Brian Thompson was greatly gratified to see his son so diligent. Nodding, he instructed him, “The Sage of Poetry once said, ‘Wealth and honor must come from hard work; a man must read five cartloads of books.’ David, with such diligence, you will surely achieve top honors in the imperial exams in the future.”

His father never missed a chance to mention the imperial exams in his words. David Thompson found it grating to hear. After serving his father chicken soup and helping him lie down, he walked out into the courtyard.

“David, where are you going?”

“I’m going to chop firewood. I need to deliver it to Uncle Jiu’s house early in the morning.”

Chopping firewood was a job Uncle Hu, their neighbor, had found for him. The father and son were so poor that even having enough to eat was a problem. David Thompson chopped firewood for villagers in exchange for some grain to get by.

Brian Thompson’s eyes grew moist. He felt both ashamed and comforted in his heart. Staring at the dark roof, he murmured, “Yun Niang, look at our child. He’s only six, yet so sensible!”

Dawn was breaking. David Thompson was working hard chopping firewood in the courtyard. Whether his manuscript could earn money was still unknown, and even if it could, it would take at least ten days or half a month for any news. Distant water can’t quench present thirst; right now, their rice jar was already empty.

David Thompson let out a low shout, and his hatchet flashed like lightning, splitting a log as thick as a bowl cleanly in two.

With a casual flick, he sent the two pieces of firewood flying precisely onto the woodpile ten feet away. He didn’t even know how he had this skill. Though the boy he had possessed was considered a fool, he had an extraordinary talent in this area.

David Thompson picked up another log, set it upright, and brought the hatchet down. “Clang!” A piece of firewood flew out, nearly hitting Brian Thompson, who had just walked to the doorway.

“Father, why are you up?”

“I just remembered something very important.”

“What important thing?”

Brian Thompson cleared his throat. “David, in a while, Father will take you to the ancestral hall to offer incense.”

“I’m not going!” David Thompson’s face darkened instantly, and he split the log in two with a hard chop.

He had no fondness for the so-called Li clan ancestral hall. He had never seen any clansmen help them, and especially since the one who injured his father, Henry Brooks, was the chief steward of the Li clan head’s family, he felt even more averse to the clan, even harboring a trace of hostility.

“You must go!”

Brian Thompson raised his voice. He would compromise with his son on many things, but not on going to the ancestral hall. He said to his son with utmost seriousness, “You survived falling into the well because you received the protection of our ancestors. I have already made a vow before the ancestral spirits on your behalf. You must go yourself to fulfill this vow and thank the ancestors for their blessing.”

“Let’s wait until you’re fully recovered!” Since his father had just recovered from a serious illness, David Thompson didn’t want to argue and changed his approach.

Brian Thompson understood his son’s thoughts and shook his head firmly. “I’m already fine. The matter of going to the ancestral hall can’t be delayed any longer. You’ll have to go sooner or later, so it’s better to get it done today.”

David Thompson thought for a moment and said, “Then let me say this first—I don’t want to kowtow!”

……

The Li family was a large clan in Tangyin County, said to be descendants of famous figures. The clansmen mainly lived in Xiaohe Township, Tangyin County, divided into four branches: Lushan, Qianshan, Wencun, and Songhe, each named after their location.

The Li clan’s ancestral hall was built in Lushan Town, and naturally, the Lushan branch was the main line of the Li clan. Every clan leader came from the Lushan branch. The current clan leader was William Thompson, a well-known local gentry in Tangyin County. Brian Thompson was working off his debts by tending horses for William Thompson.

The ancestral hall was not near the main road, but stood alone at the foot of Lushan, surrounded by lush pine and cypress trees. Although it was the season when most trees had withered, the pines and cypresses remained vigorous and green, adding a solemn and dignified air to the ancestral hall.

Brian Thompson devoutly washed his hands and face in the small stream outside the ancestral hall, while David Thompson caught two small fish in the stream, planning to take them home for fish soup. Only after his father urged him several times did he reluctantly walk through the ancestral hall’s main gate.

Since the Han and Tang dynasties, the ancestral hall had been the political, cultural, and spiritual center of every great family, the bond that united the entire clan. Even the imperial family ruling the world had their own ancestral temples.

Even the poorest families would set aside a corner in their thatched huts, place a small offering table, and worship their ancestors. Though the space was tiny, with only a single stick of incense and a spirit tablet, it was still a sacred spiritual world for the poor.

Every year on the first day of the first lunar month, the Li clan held their annual ancestral worship. All clan members would put on their best clothes and gather in the ancestral hall to pay respects to their ancestors. Even if someone was far away and truly couldn’t return, they had to worship their ancestors from afar.

Besides the first day of the first lunar month, there were also smaller ancestral rites on Qingming and the Ghost Festival each year. Even on the death anniversaries of ancestors from each branch, the family would gather separately in the ancestral hall for worship.

For the people of the Song dynasty, worshipping ancestors was as important and routine as eating and sleeping. The greatest punishment for a clan member who broke the rules was to be stripped of the right to participate in ancestral rites—a lifelong humiliation.

It was clear that an ancestral ceremony was about to take place in the next couple of days. The courtyard was already carpeted, red silk ribbons and lanterns hung from the big trees, and two man-high bronze incense burners shaped like beasts stood in the courtyard like loyal sentinels with arms akimbo.