Chapter 39: Packaging Box for Books

Translator: Liu Yanyan

Proofread by Fu Tianying

The weather was getting colder and colder. Lying on the bed, Guo Qi felt an ache in his right leg. It was frostbite when he slept in the wood shed when he was a little child. Now no matter how he received treatment and nursing, it couldn’t be cured. Some pain, once you got, it would never get better. It was just like man’s heart, and it would never become warm after getting cold little by little. Each time, when he saw some children running around joyfully with their parents standing behind them, reminding them not to fall down, Guo Qi would show great admiration. Happiness didn’t seem to belong to him. Since he could remember, his memory was filled with working, starvation and beating. Beating never needed any reason. As long as he was unpleasant to his father’s eyes, he would take things around him and beat him. Especially when his father was drunk, he was beat greatly. He would curse him while beating, like a bastard, son of a bitch. At this time, his mother would fall upon him and protected him. Then, his father would be more resentful, beating his mother and him together. He could clearly remember that time when the New Year was around the corner, and his mother bought an ice-sugar gourd for him secretly. He only ate little when his father came back home. Then came a furious beating from his father. Finally, his father crushed the ice-sugar gourd by feet and forced him to eat it.

Recalling this, Guo Qi rolled over and got up. He went to the courtyard, boxing for a while, fully and delightfully. After boxing, sweat trickled down his forehead. He couldn’t help calling out: “man in this world should live a life of pleasure and vengeance. What you owe to me, I will get back all one by one. Mother, you will not wait long in the dwelling place of the dead, I will ask that ungrateful man to accompany you sooner or later.” After that, he bailed out some water, pouring it over his head. Water ran down his face, wetting his clothes and dropping on the ground.

After taking over these batches of Zhuanghua Satin, Ma Tian’en was in a good mood. She prepared to ask workers from silks and satins shop to find some rich families and manufactured them into snowsuits. It was the right time that Ma Family could make a big profit. But Ma would definitely share it with the teacher if she had something rare, although this patch of Zhuanghua Satin was too flamboyant to tailor clothes for the teacher. But it was more suitable to decorate the packaging box. The packaging, as the name suggested, was a box with brocade as its surface, paperboard as its structure and velvet as its lining. Ox bone prod was placed on the cover of the box as the buckle. It looked like a comfortable room to protect the inside of the books from abrasion. The teacher treasured his books. He must be happy if she made this packaging box for him. Ma Tian’en selected a piece of Zhuanghua Satin herself and then selected a high-quality nanmu. Then she found a craftsman to make them into a packaging box which was used for packing books and sent to Wu Zhong.

When Ma Tian’en held the packaging box and delivered it to Wu Zhong, he got a fright. Wu Zhong was from the south of the Yangtze River, so he was more familiar with Zhuanghua Satin than the people from the north, and of course, he knew the value of Zhuanghua Satin.

“Do you want to bribe me? Is it because that you don’t want to recite books and practice handwriting?” Wu Zhong said half in jest and half in earnest.

“Sir, you are so mean. I present it to you totally out of kindness, but you misunderstand me. I will not give you.” Ma Tian’en pretended to be angry, taking the packaging box, about to leave.

“Now that it is your sincerity, I might as well accept it. But, later, this kind of luxurious things are not allowed. It is easy for people to be accustomed to luxury from thrift while it is not easy from luxury to thrift. Today, I get the packaging box made from Zhuanghua Satin; tomorrow, I will want writing brush produced in Huzhou; the day after tomorrow, maybe I want Hui ink-stick and rice paper. The gentleman should work all day long, even at night, because he should constantly be vigilant. In this way, there will be no fault.”

“What do you say? Sir, please talk normally, I can’t understand.” Although she didn’t understand, from the teacher’s expression, she knew that he was talking some big thing. It was unusual for her to present gift but was taught big things. However, if he wanted to talk, let him talk. But he should not say anything that she didn’t understand.

“It means that a man with good virtue should be self-disciplined all day. At night, he should be on the alert as if he were in danger. There will be no fault and disaster if he doesn’t slack off. On the contrary, for these things which can arouse men’s temptation, he should keep away from them. Man is born to fight with temptation. The more self- discipline he has, the farther he will go. We stay away from the temptation of delicious food, money and attractive woman…” Before Wu Zhong finished his words, he was interrupted by Ma Tian’en. “If so, our business will not go on. Sir, I don’t agree with you. Man is born to pursue temptations. Otherwise, the life will be colorless. Please think about it: a flying moth darts into the fire, and a mayfly is born in the morning and dies at night, isn’t it because of the temptation? Without temptation, a man doesn’t need to live in this world. What does he live for?” Ma Tian’en looked at Wu Zhong seriously and continued: “today you have packaging box, tomorrow you want Hu writing brush. It is nice. When you pass the examination, you will have them all. I don’t think the temptation is terrible. Man should live with temptation, otherwise, it shouldn’t be a man.” After saying this, she looked at Wu Zhong playfully. On her face, it wrote: “please praise me.”

“Good, you have learned to be lost in thought. I’m just being a little more pedantic. How about you sending me a suit of Hu writing brush tomorrow?” Actually, Wu Zhong was joking with Ma Tian’en just now. She usually sent him valuable things, and what surprised him today was that she delivered such a long speech. That was a huge surprise. One would not lose his way when he understood what the temptation in the way was.

“No problem, when you become Jinshi, I will send you Hu writing brush.” Ma Tian’en put down the packaging box with a smile. Then she searched Wu Zhong’s books and put them into the packaging box. After arranging several books, she checked it out with satisfaction before covering up the box and buttoning the Ox bone prod up

“These patches of Zhuanghua Satin were bought by me at a cheap cost. I am going to manufacture them into snowsuits for rich family. This time, I am lucky. Before long, Tian Family stole much of business from us and our financial security was almost risky. Luckily, at this time, the business knocked our door at such a low price. It seems that I am in the situation that a just cause enjoys abundant support.” Ma Tian’en said proudly.

Actually, Wu Zhong seldom asked about Ma Family’s business. Looking at Ma’s happy face, he asked more this time, giving her a chance to show herself.

Ma Tian’en told Wu Zhong about the matter in detail from the beginning to the end with excitement, then she added joyfully: “sir, isn’t it wonderful? It is exactly because they had an accident, then these patches of goods were delivered by our boats, so they turned to Ma Family firstly. If Tian Family knows this business, they will definitely steal it. The new steward of Tian Family is strange. He can think everything ahead of me. Much of our business was stolen by him. After selling these patches of Zhuanghua Satin, I will reckon with him.”

Ma Tian’en said with joy while Wu Zhong became more and more serious. Ma Tian’en talked much but didn’t receive many reactions from Wu Zhong. Also, his expression was very strange. So she asked: “Sir, what’s wrong? It’s good. Why do you have such a strange expression?”

At this moment, Wu Zhong replied: “I think it is so coincident that the whole thing seems to have been arranged by someone.”

“What？are you kidding? Who can help Ma Family?”

“I am afraid it is not help, although I am not clear where the problem lies. I just think it is too smooth.” Although Wu Zhong didn’t do any business, he read many books and thought much. On the surface, these things went smoothly and had no problems, but it was strange when they were considered together.

“Sir, don’t suffer from imaginary fears. Please wait, I will make profits.” Ma Tian’en thought Wu Zhong was too careful.

“Hope it is not what I am thinking about.” Wu Zhong felt that there was something that should be tangible but it was missed.