Chapter 215
Meng Wugui sat alone by the window. There was no tea, wine, or food on the table, only a fat, juicy roast duck that had just come out of the pot and smelled delicious.
The sky was overcast, and it was still early. There were no customers in the restaurant yet; the only people coming and going were the waiters. A waiter brought over a pot of hot tea and asked, "Sir, it's so early in the morning, and the buns at the bun shop haven't even been steamed yet. You've already ordered us to roast this duck for you. You can't just eat it plain, can you? Would you really like to order some porridge or noodles to go with it?"
Before dawn, it was still dark outside the window, as if it were still night. The lanterns under the eaves had not yet been taken down, and the dim yellow light shone through the window frame, making Meng Wugui's bloodless face appear even paler.
She did not reply.
This woman came to the shop before dawn and specially ordered a roast duck. She didn't eat it, and no one else came. Although the waiter felt that the woman in front of him was a bit strange, he didn't ask too many questions. Seeing that she didn't answer him for a long time, he put down the teapot, swung his satchel, and sat down at the counter to doze off.
This restaurant is not located on the main street, but hidden behind alleys. It is right next to a small river that runs through the city. On one side of the stone bridge, there is an old weeping willow. The green willow branches gently touch the water, and the ripples are quickly smoothed out by the low wind, creating a unique sense of tranquility away from the hustle and bustle of the world.
When Meng Wugui last came here, a group of children were squatting under the willow tree like radishes. They were all young, thin and emaciated, and dressed in rags. They were refugees who had run into the city from outside to beg.
The weather was terrible that day, with rain mixed with snow and it was very cold. Meng Wugui had come here at the invitation to discuss important matters with two other hall masters. Halfway through the meal, she heard a commotion outside the window. Peeking out, she saw that the children had come to take shelter from the rain. A dozen or so of them were huddled together, their stomachs rumbling, and they were all looking at her expectantly.
Upon seeing this scene, one of the men casually closed half of a window and said with a hint of disgust, "I was wondering why I suddenly smelled a sour odor. I thought the kitchen of this restaurant had spilled some swill. Turns out it's these beggars coming over. They're really ruining my appetite."
“Let’s blast them away,” another person said. “How can we talk business with all this chatter?” With that, he stretched out his hand and closed the remaining half of the window.
Whether the two men had overheard their conversation or not, once the window was closed, the children outside fell silent and stopped making a fuss. After the matter was settled, the two hall masters took their leave. Meng Wugui called the waiter to pay for the meal, and just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a faint sound behind him, as if someone had carefully pushed open the window.
She stopped and turned around, only to see a pair of dirty little hands reach in through the crack in the window. The child quickly felt around on the table, and after finding out there were leftovers, withdrew the hands and gestured towards the willow tree by the river.
Meng Wugui happened to witness this scene and found it interesting, so he stood there and watched it for a while. Soon, a sharp arrow made of bamboo suddenly shot in from outside the window and accurately struck the half-eaten roast duck. The arrow had a rope tied to its end, and when the archer pulled it from the outside, the duck flew out along the windowsill.
Several childish cheers immediately rang out from outside the window.
Meng Wugui chuckled silently, turned his shoes around, and bypassed the diners inside the hall to go to the back door, where he stood and watched from afar. He saw a little girl, her clothes dirty and disheveled, hiding in the willow tree. She was carrying half a roast duck in one hand and holding a crudely crafted bow in the other. The other children stood under the tree, looking up at her with undisguised joy on their faces.
The little girl chuckled softly, slid down from the tree, shared the duck in her hand with her companions, and only licked the greasy residue off her own hands.
Meng Wugui glanced at her twice, and with a thought, went out the door. The children heard the footsteps and looked at her. They seemed to recognize her instantly as the owner of the roast duck, and they shouted and ran away in a swarm.
But they hadn't run far when a figure flashed before their eyes, and Meng Wugui blocked their path again.
The children, terrified, dared not run any further. They knelt down and kowtowed to her, repeatedly apologizing. Meng Wugui did not blame them, but simply asked the little girl with the bow, "Your archery skills are quite good. Where did you learn them?"
The little girl looked at her timidly and said in a voice barely audible, "My...my father taught me."
"Who is your father?" Meng Wugui asked again.
“He’s dead,” the little girl said. “He died of illness last month.”
Meng Wugui said "Oh," and then asked, "What about your mother?"
“My mother is dead too,” the little girl said, clutching her sleeve, looking bewildered. “We are all orphans, we were just too hungry to do anything else… I didn’t mean to steal your things.”
Meng Wugui smiled and asked softly, "Is the duck delicious?"
Seeing that she was gentle and did not seem to be harsh, the little girl breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "It's delicious."
"You haven't even tasted it, yet you know it's delicious?" Meng Wugui said.
"They all seemed to be enjoying their food, so it must be delicious," the little girl said.
"Then why aren't you eating?" Meng Wugui looked her over. "Aren't you hungry?"
The little girl honestly replied, "I'm hungry, but I can get food anytime, while they can't, so I wanted to let them eat first."
Meng Wugui looked enlightened and calmly said, "Then you all stand here and wait." After saying that, he went back into the restaurant without looking back.
Seeing her leave, one of the children immediately said, "Let's run! She's definitely going to call the boss out to deal with us. I don't want to get beaten up."
"Yes, yes, let's run!"
"Don't just stand there, let's go!"
The little girl followed for a few steps, then stopped hesitantly and said, "She doesn't seem like a bad person."
"Are you out of your mind? You got caught stealing, it would be strange if you didn't get beaten up!"
"That's right, if you're not leaving, then we are!"
The children braved the rain and turned out of the alley. Soon they were out of sight. The little girl looked around, still wondering whether she should leave, when Meng Wugui opened the window in the hall, waved to her, and called out, "Come in."
The little girl glanced at her and hesitated before saying, "Are you going to hit me? I'll apologize to you, okay? You're not going to eat that duck anyway, you'll just throw it away. Can you just pretend I picked it up from the ground?"
Meng Wugui neither answered nor denied, but simply asked her, "What's your name?"
The little girl slowly walked to the window, and noticed that there were many more steaming dishes on the table, including a freshly roasted duck. She swallowed hard and said, "I... my name is Afu..."
"The 'fu' in 'good fortune'?"
"No... My mother said it's the 'Fu' in 'Fuquhua' (芙蕖花), but I didn't go to school for many days, so I don't know if it's the same character."
“Then it’s not,” Meng Wugui dipped his fingertip in tea and wrote on the table for her to see, “The left side is happiness, and the right side is you.”
Afu tilted her head and looked at it.
As they got closer, Meng Wugui noticed that the girl was pretty and had delicate features. Although she seemed reserved, she had a cleverness in her eyes. He called out to her, "It's cold outside, come in and sit down."
Afu looked bewildered, tucked her toes out of the shoe hole, and looked at Meng Wugui, saying, "Boss, beggars aren't allowed in. I'm too dirty; I'm afraid the smell will bother others."
Meng Wugui thought for a moment, then jumped out of the window and said, "Then I'll eat standing here."
"What do you want to eat...?" Afu blinked her big eyes and pointed at the food, saying, "Are you going to treat me to something?"
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Meng Wugui said calmly, leaning against the wall. “Go to the other side of the river. If you can shoot the roast duck on this table with an arrow, then this whole meal is yours.”
Afu was flattered and asked, "Really?"
Meng Wugui said, "Really."
Afu's eyes lit up, and she said with delight, "If I hit the target, can I call my friends over too?"
“They abandoned you and ran away,” Meng Wugui said. “Why do you still care about them?”
“They didn’t abandon me; it was my own choice not to leave,” Aphrodite said. “They were just afraid.”
"Then why won't you leave?" Meng Wugui asked.
Afu smelled a fresh and delicate fragrance. Looking at the well-dressed and beautiful stranger in front of her, she said sincerely, "Because...because I think you shouldn't be a bad person, and..."
After waiting a while without hearing her continue, Meng Wugui asked, "And what?"
Afu blushed and said somewhat shyly, "Besides... you seem like the fairy my mother talked about. Fairies in stories are all kind and gentle, I'm not afraid of you."
Hearing her say that, and seeing the envy and longing in her eyes as she looked at him, Meng Wugui was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "You're wrong. I'm not some fairy. I'm just someone standing in the mud, even worse off than you and your friends."
Afu asked in bewilderment, "Why? You are as beautiful as a fairy. Even the portraits of the gods in the temple are not as beautiful as you. If only I could be like you."
Meng Wugui said, "Do you want to become someone like me?"
"Of course I want to!" Afu said. "I also want to wear pretty clothes and have enough to eat every day. My dad always says that people should be content with what they have. You're already so good, why do you still say that about yourself?"
Meng Wugui never imagined that one day he would be "taught" by a child, and that what the child said would make a lot of sense. Meng Wugui smiled and said, "Unfortunately, people are never satisfied. You'll understand when you grow up. If you're willing, I can give you everything you want, but the prerequisite is that you have to be capable enough to keep me by your side."
"Keep me by your side?" Afu felt a surge of joy, but asked uncertainly, "You...you're going to take me in?"
Meng Wugui said, "Then we'll see if you can do it or not."
Afu did a great job; she succeeded.
What Meng Wugui asked her to do was actually quite difficult for her, but Meng Wugui gave her three chances, which she seized firmly. She ran to the other side of the river and used her archery skills to shoot the roast duck.
The whole thing was hers, and no one tried to take it from her, but she still called the children back and shared the food she had earned with her friends.
Meng Wugui didn't take her away immediately that day. Instead, he secretly observed her for several more days, confirming that the child indeed had archery talent, was kind-hearted, and helpful—a promising talent to be cultivated. On the fifth day, Meng Wugui asked Afu if she would like to become his disciple. Afu happily agreed, and the two performed a simple apprenticeship ceremony. Afu then followed Meng Wugui to the Nine Immortals Hall, staying by his side to learn literature, archery, and martial arts.
At that time, Meng Wugui had not yet approached Fu Xiang. She originally thought that if Fu Xiang was unwilling to follow her, she would send Afu to Mingyue Tower and then find a way to bribe her. Fu Cen had never met Fu Xiang, so as long as Meng Wugui said that Afu was Fu Xiang, then she was.
However, Fu Xiang later also became a disciple. She was far more outstanding than Afu, surpassing her in both character and skill. Therefore, Meng Wugui abandoned his initial plan and entrusted all the responsibilities to Fu Xiang. Of these two disciples, Fu Xiang was not often by his side; Afu was the one who accompanied Meng Wugui for much longer.
For a long time, the master and apprentice were inseparable, seeing each other all the time, and were closer than anyone else.
However, life is unpredictable. The person who had accompanied Meng Wugui for many years and brought her countless joys and laughter suddenly left like a gust of wind one spring day.
She will never come back.
·
The weeping willows outside the window were still swaying in the wind, but the roast duck in front of him had already gone cold. Meng Wugui seemed to have lost his sense of smell for a moment, and could not even smell the aroma of the duck.
Those years, like flowing water, are still vivid in his mind. Afu's face, Afu's voice, her every move and smile still flash before his eyes. Having experienced many life-and-death separations and witnessed the vicissitudes of life, Meng Wugui still couldn't help but wonder at this moment: Why can a person just disappear so easily?
Parents were like that, Shen Mandong was like that, and now even Afu has left.
Did these people really exist? And what... is left of her?
It seems she has nothing left.
A cold wind surged, scattering the lush green leaves of the trees, and the rustling sounds seemed to carry the sighs of someone. Meng Wugui took out some silver coins and placed them on the table, then pushed open the back door and left the restaurant. She stood on the stone bridge, gazing at the rippling water, letting the willow branches gently brush her temples. She heard footsteps behind her, but she did not turn around.
The haze dissipated, the sky gradually brightened, and a sliver of pale golden light poured down, illuminating the slightly chilly world. Fu Xiang led her horse step by step to the bridgehead and stood there beside Meng Wugui. The two stood silently in the wind, neither of them uttering a word.
After a long while, Fu Xiang said in a low voice, "Master, I've come to say goodbye."
Meng Wugui turned to face her, without asking where she was going, but drew his sword and handed it to her, saying calmly, "Before you leave, I'll give you a chance to take revenge."
Fu Xiang pressed her hand down and said softly, "I don't want revenge. I just want to leave here, go somewhere where no one knows me, and start over."
Meng Wugui gripped the hilt of his sword and watched her silently.
“I want to travel the world, traverse mountains and rivers, and wander to the ends of the earth,” Fu Xiang said. “I am not afraid of having nowhere to return to; that is exactly what I want. There is nothing wrong with settling down in one place, but I would rather wander anywhere and be a floating duckweed. I think the moon in other places is no different from that in my homeland. I can see it when I look up and think about it when I close my eyes. I have no worries about the world. I should enjoy life while I can and not be burdened by worldly affairs. From now on, I will live for myself.”
She knelt down and kowtowed three times to Meng Wugui.
“I have no way to repay my master’s kindness, but I will always remember it in my heart and never forget it,” Fu Xiang raised her face and smiled with the same brightness as before. “If we meet again in the future, I will take care of my master in his old age and see him off in his final days.”
Sunlight pierced through the remaining clouds, illuminating the world completely. The river flowed under the bridge, carrying the heavy weight of the past to an unknown destination, leaving behind a scene of tranquility.
The early spring mist hadn't yet dissipated, lingering around them, but it didn't make them feel cold. The two looked at each other in the fleeting mist, and after a short while, Meng Wugui bent down and helped Fu Xiang up.
She said nothing, but withdrew her hands from her sleeves, and after a long while said, "Go."
Fu Xiang gazed at Meng Wugui and said, "The mountains are high and the rivers are long, we will meet again in the future. I hope you take care."
Her cloud-patterned boots shifted, her skirt tracing a clean arc in the wind. Fu Xiang mounted her horse, gripped the reins tightly, and slowly descended the bridge. She carried little luggage, only an old purse, a sword, and a jug of water. The horse carried her slowly out of the alley and onto a wide stone-paved road. The small town was still asleep; a few pedestrians lingered in the streets, not crowded at all. The horse's hooves grew heavier, shattering a cloud of dust. Fu Xiang rode off into the distance amidst the faint golden light and the dissipating mist.
She didn't turn around.
Meng Wugui stood there, watching the figure gradually disappear from sight. A voice behind him asked, "Aren't you going to try to stop him?"
A faint smile played at the corners of her lips. Meng Wugui withdrew her gaze, turned her head, and said, "Is there any need to try and keep me here?"
Gongzi Fan stood at the other end of the stone bridge, holding a snow-white carrier pigeon in his arms. He pinched the bamboo tube on the pigeon's leg and said, "I have come to fulfill my promise."
Meng Wugui started walking towards him, only pausing briefly in front of Gongzi Fan before brushing past him. Meng Wugui said, "You should go too."
“I’ve said it before, once this is over, my life is yours,” Gongzi Fan turned around and looked at her. “No matter how you do it, I will accept it calmly.”
“Yin Qiu already knows who you are. Do you think I can still kill you?” Meng Wugui said as he walked. “Besides, I never really wanted to kill you. There’s no point in doing so.”
Gongzi Fan said, "Manzhen."
Meng Wugui turned to look at him, and suddenly a rare smile appeared on her face. Although her smile seemed somewhat lonely, her tone of voice was much brighter. Meng Wugui said, "Shen Manzhen is dead, and no one from the Shen family is still alive. I was once afraid of having nowhere to go, which is why I wanted to rebuild Ruyi Gate. But now I understand that some things are gone, irretrievable, and can never be relived. But as long as I keep those things in my heart, whatever they may be, they will live on forever and never disappear. What I was pursuing was just a dream, but dreams eventually end. Fortunately, I did wake up, and fortunately, I still remember."
She flicked her sleeve, as if brushing away the frost and snow from her body, and said calmly, "It's time for you to take off that mask."
Gongzi Fan remained silent, watching Meng Wugui's departing figure, letting out only a deep sigh.
He lowered his head, took the bamboo tube off the pigeon's leg, took a new one from his pocket and tied it on, then turned around, raised his arm, and released the carrier pigeon into the gradually warm spring sunshine.
The pigeon fluttered its wings, brushed past the silent weeping willows, and flew into the blue sky, carrying a letter to the other side of the clouds.
No one stood or lingered on the small bridge anymore; only a gentle breeze passed by and the long river flowed on.
Author's Note: This story should be completed during the National Day holiday.
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