Long and slender raindrops fell between wisps of wind. Within the mist, an indistinct figure could be seen between the willow branches. This person had a tall and slender stature, and stood there with an umbrella[1], giving off an indescribable feeling of peace. His looks were tasteful and refined, even handsome.
He, was the so-called Han Zichuan[2].
âThe rainâs getting stronger, hurry up and come inside.â I languidly leaned out the door to yell at him.
âFang Hua isnât back yet, Iâll wait a bit longer.â
TchâŚ
Whether or not you enjoy waiting, it serves you right if you get wet.
I gave a snort and closed the door behind me, completely shutting him out from view. He didnât seem much older than me, and was probably 17 or 18 years old. But I had no good feelings towards him.
Since the first day Fang Hua brought him to our house, my heart had felt emptyâŚevery time we ate, thereâd be an extra pair of chopsticks. Heâd also take away pieces of my favorite twice-cooked pork[3].
Fang Hua would never cook only for me again, or only buy clothes for me againâŚanother person had gotten between us.
That person was Han Zichuan.
Han Zichuan would call him Fang HuaâŚ
But I could only call him yifuâŚ
I was in low spirits, but I didnât know whyâŚ
I grabbed a cup off the table and poured myself some waterâŚwhich I drained in one gulp.
I canât be so negative.
There were still important things to do today before Fang Hua came home. With my focus set, I tugged open the front doorâand was greeted with a face full of rainwater.Narrowing my eyes, I touched my faceâŚand sucked in a deep breath. Fine.
Han Zichuan was noticeably startled as he drew back the hand that shook out the umbrella. Quickly, he pulled up his sleeves to wipe my face, saying, âLittle Brother Shao, Iâm really sorry. I didnât do it on purpose.â
What a nice guy.
The differences between us was even more obvious. I shoved him aside.
âScram. Leave me alone.â
He smiled, not the least irritated as he dragged my sleeve. âItâs raining now, so you should bring an umbrella if youâre going out.â
As if I was your wife or such nonsenseâŚbring what umbrella? I gave him a scornful look and waved him off, saying boldly, âI donât need one.â
With a swish of my robes, I valiantly walked off.
Tch, this rain wasnât even that heavyâŚit didnât even land on my robesâŚeeee? Something didnât seem right. I turned around and spotted Han Zichuan raising an umbrella over my head, following in my footsteps with a warm smile.
I sucked in a breath.
I was finished. Some people just had stubborn personalities that refused to change. I could only let him do as he wanted and hold the umbrella. I was sullen for the entire trip.
After crossing through part of the bamboo forest, the skies cleared up. The weather in the mountains were fickle at times like these, always changing unpredictably. Han Zichuan closed his umbrella and stood there quietly. I glanced at him and saw that a large section behind his shoulders was soaked from the rain.
A part of my heart turned soft. Actually, this person had pretty good moral character.
âThe scenery here is really mesmerizing. Did Little Brother Shao come to collect ingredients for medicines?â Han Zichuan surveyed the area around him, finally smelling the faint scent of medicinal plants in the air.
âNo,â I replied tersely.
I closed up my thoughts and pushed aside the bamboo leaves, stepping past some twigs until I was standing atop the edge of the cliff and looking down.
The entire mountain was covered in plants and flowersâŚ
It was as splendid a sight as I remembered.
I hadnât come here for a long time. What used to be a cliff for the younger me could only be considered a slope now. Over the past few months, Fang Hua not only told me to soak in medicinal baths to increase my internal energy[4], but taught me some breathing techniques as well.
But he didnât teach me many martial arts movesâŚeven though this was a high slope, I didnât really have much grasp of how to get down safely.
I couldnât resist peeking a glance again. Kicking a rock downhill, I watch as it tumbled down in a stream of dustâŚand my heart beat wildly. Actually, this was still pretty high.
âWhen the internal energy reaches the top of the head, bring the full weight of you body to your upper half. This way your feet will be able to travel over surfaces with the slightest pressure.â A voice slowly floated towards me.
AhâŚ
Was it like that?
âThe movements must be swift, so the momentum can remain unbroken. If youâre slow by even a bit and canât attract the qi, your qi will naturally sink down and the weight of your body will return to as before.â
Surprised, I didnât think much before doing exactly as told. One foot stepped onto the precipice, body twisting to borrow some energy as I opened up my sleeves and started lightly floating down.
The scenery shifted as I moved along, making me dizzy. My feet lost their grip and I stepped onto the spongy soil.
CursesâŚ
But I hadnât injured myself. Raising my head, I saw the person whoâd tipped me off give me a helpless expression as he paced back and forth by the edge.
âThanks,â I waved at him.
He grew even more anxious and dragged out a length of rattan vine, as if he was going to climb down after me.
Nice guyâŚ
He was great at memorizing things but it was all for naught since he didnât know any martial arts skills. I stuffed my robes around my waist and started drifting up like a stray leaf. At the very top of the precipice, I grabbed him by the collar and with light steps, forcefully took him along as I floated back down.
Darn it, heâs really heavy.
The two of us crashed heavily to the ground, and he helplessly tumbled to the bottom. In contrast, I dusted myself off and leisurely got to my feet, looking around until I saw that patch of yellow earth again. My expression grew heavy as I made my way over.
Han Zichuan followed, tripping and stumbling along.
This was the placeâŚ
There was no mistake.
I squatted down and felt about the soil for a long whileâŚ
Huh? How could it wasnât there anymore?
âShaoâer, what are you looking forâŚahâŚâ The person[5] walking leisurely towards the tomb in the patch of yellow earth suddenly turned pale and backed up a few paces, using his body to block my field of vision.
Meanwhile, my handâŚ
Just happened to brush against something buried in the dirt.
-o-
[1]umbrella (äź) ďźsan. Ancient Chinese umbrellas were typically made from wood and oil-paper. Sometimes they were decorated with paintings and other designs, as seenhere. Theyâre typically stiffer and straighter than modern-day umbrellas. You can read more about them on Wikipedia.
[2]Han Zichuan (éŠĺĺˇ) ďźour third character makes his debut! Han is just a surname. Zi could mean âsonâ or âchildâ, and Chuan is âriverâ or âplain.â So his full name could be read as the âHan son of the river/plainsâ, I think.
[3]twice-cooked pork (ĺé č) ďźhui guo rou, or âdouble-cooked porkâ, a Sichuan styled Chinese dish mixing simmered + stir-fried pork with vegetables. Often served with chili seasoning.
[4]internal energy (ĺ ĺ) ďź forgot to mention this in the previous chapter, but this is the same neigong Fang Hua used to pick Shaoâer up and inspect her in chapter 4. I figured an English stand-in for the pinyin wouldnât hurt the meaning.
[5]the person ďźthe original text isnât very clear, but I think itâs still Han Zichuan (?) speaking here. I donât know why he suddenly started calling his Brother Shao âShaoâerâ like Fang Hua, though. If Iâm wrong, Iâll come back and fix things in this chapter.
â
TN: This chapter was the shortest one so far, at only 13 pages on my Pleco clipboard. Which meansâŚthe next one should come out by tonight too, heh.