Song Fengsui was woken by the heat. He had dreamed of nothing all night and thought he had only slept for a short while, but when he opened his eyes, he saw that the bed beyond the curtain was already brightly lit. He sat up abruptly.
The cicadas’ incessant cries and the scorching sunlight poured into the room together. Still a little dazed, he rubbed his eyes. After waking from such a long sleep, he could hardly tell what time it was—or where he was.
Only when An Ge'er heard the commotion and entered the room did he gradually come to himself. He was in Duan Yan’s residence.
He instinctively asked, “What time is it? Where’s Duan Yan?”
An Ge'er set the tea he had brought in on the table. Seeing that Song Fengsui’s first question upon waking was about Duan Yan, he couldn’t help covering his mouth and laughing.
“Young Master, you certainly slept well. It’s almost noon already. Master Duan is in the back kitchen, cooking fish for you. Two whole grass carp—Master Duan went out early this morning to buy them. He said an old farmer had caught them in a deep mountain stream. They’re sure to be sweet and free of any fishy smell.”
Song Fengsui pressed his lips together, then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked, “He didn’t go out to take care of business?”
“He asked once this morning whether you were awake. After breakfast, he went out with Master Gou San, but they returned before long. He asked about you again when he got back. When he heard you were still sleeping, he instructed this servant not to disturb you and has remained at the residence ever since.”
Song Fengsui had been worried about dealing with Chen Hu, so he quickly got out of bed. After washing up, he was just about to leave the room to find Duan Yan when the man arrived first, carrying the freshly cooked fish.
The fish stew still steaming from the pot filled the air with a sweet-and-sour fragrance. The aroma followed Duan Yan all the way in, whetting the appetite.
Song Fengsui licked his lips and sat back down at the table. Having slept through breakfast, his stomach was empty, and he had no hope of resisting the temptation of a meal Duan Yan had cooked himself.
Seeing that Song Fengsui had finally regained some color in his pale face after a full night’s sleep, Duan Yan’s lips curved upward. He ladled some fish broth and tofu into a white porcelain bowl and gently set it in front of him.
“Eat something first. I’ll tell you about Chen Hu.”
Seeing how calm and unhurried Duan Yan was, Song Fengsui guessed that even if matters had not gone entirely smoothly, they could not have been too difficult. Some of the tension in his heart eased. He nodded and picked up the spoon.
The broth was perfectly balanced—tart enough to whet the appetite and refreshingly light without being so sour that it made the mouth uncomfortable. The fish was firm but tender, with a faint sweetness running through the flesh that had not been overwhelmed by the sour broth. It truly was the clean, delicate flavor of fish that had spent its life in a mountain stream.
“Last night, in front of every steward under my command, I exposed Chen Hu for what he was. I sent him and the evidence straight to the town yamen. While I was at it, I gave the others a thorough warning as well. They should all behave themselves for the time being.”
Duan Yan continued, “Once Magistrate Kong has finished dealing with the epidemic, Chen Hu will most likely be sentenced to death. I also stopped by the Chen residence last night and recovered all the money he had embezzled over the years. That bastard had no idea how many people he’d bullied in secret. His home was practically overflowing with rare treasures.”
Song Fengsui’s eyes shifted slightly. He set down his spoon and said, “You acted so quickly that you even went to his home to settle the accounts in the middle of the night?”
“If I’d been any slower, given how cunning he is, his family would have heard that he had fallen and immediately packed up the money and fled. I never intended to make things difficult for his family, but if they took all the valuables and banknotes with them, where would I go to recover the money Chen Hu had skimmed from the farms and shops?”
Duan Yan thought to himself that every coin of his mattered. How could he possibly let such a large sum slip away? He would have plenty of places to spend it when he went to the other counties and prefectural cities to purchase supplies.
This epidemic was only limited in scope and not especially severe, yet it had already thrown the entire town into disorder. One place was short of this, another lacked that. If several years of famine came, with chaos breaking out beyond the town, how many days would they be able to hold out?
Naturally, he could not tell Song Fengsui any of this yet.
“You’ve thought it through carefully. He followed you for years, and you never withheld his wages or treated him unfairly. Taking back what he stole is only right.”
In a good mood, Song Fengsui picked up his chopsticks and ate some more fish.
The two of them talked for a while longer about what had happened the day before. Then Duan Yan suddenly remembered something.
“Yesterday, I had Lin Er go to your home to deliver a message. Lin Er said Uncle Song didn’t say much, but he did write you a letter.”
As he spoke, he handed Song Fengsui the letter he had kept for him.
When he saw that his father had sent a reply, Song Fengsui’s heart tightened. He quickly took the letter and opened it.
There were not many words. Song Fengsui read through it at a glance, but the contents seemed so unbelievable that he read it again, slowly this time. When he realized he had not misread anything, his brows drew together.
Duan Yan watched his expression darken and asked, “Did Uncle Song scold you?”
Song Fengsui hurriedly folded the letter. He knew that a considerate man like Duan Yan would never look over without permission, but he still felt inexplicably guilty, afraid that Duan Yan might see what was written.
He had assumed that his father intended to lecture him about everything that had happened in recent days. Perhaps he had written instead of sending a messenger because he did not want outsiders to hear it.
Who could have guessed that the letter contained not a single word of reprimand? Instead, it said that after experiencing the upheaval within the family and their exile, his father had seen enough of the world and human nature to understand that Song Fengsui had grown up. He now had his own ideas and his own standards for judging people. The family would support him in doing what he wished and in befriending those with whom he felt a genuine connection.
Everything in the capital—the riches, honors, and people he had once known—was merely fleeting. Now that he had learned to accept his present life with optimism, meeting new people was a good thing…
His father also reminded him that though Rock Town was a small place and had fewer rules than the capital, as a young man he still had to protect himself at all times. The most basic courtesies remained essential, and above all, he must not trust a man’s words too easily.
Song Fengsui knew his father well. How could he fail to understand what those words really meant?
His head buzzed.
That night, when Duan Yan had taken him home, he had exhausted himself trying to explain to his father that Duan Yan was not a bad person and that he had not offered himself in exchange for protection.
It had taken great effort, but his father had finally accepted his explanation and stopped worrying.
And now, his father apparently believed that he and Duan Yan had become a couple!
There was no “apparently” about it. The letter made it perfectly clear!
What had gotten into his father? He had always been such a steady, sensible man. How had he ended up joining in this nonsense? Perhaps his second uncle had said something reckless again, prompting his father to write these shameless words as well.
Seeing Song Fengsui’s strange expression and unnatural movements, Duan Yan grew even more concerned.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll take you home when the time comes and explain everything properly to Uncle Song and the others. Whatever happens, they can direct their anger at me. I certainly won’t let them scold you.”
For a household like the Song family, where discipline was strict, Song Fengsui would never have been allowed to come out so many times in the past. Even now that the family had fallen on hard times, the foundation of that upbringing remained. It was only natural that he would worry about angering his family.
Song Fengsui did not want Duan Yan to misunderstand and think his father was a stern, unapproachable man. Uneasily, he pinched his fingers together. “He didn’t scold me, really. Besides, I’m not afraid of being scolded by them… They only told me to take good care of myself and protect myself while I’m away from home.”
His voice was quiet. “I just feel a little guilty for making them worry.”
Hearing this, Duan Yan visibly relaxed. He comforted Song Fengsui, saying, “Now that everything has more or less been dealt with, once you return to the village, your life will settle down again. You probably won’t need to leave their side and travel about anymore.”
Song Fengsui gave a soft reply, but the more he savored those words, the more something seemed off about them.
Could Duan Yan be feeling melancholy because everything had come to an end, and they would no longer have many chances to meet like this?
It was not strange for him to think that way. If not for Chen Hu bringing them together, the two of them would never have had any connection in the first place. Now that all the troublesome matters had been settled, men and ge'ers were different, and unless there was some urgent necessity, even acquaintances would indeed find it difficult to spend time together as they were now.
Song Fengsui had never considered himself someone who enjoyed dwelling on spring and autumn melancholy, but after Duan Yan put it that way, he truly felt somewhat unsettled. After all, they had once worked together in perfect understanding against a common enemy. From now on, they would scatter and live their own separate lives, returning to their own sides of the bridge and road. It was enough to stir some emotion.
If he already felt this way, then Duan Yan, who harbored those feelings, must be suffering far more than he was. After sitting in silence for a moment, Song Fengsui still did not want to see Duan Yan too sad.
So he said, “Your poison hasn’t completely cleared up yet~ Naturally, I’ll keep my word. I’ll help you cure it fully before anything else…”
Duan Yan was startled by this. For a moment, he failed to keep up with Song Fengsui’s sudden change of subject.
But after thinking it over briefly, he immediately understood.
He coughed awkwardly. He had meant to comfort Song Fengsui, yet instead he had prompted him to think about how they were about to part and might never see each other again.
“Mm. I’ll indeed have to trouble you a little longer. But the epidemic hasn’t been completely resolved yet. I’m currently serving as a patrol inspector, so during this period I’ll have to make frequent trips to Liu Village to stand guard and assist Magistrate Kong with his work.
“And as I said before, I’m also going to help you repair the house and put up the fence. Once autumn arrives, the work on the estate will become busy as well, so I’ll still have to run around taking care of things…”
Song Fengsui raised his eyes to look at Duan Yan and blinked lightly. “You…”
Duan Yan abruptly came back to himself. Why was he telling him all this? Wasn’t he only going to make Song Fengsui misunderstand him even more? But he truly just did not want to see him sad or disappointed. This matter… Ah, when they were far apart, he hurt his heart; when they were close, he overstepped. Who could ever get this sort of thing right?
The room fell silent in an instant. It was as though even the air wanted to hide, making the atmosphere all the more stifling.
Song Fengsui made an excuse about wanting a bowl of sour plum soup. Duan Yan immediately offered to go buy some and fled the room as though escaping.
Perhaps the cicadas clinging to the trees in the courtyard had begun calling even more loudly. Duan Yan, standing in the courtyard, and Song Fengsui, sitting quietly inside and gazing out the window, were both wondering the same thing:
If not for the turmoil in their hearts, why else would they feel so flustered?
