Chapter Fifteen: Pumpkin Hammer? That's a good name.

Cao Ren’s official residence stood in the southeastern ward of Qiao Commandery. Its main gate faced north, with the house itself oriented southward. The estate boasted seventy-two courtyards, adorned with vermillion-painted flying eaves and winding covered walkways. Each courtyard was lush with flowers and greenery that bloomed in every season, perfuming the air with their fragrance throughout the year. Every yard featured a three-story pavilion, while the central courtyard held a ten-zhang-high terrace; standing atop it, one could take in the entirety of Qiao County’s scenery, a testament to the grandeur of a wealthy family.

In Cao Hong’s memory, Cao Ren had always been a courageous, loyal, and unruly young knight-errant. This grand estate of seventy-two courtyards was likely built by his father, Cao Chi. As a senior officer holding the title of Colonel of the Changshui, a two-thousand-bushel official, it was more than within Cao Chi’s means to construct such a residence.

The Colonel of the Changshui was an ancient and important post, first established during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. Its main duty was to command the Changshui Hu cavalry stationed near the Xuanqu Palace outside Chang’an. The so-called Changshui Hu referred to the Qiang people. Why they were called so, Cao Hong was not entirely clear. He only knew that under this post, there should be 730 cavalrymen, all directly commanded by the Emperor—each one valiant, loyal, and expert in horsemanship.

As the Han dynasty’s strength waned and the Southern Xiongnu, who had been forced to submit to the Eastern Han, began to stir again, and the Xianbei beyond the frontier grew powerful, the Qiang of Xiliang joined with Han Sui and the likes of Bian Zhang to rebel, frequently raiding the borders. The Changshui Camp, located in Guanzhong, faced the Xiongnu and Xianbei to the north, and the Qiang and Hu of Liangzhou to the west, standing at the forefront of countless battles. Cao Chi was gravely wounded in one such war, and after returning home, succumbed to his injuries not long after.

Even so, years of campaigning against foreign tribes had yielded no small amount of spoils, and with rewards for each victory, Cao Chi’s savings were considerable; thus, building such an estate was only natural. Moreover, Cao Chi’s adoptive father was the powerful eunuch Cao Teng, and his biological father, Cao Bao, had served as Governor of Yingchuan, leaving behind further assets. As Cao Chi’s sons, both Cao Ren and Cao Chun had inherited ample family wealth.

Moreover, with such a distinguished lineage, when it came to horsemanship, Cao Ren and Cao Chun were unmatched within the Cao clan. At present, it seemed Cao Chun had already left Luoyang with Cao Cao for Chenliu, so the welcoming banquet was hosted by Cao Ren and his wife, Lady Xu—herself a renowned beauty from the Xu family, to which Xu Ding and Xu Chu also belonged.

From his conversations at the banquet with Xu Ding, Cao Hong learned that the Xu family was, after the Cao clan, the second-largest family in Pei State. Without their support, it would have been difficult for Cao Ren to control the region. Hearing of this close tie between the Caos and the Xus, Cao Hong was reminded of an anecdote from the Records of the Three Kingdoms about Xu Chu and Cao Ren.

The story went that on one occasion, with Cao Ren already holding high office, he requested an audience with Cao Cao. At the time, Cao Cao was inside his chambers, and Xu Chu, as his personal bodyguard, was stationed just outside. Cao Ren tried to draw Xu Chu into a conversation, hoping to chat and reminisce, but Xu Chu replied curtly, “The lord will emerge soon,” and stepped inside, giving Cao Ren no heed.

The Records of the Three Kingdoms notes that Cao Ren bore a grudge against Xu Chu for this incident. Xu Chu’s colleagues even advised him, “The General Who Conquers the South is a loyal kinsman; he lowers himself to speak with you, and yet you still put on airs? Isn’t that improper?”

Xu Chu responded, “He may be eminent, but he is an external general—I am an inner attendant. To exchange a few words in public is one thing, but to converse privately at the chamber door would be most unseemly.”

At first glance, Chen Shou, the author of the Records, seemed to be highlighting Xu Chu’s strict adherence to propriety. Now, knowing the familial ties between Cao Ren and Xu Chu, it became clear that they were deliberately keeping their distance, perhaps as a display in front of Cao Cao’s very door: “We are relatives, but we do not form factions, nor are we entangled.” Otherwise, why stage such a scene when seeking an audience with Cao Cao?

At this realization, Cao Hong couldn’t help but think that these military men were far from foolish. At this moment, fourteen-year-old Xu Chu was seated across from Cao Hong, next to Xu Ding. The table was piled high with roast chicken, braised beef, and pickled cucumbers, which Xu Chu devoured ravenously.

Beside him sat a melon hammer at least half a meter in diameter. Yellow in hue, it was clearly not forged from refined steel. With current techniques—melting ore in a vessel, adding select minerals, and stirring to make wrought steel—it would be impossible to produce such a massive steel ingot. It must be made of brass or some other material, though the one and a half meter shaft appeared to be crafted from fine steel, fused into the melon hammer itself.

“A copper ingot this size, plus the handle—this must weigh at least a hundred catties. This fat fellow is truly gifted,” Cao Hong thought to himself as his gaze shifted from the melon hammer to Xu Chu’s voracious eating. He sighed inwardly, “It’s maddening to compare oneself to others! I practice martial arts and eat cautiously, fearing the energy spent to digest food. This fellow eats as if his life depends on it, yet can still train to the peak of the Transforming Spirit stage? What kind of method is this? Isn’t martial training supposed to require food rich in nutrients and low in impurities? Meat is so acidic, it taxes the internal organs! This guy is…”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Cao Hong finally asked, “Zhongkang, for those of us who practice martial arts, gluttony is taboo—the more you eat, the more you excrete, and the more strength is lost through it. How is it that you can indulge so and still attain such mastery?”

Both Cao Ren and Xu Ding looked at him in surprise. Their insight was not equal to Cao Hong’s, for as a supreme expert, he could discern a practitioner’s level from certain signs. Cao Ren asked, “Zilian, you can gauge Zhongkang’s skill?”

Cao Hong nodded. “I can, roughly. He surpasses both of us.”

Xu Chu paused, halfway through raising a chicken leg to his mouth, and replied in surprise, “I’ve eaten like this since I was little. Mother’s milk wasn’t enough for me, so I had to have three wet nurses…” His voice still carried a childish timbre, which made the remark all the more amusing.

At these words, Lady Xu and Sheng Meizhen burst out laughing, followed by Cao Ren’s hearty guffaw. Xu Ding chided, “Zhongkang, there are ladies present; mind your tongue.”

“Pfft!” Liao Hua, drinking at a lower seat, spewed his wine and began coughing violently, clearly choked by surprise.

“What a monster!” Cao Hong thought, shaking his head. He then pointed to the melon hammer and asked, “Zhongkang, how did you come to use this as a weapon?”

Xu Chu scratched his head with his greasy hand and replied guilelessly, “A few years back, bandits attacked our fortress. When we ran out of arrows and stones, I plucked some melons from the field and hurled them down. They burst on impact, sending bits flying everywhere—many bandits had their hands crippled. A single melon could injure several at once. I threw down a dozen or so, and the bandits were so frightened they fled. Afterward, my father had an artisan make this hammer for me out of brass.”

“…So this thing is called a melon hammer?” Cao Hong wondered. No wonder it looked just like a melon.

“A melon hammer? No, no, no, this is… this is… this is called the Celestial River—wait!” Xu Chu stammered, then his round face lit up as he turned excitedly to Xu Ding, “Big Brother, ‘melon hammer’ is a great name! Much easier to remember than ‘Celestial River Crusher,’ the name Father gave it!”

This sent everyone into fits of laughter again. Cao Ren smiled and said, “Zhongkang is always so innocent and pure.”

Innocent and pure! That description would hardly suit him when he fought Ma Chao in the future! No wonder he was nicknamed the ‘Tiger Fool’—there truly was something daft about him, Cao Hong thought to himself.

Xu Ding, exasperated, said, “How can you just change the name Father gave?”

Xu Chu shook his head, picked up a chicken leg, and mumbled, “I don’t even know where the Celestial River is—how does it get crushed?”

This drew further laughter. Soon after, Cao Ren summoned the household’s skilled dancers to perform, and the banquet grew lively, continuing until the lamps were lit. Only then did the welcoming feast come to an end. Sheng Meizhen and Lady Xu retired to their chambers to chat, while Cao Ren, Cao Hong, and Xu Ding gathered in the study to discuss important matters. Xu Chu, meanwhile, dragged Liao Hua—who was not much older than himself—off to the training hall to play.