Chapter 4

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Jiang Yun had never seen the house of a wealthy family in town and had no idea what people meant by “imposing.” Now that he had arrived at the Liu residence, he finally understood.

Qingmiao Village was not considered prosperous among the surrounding villages. Every household had a thatched cottage, and whenever the windy, rainy season came, the roofs needed patching. The floors were damp as well.

Back then, he had heard his mother whisper a wish: “If only we could save enough money in this life to build a house with green tiles.” Little Jiang Yun had not understood. What sort of house would require his mother to save money for an entire lifetime before she could build it?

Only after enduring so much hardship did he finally understand. A house with green tiles cost a hundred taels of silver—an amount many people could not save in a lifetime of toil.

Life in the countryside was nothing like life in town. Poor farmers made their living from their few acres of land. After the yearly harvest was taxed and enough grain was set aside to last the family through the year, whatever remained could be sold for no more than four or five taels of silver.

Now that he had finally seen the green-tiled house his mother had spoken of, he understood why she had longed for one. It was indeed magnificent. The tiles were laid in neat rows, and when it rained, the water dripped down along them. The courtyard was even more impressive, its walls built from carved stone bricks, its ground paved entirely with blue-gray brick. Compared with the thatched hut where he lived, it offered far better shelter from wind and rain. Envy surfaced in Jiang Yun’s eyes. If only he could live in a house like this someday.

Willow Jade’s eyes were brimming with tears from the pain, yet he still clung to the doorway and refused to leave. “Brother Yun, you’re the first friend I’ve made since coming here. Once I’m healed, I’ll go find you to play. You mustn’t forget me.”

Friend...

Jiang Yun silently repeated the word. From childhood until now, he had never had a friend. To suddenly be regarded as one warmed his heart, yet it made him even more anxious.

Willow Prudence seemed to see what was on Jiang Yun’s mind. He hurried his younger brother inside, then turned back and said, “Today was too sudden. I have to find a physician for Jade. I’ll personally thank you another day.”

His voice was gentler than any Jiang Yun had ever heard. He was nothing like the village men, who sprayed spittle whenever they opened their mouths.

Jiang Yun clutched the straps of his basket tightly. He did not dare raise his head, merely lowering his eyes and murmuring, “There’s no need to thank me.” Then he turned and ran.

Willow Prudence watched the young man vanish like a gust of wind, his outstretched hand too late to stop him. After a long while, he realized that he had failed to consider the matter carefully and therefore had not gone after him.

After all, Jade had already returned home. If he and Yun remained here alone together, and someone with a loose tongue happened to see them, trouble would surely follow.

Jiang Yun only wanted to protect himself. He dared not think of anything else, much less hope for it.

A full basket of bamboo shoots rested on his back. To keep them fresh, he had left them unpeeled. He did not dare take them home. If Liu Osmanthus saw them, she would not leave him even one.

Carrying the basket alone, he walked to the great tree at the village entrance. Ox carts heading into town passed by every day. If he was lucky and one departed late, he could ride along.

“Yun, what are you doing here all by yourself?”

Uncle Chen came driving an ox cart, calling out in his loud voice.

Jiang Yun’s eyes lit up. Stammering, he said, “Uncle, I... I want to go to town to sell something.”

He was not good at speaking with strangers, or even with people he barely knew. Whenever he spoke, he tended to stumble over his words, and he had often been mocked for it.

Uncle Chen, however, was universally known in the village as a kindhearted man. In the past, when Jiang Yun’s mother had taken him to town, they had often ridden in Uncle Chen’s cart.

“You’re in luck, little one. If I hadn’t been delayed by something at home today, I would have left already. Come on, climb aboard.”

Jiang Yun thanked him in a tiny voice.

The cart was loaded with straw piled half a person’s height, blocking most of the view. Only after Jiang Yun climbed inside did he discover that someone else was sitting in it.

It was a man he had never seen before. Even while seated, the man’s build was imposing. He wore close-fitting black clothing and a bamboo hat whose broad brim hid his entire face whenever he lowered his head.

Jiang Yun froze. Quite apart from the man’s intimidating presence, any man so large would have frightened him away had he known he was there.

For a moment, Jiang Yun stood beside the cart, neither able to climb aboard nor willing to leave.

The man spoke first, his voice low and seemingly devoid of emotion. “Are you coming or not?”

Jiang Yun clenched his teeth. If he failed to sell the basket of bamboo shoots today, Liu Osmanthus would snatch them away the moment he brought them home, and all his morning’s labor would be for nothing.

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In the end, Jiang Yun nodded stiffly. Keeping his chin lowered, he used both hands and feet to climb into the cart. But the cart was high for him, and with the basket on his back, he failed twice to pull himself up.

He thought he heard the man let out a laugh.

His palms grew slick with sweat. He did not dare move, nor did he dare look up.

The ox cart set off, jolting along the uneven dirt road. Jiang Yun had no choice but to grab at something beside him to steady himself. The moment his hand reached out, he felt something soft, warm, and sticky.

He recoiled in horror, only to realize that it was two dead rabbits, their blood not yet fully drained. His hand was pressed directly against the wounds where their flesh had been torn open by bites.

Jiang Yun quickly withdrew his hand. Then he suddenly noticed a dagger at the man’s waist. Its blade was sharp and gleamed with a cold light, as though a single stroke could cut him down.

This time Jiang Yun could no longer pretend to be calm. He kept retreating until half his body nearly slipped from the cart, desperate only to get farther away from the man.

The man beneath the bamboo hat seemed to notice his retreat. His jaw tightened, but he continued sitting with his arms folded across his chest, appearing to doze.

A short while later, a handkerchief was suddenly tossed onto Jiang Yun’s body. It had been washed until its color had faded, and the embroidery upon it was old, but it was very clean.

Jiang Yun stared at it, uncertain and hesitant.

The man said, “Wipe your hand and return it to me.” His voice was firm, though no longer as cold as before.

Jiang Yun suddenly remembered that night in the woods—the white steamed bun, the man, and the dog that had appeared out of nowhere. When he had thought he had encountered a monster and was about to be eaten, that man had simply turned and left.

For some reason, Jiang Yun was no longer quite so afraid. Though the man before him seemed frightening, he had never actually done anything evil.

By comparison, Liu Osmanthus was the one with a heart as poisonous as a snake or scorpion, the one who truly inspired fear.

He carefully wiped his hand clean. His hands were thin and delicate, but years of being ordered about and forced to work had covered them with calluses. Compared with Jiang Mo’s hands, which had never needed to wash clothes or cook, they were undeniably unattractive.

For the first time, Jiang Yun felt a trace of inferiority. He folded the handkerchief neatly and said softly, “It’s dirty now. I’ll wash it and return it to you.”

The man suddenly raised his head, revealing his face beneath the bamboo hat.

It was a hard, handsome face, with deep-set, solemn eyes. His sharp brows seemed to conceal blades, his nose was straight and prominent, and his lips were thin.

By all rights, it should have been an extraordinarily handsome face. Unlike Willow Prudence’s gentle elegance, this man’s beauty was its complete opposite.

Yet his overly indifferent gaze, together with the scar running from his forehead to his temple and cutting deeply into his brow ridge, made people afraid to look at him. Thus, his true appearance was easily overlooked.

This was the first time Jiang Yun had seen him clearly. He stared blankly, forgetting even to react.

“You...”

Gu Chengwu’s expression changed abruptly. He turned away, lowered the bamboo hat to cover his forehead, and said coldly, with a hint of impatience, “Throw it away.”

Jiang Yun was at a loss. He could not understand why the man’s manner changed so suddenly. Nevertheless, he summoned his courage and said, “I... I dirtied your handkerchief. I’ll wash it clean and return it to you.”

The man across from him remained silent for a long while. He must be angry.

But when Jiang Yun looked up, he met the man’s gaze. Much of the coldness and distance had faded from his eyes, leaving behind only faint surprise and puzzlement.

“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

Jiang Yun gripped the handkerchief and lowered his head. In a small voice, he said, “I was afraid. I’m afraid of Liu Osmanthus, and of Jiang Mo... But they’re the only ones who have ever hit me. You haven’t...”

His voice was so soft that it nearly blended into the wind around them.

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Yet even such a faint voice was caught by Gu Chengwu without missing a word. He remembered the first time he had seen this young man. He had been so timid that he had not even dared pick up a steamed bun.

The second time had been by the river. Though another young man had bullied him until he did not dare resist and had humiliated him with a hair ribbon, Jiang Yun had still turned around and thrown the ribbon away. He was not entirely spineless or without courage.

The young man wore a lifeless gray hemp garment. In the cold weather of March, he had only a few thin layers of clothing. It was not difficult to imagine what sort of life he led.

Gu Chengwu withdrew his gaze and said in what he believed was a gentler voice, “Either return it to me now, or throw it away.”

If Jiang Yun washed it before returning it, and someone happened to see him, they would certainly spread rumors that the young man had been meeting him in secret. His reputation would be ruined.

But Jiang Yun’s thoughts had yet to catch up. He bit his lip, still believing that he had angered the man, and for a moment had no idea what to do.

The ox cart soon reached the town. Many people were coming and going at the entrance. Gu Chengwu rose and leapt from the cart. Despite his immense height, his movements were light and agile.

He lifted the two rabbits with one hand. Before entering the town, he glanced back at Jiang Yun, then curled a finger and took the bloodstained handkerchief from Jiang Yun’s arms.

Jiang Yun’s ears suddenly flushed red. For that brief moment, the man had been so close. From childhood onward, Jiang Yun had always kept as far away from men as possible.

Uncle Chen tied the ox cart to a large stone post. Ox carts filled the surrounding area, and someone was specifically responsible for watching over them. Parking cost five copper coins per hour.

Five copper coins was not much, but it was still money spent. Jiang Yun could not ride Uncle Chen’s cart for free, so he said, “Uncle, let me give you two copper coins for the fare today.”

He had heard that people generally paid Uncle Chen two copper coins to ride his ox cart into town. Besides, Uncle Chen had a difficult life. He and Granny Shen had no children, and the two elderly people living alone depended on this work to earn a little money for daily necessities.

Uncle Chen glanced at him and waved his hand. “When your mother was alive, she often visited my wife. Now that she’s gone, you’re all alone. We can help you in whatever small ways we can, so keep your money. If you ever need to come into town, just let me know.”

The two copper coins lying in Jiang Yun’s palm suddenly felt as precious as gold. He hated those who bullied him and felt grateful toward those who helped him.

He decided that once he sold the bamboo shoots and secretly saved a little spending money for himself, he would help Uncle Chen’s family with chores whenever he had the time.

After parting from Uncle Chen for the moment, Jiang Yun paid the stall fee and went to the marketplace. It was already crowded with people selling all kinds of vegetables, as well as fruit and prepared food.

Most of the vegetable buyers were families from the alleys. The large households had already arranged for their vegetables to be delivered from their estates and would never come here to jostle with them.

Shepherd’s purse was plentiful in spring, and many people sold it, but it was not worth much. Bamboo shoots, by contrast, were far more popular.

Two middle-aged men came hand in hand and stopped in front of Jiang Yun. One of them asked, “How much are you selling these bamboo shoots for?”

Jiang Yun did not often sell things, and he did not have a scale. He merely pressed his lips together and said, “The large ones are five copper coins, and the small ones are three.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the thinner man cried out, “What? Five copper coins? They don’t look that big to me. How about this—give us a cheaper price. I’ll buy the large ones for three coins and the small ones for two.”

It was Jiang Yun’s first time selling anything. He had to deal with strangers, and his palms were damp with sweat. His whole body tense, he began to stammer. “Th-these are the first shoots of spring. They’re not expensive.”

He had just borrowed money to pay the stall fee. If he sold them for only three copper coins, he would have hardly any coins left after paying the fee.

Seeing him stammer and speak so softly, the two men decided he would be easy to bully and pressed him harder. “What do you mean, the first shoots? People were selling these several days ago. We only came because you looked honest. Who would have thought you’d charge so much?”

As they spoke, the two men simply began stuffing the large bamboo shoots into their own basket, then threw down three copper coins and turned to leave.

When Jiang Yun saw them forcing the sale upon him, he reached out to stop them, but the fatter man shoved him to the ground.

He could not fight two people by himself. All he could do was watch them carry away his goods as his eyes instantly grew misty.

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