Chapter 26: An Affair by the Small River

When he finally pulled himself up from that valley and resumed his walk along the main road, the night had already deepened. Di Bupa paused by the roadside to relieve himself, hoping to purge some of the dread lurking in his heart. He then broke into a frantic run, only to be confronted by a massive shadow looming in the middle of the path.

Faced with this colossal dark silhouette, even Di Bupa could not help but feel terror. He crouched down and offered a few kowtows, but when he looked up again, the shadow had vanished. What was going on? Had his eyes played a trick on him? Perhaps.

After crossing a bridge, Di Bupa returned home.

Meanwhile, Master Gou was wandering through the desolate village again. He did this purely to undermine Shaoqiu; having already slashed Shaoqiu with a blade a few times, he felt he had to maintain his standing in the village. If he didn't cultivate his alliances now, who would come to his aid when the time came for a life-or-death struggle with Shaoqiu? As for Shaoqiu, he remained inside his own room, spreading open a book he had just purchased from Lu Town, reading by the faint, lingering light of dusk.

Master Gou paced outside Shaoqiu’s house, shouting incessantly and even cursing Shaoqiu’s mother in front of the gathered villagers. What could a mere scholar like Shaoqiu do? He simply pretended not to hear.

The onlookers cheered as they heard Master Gou hurling insults at Shaoqiu’s mother, mocking the scholar for his cowardice. Shaoqiu could only retreat into his room and weep silently. When he could bear it no longer, he stuffed his ears with wads of paper; once the shouting was muffled, he felt slightly better.

By the time the villagers dispersed, the night had grown dark. Shaoqiu’s room was pitch black, and the thought that the place might be haunted began to fill him with fear. Yet, what else could he do?

He wondered when his lung ailment would finally heal. If he were healthy, he would have no reason to fear Master Gou. But his illness was stubbornly persistent, and in the stillness of the night, he began to cough incessantly.

On the other side of the desolate village, Xiaohua seemed to be arguing with someone. The volume of the dispute was so high that even Shaoqiu could hear it.

Unsure of what prompted such a loud confrontation, Shaoqiu stepped out of his room. He glanced up at the sky; the stars were twinkling, promising a fine day tomorrow. Still, he felt compelled to walk toward Xiaohua’s house to see what had happened.

"You are not to speak to that Shaoqiu ever again. If I find out you have, I will see you dead!" Old Man Hua declared, his tone so severe that it left Xiaohua sobbing uncontrollably.

Fortunately, Shaoqiu did not hear this, or his heart would have been filled with dread. By the time Old Man Hua spoke, Shaoqiu had already retreated to his room. He stood by his dilapidated window, looking at the trees outside. A bird was crying in the branches, its melody so wretched that it drew tears from his eyes.

Xiaohua continued to cry until her face was streaked with tears, yet she remained a beauty. Old Man Hua, unrelenting, fetched a thick, heavy stick from the woodshed and began to beat her. Xiaohua fled, not knowing where to run, but knowing only that staying in that house had become truly terrifying.

"Go, then! Go and die early for all I care! I never want to see you again!" Old Man Hua shouted viciously.

Xiaohua truly contemplated throwing herself into the river. What meaning was there in such a life? It would be better to simply die. She wandered along the riverbank, pondering the method of her end. Drowning seemed feasible, but not perfect; she sought a better way to depart.

Just then, she noticed a flower by the roadside. It was in full bloom, a vivid red, and its fragrance lifted her spirits, dispelling her thoughts of suicide. She crouched before the flower as the moonlight spilled down, the river’s surface dancing with light; the world suddenly seemed beautiful again.

As she sat there, she drifted into a reverie, imagining Shaoqiu sitting at his table, his hand propping up his head as he read. The moonlight shone through, casting a glow upon his book, making the pages look exceptionally bright. Thinking of this, Xiaohua felt an extraordinary sense of peace.

The river flowed eastward, carrying a vast expanse of mist, while deep within the cold waves, a dragon seemed to moan.

Xiaohua strolled leisurely along the bank. Wherever her gaze fell, wild flowers were in bloom, swaying in the breeze like graceful maidens. She sat by the water, looking toward the distance where lights twinkled in the houses and the sounds of singing drifted over, enchanting and poignant.

After sitting for a while, with no one to share her inner turmoil, she walked along the riverbank, twirling a flower in her hand and humming a tune as she watched the clouds dance in the wind.

Suddenly, she felt a hand grope her backside. She spun around to see who it was—none other than Master Gou, wearing a leering grin, clearly pleased with himself.

"How could you do such a thing? Fine, you want to be happy? I’ll tell my father and have him beat you to death!"

After saying this, Xiaohua could no longer bear to stay by the river. She ran home like a madwoman to tell Old Man Hua. Her father was returning from the fields carrying a large watermelon—one he had pilfered from Shaoqiu’s plot. He figured that since Shaoqiu was no good anyway, it was no crime to take it.

When Xiaohua saw her father, she burst into loud sobs, dashed into her room, and refused to come out.

"Xiaohua, what on earth is the matter?" Old Man Hua asked, pounding on the door. But Xiaohua stayed inside, refusing to open it.

"Wuwu..." she sobbed.

"Did someone bully you? Tell me who, and I will kill him!"

"Master Gou!" Xiaohua wailed.

"What did Master Gou do to you?" Old Man Hua demanded fiercely.

"He touched my backside!"

"Oh, I see."

Old Man Hua grunted and walked out, intending to fight Master Gou. But then he reconsidered: if he killed Master Gou, who would help him deal with Shaoqiu? Besides, this whole affair was linked to Shaoqiu; if not for Xiaohua’s obsession with him, she never would have run out of the house, and none of this would have happened.

In the final analysis, it was Shaoqiu’s fault. Yes, he couldn't go after Master Gou—and besides, he couldn't beat him—but Shaoqiu was just a scholar. There was nothing to fear from him.

With this in mind, Old Man Hua marched to Shaoqiu’s door, let out a roar, and kicked the door open, giving the reading scholar a terrible fright.