He Yi was worried about the fields back home, and he was also worried about whether Xue Ci could take care of himself alone. He spent the entire afternoon lying on the luohan bed, unable to fall asleep.
Later, a runner knocked on the door and said that medicine for the epidemic had been left outside. He Yi could take it in himself.
After a while, He Yi opened the door and brought the tray from outside into the room.
On the tray sat a bowl of dark-brown medicinal liquid, somehow both cloudy and clear, thin yet slightly thick.
He Yi instinctively knew it could not possibly taste good. Every traditional medicine he had ever drunk had been terribly bitter. He touched the side of the bowl and found that it was no longer hot, but he still waited another half an incense stick’s time before lifting it to drink.
Elio’s Notes: “Half an incense stick” is a traditional, approximate measure of time rather than an exact number of minutes.
The instant it hit his tongue, his entire face scrunched up. Exactly as expected. Bitter. They didn’t put coptis or something in this, did they…?
Only the next day would He Yi learn that it was a licorice decoction. Besides licorice powder, it really did contain coptis, as well as lard. Honey could originally be added to the prescription to blend with the medicine, but they were only ordinary commoners. Who would pay for honey just to make sure their medicine tasted a little less bitter?
There was not even water in the room. The bitter taste clung stubbornly to his tongue. He Yi sat there with a miserable expression, swallowing over and over, yet the bitterness still flooded his mouth unpleasantly.
He put the tray back outside and, while he was at it, asked the runner whether he could have a bowl of water to rinse his mouth. The runner said nothing. Only after He Yi closed the door did he step over and collect the tray and bowl.
Slightly gloomy, He Yi sat back down on the bed and leaned against the backrest, staring at the window, which could only be propped open about a foot. He seemed to be zoning out, yet also seemed to be thinking about something.
He did not know how much time passed before Wu Yundi finally finished handling his work, returned to his room, remembered that He Yi was next door, and came over again.
When Wu Yundi entered, He Yi was sitting properly at the edge of the bed with a faint smile on his face. He asked, “May I ask whether you found anything out about the teahouse?”
Wu Yundi shook his head. “How could it be that fast? The Town Supervisor takes the epidemic very seriously. He originally meant to protect the teahouse, but once he learned Qingfeng Teahouse might be connected to that outbreak, he changed his mind and came to me himself to take the people over for questioning.”
He Yi was surprised that the Patrol Inspector made no effort to avoid discussing these official matters and simply told him everything in detail.
“That epidemic seems to have drawn the county’s attention. If the source can be traced this time, the Town Supervisor won’t have to lose his post.”
“…” The more Wu Yundi spoke, the more detailed he became, even touching on secrets of officialdom. He Yi could not make sense of his intentions. Though it was rather late to do so, he still changed the subject. “The medicine I drank earlier was truly bitter. It’s been quite a while, but my mouth still tastes bitter. Patrol Inspector, do you know any way to get rid of it?”
“Rinse with water.” After saying that, Wu Yundi glanced around and discovered there were no cups, dishes, pots, or bowls at all. He paused. “I’ll have someone bring a pot of water, along with bedding and a pillow.”
He then strolled to the door and gave the runners his instructions.
While they waited, Wu Yundi did not return to the earlier subject. He Yi guessed the man had realized he had deliberately changed topics. Wu Yundi was shrewd, and He Yi felt it would be better to have as little to do with him as possible. But with He Jie’s matter hanging over him, he could not truly keep his distance. He still needed to build a good relationship with the Patrol Inspector.
Wu Yundi asked quite a few questions about He Yi. He Yi picked a few to answer. Before long, the runner outside returned carrying a jar of water, an oiled-paper parcel, a straw pillow, and a roll of thin coarse-hemp bedding.
He Yi arranged the quilt and pillow at the inner side of the bed, then glanced at the oiled-paper parcel without opening his mouth to ask about it.
Wu Yundi, however, opened it without ceremony. Inside were three stick-shaped cakes dusted all over with white glutinous-rice flour. Their cut ends showed ring-like patterns, and they gave off a rich banana fragrance.
“Is that banana cake?” He Yi asked.
“It is. Didn’t you say the medicine was bitter? I haven’t taken mine yet, so I had someone buy me something sweet. Here, you can have one.” Wu Yundi opened his palm in invitation.
He Yi did not look up at the man’s expression. Instead, he pretended to be overwhelmed by the favor, picked up one piece of banana cake with a faint tremble in his hand, and slowly placed it into his mouth under Wu Yundi’s gaze.
Before he had even started chewing, the rich fruit fragrance filled his mouth and nose. The texture was soft, glutinous, and springy, a little sticky against the teeth, but once it dissolved into his saliva, it left only sweetness between his teeth.
That short piece of banana cake was enough to suppress the bitter medicinal taste that had filled his mouth and tongue, replacing it with a sweetness that took over his taste buds. After drinking some water as well, his mouth felt completely refreshed. Even swallowing no longer made him uncomfortable.
“Thank you, Patrol Inspector. After eating that cake, my mouth isn’t bitter anymore.”
“A big, strapping man like you is afraid of bitterness?”
“Aren’t you afraid of it too, sir?”
“I am. I’ve been mocked plenty of times for it. You’re rather broad-minded, though, not embarrassed enough to hide it.”
“For peasants like us, getting mocked is nothing unusual. If we took every little thing seriously, we’d probably make enemies on all sides and wouldn’t even be able to stay in the village.”
Hearing this, Wu Yundi unexpectedly looked as though he had just gained some profound insight. He Yi had no idea what deeper meaning the man had extracted from his words. He only saw Wu Yundi openly turn an approving gaze on him.
He Yi could feel the stare, but did not look back. He merely said, “You should go take your medicine soon, sir. The earlier you drink it, the earlier it can take effect.”
“It’s only something to drink in case I fall ill. Who knows whether I’ve already caught it? That blackhearted lot actually dared use filthy rats to pass off as a famous delicacy!” Growing angry again at the thought, Wu Yundi flicked his sleeve and headed for the door. “I’m going to take my medicine. Someone will bring dinner later. Rest well. You helped a great deal today. I, Wu, will remember the favor.”
“You’re too kind. Please get some rest as well, sir.” He Yi rose, cupped his hands, and saw the Patrol Inspector to the door.
“I’m off.”
Hearing the door close next door, the corners of He Yi’s mouth gradually lifted. Good. It looked as though he had just barely managed to establish a connection with the Patrol Inspector. Over the next few days, he would work on becoming a little more familiar with the man. If He Jie came looking for trouble in the future, having some rapport with He Jie’s immediate superior would at least give He Yi room to push back.
With one problem settled, He Yi finally let out a long-overdue sigh of relief. This miserable life finally had a little hope in it.
*
That night, He Yi estimated it was around ten o’clock, yet voices still drifted intermittently from not far beyond the window. Back in Chongzi Village, there would have been no sound at all by this hour. Every household would have bolted its doors. At most, a small child might cry once in a while. Otherwise everything would have been quiet, with only insects and birds calling in the background.
A town really was a town. People lived closer together, so every sound carried more clearly, and with so many people gathered in one place, it felt full of life. For one instant, He Yi seemed to be back in the home where he had lived with his family in the city. He could hear neighbors watching sports late at night, couples bickering, people making midnight snacks. He would curl up on the sofa playing with his phone, his younger sister’s bare feet sprawled behind his lower back while her upper body leaned crookedly against their mother’s back. Their mother would have both feet soaking in the foot bath his sister had bought her, while their father sat alone on a little stool beside the sofa, cracking sunflower seeds and occasionally complaining about the exaggerated plot on television.
The scene replayed in He Yi’s mind, and moisture glimmered in his eyes in the darkness.
A moment later, He Yi let the faint smile leave his face. He walked around the luohan bed and slowly felt his way toward the window, intending to close it. But as he drew near, he heard a strange sound.
The sound was somehow crisp and heavy at the same time. Contradictory though that seemed, that was exactly what he heard. He paused before closing the window and listened more carefully. After a while, he realized the noise seemed to be coming from the roof above.
A slightly absurd guess arose in his mind. Could something be walking across the roof tiles? It did not sound like a thief. A professional would hardly be so careless as to make such obvious noise. If it was not a thief, then who could it be? Or perhaps… He Yi suddenly thought of one familiar figure who was very fond of staying on rooftops.
Surely not. A round trip between Chongzi Village and town took six hours on foot. Even by ox cart it took nearly four. Xue Ci had only gone back before noon. Surely he would not have run all the way here again.
No sooner had He Yi decided it was impossible than the sight before him proved him wrong.
A thick, fluffy, very long tail suddenly dropped into the gap at the propped-open window, only to withdraw behind it again almost immediately. Through the paper pasted over the window, He Yi could make out only its outline. The big tail seemed to curl into a bend like a fist and knocked twice against the lattice with two muffled thumps.
“…Xue Ci? Is that you?” He Yi whispered. He kept his voice low because he was afraid the Patrol Inspector next door might hear him. Snow leopards had excellent hearing anyway. If it really was Xue Ci, this volume would be more than enough.
Then the black-and-white spotted tail poked through the window gap again, curled into a hook like a question mark, and bobbed forward and back as though nodding.
“Can you get in? This window…” He Yi examined it and found that the lattice could only be lifted so far. The opening below was probably too small for a snow leopard of that size to squeeze through.
At the same time, somewhere they had not noticed, someone else had been drawn by the sounds they were making.
Wu Yundi, who was staying next door, had practiced martial arts since childhood and possessed unusually keen senses. Even though Xue Ci had padded paws and He Yi was deliberately keeping his voice down, Wu Yundi’s ears still caught everything.
Wu Yundi moved to his window and cautiously lifted the lattice. After listening carefully for a while, he caught the name “Xue Ci” and thought, Wasn’t that the family member He Yi mentioned? More importantly, who exactly was He Yi talking to? Was there someone on the roof?
Once words like assassination and spy entered his mind, Wu Yundi’s gaze grew increasingly sharp.
When he heard He Yi asking to let something inside, a burst of white light suddenly flashed outside, briefly illuminating Wu Yundi’s face. The sounds next door then shifted inside the room. Wu Yundi moved to the base of the adjoining wall and pressed his ear against it to listen.
Back in He Yi’s room, once he asked the question, Xue Ci seemed to think of a way through the window almost immediately: turn human.
A carrying bag was tossed into the room first. Then white light flared, and Xue Ci transformed into human form, braced himself on the sill, and slipped through the narrow window. He Yi happened to catch him in both arms, holding him sideways against his chest.
The room was very dark, but He Yi could still make out that Xue Ci was otherwise bare. His skin still felt smooth and delicate under He Yi’s hands. This time, though, he had something on his lower half. He had managed to transform a pair of underpants. The fuzzy fabric pressed through He Yi’s clothes against his lower abdomen, which had begun to stir treacherously.
He Yi hurriedly carried him over and sat him on the luohan bed, turning his eyes away as he asked, “Did you bring clothes?”
Xue Ci nodded. Only when he realized He Yi was not looking at him did he speak. “Over there.”
He pointed toward the carrying bag he had thrown onto the floor. He Yi could more or less see the direction, so he felt his way over in the dark, opened the bag, took out the coarse-cloth work clothes inside, and helped Xue Ci put them on.
Only after Xue Ci was dressed did He Yi turn back around. “Why did you run all the way here? Aren’t you tired? Going back and forth takes a lot of time.”
“I’m not tired. I run fast.” Xue Ci had traveled in snow-leopard form with only a carrying bag tied across his back and no real burden to slow him down. A journey of several miles was nothing to him. He had barely even needed time to catch his breath.
The fact that Xue Ci had come all this way specifically to see him was such a wonderful surprise that the joy gathering in the hidden corners of He Yi’s heart almost overwhelmed him. But the surprise was quickly followed by alarm. Remembering that he was being quarantined here, He Yi hurriedly said, “I’m at risk of catching the epidemic again this time. You shouldn’t have come.” He had vomited up the rat meat, and the piece he had eaten had been cooked, so he was not especially worried for himself. But once Xue Ci arrived, He Yi could not help worrying. What if?
Back on the mountain, Xue Ci had never avoided contact with him. Nothing had happened afterward, but at that time, He Yi’s illness had not been a true epidemic disease.
This time, he could not guarantee he would not become infected, nor could he guarantee he would not pass it to Xue Ci. Judging by what had happened in town so far, the disease had an extremely high mortality rate.
He Yi quietly moved to a horseshoe-back chair farther away. He was still trying to think of how to persuade Xue Ci to go home when Xue Ci suddenly dropped a truly astonishing statement.
“I have a yao-herb seed that has been bound to me since birth. Once it is planted, the dew it gathers every morning at the Mao hour can cure all illnesses.”
Elio’s Notes: 瑶草 (yao cao, “yao herb”) is a classical poetic term for a precious or fragrant, often otherworldly herb. Here it refers to Xue Ci’s supernatural companion plant. The Mao hour is roughly 5–7 a.m.