Chapter 57: Sending a Brass Paper Horse
Meng Qing glanced at Du Min subtly, noticing the change in his expression. She then glanced away, a faint smile playing on her lips, and looked to the side.
Du Min remained in a daze for a long time. He held the blueprints and looked at them one by one, and his mind gradually settled down.
"Second sister-in-law, I have an idea. You intend to separate the paper effigies from the colorful lanterns. Why not choose a pattern related to Buddhism and apply it to the lanterns?" During the days when Du Min was studying at Ruiguang Temple, he noticed the lotus pattern on the pagoda. The style and color of the lotus pattern calmed his mind and soothed his spirit after looking at it for a long time.
“The pagoda has lotus patterns of various designs. You can choose to make a copy and paint it onto silk. This is much easier than piecing together patterns from different colored silks, and it looks more valuable,” Du Min explained carefully. He stood up, walked to the window, opened it to look at the pagoda on the mountain, and added, “Try to make colorful horses with Buddhist themes. Only such horses are worthy of high-ranking officials. If it’s just a brightly colored silk horse, even if you make it into a long-lasting lantern, high-ranking officials won’t care. The good things they’ve seen are beyond our imagination. Does the palace lack lanterns of various shapes? They’ve seen plenty. What you’re proud of—their size and bright colors—might be seen by them as taking up space and being conspicuous.”
“You’re right.” Meng Qing calmed down. “Lanterns are not uncommon, and lanterns of various styles are even more common. The shape and light are not what I should be pursuing. The advantage of paper-made items lies mainly in their status as funerary objects. Because they are funerary objects, they need to be lifelike to make people buy them.”
“Yes, because they are funerary objects, gifts for the deceased. In this respect, you have no competitors. The paper horses you make have the texture of bronze, and bronze funerary objects can only be used by kings and nobles. This is the main reason why officials’ sons and wealthy merchants are vying to place orders.” Du Min closed the window and turned around to summarize: “Second sister-in-law, things made by you cannot be separated from the identity of funerary objects. Once they are not associated with funerary objects, your things become vulgar.”
Meng Qing came to her senses. "You're right. I was deluded. I've been thinking about the fish-shaped lantern that Master Chen ordered these past few days, and my thoughts have gone astray."
“Actually, I also have a concern about this. Paper horses need to be fattened up with straw. The fatter and stronger the horse, the more straw is wrapped around the bamboo frame. Before the straw is burned, the candlelight cannot penetrate the straw to illuminate the patterns and colors on the silk. It may be difficult for you to make a lantern that can provide light, unless you find a way to burn all the straw inside after the lantern is formed,” Du Li suggested.
Meng Qing glared at him, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
“I’ve never made paper horses myself, so I’m not sure if my thinking is right. I was thinking you might have other skills, or maybe using alum paper could block the fire, allowing the straw to burn while leaving the skin and bones unharmed,” Du Li explained.
Meng Qing shook his head. "It's quite difficult. A fire that can burn straw can also burn alum paper to ash, and bamboo ribs will also be burned. Even if the horse hide is preserved, the horse will be unusable. It will break as soon as it is moved."
“Remove the lanterns from its intended use,” Du Min said. “As for Master Chen, he wants lanterns with the texture of glass, emphasizing clarity rather than the lantern itself. He doesn’t lack lanterns anyway. If you actually make him a few indestructible glass lanterns, he’ll enjoy them for a few days, but once that novelty wears off, he won’t place any more orders. You’ll be cutting off your source of income.”
Meng Qing chuckled, "Third brother, you're quite the businessman! If you hadn't taken the imperial examination route, you'd be a natural-born businessman."
“There are countless promising talents on the business route, and we don’t need another one like me.” Du Min smiled slightly and brought the topic back: “Second sister-in-law, are you still planning to make colorful horses? Dr. Xu is also interested in Buddhism and Taoism. I’ll go and ask him if he would be willing to draw lotus patterns.”
“I’ll definitely do it. But if it’s no longer made into a revolving lantern, it won’t be suitable to place it at the entrance of the prefectural school. It might be more appropriate to donate it to Ruiguang Temple. To thank Dr. Xu for providing the fire prevention formula, these two colorful horses can be named after him. If he’s willing, after the New Year’s Eve river parade, the colorful horses can be enshrined in Ruiguang Temple under his name. I can help with these arrangements, so he doesn’t need to worry about it,” Meng Qing said.
Hearing her say this, Du Min confidently replied, "Dr. Xu will definitely agree. Being able to place them in the Buddhist temple so that all the worshippers coming and going can see them is a kind of prestige that money can't buy. Second sister-in-law, if I pass the provincial examination in the future, could you also ask your uncle to let me place two colorful horses in the Buddhist temple during the New Year?"
“No problem, I won’t take your money, but you must pass the provincial examination in the spring and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). This will make a name for me, and all the successful candidates who pass the provincial examinations will come to me to order colorful horses to be placed in Buddhist temples,” Meng Qing said.
Du Min could not obtain it.
When Wang Zhou woke up, he heard familiar voices beside him, so he didn't make a fuss. He sat up, still wrapped in his blanket, and the next moment, he saw the round hat and wooden carving on the bamboo bed.
"Wow—" he exclaimed, holding a wooden carving in one hand.
The three adults in the house looked in the direction of the sound. Meng Qing went over, took out a small jacket for him and put it on, saying, "You like the puppet dog? This was bought for you by your third uncle. And this little hat, don't move, let Mom put it on you."
"Is the hat suitable? Is it too big? The stall owner said it can be worn by children under one year old," Du Min said.
"It's a little big, but it doesn't matter. It'll cover his ears perfectly so they won't get frostbite from the wind in the morning and evening." Meng Qing picked Wang Zhou up from the bamboo bed and handed him to Du Min. "You two uncle and nephew should get closer. Wang Zhou has almost forgotten about you."
Du Min hurriedly hugged the warm, chubby boy, and after a few breaths, he handed the boy back to Du Li, saying, "He's too heavy, it's making my arms ache."
Du Li looked down on him, saying, "If you go back to farming, you might as well starve to death. You can't even lift a bucket of water."
"If I can't carry one bucket, I can carry half a bucket!" Du Min pinched Wang Zhou's chubby face and commented, "His flesh is so tender, soft and juicy."
Du Li glared at him, and he stood up with the child in his arms, saying, "I'm going to buy groceries. Come with me and help me carry the groceries."
Du Min had no objection. He felt awkward staying alone in a place full of Meng family members. His parents hadn't treated the Meng family well, so he felt uncomfortable being on their turf.
Meng Qing carried the charcoal brazier and followed them downstairs. After the two brothers went out, she continued her paper- pasting work.
Du Li took Du Min to the market to buy duck and mutton, and then returned to the fish market to buy eels, fish and shrimp. When they returned to the Meng family, he started cooking and asked Du Min to watch over the boat.
An old reed quilt was spread under the eaves. Wang Zhou sat on it, gnawing on a wooden puppet dog with great relish. Du Min watched him drooling and made a disgusted "Eh."
Wang Zhou looked up at him.
"Wipe your drool." Du Min handed him his handkerchief.
Wang Zhou lowered his head and continued gnawing.
"Second brother, come quickly and wipe your son's drool, it's so dirty!"
Du Li glared at him, wiped Wang Zhou's drool, and said irritably, "I used to wipe your bottom when you were little."
Du Min immediately bristled, "Don't disgust me."
"You're the one who disgusts me." Du Li spat. "You stink."
Du Min felt as if his whole body was crawling with worms. He begged for mercy, "Don't mention things from when I was a child. I've forgotten them all."
“I haven’t forgotten, I’ll tell you.”
"Alright, alright, I don't mind Wang Zhou anymore." Du Min couldn't stand it anymore, and he emphasized again: "Let's not talk about things from when we were kids."
Du Li didn't say anything this time and went back to the kitchen to get busy.
Du Min sighed, seeing that Wang Zhou was about to drool again, so he took the puppet dog away, picked him up, and went to watch Du Li work.
Du Li scooped water to scald the duck feathers, then plucked them while they were still hot, while Du Min watched from the side, holding Wang Zhou in his arms.
After the duck meat was put into the pot, Du Li also stewed the mutton, and Du Min was also ordered by him to help tend the fire at the stove.
Du Min held the child in one arm and added firewood to the stove with the other. He felt the heat from the fire and the warmth in his arms, and he was sweating profusely. He was about to complain when he saw Du Li immediately begin scaling fish and cutting shrimp heads. He swallowed his words and asked instead, "Is taking care of the child and cooking all day long?"
"What do you want to say?" Du Li asked sensitively.
Du Min pondered for a while and said, "This kind of life is not bad. In the Du family, you can't even ask for this kind of life."
Du Li hummed in agreement and said what Du Min hadn't said: "I'm not good at making money, but your second sister-in-law is. I'll take good care of her and the children, so she doesn't have to worry about these trivial matters."
"That's good." Du Min stopped talking nonsense.
Today we had guests at home, and before the sun had set, the four members of the Meng family returned, with Meng's mother bringing back a jar of Buddhist porridge.
"There's a Dharma assembly at Ruiguang Temple today, and the temple is giving out blessed porridge to the worshippers. This is a five-flavor porridge that Huiming brought this afternoon. Let's reheat it and share it tonight," Meng's mother said to Du Li in the kitchen.
“Third Uncle, sleep here tonight. The wind on the river is freezing after dark. Don’t catch a cold when you take the boat back.” Meng’s father spoke to Du Min from outside. “If you’re used to sleeping alone, I’ll let Meng Chun sleep at the Paper Horse Shop and he can spend the night in the attic.”
Du Min instinctively refused, but then realized that he would still have to sleep here when he came to help out at the Paper Horse Shop after his annual leave.
“How could I, a guest, possibly drive away the host? If Brother Meng doesn’t mind, I’ll squeeze in with him for the night.” Du Min looked at Meng Chun.
"I'm not picky, as long as you don't mind," Meng Chun said, hugging Wang Zhou.
"Then I'll have to trouble you," Du Min said.
Meng Qing picked a plate of oranges from the citrus tree and brought it over, saying, "Try them all, they're not sour at all."
Du Min took one and started to say, "Second sister-in-law, when I go back to the academy tomorrow, I will ask Dr. Xu for his opinion. If he agrees, you don't need to worry about the lotus pattern rubbing and drawing."
"What lotus pattern are you going to rub?" Meng's father asked.
Meng Qing reiterated the plan they had agreed on that afternoon, "Three cobblers are as good as one Zhuge Liang. We have a better method now."
“It’s more reliable than those fancy, colorful revolving lanterns,” Meng’s father nodded.
Meng Qing was unhappy, "You think it's unreliable, but you don't say so."
"What did I say? I don't have any better suggestions." Father Meng spread his hands. "I think you can do whatever you want. Even if you mess it up, it's no big deal. At most, it'll just cost you the money for two colorful horses."
“Colored horses aren’t cheap; silk is more expensive than paper, and you also need to buy paint for coloring. Third brother, I’ll give you some money tomorrow; you’re in charge of buying the paint. Dr. Xu probably knows more about paints; you can ask him,” Meng Qing said.
Du Min readily agreed, as this would bring him and Dr. Xu closer together.
"Come and serve the dishes when you've finished eating the oranges; the food is ready," Meng's mother announced as she came out.
Meng Chun handed Wang Zhou to his father, who then ate the rest of the oranges in one bite and got up to serve the dishes.
Meng Qing picked up all the orange peels and put them on the windowsill, then went to serve the dishes.
Du Min belatedly got up and went to the kitchen as well.
Several people each made two trips, and five dishes and six bowls of rice were served.
“Third Uncle, do you want to drink? Meng Chun, go get some wine. There are lots of good dishes tonight, it’s perfect for a drink,” said Meng’s father.
Before Du Min could refuse, Meng Chun immediately went to get the wine and brought over the wine jars.
Du Min didn't realize anything was wrong and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll have a drink with you tonight, Uncle."
After drinking, Du Min was so confused when he got off the table that he couldn't remember how he got back to bed when he woke up the next day.
"Don't stand there, get up and eat. You still have to rush back to the prefectural school for class," Du Li urged from the doorway.
Du Min walked out of the house in a daze and found that only he and his brother were left at home.
“No need to look anymore, my parents have already gone to the paper horse shop, only you and Wangzhou are still sleeping,” Du Li said.
Du Min glanced at Du Li, "Second Brother, you weren't drunk last night?"
Du Li did not answer.
Du Min belatedly realized, "I was forced to drink?"
“Who wants to force you to drink? Alcohol isn’t cheap. It’s just that you can’t hold your liquor; you pass out after just one sip,” Du Li denied.
Du Min would be a fool to believe him. He suddenly realized, "Oh! I'm from the Du family, and you're from the Meng family. Your father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law are ganging up on you to get revenge!"
Du Li laughed, "Hurry up and eat, or you'll be late for class."
Du Min felt a pang of jealousy. He kept glancing at Du Li while eating, and he had to admit that if Du Li's life continued like this, he would have nothing to worry about in his life.
When Wangzhou woke up, Du Li went to take care of the child. He picked up a bundle and put it on the table, saying, "This is ten strings of cash for paint. You can take it with you later. I'll go help Wangzhou get dressed. After you finish eating, you can take the bowl back to the kitchen and then you can leave."
After saying that, Du Li strode back to his bedroom.
Looking at this home filled with the warmth of everyday life, Du Min said to himself, "I will definitely have a home like this someday."
When Du Li brought Wang Zhou out, Du Min was already gone. He fed Wang Zhou a small bowl of fish paste, cleaned up the pot and stove, and then led Da Mao and herded the geese out.
*
The next day, Dr. Xu arrived at the Paper Horse Shop, followed by Du Min, who was carrying a bundle that he had taken from the Meng family.
“Du Min told me everything. The colorful horse is to be enshrined in the Buddhist temple under my name. I should pay for the money to make the colorful horse, not you,” Dr. Xu said to Meng Qing.
Meng Qing quickly waved her hand, "That's not how it works. I initiated this, not you. You didn't come to me and ask me to do it. This expense shouldn't be attributed to you."
"I came here today to place an order." Dr. Xu glanced at Du Min, who handed the bundle to Meng Qing and said, "Dr. Xu paid for the paints himself, and he hasn't touched the ten strings of cash."
“That won’t do. I gave you the colorful horse as a thank you for the fire prevention formula. If you have to pay for the horse, what kind of person would I be?” Meng Qing pressed down Du Min’s hand and said, “Dr. Xu, please don’t make things difficult for me.”
Dr. Xu wasn't good at these kinds of arguments. He frowned and said stiffly, "I'm not short of money, so stop arguing."
Meng Qing choked.
"How about this, Dr. Xu will pay for the paint, and the Meng family paper horse shop will cover the cost of the silk cloth. One of you will be responsible for making the painted horses, and the other will be responsible for drawing and coloring them," Du Min suggested as a compromise. "In this way, Dr. Xu won't feel guilty about the Meng family paper horse shop's kindness, and my second sister-in-law will also be able to express her gratitude."
"That's fine too." Seeing that Dr. Xu was getting impatient, Meng Qing stopped insisting on paying for the paint.
“I will also buy the silk fabric; I want to choose it myself.” Dr. Xu insisted on paying for it himself. He told Meng Qing, “I understand your intentions. Don’t worry about the money. You are responsible for providing the craftsmanship. You also need to help with the contact with Ruiguang Temple.”
Meng Qing looked at Du Min, who sighed helplessly and teased, "Second sister-in-law, listen to Dr. Xu. It seems he really has nowhere to spend his money."
Dr. Xu glanced at him.
"Alright, thank you Dr. Xu for saving us this money," Meng Qing joked.
Dr. Xu ignored the conversation and looked at the brass paper horse in the courtyard, asking, "Are there any size requirements for the silk cloth?"
"You don't need to worry about those things. You just need to cut it when you're pasting it. There's only one thing to note: pasting a paper horse requires at least seven layers of paper, while silk is thinner and lighter than paper, so it might require ten layers. To ensure the patterns overlap, when you're drawing and coloring, it's best to stack ten layers of silk together so that all ten layers have the same pattern in the same position," Meng Qing said.
“Okay, I understand.” Dr. Xu nodded.
"Is there anything else you need to tell me? Does the silk fabric need to be soaked in tung oil and alum water before being dyed?" Du Min asked on behalf of Dr. Xu.
"After drawing and coloring, I'll soak these things in the dye, but I don't know if the color will fade. Dr. Xu, could you draw a picture on a handkerchief and bring it to me so I can soak it in tung oil?" Meng Qing said.
"I use mineral pigments, the same ones used in Buddhist temple murals, which won't fade." This is why Dr. Xu insists on buying his own pigments; good pigments can save him a lot of trouble.
Meng Qing responded with an "Oh".
"You go ahead with your work, I'll go to Ruiguang Temple to make rubbings of the lotus pattern," Dr. Xu said.
Du Min stuffed a bundle containing ten strings of cash into Meng Qing's hands. Meng Qing then handed it to Du Li, who pulled Meng Chun along, saying, "Let's go to Ruiguang Temple to find Master Konghui and finalize the matter of offering the colorful horse."
Thanks to Meng Qing and Meng Chun, Dr. Xu and Du Min also had the opportunity to visit Master Kong Hui's meditation room. Dr. Xu's attitude changed drastically in front of Master Kong Hui, becoming almost obsequious, like a pilgrim.
Meng Qing, Meng Chun, and Du Min looked at each other in bewilderment.
Without Meng Qing having to speak, Dr. Xu confessed to offering colorful horses at the Buddhist temple.
"Once the colorful horse is finished, go find Huiming and have him take a look. Only if it truly has Buddhist characteristics can it be enshrined in a Buddhist temple," Master Konghui told Meng Qing.
Meng Qing nodded, "Okay, I understand."
After leaving Master Konghui's meditation room, Meng Qing looked at Dr. Xu and said, "It seems that whether or not we can provide horses depends on Dr. Xu's abilities. Dr. Xu, are you good at painting? I was inspired to paint by the statues in Buddhist temples. Why don't I go and help you?"
“I’ve seen my second sister-in-law’s paintings from when she was a child, and she certainly had a solid foundation,” Du Min said.
Dr. Xu refused, insisting that he did not need help from others.
Meng Qing thought to herself that this person was really stubborn. She privately told Du Min to find more opportunities to supervise the construction, and then she would leave it to him.
But after that day, Du Min couldn't find Dr. Xu anywhere, and even his page was gone. He had no choice but to give up his supervisory duties. After the state school let out for the New Year holiday, he packed a few books and a few sets of clothes and moved to the Meng family.
Mencius' father rented two painted boats and hired six drummers and a master of ceremonies with a booming voice to accompany them on the boats.
At dawn on the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Meng's father and Meng Chun, along with seven apprentices and twenty hired laborers, carried ten bronze paper horses out of the paper horse shop. They stretched for ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) and arrived at the Wumen Ferry with great fanfare.
As the brass paper horse crossed the bridge, the drummer on the painted boat struck the drum, drawing the attention of everyone within a three-mile radius.
"What are you doing?" asked a person on a small boat on the river, leaning out to inquire.
"I heard it was the Meng family's paper horse shop delivering goods to customers."
Ten brass paper horses boarded the ship, the painted boat raised its sails, the drumbeats stopped, and the surrounding area also quieted down.
"Today, the owner of Meng Family Paper Horse Shop has invited an old man to perform a ritual. This boat is heading to Rujiaofang and Tonghuanfang. On board are Master Xie from Rujiaofang and Gentlemen Li and Chen from Tonghuanfang, who have commissioned brass paper horses for their deceased family members." The ritual performer announced loudly, "Passersby, please come and enjoy the show. If we disturb you, please forgive us."
Du Min, Du Li, Meng Qing, and Meng Chun stood on the second floor and looked down. Wherever the painted boat went, passersby all looked over.
"Hey! Brass paper horses! There are so many this time."
"Owner of the boat, is the boat still coming to the village gate? Are you still delivering the brass paper horse today?"
Upon hearing this, some people immediately took off running after the boat.
Meng's father went to say a few words to the rite master, who immediately loudly repeated what he had said when the boat set sail.
But some people couldn't hear clearly and still chose to follow the boat.
The painted boat arrived at the Confucian Academy and stopped at the ferry near Chongwen Academy. The drum sounded, and Meng's father, along with the hired helpers, carried two brass paper horses ashore.
“Go down and lead the way,” Meng Qing said, pushing Du Min.
"No, it's too embarrassing." Du Min clung to the railing and refused to get down.
Du Li and Meng Chun rolled up their sleeves, pried his hands off, and forcibly pushed him off the boat.
"Go quickly, go quickly! Just imagine you've passed the imperial examination and been chosen by the emperor as the third-ranked scholar, and you're going to ride through the streets in a procession!" Meng Chun urged with a loud laugh.
"How can these be the same?" Du Min was both amused and exasperated.
"If you're any later, my father will be back soon," Du Li urged. "Go to your teacher's house, what are you ashamed of?"
"Don't you feel ashamed? Come down here too!" Du Min saw several familiar faces coming out of Chongwen Academy. It was too late for him to hide now, so he could only bite the bullet and follow them.
The gatekeeper opened the gate at the urging of the master of ceremonies. Master Xie and Madam Xie came out to greet them. The first thing they saw was a raised brass paper horse, and the rest of the room was full of human faces.
"Master Xie, Madam Xie, the two brass paper horses you ordered have come to acknowledge our arrival," said Meng's father.
"Please, please come in quickly," Master Xie said hurriedly.
"How much does this large brass paper horse cost?" asked a bystander.
“Eleven strings of cash each,” Madam Xie replied.
Wow! So expensive?
"It's alright, it'll give my father-in-law something new and keep him entertained in the afterlife."
"You are all so filial."
The paper horse made of brass was carried in. Master Xie paid the final payment to Mencius' father. As he handed over the money, he saw Du Min and exclaimed in surprise, "Du Min? You've come... to see me too?"
He really didn't believe that Du Min would come to join in the fun.
"I'm here to help." Du Min felt that he had been fooled by Meng Qing; this was completely different from the visit he had imagined.
"Thank you, Master. We still need to go to Tonghuanfang, so we won't disturb you any longer," Meng's father said, taking his leave.
"Alright, thank you for making this trip and causing such a commotion." Master Xie himself didn't know what he wanted to say.
“Of course, filial piety shouldn’t be hidden. We will promote it for you,” said Meng’s father.
Master Xie smiled. Whether he found it absurd or funny, one thing was true: he had saved face.
Meng's father left with his helpers, and the people who had followed the boat to watch the excitement also left. The neighbors from the nearby area gathered at Xie's house to admire the brass paper horse.
The painted boat left the ferry and headed towards Tongyuanfang.
When the brass paper horse was delivered to Mr. Chen's house, Mr. Li had already arranged for servants to prepare tea and snacks and opened the door to welcome it.
After a stick of incense had burned, Meng's father came out of the Li family's house, carrying two plates in his hands. He went up to the painted boat and handed the two plates of lotus seed paste cakes to the four people on the boat, saying, "The tea and snacks at the Li family's house are quite delicious. You should try them."
"You ate it all, and now you want to take it all home? Didn't Squire Li say anything?" Meng Qing asked in astonishment.
“I told him I wanted to bring some for my children to try, and he gave it to them. He was quite happy.” Mr. Meng was also quite happy. “Are you all coming out again tomorrow? It’s such a lively event, but you’re all hiding on the pleasure boat, too afraid to show yourselves.”
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