Chapter 33 Drafts
"House for Rent"
She smoothed out the curled edges of the red paper with her fingers, then, hands on her knees, she approached the wooden door of a mud-brick house, struggling to decipher the writing on the paper. But the closer she got, the stronger the aroma of food wafting through the air became.
You Mingjiang swallowed hard. If the landlord's cooking skills were consistent, she would be willing to pay extra for food after renting the house.
Wouldn't that save a lot of trouble on meals?
But this red "For Rent" sign looks like it's been up for quite some time. Exposed to wind and sun, not only are the bold, ink-written characters blurred, but the red paper itself has faded... This house must have been rented out long ago, right?
Just as she was hesitating whether to knock on the door, a pale, slender hand suddenly reached across her face and knocked three times on the wooden door.
"Hmm?" You Mingjiang straightened up, turned her face, and looked surprised.
By the faint light filtering through the crack in the door, she finally saw the black-clad boy before her clearly. The boy held a jet-black knife in his hand, his jet-black hair fell to his shoulders, his face was pale, and his lips were light in color, giving him a clean and aloof air.
Yu Mingjiang's attention wandered.
Completely black? She stole a couple of glances at his knife, thinking to herself: This knife is indeed special.
Perhaps it was because her gaze was too intense, the boy in black glanced at her, and uncomfortably tightened his grip on the hilt of his knife. He lowered his eyes, staring listlessly at his feet, instinctively resisting her gaze.
He didn't like other people looking at his knife.
This knife holds the deep hatred and bloodshed he has endured for eighteen years. Every gaze that falls upon the knife feels like tearing open the scars he doesn't want to show, which is why he resists.
.
Just then, an aged voice came from inside the house:
Who is it?
You Mingjiang quickly replied, "It's me, I'm here to rent a house!"
"Oh, the tenant... coming, coming."
Then came rustling sounds from inside the room, like bowls and chopsticks clattering and chairs being moved.
The homeowner was probably tidying up, and perhaps due to their age, their movements were somewhat slow. You Mingjiang waited patiently, without urging them in the slightest.
She turned to look at the boy in black beside her, her gaze first falling on his excessively pale face, then sweeping over his bloodless lips, her brows furrowing slightly. She took out a few pieces of maltose from her bamboo medicine basket, spread them in her palm, and gently offered them to the boy.
You Mingjiang tossed her hand, picked out a piece and popped it into her mouth before speaking:
"You're here to rent a place too, right? Better early than early, here, some candy, want to try a piece?"
Fu Hongxue was startled, lowered her head even further, and looked at the few pieces of candy in her palm.
He licked his lips, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his fingers curled at his sides, but in the end he didn't dare to reach out and take it.
"Do you know me?" He spoke slowly, as if he had struggled with his thoughts before managing to squeeze out those words.
"I don't know him," You Mingjiang answered decisively.
"Then why did you offer me candy?" he pressed.
You Mingjiang paused for a moment, then subconsciously uttered a "Huh?"
She hadn't expected him to ask that.
Fu Hongxue didn't speak again, only pursed his lips and tightened his jawline. He himself didn't realize that whenever he felt he had said something wrong, he would subconsciously make these awkward little movements.
Suddenly, You Mingjiang laughed out loud, with a hint of teasing: "Look at you, so young, yet your thoughts are so old-fashioned!"
She paused, then added with a smile, "It's better to meet by chance than to invite someone. I'm just offering you a piece of candy. I'm not asking you to do anything, so why can't I?" She added at the end, "Besides, eating a little candy can relieve fatigue and heart palpitations, so it won't do you any harm."
This wasn't just something I said offhand.
Yu Mingjiang saw that his face was pale, his lips were white, and he looked like he was lacking in energy... He looked like a camellia that had lost its moisture, and even his vitality had weakened.
The stranger's sudden kindness startled Fu Hongxue, a faint trace of bewilderment flashing across her eyes.
But in an instant, he came to his senses, still keeping his eyes down, and gently shook his head: "No need."
His expression was indifferent, but his eyes held an unyielding sorrow. He had been preparing for eighteen years for that deep-seated grudge. He could not enjoy himself or relax for a single day until the great revenge was taken.
Sensing his resistance, You Mingjiang paused for a moment, thinking to himself: Did I say something I shouldn't have?
Without thinking further, she withdrew her hand, did not ask why he had rejected her, and simply stuffed the maltose back into the bamboo medicine basket.
Sigh, I won't force it.
.
After a short while, there was a "click" sound, and the old woman slowly removed a door panel, and candlelight immediately poured out from the crack in the door.
The night breeze lifted You Mingjiang's veil, and the candlelight illuminated her face, making the black silk blindfold particularly noticeable.
……blind?
Fu Hongxue stood there, stunned. So this person in front of him was actually blind?
Seeing that she walked without any hindrance and spoke with a cheerful and sunny disposition, he had always assumed she was an able-bodied person. Such ease and freedom must have come from years of practicing sound localization.
Staring blankly at the black silk ribbon on the young man's face, Fu Hongxue pursed her lips, a deep and heavy sense of guilt welling up in her heart.
When she offered the candy just now, her attitude was so gentle; she probably mustered up a lot of courage to ask. But he coldly refused, pouring cold water on her enthusiasm...
He couldn't help but question himself: "Why did I betray the kindness of a disabled person?!"
Thinking of his own background, Fu Hongxue felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if being pricked by needles. He knew all too well what it felt like to be neglected and betrayed.
But ironically, he took that pain out on others.
Even if it was unintentional, this rejection was still a real hurt to her who had taken the initiative to make amends!
When You Mingjiang looked up, she happened to see the black-clad youth with his eyes downcast, the corners of his narrow eyes slightly red, and his shoulders slumped.
Huh? What's going on?
Without thinking much, she asked with concern, "...Are you alright?" She said it twice that night, and her words of greeting were already second nature to her.
Fu Hongxue didn't speak, but looked up at her. The deep melancholy in his eyes had faded a little, but when his gaze fell on her face, it still carried a hint of lingering complexity.
Yu Mingjiang looked bewildered and thought to himself: Why has this person suddenly stopped talking?
She opened her mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say, so she just met his gaze.
There was silence between them; even the night wind seemed to have stopped, and the atmosphere gradually became subtly awkward.
·
Just then, the other door panel was finally removed.
The old woman peeked halfway out of the door, subtly observing the two of them. After a long while, she finally smiled and said, "The lamp wick is popping, our distinguished guests have arrived. There's an empty room inside; please come in and have a look."
Fu Hongxue stepped across the threshold, paused, and then turned back. A look of apology appeared on his pale face, and he deliberately kicked the threshold, making a noise.
"Be careful," he said gently, stepping aside to let the person covered in black silk enter the house first.
Hearing Fu Hongxue's reminder, You Mingjiang didn't think much of it, assuming that they had become acquainted and that Fu Hongxue was finally less resistant to him. He smiled faintly and said, "Thank you."
After speaking, she stepped steadily across the threshold without the slightest hesitation.
Completely unaware, the black-clad youth behind her looked at her "steady" back, and the apology in his eyes deepened, as if his reminder had made up for his previous abruptness.
.
The inner room wasn't very big; it was too small for three people to move around comfortably.
The three of them discussed for a few words. You Mingjiang walked in front, the old woman followed behind her, and Fu Hongxue stood guard at the door with a knife in his hand.
Although I was mentally prepared, I was still speechless with shock when I saw the environment of my accommodation.
The dim light of the oil lamp cast long, yellow shadows of the three people. The room was simply furnished: a wooden bed, a square table, rammed earth walls plastered with mud and straw, and a kang (heated brick bed) built against the walls, covered only with a shiny black reed mat. A wardrobe as tall as a person stood beside the kang. The faint smell of urine wafted from a spittoon hidden under the kang.
You Mingjiang stood in the center of the room, her gaze sweeping over every detail. Her brows furrowed slightly. The room reeked of a foul stench, so strong it made her eyes water. How could anyone live there?
She asked bluntly, "Has this house always smelled this bad?"
The old woman's smile froze for a moment, then relaxed, and she tried to smooth things over with a laugh: "Oh dear, the last tenant left in a hurry and we haven't had time to clean up yet. It'll smell bad once it's cleaned up..."
Of the two tenants, she preferred the blindfolded young man. He exuded vitality, was not carrying a weapon, and seemed to pose less of a danger.
Unlike the other one...
The old woman stole a glance at the young man in black, secretly pursing her lips. Her judgment of character was usually accurate; this man's face was as pale as a consumptive, he walked with a limp, and especially that black knife—it exuded an inexplicable aura of bad luck…
This isn't just ordinary bad luck; it's downright bad luck.
Fu Hongxue was unaware of the old woman's thoughts, nor did he care to know. His expression was somber as he silently lowered his eyes, staring at the knife in his hand.
He was always indifferent to unimportant people and didn't bother to care about gains or losses.
Yu Mingjiang, on the other hand, was quite the opposite.
She has never liked to deceive others as fools, nor does she like to be fooled as a fool.
If this house could be cleaned up properly, it wouldn't be so bad to live here; at least the old woman can cook delicious meals, so at least we wouldn't have to worry about food.
Let's just rent it. The rent for this little shabby house shouldn't cost much.
You Mingjiang pinched the bridge of her nose, sighed, and asked, "Mother-in-law, how should we calculate the rent?"
"Well..."
Seeing that You Mingjiang was wearing a snow-white silk robe, thick-soled suede boots, and carrying a bamboo medicine basket, she didn't look like a poor scholar. Most remarkably, she was blindfolded, making her appear as if she couldn't see. The old woman rubbed her hands, her face still beaming with a smile: "Not expensive at all! Lodging and three meals included, ten taels of silver per month!"
"Ten taels of silver is hardly cheap?"
You Mingjiang frowned. She wasn't some naive greenhorn who didn't even know the prices of goods. Wild Bupleurum was a rare medicinal herb; one tael of silver could buy twenty-six catties, so ten taels would be nearly three hundred catties—enough to make a decoction that would keep this old woman drinking until she was completely worn out!
She had been speaking politely at first, but seeing how unreasonable this old woman was, daring to ask for exorbitant sums as soon as she opened her mouth, she lost all interest in speaking gently and kindly anymore.
You Mingjiang's face turned cold, and she said bluntly, "Old woman, you're trying to extort me!"
Fu Hongxue acted as if he hadn't heard the two arguing, and walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and reached out to touch the reed mat.
The skin felt damp and sticky, and he frowned almost imperceptibly.
"How can you talk like that, young man! It's so rude!" The old woman's smile faded, and she half-coaxed, half-argued, "How can you call it extortion? My rent is already cheap enough. You won't find another place as affordable as this in the whole border town!"
"Is your doghouse inlaid with gold or built with silver? You dare to ask for ten taels of silver so easily!" You Mingjiang retorted without any politeness.
"...Are you going to rent it or not?" The old woman clenched her clothes, barely suppressing her anger. If it weren't for the fact that You Mingjiang looked like a piece of fat meat that could be slaughtered, she wouldn't have bothered arguing with him.
"No rent." You Mingjiang glanced at her, her tone decisive. "I don't have 'easy target' written on my forehead."
"You dare to act like a big shot here if you won't rent?" The old woman's face fell completely, and she reached out to push You Mingjiang, "Get out! Get out!"
"These days, not wanting to be ripped off is considered a crime?"
Yu Mingjiang remained calm and unhurried. With a light tap of his toes on the ground, he had already darted to the side. "No need to worry, I'm sure I can find a better place. You should pray to Buddha that you'll only encounter people willing to be ripped off in the future, so you can save up for your coffin!"
.
Just as the two were about to start arguing, the boy in black suddenly spoke up, took out a silver ingot, and placed it on the table:
"I'll stay for three months."
That was a fifty-tael silver ingot.
It was so heavy that it made me dizzy.
"Fifty...fifty taels?"
The old woman snatched the silver with both hands, her fingertips rubbing it rapidly. Her eyes shone brightly, and she no longer cared about chasing the person away. Her face crinkled with laughter, and her mouth was wide open in a wide grin.
When she looked at Fu Hongxue again, she found him to be pleasing to the eye no matter how she looked at him.
He's not some unlucky jinx at all; he's clearly a generous and charitable bodhisattva!
Unlike some people...
The old woman glanced at You Mingjiang out of the corner of her eye, secretly pursed her lips, then turned back to Fu Hongxue with a forced smile: "There's still twenty taels left."
Fu Hongxue nodded, then turned his gaze to You Mingjiang beside him, his eyes showing no emotion.
Border Town is a privately owned oasis, bordering Wanmatang's horse farm, which Ma Kongqun had long ago claimed as his territory. The patrols at night are all his men. You Mingjiang is blindfolded, looking like a blind man, and if he runs into a patrol, he'll be in trouble. Paying extra for the room now is a way to avoid further trouble.
The old woman huddled near the door, muttering under her breath, "They won't rent it but they're still refusing to leave, always trying to take advantage..."
The murmur wasn't loud, but it clearly reached You Mingjiang's ears. She took a deep breath, nodded to Fu Hongxue, and said calmly, "It's alright. If this place doesn't want me, there are plenty of other places that will." With that, she waved her hand, and as she walked out of the house, she punched the door with a loud bang, laughing as she strode away.
"You little brat!" The old woman's face turned ashen, and she spat in resentment. But when she turned and saw Fu Hongxue, her face immediately lit up with a smile, and she asked expectantly, "The extra twenty taels..."
"I'll save this for your coffin." Fu Hongxue didn't look at her, turned around and closed the door, the latch clicking shut.
·
.
In the dead of night, moonlight shone on this desolate land.
As You Mingjiang walked through the alley, kicking at the pebbles on the roadside with her toes, she couldn't help but reminisce.
Hmm, was there a hidden meaning in what that boy in black said? Could it be that he wanted to help her pay for her room and board?
Suddenly, I heard a very soft "thud" sound, like a cat stepping on the eaves, so light that it almost blended into the night.
The blade flashed before his eyes, but You Mingjiang had already reached out and pulled out his tiger-shaped brace.
A group of masked assassins wielding long knives emerged silently from the shadows of the alley corner and blocked her path.
They surrounded You Mingjiang and slowly tightened their encirclement.
You Mingjiang sighed softly: "I am just a traveling doctor; you have probably mistaken me for someone else."
The leader of the assassins shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I'm not mistaken, you are the former leader of the Yazhou branch, Chief You."
"Looks like our old nemesis has come knocking." You Mingjiang's face turned cold as he weighed the tiger-shaped weapon in his hand, and he said with a forced smile, "You think you can kill me with just a few of you?"
The lead assassin didn't speak, but glanced at the tiger-shaped weapon in her hand, then tightened his grip on the long sword.
To be cowardly before the battle even begins is to have already lost half the battle.
At that very moment, the unassuming tiger-shaped weapon began to emit a strange light under the moon!
You Mingjiang flicked his wrist and slashed at the assassin!
...
A faint smell of blood lingered in the night air, and the blood on the ground meandered like a dark red stream.
Corpses lay scattered haphazardly in the alley, their eyes wide open, their faces filled with lingering fear and shock.
Seeing that things were not going well, the assassin leader scrambled to his feet and stumbled as he fled out of the alley.
"Hmph!" You Mingjiang sneered, thinking to himself: Trying to run away? Do you think you can escape? Run back to the mastermind behind the scenes to report back?
The thought had barely formed in her mind when she gripped the tiger-shaped brace in her hand, leaped onto the roof with a powerful kick, and followed closely behind the assassin.
.
The night was deep.
Fu Hongxue lowered his eyes and used a rag to wipe away the dampness and stickiness on the reed mat little by little. Suddenly, he heard a soft "click" from the roof and paused in his movements.
Rows of mud-brick houses stand there, the roof tiles are old and brittle, and may break if you are not careful.
Yu Mingjiang moved with agility, lightly touching the tiles with her toes, closely following behind the heavily wounded assassin leader.
No matter how the assassin leader tried to escape, he couldn't shake off You Mingjiang.
He panicked, jumped over several rooftops, and finally stumbled into a dark alley that looked familiar.
As You Mingjiang drew closer, he suddenly frowned.
Huh? Isn't this the dark alley she passed through when she was looking for a house?
Moonlight spilled into the secluded, dark alley, when suddenly a beam of eerie green light shot out and "whoosh" disappeared into the assassin leader's body.
"Ugh!" The assassin leader screamed as his feet suddenly gave way, and a tile from the roof collapsed with a "crash!"
Seeing that things were going badly, You Mingjiang hurriedly reached out to grab him, but missed. He could only watch helplessly as the man crashed through the roof and fell to the ground.
The assassin leader fell into the house, crashed heavily to the ground, convulsed a few times, and then died, bleeding from all seven orifices.
A cool night breeze blew over my head.
Fu Hongxue was standing at the bottom of the hole when he looked up and saw You Mingjiang holding a tiger-shaped brace. The other person was lying on the edge of the hole in the roof, still in the position of stretching out his arms.
The two men stared at each other through the huge hole created by the collapse.
"Sorry to bother you." You Mingjiang smiled awkwardly and jumped down from the hole.
She crouched down and carefully felt around the assassin leader's head, finally finding a needle between his eyebrows.
The needle tip gleamed with a cold, eerie green light...
This assassin was clearly silenced. Could the mastermind be in the border town?
You Mingjiang couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
·
Just as You Mingjiang pulled the poison needle from between the corpse's eyebrows, Fu Hongxue suddenly bent over and couldn't help but gag.
He knew he was there for revenge, but witnessing a life die a horrific death still deeply affected him.
Fu Hongxue's emotions fluctuated wildly, and his breathing became so rapid that it seemed as if he was about to suffocate.
Seeing Fu Hongxue trembling, You Mingjiang was startled and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Don't get agitated!"
Large beads of sweat poured from his forehead, soaking his clothes, and a strange gurgling sound came from his throat. Suddenly, Fu Hongxue collapsed straight down!
He curled up on the ground, his cheeks bulging. At first, only a trickle of white foam dripped from the corner of his mouth, but in the blink of an eye, it turned into thick white foam, wetting his collar and flowing down his neck to the ground.
You Mingjiang was completely stunned.
She never expected that Fu Hongxue would be so provoked by this scene that he fell ill.
·
The boy suffered from epilepsy.
This is what is commonly known as "epilepsy".
·
Fu Hongxue shoved his fist into his mouth and bit down hard, crimson blood trickling down between his fingers.
His face was deathly pale, as white as a funeral banner hanging before a spirit tablet, and every breath he took felt as heavy as if his lungs were being torn apart.
The room was filled with his heavy breathing and the grinding sound of his teeth on his fists.
Unable to bear the sight any longer, You Mingjiang put on medical nitrile gloves, quickly squatted down, supported Fu Hongxue's chin with one hand, and skillfully pried open his tightly clenched fist with the other, blood gushing from it. She took out a snow-white gauze to bandage it, and was about to turn his head to one side when Fu Hongxue suddenly mustered all his strength and flung her away.
"Get out, get out of here, don't touch me—"
Fu Hongxue curled up, letting out a suppressed roar, like a trapped beast struggling desperately.
This disease is like an invisible evil spirit that has haunted him since childhood. Every time he is stimulated or becomes extremely agitated, the disease will flare up, tearing apart his dignity and leaving him foaming at the mouth like a dying mule.
If someone saw him like this, it would be worse than killing him.
Even a blind person won't do.
·
Yu Mingjiang steadied herself and squatted down next to the boy in black again, not angry with him.
She knew that this child was suffering not only from physical pain, but also from the collapse of his dignity after being trampled by illness.
During an epileptic seizure, stuffing gauze into the mouth and forcibly pressing down on the limbs are both serious taboos.
In particular, stuffing gauze in the mouth cannot prevent patients from biting their tongues and may even block the airway, leading to serious consequences.
She sighed softly, then quietly squatted down beside him, holding his hand and observing his breathing and heartbeat.
·
After an unknown amount of time, Fu Hongxue's strength gradually ran out, and his hand slowly slipped down.
His breathing remained rapid and erratic, each exhale accompanied by painful spasms.
Gently helping him up, You Mingjiang didn't forcefully press him down, letting him curl up like a child. She slowly raised her hand, gently placing it on Fu Hongxue's head, her fingertips softly tracing the strands of his hair.
Each touch was as light as touching a fragile butterfly.
As You Mingjiang stroked his hair, she softly hummed: "①The moon is bright, the wind is gentle, the leaves shade the windowpane, the crickets chirp sweetly, like the sound of zither strings..."
Fu Hongxue's consciousness floated in chaos, and the sound, like a sacred chant, seeped into his senses.
His brows were still slightly furrowed, but the pain on his face gradually faded, and his previously rapid and disordered breathing slowly regained its rhythm.
Fu Hongxue slightly opened his eyes, his chapped lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
As if sensing his intention, You Mingjiang said softly, "Don't talk, just rest."
But he gasped for breath and managed to squeeze out, "You...you're not blind?"
.
You Mingjiang was stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening.
He probably misunderstood.
She didn't explain much, but raised her hand, pinched the edge of the black silk ribbon, and gently tugged it with her fingertips, causing the ribbon to slide off her face.
Her eyes were long and narrow at the corners, slightly upturned, and her pupils shone as if bathed in moonlight, clear and bright...
These are eyes that a blind person could not possibly have.
.
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Author's Note: [Good Luck Lianlian] Lyrics reference ①: Northeast folk song "Lullaby"
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