Volume One: Youths Meet in Humble Times Chapter Thirty-Five: Tempests Beneath the Calm Sea

Shen Tang’s family had prepared several simple home-cooked dishes. Though modest, Li Yu could see the care in each one, evident from the way the Daoist devoured them as if swept up in a storm. It was the first time Li Yu had witnessed such an appetite from the Daoist, and for a moment, he was both transfixed and somewhat embarrassed.

Shen Lang’s family took it in stride, accustomed to the scene, but Shen Tang’s mother noticed Li Yu wasn’t taking much food and kindly served him, asking, “Is it that Auntie’s cooking doesn’t suit your taste?”

Li Yu hurriedly replied, “No, not at all.”

Seeing his response, Shen Tang’s mother easily discerned Li Yu’s restraint—he was simply being polite. Smiling, she placed a few pieces of braised fish and tore off a chicken leg for him, saying, “If it’s not the food, then eat more. Look how thin you are! You need to eat well to grow stronger and taller, understand?”

Shen Lang chimed in, eating as he spoke, “Exactly, there’s no need to be polite here. Treat this as your own home. If you keep holding back, look—your master is about to finish everything.”

The Daoist, busy eating, didn’t even pause his chopsticks. “Hey, I’m just eating, why drag me into it? You don’t know how poorly I eat outside. I’ve been waiting to come back to your house for a proper meal.”

Shen Lang laughed, exasperated, “Someone said they came to drink with me, but not a drop has been touched, and you’re nearly done with the meal. I’m counting on you to drink a few cups with me, hurry up.” With that, he filled two cups with the Hu Bugui wine brought by the Daoist and pushed the Daoist’s cup towards him.

Helpless, the Daoist could only set aside his food and join Shen Lang in exchanging drinks. The two chatted about amusing incidents the Daoist had encountered in his travels. Shen Tang’s mother, seeing this, smiled and quietly went to fry a few dishes to accompany the drinks.

Shen Tang whispered to Li Yu, “Why did you come so late?”

Li Yu saw no reason to hide the truth. From his perspective, his master seemed to have a particularly close relationship with Shen Tang’s family. He glanced at his master, then replied directly, “Master taught me a new technique, so it took a while.”

The girl’s interest was piqued, and she asked excitedly, “Is the technique Uncle Lin taught you powerful?”

Li Yu answered earnestly, “Very powerful.”

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the younger boy before her. “Wow, then you’ll surely be amazing one day.”

She quickly followed up, “Have you mastered it yet?”

Li Yu shook his head. “Not yet. Master’s teaching is difficult. I don’t know how long it’ll take to learn.”

The girl seemed to envision Li Yu’s future greatness, her face full of trust as she encouraged him, “Don’t worry. You’ll learn it for sure.”

Soon, Aunt Shen brought in two more dishes. Seeing Shen Tang and Li Yu had stopped eating, she said, “You’re full, right? If so, go play outside. Let your father and Uncle Lin have a proper chat.”

Hearing this, Shen Tang slid off her seat, reaching for Li Yu’s hand. Li Yu glanced at the Daoist, who said, “Go ahead, play with your sister Tang. Be careful.”

With that, Li Yu followed Shen Tang away from the table. One skipped ahead, the other quietly practiced his technique as he walked behind, and so they left the courtyard, heading to the riverside where Shen Tang often played.

At the table, after the two children left, the Daoist and Shen Lang began discussing the recent happenings at sea.

“Are the winds and waves at sea growing stronger now?” the Daoist asked.

Shen Lang replied, “It’s not that the waves are bigger, just that the frequency and timing of storms are much greater than before.”

The Daoist pressed on, “And what about the water near the shore? Has the level risen?”

“It has, actually. When you left, you told me to pay attention to the water level near the southern reef. Right after you departed, there was no change, but sometime later, the water began to rise,” Shen Lang explained earnestly.

The Daoist pondered for a moment and asked, “Do you recall exactly when? Or roughly which day?”

Shen Lang set down his chopsticks and thought deeply, then slapped his head and exclaimed, “That’s right! It was when Ah Xun’s academy got a new teacher—it must have been around those days.”

He continued, “Ah Xun complained that the new teacher brought a lot of extra work. Besides more homework, he had them stargazing and observing geographical trends in their free time.”

The Daoist murmured thoughtfully, “That’s quite interesting.” Then he said, “Come with me to the southern reef.”

With that, the two vanished from where they sat. When Shen Lang regained his senses, he was already at the southern reef, but he was used to such things and wasn’t surprised. He followed the Daoist to a spot where the water level could be observed.

The Daoist looked at the reef battered by waves, silent. Shen Lang glanced at it, then exclaimed in shock, “Master, why is this happening? Just two days away and the water’s risen so much?”

The Daoist didn’t answer, instead saying, “From now on, when you and your fishing friends go out to sea, stay away from the deep waters. Fish near the shore as much as possible.”

Shen Lang knew the Daoist never spoke lightly, so he trusted him and solemnly agreed, asking no further questions.

While the Daoist and Shen Lang observed the sea, Shen Tang led Li Yu to the river where they often played.

Tianmen Town had two rivers, both originating from the same place, winding down from the mountains and splitting at a bend to flow left and right. From above, they formed a zigzag shape like the character for “person.” Shen Tang and Li Yu were now by the Falling Sunset River, named for the sun setting on one side; the other was called the Dawn River, named for the rising sun.

The rivers, like a jade belt, adorned Tianmen Town, nurturing generations who lived there for ages. To the townsfolk, the rivers were one and the same, and they cherished them with the utmost respect. Many children used the rivers as their favorite playgrounds, expressing their deep affection.

Shen Tang introduced the rivers to Li Yu, recounting her own joyful memories with her brother. Hearing about her brother again, Li Yu asked, “Where is your brother?”

Shen Tang smiled, “He’s studying at the academy!”

Li Yu continued, “Doesn’t he come home for lunch?”

Shen Tang replied, “He used to, but since the academy got a new teacher, students must copy books at noon. Today my brother and Brother Zhou Ce are copying books at the academy, so they didn’t come home for lunch.”

Li Yu, puzzled, asked, “Isn’t it wrong to keep students at the academy copying books instead of letting them eat lunch? Don’t their parents object?”

Even when Li Yu was with the Li family, he was never kept after class, and during his two years with Grandma, she treasured him so much she’d never allow the teacher to keep him from a midday meal. In Li Yu’s world, eating on time, resting on time, living in harmony with nature—these were the essentials of life. Except for his wandering days, he strictly followed this routine, a habit instilled during his years with the Li family on Tianshan.

Shen Tang sighed, “I don’t really understand, but my parents say staying to copy books is a good thing. The books they copy aren’t found here—they’re brought from elsewhere by the teacher. Keeping my brother and the others to copy them is for the town’s benefit, so the wisdom of the sages can be preserved and our descendants can enjoy it.”

The two chatted idly about copying books as they walked. Soon they reached the riverbank, both sweating from the blazing sun overhead. Luckily, drooping willows shaded the bank and a cool breeze blew from the river, so they lay in the shade, basking in the refreshing wind, utterly content.

After resting for a while, feeling less hot, Shen Tang got up and said to Li Yu, “Come on, let’s pull in the net.”

On the way, Shen Tang had mentioned that aside from showing Li Yu the playground, she wanted to collect fish for making soup for the Daoist and Li Yu that evening—a tradition every time the Daoist visited. Lunch was just the start; dinner was settled as well.

Li Yu said nothing, rising to join her. Soon, Shen Tang found her family’s net, and together they pulled with all their strength. But when the net came up, not a single fish was inside.

Li Yu didn’t understand why and looked at Shen Tang in confusion. Shen Tang’s face darkened, she tossed the net aside and shouted angrily, “Let’s find them!”

Though Li Yu didn’t grasp the whole story, he could guess enough. He’d encountered such things many times before. Shen Tang was his first real friend, and he couldn’t let her face this alone.

He said nothing, only tightening his grip on the object hidden in his sleeve—a habit he’d kept for reassurance, even now.

Quickly, they found the group responsible for stealing the fish.

Not far from the river there was a hill with a gentle slope, favored for its shade in the west, where the sun set, with tree cover and a cool river breeze. It was one of the local children’s favorite spots, though only for those who banded together; the leaders were always the fierce and domineering ones. Children like Shen Tang usually avoided such places, steering clear whenever possible.

But this time, Shen Tang was in no mood to tolerate. Usually, she’d swallow her anger, but not today—she needed answers.

She and Li Yu arrived just in time to see the group roasting fish. The others, seeing them approach, paid no heed, continuing to grill and eat their fish.

Shen Tang stepped forward and shouted, “Chen Dahuo, give me back my fish!”

Chen Dahuo, without pausing, looked up with a sly grin. “If I don’t, what will you do?”

Shen Tang, furious, yelled, “If you wanted to eat, why not catch your own? Is it fun to take from others?”

Another boy among the five laughed, “Of course it’s fun. We love seeing you dislike us but can’t do anything about it.”

Shen Tang hadn’t expected Zheng Dafu to reply so brazenly, and, unable to retort, her eyes reddened with anger. She stammered out a few “You, you, you…” before nearly bursting into tears.

The five watched the two, amused as if watching a show. In truth, they’d already heard about the newcomer in town, and whenever someone arrived from outside, they were always curious about the newcomer.

So, this little conflict was less an accident than a spur-of-the-moment encounter.