第十章 斯文顾太爷失馆 忍辱傅先生除奸 (Chapter 10: The Refined Mr. Gu Loses His Post, and the Humiliated Mr. Fu Exorcises a Malicious Spirit)

After Mulan and Sunya became engaged, the Zeng family regarded her as their future daughter-in-law. Mulan stayed in the Zeng household for a month, learning needlework together with Manniang and Ailian, occasionally going to the front courtyard to listen to the lessons of Pingya, Jingya, and Sunya. The tutor they had hired, surnamed Fang, was an old pedant. But since Pingya was already nineteen and preparing for the county-level examination, Mr. Fang felt his knowledge was insufficient to continue teaching him. It happened that Zeng Wenpu had a friend named Gu Mingsi, a profoundly learned scholar who had resigned from officialdom after offending a powerful official and returned to his hometown. Zeng Wenpu invited him to be the new tutor, specifically for Pingya and Jingya, while Sunya, being younger, would also attend as an auditor.

Mr. Gu Mingsi was over sixty, with white hair and beard. He was refined in manner and spoke slowly and deliberately. He taught his students the "Zuo Zhuan" and "Records of the Grand Historian" with infectious relish. Pingya was naturally intelligent and grasped things quickly. Jingya was average in talent but worked hard. Sunya, however, was fond of playing and often shirked his studies. Mr. Gu was lenient with Sunya, saying that children should not be pushed too hard and would come into their own in time.

Mrs. Zeng treated Mr. Gu with great respect. She instructed the kitchen to prepare four dishes and soup for him every day, with snacks in the morning and evening. Mr. Gu lived alone in a study, spending his days teaching and reading, occasionally taking a walk in the garden. He was upright and never gossiped about family matters. Even Aunt Li, who loved to stir up trouble, could find no fault with him.

But the good times did not last long. One day, Mr. Gu suddenly received a letter from home saying his wife was seriously ill and urging him to return immediately. Mr. Gu was a man of deep emotion. He immediately asked Zeng Wenpu for leave, saying he needed to return to Shandong. Zeng Wenpu granted his leave and gave him twenty taels of silver for traveling expenses. After clearly handing over his students' lessons, Mr. Gu left in haste.

With Mr. Gu's departure, no one supervised the studies at home. Pingya and Jingya were fine, applying themselves on their own. But Sunya was like a horse that has slipped its halter, spending his days catching crickets and digging out bird nests in the back garden, turning the place upside down. Mrs. Zeng was extremely anxious and urged Zeng Wenpu to quickly hire another tutor. But where could a suitable person be found at a moment's notice?

One day, Zeng Wenpu met an old acquaintance in the yamen. His surname was Fu and given name Yingxing, a juren whose family had declined and was looking for a tutoring position to make a living. After a brief conversation, Zeng Wenpu found him learned and honest, and thus invited him to teach the children at home. Mr. Fu was in his thirties, with a long thin face, wearing a worn blue cloth gown, and spoke with a heavy Shanxi accent. His teaching method was quite different from Mr. Gu's-stiff and unimaginative. He made the students recite texts and practice calligraphy. If they could not recite, he would strike their palms with a ruler. Sunya was hit several times and hated Mr. Fu deeply, but dared not resist.

Soon after Mr. Fu arrived, Aunt Li began to speak ill of him behind his back. She said Mr. Fu ate with poor table manners-smacking his lips and reaching across the table. She also said Mr. Fu snored loudly when sleeping, disturbing her rest. In fact, Aunt Li lived in the back courtyard, and Mr. Fu's snoring could not reach her at all. She was simply trying to show her importance to Mrs. Zeng. After all, she had watched Mr. Gu grow up and couldn't say bad things about him, but Mr. Fu was new and an easy target for spreading gossip about. Mrs. Zeng was clear-headed. Upon hearing Aunt Li's gossip, she just smiled and paid no attention.

But Aunt Li would not give up. One day, she actually went into Mr. Fu's room to rummage through his belongings, looking for something incriminating. There were several letters in Mr. Fu's room. Since Aunt Li was illiterate, she asked a maidservant to read them to her. One letter was from Mr. Fu's wife, saying that the family was short of money and urging him to send money back. Aunt Li then said to Mrs. Zeng, "Mr. Fu's family is dead broke, and here he is eating and drinking like a lord, while his wife and children are starving. That man has a bad conscience." Mrs. Zeng grew a bit angry and said, "Aunt, I trust Mr. Fu's character. Don't take every rumor as gospel truth. Besides, who doesn't have difficulties in their family? If we can help, we should, so why spread such gossip?" Aunt Li, having gotten nowhere, had to slink away in embarrassment.

A few days later, Mr. Fu suddenly resigned from the Zeng household. Zeng Wenpu asked why, but at first Mr. Fu was reluctant to say. Pressed, he stammered, "My benefactor has been as kind as a mountain to me; I ought to repay with all my heart. But... but that aunt of yours, she is unbearable. Every day she paces back and forth outside my study door, eavesdropping on my lessons, and gossips about me with the maidservant. I am a scholar; when have I ever suffered such humiliation? Rather than endure this trouble here, I'd rather go home and farm." On hearing this, Zeng Wenpu was both angry and ashamed. He quickly urged him to stay: "Mr. Fu, calm your anger. That aunt of mine is a foolish old woman. You are generous; please don't stoop to her level. I will speak to her immediately and forbid her from bothering you again." Seeing Zeng Wenpu's sincerity, Mr. Fu agreed to stay.

Zeng Wenpu immediately summoned Aunt Li and reprimanded her in front of Mr. Fu. Aunt Li initially tried to argue, but seeing that Zeng Wenpu was truly angry, she softened and promised not to meddle anymore. But she harbored deep hatred for Mr. Fu, believing that he had caused her to lose face before her employer. From then on, although Aunt Li said nothing openly, she secretly made things difficult for Mr. Fu. When the kitchen sent meals to the tutors, others got hot dishes and soup, but Mr. Fu got cold food. When he wanted to bathe, there was never enough hot water. Mr. Fu was an honest man, knowing it was Aunt Li's doing, but he didn't complain and endured silently.

Another month passed, and Mr. Fu's wife died of illness. Mr. Fu went home to mourn, and after handling the funeral, he returned to Beijing with his young daughter. He placed his daughter with a relative for foster care and came back to teach at the Zeng household. This time, he was even more grateful to the Zeng family and taught with extra diligence. But Aunt Li had a new trick. Seeing that Mr. Fu had lost his wife, she quietly said to Mrs. Zeng, "Mr. Fu is still young and without a wife. How will he manage in the future? There are many maidservants in your household. Why not match him with one? That would keep his mind from straying and keep him focused on teaching." Mrs. Zeng immediately saw through her ill intent and said, "Aunt, how can you say such a thing? Mr. Fu is a man of integrity. He has no such thoughts. Don't indulge in idle fantasies." Aunt Li was rebuffed and felt even more uneasy.

One evening, while Mr. Fu was out visiting a friend, Aunt Li sneaked into his study to look for incriminating evidence. She found an old book in the desk drawer, inside which was a photograph of a woman. Aunt Li treated it like a treasure and the next day brought it to Mrs. Zeng, saying, "See! I told you Mr. Fu was no good. Who knows where he got this photograph of some loose woman? He hides it in a book and still puts on airs of respectability!" Mrs. Zeng took the photograph and immediately darkened her expression. The photo showed a young woman with regular features, dressed plainly, clearly from a decent family. Mrs. Zeng asked Aunt Li, "Where did you get this photo?" Aunt Li smugly said, "I found it in his drawer." Mrs. Zeng sighed and said, "Aunt, you have gone too far. I gave that photo to Mr. Fu to look at-before his wife passed away, I intended to play matchmaker and introduce a girl from our relative's family to him. This photo is of that girl. I let Mr. Fu see her first, but he hasn't agreed yet. Now with this fuss of yours, how am I supposed to explain to them?" Aunt Li's face flushed crimson, and she stammered, unable to speak.

From then on, Aunt Li never dared to provoke Mr. Fu again. Mrs. Zeng returned the photograph to Mr. Fu and apologized on behalf of Aunt Li. Mr. Fu magnanimously said it didn't matter. Later, Mr. Fu's young daughter fell seriously ill. Mrs. Zeng called a doctor and covered the medical expenses. Mr. Fu was so moved he wept with gratitude and taught with even greater zeal. By the end of the year, all three children had made progress in their studies. Pingya passed the county-level examination to become a xiucai. Jingya also passed the prefectural examination. Even Sunya could recite the "Analects" fluently. Zeng Wenpu was overjoyed, doubling Mr. Fu's stipend and giving him a new fur robe. Mr. Fu's position was secure, and Aunt Li no longer dared to gossip.

Mulan, Manniang, and Ailian heard about these matters in the back courtyard and felt a sense of satisfaction. Manniang said, "Now that's what you call 'a villain gets his comeuppance from another villain!'" Mulan smiled and said, "How is Mr. Fu a villain? He is a gentleman. But sometimes a gentleman needs to use a bit of strategy. Otherwise, how can he suppress petty people?" Ailian did not understand what they were talking about and just lowered her head to embroider. The fragrance of plum blossoms drifted in through the window. Spring was about to arrive.