Ah Qiao

Chapter 4

Near the academy, there were a few households.

The scholar who approached me that day was named Xu Chang.

Xu Chang warned me, "The people at the academy are all kind, and the nearby residents are easy to get along with. Just make sure you don't get involved with that mangy dog [1]."

Mangy dog?

Xu Chang said bitterly:

"That's Ah Hu, a wretched little brat who was born but never raised properly."

I had heard about him from others.

Ah Hu was a ten-year-old child. His father remarried, and his mother did too, leaving him all alone, unwanted by anyone.

No other children wanted to play with Ah Hu; they said he was full of lies, had sticky fingers, and often stole chickens and other things.

He was also strong for his age and liked to fight.

Anyone who crossed him would find their gourd trellis pushed over in the middle of the night, or their chicken coop opened to invite a weasel's visit.

It was bad enough that the children disliked him.

But you wouldn't expect a twenty-year-old like Xu Chang to hold a grudge against a ten-year-old like Ah Hu.

However, a couple of years ago, Ah Hu set a trap to catch a wild rabbit, which caused Xu Chang to fall and break his leg, making him miss his exam.

The exam topic was historical essays, Xu Chang's specialty.

From that moment on, Xu Chang hated him.

Whenever Xu Chang tried to beat him up, Ah Hu would simply lie down on the ground, acting like a little rascal:

"Help! Help! A grown man is hitting a child! The scholar is beating up an innocent kid!"

Xu Chang couldn't stand it and resorted to bribing the nearby children with sweets, encouraging them to beat up Ah Hu instead.

Ah Hu took the beating, rolling around in the mud like a mangy dog:

"Hehe, it doesn't hurt, not at all."

Thick-skinned and shameless, there wasn't anyone at the academy who could deal with him.

Xu Chang eventually gave up and resigned himself to his misfortune.

6

But even though I didn't provoke him, Ah Hu still managed to trouble me.

He stole my speckled hen, roasted it on the hillside, and ate it.

The drumstick was too hot and fell to the ground, but he didn't mind the dirt. He just brushed off the dust and stuffed it into his mouth.

As he swallowed, the hot food must have pulled at a sore in his mouth because he winced in pain, but that didn't stop him from wolfing it down.

He was so focused on eating that he didn't notice me standing behind him.

I tapped him on the shoulder:

"Speckled hen isn't good when cooked like this."

Ah Hu jumped, startled, and choked, coughing desperately.

I patted his back:

"Speckled hen should be stewed with mushrooms, or stir-fried to top noodles."

We each had a bowl of chicken soup, but his bowl had two drumsticks.

Just like when I used to make chicken soup for Bai'er and Meng He Shu, I'd always give one drumstick to each of them.

Ah Hu looked at me suspiciously but couldn't resist the fragrant soup and the plump drumsticks.

"What do you want!"

"I want to tell you that speckled hen is best for making soup."

"Is there poison in the soup? You think I don't dare eat it?"

Ah Hu, as if preparing to face death, held the bowl in both hands.

When he took his first bite, his eyes widened in surprise.

He ate so ravenously that I suspected he might swallow his tongue along with the food.

I couldn't help but sigh—no wonder people say that a teenage boy can eat you into poverty.

After finishing his third bowl of chicken soup, Ah Hu's eyes were clear and bright.

"If you're hungry in the future, don't steal. You can come here to eat."

He wiped his mouth with a sleeve so dirty that its original color was indistinguishable.

He seemed like he wanted to say something, but as soon as he looked up and saw Xu Chang entering, he didn't say a word. He just put down the bowl and ran off.

Xu Chang spat in Ah Hu's direction as he watched him leave:

"Don't go soft on him, Madam. That kid is an ungrateful little wretch."

It wasn't that I was being soft-hearted.

I just thought that a child who cherished his food couldn't be all that bad.

But the next day, the trellis I had set up for the beans behind the schoolhouse had collapsed.

Xu Chang led a group of people over to witness the scene, while Ah Hu stood there, flustered, next to the fallen trellis.

Before I could say anything, Ah Hu shoved Xu Chang so hard that he tumbled to the ground, then took off in a panic.

"That little brat! Madam, you've been so kind to him, and he repays you by causing trouble in the courtyard."

I thought for a moment:

"Last night, there was a strong wind and heavy rain. Maybe I didn't set the trellis properly."

That evening, I noticed a shadow lurking outside the courtyard.

I reheated the leftover chicken soup, and as the aroma wafted out, the shadow couldn't stay hidden any longer.

"...I didn't push the trellis. Last night, I heard the wind and thought, 'Could your shelf be blown over by the wind?' So I came over specifically to check."

"You could have just said it. Why did you have to run away?"

Ah Hu hung his head, his voice trembling as if he was about to cry:

"I didn't want to run, but I was afraid you wouldn't ask me anything and would just start scolding me."

"How about this—next time something happens, I'll ask you first, okay?"

Ah Hu didn't reply.

He lifted the entire bowl and drank from it, using it to shield his face, reluctant to put it down.

I teased him:

"Speckled hen mixed with tears won't taste good too. It'll be too salty."

Footnote:

[1] Mangy dog (癞皮狗) is used to insult someone, implying that they are lowly, despicable, or unworthy of respect.