Chapter 11 Eavesdropping: Tonight Will Never End
The door slammed shut, making Pei Bi's heart race with fear. His birth chart was entirely Yin... entirely Yin. Pei Bi fiddled with his fingers and calculated for himself. Only after confirming that he wasn't Yin did he feel relieved. The workshop master was a man of his word; if he were chosen, he wouldn't escape the fate of being thrown into the furnace. After calculating for himself, Pei Bi carefully calculated for the young master, bowing and saying, "Young master, your birth chart is Yang. Don't worry, don't worry."
Pei Chu lowered his head sadly, "This is absurd and incredibly foolish. Even if we get out of Canglang Island, what waves can we make? Once we get to Rongdu, we'll just be manipulated by others and we don't even know how to end things. It would be better if we all died on the island."
"Pah, pah, pah!" Pei Bi was so anxious he was about to jump up and down. Why was he cursing his own family?
To be honest, Pei Bi doesn't care where he is. Whether he's on the island or off the island, he's still in charge. It's all the same old stuff. Since he's not born with a purely Yin destiny, it probably doesn't matter which furnace he chooses to sacrifice himself to. I forge treasures with my own flesh and blood. Blood and weapon are fused together. If the weapon exists, so does I.
It was past midnight, and Lou Shitou still hadn't returned. Aunt Lou paced around the yard countless times, her soft footsteps sounding like a swarm of ants crawling around Guan Ye's ears. Summer was already hot, and Guan Ye finally couldn't hold back any longer. She leaped off the bed. That damned Shitou, I'll drag him back and give him a good scolding.
The night was deep and quiet, with only the chirping of cicadas and the sound of the wind in the neighborhood. Guan Ye searched the inner courtyard but could not find any trace of Lou Shitou. He could not possibly have slipped out of the neighborhood. He had been scolded by Aunt Lou many times in the past. Could a little bit of soap powder make him so angry?
Further ahead was the swordsman's residence. Guan Ye stopped and looked around. Could it be... Lou Shitou went to see his younger brother? Maybe it really was. Guan Ye yawned and was about to turn around and walk back when she was suddenly startled by a shadowy figure in the dark and took several steps back.
Ah Jiu, that persistent Ah Jiu. Upon seeing who it was, Guan Ye clutched her chest in anger, "Are you a ghost? You walk without making a sound!"
"I haven't even come looking for you yet, and you're already coming to find me?" Ajiu's lips curled into a half-smile.
"Who's looking for you?" Guan Ye cursed under her breath. "Is Lou Shitou inside?" Guan Ye pointed to the house behind him.
Ah Jiu shook her head, "Only you would dare to come to the swordsman's residence."
Hearing that Lou Shitou wasn't there, Guan Ye turned to leave, with Ajiu following her at a distance. "You seem to care quite a bit about Lou Cangyu's older brother?"
“He’s not very bright here,” Guan Ye deliberately pointed to A Jiu’s head. “Aunt Lou is afraid he’ll cause trouble.”
Just as Ajiu was about to reply, she suddenly noticed something, pulled Guan Ye behind a big tree, pressed down on her shoulder, covered Guan Ye's mouth with one hand, and put her finger to her lips to shush.
Guan Ye frowned. How could this man's hands be so calloused? They were rough and painful to the touch. Guan Ye pulled her hands off A Jiu's and nestled under him. A masculine scent enveloped her. Guan Ye sniffed. The workshop was full of men doing heavy labor, and the shirtless men, young and old, smelled terrible wherever they went. The stench was almost unbearable. A Jiu was also a man, but he didn't have that pungent smell. Guan Ye sniffed again and again, unable to resist turning her head to look at A Jiu. The scent was light and refreshing, almost intoxicating. Guan Ye carefully lifted herself up, just as she was about to get a little closer, A Jiu pressed her down hard again.
"Young Master, why don't you want to sleep tonight?"
Judging from the figures, the one sitting on the bamboo chair was Pei Chu… and… Jiang Muyun. Guan Ye tugged at A Jiu's wrist, signaling him not to be nervous. A Jiu thought Guan Ye couldn't withstand his strength, so his rough palm gently slid down, tickling Guan Ye's cheek. If he hadn't been hiding and afraid to move, Guan Ye would have reached out to scratch.
"After reading for most of the night, I don't feel sleepy at all now."
Guan Ye could barely make out Pei Chu's voice. The young master's voice was weak and feeble, as if he was always hungry. Over the years on the island, Guan Ye had sneaked into his school many times. Although she hid at the very back, she knew that Pei Chu must have seen her. Guan Ye wasn't stupid. Every time she appeared, Pei Chu would try his best to speak louder, afraid that she was too far away to hear him. Guan Ye wanted to squeeze forward, but she was covered in charcoal ash, and she couldn't possibly soil the young master's fine clothes.
It was also at Pei Chu's school that Guan Ye learned to write her own name. Not only the character "Ye," but after three years, she could write any character in the book without difficulty. One day, when Pei Chu taught everyone to read the "Zhu Jing," Guan Ye was surprised to find that she could recognize every single character in the book.
How could someone as ethereal as a fairy be unable to put their feet on the ground? Guan Ye lamented Pei Chu's crippled leg, but Pei Chu seemed unconcerned. One day at school, he even joked with everyone, saying that he was born to enjoy a life of luxury, while others toiled their entire lives, he never had to take a single step.
Everyone burst into laughter, even he himself couldn't help but laugh, but there was only one person who didn't laugh, and that was the maid beside him, Jiang Muyun.
"Mu Yun." Pei Chu looked up at the twinkling stars in the night sky. "Do you remember what you said to me the day Cui Jin brought the meteorite?"
"Which sentence?" Jiang Muyun frowned. "It's been quite a while. I've talked to the young master so much, I can't remember every single word."
“I remember every word you said.” Pei Chu gently pressed her hand down. “You said that it would be a blessing to die on the same day, month, and year as me.”
"Young Master and Xingguo Workshop have shown immense kindness to everyone," Jiang Muyun said suddenly. "Even if they all died that day, no one would even bat an eye."
“You won’t die.” Pei Chu held her soft hand tightly, his eyes filled with determination. “I will never let anything happen to you.”
"So late at night... and you're sneaking here to talk about death?" Guan Ye tilted her head to peek at A Jiu's expression. Who would have thought that during the day, he would be so imposing, wielding a long sword, yet he had a penchant for eavesdropping? Guan Ye's legs started to go numb from squatting for too long, but after all, he was the young master of the Pei family. No matter how kind and amiable he was to others, being caught being intimate with a maid... it just wasn't very appropriate.
"I want to go before you." Pei Chu relaxed, feigning ease. "Since we don't want to die on the same day, month, and year, how about we be born on the same day, month, and year?"
"Young Master is joking." Jiang Muyun chuckled. "People don't just spring from rocks, I have a birthday."
“I want to be with you, to be closer to you.” Pei Chu’s eyes overflowed with affection.
Pei Chu's mouth... she's really good at talking. Guan Ye was dumbfounded and kept clicking her tongue in amazement. If she were Jiang Muyun, let alone being born on the same day, month, and year, she would be born on any day you asked her to. After all, he was educated and could talk a good game. He could talk so sweetly that people couldn't resist him and would die for him without batting an eye.
Just as she was thinking, a finger flicked at her head. Ajiu glared at her and said, "Don't make a sound."
"Alright, alright." Jiang Muyun couldn't persuade him otherwise. "Whatever the young master says goes. From now on, your birthday will be my birthday."
“Remember this clearly.” Pei Chu’s expression suddenly turned serious, and her soft voice rose a few decibels. “I was born in the 82nd year of the Great Jin Dynasty, the Gengshen year, the Jimao month, the Bingwu day, at the third quarter of the Chou hour. If anyone asks you…”
"Who would ask me my birthday out of the blue?" Jiang Muyun wondered what was wrong with Pei Chu today. "Young Master, you know that too."
"If someone asks you," Pei Chu grabbed her wrist, "the year of Gengshen, the month of Jimao, the day of Bingwu, the hour of Chou, three-quarters past three, remember it?"
Jiang Muyun had been by Pei Chu's side for many years and had never seen him like this before. Pei Chu was already frail, and he had been working hard for the meteorite lately, which had weakened his spirits considerably. Jiang Muyun could only nod and say, "I'll remember that."
"Tell me it once," Pei Chu insisted.
"—Gengshen year, Jimao month, Bingwu day, Chou hour, third quarter." Guan Ye under the tree repeated softly, "Not hard to remember."
Ah Jiu was speechless with anger, wishing she could stick a plaster on her mouth.
Jiang Muyun spoke each word carefully, and Pei Chu took a few breaths to calm herself down. "Let's go."
"Finally sleepy?" Jiang Muyun turned around the bamboo chair. "Would you like something to eat? Steward Pei said you didn't touch your dinner."
"Eat more tomorrow." Pei Chu leaned back in his bamboo chair, wishing that tonight would never end.
“Everyone’s gone.” Guan Ye nudged A Jiu with her elbow. “I didn’t realize you were so careful.”
Ajiu slowly stood up, her sharp black eyes sweeping over Guan Ye's face. "You're quite composed, but you talk too much."
"Why does the young master insist on having Jiang Muyun write down his birth date?" Guan Ye asked A Jiu.
"How could we possibly fathom the young master's thoughts?" A-Jiu was also puzzled, but of course he wouldn't show it in front of Guan Ye. "Should we still look for Lou Shitou? If the young master were to see him, what do you think would happen?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a tall figure emerged hesitantly from the other end. Guan Ye stared intently—"Lou Shitou!?"
"Where did you run off to?" Guan Ye stepped forward and tugged at his sleeve. "I've been looking for you everywhere!" Then she looked at the object clutched tightly in Lou Shitou's hand. Wasn't that the handkerchief Jiang Muyun had used to bandage his wound during the day? "You... want to give the handkerchief back to her?" Guan Ye lowered her voice.
Lou Shitou, looking dejected, tucked the handkerchief into his pocket. "I wanted to see my brother, but he dismissed me with just a few words." Lou Shitou glanced angrily at the darkened house behind him. "I'm not leaving. I'll wait here and scare him to death first thing tomorrow morning."
"So just now..." Guan Ye asked tentatively, "you saw it too?"
"What do you see? I just woke up." Lou Shitou rubbed his eyes. "I can't sleep soundly here. I bumped my head so hard my bones feel like they're going to break." Lou Shitou was childlike. As he spoke, he swung his arms and was about to leave. Guan Ye hurriedly followed, and A Jiu paused for a moment, then followed behind the two with his sword in hand.
“We know the way back.” Guan Ye glanced at him. “You’re not afraid we’ll get carried off by wolves, are you?”
“You know what,” Ajiu grinned, deliberately showing off her white teeth, “there really are wolves on the island, and they only eat girls.”
"Nonsense." Guan Ye stubbornly insisted, but her body felt a chill. "Even if there were, wolves outside couldn't get into the ward. Do you think Steward Pei is just a figurehead?"
“You can ask Lou Cangyu.” Ajiu walked side by side with Guan Ye, glancing at the faint panic in her eyes. She knew that even though she had the word “brave” written on her forehead, she was still a woman who could be afraid at heart. “Lou Cangyu was placed in the back mountain to practice martial arts a few years before me. It’s not a rumor that he was carried away. It’s just that the wolves didn’t like his flesh because it wasn’t as soft as a woman’s. They carried him away and then threw him away. If you don’t believe me, go ask him.”
"Then which family's girl did you eat?" Guan Ye swallowed.
"There are many bones on the back mountain," Ajiu said in a sinister voice. "Who knows? The island is dwindling in number; what if a wolf, driven mad by hunger, sneaks into the village in the middle of the night..."
The night wind whispered in her ears, like the howl of a wolf. Guan Ye unconsciously moved closer to A Jiu. A Jiu's lips curled into a triumphant smile, which she quickly suppressed, but Guan Ye still noticed. "You little brat, A Jiu!" Guan Ye jumped up and down in a panic. "You're just talking nonsense."
"Hahahaha." Ajiu chuckled softly. He hadn't encountered anything so funny in a long time. Guan Ye was listening intently and even took it seriously. Seeing her face turn pale with fright, he felt it was worth getting a few punches from her.
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