LW chapter 54

 

The shopkeeper’s Tian’s house was not very big. Since it was an old house, the furniture was old too, but everything was clean and tidy. There didn’t seem to be any neighbors nearby, so it was very quiet and ideal for recuperation.

The house had three bedrooms, a large kitchen, and a courtyard. Chen Qing looked at the room piled with miscellaneous items and saw a few old mattresses and two brand new rattan balls.

Zhou Yuan came over to look with him. Chen Qing said, “Shopkeeper Tian must have kept a dog in the past.”

The storage room was filled with things that the dog had once used.

The next day, after tidying up, Li Xin and Chen Qing took Zhang Yin to the clinic. The clinic was doing good business. They waited for a while and watched people come and go—some paid, some did not. There were servants from wealthy families in the village, as well as people so poor that their clothes were patched. Doctor Yu didn’t care about a person’s status. As long as someone was sick, he would treat them.

He was busy until nearly noon before he could take a break. When he saw them arrive, he led them to the back and took his silver needles out of the medicine box.

Zhang Yin held one of her sons in each hand and looked frightened. In all her years of seeking medical treatment, she had never been pricked by a needle, so she felt embarrassed when she saw the silver needles.

Doctor Yu smiled, wiped the needles with alcohol, and asked Zhang Yin to roll up her sleeve. The first needle was placed on the Hegu acupoint[mfn]Hegu point (LI4, 合谷穴) is one of the most commonly used acupuncture and acupressure points in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Found on the hand, in the webbing between the thumb and index finger.[/mfn]. Zhang Yin felt a slight pain and furrowed her delicate brows.

Chen Qing wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief while Li Xin held her other hand, the one not being needled.

The next few needles would be inserted into her back. Zhang Yin lay on the wooden bed while Li Xin and Chen Qing both frowned as if the needles were being inserted into their own bodies.

Doctor Yu’s acupuncture skills were excellent. After inserting the needles, he looked at the two children and smiled. “It looks like the needles are pricking you instead. It’s done now. I’ll come back to remove them in a quarter of an hour.”

Chen Qing leaned over. “Aunt Yin, does it hurt?”

Zhang Yin shook her head. “It hurt at first, but now it’s better.”

It was past noon by the time the acupuncture treatment was finished. After removing the needles, Doctor Yu went out to eat. Tian Ji delivered his food. Chen Qing helped Zhang Yin, while Li Xin went to pay the doctor for the medicine.

Doctor Yu thought for a moment. “There’s no need to rush to pay. There are still a few medicines I need to consider. We’ll discuss it later.”

Zhou Yuan and Qi Shuning happened to arrive to pick them up. Seeing Qi Shuning, Doctor Yu remembered Tian Yao’s instructions. “If you’re free this afternoon, come with me to the academy.”

Qi Shuning thought Shopkeeper Tian was just being polite. However, he hadn’t expected that arrangements had already been made.

Zhang Yin didn’t find out about any of this until she got home. Perhaps because of the acupuncture, she was very tired that day. She hurriedly ate a few bites of food, then pulled Zhou Yuan over. “They’ve been so considerate to us—we can’t forget our manners.”

Zhou Yuan nodded. “Godmother, don’t worry about this. Just take care of yourself.”

Zhang Yin soon fell asleep. They returned to the front hall to talk. Li Xin gave Zhou Yuan thirty taels from the fifty taels Blacksmith Li had given them before they left. Zhou Yuan had paid for everything since they arrived in Yunxi City, but the brothers still needed to settle the accounts clearly, or it could affect their relationship.

Zhou Yuan didn’t take it. He said, “I’ll probably be heading back soon to deliver a message to my godfather. You stay here and keep Godmother company. You need to have some money on hand.”

Chen Qing nodded and looked at Li Xin. “Just keep it. Didn’t you ask Qi Shuning to keep a record? Let’s wait until Aunt Yin recovers. Then, we can slowly settle the accounts when we return.”

“All right, but why are you going back?” Li Xin asked.

“Zhou Yuan said the goods here are new and interesting. He wants to send some back to our place to sell.”

Li Xin’s eyes lit up. “I think that’s worth it, although my mother is still scolding me.”

Zhou Yuan smiled. “Stay with godmother. We’ll go out for a while and might be back in a couple days.”

“Alright.”

When they went out, they ran into Qi Shuning, who was returning. He hadn’t returned at noon and had gone with Doctor Yu to visit a teacher he knew.

Qi Shuning was a little excited. He grabbed Li Xin’s hand. “Xinxin, do you know who the teacher is that Doctor Yu mentioned? He’s the dean of Shuming Academy. I never thought I could get into Shuming Academy.”

Originally, he had thought he could just hang around the academy to read a few books or buy some notes, but he hadn’t expected to actually be able to study there.

Seeing that he was about to cry, Li Xin helplessly took out a handkerchief and wiped his face. “If you have talent, go to school and study hard. Why are you crying?”

Zhou Yuan patted his shoulder, too. “We’re going out for a while. Take good care of your family.”

Zhou Yuan wanted to go with Chen Qing to find Tian, the shopkeeper. Tian said he would take them into the mountains to find a key medicinal herb.

When they arrived at Tian Ji, Chen Qing could still smell the fragrance coming from it. He had never smelled such a pleasant aroma before.

“When you come back, let’s eat together here.”

Soon after, Tian came out leading a horse. Glancing at Chen Qing, he asked, “Can your husband ride a horse? Do you need a carriage?”

Chen Qing quickly shook his head. Zhou Yuan said, “I can ride.”

Then, Chen Qing watched as Tian neatly mounted the horse, cracked the whip, and urged the horse forward.

Zhou Yuan quickly lifted Chen Qing onto the horse and followed Tian.

Leaning against Zhou Yuan’s chest, Chen Qing watched Shopkeeper Tian ride ahead. Shopkeeper Tian could run such a large shop by himself and ride a horse—he seemed capable of doing everything men could do. Chen Qing felt a little envious.

Soon, they arrived at Shopkeeper Tian’s hometown, Huailing Village.

When they reached the village, Chen Qing saw that the crops grown there were completely unfamiliar. Bright red fruits looked especially beautiful in the fields.

Tian Yao’s family lived deep inside the village, with mountains behind their house. It was the best house in the village.

“Shopkeeper Tian, are we going up the mountain now?” Zhou Yuan tied up his horse and asked Tian Yao.

“Don’t call me Shopkeeper Tian; just call me Uncle Tian.” Tian Yao fetched the best feed from the house and fed both horses. “We’re not in a rush to go into the mountains today. Let’s make some preparations first.”

He took them to the back mountain and found tough grass. He cut a large amount of it.

Chen Qing was also skilled at farm work. After a while, he carried a large bundle of grass into Tian Yao’s courtyard. Having grown closer to Tian Yao lately, he softly asked, “Uncle Tian, what’s this for?”

Tian Yao sat in the courtyard. “To twist grass rope. We need a very long one. The rope I used before is too old. I’m worried it’s not strong enough.”

Tian Yao taught him how to twist the rope while Zhou Yuan brought in more grass. Chen Qing and Tian Yao sat in the courtyard, twisting rope together.

Chen Qing was skilled with his hands, and the rope he twisted was strong.

Tian Yao was talkative and restless. After a while, he started asking Chen Qing questions.

“Well, you two really are fated. You came together after going around in circles. It’s not like me and Yùnian. It was all thanks to me taking the initiative.”

After asking about Chen Qing, Tian Yao went on and on about his own matters. Chen Qing listened attentively, feeling envious—it turned out that a ger could live freely and without restraint.

Before long, they had twisted a very long rope. As evening fell, Tian Yao cooked for them and prepared plenty of dry rations. He said the place was far away and that it would take several days to return.

That night, Chen Qing shared a room with Tian Yao while Zhou Yuan stayed in another. Earlier, Zhou Yuan had learned the local customs—husbands and wives couldn’t stay in the same room when visiting someone else’s home.

Chen Qing remained quiet and didn’t sleep much that night. Tian Yao woke them at dawn. After packing up, they got ready to head into the mountains.

The mountains in Huailing Village were different from those in Luohe Village. The trees were denser, and their tall trunks almost covered the entire sky.

When they reached an open area, Chen Qing saw that Shopkeeper Tian had stopped. There was a grave mound there.

Tian Yao crouched down, gently touched the mound, stood up, and continued walking.

Zhou Yuan and Chen Qing didn’t dare ask, but Tian Yao seemed eager to speak. “That’s the grave of my two dogs. One was called Huihui and the other Xiaobai. They were both very good dogs.”

“I raised them for more than twenty years. They were just too old…”

Tian Yao sighed and led them forward. The deeper they went, the harder it was to walk. Zhou Yuan carried their dry rations and the straw rope they had made the previous day. Seeing that Chen Qing was tired, Zhou Yuan slung the bag onto his chest as usual and carried Chen Qing on his back.

The day passed quickly. They had only covered half the distance. At night, they found a cave and lit a fire.

Chen Qing was exhausted and fell asleep with his head on Zhou Yuan’s lap. Tian Yao looked at them and smiled. “I can see it—what he said is right. You two really are fated.”

“He’s suffered too much.” Zhou Yuan stroked Chen Qing’s cheek. “I want him to be happier in the future.”

“It’s good to know how to love your husband.” Tian Yao gazed into the flames, recalling the past.

The two of them didn’t speak again. When dawn broke, the three of them continued deeper into the mountains.

Finally, on the afternoon of the second day, they reached the cliff Tian Yao had mentioned. Chen Qing looked at the open space before him, surprised that such a place existed deep in the mountains.

“There it is.” Tian Yao let out a relieved sigh. He led them to the edge. “I found the medicinal herb here more than twenty years ago.”

Zhou Yuan glanced down the cliff, his heartbeat quickening. He took a deep breath. “So that’s why you asked us to twist the grass rope.”

Tian Yao nodded. “Now, tie the rope to one person. The other two will hold it while you go down and take a look.”

Zhou Yuan tied the rope around himself. Standing beside him, Chen Qing saw his pale face and the sweat on his forehead. He reached out and grabbed Zhou Yuan’s hand, feeling the sweat on his palm.

“I’ll go. I’m small, so it won’t be hard for you to hold me.” Chen Qing tugged at the rope in Zhou Yuan’s hand.

“I can do it. How could I let you go?” Zhou Yuan smiled reluctantly. “Don’t worry about me.”

Tian Yao cleared his throat. “How about letting me go?”

They both immediately shook their heads. Shopkeeper Tian was kind, but how could they let him take on such a dangerous task? They were young, and there was no reason to let an elder take the risk.

Chen Qing had already tied the rope around himself. He put the other end in Zhou Yuan’s hand. “I’ll feel at ease leaving this in your hands.”

Tian Yao looked between them and recalled how close he and Yu Nian had once been. “Alright, it’s not dangerous. Let’s hurry.”

Zhou Yuan had no choice but to check the knot on Chen Qing’s body again, afraid it might come loose.

Chen Qing grabbed the rocks on the cliff and slowly climbed down. Zhou Yuan was very tense, slowly letting out the rope. Tian Yao helped hold the rope, too—Zhou Yuan had completely forgotten how strong Tian Yao was.

Chen Qing didn’t dare look down. He moved slowly until he saw a crack ahead. After climbing further, he finally saw the herb growing in the crevice.

“I see it!” Chen Qing shouted, his voice echoing in the valley.

Zhou Yuan, above, was extremely anxious. “Be careful!”

Chen Qing carefully took the herb and put it in his arms again. Then, he tugged on the rope, and Zhou Yuan pulled him up quickly.

When Chen Qing climbed over the cliff and set foot on the ground, his legs gave out, and Zhou Yuan held him tightly.

“I got it.” Chen Qing’s hands trembled as he pulled out the herb.

Tian Yao patted his hair. “All right, let’s get ready to head back.”

The return trip felt much faster. They soon reached Tian Yao’s home at the foot of the mountain. After a short rest, they rode straight back to the city.

Chen Qing lay in Zhou Yuan’s arms, feeling drowsy. Just as he was about to fall asleep, however, he felt like he was falling.

When his whole body trembled, Zhou Yuan kissed the tip of his ear and whispered, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll catch you.”

Chen Qing gripped his clothes and fell into a deep sleep.

 

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