Chapter 111

Chapter 111

On the second day, Tang Liu, accompanied by Sui Lanwei, finished touring the entire mansion. He had committed the layout of the whole estate to memory, though the four corners—southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest—remained unclear. Whenever they neared one, Wei Wei would complain her legs ached and refuse to go further, so he never got a clear sense of those areas.

By the third day, Tang Liu calculated it was the day for the customary return visit. He asked Sui Lanwei if she wanted to go back, but she refused.

"I don't wish to go out. In a few days, they will naturally come here."

Being stuck inside was extremely boring. The mansion was vast, and according to Wei Wei's description, it was the season when all things come back to life, with a riot of color everywhere. There was a pond under a corridor in the backyard where one could watch and feed the fish. However, Tang Liu was blind, so for all its magnificence, the mansion couldn't compare to the lively hustle and bustle of the streets outside.

By the fifth day, Tang Liu couldn't stand it any longer. He ran his fingers over his clay bowl and entertained the idea of going out to beg again. Even if he didn't beg, just going out for a walk would be nice.

He called out "Wei Wei" several times but received no response.

Over the past few days, Tang Liu had noticed Wei Wei's health was indeed poor. She was often drowsy during the day, slept little at night, and ate like a bird. During their shared meals, Tang Liu felt he had just started when Wei Wei would say she was full.

Assuming she was still asleep, Tang Liu stood up with his bamboo cane and slipped the clay bowl into his robe.

He walked out and made his way to the main gate when suddenly he heard a voice behind him, "Husband Liu, where are you going?"

Wei Wei?

Why was she up?

Tang Liu turned to answer when another door opened, followed immediately by Wang Deqi's question, "Tang Liu, what are you doing here?"

Wang Deqi walked around to face Tang Liu. Seeing the half-exposed clay bowl, his heart leaped into his throat. "Where are you planning to go?"

Had he figured things out and was making a run for it?

"There's nothing to do here. I'm just going out to kill some time," Tang Liu replied, his attention still on Wei Wei, calling back toward where she was. "I'll just wander around nearby and be back soon."

Wang Deqi, however, thought Tang Liu was speaking to him. "No!"

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Tang Liu's attention was pulled back, and he asked, puzzled.

Wang Deqi said, "You cannot leave here."

"Why not?"

"Not until my young lady is completely well."

Tang Liu hadn't expected that even after marrying, he wouldn't be free to come and go. Being blind, he hated staying in one place for too long, especially a quiet one. Biting back his irritation, he pointed toward Wei Wei. "Well, your young lady happens to be right here. Call a doctor now to examine her. These past few days, aside from often feeling drowsy, she hasn't had any trouble. I haven't heard her taking medicine, so she doesn't seem seriously ill and bedridden."

Wang Deqi glanced where Tang Liu pointed—there was no one.

To prevent Tang Liu from noticing anything, Wang Deqi had been visiting daily. He was long accustomed to seeing Tang Liu talk to thin air. Though not as terrified as initially, it still gave him the creeps.

He meant to humor Tang Liu but remembered Master Yuansong's instruction to probe what Tang Liu heard. Summoning courage, he said, "You're not fully awake. There's no young lady here. At this hour, my young lady is usually napping in her room."

Tang Liu froze. "...Wei Wei?"

"..."

Strange, had he been hearing things just now?

He called out several more times but got no reply. He was knitting his brows in thought when Wang Deqi interrupted.

"Let's have lunch first. It'll get cold."

Tang Liu had little choice but to follow him back. On the way, Wang Deqi explained, "My young lady's condition has improved. She stopped her medicine after marrying you. It was too strong; prolonged use would harm her. Though better, she still needs quiet rest, or she might easily develop lingering health issues. As her husband, how could you not stay with her?"

Tang Liu said, "It's not that I'm not staying with her. I just wanted to go out while she's asleep. It's not like I'm abandoning her."

He stayed day and night, and even had to learn to sit calmly with a beauty in his lap. Wasn't that enough?

"Who knows when you'd return? What if my lady wakes up to find you gone, or wakes up while you're out?"

This puzzled Tang Liu more. "Just have two maids wait on her. Look at me—does it look like I'm in any shape to care for someone?"

Wang Deqi was speechless, knowing more talk would give the game away. "How would I know? It's not my arrangement."

At the main courtyard, Tang Liu asked Wang Deqi to wait outside. He entered, walked to the bedside, and felt around the bed, touching only cold bedding. He paused, leaned in to feel further, when suddenly a cold hand rested on the back of his.

"Husband Liu, what are you looking for?"

Tang Liu couldn't say why he felt a wave of relief at the voice.

He pulled his hand back. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I was about to wake up anyway."

Tang Liu detected a listless quality in the voice. "Come on, get up and eat something. You didn't have breakfast."

Sui Lanwei said, "Bring the food in. Tell the one outside to leave and return to clean up tonight."

Tang Liu was accustomed to such requests. He relayed the message. Wang Deqi asked nothing more, simply handed him the lunchbox and left.

Tang Liu went back in, laid out the meal, and called Sui Lanwei to eat. Sui Lanwei sat beside him, glanced at the bowl heaped with rice and the steaming dishes, and said, "Husband Liu, I want the first dish on your left."

Tang Liu said "Oh," felt for the bowl's edge with his left hand, and with practiced ease picked up a portion with his right. "What else?"

"The second dish on your right."

Tang Liu complied. Hearing no further requests, he picked up his own bowl and ate.

His table manners weren't elegant, but they weren't unsightly. He ate with such relish it seemed everything was a delicacy. Sui Lanwei sat beside him, watching, absorbing the essence of the food from his bowl. Occasionally he directed Tang Liu to add more, soon declaring he was full.

After Tang Liu finished, Sui Lanwei asked, "Earlier when I woke, you were gone. Where did you go?"

Tang Liu wiped his mouth, thinking Wang Deqi was right. He repeated his explanation and again suggested maids for company.

Sui Lanwei's expression clouded over. "I've said no outsiders. Do I need maids, or do you want them? Do you find this place boring? Do you find me boring?"

Huh?

What does that have to do with anything?

Tang Liu didn't understand why Sui Lanwei was getting upset all of a sudden. "The mansion is a bit boring..." But maids were only so more people could care for you.

Tang Liu didn't finish. Sui Lanwei gave him a cold glare after the first words, then abruptly stood and left.

Tang Liu heard the harsh scrape of a chair, then a crisp sound like a stick hitting the ground.

He reached out—the seat to his left was empty. He felt again—the bamboo cane that had leaned against the table on his right was gone.

"Wei Wei?"

"..."

Tang Liu rubbed his forehead, crouched down to pick up the bamboo cane, and first searched around the room. Unable to find anyone, he hurried outside. Having no clue where to look, he could only wander around like a headless fly through the mansion, calling her name over and over.

He shouted until his throat was dry, but there was never any response.

Tang Liu was starting to get worried. "Wei Wei, don’t hide anymore. Come back with me, please. The wind is strong outside; you might catch a cold."

Not far from him, Sui Lanwei sat on the eaves watching him from there. Seeing the genuine anxiety on Tang Liu’s face and hearing the concern in his words, his irritation started to melt away, and he was just about to come down when Tang Liu added, "Let’s just say I was wrong, okay?"

Sui Lanwei froze, his expression instantly turning icy.

What did he mean, "let’s just say" he was wrong? He *was* wrong!

Before Sui Lanwei could even complain about how troublesome it was to materialize a physical form, Tang Liu was already finding him boring.

How utterly unreasonable!

He made his form vanish, ignoring Tang Liu’s calls from below, turning a deaf ear to all of them.

After searching for a long time, Tang Liu’s temper flared.

He didn’t know what Wei Wei was upset about. He wasn't the one who needed maidservants waiting on him, and it was true that this place was boring. He had married into the family, not signed a life-long servitude contract—why should he spend all day coaxing someone at a cold bedside?

Not being able to go out was one thing, but even saying a word would be picked apart. He’d had enough!

Tang Liu stormed back to the main courtyard, determined not to go out searching again. However, his anger came and went quickly. In less than an hour, he was fidgeting restlessly again. He had just picked up the bamboo cane and stood up when he immediately sat back down.

Miss Wang was far more familiar with this mansion than he was. What could possibly happen? Once her anger subsided or the weather turned cold, she would naturally return.

Though he thought this, Tang Liu had no mind for anything else and simply waited idly in the room. Only when the draft through the hall turned chilly, and he estimated the sun had begun to set, did he finally hear a sound at the door.

He jumped up. "Wei Wei, is that you?"

"...It’s me, Yin Mei."

"Have you seen your mistress?"

"I didn’t see her when I came in."

"Is it dark yet?"

"Sunset is in about the time it takes for one incense stick to burn." Yin Mei paused. "You sound so worried—has something happened?"

Tang Liu explained the situation and concluded, "Look, apart from me and your mistress, there’s not a single person in this mansion. Only you and De Qi come during the three meals each day, which makes everything so inconvenient. Forget about me—I can make do—but isn’t your mistress still ill? Take now, for example. Your mistress is missing, and I have nowhere to even start looking. If something were to happen, I wouldn't be able to answer for it."

Yin Mei pondered for a moment. "You may not know this, sir, but the mistress’s condition is unusual, and the method of treatment is likewise peculiar. First, she needs complete rest and quiet. Second, she must not come into contact with anyone except you. That’s why the master specifically found this new residence for you and the mistress to live in."

What kind of illness is so strange?

Tang Liu sat down. "Is that the only way?"

"That is the only way."

"Fine, so there's no staff. Right now, the important thing is to find your mistress. She doesn't answer when I call for her. You go look for her; maybe she’ll listen to you."

Yin Mei had no choice but to go out as he suggested.

She walked outside, glanced at the darkening sky and the desolate, dilapidated courtyard, then looked back at Tang Liu, who had come to the doorway and was eagerly watching. She took a few more steps outside the courtyard, took out a compass and a talisman from inside her robe, held the compass in her left hand and the talisman in her right, then brought the talisman to a nearby lantern to light it and tossed it onto the compass.

After the talisman burned out, the compass needle moved, spinning rapidly a few times before firmly pointing in one direction.

Yin Mei let out a breath, memorized the direction, put away the compass, and deliberately lingered outside until dark before going back in.

Tang Liu was still waiting at the doorway. He had sharp ears, and as soon as she approached, he asked, "Well? Did you find her?"

Yin Mei’s face was slightly pale. "I located her."

"And the person? Did she come back with you?"

"She refused to come back with me." Yin Mei felt a chill running down her spine. She rarely mentioned the thing in this mansion. Though she understood the principles, her knowledge of magic was shallow. Using that talisman to locate its position had drained all her energy, and she was now barely holding herself together to speak. "It’s about a hundred paces southeast of here. As for whether it’s willing to return, I’m afraid that depends on you."

Tang Liu asked, "Is she all right?"

Yin Mei could only answer, "She’s all right."

Assured that the person was safe, Tang Liu was in no hurry to search further. He returned to the room and then remembered to ask Yin Mei, "Why are you delivering the evening meal today? Where’s De Qi?"

"I came to bring you some clothes as well. The master and the Taoist priest will be coming tomorrow. Please remember to wear this new set of clothes."

Tang Liu didn’t know what this custom was about, and he couldn’t be bothered to ask. In any case, it was all for treating Miss Wang’s illness. "Got it," he said. After speaking, he heard Yin Mei’s footsteps turn, as if she were heading toward the inner chamber. Remembering that Wei Wei disliked outsiders entering, even though she wasn’t there now—if she found out later, she might get upset again—he quickly stopped her. "Leave it outside."

That night, Tang Liu lay in bed. The covers were warmer than ever before, and he thought he would fall asleep quickly and stay asleep until dawn. Who knew he would have no drowsiness at all?

He tossed and turned in bed, feeling like something was missing. After a long while, he ran a hand through his hair, turned over, sat up, slipped on his shoes, grabbed the first robe he found to wrap around himself, took the bamboo cane, and headed outside.

In the courtyard were four flower beds. No flowers grew there, only a tree planted in each, with many weeds growing beneath. Tang Liu felt around under one of the trees for a moment, plucked two foxtail grasses, then sat on the ground, laid the bamboo cane across his knees, and began weaving around the root of one foxtail grass with his index finger.

He wasn’t skilled at weaving such things, so his movements were very clumsy. He didn’t know how long he spent weaving before he managed to create a little thing with a head and a tail. He slipped it onto his fingertip, bent his finger to test it, and after confirming it wouldn’t fall off, he started weaving the second one.

After finishing both, he tucked them into his robe, picked up the bamboo cane, left the courtyard gate, and headed southeast. After walking about ten paces, he remembered something, turned back to the courtyard gate, reached in to take down a lantern, held his hand above the lantern to feel the warmth, then reassured, he picked up the lantern and continued in the original direction.

After walking about a hundred paces, the bamboo cane hit a threshold. Tang Liu stepped over it and said, "Wei Wei, are you here?"

As expected, no one answered.

Based on Tang Liu’s memory, this place should be an extremely small courtyard, with only one main room inside suitable for lodging.

Tang Liu walked forward until the bamboo cane met an obstruction before stopping. He raised the cane and silently tapped up, down, left, and right, guessing that what stood before him was the main room’s door. Then, through the door, he said, "Wei Wei, are you asleep?"

"..."

No one answered, but inside came a very faint clinking sound, as if someone wrapped in a quilt had rolled over in bed and accidentally bumped against a bedpost.

Tang Liu understood, thinking that she must be resting here, just as Yin Mei had said.

He cleared his throat. "I suddenly remembered a story a storyteller once told. It’s quite interesting. Do you want to hear it?"

Behind him, Sui Lanwei sat on the courtyard wall, arms crossed, watching him coldly.

"If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as you wanting to hear it."

Tang Liu tucked the bamboo cane into his waistband, felt his way along the wall a few steps to the side, stopped when he reached a window, hooked the lantern onto the carved lattice of the window, then crouched down. He adjusted his position to ensure his head wasn’t visible above the window, then took out the two little woven grass toys from his robe, slipped them onto his index fingers, raised them overhead, and pressed them against the window screen.

Sui Lanwei’s gaze flickered. In the next instant, he was inside the room.

In the pitch-black room, only the window where Tang Liu was located glowed with the warm yellow light of the candle. That window was actually very old, with rotting wood and a screen densely covered in spiderwebs. At the very bottom of the window, two shadows the size of finger joints were quietly projected onto the screen.

These two shadows were oddly shaped, only vaguely recognizable as having a not-quite-round, not-quite-square head and a fluffy tail.

Suddenly, these two shadows moved, and immediately after, Tang Liu’s voice rang out.

"Once upon a time, there were two big yellow dogs. One was called Xiao Bai, and the other was Xiao Hei. They were never adopted from a young age. These two dogs depended on each other, hunting together, playing together, and living together in a cave far from people. They were the closest of friends. Although their lives weren't as easy as a house dog's, they were very happy. They didn't have to guard a house or wear a collar. They rolled in the grass, played in the river, napped in the sunshine, living a carefree and free life."

As Tang Liu told the story, the two shadows on the window screen sometimes chased and leaped one after the other, sometimes spun in circles and rolled, sometimes flipped onto their backs, as if truly frolicking and playing on a vast grassland.

Sui Lanwei stepped forward a bit and waved his hand, brushing away the spiderwebs on the window screen.

Suddenly, the two shadows stopped moving and faced each other. Tang Liu's voice took a turn.

"One day, they had an argument over a rabbit." One of the shadows jumped up, looking very angry. "Xiao Hei said, 'I caught this rabbit first, I'm going to eat it!'"

The other shadow also moved, its fluffy tail shaking. "Xiao Bai said, 'We caught this rabbit together. You can't eat it; I want to keep it.'"

"Xiao Hei was furious. 'How can a dog keep a rabbit?' he said. 'Dogs eat rabbits. That's what fills our bellies.' Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei had a big fight. Finally, Xiao Bai said, 'Fine, then eat it! I don't want to see you anymore!'"

"Xiao Bai angrily left the cave." One of the shadows disappeared, leaving only one shadow spinning in place. "After Xiao Bai left, Xiao Hei didn't feel like eating the rabbit anymore. It let the rabbit go and waited and waited in the cave, but Xiao Bai never returned. So, it decided to go out and find Xiao Bai."

"It searched and searched for a long time, finally finding Xiao Bai by the river."

The shadow representing Xiao Hei ran back and forth and spun around on the window screen. After a while, the shadow representing Xiao Bai appeared on the other side of the screen. Xiao Bai had its back to Xiao Hei, its big tail drooping, refusing to turn around no matter how Xiao Hei acted up or tried to win it over from behind.

"Xiao Hei realized that no matter what it said, Xiao Bai wouldn't listen. It thought hard for a moment, then said—" Tang Liu's voice paused, then he actually imitated three incredibly lifelike barks. He asked, drawing out the suspense, "Guess what it said?"

Sui Lanwei couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing him imitate the barks, but remembering he was still angry, he managed to hold it back. Hearing the question, he almost asked what was said, but ultimately held back.

Since he didn't take the bait, Tang Liu went on by himself.

"He said, 'I'm sorry, forgive me. I shouldn't have argued with you over a rabbit. I promise this is the last time. From now on, about things like this, I'll listen to you.'"

"Finally, Xiao Bai turned around and said to Xiao Hei—"

Tang Liu stopped and said, "Wei Wei, what do you think Xiao Bai would say at this moment?"

After speaking, he held his breath and waited. He waited until his palms began to sweat before finally hearing a soft, amused scoff.

"You call these two shapeless things dogs?"

Tang Liu let out a huge sigh of relief, then said, "I've never seen one before; you can't blame me for making them ugly. You still haven't answered: what would Xiao Bai say?"

Sui Lanwei said, "Xiao Bai would say, 'Alright then, I'll forgive you this time, but don't let it happen again.'"

Tang Liu's heart, which had been hanging all day, finally settled. He made the two dog tails touch each other and said, "So, will Xiao Bai go back with Xiao Hei? Sleeping outside definitely isn't as comfortable as in the cave."

Sui Lanwei chuckled softly, stepped forward, and opened the window. He saw Tang Liu crouched beneath the windowsill with his legs bent, a very awkward position. Tang Liu seemed not to have realized the window had opened yet. His hands were raised above his head, and the foxtail grass tassels acting as the little dogs' tails swayed now and then in the night breeze.

Sui Lanwei took on his physical form, leaned over the windowsill, and used his fingertip to play with the two ugly little things on Tang Liu's index fingers. He said, "Alright then, let's go back."

Tang Liu didn't speak. For a moment, his face went blank, as if he hadn't expected him to agree so readily. But he instinctively grabbed Sui Lanwei's hand.

Sui Lanwei was momentarily stunned by his action, then laughed the next moment. "Husband Liu, why are you holding on so tight? I'm not going to run away."

Tang Liu thought to himself, *Haven't you already run away for a whole day?*

He rubbed his nose and was about to let go, but then it was Sui Lanwei who held on tight and wouldn't release.

Sui Lanwei said, "Since Husband Liu has come to fetch me, then lead me back."

Tang Liu had no choice but to first enter the room, lead Sui Lanwei out, and with his other hand, take the lantern and hand it to him. "You hold this lantern. Light the way and be careful not to trip."

Sui Lanwei said with a smile, "With Husband Liu holding my hand, I won't trip."

Tang Liu coughed, unsure how to respond to that, so he had to pretend to be deaf once again. He took the bamboo cane from his waist to tap the path ahead and led him back along the path they came.

Author's Note:

Wishing you good fortune in the Year of the Snake and a happy Lunar New Year! [kiss]