Encounter (IV)
The morning light gently flows through the window lattice, casting a warm light grid in the house.
Tiny dust particles floated in the air, dancing leisurely in the beams of light.
He Shu was awakened by the light spots dancing on his eyelids and lazily opened his sleepy eyes.
The remaining tiredness from last night has not completely dissipated. My body feels like cotton soaked in water, heavy and I don’t want to move.
He turned over again and lay there in a daze for an unknown amount of time before he slowly opened his eyes completely. He stood up and yawned deeply, his eyes falling on the heavy book spread out on the desk.
With a helpless sigh, He Shu lowered his head in frustration.
The content I studied so hard all night yesterday has disappeared like the tide, leaving no trace...
etc!
How did he get from his desk to his bed last night? How come he has no recollection of it?
He Shu frowned, trying hard to recall what happened last night. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of the familiar old wooden box at hand, and his memory suddenly came back.
Last night in the middle of the night, he seemed to have knocked something over, picked it up casually, and then couldn't hold on and fell into a deep sleep...
He picked up the wooden box and held it in his hands.
Now that the feather ornament has been given to Qingshan, this empty box probably has no use other than evoking memories of the past, so I'd better put it away.
He Shu was thinking this and was about to concentrate to store it in his sea of consciousness, but his eyes suddenly fixed on the bottom of the box. A piece of rice paper that had been crumpled and flattened was lying there quietly.
Almost forgot about it!
I was so sleepy last night that I fell into a deep sleep before I had time to savor the words above.
He Shu carefully unfolded the crumpled paper ball.
This was the first time he discovered that the wooden box Qingshan left him actually contained a hidden world, with other objects hidden inside. He wondered what was written on it...
The familiar handwriting caught his eye, causing his heart to tremble slightly. He was momentarily dazed, but he quickly regained his composure and focused on the contents of the paper:
Pink petals sway in the wind while wet clothes; a cat plays with butterflies beneath the flowers. Tree shadows half-cover the green stone; a single soul lies quietly in the moonlight.
The first two lines are leisurely and tranquil, describing the most ordinary scenery in this mountain courtyard, but the "one soul" in the second half of the line...
He Shu frowned and thought, could this refer to the earth soul that was separated from Qingshan back then?
Why did Qingshan leave this poem alone? Was he trying to hint something to him?
Just as I was startled, I suddenly heard a familiar yet somewhat naive young man's voice coming from outside the window, which should not appear at this moment.
The voice was wrapped in the warmth of the morning sun, loud and clear, penetrating the window paper:
"nameless!"
Suddenly, a tall figure blocked most of the light from one window pane.
He Shu then turned his head and saw Qing Shanshan, with a face covered with fine beads of sweat, leaning towards the half-open window, with almost half of his body eagerly leaning into the house.
"You're awake, good morning."
The face was immersed in the dazzling golden morning light, and the outline was covered with a layer of furry light, making it difficult to see clearly. Only the bright smile that almost reached the ears caught He Shu's eyes clearly.
He shuddered all over and subconsciously loosened his hand holding the manuscript.
Without thinking too much, he quickly threw off the quilt and got out of bed, casually slipping on his shoes beside the bed, rushed to the door in a few steps, and suddenly opened it -
The fresh and warm morning light hit his face, but it made him squint slightly.
When his vision became clear again, a bowl of steaming soup was placed in front of him.
He Shu looked again and saw that Qingshan, who had just been by the window, had swiftly come around to him, holding a porcelain bowl in both hands and offering it to him like a treasure.
"Wuming, drink, Qingshan made it, it tastes good!"
All the doubts disappeared quietly after they came into contact with those bright eyes full of expectation.
He Shu quickly rinsed his mouth, took the bowl of warm soup, walked to the stone bench in the yard and sat down.
In the celadon bowl, the soup is milky white and rich, with steam rising from it. Many tiny pieces of fish are soaked in it, looking snow-white, firm and very fresh.
The tender tofu is cut into small and even cubes, hidden in the thick soup, as white as jade and snow, almost melting in the soup.
A fresh fragrance hits your nose, which is the sweetness of fresh fish carefully cooked, cleverly mixed with the unique fragrance of soy products and a hint of just the right spicy coriander.
He Shu instantly felt his appetite flare up, and the glutton in his stomach was aroused:
"Thank you Qingshan for preparing breakfast for me."
He thanked her gently, picked up the spoon, scooped a spoonful of soup, and carefully put it into his mouth.
The soup is extremely smooth and feels warm and soothing when you put it in your mouth. The fish is fresh and the beans are tender. The warmth goes straight to your stomach, making it so comfortable that you can't help but squint your eyes slightly.
"Is it tasty?"
Qingshan immediately sat down next to Heshu, leaning towards him, and asked questions impatiently. It was obvious that he was waiting for praise.
"tasty!"
He Shu smiled and nodded.
“Aoyama’s cooking is amazing!”
He simply put down the spoon, picked up the porcelain bowl and drank a few sips before asking again:
"What kind of fish is in this tofu soup? It tastes so delicious."
"It's a silver minnow, Qingshan, just caught this morning."
Qingshan turned his head and looked at the people who were eating heartily. His smile became brighter and his eyes were full of pure satisfaction.
Silver minnow...
He Shu's fingertips holding the bowl stiffened slightly.
He subconsciously stared at the tiny fish pieces in the soup. Several lively little fish in the stream, with scales shining silver, seemed to swim before his eyes again.
So... this is what silver minnow tastes like.
Qingshan was right. The fish was delicious and he should have tried it a long time ago.
"Why don't you drink anymore, Wuming?"
Qingshan's somewhat anxious voice came, with a hint of tension, bringing Heshu's thoughts back from a sudden drift.
He quickly raised a smile as natural as possible and explained:
"The silver minnow and tofu soup made by Qingshan is so delicious that I can't bear to finish it all at once."
“Eat, eat…”
Qingshan stood up suddenly, ran away, and quickly went into the kitchen next door.
He Shu looked in that direction and was surprised to find that the courtyard, which was a little messy and neglected yesterday, had now become tidy and looked brand new.
He couldn't help but look around. If he didn't know clearly that it was Qingshan's doing, he would almost think that the legendary snail girl had entered the house!
For the first time, the ground in the courtyard was not covered with a layer of fallen petals; it was swept spotlessly clean. A small mountain of newly chopped firewood was neatly piled at the kitchen door. On the bamboo clothesline, the clothes he had taken off yesterday but hadn't yet washed were already washed, fluttering gently in the breeze, exuding the refreshing scent of soapberries.
Even the pots of flowers and plants under the window that he had raised to half-dead seemed to have been reborn. The soil was moist, and the dead leaves had been carefully trimmed, finally showing some fresh green.
He had always been rather casual about trivial matters in life, and these past few days he had been busy searching for a hairpin, and had even been too lazy to use his magic to tidy up his room. This was a stroke of luck; he didn't have to do any of the chores himself.
Qingshan was indeed someone who had lived in this little house for several lifetimes. He was so familiar with everything here and took care of it with ease. He was even more responsible than him, the temporary owner...
No, He Shu thought again, he was clearly "serving" this lazy guy who did nothing, it would be more accurate to say that he was a servant.
He was amused by his sudden idea. He lowered his head and chuckled, shook his head, picked up the spoon and prepared to continue eating.
At this moment, Qingshan came out of the kitchen carrying a larger bowl, or even a small pot of soup:
"Nameless, eat, there are so many!"
Qingshan placed the full bowl of tofu soup on the stone table. There were so many fish slices in it that it was almost overflowing.
Looking at the huge amount, He Shu opened his eyes wide in shock and his body leaned back subconsciously.
Qingshan must have caught all the silver minnows in Yangchun Creek this morning. That's too many...
He looked up at Qingshan, the words of refusal on the tip of his tongue, but when he met the other's expectant and enthusiastic expression, he couldn't help but change the subject and blurt out an invitation:
"Hey... Qingshan, will you eat with me?"
"No, nameless food."
Qingshan shook his head firmly, pushed the newly brought soup bowl in front of Heshu, and insisted:
"Green mountains, never hungry."
The two were deadlocked when a slightly anxious voice appeared in time, breaking the senseless deadlock.
"Qingshan!"
Fu Qingle took a few steps forward, speaking with a tone of reproach and fear, and slapped Qingshan on the forehead with his finger.
He was panting as he spoke, probably because he was exhausted after walking a long distance.
"How could you just run out without saying a word? Do you know how worried I am about you?"
Seeing Qingshan's shoulders shrank and his head lowered, he sighed and softened his tone:
"Hey, if you do it again, I'll definitely ground you for half a month, remember that!"
"Qingshan, remember..."
He Shu quickly stood up upon seeing this. Just as he was about to say something to help him out, Fu Qingle got there first. He turned to He Shu, bowed slightly and said:
"I'm really sorry for bothering you, my dear."
As he spoke, he reached out to pull Qingshan away.
"Hey, Mr. Fu, wait a minute."
He Shu hurriedly stopped him,
"Qingshan prepared a lot of breakfast, and I can't finish it all at once. If you don't mind, let's eat it together before leaving, so as not to waste Qingshan's kindness."
He thought to himself that this was a good opportunity to convey the cat demon's message to him, so that he wouldn't have to make another special trip to visit him.
He Shu thought so and warmly invited the two to sit down.
Qingshan obviously didn't want to leave. Seeing that his father's attitude had softened, he immediately ran to the kitchen and got two sets of clean bowls and spoons.
He first filled a bowl for Fu Qingle, then refilled the half-empty bowl of soup in front of He Shu, and finally it was his own turn.
Seeing that his son had buried his head and was eating sweetly with a "slurp", Fu Qingle could no longer harden his heart to refuse.
He looked at He Shu again with an apologetic look, and finally sat down on a stone bench nearby.
"I'm sorry to trouble you..."
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