Before they could enter the house, Gu Lanshi heard a child crying. His second cousin's wife, He Shui'er, came toward them with a baby in her arms, looking worried. When they met, she hurriedly asked, "Grandma, what's happened?"
She'd heard Fang Honghua loudly arguing earlier, but just then the baby in her arms had woken and begun wailing for milk, crying with all its might. All the men in the house were out in the fields, her mother-in-law had gone to her maiden home, and her sisters-in-law weren't around. Unable to leave the baby, she'd spent a while soothing and feeding it before hurrying out to see what had happened.
"Nothing serious. I exchanged a few words with that old Cao Xiaoqiao. You look after the baby," Fang Honghua said with a wave.
"Oh, it was her." He Shui'er patted the child. She wanted to tell Grandma not to quarrel with people outside, but as a grandson's wife, how could she criticize an elder? She swallowed the words.
Gu Lanshi explained, "Sister-in-law, you don't know what happened. Cao Xiaoqiao tried to steal from us earlier, and she even wanted to hit Zhu. Grandma couldn't bear that, so she argued with her."
"That old hag!" He Shui'er finally understood. She ushered the brothers inside to sit and added, "She's disliked our family for years, ever since that business of borrowing money. She deserved a good scolding."
She was referring to the old grievance Cao Xiaoqiao held against Fang Honghua.
Cao Xiaoqiao had two sons and lived with the younger, Qian Feng. His first child was a daughter, whom Cao Xiaoqiao had disliked from birth. She treated her son's husband, Yu Hui'er, with equal contempt.
Four years earlier, when Qian Feng's ten-year-old daughter fell ill and needed medicine, he had no money and asked his mother for some. She controlled all the money his father had earned before dying. Since his mother was a widow, Qian Feng had never previously asked her to support him.
But Cao Xiaoqiao thought a girl was worthless. The idea of spending money on one infuriated her. She cursed her son and drove him out, insisting she had not a single coin. Even when Qian Feng promised to repay her, she refused.
Qian Feng and Yu Hui'er couldn't stand by and watch their daughter die. Going out, they ran into Fang Honghua. Knowing the Gu family lived well and probably had savings, they borrowed some silver from her. The girl eventually recovered. Delighted, the couple tightened their belts and saved until they could repay the debt. Cao Xiaoqiao never contributed a penny.
From then on, Yu Hui'er had little to do with his mother-in-law. Qian Feng also resented her refusal to save his child. Whenever mother and son quarreled, he brought up the incident. Gradually Cao Xiaoqiao's resentment shifted toward Fang Honghua.
Gu Lanshi already knew the story, and there was little point bringing up the past again. Besides, everyone in the village knew what kind of person Cao Xiaoqiao was. He and Gou'er stayed to talk with Fang Honghua until she calmed down, then went home when it was time to cook.
*
On a wooded hillside, Gu Lanshi climbed with a sickle in hand and a bamboo basket on his back, looking for saltwort. Zhu's little basket was already full of wild amaranth, which tasted particularly good at this time of year.
"Let's make noodles today and cook some wild amaranth to go with them. It'll be tender and green," Zhu suggested. He was craving white-flour noodles again.
Gu Lanshi turned and smiled. "Didn't we just eat a batch a couple of days ago? If you really want them, ask Mother. If she agrees, I'll make them. I'm not going to be the one getting scolded."
"Hmph." Zhu pouted angrily. "Every time, I'm the one who has to ask. I get scolded even if I ask, and you eat the noodles just the same!"
Gu Lanshi wouldn't fall for that. "I'm not nearly so greedy as you. And if I ask, she might say no. What does a little scolding matter to you? She'll make the noodles eventually. Think about it: which is more important, avoiding a scolding or eating noodles?"
Zhu frowned and struggled with the question for a while. Finally he smiled. "The noodles are more important. I'll ask Mother when we get home. And maybe I'll see if she'll put a poached egg in each bowl."
Gu Lanshi smiled too. Poached eggs were a rare treat. If Zhu managed to coax them out of Mother, he'd get to satisfy his own craving.
The trees grew denser near the top of the slope, including several ancient trunks so thick that it would take multiple people to circle them. The two had no intention of going far today. They only wanted to gather wild greens nearby.
Gu Lanshi cut a great handful of saltwort and stuffed it into his basket. Just as he was about to stand and pick it up, a distant figure caught the corner of his eye.
The figure was seven or eight zhang away, with thick foliage between them. The moment he realized it was Lin Jinpeng, Gu Lanshi himself couldn't have explained why, but the sight of the man looking cautiously around made him duck behind a large tree.
"Lan—" Seeing his brother's strange expression, Zhu started to ask what was wrong, only to have a hand clapped over his mouth.
Gu Lanshi held his younger brother against him and hid without moving. He listened for noises from the other direction. Hearing no one approach, he cautiously peeked out from behind the tree.
Lin Jinpeng wore a dark teal robe today, not the clothing of an ordinary fieldworker. The fabric wasn't particularly fine, but the cut was elegant and tasteful, with a bamboo pattern embroidered on it. Whenever he'd worn that outfit in the village before, unmarried girls and dual-born youths blushed at the sight, and even married wives and husbands took a second glance. The reason was simple: Lin Jinpeng was handsome and stood tall and straight. A robe only made him look better.
Gu Lanshi remembered that robe very well and had recognized it immediately. Since their match had been settled, they'd scarcely seen one another because propriety demanded they keep their distance. On the rare occasions they crossed paths in the village, Lin Jinpeng smiled and Gu Lanshi merely nodded, exchanging few words.
Though trees obstructed the view, he could still see Lin Jinpeng walking farther up the mountain until his figure disappeared.
When Gu Lanshi first spotted him, he'd been standing on the mountain trail villagers often used. If he were merely digging bamboo shoots, collecting wild vegetables, or waiting for a companion, he had no reason to be so vigilant. It looked almost as though he was afraid of being followed.
An unpleasant suspicion rose in Gu Lanshi's mind, making his heart pound. He couldn't explain it even to himself. He bit his lower lip hard, then handed his brother the basket with only a few vegetables in it. Lowering his voice, he said, "Zhu, don't make a sound. Go home and fetch Gou'er. If he asks why, just tell him I want him here. I'm going farther up the mountain. Whatever he's doing, you must drag him here, understand?"
Gu Lanzhu only half understood, but nodded blankly. He put one bamboo basket on his back, picked up the other, and ran home without a word.
Gu Lanshi softened his steps and quietly followed the trail uphill, slipping behind trees as he went and worrying that if he stayed too far back, he'd lose Lin Jinpeng.
He'd never tried sneaking after someone before. His heart beat so fiercely that it seemed ready to leap from his chest. Afraid the sound would give him away, he pressed his lips together and scarcely dared breathe. Although it wasn't hot beneath the trees, sweat covered his forehead.
Gradually the trodden path disappeared. The farther one went into the mountains, the more the tracks scattered. People went into the forest to forage, after all, and mushrooms and wild vegetables couldn't all be found in one place.
The grass beneath him grew thick, the trees cast deep shade, and there was no one to be seen ahead. Gu Lanshi stopped. He'd lost the man.
Should he go back?
For some inexplicable reason, he couldn't bear to. Or perhaps he simply couldn't set his mind at rest.
His eyes searched wildly in every direction. He could almost hear his own heartbeat. Then, as he turned, he spotted a patch of grass flattened by a recent footstep, its blades not yet sprung upright.
He was neither a hunter nor a herb gatherer and knew little about tracking. Still, the discovery made his heart tighten, and he hurried in that direction.
*
A stream murmured over the rocks, gathering in a small, clear pool where the ground dipped gently. Stones lined its banks, and the grass and trees were sparse. With little overhead shade, sunlight fell on the gently rippling surface and made it sparkle.
This was a hidden place few people ever visited. In the woods nearby, shrubs grew taller than a person.
The sound of running water and birdsong seemed especially clear in the deep stillness.
When Lin Jinpeng arrived in his teal robe, his expression relaxed. Smiling faintly, he approached someone seated on a rock by the stream. His steps quickened, as though he could hardly wait. He didn't notice the pair of eyes watching from a clump of bushes behind him.
Gu Lanshi cautiously parted the branches, enduring the discomfort as twigs scraped his cheeks. He kept his lips pressed tightly together, terrified that he might accidentally make a noise.
Large and small rocks crowded together beside the stream, forming a stony riverbed. The sun had bleached their surfaces pale, making them look far cleaner than the surrounding earth.
When the person sitting on the rock turned, Gu Lanshi's eyes widened. Just as he'd feared, it was a dual-born youth, with a red mark between his brows. There was no time to feel angry. He knew only that Lin Jinpeng had come to meet a lover in secret. As for the other person, Gu Lanshi didn't know him or even which village he belonged to.
The two lovers stood some distance away, and their voices were low. Gu Lanshi couldn't make out what they were saying. But a moment later, they suddenly embraced and began kissing passionately, startling him. He'd never seen anyone behave so openly, even crudely. He clutched the branches beside him, his cheeks burning with a mixture of shame and anger.
"Don't even think about it." The strange youth was breathless as he held Lin Jinpeng's hand back. His watery eyes seemed reproachful. "I've heard your family has already arranged a match for you. Why are you still coming to see me?"
Their thoughts had long since wandered beyond caution. Believing themselves alone, they grew bold enough to stop keeping their voices down.
Lin Jinpeng was impatient with desire. He pulled the other youth close for another kiss before saying, "You mean him? His family won't let him marry for another two years. Something about a fortune-teller's prediction. Since I have to wait anyway, why shouldn't we enjoy ourselves for those two years? By then, when I've saved more money, I'll be able to marry you too…"
Gu Lanshi had never imagined he would hear them talking about him. He went numb with humiliation at Lin Jinpeng's words. Judging by their easy familiarity, the two must have been involved for some time, yet Lin had pretended to be an honorable man while arranging a marriage with him.
Something churned violently in his stomach. Blood seemed to rush to his head, leaving him dizzy and sick. He was consumed by rage.
Before he could shout out his anger and demand an explanation, he saw the pair scattering their clothes everywhere. They stripped shamelessly in broad daylight, a thoroughly ugly sight.
And that wasn't all. He had no idea what madness possessed them next. Lin Jinpeng pressed a large hand tightly over the other youth's nose and mouth, and though the youth struggled and kicked, he couldn't break free.
Gu Lanshi stared in horror. For a moment he thought Lin Jinpeng was trying to kill the youth by smothering him.
But what happened next was far beyond anything he understood. The sight of their naked bodies joining was disturbing and unfamiliar to him. Lin Jinpeng finally removed his hand, and the youth arched his head back and let out a cry that might have been pain or something else, sticky with an intimacy Gu Lanshi had never heard before.
Boom—
Gu Lanshi's mind seemed to explode. He dimly understood what they were doing, but he'd never experienced anything like it. He was an innocent, unmarried dual-born youth who knew nothing of such matters, and the sounds reaching him were almost unbearable.
All his emotions piled up until he couldn't contain them, bursting out at once.
"Aaaaaah—!"
His piercing scream seemed to shake the very mountain forest. Birds perched on the branches burst into flight, wings flapping wildly.
The lovers never imagined anyone was nearby. The shrill scream made them both shudder so violently that their souls nearly fled their bodies. They were almost frightened to death, and every other thought vanished.
Lin Jinpeng's face turned first green, then white. He was afraid of being exposed and losing his reputation, and terrified that the shock might leave him permanently unable to perform as a man. He had never been so humiliated in his life. He nearly broke down on the spot.
"Quick! Hurry! Catch him!"
Someone shoved him, bringing him abruptly back to his senses. Neither lover took the time to dress properly. They snatched up whatever underclothes they could find, wrapped them hastily around themselves, and chased after the intruder, terrified he would bring other people back. If he did, they were finished.
When Lin Jinpeng realized the figure running and crying ahead was Gu Lanshi, his eyes widened in disbelief. He had yet to regain his reason, but knew he had to catch him. At the very least, he had to cover that mouth. As for what he would do after silencing him, he had no time to consider.
Tears poured down Gu Lanshi's face, and he couldn't stop crying aloud. The only reason he retained was enough to recognize the way downhill instead of running blindly through the woods.
His sobs reached the people searching uphill. Gou'er had just arrived nearby when he heard the sound and recognized Gu Lanshi's voice. He and Zhu broke into a run, shouting, "Brother Lanshi! Are you all right?"
Seeing his own family coming toward him, Gu Lanshi cried even harder. Between great, broken sobs, he managed to shout, "He—he—Lin Jinpeng's been meeting someone behind my back!"
The words were barely coherent, but Gou'er saw Lin Jinpeng pursuing his brother and nearly jumped out of his skin. His heart leaped into his throat. Thinking quickly, he shouted over his shoulder, "Father! Mother! Brother Lanshi and Brother Jinpeng are over here! Stop searching that way!"
The two guilty lovers were already at the very end of their nerves. Gou'er's shout snapped the last thread of their composure. Their faces turned white, and they stopped in their tracks, looking at the three Gu children with murderous resentment.
Lin Jinpeng suddenly realized what to do. "Go back and put your clothes on! Even if they bring people here, say they're making false accusations. Whatever happens, don't admit anything."
Clinging to their last hope, the two hurried back toward the stream.
Gu Lanshi had reached Zhu and Gou'er, but none of the three dared stop. The siblings understood one another without having to explain. Gritting their teeth, they raced downhill to bring back the adults.
"I'll run home to get help. Don't let them catch you two," Gou'er said, then sprinted ahead. He might not be very old, but he was a strong, sturdy young man, and his legs were faster.
Gu Lanshi and Zhu had both worked since childhood and weren't fragile. The mountain trail was uneven, but they were accustomed to walking it. Even in their panic, neither fell despite stumbling several times. Once Gu Lanshi started crying, Zhu, who still didn't understand what had happened, was frightened into tears as well. The two ran downhill sobbing together.
Meanwhile, fear and fury seemed to give Gou'er wings. He ran faster than he ever had before. Just inside the village, he spotted two people a little way off. Without even seeing who they were, he shouted breathlessly toward home, "Father! Mother! Something terrible's happened to Brother Jinpeng on the mountain—"
