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A Prophet - Chapter 10 (Part 1)

Chapter 1 - Grandfather's Worries

I have always believed that Zhang Zizhan was born in the wrong era; had it been a time of peace, he would certainly have possessed the talent of a top imperial scholar. Born into turbulent times, family misfortune forced him onto the path of the Abao. From that moment on, his fate, his luck, his romantic affections, and everything about him became inextricably linked to the world of the Abao.

Zhang Zizhan was the only chief among all the dam heads to have been married twice.

China's marriage system is quite fascinating: the legal marriage age during the Tang and Song dynasties was fifteen for males and thirteen for females; during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was sixteen for males and fourteen for females. In the Republic of China era, legislators established a new marriage age: eighteen for males and sixteen for females. Though the regulations existed, no one followed them—especially children from impoverished families. If a young man reached eighteen and was still unmarried, he was essentially cut off from women altogether.

The Abao were never short on money, but due to their special status, they generally married late.

Grandfather chose not to marry for his own reasons. The First Dam Head had married, but his wife was later mauled by a pig, after which he never intended to find a wife again. The Second Dam Head never had any intention of marrying; he worshipped Grandfather and declared that he would only marry whenever Grandfather did, temporarily frequenting brothels in the meantime. The Third Dam Head was married, with his wife being a female Abao, yet he still ran off to the brothels every single day, leaving his wife completely helpless.

In the second year of Zhang Zizhan's entry into the profession, he was seventeen years old. One day, after a guild gathering concluded, Grandfather instructed the Second Dam Head to summon Zhang Zizhan. At that time, Zhang Zizhan had not yet assumed the position of the Fourth, serving merely as a low-ranking footman under the Second Dam Head.

Normally, whenever the Second Dam Head visited the brothels, he always wanted to bring Zhang Zizhan along, hoping to transform him from a boy into a man. Grandfather refused to allow it, telling the Second Dam Head: "Zizhan is a very pure child. He has always been different from us. Do not corrupt him, or else I will have failed him."

Zhang Zizhan arrived at Grandfather's residence, completely unaware of why Grandfather had summoned him.

Grandfather had him sit down and said with a smile: "Zizhan, you are seventeen years old this year. It is about time you settled down and started a family."

Zhang Zizhan felt a wave of tension, silently lowered his head, and remained quiet.

Grandfather continued: "You have read so many books, including no shortage of romantic literature. You understand affairs between men and women no less than anyone else..."

Zhang Zizhan blushed deeply: "Grandfather, I am still young..."

Grandfather chuckled and said: "You are not young anymore. If you had not followed me, someone would have already come knocking on your door to propose marriage at your age."

Zhang Zizhan's face turned completely red.

Grandfather laughed heartily: "You are a talented and handsome young lad. Although we belong to the Jiangxiang Faction, we are certainly not people who engage in casual, promiscuous unions. Grandfather wants to find you a match of equal social standing, and I will not consent to just any ordinary woman."

Zhang Zizhan lowered his head and smiled secretly.

When I entered the profession in 1948, I heard the Second Dam Head recount that Grandfather had initially intended to cultivate Zhang Zizhan as his successor. Zhang Zizhan possessed sharp, distinct features, fair skin, a natural military demeanor, mastery of both Eastern and Western learning, and a brilliant pen. Grandfather cherished and nurtured him as if he were his own child. Yet human calculations cannot match the heavens; a few years later, right when Zhang Zizhan was riding high on success, a sudden and devastating blow completely destroyed him—and shattered Grandfather's heart as well.

Zhang Zizhan went mad.

Zhang Zizhan's madness was not the conventional form of raving incoherence or losing touch with reality; rather, it was depression—severe depression! Back then, the term "depression patient" did not yet exist, and anyone suffering from mental abnormalities was simply labeled as "crazy."

Perhaps those of supreme intelligence all carry the seeds of depression. Darwin, Hemingway, van Gogh, and Churchill all suffered from depression, and some even ended their lives because of it. Geniuses are often the most fragile; their unbridled, peerless soaring within the realms of thought cannot protect them from even the slightest external wound. Once damaged in a certain aspect of life, they collapse much faster than normal people. Genius belongs only to a specific domain, not to the entirety of human existence.

Zhang Zizhan was precisely this kind of person. Despite appearing cheerful and bantering jovially during normal days, if he made a mistake, he would start trembling even before Grandfather could criticize him. He held himself to such an austere standard that he permitted himself not a single error. Therefore, even when Grandfather needed to admonish him, he had to be extremely careful with his approach, guiding him patiently and speaking gently until Zhang Zizhan was thoroughly convinced in his heart before Grandfather could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

I believe that Grandfather's immense kindness to Zhang Zizhan stemmed not only from his intention to groom him, but even more so from a deep sense of guilt in Grandfather's heart. Grandfather had rescued Zhang Zizhan with selfish motives; he could easily have saved Zhang Zizhan's father as well, but he chose not to do so. Instead, he forcefully tore the father and son apart, leaving them separated by life and death, so that Zhang Zizhan could be entirely utilized by Grandfather. This goes to show that when Grandfather was ruthless, his heart was harder than stone.

Returning to the matter of the marriage proposal, two months later, Grandfather took Zhang Zizhan and traveled to Southern Guangdong.

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