……

In most rural markets, the busiest time is usually in the morning, but even though it was just past noon, there were still plenty of people. William Clark wasn’t shy at all; hearing the sound of gongs and drums ahead, he squeezed his way in with all his might.

“Hey, it’s a monkey show.”

Taking advantage of his small and nimble body, William Clark squeezed into the crowd and saw that it was an old man with three monkeys performing in the center.

“Dear folks, if you have money, please support with some cash; if not, just give your presence. This old man thanks you all.”

After one of the monkeys did a few somersaults, the old man cupped his hands to the crowd, and the monkey immediately held an enamel mug with its two paws, going around the crowd asking for money.

Those who had money tossed in a few fen or five-fen coins, while those who didn’t just stepped back. William Clark felt the “Worker-Peasant-Soldier” bill in his pocket, thought for a long time, and finally backed away.

The old Taoist had taught him that everyone has their own hardships in the world, and you should help if you can. Since William Clark was reluctant to part with that ten-yuan note, he felt embarrassed to watch the show for free.

Fortunately, this market wasn’t the only place with street performers. After leaving the monkey show, William Clark squeezed into another crowd where someone was breaking stones on his chest and selling Shaolin Strength Pills.

After wandering around the market for a while, it was already three or four in the afternoon. William Clark stopped at a stall selling sugar figurines.

The stall was actually just a carrying pole. On one end was a rectangular cabinet with a stand, and underneath was a semicircular wooden basket with a small charcoal stove inside. On the stove sat a big ladle filled with syrup.

The wooden rack had two levels, each with many small holes, and each hole held a finished sugar figurine.

The vendor would scoop a bit of hot syrup with a small spatula, knead it in his talc-covered hands, then hold a piece in his mouth. Once he blew a bubble, he’d quickly place it into a talc-dusted wooden mold and blow hard, and the desired sugar figurine would be done.

Children all around watched eagerly; those with money reached out to buy, while those without just stared, unwilling to leave.

This treat wasn’t very expensive—just a dime could get you one made to your liking. But after standing there for a while, William Clark squeezed the ten-yuan note in his pocket and decided to turn away.

You see, William Clark’s father, as a zhiqing who never returned to his hometown and married a non-local woman, didn’t have any land to farm.

Although Edward Clark was skillful—not only could he do electrical work, but he was also handy with carpentry and often helped people make furniture—he could only earn ten or twenty yuan a month at most.

Even though Edward Clark often caught fish for his son to eat, overall, the father and son lived in poverty. William Clark wanted to take the money home for his father.

Just as William Clark turned to leave, a voice suddenly called out behind him: “William Clark, hey, it really is you! What are you doing here?”

William Clark looked in the direction of the voice and saw, on the other side of the sugar figurine stall, a chubby boy about his age waving excitedly at him, the electronic watch on his wrist especially eye-catching.

“Charles Wright?”

Seeing who it was, William Clark couldn’t help but smile wryly. The more you try to avoid something, the more likely you are to run into it. With Charles Wright’s personality, he’d probably make a big deal about William Clark’s outfit all over school once classes started.

But there was no avoiding it now. Charles Wright had already come over and pointed to an adult nearby, saying, “William Clark, that’s my grand-uncle. He’s from America. I brought him to the market…”

Although William Clark got along well with Charles Wright at school, they weren’t that close. He knew this guy just wanted to show off, so he laughed and said, “Ah, that’s nice, Little Charles. Your electronic watch is really cool…”

“Of course! My grand-uncle bought it for me. I’m the only one in the whole school with one…” Hearing William Clark’s words, Charles Wright puffed out his chest and raised his wrist to his eyes, pretending to check the time.

At school, William Clark was a popular figure. Though mischievous, he always ranked first in academics. Now that he could show off in front of William Clark, Charles Wright naturally wouldn’t miss the chance.

“Little Charles, who’s this?”

The elderly man Charles Wright had pointed to earlier, seeing his junior talking to a little Taoist, grew curious and wandered over to this side of the stall.

“Grand-uncle, this is my classmate, William Clark…” When speaking to his American grand-uncle, Charles Wright’s voice unconsciously dropped a few notches.

“Oh, your classmate? Then why is he a Taoist?”

The old man was curious. When he left his hometown, he was only a little older than these two kids—just in his teens. Now, after thirty or forty years, coming back, he felt a deep affection for many things in his hometown.

“Well… I don’t know either…”

Charles Wright scratched his head and looked at William Clark, asking, “William Clark, why are you dressed like that? Did you really become a Taoist on the mountain?”

“I’m not a Taoist! My master is the abbot of a mountain temple. I came down the mountain with him today, and it’s just convenient to wear this…” William Clark explained to Charles Wright. He didn’t want people teasing him about this when school started—it would be so embarrassing.

“Sigh, back then the Maoshan temple was burned down by the Japanese. When I left the mainland, it had just started to be rebuilt. I really should find time to go take a look.”