01 - The Humble Labourer
Sun Qiang sighed as he wiped the sweat from his brow, looking out over the fields of rice paddies stretching out before him. He had been working since the early hours of the morning, and he could already feel the beginnings of blisters forming on his calloused hands. It wasn't the kind of work he wanted to be doing, but he had no choice.
"Hey, Sun Qiang!" a voice called out from behind him. He turned to see his friend, Liu Wei, jogging up to him. Liu was a tall, lanky boy with a shock of unruly hair and a mischievous grin.
"What's up, Liu?" Sun Qiang asked, not bothering to hide the exhaustion in his voice.
"I heard Master Zhu is looking for some extra hands over at the carpentry shop," Liu said, slapping Sun Qiang on the back. "You should come check it out. Maybe you can finally get out of this rice paddy."
Sun Qiang's eyes brightened at the prospect of a different kind of work. He had always been interested in carpentry, and he knew that Master Zhu was one of the best in town.
"I'll definitely check it out," he said, a smile spreading across his face.
As the two boys made their way through the narrow streets of the village, Sun Qiang couldn't help but feel a sense of longing. He knew that his family was poor, and that he would never have the kind of wealth and privilege that some of the other kids in the village enjoyed. But he refused to let that hold him back. He was determined to make something of himself, no matter how hard he had to work.
When they arrived at the carpentry shop, Sun Qiang was surprised to see a girl working alongside Master Zhu. She was petite and pretty, with long black hair pulled back into a braid.
"Who's that?" Sun Qiang asked Liu, nodding towards the girl.
"Oh, that's Lian," Liu said, grinning. "She's Master Zhu's apprentice. I hear she's a real whiz with a saw."
Sun Qiang felt a pang of jealousy as he watched Lian work. He had always dreamed of learning a trade, but his family couldn't afford to send him to an apprenticeship. He was stuck here in the rice paddies, breaking his back for a few measly coins.
But then he saw the determined look on Lian's face as she worked, and he felt a spark of inspiration. He knew that he could work just as hard as she did, and he was determined to prove it.
"Hey, Master Zhu!" he called out, walking over to the old man. "I heard you were looking for some extra hands. I'm willing to work hard and learn."
Master Zhu looked him up and down, then nodded slowly. "We could use some help," he said. "But you'll have to work hard. Carpentry is not for the faint of heart."
"I can handle it," Sun Qiang said, puffing out his chest. "I'm not afraid of a little hard work."
Sun Qiang arrived at the Carpenter Master Zhu's workshop early in the morning. The wooden sign above the door read "Zhu's Woodworks". He knocked on the door and was greeted by a burly man with rough hands and a friendly smile.
"Hello there, you must be Sun Qiang," said the man, extending a hand. "I'm Zhu, the Carpenter Master. Come on in, we have work to do."
Sun Qiang followed Zhu into the workshop, which was filled with the scent of freshly cut wood. There were several carpenters already hard at work, sawing, sanding and hammering. The workshop was bustling with activity.
"Your first task is to help my apprentice, Xiang," said Zhu, pointing to a young man who was busy measuring and cutting a piece of wood. "He's making a chair and he could use an extra set of hands."
Sun Qiang nodded and walked over to Xiang. "Hello, I'm Sun Qiang. What can I do to help?"
Xiang looked up from his work and smiled. "Hey there, I'm Xiang. Nice to meet you. You can start by helping me sand this piece of wood smooth."
Sun Qiang took the sandpaper and began rubbing it back and forth against the rough surface of the wood. He could feel the grains of sawdust sticking to his palms.
"Hey, you're pretty good at this," said Xiang, impressed. "Have you done this before?"
Sun Qiang shook his head. "No, I haven't. But I used to work on a farm, so I'm used to hard work."
Xiang smiled. "Well, you're a natural. Keep it up."
Sun Qiang worked with Xiang throughout the day, sanding, sawing and hammering. By the end of the day, he was exhausted but satisfied with what he had accomplished.
"Good work today, Sun Qiang," said Zhu, patting him on the back. "You have a real knack for this. I think you'll make a fine carpenter someday."
Sun Qiang felt a sense of pride at the compliment. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was doing something meaningful.
As he walked home, he felt a renewed sense of determination. He was going to become the best carpenter he could be and one day, he would make a name for himself in the realm.
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The next day, Sun Qiang felt re-invigorated as he woke up. He rolled off his rough, coarse wooden bed and left for his morning shift.
Sun Qiang felt a lump in his throat as he approached Master Zhu's workshop. He had been looking forward to learning more carpentry skills and had even practiced some on his own after their last meeting.
But as he got closer, he noticed something was wrong. The air smelled of smoke, and the workshop was nothing more than a pile of smoldering rubble.
He felt a pang of sadness, knowing that his mentor's livelihood had been destroyed. As he looked around, he saw other workers from the marketplace also gathering around the site. Some of them were discussing what had happened, while others were consoling each other.
Sun Qiang approached one of the workers who looked like he had been there for a while. "What happened here?" he asked.
The worker looked at him skeptically. "Who are you? You look like a new face."
"I was an apprentice of Master Zhu," Sun Qiang said. "I was supposed to come back here today for my next lesson."
The worker's expression softened. "Ah, I see. Well, it's a terrible thing that's happened. Some nobles from the magic families came in the middle of the night and set the place on fire. They didn't like that Master Zhu was teaching ordinary people how to make things without magic. They think we should all be dependent on them for everything."
Sun Qiang clenched his fists. It wasn't fair. Just because someone had magic didn't give them the right to burn down someone's livelihood. He felt a sense of anger rise up within him.
"What are we going to do now?" he asked.
The worker shrugged. "I don't know. Some of us are going to try and find work elsewhere, but it's not easy. The magic families control a lot of the jobs around here, and they don't like hiring ordinary people. We'll just have to see what happens."
Sun Qiang felt a sense of helplessness. He had been so excited to continue learning carpentry, and now it seemed like that dream had been snatched away from him.
But it only got worse. As he looked around for the other apprentices, Xiang, Lian and Liu, he realized he couldn't spot them in the crowd. That was weird, especially considering Liu was a proven hard-worker, and he had expected the same of the other two. He felt a little uneasy, especially at the fact his friend was not present to give him advice and help overcome the situation together with him.
"Liu? Brother, where are you?" Sun Qiang called out, with increasing desperation. Even if he was not here, Liu lived close to the Carpenter Master Zhu and thus he assumed Liu would probably be able to hear him, with those bat ears of his.
But Sun Qiang was only greeted with silence. A terrifying, empty silence emphasized by the loud cries of distress and anguish from workers around him.
As he continued to look around for Liu, he was tapped on the shoulder. A tall man gazed at him with a sad, darkened expression.
"My name is Yang Xiaoling, of the Xangshu Clan. I'm a friend of the old Master. I.. I don't know how to say this, but I fear Master Zhu and his associates are no longer with us."
"No, you're wrong!" Sun Qiang refuted, increasingly agitated and annoyed, especially receiving these words from a noble. But Yang Xiaoling was steadfast.
"Just gaze behind you, little brother." He said, with words intended to be empathetic, but only came off as twisted mockery.
As Sun Qiang obediently, reluctantly looked around, he saw something that sickened him to his core. There were four melted bodies within the rubble, with nothing to distinguish them. But he could tell regardless.
These were the bodies of his friends. Liu, Xiang and Lian. And the fourth, taller figure, with a saw in his hand, must be Master Zhu.
Fury erupted inside of him. He dropped to his knees, a tear descending from his eyes, as he began to pray for their souls.
"Brothers, Sister and Master. I am so sorry for the cruelty of this realm. I will not let your deaths be forgotten."
Despite his words, Sun Qiang felt a wave of despair wash over him, as he did not have the possibilities to bring them back, or fight back against their murderers. The Haoshan Clan, the dominant magic noble force of the city, was overwhelmingly powerful and could never be defeated by a lone peasant man.
But then he remembered something his mother had told him when he was younger: "You can't always control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to it."
He took a deep breath and looked around at the other workers. They had all been mistreated and abused by these nobles. That would have to change, at any cost necessary.
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