When I first arrived, I was as tall as his knees, but now my height reached his shoulders. Still, he looked as same as the first time I laid eyes on him.
Chapter 16: ConfrontingĀ Yifu
Han Zichuan really was a good man who didnāt fight with a woman.
No matter how I made fun of him, he still kept his eyes downcast. When I moved closer to take a look, he actually turned his face away to speak. āYouā¦ ā¦keep your distance from me.ā
āChe,Ā itās not like Iāll miss out on much,ā I gave him a side glance, before stooping over to pull up a patch of grass. āTeasing you is a lot less fun thanĀ yifu.ā
He seemed stunned. I brushed aside my sleeves and messily gathered up my damp hair, holding it in place with my red wood hairpin.
āFang Hua really didnāt raise you as a girl these past ten years?ā Han Zichuan suddenly blurted out.
The sunlight just then happened to get in my eyes, and I squinted when I turned to look at him. He stared back blankly, as if the sight dazed him. After a long time, he finally teared his eyes from my face to rest above my head.
āYourĀ yifuĀ is a Fang Hua Beastā¦right?ā
Not wanting to reply, my lips pursed as I glanced at him and resumed walking away.
He followed behind me without a word. The two of us walked softly, one in front of the other, the silence occasionally broken by the sound of falling leaves. When his voice rose again, it was as bright and clear as jade. āFang Hua withdrew from the world to live here. Heās used to living quietly by himself, and yet he took you in as his adopted son.ā
The wind blew gently, carrying along the sweet, indistinct fragrance of flowers and a unique scent that smelled like medicine toĀ settleĀ in my very bones.
āHe treats you extremely wellā¦āĀ Han Zichuanās voice paused. āHe even giftedĀ you with a Fang Hua Wood.ā
This particular sentence piqued my interest and I stopped, gazing at him out of the corner of my eyes. He was fixated on the hairpin in my hair, standing still beneath the willow trees as if turned to stone. There was still a soft, mild smile on his face, and an excited, if hesitant, expression in his eyes.
His current faceĀ and bearing felt a little odd to me, but I couldnāt tell where it was wrong. I hesitated, then touched the hairpin, only to see his eyes light up. My heart started to pound, and I withdrew my hand. āā¦this hairpin was made from Fang Hua Wood? Is it very important to myĀ yifu?ā
He replied, āYou can ask him.ā
āYouāve seen Fang Hua wood before, right?ā I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to guess from his expression. āI wear this hairpin everyday, so why tell me this now?ā
His face looked as if it wanted to smile, but the smile was a pained one. āFang Hua Wood is an exceedingly precious thing that can nullify hundreds of poisons. There are always people searching for it, and Iāve had the luck to seen one in the past as well. But the one you have now is a little different. Iām only guessing so I canāt be sure, but the changes in your body today are probably related to this wood. Thatās what finally convinced me.ā
He just clasped his hands[1]. āIām a bit tired, so Iām going to go on ahead.āĀ He seemed as if he was frightened about something.
Che,Ā this personā¦whatās his problem?
His moods shifted quicker than a person turning the pages of a book. Before long, heād already disappeared without a trace. I stood there looking around for a bit before leisurely walking back to the house. I closed the door, pulled out my hairpin, and examined it closely in my hand.
My head bent down as I got even closer to take a sniff, but it wasnāt as the same fragrance as Iād smelled before.
Was this really Fang Hua Wood? It didnāt look much different from regular mahogany wood. It felt warm as I grasped it in my handsā¦
From the expression on Han Zichuanās face just now, it was easy to tell that he had been hiding something.Ā Aishā¦what could it be? I sucked in another breath and placed the hairpin on a low table. Absentmindedly, my eyes caught sight of my bronze mirror and my heart stopped. I paused for a second and slowly walked over, a feeling of impatience in my heart.
To tell you the truth, itād been a while. Besides knowing my skin was now a little whiter, I had no idea what I looked like. The reflection given off by the bronze mirror was blurry and pale yellow, but as I cameĀ closer, the imager grew clearer.
There stood a figure dressed in menās robes. Despite this, the clothing couldnāt hide the lithe and graceful curves of a womanās figure, and the effect it gave off was a mixture of a manly, unrestrained spirit and a delicate, feminine air. It was an irresistibly dreamlike vision that made it hard for one to look away.
Compared to before, I couldnāt even measure how much better looking I was nowā¦
Suddenly, a fine voice carried over from behind me.
āDid you get rid of the poison?āĀ An extraĀ voice rose out of the air, startling me.
Another figure appeared in the mirror to stand behind me. A cinnabar mark below the eye[2] framed a pair of beautiful pupils filled with feelings of tenderness.
āWhen didĀ yifuĀ open the door and come in? I didnāt even realize.ā
āNot so long ago. I kept thinking of you, so I came to take a look.ā He grasped my shoulder andĀ turned me around, smiling asĀ I faced him.
His eyes were full of warmth.
We were so close that his breath tickled my cheeks, and the sensation made me a little restless. My heart started beating wildly, and I unconsciously took a few steps back, hand pressing against a low table until it brushed against something and knocked it to the ground with a noise.
āYikesā¦ā I lowered my head.
But he used his handsĀ to raise my head, gently stroking my forehead as he peered at my face. I blinked. When he spoke again, it was in a tone that had never sounded so genial before, warmer than the spring breeze. āYou look just like your fatherā¦ā
Fang Hua knew my family, could it be thatā¦
āYouāre familiar with my father?ā
āThatās a thing of the pastā¦ā he smiled gently, though it seemed a little anguished, his eyes still fixed on me. āBut I only remember him faintly now.ā
He didnāt say anything else, only stroking the hair that covered my face as he fell into silence. On the other hand, my heart kept on thumping like a drum.
So he really hadnāt picked me up by coincidence to raise meā¦that meetingĀ at the dilapidated temple was done with conscious effort. In other words, he came looking for someone on purpose that day?
The human skeletonĀ on the yellow soil tombā¦and the cloth I found in its robesā¦
I suddenly opened my eyes wide, backing up a giant step until I hit the wooden table again. My eyebrows furrowed as a sharp pain hit my waist, bitter beyond words.
He pulled my hand withĀ only a little bit of strength, and I tumbled into his arms. He smiled, and started petting my head like he would a childās.
āItās been so many years, but youāre stillĀ just like him. You canāt be so muddleheaded. In the future, youāll have to start a family and get a job[3].ā
Start a family and get a job?
Startled, I blurted out, āI canāt do that.ā
āWhy not?ā the corners of his lips drew up.
Because,Ā who ever heard of a woman starting a family and getting a job, or picking a wife?
āThink it over carefully, thereās no rush.ā He stroked my hair comfortingly, raising his slender eyebrows. The look in his eyes seemed to say,Ā take you time to make up an excuseā¦thereās no rushā¦
I lowered my head and began. āItās becauseāā my eyes darted in quick circles, āāI want to stay with Fang Hua for the rest of my life.ā
As soon as I said it, I felt like biting off my tongue. I docilely lowered my head and stole a peek at him. This was my first time calling him Fang Hua.
He smiled, his entire face filled with gentleness. He didnāt seem angry that I called him by his name, but seemed rather comfortable with the whole thing. The cinnabar mark by his eye resembled a teardrop, and he heaved a low sigh into the air. āWho can really stay by whose sideā¦ ā¦?ā
āAfter a few years, Shaoāer will become an adult. You are different from me. You canāt always stay by my side.ā Even though he sighed with feeling as he said these words, his next action was to embrace me. I closed my eyes and relaxed in the warm hug, surrounded by soft cloth as a fragrant aroma assaulted my nostrils. It was a sudden scent that made me look up at Fang Hua in a half-trance. Time really passed quicklyā¦
When I first arrived, I was as tall as his knees, but now my height reached his shoulders. Still, he looked as same as the first time I laid eyes on him.
It really was a pity to just call himĀ yifu.
The wind blew gently, rustling the paper windows. Faintly, one could hear the sound of Han Zichuan walking around outside, preparing to bring in the herbs that had been left to dry in the sun. Fang Hua gave an exclamation of surprise, staring at a point before releasing me and bending down. āAlthough you canāt break something like thisā¦ā
He picked up the hairpin that had fallen to the floor and blew on it. āWhen you drop this next time, make sure I donāt see it.ā So speaking, he drew up his sleeves and carefully wiped the hairpin with the cloth. Then taking it in his hands, he prepared to do my hair for me.
I gave a start as I stared at the fiery red hairpin, thinking back to the beginning. I grabbed him by the hand and asked,Ā āYifu,Ā is there anything youāre not telling me?ā
āI secretly drank half a jug of wine today.ā
āNo? I dug up the cabbage[4] you planted in exchange for a chrysanthemum plant, because I thought that tasted better.ā
Forgive me, but Iām angry.
āYou know this isnāt what Iām asking about,ā My eyes narrowed as they moved to the red wood hairpin. āA hairpin made from Fang Hua wood, and my fatherā¦everything about all these things, I need to understand.ā
He suddenly gave me a cold and melancholy smile.
[1]clasped his handsĀ (ä¾äŗä¾ę) ļ¼gong le gong shou,Ā a motion where both hands are brought before the chest, one in the shape of a fist, the other clasped around it. A traditional way of greeting each other or saying farewells, usually accompanied by a bow.
[2]cinnabar marks below the eyeĀ (ē¼č§äøēę±ē ) ļ¼yan jiao xia de zhu sha,Ā thanks to how ambiguous Chinese can be, Iām still debating whether Fang Hua has just one mark below one eye orĀ bothĀ eyes. Until we find out otherwise, Iāll stick with just the oneā¦.
[3]start a family and get a jobĀ (ę家ē«äø) ļ¼cheng jia li ye,Ā is exactly what the English means, though in this case itās heavily implied from a male perspective. A man should settle down with his own family and start his career so he can support them. It also implies he should get a wife as well.
[4]cabbageĀ (ē½č) ļ¼bai cai,Ā this would be Chinese cabbage, also known as Napa cabbage, white at the base and framed with light green leaves. Great in hotpots, by the way.