Early the next morning, mist hung thick in the air. Apart from nighttime, this was the coolest part of the day. He Yi had assumed Xue Ci definitely would not be able to get up today, but as soon as he rose and began changing clothes, the soft rustling woke Xue Ci, who climbed up as well.
Xue Ci rubbed his eyes, and before long his gaze cleared.
“You actually managed to get up today. Are you feeling better?” He Yi asked.
Xue Ci nodded. “I feel all right now.”
“Then let’s go look at the yao grass together.”
The two of them walked through the mist toward the vegetable garden.
Ordinarily, the yao grass looked perfectly unremarkable. The upper surfaces of its leaves were green, while only the undersides were smoky gray. But now the edges of the leaves glowed faintly blue, as though revealing a trace of their mystical nature.
Each leaf cradled a pool of crystal-clear dew that trembled gently in the breeze.
He Yi caught a scent that left his mind refreshed and his vision clear. “Is this the medicinal dew?”
“Mm. Look, the edges are glowing. This is when you can collect it.” Xue Ci pointed to the edges of the yao-grass leaves.
“So if the leaves aren’t glowing, the dew won’t cure illness even if we collect it?”
Xue Ci thought about it. “Probably not.”
He Yi fetched a bamboo tube and carefully pressed a leaf downward, positioning the mouth of the tube beneath its tip. Some of the dew flowed straight into the tube, while some clung to the leaf in round beads, slowly merging before dripping down.
The dew collected from three leaves filled only one-fifth of the bamboo tube. It looked like no more than a spoonful.
He Yi placed the bamboo tube in Xue Ci’s hands. “Drink it. Let’s see whether you feel any better.”
Without hesitation, Xue Ci tipped his head back and drained the yao dew in one gulp.
He Yi watched his expression closely. “How is it? Any discomfort?”
Xue Ci stood silently for a moment, then suddenly broke into a brilliant smile. He exclaimed in delight, “That weak, achy feeling is gone. I feel like I could fight three tigers right now!”
“There aren’t that many tigers on the mountain,” He Yi said with a laugh.
Seeing how much more energetic Xue Ci had become, to the point that he began vaulting up and down the wall with even greater agility and speed than before, He Yi could not help being startled. It seemed the yao dew really did have something to it. Still, whether its effect might merely be something like a placebo would require further observation.
“All right. I’m going to check the fields. The cotton field should probably be watered.”
He Yi generally did not let Xue Ci follow him into the fields. There was not much farm work, and he could still manage it himself. Whenever he went to work the land, Xue Ci stayed behind to watch the house.
Standing atop the wall and looking down at He Yi, Xue Ci replied, “Got it.”
His answer was perfectly obedient, though his behavior was rather less so. Amused, He Yi laughed, then fetched his sickle, carrying basket, manure dipper, and wooden bucket before heading toward his fields.
Unexpectedly, he had only walked a short distance when a few raindrops began to fall. Before long, the rain grew steadily denser, forcing He Yi to jog back home.
As soon as he rounded the bend and came up the slope, he saw Xue Ci leaning against the wall, staring straight in his direction without even trying to get out of the rain.
Seeing Xue Ci’s wet hair clinging together in strands, He Yi hurried over. “Why didn’t you go back to the woodshed?”
Xue Ci’s face was partly obscured behind the curtain of rain, but his voice came through the downpour clear and bright. “I heard your footsteps. I heard you walking back.”
“You don’t need to stand in the rain to listen. What if you get soaked through and catch a cold?” After saying that, He Yi led him back to the woodshed. Once the farming tools were put away, he found a dry cloth and began wiping Xue Ci’s hair.
As he wiped, his gaze drifted lower and caught the beads of water still clinging to Xue Ci’s arms and calves. He Yi wondered whether he ought to hand over the cloth and let Xue Ci dry himself. Yet even after he finished with the hair, he still did not let go. Instead, he flipped the cloth to its dry side, lowered his eyes, and quickly wiped Xue Ci’s arms and legs dry too.
Only after finishing did He Yi find another cloth and start drying himself.
As he wiped, a pair of fair hands reached over and snatched the cloth from him. Xue Ci took it and began rubbing He Yi’s wet hair dry.
Those warm, soft hands occasionally brushed the rim of his ear, sending He Yi’s thoughts wandering. But the tender mood lasted only a few breaths before Xue Ci’s nearly brutal technique shattered it completely. He used so much force while wiping He Yi’s face that his skin was almost rubbed red.
Expressionless, He Yi could only block Xue Ci’s hand when he tried to continue, take the cloth back, and give himself a cursory wipe.
Serves me right… I shouldn’t have been imagining all sorts of nonsense.
Xue Ci had no idea what he had done. Seeing that He Yi was unusually free, he took out the Thousand Character Classic and waited for He Yi to teach him to read.
He Yi hung up the two wet cloths, glanced at the unrelenting rain outside, and sighed.
The rain saved him the trouble of watering the cotton field, but temperatures had been high lately, and there was nothing like herbicide available. The weeds had been sprouting at an astonishing rate. With this rain, the weeds in both the rice paddies and cotton field would probably shoot up nonstop.
He would have to watch the rain for a while. If it truly showed no sign of stopping, he would have to put on a straw rain cape and go out anyway. Not only would he need to weed, but if the rain became too heavy, he would also have to control the water level and drain some away. Otherwise, flooded seedlings would be a problem.
He had originally planned to make a trip into town today as well. Xue Ci did not have enough clothes, and he had been looking forward to buying new storybooks for a long time. But now that it was raining, the road into town would certainly be washed muddy, and an ox cart could easily skid.
Ramming earth was even less practical. The construction schedule could only be pushed back, though there was no particular hurry.
After thinking it over, He Yi could only sit down and read the Thousand Character Classic with Xue Ci, teaching him word by word and line by line.
They had not been reading for long when Zheng Yuanshi arrived through the wind and rain.
The moment he entered, he called for He Yi to go to the fields.
“Now?” He Yi glanced at the sheet of rain behind him, which had already become a loud rush of water and looked ready to turn into a torrential downpour, and was somewhat surprised.
“Good thing I was paying attention. I saw no one in your fields, so I came to get you. In another two to four hours, there’ll probably be a major rainstorm. If we go now, we can still see the road clearly.”
Zheng Yuanshi had a point. It seemed He Yi should not have taken the rain as an excuse to stay home. Instead, he needed to race against it. How had he forgotten? Farming might mean depending on the heavens for one’s livelihood, but at the same time, farmers also had to fight the heavens for every advantage.
He Yi’s expression grew serious. He put on a straw rain cape, gathered the farming tools from earlier, and headed out. Before leaving, he told Xue Ci to practice copying characters and writing by himself.
Xue Ci nodded, his round almond-shaped eyes as bright and lustrous as turquoise, and waved at them.
He Yi smiled and nodded, then turned and walked into the rain with Zheng Yuanshi.
*
Wu Village, the Wu residence.
“Madam, the eldest young master is awake!”
“Really? Quickly, quickly, help me over there.”
Wu Fu’s mother, Madam Yan, was helped by a maid to sit at the edge of Wu Fu’s bed. She personally took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from him. When she saw his half-open, unfocused eyes, tears immediately spilled out, and she hurriedly raised the handkerchief to cover them.
Madam Yan was sobbing too hard to speak, while Wu Fu had not yet fully regained consciousness. Even so, he shakily raised a hand, wanting to wipe away the tears that seemed to flow endlessly from his mother’s eyes.
“Mother…”
“Yes, Fu’er, my Fu’er… Mother is here. The physician is on his way. Don’t move.”
Wu Fu’s mind remained hazy, and his head throbbed with sharp pain. Before long, his eyes closed and he fell asleep again.
Only after the physician arrived, prescribed two doses of medicine, and administered acupuncture did Wu Fu slowly regain consciousness.
When word spread that Wu Fu had awakened, everyone in the Wu family hurried back, and his room was soon packed with people.
“Gui’er is all right?”
At the mention of Chang Gui, the Wu family members wore varying expressions. Some were resentful, some frightened, and some grateful.
“What happened to him?” Wu Fu felt the wound on his forehead hurting even more fiercely. He forced himself upright, leaned against the headboard, and asked again.
“He’s fine. If he hadn’t insisted that you go with him…”
None of this would have happened. Wu Fu understood what his cousin had left unsaid.
But he himself had wanted to build a good relationship with the important visitor from Jiangcheng, which was why he had agreed to go. In truth, he could not really blame Chang Gui.
“Do you want to know who did this to you? Even if you find out, I’m afraid we can’t go after him directly this time…”
“Our family is absolutely not swallowing this insult!”
“What are you afraid of? They dared treat Fu’er, my precious son, like this, so they’d better be ready for our family to strike back! Once that fellow gets the hell back to Jiangcheng, I refuse to believe the people of Jiangcheng can reach all the way here!” Wu Fu’s father, Wu Tong, ground his teeth as he spoke.
Enduring his headache, Wu Fu carefully observed his family’s reactions while his mind raced. In a hoarse voice, he asked, “Who was it?”
“According to Chang Gui, the jade was thrown down by a man named He Yi, and it struck you on the head. He seems to be from Chongzi Village, but the person traveling with him saved Young Master Xing of Jiangcheng. Now that he has the Xing family’s favor, I’m afraid he won’t be easy to touch.”
“Hmph. He won’t get away. That Jiangcheng brat won’t be staying long. I heard his family has already discovered that he ran away from home to hunt a tiger, and the people they sent to drag him back are probably already on the road!” Wu Tong huffed angrily, his thick carpenter’s fingers continuing to drum on the table.
Wu Fu frowned tightly, and a trace of hatred mingled with suspicion flashed through his eyes.
The Wu family was not the only one harboring resentment toward He Yi. He Jie was as well.
After losing his nerve at the crucial moment, He Jie returned to the Chang family only to receive a vicious scolding. Even his marriage was postponed indefinitely.
It was not that He Jie had never imagined such consequences, but he truly could not summon the courage to risk his life for Chang Gui. No amount of explaining afterward would help. When their interests aligned, the Chang family could tolerate him lying through his teeth. But once Chang Gui’s safety was involved, and more importantly, the Chang family’s reputation, along with the lost opportunity to form ties with the Xing family, they were furious. How could He Jie possibly come out of that unscathed?
After falling out of favor, He Jie even lost his position at the patrol office. Whether that was temporary or permanent, he did not know. In any case, trying to regain the Chang family’s trust now had him utterly overwhelmed.
At the same time, he was terrified that He Yi might use this chance to rise in status. If He Yi truly managed to benefit from his companion’s connection to Xing Junshu, then remembering how painfully He Yi had beaten him at home before and how ruthless the man could be, He Jie found it difficult to imagine that He Yi would not immediately come after him for revenge. The thought left He Jie so anxious and frightened that he could neither sit still nor eat or sleep properly.
His parents were aggravating too, nagging him every day to go grovel before the Chang family. Otherwise, their path to transferring their household registration to town would disappear. They would have to pay five full years of heavy taxes and still build the necessary connections with the town authorities, or there would be no chance at all.
But their family had already spent a large sum buying a house in town. They simply did not have the money left to smooth the way, and now that He Jie no longer had his constable work, he could not even skim a little extra from vendors and shopkeepers.
“Aaaaaah! Damn it!” Driven to despair, He Jie could only go to a teahouse in broad daylight and drown his sorrows in wine, postponing yet again the day when he would have to bow and scrape before the Chang family.
By afternoon, the rain really had become heavier. Water poured from the sky as though it cost nothing, bucket after bucket, and the spray splashed as high as a person’s waist.
When they built the woodshed, they had left out a threshold so it would be easier to carry sand, stone, and earth in and out. Now the rain outside was too heavy, and the ground had not yet been leveled, leaving it full of pits and hollows. As a result, water seeped inside even with the door shut, and He Yi had to find some clay to plug the gap beneath it.
Before he could finish, someone knocked on the woodshed door.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
The rain was so loud that He Yi was fortunate to be right beside the door. The instant he heard it, he opened up.
An elderly man stood outside. He was thin and small but not stooped, and he looked hale and energetic.
“May I ask whether this is Young Master Xue’s home?” The old man did not enter presumptuously. Instead, he asked calmly and politely.
The form of address startled He Yi, but the rain was too heavy for him to waste time wondering about it. He quickly invited the man inside.
“Xue Ci, someone’s here to see you.” He Yi helped the old man remove his rather heavy straw rain cape and leaned it against the wall.
Xue Ci put down his brush, rose, and walked over.
“Hoho, you must be Young Master Xue. This humble old man is Zhang Zhitong, sent here by Young Master Xing. Young Master Xing had intended to visit yesterday, but unfortunately, members of the Xing family arrived just then to take him back to Jiangcheng. He could only send this old man in his place to tell you a few things.” The old gentleman was very amiable. His wording was respectful, but his bearing remained level, neither servile nor overbearing.
“Hello, Grandpa. You can just call me Xue Ci.” Xue Ci had met all sorts of people by now and had grown quite familiar with how to greet them.
“Hehe.” Old Master Zhang neither agreed nor refused. Instead, he went straight to the point. “Young Master Xing saw that your clothes were damaged while you fought the tiger, so he had six sets of clothes made for you. He originally intended to have ten sets made, but since we don’t yet know the quality of the cloth shop’s workmanship, he changed it to six. I hope you won’t find the gift lacking.”
“Once the cloth shop finishes them, someone will deliver them here. It should take around ten days.”
“…” Six sets?! He Yi was stunned by the extravagance and looked toward Xue Ci. Xue Ci, however, did not seem to think much of it. He merely blinked and said, “Thank you, Grandpa.”
“No, no. Young Master Xing gave the order. This old man merely ran the errand and cannot accept your thanks.”
“You should thank Young Master Xing,” He Yi quietly reminded him.
“Thank you, Young Master Xing.”
Only after Xue Ci said it did He Yi realize that something seemed off. Shouldn’t they actually be refusing such an extravagant gift…? But before he could finish reflecting on that, Old Master Zhang asked, “Young friend, are you thinking of taking the exams to become a tongsheng?”
Perhaps he had noticed the paper and brushes scattered on the stool, along with the cover of the Thousand Character Classic.
Xue Ci naturally had no idea what a tongsheng was. He Yi made a shushing gesture to keep him from asking and answered on his behalf. “Xue Ci is quite interested in writing and reading.”
Old Master Zhang narrowed his eyes slightly, seeming to assess He Yi as he probed, “Are you the one teaching Young Master Xue?”
“I only learned the barest little bit as a child and know a few characters. It hardly counts as teaching. I don’t have that kind of ability. He mostly studies on his own.” He Yi could tell the other man did not entirely believe him, but Old Master Zhang did not press further.
Old Master Zhang understood well how to maintain relationships over the long term, so he did not reveal all the gifts of thanks at once. Instead, he merely said, “Ai, this old body is no longer much use. Whenever it rains, my back and waist both ache. I had hoped to chat with you young friends for a while, but I suppose I should take my leave.”
So suddenly? He Yi hurriedly urged him to stay. “The rain is still so heavy outside. If you don’t mind the place, why not rest here for a while before leaving?”
“Hehe, I don’t mind at all. I was only afraid of taking up your space. Since you don’t mind, I’ll borrow a spot here and rest for a while.”
After sitting down on the mat, Old Master Zhang suddenly pulled a small booklet from inside his robe and began reading aloud from the Youxue Qionglin.
Xue Ci’s eyes lit up. He hurried over to listen, staring curiously the entire time at the pocket-sized booklet in the old man’s hands.
? Could this be what they call retreating in order to advance? He Yi had no choice but to sit down too and listen along.