Zhou Ning hadn’t realized this man was the procurement officer for Bailu Academy, so he eagerly agreed. As soon as he got home, he told his sister-in-law that there were still several jars of pickles left in the shop.

The procurement officer requested an entire jar of pickles and took it away, along with the bucket-sized jar itself. Zhou Ning wasn’t worried they wouldn’t pay him—Bailu Academy was such a large institution; surely they wouldn’t keep his jar. If they continued to buy pickles from him in the long run, that would be a steady source of income.

At the academy’s training ground, classes were about to end. Students from several classes were practicing archery, and as the session drew to a close, the instructor told everyone to practice on their own.

Shen Linchuan’s archery skills were quite good; he raised his hand and shot an arrow at the target. Luo Qingshan and Xu Zhifan also took up positions on either side, competing against each other as the three of them vied to see who could hit the most targets.

Xu Zhifan aimed at the target, released the arrow, and it flew out, narrowly hitting the bullseye. Holding his bow aloft, Xu Zhifan cheered, “I hit it!”

Shen Linchuan chuckled and aimed at the target as well. Just then, he heard playful commotion nearby. Turning his head, he saw Sun Shiping and a few others holding their bows and aiming at a cat perched in a tree.

The cat, startled, had curled up into a ball and dared not come down. Sun Shiping grinned as he aimed at the cat, but Ye Jinglan stepped in front of him to stop him. “You—you mustn’t hurt it.”

The more Ye Jinglan tried to stop them, the more excited Sun Shiping and his friends became. Arrows kept flying toward the cat in the tree, terrifying the calico cat so much that it didn’t even dare to jump down.

Ye Jinglan was so worried he was on the verge of tears. Seeing that he couldn’t stop Sun Shiping and his friends, he could only clumsily hug the tree and scramble upward. The sight of him scrambling with both hands and feet made Sun Shiping and his friends laugh even louder.

Luo Qingshan watched, his brow furrowed. “How can they be so cruel?”

Class was about to end; the school captain had long since left. Many of the students, seeing that he was gone, had already returned to their dormitories, so there were hardly any people left on the training grounds. Even if they wanted to tell the school captain, they couldn’t find him.

Shen Linchuan drew his bow to the full, and the arrow sliced through the air toward the group. Xu Zhifan let out a startled “Ah!” as the arrow whizzed past them and landed on the ground. The group of teasing students froze in fear.

Shen Linchuan let out an “Oops! Missed the mark—sorry, sorry.”

Sun Shiping watched as the arrow whizzed past his eyes. The group was standing in a scattered formation, and the arrow flew right through their midst. Sun Shiping was so frightened that beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. “Shen Linchuan!”

“Sorry, sorry—I was so caught up in the spectacle that I forgot I was holding an arrow.” 

Luo Qingshan also stepped forward and said, “Why go so far as to bully your own classmates?”

Ye Jinglan couldn’t climb the tree and was drenched in sweat from the heat. He raised his hand and called up to the tree, “San Tuan, San Tuan, come down, hurry up.” Only then did the cat in the tree jump down and dart away along the wall in a flash.

Seeing San Tuan run off, Ye Jinglan finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was all his fault—he liked to feed San Tuan treats from time to time, so the cat had grown particularly attached to him. Today, while he was in archery class, San Tuan had spotted him there and hidden in the tree. He never expected that Sun Shiping and the others would see it and start picking on San Tuan.

Zhou Youcheng egged them on from the sidelines, “Young Master Sun, Shen Linchuan did that on purpose.”

Sun Shiping gritted his teeth in anger and raised his bow to shoot, but Luo Qingshan stepped in front of him. “Sun Shiping, don’t you dare!” Sun Shiping really didn’t dare; he let go and shot the arrow off to the side. “Shen Linchuan, just you wait!”

The bell signaling the end of school rang, and Sun Shiping waved his hand. “Let’s go!”

Sun Shiping led a few others away. Shen Linchuan put away his bow and arrow, while Xu Zhifan ran over to check on Ye Jinglan. “Are you okay? It was so dangerous of you to step in front of him just now.”

Ye Jinglan shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Xu Zhifan knew Ye Jinglan as well. He’d never seen such a delicate Xiucai; Sun Shiping and his gang of spoiled brats particularly enjoyed picking on him, and since Ye Jinglan lived in the dormitory, sometimes he couldn’t even avoid them.

Ye Jinglan bowed to Shen Linchuan and the others. “Thank you very much, gentlemen.”

Shen Linchuan nodded at Ye Jinglan, and Xu Zhifan tugged him along. “Let’s go, let’s go—we still have to return the bow and arrows.”

Ye Jinglan didn’t have many friends at the dormitory, and since he was often bullied by Sun Shiping and his gang, no one wanted to play with him anymore—anyone who dared to befriend him would end up getting bullied by Sun Shiping.

As soon as Ye Jinglan walked over, he recalled a classmate who had once been on friendly terms with him—only to go out of their way to avoid him the very next day. At first, he didn’t know why, but after he pestered the classmate with questions several times, the classmate finally told him out of fear of being beaten by Sun Shiping again.

Ever since then, Ye Jinglan hadn’t dared to make friends with anyone and had always kept to himself.

Luo Qingshan snorted. “Bullying at the prestigious Bailu Academy? This cannot be swept under the rug—it’s a disgrace to the academy’s reputation!”

Luo Qingshan was a quintessential member of a prestigious, upright school. Though somewhat old-fashioned, he possessed a strong sense of justice. As Shen Linchuan had once heard put, he was “so upright it borders on the eccentric.” Once he set his mind on something, he wouldn’t show any leniency to anyone, no matter who they were.

“I’m going to report this to the Chancellor!”

As Luo Qingshan spoke, he was about to report Sun Shiping and the others for bullying their fellow students, but Shen Linchuan held him back. “Do you have any evidence?” 

“Weren’t we all witnesses?”

“What if Sun Shiping claims we’re close and slanders him?”  

“In broad daylight, under the clear sky, how can we let him stir up trouble!”

Upon hearing that Luo Qingshan was looking for the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Ye Jinglan waved his hands frantically in fear. “No, please don’t. Sun Shiping—he’ll only get worse. Besides, Sun Shiping’s older brother is in the Hanlin Academy—we can’t afford to offend him.”

Luo Qingshan snorted. “Does that mean there’s no law in our Da Feng Dynasty?”                            

“It’s not that there’s no solution. We could suggest to the Chancellor that a Student Oversight Council be established.”                        

“A Student Oversight Council? What’s that?” Luo Qingshan asked.

“It works on the same principle as the Censorate—overseeing government officials. Our Bailu Academy could model the Students’ Oversight Council after the Censorate. On a daily basis, it could monitor the students’ conduct and appearance, put a stop to bullying among classmates, and even raise funds to establish scholarships to help students from poor families who excel in both character and academics.”

Luo Qingshan applauded the idea repeatedly. “As always, Linchuan, you’ve got a plan. I’ll write a policy proposal and submit it to the Chancellor.” 

“No rush. Let’s discuss it further once we’re back.”                       

“Alright, then I’ll be waiting at home for Brother Linchuan to visit.”

Sun Shiping and his cronies are arrogant and tyrannical; even if they’re punished, it’s only a temporary fix. Only by establishing a student council with the authority to reward and punish can the problem be thoroughly resolved.

Ye Jinglan only half-understood what was being said, but he knew that Shen Linchuan was trying to find a solution for him. He was immediately moved to tears; if only Sun Shiping wouldn’t bully him.

Ye Jinglan took off running. Xu Zhifan called out to him twice, “Ye Jinglan, why are you running away?”

Ye Jinglan didn’t look back and ran even faster. Shen Linchuan and the others returned their bows and arrows and headed down the mountain as well; he’d been delayed by their conversation, and he hadn’t yet helped his Fulang with his little stall.

Halfway down the mountain, Shen Linchuan and his two companions heard someone calling out to them from behind, “Mr. Shen, wait!”

Shen Linchuan turned to see Ye Jinglan running toward them, still holding the calico cat named San Tuan in her arms. Out of breath, Ye Jinglan said, “Mr. Shen, I know you’re a good person. Could you please take San Tuan with you?”

“Aren’t you going to take care of it anymore?”

Ye Jinglan shook his head reluctantly. “If it weren’t so attached to me, it wouldn’t have been bullied by Sun Shiping and the others.”

Xu Zhifan tried to persuade her, “If you like him so much, just keep him. Shen Linchuan and Luo Qingshan said they’d figure something out.”

Ye Jinglan held San Tuan out toward him. “Mr. Shen, please just take San Tuan home with you. He doesn’t even get enough to eat with me, and his paw is injured too. I’m begging you.”

The cat named San Tuan hid deep in Ye Jinglan’s arms, refusing to show itself. Shen Linchuan felt that his Fulang would surely love this little calico. Back when they were still living at home, Granny Wang’s tabby cat from next door would often wander into their courtyard, and his Fulang used to love teasing it.

Shen Linchuan asked, a little uneasy, “Is this cat yours, or does it belong to the academy?”

He certainly didn’t want to end up taking a senior student’s cat home. He’d seen a few stray cats at the academy before, but this calico was by far the chubbiest. Ye Jinglan hurriedly explained, 

“San Tuan isn’t from the academy. He’s a stray from the street where I live. I came to the academy, and for some reason, he followed me here.” As long as it’s not the academy’s cat, that’s fine. If it were, wouldn’t that mean he’d snatched one of the senior students’ cats?

Only then did Shen Linchuan take the cat from her. “Then I’ll take him with me. If you want to see him, you can come to my house.” 

Ye Jinglan nodded reluctantly. “Thank you, Mr. Shen.”

Shen Linchuan carried the plump little calico cat down the mountain. His Fulang was busy fetching steamed buns for someone else. Zhou Ning saw Shen Linchuan and smiled, “School’s out.”

Shen Linchuan walked over with his hands behind his back. “I brought you a present.” Zhou Ning asked curiously, “What is it?”

Shen Linchuan pulled the three-colored kitten he’d been hiding behind his back out. “Look, a big fat cat!” 

Zhou Ning’s face lit up with surprise. “Where did you get it?”

Zhou Ning reached out to pet it but pulled his hand back—he was in the middle of fetching steamed buns for someone else. Watching Shen Linchuan, Zhou Ning felt a pang of envy. “Hold him tight so he doesn’t run away.”

Most of the crowd gathered nearby were students from Bailu Academy. Someone who recognized the calico cat gasped, “Isn’t that Ye Jinglan’s cat? I think his name is San Tuan. Ye Jinglan goes to the little grove every day to feed him. Mr. Shen, did you bring his cat over here?”

“No, he gave it to me. It hurt its paw, and since he couldn’t take care of it, he asked me to take it home.”

Zhou Ning was absolutely fascinated; if he hadn’t been busy selling steamed buns, he would have reached out to pet it already. Shen Linchuan handed the cat to Luo Qingshan. “Hold him for me for a bit.”

Luo Qingshan stood stiffly to one side, holding the cat, while Shen Linchuan helped collect the copper coins. A regular student customer asked, “Mr. Fulang, why are your pickles all gone today?”

Zhou Ning, wanting to surprise Shen Linchuan, replied, “I forgot to bring them today, but I’ll have them here tomorrow.”

Zhou Ning hurried to sell his corn buns, glancing every now and then at Luo Qingshan’s arms, afraid he might keep the cat and not give it back to her. As soon as she finished selling the buns, the first thing she did was go hug that big, fat cat.

Zhou Ning was overjoyed. “It can help us catch mice.”

The cat, held by Zhou Ning, didn’t dare move—perhaps it was a bit timid—but it didn’t bite. Except when Ye Jinglan held it, the cat would flatten its ears in fear whenever anyone else picked it up.

Zhou Ning carried San Tuan all the way home. Realizing that San Tuan’s paw was injured—likely from being pricked by something—he bandaged it for him.

Zhou Da’s pork shop was only open until mid-afternoon, so he’d returned early. When he saw his younger ger coming home with a cat in his arms, he gasped, “Where’d you get that cat?”

“A classmate of Shen Linchuan’s gave it to me. It’s so pretty.”

Zhou Ning tended to San Tuan’s injury. The moment he let go, San Tuan, terrified, darted under the table. Zhou Ning crouched down to soothe him. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Want some meat? How about I steam you a meatball?”

Perhaps sensing it had been given away, San Tuan—though afraid of people—didn’t run off. Its two big eyes darted about, making it look especially endearing.

Shen Linchuan was already in the kitchen cooking. Zhou Ning called out to him, “Shen Linchuan, steam a little meatball for San Tuan—he’s a bit startled.”

Shen Linchuan chuckled. It had only been one day, and his Fulang was already doting on the little one like the apple of his eye.

Shen Linchuan acknowledged the request, took some of the chopped meat, minced it further, placed it in a small bowl, and steamed it.

San Tuan must not have eaten meat in a long time; it made “woow-woow” sounds as it ate. Although it was still so scared that its ears were pressed flat against its head, that didn’t stop it from eating—it just started gobbling down the meat in big, fearful mouthfuls.