that could be called a restaurant, standing two stories high. To go upstairs, one needed to spend at least one tael of silver, so anyone going up was either wealthy or important.

Old Master Zhang tilted his head back, happily drinking a cup of wine. “Old Zheng, how many years has it been since we last met?”

Zheng Yi, sitting across from him, squinted as he thought. “At least five years, I’d say. Chang Liu Town is still the same as it used to be.”

“I’ve aged quite a bit, but you still look so spirited,” Old Master Zhang remarked. He and Zheng Yi were old friends, both around the same age, but Zheng Yi looked ten years younger.

One needed a cane to walk, while the other moved with brisk energy, looking vibrant, which was indeed a sight to behold.

“You’ve been out trading all these years and must have made quite a bit, right?” Old Master Zhang observed Zheng Yi’s face, which, though not aged, bore the marks of time and experience.

Zheng Yi had once been a local of Chang Liu Town and had known Old Master Zhang for many years. In his thirties, yearning for the grand landscapes described in books, he had taken some silver and set off on a journey. Years later, he returned, having worked as a trader, and brought his wife and children back with him.

It had been five years since he left.

“By the way, I just returned from Yanzhou, bringing a lot of local specialties to sell. You’ve never tasted these before; I’ll send you some,” Zheng Yi said excitedly. He had been captivated by the local customs in Yanzhou, but couldn’t withstand the heat and had left after a little over a month.

“Look at me; I must be a lot darker now from all that sun in Yanzhou. I thought I’d look even younger,” Zheng Yi laughed, downing his drink.

“What did you bring me?” Old Master Zhang asked with curiosity.

“The locals call it ‘Yue Wang Tou,’ and there’s a story behind it,” Zheng Yi replied, pouring himself another drink and tapping his chopsticks on the dishes. “Legend has it that the king of Lin Yi had a grudge against the king of Yue, so an assassin took advantage of his drunkenness to behead him, hanging his head on a tree. It transformed into a coconut, and the shell resembles two eyes; that’s why it’s called ‘Yue Wang Tou.’ The juice is clear and fragrant, almost like wine. You have to try it.”

“That’s an interesting story! I want to try it. Bring me some more to my house. I have to let the Ji family’s boy taste this novelty as well.”

“The Ji family’s boy?”

“I’ll bring him over someday; he’s quite a talent.”

Zheng Yi slapped the table, laughing heartily. “Good! If you’re praising him, I need to meet him!”

The long-separated duo caught up on the events of the past five years over drinks at Ting Yun Building.

Zheng Yi, traveling back and forth, wasn’t sure when they would meet again. For the two men, both over fifty, this might well be their last meeting.