UCTOOT CH17

The meat simmered in the pot, the sauce bubbling.
The meat was stained a soy sauce red, its aroma filling the air.

Besides the braised pork, there were also potatoes and ribs stewed. Xie Wuchi said, “Now that you’re not a monk, you can eat meat and drink wine to your heart’s content. Eat more, see if you can grow.”

Shi Shu was at a loss for words. When the rice was served, he kept his head down and just ate without speaking.

One bite, then another.
One chopstickful, then another.

Xie Wuchi: “Be a little nice to you, and you become obedient.”

“…Can’t you speak properly?”

After his defiant remark, he saw Xie Wuchi put down his chopsticks. By the small table under the eaves, he turned his head to look at the lush, green shade of the peach blossom forest, his expression calm.

Forget it, there’s no arguing with that.

The few days at the Flowing Water Nunnery were spent tidying up the courtyard and pulling out the weeds. Before long, the house looked quite presentable.

A few days later, the Crown Prince invited the retainers in his residence for a drink. The pretext was to admire the willows, but it was actually to celebrate the “extermination of Buddhism” that had recently secured military funds. He had been praised by His Majesty and had changed the impression of a useless Crown Prince in the eyes of the court officials. His prestige was boundless.

“Wow! So lively and luxurious…”

Shi Shu marveled.

His seat was next to Xie Wuchi’s. The table was laden with roasted chicken, roasted goose, sliced beef, and a fruit platter. People constantly came to their table.

“Brother Xie, you’ve just arrived at the residence. From now on, we’ll all be good friends. Come, let’s have a drink!” someone said.

“You’re too kind.” Xie Wuchi drank the clear wine in his cup.

Isn’t this a dinner party?

Shi Shu had no interest in dinner parties. With a piece of dried beef in his mouth, he was chewing when the man turned to him with a smile. “Young master, I’ll toast you too.”

Shi Shu: “…Hello, hello.”

Damn it, we innocent university students just don’t know how to refuse.

After drinking, when the person had left, Shi Shu asked Xie Wuchi, “Are the people in the Crown Prince’s residence so friendly?”

Xie Wuchi lowered his eyes. “They are all old hands in the officialdom. The officialdom has its own rules. They won’t get up early if there’s no profit. These people currently can’t figure out my background, but the Crown Prince relies on me. They probably see me as a new favorite and are just coming to say hello.”

He reminded Shi Shu, “Put away those puppy-dog eyes of yours, seeing everyone as a good person.”

Shi Shu: “…”

“You’re the one with puppy-dog eyes.”

Being treated as Xie Wuchi’s younger brother, when others toasted him, they would also toast Shi Shu out of politeness. Shi Shu’s ears would turn red after one sip of clear wine. He nudged Xie Wuchi’s leg with his knee. “Xie Wuchi, I don’t want to drink. I just want to eat properly.”

“You can’t drink?”

“My parents don’t let me drink. Besides, what’s so good about wine? It’s both spicy and bitter.”

Xie Wuchi: “Heh, your parents raised you very safely. But in this kind of social occasion, wine has its benefits. The clinking of glasses also has its meaning.”

Someone came to toast them again. Xie Wuchi blocked it for Shi Shu, his sleeve brushing aside. “My younger brother is still young and does not drink for the time being.”

The clinking of glasses, the raising of cups in a toast. The Crown Prince’s residence was extravagant, the main hall towering and majestic, with overlapping eaves and winding white marble railings. There was music and singing, as well as dancers with long sleeves, gracefully flitting like butterflies in the center of the stage. The vibrant colors were dazzling.

Shi Shu: “A top-tier noble family… farming in the Zhou Family Village seems like a dream now. The difference between people is greater than the difference between a person and a dog.”

Shi Shu turned his face, thinking Xie Wuchi would be the same, gazing at the bustling scene. But he sat upright, and though beautiful dancers cast flirtatious glances his way, he just calmly lowered his head and picked up his wine cup.

Shi Shu: “Bro, so calm?”

Xie Wuchi: “Wine, women, and song, I’ve long grown tired of it. It’s meaningless.”

Shi Shu: “Meaningless? In the modern world, were you the kind of young master who would drive a sports car to a bar, book the whole place, have a group of young models dance around you, and throw money around?”

Xie Wuchi sneered, “Where did you get that picture from?”

Shi Shu: “From watching videos.”

“It was okay.”

“???” Shi Shu tilted his head. “What do you mean by ‘it was okay’? Is it true?”

Xie Wuchi picked up his wine cup, stared at the pale green clear wine, and drank it all in one gulp without a word.

He naturally exuded a kind of reservedness that had been nurtured by a wealthy family background.

Shi Shu clicked his tongue twice. “Besides transmigrating, you haven’t suffered at all in this life, have you?”

The banquet lasted for several hours. In the middle of it, bored, Shi Shu propped his chin on one hand. “Can we leave?”

“No one has left their seats yet. We’re not big shots, so don’t be the first to leave.”

Shi Shu was bored out of his mind. He saw a young scholar of about twenty-six or twenty-seven in front of him, handsome and refined, with a lonely air in his eyes. In the crowd, he looked sickly and melancholic, dejected and unhappy.

He looked at Shi Shu’s table several times, observing Xie Wuchi.

But this banquet seemed to disappoint him. He stood up and bowed to the Crown Prince. “This student has some mundane matters at home and would like to take his leave first.”

The Crown Prince waved his hand. “I know you’re not in good health, Wenqing. Go back.”

Pei Wenqing stood up and left.

Whispers could be heard. “This Pei Wenqing, still as aloof and unsociable as ever.”

“The Crown Prince doesn’t use his words. His ambitions are unfulfilled. Let’s drink, let’s drink!”

Shi Shu: “Why did he leave first?”

Xie Wuchi noticed the person’s retreating back and asked, “Pei Wenqing?”

Zeng Xingxiu happened to come over for a drink and said, “Him? His father was the famous leader of the ‘New Learning,’ Pei Zhi. He was beaten to death in court for speaking frankly about the Jiangnan tax issue, offending His Majesty. As for Pei Wenqing, he was originally a famous child prodigy in the eastern capital. His father was imprisoned just when he came in first in the Ministry of Rites examination. Some said he could have won the top three honors! But he was implicated by his father, stripped of his official status, and forbidden from entering the examinations again. After that, his family was ruined. He would spit blood from anger every day, falling into the mud. He had no choice but to become a retainer in the Crown Prince’s residence.”

Shi Shu was shocked. Zeng Xingxiu lowered his voice. “This Pei Wenqing is just like his father, loves to meddle in other people’s business! Always thinking about state affairs, full of ideas, but the Crown Prince doesn’t listen to him! Brother Xie, he heard you confiscated the ordination certificates of Xiangnan Temple to raise military funds, so he came to the banquet to see if you were a kindred spirit. Otherwise, with his temperament, he would rather play chess in his courtyard than come.”

Xie Wuchi: “I see.”

“Brother Xie, I haven’t asked where you are from yet?” That Zeng Xingxiu was cheerful and enthusiastic, striking up a conversation with Xie Wuchi.

Shi Shu simply gave up his seat to him. “You sit, you sit. I’m going to the bathroom.”

Zeng Xingxiu: “Bathroom?”

Xie Wuchi: “A dialect. He’s going to relieve himself.”

“…” Shi Shu didn’t explain either and left his seat.

After asking around, he finally found the latrine. There was clean water in a bucket. Shi Shu scooped some up and washed his face, rubbing his ears red. The drunken flush was gone, and his head cleared up a bit.

But he couldn’t find his way back. He vaguely heard the sound of music and followed the sound.

When he reached a lotus pond, Shi Shu heard someone coughing. He turned his head and saw a plain green robe. The person was standing under a tree, covering his face with a handkerchief and coughing.

Shi Shu walked closer and saw clearly that it was the melancholic and sickly Pei Wenqing.

He was coughing with his head down. Shi Shu had good eyes and saw a bright red spot of blood. He remembered what Zeng Xingxiu had just said. “Are you okay?”

Pei Wenqing tucked the handkerchief into his sleeve and shook his head. “It’s nothing. Are you the younger brother of the retainer Xie Wuchi? Your name is Xie Shishu?” He smiled and said, “You brothers are truly handsome, like two pieces of jade.”

Shi Shu had been sitting next to Xie Wuchi all along. These smart people would not forget a face after seeing it once.

Shi Shu: “Are you going back to your courtyard?”

Pei Wenqing: “Yes, it’s cold today. The wind was a bit uncomfortable. I coughed a few times. I’m almost there.”

Shi Shu looked left and right. There was no one with Pei Wenqing. It seemed he had no friends either.

“I’ll walk you back.”

Pei Wenqing: “No need, I’m almost there.”

Shi Shu: “Let’s go, it’s no trouble, just a small favor. The way you’re coughing up blood is quite scary. You should take some medicine, right?”

Pei Wenqing’s expression seemed to be moved. He didn’t say anything more, turned his head, and walked around the pavilions, through the woods and corridors. As Shi Shu walked, he arranged a nearby branch into a shape and stepped on it a couple of times.

Pei Wenqing looked at him several times. “What are you doing?”

Shi Shu: “Oh, I’m afraid of getting lost on the way back, so I’m making a mark first.”

Pei Wenqing smiled and turned back.

He stopped in front of a small courtyard. The Crown Prince’s residence was spacious, with many courtyards built for the retainers to live in. He lived in the same courtyard as the others. But today, the Crown Prince was hosting a banquet, so no one was there.

Shi Shu: “Do you need me to find a doctor for you?”

“No need, I have medicine,” Pei Wenqing said. “You should go back.”

“Then I’m leaving, bye-bye!”

On the way back, Shi Shu marveled, following the landmarks he had made himself. He returned to the banquet venue and put the matter out of his mind. Xie Wuchi was surrounded by several people, pouring cup after cup of clear wine into his stomach.

But he wasn’t exactly being forced to drink. Many people were talking. Xie Wuchi lowered his eyes, holding a white porcelain wine cup in one hand, his posture like a jade mountain collapsing, his expression hazy and drunk. But he didn’t miss a single word these people said, capturing all the information in his mind.

Shi Shu smelled the strong smell of wine. “Xie Wuchi? How much did you drink?”

“It’s fine, just enjoying myself.”

At the table, the Crown Prince finally couldn’t hold on any longer and was helped to bed by his servants. Xie Wuchi stood up and said, “Let’s go back.”

His expression was calm, but his eyes seemed to be in a daze. However, his steps were very steady as he walked back to the Flowing Water Nunnery.

As dusk fell, the small courtyard, the winding path, and the peach blossom forest appeared before them.

When entering the house, Shi Shu saw Xie Wuchi lift his leg, but his shoe kicked the threshold. “Are you drunk?”

Xie Wuchi sat on a chair, supporting his chin with one hand, looking at Shi Shu.

Shi Shu also sat on a chair. “So tired. The socializing is over. I don’t want to go next time.”

After speaking, he saw that Xie Wuchi’s face didn’t look too good. He seemed to be someone who could endure pain well. At this point, his brow slowly furrowed.

“What’s wrong with you?” Shi Shu asked.

Xie Wuchi said calmly, “I have a stomach problem. I get a stomachache when I drink too much.”

Shi Shu shot up from his chair. “Your stomach hurts now?”

“It started hurting a while ago. It hurts a lot now.”

Seeing his calm expression, it didn’t look like he was in pain at all. But that was the feeling Xie Wuchi gave. If he showed pain on his face, it would seem like he was faking it. This calm demeanor was what made it seem like he was really in pain.

Shi Shu picked up the teapot and poured water. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Xie Wuchi smiled, lowered his eyes, thinking of something.

“Sometimes, pain is very satisfying.”

Shi Shu: “…………….”

“Xie Wuchi, you big lunatic.”

Shi Shu poured warm water and handed it to him. “Drink! Ancestor!”

“The pain of bleeding and the like, when it’s satisfying, can be addictive.”

Xie Wuchi took the water cup. Although his face was calm, there were still faint traces on his brow. Shi Shu suddenly felt that he was like a stubborn child.

Shi Shu went to him and bent down. “Does it hurt a lot? My dad used to like to eat egg fried rice, drink egg drop soup, and honey water after drinking. I’ll go make you some fried rice.”

The distance between the two was very close. The smell of wine on Xie Wuchi was stained with his scorching heat. He lifted his chin, his unfocused pupils meeting Shi Shu’s. “You can cook?”

Shi Shu: “I can only make egg fried rice.”

“Not bad.”

“…”

“If you don’t want to eat, just say so.”

“I don’t want to eat.”

“—Young master, you’re really direct.” Shi Shu scratched his hair, wondering what to do. “Why don’t you go lie down on the bed? It must be uncomfortable when it hurts like this. And there’s no specific medicine here. I guess you’ll be in pain for a while.”

Xie Wuchi: “It’s fine, I’m used to it.”

“…”

Why does this feel so strange?

Xie Wuchi’s emotions were not so stable anymore.

“Should I help you to bed to lie down?” Shi Shu asked.

“It’s useless. Lying down won’t relieve it.”

Xie Wuchi stood up, one hand on his arm. “You were in the bathroom for so long today. Where did you go?”

“I ran into Pei Wenqing. He was coughing up blood, so I walked him back to his courtyard.”

The side room was even darker, unlit. Xie Wuchi stepped forward. A bamboo screen separated the front and back of the house. When Shi Shu came up, he said, “Xie Wuchi, lift your feet, don’t trip.”

Xie Wuchi walked around it and entered the room with the bed. They hadn’t been able to buy a new bed these past few days. Shi Shu didn’t want to sleep in the room where someone had just died. But if Xie Wuchi went to that room, Shi Shu would think the room was unclean. The result was that a new couch was added next to the bed.

The two of them still slept in the same room.

Xie Wuchi sat on the couch with a creak.

Shi Shu pulled the quilt for him, his knees against it as he climbed up, pulling out the corner of the quilt that was tucked under, and then pulling it up to cover Xie Wuchi, tucking him in tightly.

“You lie down first. I thought of another way. I can make you some millet congee. Anyway, you should eat something first. If it can relieve it, it will.”

With the quilt tucked under his arm, his posture was like an embrace.

Shi Shu was very fair, the veins under his ears slightly raised, making his collarbones look more slender. He had a youthful and handsome air, full of healthy vitality and youthfulness.

A person of true nature.

In the darkness of the evening, smelling the same scent, memories would resurface. This is called the Proust effect. Xie Wuchi’s eyes were dark, his emotions relaxed for a moment. The floodgate that hid sin and darkness was opened, teetering, cracking open.

Shi Shu was about to leave when Xie Wuchi’s hand came out from under the quilt.

“Xiao Shi Shu.”

Shi Shu: “What’s wrong?”

Xie Wuchi’s eyes, as dark as a pool, did not waver for a moment. There was a calm smile on his face. “I’m in a lot of pain.”