Chapter 82: The Struggle for Inheritance—Three Sheep Mark the Dawn

At Ye Chang’s insistence, the story of Master Dongguo and the Wolf became the very first piece in the first volume of the “New Accounts of the World.” Fang was by no means exaggerating her talent; her writing truly appealed to both the refined and the common reader, far surpassing Ye Chang’s own level. Ye Chang wasn’t sure if his somewhat personal essay would have the intended effect, but since Fang could understand the allusion to the Tang court’s indulgence of the barbarians, surely the sharper literati would catch it as well.

Once the first piece was finished, the second and third followed. Ye Chang had no shortage of stories in his heart, and Fang listened with great enjoyment. When five stories had been told, she realized with a start that not only she, but Xiang’er, who had been keeping watch by the gate, and Ci Nu, playing in the courtyard, had each fetched a little stool and were now sitting by Ye Chang, listening with rapt attention.

Even the little girl Ye Chang held in his arms stared up with bright black eyes, as if she too could understand the story.

“It seems I really am quite good at telling stories—just look at all of you,” Ye Chang could not help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

Xiang’er lifted her face, “Sir, are the stories finished?”

“That’s all for today. We have other matters to attend to. We can’t tell them all in one day,” Ye Chang replied.

“Just one more, uncle, just one more, please!”

“Tomorrow,” Ye Chang said with a laugh, “uncle still has things to do.”

Xiang’er’s voice turned earnest, “Since there are no more stories today, there’s something I should tell you, sir.”

Her face was serious, her little features drawn tight. Ye Chang thought it must be something important and stifled his smile. “What is it, Xiang’er?”

“The little one just peed,” she said.

Ye Chang was stunned, then realized his chest was wet and jumped up at once, “Oh no, I’m soaked!”

Fang couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Since Ye Shu’s death, she had never laughed so freely. The pain of loss was still there, but it no longer weighed on her as it once did.

When she realized she was recovering from widowhood more quickly than she had expected, she couldn’t help but glance again at Ye Chang.

Ye Chang, just like any ordinary youth, was now staring helplessly at his urine-soaked clothes.

“Eleventh Young Master, it’s getting late. You should go home,” Fang said, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she suppressed her laughter and shooed Ye Chang away.

So Ye Chang, with no other choice, had to walk several miles back to Wolong Valley in his wet clothes.

In the days that followed, Ye Chang was finally able to handle clan affairs. Though the three branches had agreed to let him return and had signed a document, the ancestral rites had not been performed, nor had the genealogy been amended. Ye Chang himself was not in a hurry, but Ye Dan was—thanks to Ye Chang’s status, he could now share drinks with the magistrate and the county constable. Once the youngest among the village officials and often bullied by clerks and runners, he now received only courteous treatment. This strengthened his resolve to support Ye Chang. The three branches, fearing complications if they delayed, chose an auspicious day as Ye Dan suggested, and the two sides formally separated.

Ye Chang felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

After a month’s effort, as year’s end approached, Fang finished writing the first volume of the “New Accounts of the World,” and it was finally ready for printing.

Just then, the first snow of the year fell in Xiuwu.

“It’s snowing! It’s snowing!”

When Xiang’er noticed the first flakes, she shouted with excitement. Snow meant the New Year was coming, and for a child like her, the New Year meant delicious food and fun.

“Xiang’er, are you so happy about the snow?”

“Yes, sir! After it snows, the New Year follows soon. We often have good food now, but the thought of the New Year still makes me joyful!”

When Ye Chang heard her mention the New Year, he looked up.

The New Year was a time for family reunion. In another life, he would have shared the holiday with his wife and daughter, eating the reunion dinner, visiting friends and relatives, celebrating in merriment.

His eyes grew moist, but he quickly collected himself. He could never return to that life, so he must cherish those beside him in this one.

Thinking this, he patted Xiang’er on the head.

Xiang’er immediately dodged. “Sir, it took me ages to do my hair—don’t mess it up again!”

The little girl’s coquettish protest lifted Ye Chang’s spirits at once. He took her hand. “Xiang’er, the New Year is coming… Do you want to see your uncle?”

“The fake uncle? What’s there to see,” Xiang’er wrinkled her nose.

Ye Chang was taken aback.

The so-called “uncle” from the Zheng family of Yingyang was actually the performer Ye Chang had met in Wuzhi County, the one who was a friend of Wang Qinian and Wang Xinzhi in Chang’an and loved playing tricks. Ye Chang had asked him to pose as a distant Zheng relative, and he had played the part well. Afraid Xiang’er would give herself away, Ye Chang hadn’t told her the truth beforehand—yet to his surprise, she already knew.

“You figured it out?”

“Of course I did. If he were my real uncle, I’d have gone with him already,” Xiang’er said, glancing at Ye Chang.

Ye Chang felt a pang. “If your real family came for you, you’d go with them, wouldn’t you?”

“I was just teasing you!” Xiang’er laughed, delighted at his expression. “You’re my family, sir. I won’t go anywhere but with you!”

Ye Chang felt dizzy. Were all women in the Tang, from six to sixty, so sharp? Even Xiang’er, at his side, had grown so clever as to tease him!

Still, the little girl’s words were truly… heartwarming.

“Very well. Today I’ll take Xiang’er to town; we’ll brave the snow and shop for New Year’s goods!” Ye Chang said with a smile.

“To town, to town!” Xiang’er cheered.

Ye Chang’s status was different now, and he no longer had to walk into town. He rode a horse, and Xiang’er rode a blue donkey. Both wore rain capes, and under Chunming’s envious gaze, they headed to town together. It was market day, and despite the snow, they had to go or else the New Year’s supplies wouldn’t be complete.

They weren’t the only ones; people from all around were heading for the county seat, many carrying goods to sell from a year’s accumulation. There were also entertainers taking the chance to perform for money, making Xiang’er laugh all the way with her silver-bell giggle.

But as they reached the city gate, they stopped. Ahead, a crowd had gathered and seemed to be arguing.

Ye Chang wasn’t one to meddle, so he led Xiang’er to take a detour. Just then, someone called out, “It’s Master Ye! If you think I’ve divided things unfairly, let Master Ye decide—how about that?”

“Which Master Ye?”

“The one who redirected the Hongqiao waters, the Master Ye known for Buddha’s judgment—who else?”

The voice was familiar. Ye Chang realized they were talking about him and looked over. It was Zhong Wei, the county clerk. Despite the snowy weather, Zhong was sweating and pushed through the crowd. “Master Ye, you’ve come at just the right moment. Please help me judge this matter.”

“Oh? What’s happened?” Ye Chang asked.

“It’s a dispute over inheritance among three brothers,” Zhong replied with a wry smile. “When the weather turns cold, the old folks don’t last. Once they’re gone, the trouble begins.”

The three brothers were brought over. Even the youngest was past thirty, and the oldest over forty. Seeing Ye Chang was young, they were hesitant. The eldest said, “Better let the Magistrate judge, Clerk Zhong…”

“The Magistrate’s busy these days and has no time for your petty squabbles,” Zhong said impatiently. “A simple inheritance dispute is well within my purview, especially since I’ve brought Master Ye. Haven’t you heard of his reputation?”

“We’ve heard… but…”

“They just think he’s too young, so they don’t trust him. But he’s a prodigy—one year of his life is worth ten of theirs!” someone in the crowd said.

“Exactly! You fellows don’t know what’s good for you. Clerk Zhong, don’t bother with them—let them fight it out themselves!”

Some in the crowd knew Ye Chang, or had benefited from his help before. They called out, making Ye Chang a little embarrassed, and the three brothers even more so.

“It’s not that we don’t trust him—just that we’ve argued about this for five days already, and there’s still no solution. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here seeking official help.”

It turned out the brothers had quarreled endlessly at home, nearly coming to blows. Now they were airing their dirty laundry in public. As they spoke, they began accusing each other again, dredging up trivial disputes from decades past.

“Clerk Zhong, what exactly is the matter?” Ye Chang pulled Zhong aside, dizzy from the noise.

With much gesturing—and occasional scolding of the brothers—Zhong explained the situation.

The three men were brothers whose father had died not long ago. Besides the property already divided among them, he had left them nineteen sheep. Before he died, for reasons unknown—perhaps to prevent feuding, perhaps to cause trouble—he left a will: the eldest was to receive half the sheep, the second a quarter, and the youngest a fifth.

“That old fellow just couldn’t rest, even in death. He knew his sons didn’t get along, yet he left a riddle like this. Nineteen sheep—half is nine and a half, a quarter is four and seventy-five hundredths…” Zhong rattled off the numbers, earning Ye Chang’s respect; in these days, most were illiterate, and even those who could read lacked skill in arithmetic—addition and subtraction were manageable, but multiplication and division left many scratching their heads.

“That’s why the brothers can’t agree. Someone suggested butchering the sheep and dividing by weight, but others objected. It’s a hopeless mess,” Zhong said in a low voice. “Master Ye, you have great talent. Only you can solve this.”

Ye Chang smiled, “So that’s all? This is easily settled. Clerk Zhong, please quiet them down.”

Clerk Zhong barked an order, and the constables with him began waving their staves, bringing instant silence.

Ye Chang stepped forward. “This is very simple. Where are the nineteen sheep?”

The animals were herded over, bleating innocently.

Ye Chang called the three brothers over. “Stand together, the three of you.”

They were embarrassed, as they had just been quarreling, but with the constables’ staves looming, they had no choice.

“Now, the three of you are sheep,” Ye Chang said.

“We are not sheep…” protested the youngest.

“If I say you are, then you are. Together, you make one sheep—the eldest is the head, the second the body, the youngest the tail,” Ye Chang said sternly.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “If it’s a ram, you’re missing one part!”

Ye Chang glared, “You! Come here and be the missing part!”

The man tried to slip away, but the crowd jostled him over to the three brothers.

“Master Ye, I was wrong—please have mercy!” he pleaded.

Ye Chang barked, “Never heard of a sheep’s part that could talk. If you speak again, I’ll have it cut off!”

The crowd roared with laughter.

The man received a couple of light swats from the constables and fell silent.

Ye Chang looked at the sheep, pleased. “Now there are twenty sheep. According to your father’s will, the eldest gets half—ten sheep. Is that correct?”

Though it felt odd, everyone could agree half of twenty is ten.

“The second gets a quarter—five sheep. Correct?”

“Yes, yes, Master Ye is right,” the crowd replied.

“The youngest gets a fifth—four sheep. Add it up, and all nineteen sheep are accounted for, yes?”

Everyone did the math and saw that the nineteen sheep could indeed be divided that way.

“So that’s the solution!” people cried. Even Zhong couldn’t help but slap his thigh. “That crafty old man left them quite a puzzle. If not for Master Ye, these three would have ended up in the magistrate’s court!”

The three brothers were still a little bewildered, but Ye Chang added, “You three fools, you don’t understand your father’s intention. He wasn’t trying to make things hard or be unfair—he wanted to prevent you from fighting. Only if you work together, as you just did, can the riddle be solved. If you keep bickering, the sheep will never be divided fairly!”

That finally cleared their doubts. The brothers glanced at each other, embarrassed, and then thanked Ye Chang together.

Ye Chang laughed, “Since I’ve solved your problem, you should thank me properly. I want nothing else—just that missing part.”

He pointed at the man who had been teased earlier. The man nearly wished he could disappear, while the brothers laughed, all previous resentment forgotten.

“Let’s go buy our New Year’s goods. Farewell, Clerk Zhong!” Ye Chang mounted his horse, gave the man a light flick with his whip, and called, “Off you go, Brother Sheep’s Tail!”