per.
JUNE 19, 2016RUYI
Chapter 2: An Encounter Returning Home
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The Fang Hua Shou is a primarily male animal with a peaceful disposition. It prefers to live alone and its figure is not much different from a mortal’s. It is skilled in growing unusual, treasured medicinal herbs. Initially nameless, its flowers (hua) gave rise to Hua (or splendid), and the ancient name Fang Hua Shou.   — 《Discussions of Yi Zhi》
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“If you agree to come home with me, I’ll give you three meals a day and guarantee you eat until you’re full.” The light but innately intoxicating words of the male had the obvious markings of a fraudulent kidnapper.
His hand was very warm. A person had yelled at me once for being a smelly beggar, but no one had ever led me along like this.
Thus the young and clueless me fell into enemy territory, led by food and his charm. For a trifling mantou, I nodded my head and obediently allowed him to take me away, aSsuming an air of shyness, but my heart was surging like a river inside.
The main streets were rather chilly, and occasionally two or three shabbily-clothed people would breathe, eyes half shut, as they leaned against some stone steps. A little beggar wearing a rough burlap gown raised a hand to block the way ahead of him.
Geez… …what for?
He’s not thinking to block the way and rob him, right.
I raised my head, lifting my eyes to take a look at the beautiful person.
He seemed to show no interest, indifferent to asking or listening.
Although this child had a filthy face, he was intelligent and strong. A pair of dark, swarthy eyes stared at our hands as he half-jogged to follow, trying to tug with his own hand. But the beautiful person waved his sleeve and pushed him away.
I thought he had a good temper, but it seems that wasn’t so… …
“Remember, I don’t like coming in contact with people.”
The leaves on the willow branches flew wildly while a gentle breeze ruffled his sleeves. Beneath the sunlight, his face was so beautiful that it was hard for people to see clearly, as if a pale glow of moonlight shrouded him. He used this sort of soft manner to speak these words, even as his hand was firmly attached to mine, leading me along.
A delicate expression on that face.
I grew silent.
He also grew reticent, and without uttering a sound, led me along a fragrant lane towards the depths of a outlying forest bordering the edge of civilization.
I started to feel dread and tugged my hand free, wanting to run away, but the beautiful person only gripped it tighter.
Rumors went that they were people who intentionally preyed on little urchins and used them as catamites in remote, out of the way places.
I also heard that poor people had nothing to eat, but some rich people who were bored of the same foods enjoyed washing clean a five or six-year-old child and steam them in clear soup, of course… …also in remote, out of the way places.
The whole time I followed, I was confused and shaking, my entire body weak.
I wasn’t sure how long we walked, but by the time I couldn’t keep up and was stumbling along, he turned back and lightly caught me, before carrying me in his arms. Nowadays I call this an unexpectedly flattering favor.
I blanked out.
“Don’t move around.”
The beautiful person emanated an unusually sweet smell that calmed one’s heart and smelling the aromatic scent tired me out. Those warm, soft tones continually spoke in my ear, “We’re almost home.”
There was something else he said afterwards.
As if it was very important.
But I couldn’t hear anything clearly anymore, with exhaustion suddenly pouring over me like the tide. I leaned against his warm embrace and fell into a deep sleep.
I had a dream.
In the bitterest cold, during the days of starvation, the old beggar held me and said, child born under an unlucky star, you should have been fortunate and wealthy. Endure and grit your teeth to pass through… …your mother will come pick you up.
I had this dream for a long time, though I wasn’t sure of the details. When I opened my eyes again I found myself already lying on a wooden carving with the roof beams shaking… …no, it was the bed that was shaking, and the warm and soft bedding was like someone’s embrace. A surprisingly sweet scent appeared, and a sense of carefreeness swept over me, but it was a familiar feeling.
I thought and thought… …
A warm breath stroked my neck, at times slow or quick, but always continuous, making me unbearably itchy. As soon as I turned over, I ran into a person’s chest whose face was right before my eyes, giving me a severe shock.
The beautiful person was like jade parted by the clouds, looking… …
A pair of phoenix eyes like lustrous jade, limpid and bright, that curved up slightly in the corners. Beneath the left eye was an exquisite cinnabar decoration on the fair white skin in the imitation of a snow-frosted plum blossom, the red hue a soul-stirring beauty.
My heart started to beat rapidly.
For no reason… …I stared ahead dazedly until I blanked out.
In all the time I had lived, I’d never seen such a beautiful person who dazzled with every look.
“Awake?” his voice was like clear and melodious like cool spring water, but also gentle and soft like a woman’s. It was a bit low but extremely pleasing to hear.
“Un.” I faintly broke out of a trance, realizing I’d never looked at him so closely before. As I looked once again, I really had trouble figuring out whether he was a man or a woman.
The old beggar said my mother had a teardrop-shaped birthmark below her eye.
That there would come a day when she came for me.
Looking at his face, I dazedly gave out a silly giggle.
“Behind the house is a clear spring, and your change of clothes are at the head of the bed. After cleaning yourself, come to the front room to eat.” He straightened up with the help of his hands and walked to the door, where he paused. “The smell on your body, if you can’t get rid of it–don’t come inside the house.”
I blankly watched his form walk away, the white robes elegant and graceful, the fine, beautiful figure like the demeanor of a transcendent being.
My head hung, and my heart trembled.
Could it be… …is it possible that I’ve met an Immortal?
It really was strange. Why did he pick me out of all those people?
Could it be that his compassion was like a Boddhisattva’s, and he couldn’t bear to see a group of grown-ups picking on a child?
But he clearly treated that starving, dying beggar child on the streets with indifference, and didn’t give him half a penny.
Unless…
He really wanted to foster a catamite or eat a child?
But the urchin that blocked his path on the way was much more intelligent, and looked much better than me. He even offered himself up, it just wasn’t logical… …to pick me, and not him.
My face was full of doubts.
After changing into my clothes, I observed my reflection in the mirror, a thin and weak under-grown child wrapped up in oversized, draping clothing. No matter how I washed, my face still looked a little dirty, and my hair was like grass, withered to the point of sallowness.
No matter how you looked, I was a feather-head child.
It’s no wonder that he gave me a boy’s robe, but no matter what… …since they were new clothes, I was content.
When I arrived in the front rooms, the beautiful person was already sitting there waiting for me with a bowl of white rice, fresh greens, white tofu and a giant bowl of red braised pork.
“Eat,” he raised a finger to point at the dishes on the table.
Meat… …
Meatmeatmeatmeatmeat.
I was too busy to care about him, but picked up my chopsticks and swooped over, my right hand trembling as it held on with clinging motions, scarfing down food like wolves and tigers as I muttered vaguely, “You… …aren’t eating.”
He only smiled towards me, but remained motionless to pick up any chopsticks.
“I’m not accustomed to eating these.” So speaking, he rose to receive a basin of fresh water and soaked his hand inside before slowly leaving.
A strange person.
What kind of person wasn’t used to eating a meal? Unless all of this was… …especially made for me to eat?
I smiled so much my eyes turned into slits.
It looked like this place wasn’t bad.
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