TSMITB Chapter32

The first ray of morning sunlight in many days spread across every corner of the stockade, dispelling the mist that had blanketed the valley for days.

Shen Que pushed open the long-shut window, and a blaze of golden light streamed inside. The mist had cleared more completely than expected; the distant mountains, touched with rosy light, showed their layered silhouettes, and even the air felt less damp.

The long-quiet stockaded village gradually became lively.

Sheng Qixiao knew that Shen Que had long been bored of staying indoors. “Do you want to go out for some fresh air?” There was little emotion in his voice, yet it precisely hit Shen Que’s thoughts.

But as soon as Shen Que thought that his leg still wasn’t quite mobile, he hesitated.

Before Shen Que could voice his concerns, Gang Zi shot Sheng Qixiao a look to gesture for him to pick Shen Que up.

Sheng Qixiao did so without a moment’s hesitation.

Old Qiu and Ah Chao exchanged glances in secret: Since when was he so obedient?

Gang Zi smiled inscrutably. Could Sheng Qixiao not tell whose words brought meat to the table?

The solid wood wheelchair was easily carried into the courtyard by Gang Zi alone.

Shen Que was left to bite his lip as Sheng Qixiao carried him downstairs in a bridal embrace.

The wooden wheels ground out a dull rustling sound on the path paved with crushed stones. As far as the eye could reach, strings of small colorful flags hung from the railings of nearly every stilt house, fluttering in the morning breeze—decorations most likely put up to welcome the Moon Gazing Festival.

After only a few steps, a tribesman called out to Sheng Qixiao from afar. Sheng Qixiao paused, gave a slight nod, motioned for him to wait, then bent down and whispered a warning into Shen Que’s ear. “They need me for something. Go wander around by yourself for a bit, don’t go too far, I’ll come find you later.”

“You go on with your business.” Shen Que turned his head, let his gaze linger on Sheng Qixiao’s face for a brief moment, then nodded in a very understanding manner.

Sheng Qixiao handed over the cloak draped over his arm. “The wind is strong and the air is damp in the morning. If you feel cold, remember to put it on and don’t catch a chill.”

The cloak looked strikingly familiar. Shen Que accepted it before carelessly crumpled it into a ball, and hugged it against his chest. The lingering warmth of Sheng Qixiao remained wherever his palm touched. He subconsciously squeezed it twice, but only said a terse “Thank you,” “Don’t worry about me, go quickly.”

Gang Zi naturally took over the wheelchair handles, and the group continued to stroll along the winding path. The tribesmen in the stockaded village were already used to these outsiders. Someone would occasionally cast an inquisitive glance, but it was only a brief look without much further attention.

Compared to Shen Que and Ah Chao, who were constantly confined to the small building, Old Qiu and Gang Zi were clearly much more familiar with these people. Occasionally, they would even encounter one or two people who proactively greeted them. Consequently, before they had walked much further, Gang Zi’s head was already held high in the sky. “What’s called networking? This is called networking!”

“Oh, that sounds very useful.” Shen Que sat steadily in the wheelchair, breathing the fresh air while stretching comfortably. His tone was utterly sarcastic, still holding a grudge from earlier. “Can you even understand what they’re saying?”

“…Don’t let your jealousy blind you.” Gang Zi retorted and was unwilling to concede, “This is the deep friendship we cultivated while gathering herbs and patrolling. You can’t envy it.”

Ah Chao, who had been lagging at the end of the group, looking around, suddenly grabbed Gang Zi and whispered, “It seems like something has been following us.”

Hearing this, Old Qiu held onto Shen Que, who was nearly thrown out, and turned his head. Listening closely, he confirmed that a rustling sound was coming from the bushes not far behind them. The group exchanged subtle glances, slowed their pace, and continued forward while staying alert to their surroundings.

The unknown entity seemed aware that it had been noticed and started playing a one-sided game of hide-and-seek. It would occasionally make a deliberate noise, and once their attention was drawn, it would immediately vanish, leaving only the still-swaying branches and leaves behind.

Given the abundance of vegetation in the stockade, which offered natural concealment, the group took a turn at a fork in the road and headed toward a more open area.

This caused the little creature that had been following them all along to expose itself. Shen Que’s gaze quickly locked onto the “suspect”: a small blue-green snake.

Seeing Shen Que look over, it swiftly hid itself in a crack in the wall while sticking close to the edge and revealing a mung bean-sized eye to secretly observe him.

Shen Que secretly chuckled; this little thing was quite smart, more understanding than certain people.

Gang Zi rolled up his sleeves and prepared to scare it away, but the little snake unexpectedly shed its earlier timidness, reared up in the shadow of the wall, and hissed at Gang Zi while flicking its tongue.

“Gang Zi,” Old Qiu called out to stop him, “Leave it alone.”

“A little carabid, barely half a meter long, dares to mock your Brother Gang.” Ignoring Old Qiu’s attempt to stop him, Gang Zi planted one hand on his hip and pointed at the little snake with the other before reaching to snap off a branch from the roadside. “You come over here, let me turn you into a spinning top…”

“Aiya, stop it, that’s enough!” Old Qiu pulled Gang Zi back.

“Why…” Gang Zi tripped over his own feet. As soon as he regained his footing and was about to say something more, he turned around and saw Sheng Qixiao, who had appeared behind him at some point, and Shen Que, who was gleefully laughing at his misfortune.

Sheng Qixiao glanced at him indifferently, then turned and waved at the little snake. “Xiao Pao, come here.”

The little snake’s eyes brightened, and it obediently slithered out of the wall crack. Sheng Qixiao bent down and extended his hand. The little snake bobbed its head, then smoothly slid into his palm, wagging its tail as it coiled around his wrist.

“This is the little pet I told you about before.” Sheng Qixiao stood up and came to Shen Que before reaching out to show the snake to Shen Que from a safe distance. He rubbed the top of the little snake’s head with his thumb. “Xiao Pao, say hello.”

Xiao Pao opened its mouth without any sign of aggression and amicably flicked its scarlet tongue, forming a heart shape in the air.

Shen Que watched silently and didn’t speak. He remembered Sheng Qixiao had said he had a little pet temporarily staying with someone else, and it had excellent tracking ability. If nothing unexpected had happened, it should be this little snake. At the thought, a trace of wariness unconsciously surfaced in his eyes.

Seeing Shen Que’s blank expression and no sign that he meant to praise its cleverness, Xiao Pao’s proudly raised tail drooped. Its mung bean-sized eyes were full of disappointment as it turned to retreat and hide inside Sheng Qixiao’s sleeve.

Sheng Qixiao patted Xiao Pao’s head through the fabric to soothe it, then looked at Shen Que and asked, “Do you dislike it? Or are you afraid of snakes now?”

“I’m not afraid, just a little surprised.” Shen Que came back to himself, tugged his lips into a smile, and answered as best he could.

He was indeed not afraid of snakes; he had previously played with two snakes with a friend who loved keeping them, although he sent them back soon after losing interest.

Xiao Pao peeked at Shen Que from beneath the sleeve, its bright red tongue curling through the air as it let out a soft hissing sound. Sheng Qixiao knew it was saying, “He dislikes me, but he doesn’t like you either.”

Sheng Qixiao lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes obscuring a flash of silver-blue light in his eyes. The small snake, which had been aggressive just a moment ago, immediately became limp and pawed at Sheng Qixiao’s wrist with its tail. “…He will like you later.”

As noon approached, Sheng Qixiao led the group and pushed open a courtyard gate.

In the extremely spacious courtyard, dozens of tables had been set up. Aside from the two tables at the very center and the farthest corner, all the other seats were filled with people.

The tribespeople, who had been eating and chatting merrily, were startled by the unexpected arrivals, and the atmosphere unconsciously grew tense.

Sheng Qixiao acted as if he hadn’t noticed as he pushed Shen Que to the empty table in the furthest corner. He then unceremoniously pulled out a stool and sat down next to Shen Que.

Sensing the subtle glances around them, Shen Que poked Sheng Qixiao with his elbow: “What are you doing?”

Sheng Qixiao sat down and immediately filled a bowl of soup for Shen Que, his actions as natural as if he were in his own home. “Didn’t you say you like lively places?”

“Do you see them welcoming us?”

Sheng Qixiao looked at Shen Que upon hearing his comment and took two seconds to convince himself—for Shen Que, the dining atmosphere was also very important.

So he turned his head and said a few words lightly in the Miao dialect. The tribespeople’s expressions instantly shifted from gloomy to delighted, their faces breaking into wide smiles as they hastily continued bringing freshly cooked dishes to the tables.

“See? They welcome us very much.”

Shen Que was momentarily speechless, “If you say so, then so be it.”

Having said that, he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of a dish. The flavor was unique to the mountains, carrying the distinct freshness cooked over firewood. Having grown tired of delicacies in the past, the food he was having during his time in the mountain could be considered a kind of private, artisanal cuisine.

The dishes placed before him were all Shen Que’s favorites. He had to admit that Sheng Qixiao was indeed exceptional at taking care of people, being so meticulous that Shen Que had already developed a certain habitual dependence.

This was not a good sign.

Shen Que closed his eyes to suppress the thought that flashed through his mind. At this point, habit had become an extremely frightening thing for him, and dependence even more so.

Had he been here too long, long enough to be close to drowning in the dense net Sheng Qixiao had woven?

The atmosphere between the two subtly fell silent, leaving only the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks. Shen Que could feel Sheng Qixiao’s gaze landing on him from time to time as if pondering or being puzzled by his unpredictable attitude.

After the meal, Sheng Qixiao pulled out a bamboo water bottle from somewhere. He tilted the spout, and what poured out was the brown medicine. The water bottle emptied as a full bowl of medicine was pushed in front of Shen Que.

“……” Shen Que blinked, feeling a little confused and speechless. Now it was his turn to be unable to figure it out; what good person carries medicine with them when going out?

“Just bear with it a little longer. Drink it for a few more days, and you’ll be almost fully recovered. You’ll be able to walk before the Moon Gazing Festival.”

Shen Que frowned and hesitated for a few seconds but still picked up the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

“Do you want to go see the temple?” Sheng Qixiao, who was pleased with his compliance, took the initiative to ask.

Shen Que’s heart stirred. “Can I?”

“The Moon Gazing Festival is approaching, and the temple area has already begun preparations. You can go.” Sheng Qixiao smiled at Shen Que, a faint, almost imperceptible expectation hidden in his eyes. “Weren’t you always curious about the temple? I can take you there.”

Shen Que looked into Sheng Qixiao’s eyes, trying to discern something, but only saw clarity. There was still an unspeakable hesitation in his heart.

From the moment Sheng Qixiao suggested going out for a walk to being trailed by the little snake and now his initiative in bringing up the temple, it all made Shen Que unconsciously question whether Sheng Qixiao’s suggestion was genuinely sincere or whether he had some other motive. But getting close to the temple was too important to him; he didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

“Alright.” Shen Que finally nodded.