The Further Adventures of Kong Yiji

Chapter One of The New Story of Kong Yiji In the last bitter days of winter in the twenty-sixth year of the Guangxu reign, snow blankets Luzhen. Wearing a threadbare long gown, Kong Yiji enters the Xianheng Tavern and orders warmed wine and fennel beans. When the laborers in short jackets mock him for stealing books, he protests, “Borrowing books without permission isn’t stealing,” but to no avail. The proprietor reminds him that he still owes nineteen coins, and Kong Yiji promises to pay next time. After leaving the tavern, he heads for the bookshop, only to find it closed. He then encounters Ding the Imperial Graduate, whose servants shout him away. At last, he wanders aimlessly through the cold wind, with only his copy of The Analects for company.