Xie Yanke soon grew tired of waiting. He had already finished one mantou and the other was by his mouth, ready to be bitten into. Just as he was about to reach into the steamer for a third bun, the little beggar suddenly said to the shopkeeper: "I want to eat two mantou too." He stretched his hand out towards the steamer and helped himself.

  The shopkeeper looked at Xie Yanke to see if the latter agreed. Xie Yanke nodded in delight: When the shopkeeper wants you to pay up, I will see if you are going to beg me or not!

  The little beggar ate one mantou after another. When he had eaten four of them, he said, "I am full. I am not eating anymore."

  Xie Yanke did not eat more mantou after finishing the two that he had taken, so he said to the shopkeeper: "How much?"

  "Two wen (2 copper-cash; approximately 0.02 liang or 1 gram of silver) each," answered the shopkeeper. "Six mantou makes twelve wen (12 copper-cash; approximately 0.12 liang or 6 grams of silver) altogether."

  "No," said Xie Yanke. "Each will pay for what he eats. I have eaten two mantou, so I will give you four wen (4 copper-cash; approximately 0.04 liang or 2 grams of silver)." He put his hand into his shirt and began rummaging for the copper-cash required.

  To his dismay, there was nothing there! As it turned out, he had used up all his silver and copper-cash drinking in Bianliang City. Furthermore, he had forgotten to exchange the gold-leaf that he had for smaller pieces of silver while he was there. Now, there was no way that the keeper of this tiny way-side shop would give him change for the gold-leaf.

  As Xie Yanke was struggled in embarrassment, the little beggar suddenly brought out a piece of silver. Handing it to the shopkeeper, he said, "Twelve wen altogether! I will pay for it all."

  "What?" asked Xie Yanke in surprise. "Do I need you to give me a treat?"

  "Well, you have no money," answered the boy with a laugh, "but I do. What is the big deal about treating you to a few mantou?"

  The shopkeeper was very amazed too, as he brought out a few small pieces of silver and several strings of copper-cash as change.

  The little beggar put the money into his shirt and looked at Xie Yanke, waiting for his instructions.

  Xie Yanke could not help but laugh bitterly to himself: I am an upright and incorruptible man by nature. I have never been willing to receive the favour of another when it comes to food and drink. Yet, I have ended up being treated to 'mantou' by a little beggar. Hence, he asked: "How did you know that I did not have any money?"

  The little beggar smiled and replied: "I have been in the city for a few days. Every time I see someone putting his hand into his pocket to take some money and rummaging around with a strange expression on his face, it means that he has no money. The people in the shops say that all those who want to eat for free act like this."

  Xie Yanke laughed bitterly again: You actually regard me as a man who eats for free. Then, he asked, "Where did you steal the silver from?"

  "What 'steal'?" asked the little beggar in return. "That Mrs Lady Guanyin who is dressed in white gave it to me just now."

  "Mrs Lady Guanyin who is dressed in white?" asked Xie Yanke. Almost immediately, he realised that the boy was talking about Min Rou. This woman's sentimentalism has spoilt my plans, he thought.

  The two continued walking side by side.

  After several dozen zhang (1 zhang = 10/3 metres), Xie Yanke raised Min Rou's White Sword and said, "This sword is terribly sharp. One light stroke and the branch of the tree was broken. Do you like it? Beg me, and I will give it to you." He was really unwilling to be entangled with this dirty little fellow any longer, so he hoped that the boy would quickly make a request and put an end to the entire matter.

  The little beggar shook his head and said, "I do not want it. The sword belongs to that Mrs Lady Guanyin. She is a good person. I cannot take her things."

  Xie Yanke pulled out the Black Sword. With a nonchalant sweep of the sword, he cut right through the trunk of a big tree by the road. "All right," he said, "I will give this Black Sword to you."

  The little beggar shook his head again. "It belongs to the gentleman in black clothes," he said. "The gentleman in black clothes and Lady Guanyin are together, so I cannot take his things too."

  Xie Yanke spat in disgust. "Gouzazhong," he said, "you have turned out to be quite loyal."

  "What is 'quite loyal'?" asked the little beggar, not understanding the old man's words.

  Xie Yanke snorted and paid no further attention to him. He thought: Since you do not understand what it is, there is no point in my telling you.

  "So you do not like to be quite loyal," said the little beggar. "You ... you are not quite loyal."

  Xie Yanke was so furious that his face turned green. Almost at once, he lifted his hand and prepared to bring it down on the top of the little beggar's skull (Tian1 Ling2 Gai4). Then, on seeing the boy's simplicity and innocence, he withdrew his hand: How could I put a finger on him? He really does not understand what loyalty is, so he is not ridiculing me on purpose. Thus, he said, "Why am I not quite loyal? I am certainly quite loyal."

  "Is being quite loyal good or bad?" asked the little beggar.

  "It is very good," answered Xie Yanke. "Being loyal is naturally a good thing."

  "Now I know!" said the little beggar. "Those who do good are good men; those who do bad are bad men. You do good, so you are a Big Good Man."

  If these words had been uttered by others, Xie Yanke would have been certain that they were ridiculing him. Hence, he would have lifted his hand and strike them dead without a thought. All his life, no one had ever called him a 'good man'. Although he had done good deeds once in a while, these were mostly carried out because of mere convenience. They were simply too few and trivial compared to the bad things that he had done. Hence, he did not know whether to laugh or to cry upon hearing the sincerity in the little beggar's voice. He thought: This little fellow is silly and incoherent. He says that I am not loyal, but he also says that I am a Big Good Man. If my enemies hear this, would I not become the laughing stock of the martial arts circle? Where will I put my face then? I had better settle this matter as soon as possible, for I cannot go on being entangled in this confusion.

  Since the little beggar did not want the Twin Swords of Black and White, Xie Yanke took out a piece of green cloth and had the weapons wrapped. Slinging the bundle across his back, he thought: What should I lead him to beg me for?

  As he muttered to himself, he suddenly noticed three heavily-laden jujube (zao3, or Chinese date) trees by the road. Pointing to the big red fruit on the trees, he said, "The jujubes here are very good." He had also seen that the trees were very tall; so long as the little beggar begged him to pluck the fruit, his oath would be fulfilled.

  Hence, he did not expect the boy to say, "Big Good Man, you want to eat some jujubes, do you not?"

  "What 'Big Good Man'?" asked Xie Yanke in surprise.

  "You are a big good man," answered the little beggar, "so I am calling you Big Good Man."

  Xie Yanke's face became stern. "Who said that I am a good man?" he asked.

  "If you are not a good man, you are a bad man," said the little beggar. "Then, I will call you Big Bad Man."

  "I am not a Big Bad Man," said Xie Yanke.

  "Now, that is strange," said the little beggar. "You are not a good man, but you are also not a bad man. Ah, that is it! You are not a man!"

  "What did you say?" roared Xie Yanke in anger.

  "You are very capable," said the little beggar. "Are you a supernatural being?"

  "No!" answered Xie Yanke, his tone softening a little. "Sheer nonsense!"

  The little beggar shook his head and began talking aloud to himself: "He is not this; he is not that. I do not know what he is."

  Suddenly, he ran to the bottom of one of the jujube tree and wrapped his arms around its trunk. Then, he pushed himself up a few times with his feet and began climbing the tree.

  Although the boy did not know any martial arts, Xie Yanke could see that he was very agile as he made the ascent. By and by, the little beggar began choosing the largest jujubes, plucking them and stuffing them into his shirt. Within moments, his chest became swollen with fruit.

  He slid down the tree and offered the fruit to Xie Yanke with both his hands. "Eat some jujubes!" he said. "You are not a man; you are also not a ghost. Could you be the Bodhisattva? You do not look the part to me."

  Xie Yanke ignored him. Eating the sweet and juicy jujubes, he thought: He has not begged me for anything, but I am about to beg him instead. Turning to the boy, he asked, "Do you want to know who I am? All you have to do is to beg me and say: 'Please tell me who you really are. Are you the supernatural Bodhisattva?' I will tell you the answer then."

  The little beggar shook his head and said, "I do not beg."

  A chill entered Xie Yanke's heart. "Why do you not beg?" he asked at once.

  The little beggar replied: "My mother often tells me: 'Gouzazhong, you had better not go and beg of others in your life. If they want to give you something, they will do it without your begging. If they are unwilling, there is no point in begging them. Instead, you will incur their disgust.' Sometimes, when my mother eats something fragrant and sweet and I ask her for a share, she does not give any to me. Then, she beats me badly and scolds me: 'Gouzazhong, why are you begging me? Why do you not go and beg that little sweet and charming slut instead?' So, I will never beg anyone for anything."

  "Who is the 'little sweet and charming slut'?" asked Xie Yanke.

  "I do not know," answered the little beggar.

  Xie Yanke was both puzzled and disappointed. He thought: If this little fellow really does not beg me for a single thing, how will I ever fulfil the oath I made years ago? His mother is probably a mad old woman, for what other reason is there for her to beat him when he asks for food to eat? As for that 'little sweet and charming slut' whom she curses, it is probably the result of her husband loving the new and loathing the old. Since he has left her, she has been venting her anger and wrath on her son. Foolish rural women are usually like this.

  Then, he asked: "You are a little beggar, so do you not beg others for food and money?"

  The little beggar shook his head again. "I have never begged before," he answered. "I take whatever people give me. Sometimes, when they do not give, I just take and run when their backs are turned."

  "So you are not a little beggar," said Xie Yanke with a wan smile. "You are a little thief!"

  "What is a 'little thief'?" asked the boy.

  "Do you really not know?" asked Xie Yanke in return. "Or are you acting dumb?"

  "Of course, I do not know," answered the little beggar. "That is why I asked. What is 'acting dumb'?"

  Xie Yanke looked at the boy. Although his face was stained with dirt, his eyes shone as brightly as black lacquer. There was no foolishness or stupidity in them at all. So he said, "You are not a three-year-old child. Why do you not know anything despite having lived for more than ten years?"

  "My mother does not like to talk with me," the little beggar replied. "She says that she feels disgusted when she sees me, so she often ignores me for eight or ten days. So I talk to A'Huang, who only listens without saying anything. It cannot talk to me about 'little thief' and 'acting dumb'."

  Noticing the absolute absence of craftiness in the boy's eyes, Xie Yanke thought: He is not talking in a roundabout way to curse me, is he? Then, he asked, "Do you not go and talk with your neighbours?"

  "What are 'neighbours'?" asked the little beggar.

  "Those who live near your house are your neighbours," answered Xie Yanke in exasperation.

  "Those who live near my house?" repeated the little beggar. "Ah, eleven big pine trees and the squirrels on them, pheasants and hares in the grass -- are these neighbours? All of them can only chirp and squeak, for they cannot talk."

  "How is it that you have never talked to anyone except your mother?" asked Xie Yanke.

  "I have always lived in the mountains," said the little beggar. "I cannot come down, so besides my mother, there is no one else to talk to. Several days ago, my mother went missing. I tumbled down the moutains when I went to look for her. Then, A'Huang went missing too. I asked people where my mother went, where A'Huang went. They said they did not know. Does that count as talking?"

  So you have lived in the barren mountains all your life, thought Xie Yanke. Your mother does not pay attention to you, so you cannot be blamed for not knowing one thing or another. Hence, he said, "That counts as talking too. So how did you know that silver can be used to buy mantou?"

  "I have seen people buying," answered the little beggar. "You do not have silver, but I do. You want it, do you not?" He put his hand into his shirt, brought out the small silver pieces and handed them to Xie Yanke.

  The old man shook his head. "I do not want them," he said. Then, he thought: This little fellow may be muddle-headed, but he is not stingy. By then, he felt quite relieved, for the conversation had convinced him that the boy was not a ploy planted by an opponent.

  The little beggar spoke again: "You said a moment ago that I am not a little beggar, but a little thief. Am I really a little beggar or a little thief?"

  Xie Yanke smiled. "You beg others for food and silver," he replied. "When they give to you willingly, you become a little beggar. If you take stealthily without considering whether people are willing to give or not, you are a little thief."

  The boy cocked his head and thought about the explanation for a while. Then, he said, "I have never begged anyone for anything. I took food without considering whether people were willing to give or not, so I am a little thief. Yes, you are an old thief."

  "What?" roared Xie Yanke in shock and anger. "What did you call me?"

  "Are you not an old thief?" asked the little beggar. "It is clear that those people were not willing to give you these two swords, but you snatched them away. You are not a child, so you are naturally an old thief."

  This time, Xie Yanke was not upset. Instead, he laughed and said, "'Little Thief' are words used in scolding others; so are 'Old Thief'. You cannot scold me as you wish."

  "Why then are you scolding me?" asked the little beggar.

  "All right, I will not scold you," said Xie Yanke with a smile. "You are not a little beggar or a little thief. I will call you 'Little Boy' and you can call me 'Elderly Uncle'."

  "I am not called 'Little Boy'," said the little beggar with a shake of his head. "I am called Gouzazhong."

  "'Gouzazhong' is not a good name," said Xie Yanke. "Your mother can call you by that name, but no one else should. Your mother is really strange. Why does she call her own son 'Gouzazhong'?"

  "Why is 'Gouzazhong' bad?" asked the little beggar. "My A'Huang is a 'gou' (dog). I am happy when it accompanies me, just like you are accompanying me right now. When I talk to A'Huang, it can only bark. But you can talk." As he spoke, he placed a hand on Xie Yanke's back and stroked it several times. His movements were gentle and his expression was kind, as if he was stroking the fur on the back of a dog.

  Xie Yanke sent a burst of internal energy to his back and gave the little beggar such a shock that the boy felt as if he had just touched a red-hot piece of coal. As he pulled his hand quickly away, an indescribable feeling of nausea filled his chest and abdomen, so much so that he wanted to throw up several times.

  Smiling yet not seemingly so, Xie Yanke looked at the boy and thought: So who asked you to be rude to me? That should be enough for you!

  The little beggar stroked his own chest and said, "Elderly Uncle, you are having a fever. You had better go quickly to the tree over there and rest under it for a while. I will go and look for some water so that you can have a drink. Where do you feel unwell? Your fever is very high, so I am afraid your illness is not light." Concern was written all over his face as he spoke. Then, he took the old man by the arm with the intention of helping him into the shade of the tree.

  Consequently, the eccentric Xie Yanke found the boy so sincere that he did not use his internal energy to hurt him again. "I am perfectly well," he said. "What illness do I have? Look, has my fever not subsided already?" He took the little beggar's hand and put it on his own forehead.

  The little beggar found the old man's forehead so cold that he reacted with even greater anxiety: "Ah, Elderly Uncle, you are about to die soon!"

  "Rubbish!" roared Xie Yanke in anger. "Why am I dying soon?"

  The little beggar replied: "Once, when my mother fell ill, she felt hot like you did and felt cold again. She cried repeatedly, 'I am dying, dying soon! Heartless One, it is still better for me to die!' And she nearly did, lying in bed more than two months before getting better."

  "I will not die," said Xie Yanke with a smile.

  The little beggar shook his head, as if he was unconvinced.

  The duo walked in a south-easterly direction for a while. Then, suddenly noticing how hot the sun was in the sky, the little beggar went off and plucked seven or eight large leaves from a tree. Xie Yanke thought he was just being playful, so he did not pay him any attention. Hence, he did not expect the boy to present him with a hat that had been fashioned from the leaves.

  "The sun is very hot," said the little beggar. "You are ill, so put this hat on."

  Xie Yanke did not know whether he should laugh or cry. Since he could not bear to brush the boy's good intentions aside, he put the tree-leaf hat on his head ... and found it cool and comfortable beneath the scorching sun. He had always had people either fearing or hating him, for no one had ever shown him such kindness and care before. Hence, he could not help but feel a burst of warmth in his heart.

  By and by, they arrived at a small town. "You do not have any money," said the little beggar, "so you may have fallen ill because of starvation. Let us go to a restaurant and eat until we are full." He pulled Xie Yanke's hand and entered a restaurant, but since he had never been to one, he did not know how to order food. Therefore, he took out the small silver pieces and copper-cash in his shirt, set them on the table and said to the waiter: "The Elderly Uncle and I want to eat rice, meat and fish. Take this money."

  The silver was worth more than three liang (150 grams), sufficient for a table full of banquet-class dishes.

 

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