A Dream of Five Hundred Years (Part 1)

  A gentle breeze blows, the night is hazy and mysterious, a thin fog like light gauze wraps around the quiet county town.

  The hazy moonlight shines on the clear small river, and the water flows slowly under the arch bridge. On the shore are two or three layers of black-tiled small buildings. The walls with water stains have green moss marks, and some are covered with evergreen ivy vines, only revealing a row of windows facing the river.

  It was already the third watch of the night, and except for the croaking of frogs in the river and the barking of dogs at the end of the alley, not a single sound could be heard. Only from a small window on the east side, a dim yellow light shone through, and the sound of conversation came faintly...

  Looking in from the open window, all that can be seen is a table, a stool and a bed. On the table, a black oil lamp flickers, barely illuminating the small space. A coarse ceramic bowl with a missing mouth sits on the long bench, containing eight or nine broad beans. A man in his forties with disheveled hair and beard, wearing a tattered long gown, squats beside it, tending to the small earthen stove in front of him while talking to a teenager lying on the bed opposite.

  He spoke in a Wu-dialect Mandarin, his voice hoarse: "Tide-born, you hold on for a while, wait for your father to brew some medicine, and after taking it, you'll recover."

  The young man on the bed let out a soft sigh in his heart, thinking to himself: "Is this the thirtieth time he's been muttering to himself?" But knowing that he was anxious for his own sake, he didn't blame him. He slightly turned his head and saw that the unfamiliar yet familiar face was covered in sweat and anxiety, and his heart felt a warmth. Knowing that it would take some time, he slowly closed his eyes and thought back on the unbelievable events of recent days.

  He was originally a young deputy director, in the prime of his life, but after waking up from a dream, he found himself possessing this frail and dying boy. And at the moment when the boy's soul was weak, he inexplicably merged with him, gaining the boy's consciousness and memories, becoming this five-hundred-year-old boy.

  Is it Zhuang Zhou or the butterfly? Is it the original me or the current silence? He is completely confused, seemingly both and yet neither, or perhaps he has become a brand new silence.

  Things were so absurd, yet they really happened, and he couldn't face them for several days. But later, thinking again, after all, he was an unmarried orphan with no ties, where wasn't a place to make a living? Moreover, using the original deputy department level, exchanging it for this young body in his early twenties, seemed to have made a profit.

  Suddenly, many emotions belonging to that young man were born, which made him somewhat unaccustomed.

  Survival of the fittest, so I must adapt. Shen Mo said to himself.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Once he let go of his worries and accepted his new identity, some memories belonging to that young man came flooding back. He knew his name was Shen Mo, also known as Chao Sheng, and he was thirteen years old. He was the only son of Shen He from Yongchang Alley, Kuaiji County, Shaoxing Prefecture, in the great Ming dynasty.

  As for Shen He, he was born into a branch of the Shen family in Shaoxing... His family was relatively well-off and he started his education at a young age in the clan school. He excelled academically and by the time he was eighteen, he had passed the county exam, prefectural exam, and provincial exam, becoming a stipendiary student who received a monthly allowance of rice... A stipendiary student is equivalent to a xiucai, but not all xiucai are stipendiary students because only those who scored first-class in the exams were entitled to government support.

  The talented scholar who can rely on his imperial salary to make a living has brought honor to Shen He's parents.

  However, the times were unfavorable and fate was playing tricks on him. From his first participation in the autumn examination at the age of 19, Shen Xiangong failed four times in a row. This is a very normal thing, because the Jiangnan region is a gathering place for scholars, and Shaoxing Prefecture has produced many famous writers. In counties such as Yuyao, Kuaiji, and Shanyin, almost every family had children who studied, and it was said that there were dragons and tigers hidden among them. Every year, a large number of excellent scholars took the imperial examination.

  The quota is limited and the competition is fierce. Someone like Shen Xiangong would have been selected in other places, but in Shaoxing, he could only be a runner-up year after year. Later, his parents passed away one after another, and he also observed mourning for five years. By the time he came out to take the exam again, he was already over 30, and the best age for taking the exam had also passed...

  Ke Shenxiu devoted his whole life to studying, but not taking the exam would be useless. He was unwilling to accept failure, so he took the exam for two more terms, with predictable results... Not to mention wasting precious time, he also bankrupted his family's considerable assets, making their lives extremely difficult. For years, they ate bran and vegetables, without a glimpse of meat or fish.

  Last summer, Shen Xiuzai's wife contracted a heat stroke and her weak body suddenly collapsed. In order to treat his wife, he even sold the original three-story mansion where they lived. As a result, someone took advantage of him in an emergency and forced him to sell the house worth 100 taels for only 40 taels. Shen Xiuzai was too proud to borrow from relatives and friends, so he gritted his teeth and sold the property, renting a cheap small building in a remote alley to settle down with his wife and children, and seeking medical treatment for his wife.

  The silver flowed away like water, but Shen's mother's illness grew heavier and heavier. By autumn, she was bedridden and eventually passed away at the end of the year. Shen He used the remaining money to bury his wife, only to find that he couldn't even rent a small hut, so the two of them had to "live in a thatched cottage".

  Of course, this is what Shen Xianggong said in a refined way. In fact, it's just using bamboo and wood as the frame of the house, covering it with thatch to block out the wind and rain, and building a simple grass hut. Although it's narrow and damp, at least there's a nest now, isn't there?

  At that time, the only source of income for the family was the rice issued by the county school, six dou per month. It's said that if they were frugal, it would barely be enough, but 'half a son is starving his father', Shen Mo was at an age where he needed to eat more, and this little bit of rice wasn't enough. Shen Xiucai had no choice but to go to the grain store and exchange it for the worst kind of unhusked rice, which would yield nine dou. Then Shen Mo would go to the countryside to dig up some wild vegetables and catch some loaches, only then could they barely make ends meet for two people's meals.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  It's true that misfortunes never come singly. Just a few days ago, Shen Mo went to the mountain to dig for wild vegetables and was bitten by a venomous snake on his calf. When he was sent back by his brothers, his face was already black and he was on the verge of death.

  What happened later, Shen Mo didn't know. When he slowly woke up, he found himself in a loft. Although the beams and roof were covered with spider webs and the air was filled with a musty smell, it was much better than that windy, leaky, dark and damp grass shed.

  Staring blankly at a spider struggling to spit out silk, he silently listened... His father said, "Alright, alright, Chao Sheng has taken his medicine." He was then helped up. With his upper body leaning against the pillow, he carefully examined the man who would be called Father from now on. He saw that his hair and beard were disheveled, his face pale, with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and what seemed to be a bruise at the corner of his mouth. There were also some fresh scars on his cheekbones. His long robe was dirty and tattered, as if he had been in a fight and lost, which wasn't unexpected.

  Seeing Shen Mo open his eyes and look at himself, Shen He's eyes were filled with excitement and joy. He exclaimed: "Thank you so much, Miss Yin! If it weren't for her timely rescue, we would have been separated forever..." As he spoke, his eyes turned red and tears fell down.

  Seeing him cry, Shen's silent nose also felt a bit sour, wanting to comfort him, but his throat seemed to be blocked, unable to say a word.

  Noticing the change in his expression, Shen He hastily wiped away tears and asked: "What's wrong, are you uncomfortable somewhere?" Seeing Shen Mo look at the medicine bowl, Shen He said embarrassedly: "I almost forgot." Then he picked up the bowl, scooped a spoonful of brown medicinal soup, blew on it a few times, and carefully fed it to him.

  He scrunched up his face and took a light sip, but it wasn't as bitter as he had imagined, instead having a hint of sweetness. Seeing his eyebrows relax, Shen He exclaimed: "You've never liked taking medicine since you were young, so I bought some apricot flower honey to mix in, the doctor said it would help with your recovery." Then he helped him finish the bowl of medicine.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  She wiped Shen Mo's mouth with a towel and put him back to bed, then let out a long sigh of accomplishment, as if she had just finished something big. Only then did she straighten up, putting the empty medicine bowl and broken bowl on the table, plopping down onto the stool, bending her waist in exhaustion, and letting out a heavy breath.

  He silently picked up a bowl of boiling water, pinched three greenish-yellow soybeans from the broken bowl, hesitated for a moment, and then shook his hand, dropping two back into the bowl, leaving only one in his hand.

  He gazed at the bean for a long time, then closed his eyes and slowly put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. His movements were extremely gentle, as if he was savoring an endless aftertaste, unable to extricate himself for a long time.

  After a long time, Shen He slowly opened his eyes and recited a poem: "Cao Jiao's fortune brings green bean sprouts, Qian Yu's good soy sauce is also flourishing; East Gate invites good cooking skills, eating it in the mouth is soft and tender."

  He silently wiped away his sweat, he had never known that eating a single bean could bring about such great happiness.

  Seeing him reveal a disbelieving expression, Shen He lightly sipped a mouthful of boiling water and said: "Chao Sheng, you haven't tasted it, have you?"

  The bean paste is cooked to perfection, neither too hard nor too soft, and it's full of savory flavors. The aroma is rich and intense, with a perfect balance of saltiness and freshness. The aftertaste is subtly sweet... If you pair it with yellow rice wine, even the Earth God would want to come and have a taste."

  "Has the Landlord never had anything good to eat?" Shen Mo rolled his eyes, but was misunderstood by Shen He as complaining about eating alone. He quickly explained: "It's not that I don't want to share with you, it's just that the doctor has instructed that you can't eat cold, hot, sour or hard things. Let's wait until you're better before saying anything."

  He nodded silently and weakly, seeing Shen He eating two more at the same speed, he wiped his fingers on a towel, drank a bowl of water, and said with satisfaction: "Dinner is over, we should go to sleep."

  His eyes wide with excitement, Shen He said seriously: "The saint said: 'Things don't go beyond three.' The first time you eat is called tasting, the second time is called enjoyment, and the third time is called filling your hunger. If you eat more than that, it's just gluttony and waste." As he spoke, he winked at him with a smile and said: "Sleep!" Then he blew out the oil lamp and fell asleep on the table.

  Because there is only one single bed in this room...

  Division line

  Nothing else to say, just one sentence, let's start a beautiful memory, dear ones, let's go!!!