Only after He Yi noticed them did the two men introduce themselves. “I am Wu Fu. This is my older cousin, Wu He. We apologize for coming uninvited. We heard that you and another friend named Xue Ci worked together to rescue me from the ravine, so we came especially to thank you.”
He Yi calmly studied the speaker but did not recognize him as the unlucky fellow who had fallen down the mountain and then been struck on the head by a piece of jade.
Still, there seemed little reason for anyone to falsely claim such a thing. He Yi finally nodded and replied, “There’s no need to thank us. I’m glad you’re all right. Xue Ci and I didn’t actually do much. It was the Xing family’s people who went down and brought you up. The rest of us only helped pull the rope from above.”
Wu Fu silently watched He Yi’s expression. The other man’s gaze was as still as an ancient well and gave nothing away. Wu Fu could not tell whether He Yi was refusing credit because he felt guilty or because he was genuinely selfless.
Wanting the house repaired as soon as possible, the Li family had been helping with the work too. When they saw someone had come looking for He Yi, they urged him to go home and rest for a while so he could receive his guests properly. Judging by the visitors’ clothes, they seemed to be people of some standing, and the Li family worried that He Yi might neglect them.
“…” There was nothing else to be done. Too many people were around here, and the two visitors showed no sign of leaving on their own. He Yi could only lead them elsewhere, intending to send them off and return to work afterward.
“Let’s talk here.” He Yi did not take them home. Instead, he found an open place along the road with no one around and stopped there.
Wu Fu and Wu He exchanged a glance. They clearly had not expected him to be this guarded or to refuse even to invite them home for a seat. It only made them more certain that he had something to hide.
They brought out several strings of zongzi and a paper-wrapped packet of sugar to give him. He Yi raised a hand and declined. “No, thank you. I can’t accept a reward for something I didn’t earn.”
Seeing that He Yi was difficult to sway and that polite maneuvering was getting them nowhere, Wu Fu spoke frankly. “I’m ashamed to admit that we did come with another purpose. I may as well tell you directly. I want to know exactly what happened on the day I fell from the mountain.”
Only then did He Yi look at him properly. He had not even said anything yet, and the other man had already revealed his true purpose.
Wu Fu saw no evasion in He Yi’s eyes. If anything, He Yi was looking at them with a hint of amusement, almost as though he had guessed from the start that their purpose was not simple. Wu Fu suddenly felt that he might have underestimated him.
“So you came to ask about that day. Fine, I’ll tell you. Xue Ci and I were coming down the mountain when, near the middle of the slope, we met a man named Chang Gui. He gave me a piece of jade and specifically asked me to rescue someone. A life was at stake, so I agreed to go, but I did not accept the jade.”
Wu Fu was secretly startled. This was completely different from what Chang Gui had told them. He suppressed his urge to interrupt and waited for He Yi to continue.
He Yi went on, “When we reached the place above where you had fallen, I looked carefully and decided we would need a rope to get down. Otherwise, there was no way to climb back up carrying an injured person without outside help.”
Wu He and Wu Fu both nodded.
“Chang Gui said the people who had come with him had rope. I thought having so many people involved would be much safer than sending me down alone, so I told him to go find them. But he refused. He thought I was just like his men and didn’t want to save anyone. He panicked, and suddenly threw both pieces of jade down into the ravine.”
Wu Fu could not stop his eyes from widening as waves of shock rolled through him. Compared with Chang Gui’s explanation, which was riddled with holes, He Yi’s version made far more sense. Wu Fu had known Chang Gui for so long. How could he not know what the man was like? This was absolutely something Chang Gui could have done.
“This…” Wu He was stunned as well. He had not understood why Wu Fu had insisted that they not go after He Yi and instead come question him personally, because like everyone else, Wu He had never doubted Chang Gui’s story. Looking at it now, there were indeed many holes. If He Yi truly were greedy for valuables, why would he throw expensive jade down the ravine? It made no sense. Chang Gui had claimed He Yi became enraged after being confronted, and they had believed it without thinking. Perhaps they had not considered one piece of jade particularly significant. And seeing Wu Fu return from the brink of death had left them so blinded by anger that they had never examined the story more carefully.
Wu Fu clearly had thought of those problems, however. Otherwise he would not have come specifically to verify the story, nor would he have stopped his family from retaliating against He Yi.
He Yi briefly described what happened afterward as well. That part was not very different from Chang Gui’s account. It probably involved the Xing family, whom Chang Gui did not dare offend, so he had not dared fabricate too much.
Wu Fu drew in a deep breath before finally steadying himself. “I understand. Let me think…”
Wu He hurriedly pulled him aside and asked, “Can we believe him?” Yet although he asked, his expression made it obvious he already believed He Yi completely.
Wu Fu thought for a moment. He wanted to see Xue Ci, whom Xing Junshu had regarded so favorably, before deciding what to make of everything. He said, “This has truly gone far beyond what I expected. If I hadn’t come to ask you myself, something unpleasant might have been directed at you. I feel deeply ashamed. Would you give me a chance to compensate you?”
“Nothing has happened yet. There’s no need to take responsibility for it in advance.” He Yi remained perfectly calm.
Wu He saw that He Yi was firmly keeping them at arm’s length and grew anxious. He suddenly began coughing, intending to ask for water.
Wu He acted so convincingly that although He Yi found the timing abrupt, he did not notice anything wrong. He therefore led them toward his home.
“Wait here. I’ll get you a bowl of water.”
The Wu cousins stopped obediently and did not follow him inside. Even from where they stood, however, they could already see the state of He Yi’s home. The house was still unfinished, without a roof, and the courtyard walls were incomplete. Only the woodshed offered any real shelter.
Xue Ci, who had been inside the woodshed practicing his writing, had already heard the footsteps outside and came looking.
“He Yi, who came?” Xue Ci followed him toward the water cistern.
He Yi glanced back at him. “One of them is the man who fell down the mountain before. The one we helped pull up with the rope.”
“He’s all right now?”
“He wouldn’t be here if he weren’t.”
When He Yi carried the water over to Wu He, Xue Ci followed along anyway.
The sight of Xue Ci made both Wu cousins freeze.
In dim light, Xue Ci’s eyes looked gray and shadowed, but beneath the sun they were a clear sky-blue. More striking than even that unusual eye color was his ethereal beauty.
Someone so otherworldly standing beside He Yi somehow made Wu Fu think the two looked perfectly matched. He blinked furiously for a moment before his expression finally returned to normal.
“This person is…?” Wu Fu could not help asking.
“Xue Ci.” He Yi had no desire to elaborate and gave only the name.
By complete accident, Wu Fu suddenly thought he understood why Xing Junshu had taken such notice of an ordinary peasant.
Later, in order to show sincerity, Wu Fu explained his own family circumstances as well.
“…Your father began as a carpenter?” The corner of He Yi’s eye twitched.
A carpenter surnamed Wu…
“Yes. Father rarely makes large pieces anymore. He occasionally carves little toys, mostly to amuse the children. Carpenter Zhou in town is actually a distant relative of ours. If you ever need a large piece made, you can go to him. I can speak to the old master for you, and he’ll certainly give you a discount.”
“…Then do you know Cen Pu?” He Yi asked as though it were merely casual.
“…” The Wu cousins fell silent at once.
The corners of He Yi’s mouth lifted, but there was no smile in his eyes.
Xue Ci did not understand what was going on, but he seemed to sense He Yi’s hostility toward the two men. He immediately took He Yi’s side, folding his arms and tilting his chin upward as he looked at them.
Seeing their attitude, Wu Fu hurriedly said, “It’s complicated! I admit I can’t simply push all the responsibility onto my family and claim I had nothing to do with it. But please believe me, I personally bear Cen Pu no ill will… I didn’t bring a proper gift today. Another day I will absolutely visit him, apologize formally, and ask for his forgiveness!”
He Yi did not say whether he believed him. He could simply ask Cen Pu later. If Wu Fu truly could make the malicious suppression against Cen Pu stop, then at least the man had not completely lost his conscience. As for becoming friends with him, He Yi felt there was no need for that at present.
In the end, He Yi accepted the zongzi. Seeing this, both Wu Fu and Wu He visibly relaxed.
Before leaving, Wu Fu cupped his hands and said, “No matter what, we must thank both of you for helping save me. Our family cannot openly break with the Chang family yet, so if you see us in town, please pretend not to know us. The town is full of the Chang family’s eyes and ears, especially around Qingfeng Teahouse. The Chang residence is behind Tongniao Street in the northern part of town. Unless you have business there, it would be best to avoid that area. I believe they already bear a grudge against both of you.”
As for why, it was probably because Xue Ci had taken the Xing family’s favor that the Chang family had imagined was already theirs.
He Yi understood. In consideration of the well-meant warning, he cupped his hands in return and saw them off.
Xue Ci stared at the several strings of zongzi he had taken and asked, “Are we eating these for dinner?”
He Yi had been debating whether to give them away, but if Xue Ci was asking that, he clearly wanted more. So He Yi nodded and let him take them home first.
By dusk, He Yi dragged his exhausted body slowly home. Their goose had also just finished taking the chicks for a walk through the nearby brush and was circling back, so He Yi went with them toward the chicken enclosure.
After petting the goose, He Yi meant to top up the feed and water troughs while he was there. Instead, he found both still half full and remembered that he had asked Xue Ci that morning to feed the chickens and sweep out the enclosure. Clearly Xue Ci had already taken care of it.
Having Xue Ci around truly saved him a great deal of work. He Yi smiled with satisfaction and headed toward the woodshed.
Perhaps because Xue Ci had not drunk yao dew for several days, he was still lying asleep on the mat when He Yi entered. He did not even lift his eyelids and sit up until He Yi walked right over to him.
“Very sleepy?”
“Sleepy…” Xue Ci rubbed his eyes and tried to lean against He Yi’s shoulder.
He Yi was afraid the sweat on him would smell unpleasant to Xue Ci, so he leaned away. Then he stood and said, “Get up and eat something. Rest for a while afterward, then go bathe. You can sleep again after that.”
“…All right.” Xue Ci slowly got up too.
He Yi opened one string of zongzi for Xue Ci. There were three in total, all ash-water zongzi.
Xue Ci bit into one and immediately pointed excitedly at the inside for He Yi to see. “It’s sweet inside!”
He Yi looked and saw dark crimson red bean paste packed generously inside the golden glutinous rice.
“What is this?” Xue Ci asked.
“Red bean paste. I don’t really know how it’s made. I suppose you cook red beans and mash them until they turn into a smooth paste?”
“It’s good.” Xue Ci did not care much about the method. He simply ate with obvious enjoyment.
Just looking at it made He Yi feel cloyed, so he said, “I’ll cook rice for myself. You can eat these. I was thinking of taking the other two strings over to Auntie Liu’s family. What do you think?”
“We’re not keeping them?”
“We should return the favor somehow. You’ve already eaten several. Aren’t you tired of them?”
Xue Ci looked as though he wanted to say something but stopped. He Yi immediately understood and laughed. “Fine, we’ll keep them all for you. There are four people in Auntie Liu’s family. Giving exactly four is considered unlucky around here. If I give more, there won’t be any left for you, but giving fewer would look stingy. I’ll send them a bamboo tube of white honey instead.”
Xue Ci thought that even if the white honey was given away, there was still black honey, so it was not a problem. He nodded.
*
Five days later, the repairs on the Li family’s house were finished. He Yi rested for a day, then decided to take Xue Ci into town. He thought it was time to have a bed made. Sleeping on mats laid directly on the ground left his waist and back aching, and the cold damp seeped upward, which was particularly bad for the joints.
The only question was whether their budget would stretch far enough for two beds.