0141 The Golden Winged Envoy (Part 6)
Having captured Shi Yunkai and his gang, Zhan Yaoguang had no further involvement in the negotiations. With nothing to do, his life returned to the same routine as before in the village. In his spare time, he would watch the clouds, the sky was soft and clear, and the leaves would rustle gently as the day passed.
Ah Guang followed him around, whimpering and almost never leaving his side, sticking out his tongue to lick his palm.
Zhan Yaoguang gently patted its head away and whispered, "Don't lick it. My hand is injured. If you move it again, it will bleed again."
The yellow dog, quite intelligent, stopped pestering him and obediently lay down beside him.
The boy sat cross-legged by the stream, dipped his handkerchief in the cool water, and carefully wiped the gruesome wound across his palm, cleaning away the sand, pebbles, and leaves. Then he took out some healing powder and poured it all over his face, wincing in pain. He quickly took out a cotton swab and wrapped it around the wound.
"That Shi Yunkai! He actually cut such a long and ugly gash on my hand... I wonder if it will ever heal," Zhan Yaoguang said, biting a cotton swab and tying it into an odd knot. Then she sighed and said wistfully, "Ah Guang, do you think it will leave a scar after my hand heals?"
If he were to be left with a scar, he would truly hate Shi Yunkai.
Afu loves being pretty so much—
I love that others are beautiful.
If she saw such an ugly scar on his hand and gave him that look of pity and disgust, he was afraid he would faint from sadness.
Zhan Yaoguang became increasingly agitated as he thought about it. He beckoned to A-Guang to lie down, exposing his belly so that he could lie down for a while.
Ah Guang refused, whimpering. The two, man and dog, faced off for a long time before Zhan Yinyuan, who came running excitedly from afar, offered a way out.
"Thirteenth Brother! I've finally found you!"
The young man's eyes lit up with joy, his cheeks glowing with excitement. He stood slightly out of breath in front of Zhan Yaoguang, propped his head up, and looked him up and down from all sides: "Is the wound on your hand bandaged up yet?"
Zhan Yaoguang clenched her fist slightly: "You can still move."
"That's good. Hurry up and come with me. The clan chief is going to present a memorial to the emperor of Dali, and she needs to send the letter to Chang'an. You should also write one for Sister Afu and send it along with the memorial!"
The boy's eyes lit up, and he made a quick decision: "Go right now!"
The village houses are nestled against the mountains and rivers, stretching for thousands of households. In the center, a wide open space is set up as a square, with an arc-shaped corridor of a hundred Miao people on both sides. In the middle stands a maple tree pillar with reliefs of butterflies, phoenixes and other totems.
When Zhan Yaoguang arrived, Grandmother spoke to the clansmen about her wish to make peace with the Dali Kingdom and to be protected by the Holy Dynasty in the future.
The tribespeople readily agreed, loudly proclaiming their approval in the Miao language.
Grandmother nodded slightly and led Zhan Yuheng toward the watchtower, preparing to pray to the deities enshrined inside.
Zhan Yuheng saw Zhan Yaoguang coming from afar and raised his chin to signal him to follow.
Zhan Yaoguang thought for a moment, but ultimately did not refute.
Seeing that Zhan Yaoguang had already left, Zhan Yinyuan stamped his foot and ran over as well.
Grandmother went inside to pray first, while Zhan Yuheng stood at the door waiting for Zhan Yaoguang.
Seeing that he had actually come, a smile finally appeared on his face: "Thirteen Lang, you should go in and pay your respects too..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhan Yinyuan interrupted with a sneer, "Eleventh Sister, why did you call Thirteenth Brother to come and pay respects? He's never believed in these things since he was little..."
Zhan Yuheng glanced at Zhan Yaoguang and snorted, "This time the prayer is for the letter to the north to have a smooth journey and reach Chang'an as soon as possible. Thirteenth Brother, are you really not going to pray?"
The boy paused, his tone of refusal shifting as he lowered his head and rebuked Zhan Yinyuan, "Who said I don't believe? Little Fifteen, don't you dare tarnish my faith in front of the Goddess of Gu."
After saying that, he actually stepped inside.
Inside the watchtower, there are several shrines, including the ancestral butterfly mother, the Nuo god who dispels calamities, and the Gu goddess who protects the clan and its people.
Zhan Yinyuan was right. He had always been a bit stubborn since childhood and had never actually worshipped these things before. At this moment, he felt somewhat at a loss.
"Cousin, how should I kneel?"
Zhan Yuheng pursed his lips, the teasing and mocking look in his eyes almost impossible to hide. He was secretly laughing out loud, but on the surface he remained calm. He cleared his throat and said, "First, lower your left knee and then your right knee. Bow down on the futon, with your left palm facing up and your right palm facing down. Then bring your palms together. Repeat this three times."
Zhan Yaoguang nodded and, following Zhan Yuheng's instructions, devoutly bowed to each shrine, muttering incantations.
Zhan Yinyuan clung to the doorframe, peering curiously inside for a long time. As soon as Zhan Yaoguang came out, he eagerly clung to him, hugging his arm and asking, "Thirteenth Brother, what did you pray for before the immortals?"
Seeing that he didn't answer for a long time, the young man clung tightly to his arm, shaking him left and right, pleading repeatedly, "Thirteenth brother, thirteenth brother! Tell me, I'm very good with my mouth, I will never tell anyone easily!"
Zhan Yaoguang was getting a little annoyed by his persistence and was starting to soften her stance, but she still hesitated a bit: "Is this something I can say out loud?"
"Of course! The ladies are kind and loving. As long as you are sincere, there is no such thing as it not working if you speak of it!"
Zhan Yaoguang pondered for a moment, then lowered her voice slightly: "If the letter goes smoothly, my grandmother and cousin will both pray for it. As for myself, I pray for..."
He took a breath and slowly said, "I told the Goddess of Gu that I hope many people will love Afu."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Zhan Yinyuan asked, puzzled.
Zhan Yaoguang composed herself: "It means exactly what it says. I saw Afu sad many times because of her mother when I was in Chang'an. I felt unhappy because she was so sad."
Zhan Yinyuan exclaimed "Ah!" and said in a daze, "But isn't this good? Sister Afu has been mistreated by others, but Brother Thirteen treats her sincerely. It's hard for her not to be moved... If I were Brother Thirteen, I would pray that I would save Sister Afu from her suffering, so that she would never be able to leave me again..."
Zhan Yaoguang's eyes darkened, and she spat three times, vehemently denying it: "No, no, this is not good at all! Afu is so good, she should have many people who love her, otherwise it would be such a waste!"
Zhan Yinyuan was puzzled: "...Thirteenth Brother is so strange. What are you going to do?"
The boy thought for a moment, then remained silent, but silently made a mental note:
I hope many people love her, but I will definitely be the one who loves and cherishes her the most.
That's good enough.
"What's it to you!" Zhan Yaoguang changed the subject, reaching out to pinch Zhan Yinyuan's plump cheek. "How can you have so many twisted ideas at such a young age? And Sister Afu, who gave you permission to call her Afu..."
Zhan Yinyuan winced in pain and begged for mercy repeatedly. Seeing that Zhan Yaoguang was still merciless, he finally reached out and pinched back. For a moment, chaos and commotion ensued.
...
From that day on, Zhan Yaoguang rarely left his house, spending his days with pen and book in hand, striving to write a heartfelt and beautifully written letter to Shu Fu.
He was very talkative, talking about everything from the clouds that drifted leisurely across the sky to the pheasants and rabbits that chattered incessantly on the ground. It seemed that nothing was not new and interesting, and he wanted to tell her everything.
He wrote tirelessly, using up twelve sheets of paper. During this time, Zhan Yuheng came to visit him once and, looking at the thick stack of papers on his desk, exclaimed in surprise: "You've written so much, I'm afraid you won't be able to send it out."
Zhan Yaoguang frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.
“When Grandma wrote the petition to the Emperor of Dali, she emphasized speed and brevity. Yours… I’m afraid we’ll have to cut out some of the cumbersome parts.”
He retorted, "It's not verbose; I wrote it down word by word with great care."
Zhan Yuheng said expressionlessly, "That's the tedious wording you've carefully crafted. In short, you need to simplify it, using at most a single sheet of paper."
Zhan Yaoguang reluctantly cut and edited the text, finally managing to cram the words onto a single sheet of paper.
Zhan Yuheng wanted to see it again. Zhan Yaoguang was initially unwilling to give it to him, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that the other party's proficiency in Chinese was far superior to his own. Perhaps he could correct his grammatical errors and improve his writing, so that Afu would also think highly of him. So after much consideration, he handed it over.
After reading it, Zhan Yuheng nodded approvingly: "You wrote very well. Your writing is much more concise and beautiful than before. This 'Do not worry' is the best. It has the flavor of those Central Plains people who want to say something but hold back. They clearly miss the other person and hope that the other person misses them too, but they still pretend to write 'Do not worry'."
"What?" Zhan Yaoguang looked up blankly. "What do you mean, 'don't worry about me'? I mean, 'make sure she thinks of me'."
These are words he carefully selected.
Although he memorized many poems during his time in Chang'an, including some expressing longing, they were all other people's poems, not his own.
His emotions can only be expressed through his own writing.
Zhan Yuheng: "..."
She knew it; when did her thirteenth brother become so generous?
He is so selfish.
He himself was deeply concerned about that Lady Shu, and he also hoped that she would be just as unforgettable as he was.
"But the 'wu' in 'wushi' is not this 'wu'."
Zhan Yuheng corrected him, dipped his finger in some water, and neatly wrote the character "务" on the table.
Zhan Yaoguang said "Oh", picked up his pen and crossed out the original "Wu", and added a new "Wu", making it "Wu Nian".
However, after looking at it from left to right, it still didn't look quite right to me.
He belatedly asked, "Do they have this word in the Central Plains?"
Zhan Yuheng: "...I don't know."
Zhan Yaoguang scratched the end of his hair in frustration, put the pen in his mouth, leaned back in his chair, and pondered deeply.
The sky outside the window was a clear, blue expanse, with fluffy clouds drifting overhead. A gentle breeze blew in, lifting a corner of the paper and creating a wisp of white foam, like tiny white waves rising from the sea.
Ah, the thoughts of a young man.
Zhan Yuheng sighed softly, waited a while longer, and seeing that he was still frowning for a long time, he didn't want to disturb him anymore.
Just as he was about to quietly close the door and leave, the boy suddenly sat up straight with a start and exclaimed, "I've got it!"
Zhan Yuheng's heart skipped a beat. Even though he had retreated to the door, he couldn't hide his curiosity and finally couldn't resist quietly stepping forward.
She casually peeked at it, leaning her head in for a quick glance.
Then, the character "务" was crossed out on the paper, and two more characters "多" were added.
It has become 'Duoduo Nian'.
———
Okay, I'll confess, the main plot point of Fei Fei's return home this time is this letter; the rest is just to make it less direct and monotonous... (flips fingers)
But now that I think about it, it's not entirely meaningless. After all, being a live-in son-in-law requires some capital, so I might as well consider it as accumulating that capital (*＾3＾).
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