It was already hard to sell and could not fetch a good price. Now it also needed to eat expensive spiritual rice, which made it even harder to find a suitable buyer.
Raising it any longer would cost too much money.
So, if it had run away, then let it run.
However, just as he was about to let go of his worries, that damn thing ran back by itself. It returned obediently to his side and even climbed back into its nest, that metal jar.
Yu Qing felt a toothache. This costly thing had already run away but came back. He had given it a chance to escape yet it did not take it. What did it mean?
Later on, he gradually realised that after escaping, this thing probably found nowhere to go. Plus, it was highly vigilant by nature and felt danger everywhere. Here, he could still provide free food. Where else could it go if not back?
Encountering such a useless yet indispensable thing, Yu Qing felt very helpless. Keeping it was tasteless, but throwing it away would be a pity.
In the end, he could only let things take their natural course.
Fortunately, while wandering the rivers and lakes alone and occasionally spending nights in mountains and forests, Big Head gradually became somewhat useful.
The feeling of being able to boil water anytime after finding a water source in the wild was quite good.
When he wanted to start a fire, he would throw it into the pile of firewood and imitate its sound by saying “cry cry” twice. Once it understood, it would really “cry cry cry” and spit out sparks to help light the fire.
Without a rope to tie it, carrying it around was inconvenient. But with some habitual sound commands for training, Big Head could quickly understand, since these were all things it was used to doing.
For example, every time he wanted to pour it into water, he would knock the metal jar twice. It would soon know that it was time to boil water.
After finding some tricks, Yu Qing began to combine knocking the metal jar with voice commands for training.
After spending days and nights together, inseparable, Big Head had now accepted Yu Qing’s voice control.
“Big Head, boil water.”
Upon hearing this sound, Big Head would crawl out of the jar and jump into the nearest container of water.
“Big Head, cry once.”
Upon hearing this sound, Big Head would crawl out of the jar again, jump into the firewood pile on its own, and “cry cry cry” while spitting sparks to start the fire.
When it had eaten too much, it did not need Yu Qing to help resolve it by hand. It would find a place to fart by itself.
The key point was that when in unknown places, releasing Big Head could even serve as a vigilant sentry.
Due to its innate sense of insecurity and its naturally high vigilance from underground spaces, once it detected something approaching, it would immediately give a warning.
For instance, at this moment, Big Head was flying around him everywhere but did not dare to fly too far.
It was better than at the beginning. At first it seemed unaccustomed to living on the surface. Now it had discovered it could survive on the surface and seemed to be gradually adapting.
After flying around freely for a while, Big Head flashed over and landed on Yu Qing’s shoulder. It clung to his body to enjoy the breeze. This was much better than being shaken constantly inside the slippery jar.
It was still highly vigilant and very shy. When it saw passers-by, it would still hide.
For example, if someone passed on Yu Qing’s left, it would immediately crawl to his right shoulder to hide. It seemed to recognise only Yu Qing.
Anyone unaware would not know what this insect was and would only mistake it for an ordinary bug that had landed on Yu Qing.
Occasionally when it got excited, Big Head would dart out and fly for a while. It really seemed to be gradually adapting to surface life.
One man riding a horse galloping, one insect flying back and forth beside him, under bright sunshine…
The weather was overcast, in a small county town, in the mid-afternoon.
An ordinary carriage passed through the town. Inside, Mr Ming occasionally lifted a corner of the curtain to look at the street scene of this small county town.
He did not dare to open it fully, fearing someone might recognise him. He also felt he might be overthinking it. Who could still recognise him? Yet he still did not dare.
The calls of street vendors carrying goods on shoulder poles, the laughter and talk of passers-by, the noisy play of children running and chasing, all entered his ears as local accents, which he found particularly enjoyable to hear.
After the carriage reached the outskirts of the town, Mr Ming’s heart felt uneasy. After many years apart, he felt quite timid.
On the outskirts there was a bamboo forest courtyard. The courtyard wall was a fence. Inside were several plots of vegetables grown for their own use. A woman wearing a headscarf was squatting in the vegetable plot peeling vegetable skins. The peels could be eaten. When the tender leaves inside grew bigger, they could be peeled and eaten again. Until the heart grew large, it could be cut and peeled for cooking.
The bamboo forest courtyard was very elegant. It was also cleaned very neatly. The walls of the house were well painted. The whole courtyard was managed neatly and tidily, without the dilapidation Mr Ming had imagined.
The carriage stopped outside the courtyard gate. Mr Ming got out of the carriage, settled the fare with the driver, thanked each other, and parted ways.
He turned to face this familiar courtyard. Mr Ming, who had seen many wealthy families in the capital, felt extremely nervous inside. This was his real home.
His father had been a teacher. He originally had some modest property in the town. Later, because his father liked the quiet elegance here, he sold the property and bought this plot of land to settle down. Mr Ming’s childhood was here, and his learning also began here.
He vaguely remembered the scenes of asking and answering questions with his father while holding books in the bamboo forest. Unfortunately, his father was frail and passed away early.
While looking around the courtyard, he saw the simple woman stand up from the vegetable plot. Their eyes met.
Two local neighbours with hands behind their backs were chatting as they passed by. After seeing the person at the courtyard gate, they looked again and suddenly both froze. One pointed in disbelief.
“Yuan Cheng, is that you?”
One asked.
Mr Ming looked back, then turned around. Without the unrestrained manner he had in the capital, he clasped his hands, bowed, and saluted respectfully.
“Yuan Cheng, it really is you who has returned?”
The two were extremely surprised and so excited that they seemed at a loss. They then quickly returned the greeting.
Hearing the conversation outside, the woman in the vegetable plot was already stunned. The woman had delicate features, though inevitably marked by the years.
The three people outside chatted briefly. Upon learning he had just arrived and had not yet entered the house, the two did not want to disturb and took their leave, agreeing to meet again later.
When Mr Ming turned back to look at the woman in the courtyard, she hurriedly ran over and quickly opened the courtyard gate. She was in quite a flustered state.
She pulled off her headscarf, hurriedly wiped the mud from her hands, smoothed her hair, and tugged her clothes to make them neat. She looked very uneasy.
She was none other than Mr Ming’s original wife, who had come from a scholarly family.
She had gone to the capital to find her husband back then and had found him. But she was scolded harshly by Mr Ming and sent back. After that, the two had not seen each other again.
Seeing his wife again, Mr Ming also felt as if in a dream. The gentle and lovely bright woman from back then, the most beautiful woman in his heart, had also changed with the years. In his mind all along, she was still the way she used to be.
“Madam.” Mr Ming clasped his hands and saluted, speaking first.
“Husband.” Madam Ming immediately half-squatted in greeting, then excitedly stepped forward to help her husband take off the bundle on his back. She invited him into the house. But as she turned her head, tears flowed. While wiping her tears, she closed the fence gate.
Soon, the news that the former top scholar, Mr Ming, had returned spread like the wind throughout the entire county town.
The Ming family old lady was the first to be sent back surrounded by neighbours.
The old lady had problems with her memory. Her intellect was like that of a child. Her hair was snow white, but combed neatly without a strand out of place. Her clothes were also very tidy. It was clear she was usually well cared for. She was still holding some snacks in her hand.
But as soon as she saw Mr Ming standing beside Madam Ming, she immediately grabbed a stick from the side and went to hit him.
“Get lost, you scoundrel! Do not bully our family. My son has gone to the capital to take the top scholar examination. When he returns as a high official, he will throw you into prison…”
Although the old lady had lost her mind, she still knew how to protect her daughter-in-law’s chastity.
Mr Ming, who already knew on his return that his mother’s mind had problems, immediately shed tears like rain. He thumped to his knees and kowtowed forcefully without stopping. “This son is unfilial. This son is unfilial…”
He let his mother beat him with the stick without dodging. His forehead was even bleeding from the kowtows.
“You scoundrel, you are not my son. My son is a child prodigy. Everyone in the surrounding villages knows my son is full of learning and overflowing with talent…”
The old lady continued hitting and scolding without pause.
Mr Ming, who kept kowtowing, cried his heart out, almost as if he wanted to cry himself to death. He repeatedly said only the words “this son is unfilial”.
The group of neighbours at first let the old lady discipline her son. Later, seeing that the old lady was going too far and hitting too hard, they immediately rushed up and together pulled her away…
The Ming family was very lively that day. Many people came to visit with gifts. A long queue formed outside the Ming family gate. They all hoped Mr Ming would help tutor their children in studies.
Mr Ming, who had not dared to return home or face the neighbours before, was very surprised. Later, after asking his wife, he learned the truth.
Things were actually not as he had imagined. No matter which field one achieved success in, one was considered an outstanding person.
He himself knew this principle, but he had not expected it to happen to him.
According to his wife, at first the yamen was a bit delayed in issuing his juren stipend. Later, after he became famous in the capital and it was heard that he had wide connections there, with many wealthy and powerful families in the capital treating him as an honoured guest, no one dared to bully the Ming family anymore.
Those families with sons studying also protected this place quite well. They all saw him as a potential future hope for Mr Ming.
Of course, some neighbours also had complaints behind his back, saying he had so many connections in the capital yet was unwilling to help the hometown with something, and so on.
It turned out that in the eyes of the neighbours, he was already a great figure with extraordinary achievements.
Especially this time, when Mr Ming had tutored a top scorer with full marks in all four subjects, it spread through the hometown like thunder and added even more to his prominent reputation.
Upon hearing his wife mention the matter of A Shi Heng, Mr Ming suddenly felt speechless.
On the way, he had also heard about A Shi Heng resigning from office. He sighed in his heart. So what that person who had invited him back to help with the exam said was indeed true. A Shi Heng really had no interest in those honours and titles. It was a pity that he himself had struggled bitterly for them all his life.
That day, with his head wrapped in bandages from the broken skin on his forehead, Mr Ming generously spent money to set up a large open-air banquet outside the courtyard. He invited the neighbours. Anyone willing could come and eat for free to thank the neighbours for taking care of the Ming family over the years.
When the banquet started, the county magistrate and a group of yamen runners all came to show support and politely got to know him.
In the following days, Madam Ming, wrapped in the glory of her husband’s return to the hometown, had an almost unbroken smile on her face. She kept helping to deal with visitors. She really had no time to tend to the few plots of vegetables in the courtyard.
Several days later, a retired prefectural official came from the prefecture city. Despite his advanced age, he personally came to visit.
After they took their seats as host and guest, the elderly man smiled and asked, “Yuan Cheng, do you still recognise this old one?”
Mr Ming hesitated. “Since the old sir says this, could we have had dealings before?”
The old sir stroked his beard and smiled. “Back when you took the provincial examination, this old one was one of the examiners. You probably do not remember. Well, in the blink of an eye so many years have passed.”
“I am truly sorry.” Mr Ming quickly stood up and saluted as if greeting an examiner.
The old sir waved his hands repeatedly, indicating for him to sit down, then sighed and said, “The matters of your examination year are still fresh in this old one’s memory. Yuan Cheng, do you know that you were originally the top scorer of that provincial examination?”
Mr Ming smiled slightly. These past few days he had heard too many flattering words and had already become numb to them. He said politely, “The old sir overpraises me.”
“Not at all!” The old sir waved his hand again and stroked his beard as he said, “It is not this old one overpraising you. It is you yourself who lost the top scorer position. This old one vaguely remembers that you once spoke arrogantly to candidates of the same year, saying the top scorer of this examination could only be you. These words reached our ears. The chief examiner read your essay, admired your talent, and said that with such arrogance, you would surely bring disaster upon yourself later in the capital. So he decided to suppress you a bit. This old one still remembers the chief examiner’s exact words. He said a mere top scorer position does not determine a person’s future. Demoting him now is saving his life and can ensure he has a good end!”