FMT 40

Chapter 40  Night Banquet

Xue Ming looked Liandan over and said, “Good, you didn’t lose weight on the road.”

Liandan pressed his lips together and smiled. The women, girls, and ge’er who had followed him in earlier also found places to sit.

Xiaodan had already been passed from the old woman to the ge’er’s arms. A few little girls gathered curiously around, watching him. Xiaodan looked at one and then another, making faces that made them giggle.

Xue Ming said she had come back earlier and had already prepared a place for Liandan and Xiaodan. After tea, she would take them to see it.

Liandan thanked her. His eyes wandered around. The hall was quite large. Everything inside looked fine, but it was clear the house itself was old.

When he was done looking at the house, he looked at the people. Those gathered around Xiaodan, laughing and talking, many of them had similar looks. They must have been close family.

Xue Ming whispered, “These are the families of my senior brothers. Some don’t live here all year, they only come back for the New Year.”

Liandan nodded.

Seeing the weariness in his face, Xue Ming went to pick up Xiaodan and said, “They’re tired from the journey. You can play with him another time.”

Liandan stood, smiled, and nodded to the family members. They exchanged bows and farewells.

Xue Ming led him through several covered walkways, across two small bridges, until they came to a large courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet and seemed empty.

They went straight into the main room. Past a screen, there was a tea room for receiving guests. Beyond that were two doors, left and right. Xue Ming led Liandan into the one on the left.

The moment he entered, he smelled a faint but familiar fragrance.

Inside were bed, table, and chairs. Around the bed hung layers of gauzy curtains, lifted at the sides. On the table were books, brush, ink, and paper. Two calligraphy scrolls and a painting of flowers and birds hung on the wall. In one corner stood a stand with a copper basin, with soft cotton towels draped over the bar.

On the other side was another table, with a zither placed on it. By the window was a soft couch, suitable for resting or reading.

In the middle of the room, smoke rose lightly from an incense burner, giving off the fragrance he had smelled earlier.

Xue Ming took off Xiaodan’s heavy clothes, leaving only his inner garments, and set him on the bed. Xiaodan immediately rolled about, messing up the fine bedding.

Liandan tried to stop him, but Xue Ming held him back, smiling. “It’s his father’s place. Let him play however he wants. It’s fine.”

Liandan froze for a moment. Xue Ming looked at him and winked. “Guess whose room this is?”

Of course, Liandan knew. His face reddened. “If we stay here, won’t we disturb him?”

Xue Ming shook her head and smiled. “It’s fine. He told me to move his things next door. This room is for you and Xiaodan.”

Liandan still felt uneasy, like he was taking another’s place. Xue Ming reassured him, “The sunlight is good here. Open the window and you see the garden we just passed. The scenery is nice. It’s good for the child.”

Only then did Liandan relax a little.

Xue Ming pointed to a screen. “Behind that is a bath. I had people bring hot water. You and Xiaodan should wash up and rest. I’ll come call you for dinner.”

She turned to leave. Liandan looked at her, hesitating.

Xue Ming squeezed his wrist. “He’ll come back to eat with you later.”

Liandan quickly said, “I…I didn’t mean…”

But Xue Ming already left with a smile.

….

Liandan bathed with Xiaodan, dried them both, and had just dressed when there was a knock at the door. It was Xue Ming, calling them to dinner.

The food was laid out on the square table in the front hall of their rooms. Chen Shuangning was already seated.

Xiaodan, seeing his father, reached out anxiously to be held. Liandan hurried forward, but Chen Shuangning was already standing, stepping up to take the child into his arms.

His gaze swept quickly over Liandan’s face and figure. Seeing they were fine, he finally asked, “Hungry?”

Liandan smiled faintly. “It’s fine.”

Xue Ming left for a moment and returned with goat’s milk. She put it on the table, took Xiaodan, and fed him slowly.

Liandan rose, wanting to do it himself, but Xue Ming said, “I had a late breakfast, I’m not hungry yet. You two eat first.” He could only sit back down.

At the table it was only the three of them. With such familiar company, Liandan was far more relaxed than when he first arrived.

Xue Ming occasionally asked if the food suited him. After feeding Xiaodan, she also stood now and then to refill their bowls. When the meal was finished, Chen Shuangning left again.

That afternoon, Liandan held Xiaodan and slept a long while. After he woke, Xue Ming came to help sort through the belongings they had brought. They chatted for a bit, then it was time for dinner again.

Dinner was not held in their courtyard, but in a room that opened directly onto a garden.

When Liandan carried Xiaodan over, there were already people seated at the table. They all stood when they saw him come in.

Xue Ming introduced him, saying the handsome young man in black robes was Liu Shuqi, her eldest senior brother.

Liandan had heard the story about him competing in qinggong with the hermit of Canglan Mountain’s young disciple. To him, that had sounded like a legend. He had never expected to see the man himself. His eyes widened, and he stared at him again and again.

Beside him, Xue Ming covered her mouth and laughed. “I told him the story about your competition in qinggong.”

Liu Shuqi gave a helpless smile and bowed. Liandan quickly knelt to return the greeting.

Next to Liu Shuqi was Leng Shan, whom Liandan recognized, the one who had escorted them on the road.

That day he was no longer in his black travel clothes, but in a gray robe, which made him look less fierce and more refined. His expression was also more relaxed and calm than during the journey.

He bowed to Liandan, and Liandan returned the bow, saying, “We owe a lot to your care along the way, Brother Leng.”

Leng Shan smiled and nodded. “No need for courtesy.”

There were also two others, a married couple. The man was named Bai Wushuang, of the same clan as Liandan, and the other was Liang Yun, the ge’er who had held Xiaodan earlier when they first entered the house.

Liang Yun said to Liandan, “I have a child too, he’s three. If it’s inconvenient for you to care for Xiaodan, you can let me watch him. The two children can play together.”

Liandan nodded and thanked him with a smile. He had never met so many strangers at once. Though he felt nervous, their kindness made him relax.

Later, when Chen Shuangning arrived and sat beside him, Liandan felt even more at ease.

The table was filled with dishes. Liandan had seen more of the world on this journey, but he had never seen food so refined.

Chen Shuangning did not eat much. Most of the time he used his chopsticks to place food in Liandan’s bowl. He did drink some wine.

Xue Ming said the wine was fruit-based and not very strong. She urged Liandan to try it.

After two cups, Liandan’s face turned red, redder than rouge. His head grew light. He lost his earlier reserve, speaking more freely.

He asked Liang Yun about his child, asked Leng Shan how many family members he had, asked Xue Ming how certain dishes were cooked, and joined everyone in playing with Xiaodan. By the end of the meal, he was delighted. His eyes shone, his cheeks were rosy, and the smile at his lips never faded.

Chen Shuangning looked at him from time to time. Liandan only smiled back and even picked up food with his chopsticks to place in Chen Shuangning’s bowl. Seeing the man eat so little, he patted his arm and said, “You need to eat more to be stronger.”

The childish tone left everyone wide-eyed, but Chen Shuangning remained calm. He ate the food in his bowl and even answered with a quiet “Mm.”

The dinner ended in harmony.

As they left the room, Xue Ming, Liandan, and Liang Yun walked ahead. The other men followed slowly behind.

Perhaps because the surrounding mountains blocked the wind, the valley was warmer than outside. The trees and grass in the courtyards were still green, and the stream under the small bridge was not frozen.

Liandan squinted, tilting his head back, enjoying the cool breeze brushing across his face.

Xue Ming held Xiaodan, who stretched his arms toward a fruit-bearing tree in the yard. They walked faster, pulling ahead, while Liandan, at the rear, could still faintly hear the voices behind.

Bai Wushuang was asking, “Why do you still wear the mask at home? Isn’t it stifling?”

Liandan’s fingers twitched at his side. He heard Chen Shuangning’s hoarse voice answer slowly, “I’m used to it. It doesn’t bother me.”

Liandan lowered his eyelids and bit his lip.

Bai Wushuang asked again, “How is your health lately? Did you take the lingzhi I sent last time? If it helped, I’ll find more for you.”

Chen Shuangning said, “I’m fine. No need to trouble yourself.”

Bai Wushuang sighed. “You…”

Whatever else they said, Liandan could no longer hear.

Xue Ming plucked a fruit for Xiaodan, but he tried to put it straight into his mouth. Liang Yun quickly snatched it away. Xiaodan’s lips trembled, ready to cry, but Liang Yun broke open the fruit and squeezed some juice into his mouth, which made him bounce with joy.

At that moment, a little girl of seven or eight came running into the courtyard. She went straight to Liandan, caught his hand, and said, “Uncle, the brothers are setting off sky lanterns in the front yard. They invite you to watch!”

Liandan looked at her in surprise, then turned to Xue Ming. She smiled and said, “That’s Leng Shan’s little daughter. Let’s go watch.”

They all left the courtyard, crossed a covered walkway, and came to a large open space. More than ten children of different ages were preparing sky lanterns.

“Uncle is here!” the little girl shouted in her childish voice.

The eldest boy, about eleven or twelve, saw them coming. He grinned, dimples showing, and shouted, “Release!”

Seven or eight glowing sky lanterns rose into the air, scattered neatly, lighting up the night above them.

Xue Ming, holding Xiaodan, looked around, then quietly stepped back a few paces.

Liandan and Chen Shuangning both tilted their heads back, watching the lanterns. Neither noticed how, without knowing whose movement started it, the distance of more than a step between them shrank until their shoulders nearly touched.

Behind them, Xue Ming and Liang Yun noticed and shared a smile. Watching the lanterns drift higher into the night, Xue Ming murmured, “If only every day could be like this.”