opportunity to make possibly valuable political alliances. Hao Wu would just laugh, throw an arm around Wen Yu's shoulders, and suggest they take a bottle of plum wine down by the pond and relax.
From behind him at the table of students, someone laughed loudly in a way that made Wen Yu's chest ache and heart clench. Wen Yu pushed his empty bowl over to Zhi Ping and stood, heading for the doorway.
That night, he was awakened from where he'd been dozing, bent over his writing desk, by a scraping noise coming from just outside his door. Wen Yu jerked upright, blinking back sleep, his ears straining for any sound. The sun was beginning to creep above the horizon, bathing the room in pale light. The noise came again, a low scrape, and then a piece of paper was pushed under the door.
Wen Yu stood quickly, straightening his tunic and stumbled towards the door, wrenching it open. A young man in expensive-looking clothes looked up, startled, and Wen Yu gripped him by the collar of his long tunic and hauled him through the door.
"All right, then, why are you skulking about, putting notes under my door?" Wen Yu tried to sound stern and not like he'd been drooling all over his notes a moment ago.
"Apologies, honorable student. I was sent to give you this note, since there had been no reply to the last one." The young man looked down meaningfully at the note on the floor.
"You were sent by Liu Yi?" Wen Yu let go of the young man and rubbed one hand across his eyes. "Wait here for a moment."
He went back to his desk, grabbing a brush and an ink stone, and reached for the first note, turning it over and scrawling across the back.
Many apologies, but I do not know of the thrush that you speak of. Once more, I must beg a thousand apologies for causing you any inconvenience.
He signed it and handed it over to the young man, who bowed and turned to go.
"Tell Liu Yi I hope he finds whoever has made off with his songbird," he called after the young man.
The sun was high enough now that Wen Yu thought he should probably eat some rice and start on the day's studies. As he went to heat the water for tea, he hoped this would be the last of the business regarding birds.
Many hours later, when the sun was going down, Wen Yu was startled out of his studies by a rapping on the door. He stood, wondering who it could be, and moved across the room to open it. The young man from that morning stood on the other side. Without speaking, he held out yet another note to Wen Yu, who took it and opened it.
Are you certain, honorable student, that you do not have my song thrush and have not simply misplaced it? I am quite sure that the address to which I have been directing these letters is correct. Are you claiming that you are not the honorable student, Wang Boa?
Wen Yu reached for a brush and turned over the note.
I am quite sure I do not have your thrush, he wrote. Nor I am the student Wang Boa. I am honorable student Wen Yu. I have not lived in this apartment long, though, so it is possible the Wang Boa of which you speak lived here before me. I send my deepest sympathies for the loss of your bird.
He handed the note back to the young man, who bowed and left again. Wen Yu massaged the back of his neck and went to find something to eat.
Two
The incident with the tortoise happened two days later.
He was making his way back from the paper shop, a slim bundle of new sheets in his arms. Wen Yu was in such a hurry to get back to his rooms and make up for the lost time in his studies that he almost walked right by it. Catching sight of something amiss in the space between a low building of student apartments and a dumpling shop, he doubled back. The tortoise stood on the packed-down earth of the alley next to a small puddle of brackish water. It was not a large tortoise, actually on the smallish side, and it was a dull green, its head cocked and alert as it scanned the area.
"What are you doing here?" Wen Yu wondered aloud, stopping in front of the
From behind him at the table of students, someone laughed loudly in a way that made Wen Yu's chest ache and heart clench. Wen Yu pushed his empty bowl over to Zhi Ping and stood, heading for the doorway.
That night, he was awakened from where he'd been dozing, bent over his writing desk, by a scraping noise coming from just outside his door. Wen Yu jerked upright, blinking back sleep, his ears straining for any sound. The sun was beginning to creep above the horizon, bathing the room in pale light. The noise came again, a low scrape, and then a piece of paper was pushed under the door.
Wen Yu stood quickly, straightening his tunic and stumbled towards the door, wrenching it open. A young man in expensive-looking clothes looked up, startled, and Wen Yu gripped him by the collar of his long tunic and hauled him through the door.
"All right, then, why are you skulking about, putting notes under my door?" Wen Yu tried to sound stern and not like he'd been drooling all over his notes a moment ago.
"Apologies, honorable student. I was sent to give you this note, since there had been no reply to the last one." The young man looked down meaningfully at the note on the floor.
"You were sent by Liu Yi?" Wen Yu let go of the young man and rubbed one hand across his eyes. "Wait here for a moment."
He went back to his desk, grabbing a brush and an ink stone, and reached for the first note, turning it over and scrawling across the back.
Many apologies, but I do not know of the thrush that you speak of. Once more, I must beg a thousand apologies for causing you any inconvenience.
He signed it and handed it over to the young man, who bowed and turned to go.
"Tell Liu Yi I hope he finds whoever has made off with his songbird," he called after the young man.
The sun was high enough now that Wen Yu thought he should probably eat some rice and start on the day's studies. As he went to heat the water for tea, he hoped this would be the last of the business regarding birds.
Many hours later, when the sun was going down, Wen Yu was startled out of his studies by a rapping on the door. He stood, wondering who it could be, and moved across the room to open it. The young man from that morning stood on the other side. Without speaking, he held out yet another note to Wen Yu, who took it and opened it.
Are you certain, honorable student, that you do not have my song thrush and have not simply misplaced it? I am quite sure that the address to which I have been directing these letters is correct. Are you claiming that you are not the honorable student, Wang Boa?
Wen Yu reached for a brush and turned over the note.
I am quite sure I do not have your thrush, he wrote. Nor I am the student Wang Boa. I am honorable student Wen Yu. I have not lived in this apartment long, though, so it is possible the Wang Boa of which you speak lived here before me. I send my deepest sympathies for the loss of your bird.
He handed the note back to the young man, who bowed and left again. Wen Yu massaged the back of his neck and went to find something to eat.
Two
The incident with the tortoise happened two days later.
He was making his way back from the paper shop, a slim bundle of new sheets in his arms. Wen Yu was in such a hurry to get back to his rooms and make up for the lost time in his studies that he almost walked right by it. Catching sight of something amiss in the space between a low building of student apartments and a dumpling shop, he doubled back. The tortoise stood on the packed-down earth of the alley next to a small puddle of brackish water. It was not a large tortoise, actually on the smallish side, and it was a dull green, its head cocked and alert as it scanned the area.
"What are you doing here?" Wen Yu wondered aloud, stopping in front of the
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