Worrying about the sky falling is like worrying about nothing.
Chapter 18
After rambling on and on about himself for a while, the monkey chirped in between my words, creating a back-and-forth between us. The kite's brows furrowed more and more, and finally, without a word, she pushed me aside and squeezed out of the cave first.
Just as I was about to follow them out, I turned around and saw a few large characters drawn on the ground with charred wood by the extinguished fire: "Come back later after foraging for food."
It was obvious that the kite had left it for those girls who hadn't woken up yet. I couldn't help but click my tongue in amazement as I wondered if she was trying to figure out my background. With such abilities, she could even tame a monkey to human nature. In addition, she was righteous and meticulous. I wondered what her identity was.
Indeed, the world is vast and boundless. I had only arrived in Bozhou, which I thought was a land of barbarians, yet I had already encountered many people I hadn't seen in sixteen years. I had personally tasted the black hearts hidden behind flowers, and was even saved by a chattering monkey who repaid evil with kindness.
These are things I would never have seen in my entire life if I had obediently married someone else.
My thoughts were suddenly pulled to the highest heavens, and when I returned to the mortal world, I felt much happier and inexplicably became spirited. Just then, I heard Yuanzi's impatient urging, and I happily responded and went out of the cave.
When I came out, Yuanzi used another large rock to block the entrance of the cave. When she saw me staring at her without blinking, she frowned slightly, straightened up, and took off the gray outer garment she was wearing and gave it to me.
Although my clothes were disheveled, I could still manage to look presentable. Just as I was about to refuse, Monkey Chirp jumped off the kite's shoulder, grabbed my outer garment, and tossed it to me like fruit. I could only accept it, my cheeks burning as I thanked him.
"Don't get sick." Yuanzi said this calmly, then turned and left.
I quickly put on my coat and caught up with the kite.
Before long, the sun was high in the sky, much brighter than when I entered the forest yesterday, and there was a unique, pleasant fragrance in the air. I could hear birds chirping and the babbling of the stream, and there were always a few rays of sunlight shining down ahead. My mood was completely lifted from the gloom of being soaked to the bone and feeling like a lost dog yesterday. I couldn't help but smile at the kite walking beside me.
Iris was very alert and immediately noticed my gaze. She turned her head and met my eyes. Perhaps not knowing why I was smiling, her frown quickly turned into surprise, and she quickly turned her head away, no longer looking at me.
Before I knew it, I had arrived at the stream from last night. I greeted Yuanzi, quickly stepped forward, squatted down by the stream to wash my face, and scooped up some water to drink, but Yuanzi coldly stopped me: "Don't drink untreated water."
I turned back and looked at her, puzzled.
Her face was bathed in a ray of sunlight, so bright that I couldn't see her expression: "This water is full of the excrement and filth of wild birds and fowl. Be careful, or you'll vomit and have diarrhea after drinking it, and you'll be unrecognizable as human in a few days."
After she finished speaking, I stood up stiffly, and the memory of drinking the stream water to my heart's content last night made my internal organs convulse.
"Drink this." Yuanzi tossed me a water bag.
I uncorked the bottle, took a sip, and exclaimed with delight, "It's wine!"
“Monkey wine,” Yuanzi said, and I don’t know if it was just my imagination, but the slight upturn of her lips seemed to be a soft laugh.
The monkey chirped twice, seemingly wanting praise. I didn't hesitate to gulp down another mouthful and handed the water bag back to the kite: "Delicious! Was it brewed by Zhizha?"
Yuanzi took it, but didn't answer, changing the subject: "Let's go quickly, they'll be scared if we go back late."
I agreed and quickened my pace, following Yuanzi as we hurried through the forest, where I couldn't tell which way was which. Several times along the way, I had the words on the tip of my tongue, wanting to ask Yuanzi: she certainly wasn't some Prince Amuyue's prey, so who was she? Where did she come from? And why was she helping unfortunate girls in this forest?
But each time I forced myself to swallow my words, convinced that even if I mustered the courage to ask, Iris wouldn't answer me.
After all, my identity was a mystery to her, but she didn't press me. "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you"—Confucius's words sometimes make sense.
After a quick meal while wandering through the woods, Yuanzi slowed down. Even though my eyesight isn't top-notch, I noticed a wooden house built on the flat ground hidden among the trees. At that moment, the monkey Zhizha jumped to the ground and hopped and skipped towards the wooden house.
"Is that your home?" I naturally guessed that the kite most likely lived in the mountains and forests, but it shouldn't be in a cave.
After all, we're not monkeys.
Unexpectedly, Yuanzi shook her head and remained silent, continuing to walk forward.
Once inside the wooden house—which was actually secured with an iron lock—I didn't need her to explain further. The house wasn't large, but two walls were piled high with chopped firewood. In the center of the house was a stove made of stacked stones, with a large, rusty iron pot on it.
There was a square window on the left side of the wooden house, with two crooked branches lying across it, serving as window frames. A hemp rope was tied to one of the branches, which stretched diagonally to a wooden wedge on the right wall. Several dark, thick, long things hung from the hemp rope, a sight that was nauseating.
Only then did Yuanzi explain to me, "This is a shared resting place for hunters, not anyone's home. Before winter, this place is always filled with firewood and dry food, in case someone goes into the mountains in winter and can't get out for a while."
Curious, I pressed on, "Who served it?"
“Whoever uses it can add more.” After saying that, Yuanzi went straight to the corner where there were several burlap sacks piled up, grabbed two of them, and tossed them over her shoulder. “Let’s go, this will last us for a few days. As usual, their hunt will be over in four or five days. I heard that a Han Chinese from Dongchu came this time—ha, don’t they always say that others are barbarians? What’s the difference between them and beasts?”
When she said this, her voice was so cold it could scrape off ice shards, but her eyes seemed to be spitting out sparks; she was clearly furious.
As a woman from the Eastern Chu Han family, I dared not utter a sound. I wanted to defend my elder brother, but I was also worried that I might accidentally let something slip.
Barbarians are like beasts; one should not be pleased by their kind words, nor should one be angry at their harsh words.
Despite the old saying, I still can't comfort myself with excuses.
This is the second time someone has expressed their anger at being seen as a barbarian in front of me. Lan Feiyu has also come to regard me as an enemy because of this. I cannot stubbornly insist on the innocence of Dong Chu. I have no choice but to remain silent.
Does your older brother know about these things? Do your uncles, even the emperor, know about them?
If we were to incorporate Bozhou into the territory of Eastern Chu, what would happen to Lan Feiyu and his group?
I shuddered and didn't want to think about it anymore, while also laughing at my own needless worry.
Despite my insistence on helping Yuanzi carry a bag of dry rations, she paid no heed and hurried past me with great speed, as if she wouldn't be satisfied until she left me far behind.
I was able to keep up with her at first, but later I was running almost out of breath. Since there was no proper path in the woods, I just stopped to wipe the sweat from my brow and catch my breath for a couple of minutes. In the blink of an eye, both Yuanzi and Zhizha had disappeared!
Before I could fully grasp what was going on, I suddenly heard an unsettling sound coming from behind me. As soon as I turned around, an arrow grazed my face and embedded itself in the trunk of a tree beside me.
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