Chapter 13 Writing couplets for begging

“We spent several days on the road before finally arriving in Anhua County town. We had even run out of our last penny, and upon entering the town, we had no idea what to do. We became true vagabonds, relying on our wits to sustain ourselves. We arrived in the county town around ten o’clock in the morning, famished. As we stood in front of a teahouse, we hesitated for a moment before confidently walking in. We chose a square table near the window, set down our bundles and umbrellas, and ordered tea and breakfast. After satisfying our hunger, we discussed how to settle the bill. We had to find a way to beg for it. Xiao suggested that I stay at the teahouse to write in my diary while he went out into the streets to explore possible solutions.”

Journalist: “You were quite daring! Sitting down and eating your fill when you had no money.”

Mao: “I spent about an hour and a half writing in my diary at the teahouse. When Xiao returned, he looked disappointed and told me that he had walked two streets, begging at several shops, but only managed to collect 21 wens (21 dimes), which was less than half of what our breakfast cost. How were we going to settle the bill and leave the teahouse?

I suggested that Xiao stay at the teahouse to write in his diary while I went to another street to try my luck. However, Xiao thought it would be futile. Later, Xiao came up with an idea. He took the 21 wens that we had begged for and bought some paper. Then, like a scribe, he wrote several pairs of couplets and distributed them to the shop owners of those stores. This was the begging method of intellectuals. So, I prepared the ink and brush at the teahouse while Xiao went to buy the paper. He also took the opportunity to copy down the names of several important shops along the street. We cut the paper into suitable sizes, and with Xiao’s best calligraphy, carefully wrote the name of a prominent store at the top of each pair of couplets. This was the crucial point because they would feel embarrassed to refuse.”

Journalist: “Xiao had a clever idea! Using the money obtained from begging to buy paper and write couplets, then beg with the couplets.”

Mao: “We walked together on the street with the couplets in hand. At the first shop, a young employee received the couplets and passed them to three older individuals. They all smiled and expressed their appreciation, repeatedly saying, ‘Well written, and very well written!’ They began whispering to each other, and one of them took the couplets to the back to show the shop owner. Immediately, a person with a smile came out and handed us four copper coins. Four copper coins amounted to 40 wens. It was much better than Xiao’s earlier begging efforts of one and a half hours to collect only 21 wen.”

While we were talking with the shop attendant, a well-dressed man walked out from the back. He was obviously the owner of the shop. He politely asked us a few questions and then said to the young employee, ‘Give them four more copper coins!’ After thanking him, we left the shop. Those eight copper coins already made us very satisfied.”

Journalist: “So with just one pair of couplets, you managed to collect 80 wen. Impressive!”

Mao: “With greater confidence, we entered the second shop. However, things don’t always go as planned. The more hope we had, the greater the disappointment. In the second shop, the owner impatiently waved us away, saying, ‘What use are these couplets to me? Take your couplets and give them to someone else!’

We said, ‘These were written specifically for your shop. Please take a look. Your shop’s name is already written on them. Even if you don’t want to pay, please accept them.’ The shop owner reluctantly looked at the calligraphy of the couplets and indeed saw his shop’s name. He reluctantly accepted the couplets and gave us two copper coins. We politely thanked him and turned to leave.”

Journalist: “Haha, there are also shops that are unwelcoming but reluctantly pay some money.”

Mao: “We continued on to the next shop to present the couplets. The owner immediately accepted when he saw his shop’s name. The next shop sold tea, and the owner was an educated person. He praised the calligraphy of our couplets and invited us to his study, where he introduced us to the private tutor of his children. Later, the shop owner asked us to write a pair of couplets for his family, and Xiao quickly wrote one.

They treated us with nice tea. Three of us had an interesting conversation. ‘Knowledge and calligraphy are difficult things,’ the shop owner said. ‘They are truly invaluable assets. In modern society, scholars are not respected. I studied for a few years but couldn’t find a job. In the end, I decided to open this tea shop. If I had continued studying, I would probably have starved!’

We praised the shop owner for making the best choice—to study first and then engage in business.
The shop owner said, ‘Since I have changed my profession, I am no longer referred to as a scholar. I have three sons, and I have decided to let two of them go into business while the third one focuses on his studies. This arrangement allows us to maintain a scholarly atmosphere in our family and ensures that no one will starve.’”

Journalist: “This shop owner is quite clever, letting two sons go into business and one focus on studying ensures that they won’t starve and maintains a scholarly family.”

Mao: “In the end, the shop owner handed us an envelope and we thanked him and expressed farewell. As we walked on the street, we opened the envelope and found 20 copper coins inside! We went to a few more places to present the couplets and were successful each time. Satisfied, we returned to the teahouse. The next stop on our journey was Yiyang County.”