Chapter 16

When Afei first entered the family residence, he soon had a strange dream. In the dream, Shi Yi roared at him in anger, and then he saw both Shi Yi and his son Shi Xun, covered in blood, holding ring-headed knives, speaking in the腔调 of Peking Opera: "You scoundrel, give me back my life! ~ Waaaaaah ~" Terrified, Afei clutched his head and ran, shouting, "What does this have to do with me? I didn't kill you two!"

He woke up in a cold sweat, still trembling from the shock. Although he was awake, the lingering fear remained. He was especially worried about whether he had said anything in his sleep and if anyone outside had heard it. After calming down a bit, he felt drenched in sweat, which made him very uncomfortable. He stretched out his arms and legs from under the quilt but was afraid of catching a cold—medical skills in this era were not very advanced, and a common cold could be fatal—so he quickly pulled them back in.

Then, he felt a dry throat and a sore mouth, and he couldn't help but curse the Shi family: "Why didn't you even think to give me a drink of water? Are you really the children of a noble family? Do you know how to treat guests?" Thinking about drinking water, he suddenly felt a strong urge to urinate. However, after looking around the room, it seemed there was no chamber pot.

Just then, a clear voice came from behind the screen: "Young Master, what are you looking for?" Afei was so startled that he shivered and broke out in a cold sweat again.

Afei was greatly alarmed. He hadn't expected anyone to be hiding behind the screen. Fortunately, he hadn't done anything suspicious. Who was this person? How could they stay there for so long without making a sound, without even a breath being heard?

He reminded himself: "You are Shi Xun. From now on, you are the only Shi Xun in the world. The original Shi Xun is dead and can no longer threaten you. You are Shi Xun, and you must act like Shi Xun in every move, without a moment's relaxation!"

While warning and hypnotizing himself, he turned his head to look toward the screen. A girl emerged, wearing a plain short robe and a gray long skirt, with her black hair tied into two buns. From her attire, she seemed to be a maid.

The maid walked to Afei's side and asked again, "Young Master, what are you looking for?" Afei saw that she had a round face like an apple, fine eyebrows like a crescent moon, a straight nose like a hanging bell, a wheat-colored complexion, and a small dimple on one side of her mouth—truly a cute little girl.

"Who are you?" Afei asked.

The maid bowed slightly and replied, "I am Yue'er, your servant."

"Perhaps your name comes from your eyebrows, which are as curved as the moon..." Afei said, but then realized it might sound like a flirtation in ancient times. He had just fainted from fatigue and "injury," so he shouldn't speak like that. He coughed lightly and changed the subject: "This... I, I need to urinate..."

Yue'er nodded and brought out a chamber pot from behind the screen, placing it on the mat and helping Afei. Afei, who was a bit embarrassed, thought that the real Shi Xun was usually served by servants in this way, even though the maids around him were less attractive than Yue'er. So he let her help him, holding the chamber pot and urinating comfortably.

After handing the chamber pot back to Yue'er, Afei couldn't help but ask, "Is there any water to drink?" Yue'er hid the chamber pot behind the screen and replied, "Young Master, please wait a moment." She went out and soon returned with a cup of warm water, serving Afei.

After helping Afei lie down again, Yue'er retreated behind the screen, saying, "I am here to serve you, Young Master. If you need anything, just call." Afei couldn't help but ask, "This... don't you find it smelly to stay with the chamber pot?" From behind the screen, Yue'er laughed lightly, "Thank you, Young Master, it's no problem." Then it was quiet again.

Afei lay in the room all day until nightfall, when a servant brought in dinner. Yue'er served him on the mat. After eating, he felt stiff from lying down and wanted to walk around. Just then, he heard a light cough from outside the room, asking, "Nephew, are you feeling better?"

Afei was startled and quickly got out of bed, kneeling on the floor, "I am fine... Could it be Uncle?"

The door opened, and a tall, slender figure entered, saying, "Yes, I am Yi. Nephew, you have suffered."

Before Afei could see the man's face clearly, he heard these words, and an invisible switch in his mind clicked. "Snap" — he instantly switched from rest mode to acting mode, crawling forward and hugging the man's legs, crying loudly, "Uncle... Uncle, please accept my bow!"

"Uncle, you don't need to do this, get up and talk," Yi quickly bent down and helped him up. In the dim light, Afei could barely see that Yi was quite tall, about 1.75 meters, around forty years old, with a yellow face, a long beard, a high nose, and thin lips. He wore a leather cap, a deep robe, and a fur coat, having just returned home and not yet changed.

Afei and Yi sized each other up. At this moment, the little maid Yue'er came out from behind the screen, bowed, and brought a wooden stool, placing it to the west and helping Yi sit facing east. Afei also knelt facing Yi, trying his best to use fake sorrow to cover his real nervousness, waiting for Yi to speak.

"Your father's letter was very brief," Yi said straightforwardly, "I hope you can clarify things for me." Afei thought, "So you have the same temperament as your fourth son, but your calm demeanor is different from your eldest son."

He recounted the events, partly true and partly fabricated: First, he said that Shi Yi had offended the governor Zhang Qi, who sent people to arrest him. He brought a letter to seek refuge in Beihai. Then, he said that on the way, he saw the county soldiers searching, so he returned secretly. After a fierce battle, all his servants were killed, and he barely managed to save his father. Finally, he said that his father, already in poor health, died a few days later from the shock. After burying his father, he dared not stay in Lelang and sailed to the sea, enduring many hardships before finally reaching Beihai.

He said that he had saved Shi Yi from Zhang Qi's clutches because if Shi Yi had died directly at Zhang Qi's hands, Yi would not let it go and would seek revenge, which could lead to complications. As a son, he would also have to return to Lelang to collect his father's remains, which would be unfilial. Since Shi Yi died after being saved, Zhang Qi, though responsible for a miscarriage of justice, did not directly kill Shi Yi, so Yi was unlikely to confront a high-ranking official. Since Shi Yi had been buried, he didn't need to return to Lelang for a while. In a few years, when the country was in more chaos, he would have many reasons not to return to pay respects to his "father."

He had thought about this story all the way and believed it had no major flaws. Indeed, Yi's expression, though sad, seemed to believe him. After the conversation, Yi comforted him, "The deceased are gone, nephew, don't be too sad, lest you harm yourself. Stay here for now. After a few years, when Governor Zhang leaves office, we can think about moving your father's remains back to the family tomb."

That night, Yi arranged a new room for him, which was larger and more luxurious than the one he had been in, with more furnishings—better even than the bedroom of the real Shi Xun in the northern manor. Clearly, the wealthy from the Central Plains were different from the wealthy from the countryside. Yi also instructed two maids, a young servant, and an old servant to serve him, and told his sons, "Let your brother rest well. He doesn't need to come to greet me in the morning. I have important matters to attend to and will leave early tomorrow."

Yi had five sons and two daughters. The eldest son was Shi Zhu, the fourth son was Shi Yu, and Afei had met both. The second son had died young, the third son, Shi Kuan, was studying abroad, and the youngest son, Shi Jun, was temporarily helping his father in the capital, Ju County, and did not return this time. One daughter was already married, and the other was still young and unmarried, so Afei had not met her.

The Shi family... originally the Shi family, was not very large. Yi's grandfather had two sons, each of whom had one son, Yi and Shi Yi, who were cousins and did not seem very close. Yi had many children, while Shi Yi had three sons, but only Shi Xun survived to adulthood.

So, in terms of seniority, including those who had died young, this generation was: Shi Zhu (eldest), Shi Kuan (third), Shi Yu (fourth), Shi Xun (seventh), and Shi Jun (eighth).

The next morning, as soon as Afei got up, Shi Yu came to him, handing him a new memorial tablet inscribed with "The Spirit of the Late Father Shi Yi." Afei asked, "Do my father and I need to change our surnames?" Shi Yu nodded, "Our father is the head of the clan. Since he has changed, everyone in the clan should follow."

Afei felt a headache. He was pretending to be Shi Xun, but now he had to become Shi Xun. Since he wanted to stay here and possibly gain a future, he had to consider all aspects. He immediately asked Shi Yu, "My mother's memorial tablet was not brought. Could you make one for me?" Shi Yu slapped his forehead, "Ah, I was negligent." He glanced at Afei, "What is your mother's maiden name?"

"Little one, you still doubt me? This small question can't stump me," Afei thought, but he respectfully replied, "My maternal grandfather's surname is Liang, from Xiangling, Hedong."

Shi Yu was quick. In no time, he had the second memorial tablet made, still wet with paint, and placed it in front of Afei along with Shi Yi's. Afei lit incense and bowed to the fake father and mother, praying, "To ensure your family line continues, I am taking this risk, pretending to be your son. Please don't blame me, and better yet, bless me to turn misfortune into good fortune." When Shi Yu turned his head, Afei rubbed his eyes and punched his nose, then suddenly burst into tears.

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**End of Chapter**