"How can this be? If I take so much from you, my mother will surely punish me with the family rules when I get home!" David Thompson wrung his hands, his face full of embarrassment.

"As for the wine and snacks, your uncle isn’t giving them for nothing. When your father returns from outside, have him ask around for me—see if anyone has raw cowhide or hides from large animals like donkeys or horses for sale. The yamen is pressing urgently, and I’m willing to pay a fair price." Michael Bolton smiled honestly, pleased to have finally found a suitable excuse for giving a gift. He didn’t let the young man refuse, but hung the willow basket on the mule’s back, and at the end, like a performer, untied a leather pouch from his back and forced it into David Bolton’s hands.

"This was left at my inn back in the eighteenth year of the Kaihuang era, by a few soldiers who went to Liaodong seeking merit and got drunk. It’s been over ten years and no one’s come back for it, so I doubt anyone wants it now. Your uncle figured it must be a pretty good bow, so I’ve taken good care of it every year. Take it and have some fun—next year you’ll be fifteen, and your Li family values seeking fortune on horseback. A good bow will be just right for you!"

The young man knew this was his uncle’s coming-of-age gift and dared not refuse, accepting it with both hands. The moment it touched his hands, a gentle warmth spread through him—he couldn’t tell if it was his uncle’s body heat or the temperature of the unremarkable, pitch-black bow case itself. Untying the leather cord and looking inside, he saw a two-and-a-half chi long horn bow lying among fine down, its color as lustrous as black jade (Note 5).

Shanggu County, close to the border, was once where the Flying General Li Guang was stationed. Thus, martial spirit was strong among the people; unless a family was especially poor, they would usually have their children apprentice with a local master to learn some swordsmanship, archery, or martial arts for self-defense. So with just a glance, David Thompson could tell his uncle had given him a top-quality bow—if sold on the market, it would fetch at least three or five strings of “meat coins.” At this point, he could no longer be polite and could only bow again, thanking his uncle for his kindness.

Seeing his nephew so pleased with the gift, Michael Bolton was even prouder than if he’d earned dozens of strings of coins. As he locked up the doors and windows to close shop, he reminded him, "This bow hasn’t been used in a long time, so it’s very stiff. Take it easy when you play with it—don’t hurt yourself. After all, it’s just a toy. You’re outstanding in both character and studies; in the future, when you’re recommended as a xiucai, pass the jinshi exam, and become a county magistrate or prefect, bringing honor to the family, then as your uncle, no one will dare look down on me anymore…"

Note 1: The zhao ling is a special utensil for scooping rice in northern China, with a wooden handle and a net made of fine bamboo strips at one end. In rural Hebei, hanging this tool outside the wall was a sign for restaurants. This custom continued until the 1980s.

Note 2: “Meat coins.” Emperor Wen of Sui recast the Wuzhu coins and banned the inferior coins issued during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. These coins, “with thick backs and full rims, each string of a thousand weighing four jin and two liang,” were thus called “meat coins” by the people. In the Sui and Tang dynasties, they circulated nationwide alongside silk as currency.

Note 3: Hu Cao. In the Sui dynasty, counties had Hu Cao and Bing Cao positions, equivalent to county vice magistrates. Hu Cao was responsible for tax collection and population statistics, and could recruit assistants (xieguan) at their own expense, paid from local taxes. Over time, this became a shortcut for officials to exploit local resources.

Note 4: Coming-of-age hair binding, generally refers to boys around fifteen, when they should begin learning various skills. From the Da Dai Li Ji, “At the age of hair binding, one enters the university to learn great arts and practice great virtues.”

Note 5: Han dynasty chi—one chi is about 23.1 centimeters today.

Author’s note: Starting a new book is not easy. I plan to update three chapters today. Please click, recommend, bookmark, and help spread the word.

Volume One: Ballad of the Frontier

Chapter One: Flourishing Age (Part 2)

All the way to his own doorstep, the warmth of family between uncle and nephew still lingered around David Thompson. His uncle’s family was much like his own—both were minor branches in their respective clans. The land under their own names was scarce, and the rent collected from tenant farmers each year barely fed the family. As for other expenses—dealing with officials and the daily comings and goings within the clan—they had to rely on other means of livelihood. Both the Li and Zhang families were great clans with centuries of history, famed for their adherence to ritual and propriety, so business was the most looked-down-upon profession in the clan, even though the elders took plenty of gifts from the merchant descendants every year.

Compared to his uncle’s family, who lived day to day, the The Thompson Family was slightly better off. This was thanks to David Thompson’s father, Charles Thompson, who was strong and could speak a little Turkic, allowing him to travel with trade caravans beyond the frontier once or twice a year. Over there, cattle and sheep were cheap, while tea and linen were scarce, so a single trip could earn a good amount of copper coins. However, in recent years, the trade routes to the frontier had become increasingly unsafe, with news of people and goods lost every month. Fortunately, Charles Thompson had been running the frontier routes for years, always with large caravans. He was straightforward by nature and had built some rapport with the nomadic tribes along the way, so business could still continue, and he could spare some money to send his son to the official school.

"Second young master, you’re finally back! The master has come to the gate asking for you several times already." From afar, the steward John Thompson came up to greet him, helping David Thompson with his mount while grumbling quietly. He had followed Charles Thompson since childhood, and now handled all the roles of steward, guard, attendant, and accountant by himself, so he spoke to the young master without much formality.

"My father’s back? When did he arrive? I just brought some wine and food from uncle’s place today—Uncle Zhong, please take it to the kitchen and have Aunt Zhong heat it up. Consider it a welcome-back feast from me for father!" David Thompson patted the mule’s back and gave his instructions with a smile. Aunt Zhong was the old steward’s wife, and like her husband, she doubled as the cook, the lady’s maid, and David Thompson’s nanny in the Li household. With Charles Thompson often away, only David Thompson’s mother and the steward couple were at home, so besides the usual propriety, there was much genuine affection between master and servants.