He pushed open the creaking cabin door.
The cramped cabin was permeated with the smells of damp wood, the lingering stench of old fish, and a faint hint of rice bran.
Hearing the sound, his mother, Ms. Han, hurried over. "Ah Qing, how... how was it today?"
Chen Qing shook his head, his voice low. "Those guys at the fish market pushed the price down again... My luck was bad today, too. A whole cast of the net brought up nothing but tiny fish and shrimp. I only made a few copper coins in total."
Fishing was, after all, a trade that depended entirely on the whims of nature.
It was common enough to cast a net and pull it up empty. No amount of skill could change that.
Besides, the work wore down the nets. In the end, everything depended on the heavens.
Ms. Han sighed, tears welling in her eyes. "Oh... How... how are we going to survive now?"
She glanced at the nearly empty rice sack. "We can't even afford coarse rice anymore, only this bran... I just pray the Dragon King takes pity on us and grants a mother and son enough food to stay alive."
Staple foods were ranked in descending order: white flour (fine grain), coarse rice and sorghum flour (coarse grain), rice bran, and moldy rice.
Foods like white rice or steamed buns and noodles made from fine flour were expensive on the market. Only wealthy families could afford them daily.
Common folk and fishermen subsisted on coarse rice and rice bran, often mixed with river snails and reed leaves. Very few could afford to eat even coarse grains without fillers.
But now, even coarse grains were hard to come by for the Chen Family; rice bran had become their staple.
They rarely used oil and were sparing with salt, mostly using chili peppers, wild onions, and garlic to mask the foul taste of their food.
As for the "blessing from the Dragon King" Ms. Han mentioned, it was nothing more than cold steamed buns thrown into the river after a ritual, which, when fished out, were bloated and soft as rotten flesh.
Ms. Han let out a long, mournful sigh. "Your father went to dig a canal for the clan and vanished without a trace, leaving a widow and orphan behind. We can't survive by fishing anymore..."
She looked at Chen Qing and bit her lip. "How will you get by in the future without a trade to your name? I heard from Uncle Da Chun that Xiaochun is going to be an apprentice at Wanbao Hall... Ah Qing, you should find a way to learn a trade, too, don't you think?"
For the people of Mute Bay, being a fisherman was a dead end. The only hope of escaping this quagmire was to learn a trade on shore, even if it meant becoming the lowliest of apprentices.
Chen Qing said in a low voice, "Learning a trade... I'm afraid that costs quite a bit of silver, doesn't it?"
Their branch of the Chen Family was already destitute. Whatever meager savings they might have had were long ago plundered by the Jinhe Gang.
It was the kind of world where an ordinary person with money was just asking to be targeted.
There was Old Zhang, the boat tracker. He had a stroke of dumb luck and earned a few copper coins, then went and flashed his money at a 'floating house.' He was robbed that very night, and they broke one of his legs for good measure.
The 'floating houses' were gambling dens and illicit brothels run on boats.
Then there was the illiterate Qiu Family, who were tricked into signing a Fish Scale Contract. Their daughter-in-law was sold directly to one of the floating houses.
Stories like these were a dime a dozen.
Ms. Han was silent for a long moment before saying with difficulty, "If there's no other way... should we go to the old family house and ask your grandfather to lend us some?"
'The old family house?'
Chen Qing shook his head inwardly but said nothing.
...
「After noon.」
The mother and son disembarked from their boat, crossed three long streets, and arrived at Chaiyu Square.
The fishy smell from the fishmongers packing up their stalls still hung in the air. But compared to the inescapable stench of rot in Mute Bay, this place actually felt somewhat lively.
The main Chen Family residence, a general store, was located here in Chaiyu Square.
Behind the shop was a dilapidated little courtyard with four or five rooms crammed into it.
Elder Chen had lost his wife in his younger years and raised two sons and a daughter by himself, running the general store. The children were his eldest daughter, Chen Jinhua; his eldest son, Chen Wu (Chen Qing's father); and his second son, Chen Wen.
At that moment, Elder Chen was sitting in the main hall, puffing away on his long-stemmed pipe, his expression a mixture of joy and worry.
His second uncle, Chen Wen, and his family were gathered around the old man.
Chen Wen was the elder's favorite, his youngest son. He had inherited Elder Chen's fair and refined features from his youth and had never known a day of hardship in his life.
Elder Chen had always intended for him to take over the family home and the shop, but Chen Wen was hopelessly lazy. He would occasionally haul some goods when he felt like it, but would spend his days lounging at home the moment he felt tired. He couldn't stand hard work.
Elder Chen doted on him, his affection far outweighing any criticism.
To Chen Wen's left was Second Aunt, her hair in a neat bun secured with a Wooden Hairpin. Her clothes were far more elegant than Ms. Han's.
To his right was Chen Qing's cousin, Chen Heng. He was five months younger than Chen Qing but had a sturdy build and a heroic air about him, and he seemed to be in high spirits.
On the other side, his aunt, Chen Jinhua, and his cousin, Yang Huien, were washing and preparing vegetables.
Yang Huien was seventeen. Her features weren't exactly delicate, but they were very pleasant to look at. Her wheat-colored skin had a healthy glow, and her eyes were astonishingly bright and full of life.
Chen Qing took all of this in. 'Elder Chen clearly favors Second Uncle's family,' he thought. 'He scrimps and saves, pinching every penny, only to give all the best food and drink to them.'
'He's especially fond of the clever and sharp-witted Chen Heng.'
'And even though I'm the eldest grandson, my treatment is worlds apart from Chen Heng's.'
"Father!"
"Grandfather!"
The mother and son entered the courtyard, and Chen Qing gave Elder Chen a deep, formal bow.
Elder Chen was the family's patriarch, a man of status and standing.
Second Aunt immediately came forward, her voice rising in feigned surprise and mockery. "Well now, what brings my dear sister-in-law here? I'm surprised you have the time."
Her words were laced with insinuation.
Ms. Han simply pursed her lips, ignoring her sister-in-law.
His aunt, Chen Jinhua, glanced up, but couldn't be bothered with their bickering and quietly went back to her vegetables.
Only Yang Huien's eyes lit up when she saw Chen Qing. "Ah Qing!" she called out.
Chen Qing smiled in response. "Cousin."
In his memory, his aunt was shrewd and snobbish, but his cousin was gentle and kind.
He and his cousin had always been close.
His cousin was now seventeen and had already worked at a tailor's shop for three years. She was even skilled enough to embroider and sell her own handkerchiefs.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, sit,"
Elder Chen said, putting down his pipe.
After a few moments of small talk, Elder Chen looked at Chen Qing and sighed. "Ah Qing, you need to make something of yourself."
He shook his head inwardly.
'Chen Wu was always simple and honest, and Chen Qing seems to have inherited his dull, slow-witted nature. In these hard times, just scraping by is difficult enough, let alone making a name for oneself.'
'Still, even if Chen Qing isn't likely to amount to much, he is my grandson.'
"While you're young and strong, you should hurry and find a livelihood."
Second Uncle Chen Wen put on the airs of an elder, his tone stern. "You can't let your mother worry about everything."
Chen Qing glanced at his second uncle, speechless.
'This freeloader has the nerve to lecture me?'
"Father, Ah Qing is still young."
Ms. Han quickly spoke, getting to the heart of the matter. "That's why I want him to learn a trade."
Hearing this, Elder Chen nodded. "Learning a trade is a good thing. If he masters it, he'll at least be able to feed himself in this world."
Seeing Elder Chen's approval, Ms. Han's eyes lit up. She quickly added, "But learning a trade requires an apprenticeship fee, and the two of us... we don't have any money to spare..."
She didn't have to finish. Her meaning was clear.
Elder Chen's eyelid twitched, and he fell into silence.
'When Chen Wu split from the family, he took almost nothing with him besides some simple daily necessities,' he thought. 'He had felt guilty about his eldest son's family for years. Especially since his eldest had gone to dig the canal in place of his second, and had never been heard from since.'
As soon as Second Aunt heard this, she grew alarmed. "Father, Xiaoheng is studying at the Martial Arts Hall! The expenses are huge, and we can't afford any delays..."
'Chen Heng is studying at a Martial Arts Hall?!'
Chen Qing's heart leaped at the words.
A Martial Arts Hall was a place to learn combat, but the tuition was exorbitant. Most of the students came from wealthy families in the county seat.
Chen Jinhua could no longer stay quiet. "Father, when did Xiaoheng start learning martial arts? How come I didn't know?"
There was a note of displeasure in his aunt's voice.
Elder Chen tapped his pipe and said slowly, "I haven't had a chance to tell you all yet. Xiaoheng started at the Guangchang Martial Arts Hall three months ago and has made considerable progress. If everything goes smoothly, he can take the Martial Arts Examination next year."
As he finished, the corners of Elder Chen's eyes crinkled with a smile.
In Yan Country, becoming a Martial Scholar meant attaining an official rank, which would grant the family tax exemptions—a significant financial relief.
If he could continue his studies and pass the Military Examination, his rise would be meteoric, bringing immense glory to their ancestors. For a common family, it was the kind of fortune one could only dream of.
Second Aunt puffed up like a proud rooster. "When Xiaoheng was practicing his forms this morning, the instructor at the Martial Arts Hall praised him, said he was a promising talent!"
She pulled out a silk handkerchief. "Just feel this silk. A gift from the wife of Master Liu at the Martial Arts Hall..."
Chen Qing watched his grandfather's gaunt fingers stroke the surface of the silk, a glimmer of light appearing in the old man's cloudy eyes.
He knew it was the kind of fabric one could only find in the Inner City.