Wang Da was frantic, too. He’d invited Fourth Uncle over for dinner the day before, but since Fourth Uncle was getting on in years, he’d had a couple too many glasses of cold wine and now had an upset stomach. This was really throwing a wrench in their plans. If only he’d known, he wouldn’t have poured so much wine into Fourth Uncle’s bowl yesterday. “Oh, oh, oh, what are we going to do now!”

It was getting late now. The invited relatives would be arriving any minute. With no one to write the gift list, how would they possibly return the favors later? The Wang couple were pacing back and forth in a panic.

A fulang grabbed Carpenter Ma’s wife, who was watching the commotion, and said, “Ma, why don’t we ask your son Xiangyuan to write it?”

Mrs. Ma let out an “Oy!” 

“Oh, come on! That kid Xiang Yuan can’t even write the Thousand Character Classic properly yet. Besides, he’s studying in town—how could he possibly come back in such a short time?”

“That’s no problem. We can present the gifts after we’ve eaten.” The Wang couple had run out of options. Although this wasn’t the most dignified solution, it was the only way out.

Mrs. Ma spotted Song Ning cracking sunflower seeds in the courtyard and called out, “Call Ning-ger over! He can read and write!”

“Ning-ger? Whose son is this?” Mr. Wang was completely baffled.

“Oh, he’s Wei Hu’s Fulang—the one called Ning-ger. How come you don’t know him?”

Wang Fulang went, “Oh, oh,” and said, “I remember now, I remember now. I just didn’t know this ger’s name.”

At the moment, not even the Wang family’s immediate relatives had arrived yet, let alone the extended family—they hadn’t shown up at all. The entrance was in an uproar, with everyone shouting and pushing.

Aunt Ma grabbed Song Ning, who was cracking sunflower seeds. Song Ning was still dazed as he was pulled into the crowd. “Aunt Ma, Aunt Ma, what’s going on?”

“Ning-ger, Fourth Uncle has an upset stomach. You’ll have to step in as the scribe today.”

Song Ning shook his head in alarm. “I—I can’t do that.”

The scribe’s post was always filled by venerable elders; as a young ger, he wasn’t of high enough standing to take on such a role.

Song Ning tried to run away, but Auntie Ma held him tight. “Oh, this is an emergency! My son Xiangyuan said your writing is even better than his.”

Song Ning shook his head in refusal. He’d never handled anything this big before. Spotting Wei Hu, he called out urgently, “Brother Wei Hu, I can’t do this!”

Wei Hu came over and pulled his younger ger from Aunt Ma’s grasp. Song Ning quickly grabbed Wei Hu’s sleeve. “Brother Wei Hu, I can’t handle this record-keeping job.”

Another fulang also urged him, “Ning-ger, just go ahead and write. It doesn’t matter what you write—even if you make a mistake, it’s fine as long as you get the numbers right.”

Everyone in the village knew that Song Ning could draw flower patterns, but few knew he could read. Now, hearing Aunt Ma say that this young ger was even more studious than Ma Xiangyuan, some were surprised, others skeptical—after all, in this rural village, no one had ever heard of a young ger who could read.

In the whole village, only the son of Carpenter Ma and the village chief’s son were attending school in town, and neither of them was cut out for it.

Carpenter Ma’s son was being pushed to study hard, hoping he might pass the exam next year to become a tongsheng or at least work as a bookkeeper in town. If he failed, they wouldn’t let him continue—he simply lacked the aptitude for learning.

The village chief’s son was even worse off than Carpenter Ma’s—he was sent to school merely to learn a few characters so he could eventually take over his father’s position as village chief. Since he didn’t do well in his studies, he was beaten every other day.

Chen Cuihua had gone home briefly to drop off a kitchen knife and had just returned when she saw her young ger surrounded by the crowd. Wang Fulang was trying to persuade him to take on the role of village scribe.

Chen Cuihua’s heart leapt with joy. She had wanted Song Ning to become the village scribe—a position typically reserved for highly respected scholars. But since her Ning-ger was still just a young ger, she feared that agreeing outright might not win the villagers’ approval.

“Oh my, Ning-ger is still so young—how could he possibly serve as the scribe? He knows just a few characters at best. Wang Fulang, you’re really putting him on the spot,” Chen Cuihua said with a laugh. “What about Fourth Uncle? Didn’t you invite him over?”

Song Ning nodded in agreement. “Right, right.”

Wang Da was so flustered that he kept slapping his thigh. “Cuihua, if Ning-ger can write, just let him do it! Fourth Uncle’s stomach’s upset from too much drinking, and the guests are all here—where am I supposed to find a scribe now?”

Daliushu Village wasn’t very big to begin with, and whenever there was a wedding in the village, nearly everyone in the village would come out to join the festivities. Li Guifen was there too, and she still remembered how Chen Cuihua had hit her.

She was the first to speak up, “I’ve never heard of a ger serving as a scribe. Don’t get too big for your boots—you might end up writing ‘thirty wen’ instead of ‘twenty wen.’ If he writes too much, you’ll have to pay extra when you give gifts to others later on.”

Chen Cuihua shot her a glare. “Li Guifen, I think you’re just itching for a fight again.”

Aunt Ma also chimed in, “Oh, Cuihua, don’t be so modest. My son Xiangyuan borrowed Ning-ger’s book—the handwriting in there is absolutely beautiful. I may not know a single character myself, but his writing is a hundred times better than my Xiangyuan’s.”

Just as Li Guifen spoke, Wang Fulang’s heart began to race. If the name was written incorrectly, it would be fine as long as they could tell which family it belonged to, but if the amount was wrong, that would be a real problem—after all, in the future, they would have to reciprocate according to the gift list for weddings and funerals in the other family’s household.

Hearing Aunt Ma say this, Wang Fulang pressed Song Ning down to sit, “Young Master Ning, please give it a try. I’d be most grateful.”

Song Ning tried to stand up again, but Aunt Ma held him back as well, “The village chief knows a few characters. Let him watch over you from the side—that way, you won’t make any mistakes.”

Wang Da also said, “That’s right, that’s right. With all our relatives and friends here now, how could we manage without a scholar to handle the paperwork?”

Song Ning glanced at Wei Hu, who smiled and nodded at him. Only then did Song Ning feel at ease. Chen Cuihua beamed with joy, placing her hand on Song Ning’s shoulder. “Your uncle and aunt are at a loss. Just give it a try—let the village chief keep an eye on things.”

The Wang couple nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, yes.”

Chen Cuihua added, “Ning-ger is still young and inexperienced. If anything goes wrong, please bear with him.”

“Cuihua, you’re too kind. I’m already deeply grateful that Ning-ger is willing to help us,” Wang Da said.

Chen Cuihua pulled some copper coins from her waistband. “Ning-ger, give it a try. Here, write your brother Wei Hu’s name—twenty wen.”

Song Ning was still a bit nervous sitting in this position, and the village chief was standing by his side to help keep an eye on things, afraid he might get the amount wrong. Seeing that the first name he had to write was his own family’s, Song Ning relaxed, picked up the brush, and wrote on the red paper—the name at the top, the amount below.

Song Ning’s handwriting was elegant and neat; he wrote the name and the amount of copper coins with precision. After finishing, he quietly exhaled in relief. The village chief exclaimed, “Ning-ger, your handwriting is excellent! Wang Da, rest assured—Ning-ger is quite educated; there’s no way he’ll make a mistake.”

With the village chief’s endorsement, the Wang couple was completely put at ease. Though they were illiterate, they could see that Ning-ger’s handwriting was truly beautiful!

“Then we’d be grateful if Ning-ger could help us.”

Song Ning nodded. By now, the Wang family’s guests were arriving one after another, and the Wang couple was busy welcoming them.

A crowd had gathered around the gift table—some had come to present gifts, others just to watch the commotion. They’d never seen a ger who could read and write before!

Chen Cuihua stood beside Song Ning with a beaming smile, helping him read the names of the families presenting gifts. Everyone announced their own names, but when some spoke indistinctly, Chen Cuihua would repeat them for Song Ning. The village chief sat across from Song Ning, counting the copper coins from each household.

On the table sat two small baskets: one for the copper coins, and the other filled with roasted nuts for the guests to grab and eat.

“Ma Dahu, thirty wen.”

“Liu Dalang, twenty wen…”

Song Ning sat upright at the table, one hand resting on the gift list and the other holding a brush. His hand moved fluidly across the paper, and the villagers couldn’t help but praise him: “Ning-ger, your handwriting is truly beautiful!”

“That’s for sure! I’ve never seen a young ger who can read and write before!

“Ning-ger, how many years have you been to school?”

Hearing someone ask him, Song Ning looked up. Before he could speak, the village chief interjected, “Let’s not talk about such trivial matters now; we’re disturbing Ning-ger while he’s writing.”

Those who’d been trying to pry into his private affairs finally shut their mouths.

Chen Cuihua was certainly the center of attention today. Her young husband was seated at the ceremonial table. Previously, many in the village had said her family had no other choice but to marry her son off to serve the ancestors, but her Ning-ger was doing just fine. She just wanted the whole village to see how capable her young husband really was!

Wei Hu also got busy, helping to pour hot water for the guests. When the banquet began in a moment, he’d have to help serve the dishes as well. Peering through the crowd at his young Fulang, surrounded in the center with his back straight and a serious expression on his face, Wei Hu’s heart swelled with warmth.

Li Guifen was so furious she could have ground her teeth to dust. How come she’d never heard that this Song Ning could actually read!

Back when Chen Cuihua married Hunter Wei, life had been smooth sailing for her. The house was always filled with the aroma of meat. But after she married into the Li family, she was reduced to eating coarse grains and vegetables. Later, when Hunter Wei met with an accident and died, life for the Wei family grew difficult. Wei Hu had failed to marry several times in a row, and her family had been the subject of much ridicule.

Now that Song Ning was actually seated at the banquet table, it infuriated her no end. How dare that Chen Cuihua outshine her again!

She snorted. “Everyone in the village knows the Wei family brings bad luck. Making that young Song Ning the scribe—aren’t they afraid of inviting misfortune?”

Chen Cuihua’s face turned cold as she moved to slap her twice across the face. Wang Fulang had heard this too. What was Li Guifen playing at? His family was celebrating a joyous occasion today—how could it possibly be unlucky? Wasn’t she blatantly cursing his family?

Wang Fulang spoke up, “Li Guifen, can’t you say a single auspicious word? Go home if you have nothing better to do. We’re busy here.”

The village chief also chimed in, “Guifen, this is a joyous occasion for them. What kind of talk is that? I see the Wei family is doing just fine; they’ll be a prosperous household in the future.”

Wang Fulang simply shooed her away. After all, his family and Li Guifen’s weren’t even related—better to avoid her causing a scene here.

Wang Fulang then tried to reassure Chen Cuihua, “Li Guifen is just jealous of how well your family is doing. Don’t get upset, Sister Cuihua. The village chief is right—your family’s future looks bright. Just look at how capable Wei Hu is, and Ning-ger is well-educated and sensible. There’s no need to worry about your family not prospering in the future.”

Chen Cuihua put on a smile. “Go ahead and get back to work, Wang Fulang. It’s fine.”

“Hey, don’t be upset.”