Chapter Five: The Golden Ox Star Descends to Save Jin Lang — Wicked Mistress Ma Plots Against Her Young Brother-in-Law

As we left off, Jin Lang was in the very midst of being beaten by Mistress Ma, crying out in pain, when suddenly someone arrived. Who was it? It was none other than his elder brother, Niu Jin Cheng, returning from the city. Hearing the clamor inside the hall, he strode in at once with great steps. He saw Mistress Ma hauling Jin Lang about, beating him savagely, and he rushed forward, snatched the cane from her hands, and struck her more than ten blows with it in return. He drove her off to one side, then pulled Jin Lang close, wiped the blood from the boy's wounds with his own hands, ordered a servant to bring water to wash them clean, had the boy dressed again, and called for food to be set before him. Jin Cheng's anger had not yet subsided; he pointed at Mistress Ma and berated her: "You vile woman! Where is your conscience? You constantly abuse and beat your little brother-in-law, who is still so young. Today I don't know what possessed you to raise your hand against him again. It is fortunate that I came home when I did — had I not, would you have beaten him to death? From this day forward, if you ever do this again, I will not let the matter rest!" Mistress Ma, having been beaten and scolded by her own husband, flushed with shame. After a moment, she rose and retreated into the inner chambers.

Jin Cheng questioned the servants and learned the whole story — that Jin Lang had been beaten because his clothes got wet from falling into the pond while flying a kite. He shook his head and sighed. He sat in the hall and thought to himself: "Father's dying words enjoined me to take good care of my little brother, yet this unworthy wife of mine mistreats him relentlessly. This is truly infuriating! Now the boy is already eight years old — he is old enough to enter school and study. This would at least spare him from constant suffering. Under the guidance of a teacher, his mind would be opened and cultivated, and he would be removed from the reach of that shrew, sparing me as well from constant worry over matters at home." His mind made up, he rose and surveyed the state of the household.

A few days later, he asked a neighbor to recommend a scholar, a man by the name of Ren Xiaofan, who came to the house to teach. Jin Cheng had the servants clear and sweep out three rooms of the East Study at the front of the compound, and on a fortunate day in the early autumn of the seventh month, he welcomed the teacher to the house and set Jin Lang to his studies. Ren Xiaofan was an experienced tutor, and Jin Lang proved remarkably quick-witted; teacher and pupil took great pleasure in each other's company. After one year of study, Jin Lang knew the Four Books by heart and forgot nothing he read — his intelligence was matchless. Since the day Jin Cheng had beaten Mistress Ma and arranged for Jin Lang to live separately in the study, she nursed her hatred but dared not lay hands on the boy again; though discord between husband and wife was unavoidable, it did not amount to anything too serious. By the following year, Jin Lang was nine years old, and a year of schooling, together with the teacher's guidance, had considerably broadened his mind. Yet Jin Lang's trial-stars had not yet run their course, and he could not escape his sea of suffering. Suddenly the teacher fell gravely ill, took to his bed, and before long passed away. Jin Cheng was once more obliged to spend money on the funeral and burial arrangements. After that, Jin Lang had no teacher to study under. Though the boy was clever, his learning came to an abrupt halt, and he was cast back into the depths of hardship. Whenever Jin Cheng was away from home, he had not enough warmth in his clothing, not enough food in his belly, and beatings and scolding were his daily lot. How could Jin Cheng protect him at every hour? Let Jin Lang's suffering rest for a moment.

Now let us speak of the Gold Star of Venus. On that day when he had been passing over the land of Henan on his cloud and had seen the boy's plight, compassion had stirred within him. After completing his business at the court of the Northern Dipper, he returned to the Heavenly Court and appeared before the Jade Emperor in the Hall of Radiant Clarity, reporting: "Some years ago, Your Majesty ordered your servant to escort the banished Twelfth Golden Lad down to the mortal world for incarnation. Yesterday, passing over this region on my cloud, I saw a column of grievous energy rising to the heavens. Looking down through the clouds, I found it was the Golden Lad, enduring great suffering. Though the Golden Lad must fulfill his allotted ordeal, it is truly pitiable and lamentable! I humbly petition Your Majesty to grant some means of deliverance; otherwise, I fear that his sister-in-law will beat him to death, and there will be no remedy."

The Jade Emperor heard this memorial and issued his decree: "The Twelfth Golden Lad descended to the mortal world those years ago, and is now only nine years old. He must reach the age of thirteen before his trial is complete and he may ascend again to the Heavenly Court. Since you have this compassionate concern for him, and fear that his sister-in-law may beat him to death, what method do you propose to secure his deliverance?" The Gold Star of Venus replied: "Since Your Majesty has shown compassion, your servant will set forth a plan for his rescue. In the household of Jin Cheng there is a cow in calf, who is to give birth tomorrow. Your Majesty may issue a decree commanding the Golden Ox Star to descend to the mortal world and enter into the body of that calf at birth, so that he may be a companion to the Golden Lad. Whenever the boy is in difficulty, the Golden Ox Star will inform him, and his life will no longer be in danger." The Jade Emperor nodded his assent and issued a decree: "Send you forthwith to the Palace of the Ox Star of Dipper's Horn, and command the Golden Ox Star to descend to the mortal world to protect the Golden Lad. When the Golden Lad's trial is fulfilled, the Golden Ox Star may shed his form and ascend with him to the Heavenly Terrace." With the decree issued, the Jade Emperor withdrew from court and returned to his palace.

The Gold Star of Venus received the imperial decree, withdrew from the Hall of Radiant Clarity, passed through the palace gates, mounted his cloud, and departed. He traveled from east to west, passed by the Cloud Brocade Palace beside the Heavenly River, proceeded along the Dustless Highway, and descended from his cloud before the Palace of the Ox Star. He entered the palace and, in the western corridor, delivered the imperial decree in person to the Golden Ox Star. The Golden Ox Star dared not disobey. He took his leave of the heavenly spirits and generals, gathered up the Celestial Scrolls and his sacred treasures, and accompanied the Gold Star of Venus out of the Ox Star Palace. Together they mounted their clouds and flew directly toward the Southern Heavenly Gate. Passing through the Southern Gate, they descended toward the land of Henan, arriving above Niu Family Village in Luoyang County. There the clouds parted and they separated. The Gold Star of Venus rode his cloud back to the Heavenly Court to report his mission complete.

Now, the Golden Ox Star, carrying the Celestial Scrolls and his sacred treasures hidden upon his person, descended and entered the body of the cow just as she was on the verge of giving birth. The Golden Ox Star had transformed his spirit and settled into the animal's body. Some readers may raise a question with this humble author: "If the Golden Ox Star has descended and taken on animal form, how could he still make use of the Celestial Scrolls and sacred treasures?" Such readers do not understand — the ways of the immortals are beyond the reckoning of mortal men, and how should they be perceived by human eyes and ears? Consider: when a man commits some sin against the heavenly laws or seeks to do evil in secret, suddenly a thunderclap sounds in midair and the evildoer falls dead on the spot, yet not a trace of any immortal is seen. This shows that the workings of the immortals are boundless in their subtlety. How could any mortal come to know them? But enough of this digression.

When the calf was born, Jin Cheng had servants wash and tend to it, and saw to the care of the mother cow as well. Not long after, the old cow sickened and died, leaving only the young calf. The calf grew steadily, and in time was able to plow and work the fields. It possessed the wisdom of a man and could speak in human speech — though it would speak only to Jin Lang, and uttered not a sound in the presence of Jin Cheng or the others.

After Jin Lang was forced to abandon his studies, another year went by. He had nothing to do and nothing to read, and was subjected to mistreatment every day — the kind of tale that brings tears to the eyes of those who hear it.

As it is written:

Heaven watches over those with good fortune;

Heaven does not abandon the one who suffers without cause.

Mistress Ma, seeing that Jin Lang had reached the age of ten, refused to allow Jin Cheng to engage another teacher for the boy's studies. She ordered him to spend his days leading the ox out to pasture on the hillsides. Jin Lang dared not refuse; he had no choice but to take the ox out and tend it. The ox, knowing the ways of men, seemed to recognize Jin Lang as a familiar friend the moment it laid eyes on him — it shook its head and wagged its tail in evident delight. On the hillside, the ox allowed Jin Lang to sit and rest and play as he pleased, never straying from his side, going out each morning when Jin Lang went out and returning home each evening when Jin Lang came home. Mistress Ma, having made Jin Lang a cowherd, treated him no better than a pig or a dog, ordering him to spend his days on the hillside minding the ox and his nights sleeping inside the ox pen. Jin Lang dared not resist, and complied.

One night, sleeping inside the ox pen, just before the middle of the night, Jin Lang was deep in slumber when the ox kicked him awake. He heard the ox say: "Little master Jin Lang, wake up. I have something to tell you." Jin Lang was kicked awake and was so startled that his soul nearly left his body — how could an ox speak? He heard the ox continue: "Jin Lang, tomorrow at midday meal, your life will be in danger. I have woken you to tell you this." Jin Lang was astonished: "How do you know that my life will be in danger at tomorrow's midday meal? Tell me in full." The ox replied: "When you return home to eat tomorrow, your sister-in-law has prepared poisoned noodles. Your elder brother will not have returned from the city, and the moment is ripe for her to poison you. I already know of this, and I am telling you now so that you may be spared the poison." Jin Lang said: "That my sister-in-law wishes me harm, I believe. But you are not a human being — how do you know of it beforehand?" The ox said: "Since I dwell in this household as your ox, we are bound to one another as master and servant by a tie of fate. As for how I know these things beforehand — it is not that animals can speak, but only that their ears can hear things from a hundred li away. As for me speaking now in human words, this cannot be allowed to reveal the workings of Heaven. You need not press me further; simply keep it in your heart." Having said this, the ox spoke no more and lay down. Jin Lang, seeing this, also lay back down on his side, turning the matter over in his mind but unable to understand it clearly: "Since my sister-in-law wishes me harm, how can the ox know of it? That the ox can speak as a man is truly extraordinary." What happened the next day? Turn to the next chapter to find out.