Chapter 57: Founding Patriarch’s Agarwood Bead Strand

Children forget things quickly, so once I started school I put those matters behind me.

The one thing I could not afford to forget was afternoon training.

My school finished at 11:30 a.m. and resumed at 2:30 p.m., and since students who lived far away did not go home, there was a three hour lunch break.

Old Man Jiang arranged it like this for me.

Half an hour for eating, one and a half hours for a nap, and the remaining one hour had to be used to practice a full set of Five Animal Frolics.

I could not skip it, because he even placed a spy beside me, Liu Chunyan.

Liu Chunyan did not sleep at noon.

She studied instead, which also made it convenient for her to monitor me.

I prided myself on not being able to control her mouth no matter what, so how could I dare to misbehave?

As a result, I became something of a celebrity at school because there was always a group of students watching the show as I practiced the Five Animal Frolics.

More than a dozen of them would come every day at noon just to watch me.

The school itself was not large, just a two story building, a single-story building, and a large courtyard with a row of trees that served as the playground.

There was nowhere for me to hide.

Especially near class time, as students arrived and others woke from their naps, even more people gathered around to watch me.

“You see, that looks like a monkey...”

“Oh my, that is a tiger...”

“Is he imitating a wild chicken?”

I felt a surge of blood rush up my throat.

Wild chicken my ass, that is a bird form, a bird form.

Fortunately, people in that era were innocent.

If I said today that I was doing bird form, I would probably be laughed to death.

Anyway, I became a “celebrity” like that.

Everyone at the market town primary school knew there was a “fool” who did not sleep at noon and imitated all kinds of animals.

Let them call me a fool then.

Old Man Jiang never allowed me to explain anyway.

“Everyone thinks differently. Some people say it out loud, some keep it inside. Even if you are greater than the sky, you cannot control what others think. Just do your own thing.” That was Old Man Jiang’s philosophy.

That day I went to be the “celebrity” again at noon, but I was in a good mood because it was my birthday.

Old Man Jiang said he would let my whole family come to celebrate, and I could also invite Su Rou.

After finally waiting for school to end, I pulled Su Rou and ran up the mountain.

When we arrived, my parents were already in the bamboo house, smiling as they looked at me.

I asked excitedly, “Mom, where is my sister?”

“Your master went down the mountain to pick them up. They will be here soon. Come here, let Mom take a look. My San Wa Er has grown stronger again.” My mother said happily.

No wonder she was pleased. When I was little, they thought I would not survive, but unexpectedly I grew up slowly and became tall and sturdy.

The evening meal was very warm and lively.

My master, who was usually lazy and took pride in laziness, actually prepared all the food himself that day.

There was no shortage of wild game in the mountains, and the dishes on the table were enough to make anyone drool.

Charcoal grilled rabbit meat, shredded and mixed with pickled chili.

Fresh river fish from the pool, sliced thin and cooked with mushrooms.

A large pot of wild chicken soup, rich and fragrant.

Tender stir fried winter bamboo shoots.

Smoked sausages my parents brought from home.

And some fresh vegetables.

The whole table was better than a New Year feast for ordinary people.

Old Man Jiang even brought out his treasured aged liquor and unusually poured a cup for each of the four children.

The liquor was so thick it was almost like syrup.

It tasted sweet at first, then turned into a burning heat in the throat that made the whole stomach feel warm.

I only took a small sip and my entire face turned red.

My father, who was a regular drinker, still had to rest for a long time after one cup.

But Old Man Jiang casually drank two cups in a row without any reaction.

He would not say what kind of liquor it was.

Halfway through the meal, Old Man Jiang said, “San Wa Er, today Master has a surprise for you. I had someone in town take it to the big city for me. It took some effort, but children should not always be deprived. Just consider it something new for you to see.”

Seeing how mysterious he was being, I had no idea what it was.

He went into his room and came back holding a cardboard box.

When he opened it, Su Rou immediately exclaimed, “What is this? I have never seen it before. Can it be eaten?”

Inside the box was a round object with a milky white base, decorated with pink flowers and a white border.

It gave off a sweet fragrance that was deadly to children.

“Why would it not be edible? This is a cream cake. Only a small number of children in big cities get to eat it on their birthdays. Come, I will cut it for you.” Old Man Jiang said calmly.

After eating the cream cake, I truly felt my eyes had been opened.

I kept thinking that such delicious food existed in the world.

It was fragrant and sweet with a milky flavor, soft and fluffy in the mouth, with a layer of sponge cake inside.

I only knew about the ordinary yellow sponge cakes before, and had never imagined something like this cream cake existed.

After we finished the cake, even my parents were immersed in a strange sense of happiness and novelty about the world.

Only Old Man Jiang remained calm and said, “The cream cake is nothing special. Today I also want to give San Wa Er another gift.”

He took out a strand of dark beads and handed it to me.

When I held it, I saw that the beads were not only dark, but also had a glossy sheen.

They were heavy in my hand and gave off a mysterious and unusual fragrance.

They felt neither like wood nor not like wood, with a smooth, oily texture.

“Master, what is this?” I asked, holding the beads.

“Agarwood, specifically kyara agarwood. It can drive away impurities, ward off evil, and regulate the body and liver. That is only the surface of it, because Daoism does not measure value in money. What makes it precious is that it was passed down from my master, your grandmaster. He carried it with him for many years, and his spiritual presence is within it. Now I pass it to you. You must cherish it. Wear it at all times. When you have free time, you can play with it, and when bored, you may recite the Dao De Jing to it. Do you understand?” Old Man Jiang said with rare seriousness.

“Master, is it like this tiger claw and cannot be taken off?” I asked, still not understanding what agarwood was or its value, only feeling that the beads were a bit too large for me. I pointed to the tiger claw amulet hanging around my neck.

“Yes, it cannot be taken off. You are at your most difficult age of nine. Over the years I have given you two blessings of merit so you could safely pass your first ninth year. But such things cannot be done too often. You must be nurtured with objects full of spiritual energy so you can smoothly pass the fourth cycle of nine years.” Old Man Jiang said.

My parents understood these words. Their expressions turned somewhat uneasy.

My two sisters also vaguely understood something.

Only Su Rou and I did not care much, because I truly felt nothing, and Su Rou simply did not understand what he was saying at all.

No one present, except Old Man Jiang, knew how precious kyara agarwood was.

After hearing him say this, I simply tied the agarwood beads together with the tiger claw and hung them around my neck.

I would wear them properly when I grew older and they fit better.

“What a pity. My master searched the world but still could not find the types of agarwood recorded in ancient texts. He could only find kyara agarwood. Although a Daoist should not become attached to objects or pursue perfection...” My master sighed and did not continue.

At that moment, my father suddenly became emotional and stood up.

“Master Jiang, you have done more than enough for San Wa Er. I am not educated and do not know what this agarwood is, but I know it must be more valuable than that tiger claw. You are his master, but you have shown him more kindness than his parents ever could. If this child ever shows you even a hint of disrespect in the future, I will beat him to death or disown him as my son.”

My mother nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Old Man Jiang only said, “He has inherited my lineage. To me, he is more important than a son. You need not say such things.”

In short, on my ninth birthday, I received another gift from my master, the agarwood bead strand.

At the end of the birthday, my master once again told me that when I turned ten, he would explain certain things to me, and at that time he would formally teach me some things.