[Forwarded] Short Story 'Mending the Bowl'

Time: 2013-03-15 10:53 Source: "Story Club" Author: Zhao Shouyu\A Chance Encounter with an Old Friend\ Long, long ago, there was a bowl mender named Yuan Shitou. Yuan Shitou was a master among bowl menders.\ One day, Yuan Shitou was carrying his tools into an alley when a man pulled him into a courtyard. This man was called Feng Qi. He presented a delicate box to Yuan Shitou, asking him to repair the broken bowl inside.\ Yuan Shitou glanced at the contents of the box, his face changed dramatically, and he immediately clasped his hands and said, "My skills are ordinary and unworthy of this important task." Saying this, he turned to leave.\ Feng Qi grabbed Yuan Shitou, his eyes flashing fiercely, and said, "Repair the bowl and you will be rewarded, otherwise there is only death."\ Just as the two were at a standstill, a man came out from the inside, stopped Feng Qi, and bowed to Yuan Shitou, apologizing and earnestly pleading with him to help repair the broken bowl.\ When Yuan Shitou returned the bow and looked up to see the visitor, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Sir, you are Yu Chongyang, aren't you?"\ The man was stunned and said, "You are?"\ Yuan Shitou excitedly said, "Benefactor! How could you not recognize me? I am Yuan Shitou!"\ Upon hearing the name "Yuan Shitou," Yu Chongyang trembled, stared at Yuan Shitou's face for a long while, and finally grabbed his arm saying, "Benefactor! Is it really you?"\ How did Yuan Shitou and Yu Chongyang call each other "benefactor" upon meeting?\ It turned out that ten years earlier, one day, Yuan Shitou was out mending bowls when he was stopped by a group of soldiers, led by Yu Chongyang. He requested Yuan Shitou to repair a fine porcelain soup bowl. Some days earlier, Yu Chongyang had led troops to eliminate a rebel faction and seized quite a lot of spoils, including a valuable goldfish-themed fine porcelain soup bowl.\ According to the custom at the time, valuable spoils had to be turned in. But a soldier accidentally broke the precious porcelain soup bowl, which would have incurred a severe punishment. Yu Chongyang, having no other choice, decided to try and have the bowl mended and thus stopped Yuan Shitou.\ Yuan Shitou followed them into the military camp and studied the broken fine porcelain bowl all night. He then repaired it using a method of inner fastening rivets. Yuan Shitou also applied fine glaze over the rivets and transformed the cracks into curving aquatic plants, perfectly blending with the original goldfish design.At that time, Yu Chongyang was determined to sincerely thank Yuan Shitou, but he firmly refused to accept it. Seeing Yuan Shitou alone, Yu Chongyang helped him with matchmaking, and he got married. Later, Yuan Shitou and his wife moved far away, and he never met his benefactor Yu Chongyang again.

Yuan Shitou pointed at the bowl and asked, "Benefactor, this is a supreme white jade bowl. How did you break it?"

Yu Chongyang sighed deeply and said, "The fate of my entire clan is tied to this bowl!"

Masterful Restoration

It turned out that after parting ways with Yuan Shitou, Yu Chongyang led troops in battles across the north and south, achieving repeated military successes. The emperor valued him greatly, granted him the title of marquis, and bestowed upon him a White Jade Bowl of Eternal Prosperity. The day before yesterday, a palace decree arrived, stating that the emperor would visit Yu's residence in seven days, instructing Yu Chongyang to prepare in advance.

Yu Chongyang knew that when hosting the banquet to welcome the emperor, the White Jade Bowl of Eternal Prosperity had to be used. However, somehow, the bowl had been broken, which was a grave crime to damage a royal gift. Yu Chongyang was horrified. Once he calmed down, he decided to try his old trick and find a master artisan to repair the white jade bowl. Learning that there was a skilled bowl restorer among the people, he ordered Feng Qi to invite him over, only to discover that the person they brought was none other than his former benefactor, Yuan Shitou.

Yuan Shitou pondered for a long time and said, "Since it has come to this, let's take a gamble!"

Yuan Shitou instructed Yu Chongyang to prepare seven days, have fine wine ready, and close the courtyard, allowing no interruptions. Then he placed the broken white jade bowl on the table and stared at it for three days and nights before slowly beginning his work. He handled the broken white jade bowl as delicately as spring wind nudging willow buds, until the bowl was perfectly restored. Then he took out fine wine and, facing the bowl, began drinking cup after cup. Yuan Shitou drank continuously for a whole day and night. Suddenly he opened his mouth, spitting a mouthful of blood into the white jade bowl, and immediately collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

Yu Chongyang rushed over upon hearing the news and revived Yuan Shitou. Yuan Shitou held the white jade bowl, seeing it as perfect as ever, with the previous cracks now transformed into a rising sun, exuding a sense of poetic beauty.

Yu Chongyang's face lit up with joy: "Benefactor, is it repaired?"

Yuan Shitou did not answer. He took the wine jug and slowly poured the wine into the bowl. As the bowl filled, the rising sun seemed to emit a faint red glow, making the entire bowl of wine appear delicately pink under the reflection of the sun.On the Double Ninth Festival, Yu Chongyang knelt in front of Yuan Shitou, tears streaming down his face, and said, “Your extraordinary skills! Benefactor, I will never forget you in my life!” Yuan Shitou rested for a while and then requested to go home. Since Yu Chongyang was busy arranging the preparations to welcome the emperor, he agreed to let Yuan Shitou return home first and promised to bring the whole Yuan family into the residence to enjoy their blessings after seeing the emperor off.

By nightfall, Feng Qi escorted Yuan Shitou home, but unexpectedly, after wandering around, he led Yuan Shitou into a strange, large courtyard. Before Yuan Shitou could figure out what was happening, he was pinned to the ground. A man walked over and said in a mocking tone, “Master Yuan, what wonderful skills! A broken bowl, yet you mended it with such charm!”

Yuan Shitou frowned and asked, “Who are you? Let me go home!”

“In front of a great man, I won't lie. My surname is Dong, my name is Liang!”

Hearing this, Yuan Shitou was stunned: this Dong Liang was the current prime minister, and he could not understand how a mere commoner like him had drawn the prime minister's attention.

Dong Liang laughed heartily and revealed the truth. It turned out that Yu Chongyang was highly favored by the emperor, which incited Dong Liang's jealousy; Dong Liang intended to eliminate him. When he heard that the emperor was going to Yu's residence, Dong Liang had Feng Qi, whom he had planted within Yu's household, break the white jade bowl, intending to use the emperor's knife to kill Yu Chongyang. He did not expect a bowl repairer like Yuan Shitou to interfere…

Dong Liang said to Yuan Shitou, “When His Majesty arrives at Yu's residence, if you step forward to explain that the bowl has been repaired, I will not only spare you from punishment but also reward you handsomely!”

Yuan Shitou closed his eyes and remained silent.

“Master Yuan needs time to think, I see. Very well, let Master Yuan ponder for a while!”

After an unknown period, Dong Liang asked, “Master Yuan, have you made up your mind?”

Yuan Shitou still kept his eyes tightly shut, saying nothing. Dong Liang waved his hand, and the soldiers immediately brought up two people—they were Yuan Shitou's wife, Mrs. Liang, and their son.

Yuan Shitou trembled all over, suddenly opened his eyes, and, with veins bulging on his forehead, pleaded, “My lord, I beg you to spare them!”

Dong Liang said, “Master Yuan, you are mistaken. It's not that I won't spare them; it's you who won't spare them! Just a nod from you, and the dark clouds will vanish entirely!”

Yuan Shitou looked at his wife and child, then at the soldiers' murderous faces, and closed his eyes in anguish.

It is hard to be a good person.

When the emperor arrived at Yu's residence, the monarch and his ministers had a brief chat before taking their seats.Yu Chongyang held the 'Eternal Rivers and Mountains White Jade Bowl' with both hands and offered a toast to the Emperor. The Emperor was immediately attracted by the red sun in the bowl and said, "Minister Yu, I remember that there was no red sun in this bowl before, right?"

Yu Chongyang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, after receiving your favor, I treasured this bowl as a family heirloom. Later, a reclusive sage came to my residence. Upon seeing this bowl, he was greatly astonished and said that this bowl is also called the 'Prosperous Era Bowl'; only when a wise ruler meets a loyal minister will the hidden sun in the bowl appear. He ground it for me for a long while, and finally, the sun appeared in the bowl."

The ministers all praised him repeatedly. Suddenly, Dong Liang stood up and sneered, "Master Yu, I heard that the 'Eternal Rivers and Mountains White Jade Bowl' was broken in your residence, and you spent a large sum hiring craftsmen to repair it, covering the damaged part with the dawn sun pattern. Is this true?"

Everyone was stunned. Yu Chongyang hurriedly said, "Master Dong, please don't joke!"

"I am not joking. Someone reported it to me!" Dong Liang said, then waved his hand, and Yuan Shitou's wife, Lady Liang, was brought forward. She knelt and explained to the Emperor how Yuan Shitou had repaired the white porcelain bowl, and said she could now make the broken bowl reveal its original state.

The Emperor ordered Lady Liang to immediately restore the bowl. Lady Liang took the bowl and placed it in front of her, tears streaming down her face as she stared at it. About half an hour later, she suddenly opened her mouth wide, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted onto the bowl. Then she placed the bowl into the water. After a very faint sound, the bowl gradually cracked again at the original broken spots, and the sun turned out to be formed from the blood, which dissolved in the water.

Yu Chongyang had long been terrified out of his wits. He hurriedly knelt and told the Emperor the truth. The Emperor was furious and ordered Yu Chongyang to be taken out and beheaded, instructing Dong Liang to supervise the execution. Before the execution cannon was fired, Dong Liang approached Yu Chongyang and said, "Fighting me, could it have ended well? Do you regret it now?"

Yu Chongyang smiled and said, "I deceived the sovereign and deserve death. But what about you? The Emperor has long known about our factional conflict, and you had someone break the imperial 'Eternal Rivers and Mountains White Jade Bowl.' Do you think the Emperor wouldn't know? Would he let you go?"

Dong Liang shuddered instantly, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.The soul-chasing cannon fired three shots, and the executioner swung the ghosthead knife...

Before long, the emperor discovered that Prime Minister Dong Liang had formed factions for personal gain, and had his entire family executed, which of course included Feng Qi, who had returned to the Prime Minister's mansion.

Moreover, on the night Yuan Shitou was murdered by Yu Chongyang, he led his family to kneel in the outskirts, gazing towards the Yu Chongyang household, lighting incense and burning paper, tears streaming down his face as he said, 'Benefactor, don't blame me for telling them the method to refill the bowl. If I didn't do it, they would have killed my entire family! Please forgive me.'

Yuan Shitou kowtowed three times, stood up, wiped his tears, and led his wife and children to flee in panic from the capital.