UCTOOT CH36

Xie Wuchi, “I haven’t forgotten. I also happen to want to tell you that my head was spinning that night. I had a flare-up and lost my sense of propriety. It was my fault for touching you. If you need an apology, I can give you one right now.”

“………”

Shi Shu waited for what was to follow, and after a moment: “That’s it?”

Xie Wuchi: “What else do you want to hear?”

What else do I want to hear? What does he mean, what else do I want to hear? Shi Shu instantly felt the tables had turned. He had been feeling strange these past few days, as if Xie Wuchi’s tongue was still drilling into his mouth, a feeling that was hard to ignore. It made him feel awkward whenever he saw Xie Wuchi, truly not knowing what to say.

Xie Wuchi: “These past three days, you haven’t liked staying in the inn and have been running outside. Is it because the sight of my face makes your imagination run wild, and you’re going out to avoid me? If this misunderstanding exists, then I’ll correct it now. I don’t like you.”

Shi Shu: “…………”

“…………”

The driver, who was shouting “Hah! Hah!” to urge the horses on, heard the commotion and looked toward them.

Shi Shu: “…………”

What are you looking at?

Shi Shu quickly turned his face away. “Fine, I get it. Since it was an accident, let’s not mention it again.”

How strange. To kiss like that and this is all it is?

To be honest, Shi Shu was still thinking, although Xie Wuchi was also a man, if he was in a state of delirium at the time, and he himself just happened to be the only human being next to him. And he had no choice but to hold onto him and kiss him a few times, and because this went on for too long—

Did it cause any psychological trauma to Xie Wuchi?

After all, being forced into a passionate kiss when neither of you is gay, you’re both victims. What’s this supposed to mean? Acting as if nothing happened, it instead left Shi Shu with a pent-up feeling he couldn’t release.

What does he mean?

As Shi Shu thought about it, he started muttering, “Don’t like me? Have I ever shown off in front of you? Or have I ever assumed that about you?”

The more he thought, the more sensitive he became. “Hey, Xie Wuchi, what do you mean! Did I beg you to like me? Make yourself clear.”

“Make yourself clear! You don’t think I think you like me, do you? Damn, you’re so pretentious. Are you some kind of amazing man? I already said I’m homophobic, I don’t need a man to like me! And you still assume this about me.”

“Hey! Xie Wuchi, say something!”

“…………”

As Shi Shu chattered on, Xie Wuchi smoothed out a piece of paper and wrote in his diary amidst the noise. The carriage passed through forests of varying heights and wide roads, following the official route towards the East Capital, startling flocks of birds in the green woods.

Due to receiving a letter from Pei Wenqing, they took a detour to Changyang County first.

Sunlight fell in mottled patches through the treetops, shining on Shi Shu’s handsome, straight nose as he dozed lazily. He didn’t know where they had reached when he suddenly heard the “swish, swish, swish” of water rushing against banks.

“What’s that sound? Let me see.”

Xie Wuchi looked up, his gaze following the youth.

Shi Shu stood up unsteadily in the carriage, jumped off, and ran towards the source of the sound in a misty bamboo sea, standing on a cliff.

Before him, a great white river rolled by. The steep, limestone-colored cliffs on both sides were swarmed with ant-like people gathered at the narrow, rapid-flowing pass. Some handed over sandbags, moved stones, and explored the riverbed, their faces contorted by the rushing water as they moved the mud and sand blocking the river.

Beyond the laborers and conscripts, two or three official boats with vermilion masts were parked. Officials and eunuchs with leather whips in hand stared at the group of hard laborers like hawks, letting out sharp shrieks and lashing their whips fiercely whenever someone slacked off.

Shi Shu: “What a precipitous river… What are these people… doing?”

Xie Wuchi came up from behind him. “This river is the Bailu River, the source of sin.”

Shi Shu asked, “The Bailu River for dredging waterways and transporting imperial silks?”

Xie Wuchi hummed in agreement. “This is where the main force of the peasant rebellion caused trouble. The people of Anzhou were tied to these waterways for nearly ten years of servitude. After the rebellion, they simply poured all the stones and sand they had painstakingly dug out back into the river, causing the Bailu River to be blocked again.”

The flowing water reflected in Xie Wuchi’s pupils, and he couldn’t help but smile.

Shi Shu: “Doesn’t that mean all their efforts were wasted, and they have to start from scratch?”

“Is there anything wrong with that?” Xie Wuchi said lightly. “When pain accumulates to a certain point, one does not become a coward, but a butcher who kills without blinking an eye. This is the greatness of humanity, to seek survival in a desperate situation.”

Shi Shu: “Their rebellion was indeed right.”

There were many young faces among those rushing in the river. Shi Shu felt a mix of emotions. “They are parents, children, older and younger brothers.”

“Let it continue. The flames forged from anger will lead to mutual destruction, but this behemoth of a monster, Great Jing, is still brewing new hatred.”

Xie Wuchi plucked a leaf and threw it into the river, where it was swiftly carried away by the clear current. “Perhaps one day, when the people’s resentment boils over, this monster will explode like a balloon that can’t take anymore.”

Shi Shu saw someone in the current slip on their knees and get washed away by the water. They grabbed onto a rock at the edge and pulled themselves up, their five fingers scraped and bleeding.

…Who are those two prancing riders? A yellow-robed envoy and a white-shirted lad.

Shi Shu turned around. The sickly city of Shukang Prefecture was left behind by him and Xie Wuchi, unmoving like a mountain in the embrace of green hills and waters. Having just escaped the miasma and hardship, it was like the gates of the eighteenth level of hell.

…A face full of dust and soot, graying temples and ten blackened fingers.
Pity the thin clothes on his body, yet he worries for the low price of charcoal and wishes for colder weather!

Following the Bailu River downstream, they came to a junction with the Song River. Twenty li further down, they could see the boundary marker of Changyang County.

Changyang County was not under the jurisdiction of Shukang Prefecture, but rather within the territory of Shaoxing Prefecture. Being close to the heartland of the East Capital, it had troops stationed and was thus unaffected by the recent civil rebellion. As the carriage traveled along the flat, wide road, both banks were lined with people living along the water. With gray walls and white tiles, small bridges over flowing streams, it was a scene of peace and simple folk.

Shi Shu sat up straight in the carriage with a flip. “We’re here to get something for Pei Wenqing?”

Xie Wuchi: “He didn’t say specifically, only to take that letter and find Xu Shouchun at the Hedong Academy in Changyang County.”

“And who is Xu Shouchun?”

Xie Wuchi leaned against the crossbeam of the carriage. It was just evening, and the afterglow of the sunset fell on his eyelashes. “An old friend of Pei Zhi, the leader of the ‘New School,’ who passed the imperial examinations in the same year. After Pei Zhi was framed by the Mingfeng Division, he became the new leader of the ‘New School.’ He, along with other renowned great scholars like Cao Wang, gathered at the Hedong Academy to give lectures. A man of leisure, with an air of an immortal, he is widely famous among scholars.”

Shi Shu looked at him. “So he’s a big shot?”

Xie Wuchi seemed to be pondering. “Of course.”

The carriage entered Changyang County. Although named a county, Changyang was where the Shaoxing prefectural government was located, and it was considered a rich and fertile area in the entire Great Jing. As expected, upon entering the city, the marketplace was bustling, filled with the clamor of voices. The commercial prosperity was second only to the East Capital.

It happened to be close to the Qixi Festival, and the city was holding its annual Red Thread Festival. Many homes had new paper decorations hanging on their doors. Along the way, a makeshift stage had been set up in the bustling city by the Shaoxing government. Colorful paper lanterns of all shapes—rabbits, foxes, gods of fortune, prosperity, and longevity—in red, green, and blue were stacked on both sides. A group of people were using bamboo poles to knock together a huge frame.

Shi Shu’s eyes lit up. “Xie Wuchi, what a lively prefecture!”

The social customs of Great Jing could be considered open, with few restrictions on women. With the Qixi Red Thread Festival underway, Shi Shu saw many brightly and beautifully dressed girls giggling in groups. Some were even bold enough to throw flowers at him.

Shi Shu dodged the flowers. “So many pretty girls.”

Xie Wuchi: “Are you happy?”

“…”

A fragrant canna lily was tossed into Shi Shu’s arms, and he hid behind Xie Wuchi. “I can’t take it anymore. Why is everyone looking at me?”

The carriage was filled with thrown fruit, and the fragrant wind was overwhelming. As Shi Shu, blushing, walked to the base of the tower, he suddenly heard a “Peng!” from above his head. A hook used to prop open a window fell and hit him on the head.

Shi Shu clutched his head. “So painful. Who was that?”

Before he could look up, Shi Shu heard the surrounding crowd burst into laughter. “What a handsome man! He’s been blessed by Madam Red Thread. He’s to be the first to get married this year.”

“Madam Red Thread has a good eye, hitting a fair and clean-cut handsome lad right out of the crowd.”

“Lad, why aren’t you going up yet? Look at you, at the prime of your youth. Being hit by Madam Red Thread’s headdress, you’re destined to have a chubby, fair little baby carved from the same mold as you this year!”

“………”

Who? What? Shi Shu scrambled around holding his head. People from the crowd came to pull his arm, leading him towards the pavilion. Shi Shu suddenly felt like a university student being forced into a matchmaking session.

As he was being pulled, Shi Shu turned back. “Xie Wuchi, save me!”

Xie Wuchi had long been blocked outside by the tide of people. He watched with a blank face as Shi Shu was pulled by a red-clothed attendant onto the flower-adorned platform. On a chair sat a matchmaker in a bright red dress, known locally in Shaoxing as “Madam Red Thread.” She couldn’t stop grinning when she saw Shi Shu.

“I haven’t seen such a fair and handsome young man in eight lifetimes, ah hahahaha ha ha…” Madam Red Thread slapped her knees with her large hands.

“…” Shi Shu felt the panic of being dragged up to perform at a family gathering. “What are you doing? I’m just passing by. Hey! I have no intention of being matchmade or getting married!”

Madam Red Thread said, “Don’t be afraid, young man. It’s just for good luck! Are you married?”

Shi Shu: “…No, I’m not.”

“You do look like a spring chicken, so fresh and tender. And that waist looks quite strong. It would be a fine thing to marry him!” This made the crowd below, who were watching the fun, roar with laughter.

“In our Shaoxing Prefecture, the daughters are stronger than the men. Elsewhere, it’s the high-born ladies who throw the embroidered ball. Here, it’s the handsome young men. Look, see anyone you like down there? Just toss the embroidered ball to her, and I’ll be the matchmaker for you. I guarantee you’ll meet today, be married in half a month, and be holding a baby in another ten months!”

Shi Shu was really going crazy. “Who’s having a baby with you?”

That red embroidered ball was actually handed to him. Madam Red Thread said, “Throw it, quick! The young ladies and aunties below are all waiting!”

The crowd erupted in bursts of laughter. Shi Shu threw down the embroidered ball and turned to leave, but was blocked by a crowd of laughing onlookers. “Throw it! Just throw it randomly! You’re not leaving until you throw it!”

Time dragged on. Before Shi Shu were faces, flushed red with festive cheer. Shi Shu thought to himself, “This Shaoxing Prefecture really gives one a big surprise right upon arrival!”

Pestered beyond his wits, he looked down intently at the sea of people below the platform. Xie Wuchi, dressed in a long white robe, stood in the crowd. One of his sleeves was held by Fuling. He had an air of elegant arrogance, his face devoid of emotion, his dark eyes fixed on Shi Shu without blinking.

Madam Red Thread urged, “Hurry up! Everyone’s waiting. Haven’t you picked one you like yet?”

Shi Shu: “Don’t rush me, I’ve picked one!”

Shi Shu stepped on the railing, threw the embroidered ball down forcefully, vaulted over the railing, and leaped off the platform. Stepping on the swaying poles, in two or three moves, he jumped onto the heads of the crowd.

“Make way, I’m jumping!”

The crowd parted like a tide. Shi Shu lunged forward and landed squarely in Xie Wuchi’s arms. Then, he grabbed him and ran through the crowd. “So scary, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go! They’re kidnapping men!”

In the surging crowd behind them, someone asked, “Where’s the embroidered ball?”

“Who caught it?”

“Fuck!

“How is it a man!”

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